Constraints on Language Teacher Autonomy: A Grounded Theory

Abstract

There is a wide divide between the academic discussion of teacher autonomy, and the reality of actual teacher daily life. This gap will continue until educational philosophers cease their theory-first rhetoric and begin to collect data “in the field.” This study aims to uncover the constraints on language teacher autonomy through interviewing experienced language teachers in the Iranian public school context. The hope is to produce a grounded theory of language teacher choice and action which has descriptive, explanatory and predictive power, and which provides a model for further research elsewhere.