Attitude of Iranian Graduate Students toward English: A Case Study

This study aimed at gaining insights into the Iranian graduate students’ attitudes toward English language and the current education policies in addition to the purposes for which they learn the foreign language. Based on a mixed methods design, the study collected the required quantitative and qualitative data using a questionnaire and in-depth interviews. A purposive sample of 30 MA students from Razi University completed the questionnaire and 15 volunteers participated in the interview. The findings of this case study seem to indicate that Iranian higher education students hold positive attitudes toward English and the purposes for which they learn the foreign language. The participants, however, seemed to hold negative attitudes toward the current education policies. The study finally recommended that the participants’ dissatisfaction with the current English language education curriculum offered in the universities, textbooks, and teaching methods should be taken into consideration by the authorities in charge to improve the TEFL in Iranian educational system.