Establishing and Maintaining Rapport with Learners for Classroom Management: A Qualitative Inquiry into Iranian EFL Teachers’ Cognition

Aryaeian, Nafeeseh; Rezaee, Abbas-Ali

doi:10.22034/elt.2023.59433.2587

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

English Language and Literature Department, University of Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/elt.2023.59433.2587

Abstract

Objective: The present study sought to explore EFL teachers’ cognition of rapport establishment and maintenance, as one of the aspects of classroom management, in the context of Iran’s foreign language institutes’ face-to-face EFL classes.
Method: The study involved 12 Iranian teachers who taught adult learners. The sample size was determined based on reaching saturation, and the participating teachers were selected through purposeful sampling. The main instrument utilized in this qualitative study was a semi-structured one-to-one in-person interview, which aimed to elicit the participants’ cognition of rapport development. These individual interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically.
Results: The findings revealed that the participants believed in the importance of rapport creation for efficient classroom management. Besides, they recommended strategies for establishing rapport with learners, such as familiarization, verbal immediacy, non-verbal immediacy, attention to learners’ emotions, judicious L1 use, playing games, and utilizing social media. Moreover, they held that teachers’ personality traits and communication skills could impact their approach to building rapport.
Conclusion: Altogether, the participants had a sound cognition of rapport maintenance as one of the aspects of classroom management. The findings of the current study provide implications for teacher educators, teachers, and institutes’ supervisors.

Keywords

Main Subjects

English language teaching

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Establishing and Maintaining Rapport with Learners for Classroom Management: A Qualitative Inquiry into Iranian EFL Teachers’ Cognition

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Volume 15, Issue 32 - Serial Number 32December 2023Pages 41-57

Volume 15, Issue 32 - Serial Number 32
December 2023
Pages 41-57