Classroom Management as Situated Relational Practice: EFL High School Teachers’ Cognitions and Experiences

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Islamic Azad University, Maragheh, Iran

2 Department of English Language, Mar. C., Islamic Azad University, Maragheh, Iran

Abstract

Classroom management remains a central yet conceptually multifaceted dimension of effective teaching, particularly in high school EFL contexts characterized by linguistic, behavioral, and institutional complexity. While prior research has extensively examined classroom management strategies, comparatively limited attention has been given to how teachers themselves conceptualize and enact classroom management in situated practice. This qualitative interpretivist study explores EFL high school teachers’ perceptions of classroom management and the challenges they encounter in their daily professional contexts. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 purposively selected EFL high school teachers working in public secondary schools in Mahabad and Orumiyeh, Iran. The interview data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings suggest that teachers conceptualize classroom management as a proactive, relational, and experience-based process shaped by student motivation, institutional constraints, and accumulated professional knowledge. Experienced teachers reported greater reliance on adaptive and preventive strategies, whereas less experienced teachers demonstrated stronger dependence on rule-based and reactive approaches. The study contributes to teacher cognition research by positioning classroom management as a form of situated pedagogical judgment rather than a fixed repertoire of techniques. Implications are discussed for teacher education and professional development in EFL settings.

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References

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