Challenging Neoliberalism: Iranian EFL Instructors’ Strategies for Alternative English Pedagogies

Document Type : research article

Authors

1 Department of English, TEFL, faculty of Foreign Languages and International Relations, Shahid Ashrafi Esfahani university, Isfahan, Iran..

2 Department of English, TEFL, faculty of foreign languages, Sheikhbahaee university, Isfahan, Iran.

10.22059/jflr.2025.399911.1230

Abstract

The influence of neoliberalism in education has shifted the focus of teaching and learning away from nurturing well-rounded individuals and societal betterment, instead emphasizing market-driven goals of efficiency, accountability, and profitability.  In view of these effects, the current qualitative study explored Iranian university English instructors’ perceptions and practices in resisting neoliberal influences within English Language Teaching (ELT) classrooms. Drawing on thematic analysis of interviews and classroom observations with three professors, the research examined the strategies. Iranian EFL instructors employ to challenge neoliberal policies, such as marketisation, standardisation, and performance based accountability. While participants reported institutional pressures toward outcomes driven, commodified education, they also noted active resistance through alternative strategies. These included non standardised assessments, collaborative and student centred pedagogies, and emphasis on critical thinking and social justice—approaches aligned with critical and reflective teaching documented in similar contexts The findings of the study underscores the instructors’ dissatisfaction with commercialization of education and their efforts to de commodify ELT through flexible, inclusive practices. Implications highlight the need for professional development that supports educator agency under neoliberal constraints and contributes to discourse on alternative ELT pedagogies in non Western settings. Future research should expand sample size and investigate student responses and long term impacts.

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References

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Journal of Foreign Language Research
Volume 15, Issue 3
November 2025
Pages 261-276

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