TEFL Program Evaluation at Master's Level in Iran

This paper reports part of a large-scale study designed based on Stufflebeam's CIPP Model (۲۰۰۲) to evaluate the TEFL curriculum in MA program implemented at nine major universities in Iran with regard to the Official Curriculum developed in ۱۹۸۷. Participants included ۶۸ MA students, ۳۴ instructors, and nine administrators. Required data were collected through three questionnaires, interviews, and written responses. Two course-based questionnaires including ۳-point and ۵-point Likert type items as well as one open-ended question for students and instructors were developed based on the Official Curriculum. To develop the Administrators' questionnaire, several program evaluation questionnaires for administrators were consulted out of which items relevant to the Iranian educational context were selected. This questionnaire also included ۵-point Likert type items as well as two open-ended questions. All the three questionnaires shared ۲۳ items on the program's work plan. Interviews were also conducted with ۱۸ instructors and ۳۰ students. The data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative procedures, but due to the large volume of analyses, this paper reports only the results of the qualitative analysis in detail. To validate and interpret the findings, the same were discussed with about ۱۰ MA students and ۲ instructors. The findings generally revealed that (۱) there was no consensus among the participants regarding the overall aim of the program, (۲) the implemented curriculum is partially compatible with the Official Curriculum, and (۳) the participants generally felt the need for (a) the official curriculum's revision, (b) reform in program delivery, and (c) reconsidering the screening system.