‘’From dream to reality’’: CLT-oriented curriculum change in Iran

Iran, LLCE2016-331;       Curriculum reform could be both rewarding and demanding. Due to a higher-order reform enacted by policy-makers affecting education in general and English language teaching in particular in 2012-2013 in Iran, a great number of changes was imposed upon teachers. In an effort to shed some light on this issue, this study first focuses on the curriculum change through the introduction of the newly published English textbooks in Iran and second it aims at comparing the intentions thrusting the ELT reform with the realities English teachers face in the classrooms to find out the factors that hinder the change. The study flourishes from exploratory-explanatory mixed-methods design in which a number of classes have been observed and a few teachers have been interviewed first, then a questionnaire have been used. The results of the study highlighted a number of factors including teachers’ expectations, external constraints, and internal constraints, among others, the major factors which inhibit curriculum change. Suggestions for supporting teachers to implement the change are presented.

Key terms: curriculum reform, mixed-methods design, English textbooks, communicative language teaching