The Use of Supplementary Materials by Iranian EFL Teachers at High Schools for Talented Students

One of the main concerns of teachers in modern learner-centered approaches is whether published teaching materials can meet the needs of students at a particular leaning situation or the teachers ought to prepare their own materials. This dilemma gets worse when the teaching situation includes a textbook prescribed by an authority such as the Ministry of Education. In such cases, the teacher has to compensate for the deficiencies of the textbook by providing the students with supplementary materials. The aim of this study is to see whether Iranian EFL teachers are aware of and cater for the needs of their students by providing them with supplementary materials. In this study, teachers teaching at high schools for talented students were chosen because their students have definitely different needs from others. Forty teachers at 23 high schools for talented students in different parts of Iran were interviewed in person or through the telephone. The teachers who taught at other schools too (21 teachers) were also asked whether they used the same supplementary materials at other schools. Moreover, the teachers who used supplementary materials were also asked about the types of materials they used. The results showed that 33 (82.5%) teachers used supplementary materials at schools for talented students. Out of 21 teachers who taught at other schools, 14 (66.66%) teachers used no or different supplementary materials at other schools. It indicates that teachers adjust supplementary materials to the needs and abilities of their students. Considering the types of materials, teachers used different types of materials at different grades of high school, indicating their awareness of different needs of students at different grades.