Teaching Methods and Educational Atmosphere in Isfahan English Language Institutes: Do Teachers and Learning Facilities Make a Difference?

Abstract

The present situation of EFL teaching in Today’s Iran institutes has led many people toward private English Language Institutes. In the present study, the researchers have tried to investigate ten of the top institutes of Isfahan (a metropolitan city located in central Iran), in order to analyze their main teaching methods and find about their possible key elements of success. To this purpose, the selection of the top institutes was done according to a set of criteria based on which amongst 43 active boy institutes of the city, 10 were chosen. Then, in a narrower selection, 190 students and 23 teachers from 2-3 of the high intermediate classes of each selected institute, were chosen to reply to the researcher-made questionnaires. The required data were derived from these questionnaires and an observation check list, and then they were analyzed on a single-question basis. The analysis showed that factors like proximity to institute, physical atmosphere of the classes, teachers’ freedom of choice in supplementary methods, fame of the institute, the type of the activities infiltrated in textbooks, financial factors, and much more, were all vital parameters in establishing and running successful EFL institutes. The findings of this study can be exploited to enhance the existing institutes’ quality level by considering such educational factors in language teaching institutes. They can also help new founders decide where and how to establish a quality language institute in similar contexts the world over.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p1198