On the Development of a Model for Teaching English as a Vocation among Iranian Teachers

Teachers’ perspectives towards teaching are still a hotly-debated topic that often divide opinions. Some teachers, believe that teaching is a profession and a sole source of income, while many other teachers claim that teaching is an inside spiritual call and a vocational and moralistic duty. This study, following a qualitative grounded theory approach, looked deeply into the interrelationship of data extracting from teachers' perspectives toward teaching as vocation to propose a model in this regard. Consequently, twenty-six Iranian English teachers, teaching at schools and Farhang language institute were asked to brainstorm their ideas as to how they view teaching as a vocation. The 3-session semi-structured interviews with 20 participants and focus-group interviews with 6 participants were conducted. The data was then transcribed and codified based on Corbin and Strauss (2014) systematic steps for grounded theory. The findings led to an eight-factor model encompassing 39 categories. The factors include: a) financial concerns and insufficient salary, b) love and passion for teaching, c) low social status, d) high demands for becoming a teacher, e) devotion and high sense of responsibility, f) limitations and lack of freedom, g) setting a pattern and gaining experience, h) equivocal images of teachers. The proposed model is conducive for training centers, policy makers, ministry of education, and those who care about quality education, and students' academic achievements to seriously take into account teachers' real concerns, and improve their social status to avoid falling them into a state of socioeconomic inequality and feeling marginalized.