EFL teachers’ attitudes toward accent and culture in light of EIL: The case of Iranian public schools and private institutes

Abstract

The aim of the current study was twofold: examining the influence of contextual variations on EFL teachers’ attitudes toward accent and culture in the English as an international language (EIL) context and exploring reasons that shape teachers’ viewpoints toward them. Data were collected from 43 public-school English language teachers and 63 private language institute instructors in Iran using a newly designed questionnaire and follow-up interviews. The results of t-test revealed that there was no significant difference between the two groups’ attitudes toward the two elements of EIL. Participants in both settings considered the accents spoken in Inner Circle countries as an ideal pedagogical model. On the other hand, they believed both target and local cultures should be included in language classroom. They attributed their views toward EIL accent to the washback effect of standardized test, comprehensibility issue, and their own language learning experience. Teachers also referred to the link between language and culture and the significance of being aware of different cultures as the reasons behind their attitudes toward EIL cultural norms. The findings demonstrate the necessity of building a dialogic relationship between theoreticians/policymakers and practitioners to make EIL amenable for classroom settings.

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