Role Dynamics in EFL Classrooms: Toward More Authentic and Interactive Learning Environments

Abstract

Teachers’ roles have always been a central concern among various EFL practitioners. Early generations of teachers preferred transmissive and authority-centered functions, but with the advent of student-centered pedagogy, communicative and humanistic approaches, teachers’ roles were turned upside down. The article seeks to investigate the delineation of teachers’ roles by drawing on scholarship in applied linguistics and educational psychology. It examines six roles that emerged during the process of collecting and analyzing data. For each role, the study analyzes the theoretical backgrounds and identifies some key pedagogical implications that can be put into practice. Various epistemological commitments about the profession and the nature of language learning influence teachers’ roles. To collect data, the study uses a self-administered questionnaire. Therefore, a reflexive model of role performance is needed in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher education and professional development.