Designing Criteria for Evaluating the English Language Quality of Iranian EFL Learners: Teachers’ Perceptions and Attitudes in Focus

This study designed and validated criteria to evaluate the English language quality of Iranian EFL learners to provide information about the foreign language learning and teaching systems and to improve the quality standards in Iran. the method of this research is descriptive exploratory type. The statistical population of this research includes 20 experienced teachers working at different levels (primary, intermediate & advanced) in a non-profit language institute (Safir Language Institute) in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Iran. Sampling was performed theoretically using chain sampling or snowball sampling. In this study, the process of analyzing the data obtained from the interviews was performed in three coding steps (open, axial, and selective) which were performed consecutively, the interviews were collected and analyzed and coded line by line using version 10 of qualitative data analysis software (MAXQDA). Results showed that the most important Criteria for Evaluating the English Language Quality of Iranian EFL Learners are learning strategy, individual characteristics, learning dynamics, educational technology, content setting, anxiety and low self-esteem, weaknesses in learning, positive evaluation, negative evaluation, assess knowledge and skills, individual consequences, social consequences, cultural implications, economic consequences, and political consequences.