Abstract

     Reflective thinking and teaching style are considered as two prominent and influential factors in the process of education. There have been several studies carried out to investigate different aspects of each of these two factors. However, no studies have been done to explore the possible relationship between these two crucial elements. Therefore, the present study set out to fill the gap and explore the relationship between reflective thinking and teaching style among EFL teachers in Iran. Ninety EFL teachers including 50 males and 40 females were chosen as the participants of this research. The questionnaires selected for the data collection phase were given to the teachers and they were asked to fill them out. The collected data were analyzed and it was found that there was a positive correlation between EFL teachers’ reflective thinking and their teaching style. The results of this research study can be of use for EFL teachers and teacher educators.

Introduction

     According to Campbell (2008), teaching is an intricate activity which requires ‘the interaction among subject matter, content, teacher characteristics, student characteristics, pedagogy, resources, and learning context’ (p. 50). As Hargreaves and Fullan (1992) asserted, teachers play a crucial part in an educational system. Also, Brown (2007) stated that an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher can influence the quantity and the quality of learning. In fact, as Wright et al. (1997) put, enhancement in the efficacy of teachers can lead to improvement in the quality of the educational system. As Akbari (2008) stated, with the advent of post-method era, language teachers’ role has witnessed substantial changes. Besides, according to Clandinin (1985), after post-method era, teacher educators have attempted to ‘equip prospective and practicing teachers with different techniques that enable them to develop their personal practical knowledge’ (p. 362). One of the techniques which has entered into the field of English language teaching (ELT) is the notion of reflection (Wright, 2010). Reflection, as Pacheco (2005) asserts, refers to ‘critical thinking’ about past experiences or current experiences that occur or are occurring in classroom settings’ (p. 1). Campbell-Jones and Campbell-Jones (2002) argue that by reflection teachers flash back to their beliefs, experiences, and perceptions about teaching and learning so as to make reasonable decisions and enhance their teaching skills. Also, as Pacheco (2005) states, language teachers can use (critical) reflection to assess their teaching so as to make modifications in their teaching as well as their beliefs and attitudes.

Conclusion

     The findings of the study revealed that the interplay between reflective thinking and some sub-categories of teaching styles was significantly positive. Different factors can play a role in the process of language teaching among which different teacher characteristics including teacher reflective thinking and teaching styles can be mentioned. It can be understood that the interplay between the factors which influence language teaching is promising since enhancement of one factor can lead to enhancement of the other factor. Also, based on the results of the present research, it can be concluded that all-round flexible and adaptable teacher, student-centered, sensitive teacher, and straight facts no nonsense teacher teaching styles are associated with higher degrees of reflective thinking. Considering the importance of teacher reflectivity in teaching quality, teachers’ attempts at practicing these three teaching styles can be of good help in improving the quality of their teaching. What adds to the importance of this point is that teaching and learning are closely interrelated and significantly influence each other. Moreover, since ‘straight facts no nonsense teacher teaching style’ was not so common among the participants of the present study, while it was significantly correlated with reflective thinking, it can be concluded that teachers should also use this teaching style in EFL teaching since it leads to higher reflective thinking among them.