A Survey Study on Iranian EFL Teachers’, Learners’, and Observers’ Perception of/ and Attitude toward Classroom Observation

Classroom observation, as a means of providing technical and educational support for EFL teachers, defines itself as a valuable asset. In recent years, many studies have looked into different aspects of EFL classroom observation such as how it should be done, what purposes it should follow, and what principles it should be based on. The purpose of the present survey study was to compare the EFL teachers , observers and learners perception of and attitude toward class observation. A sample of 150 male and female participants including 30 EFL teachers, 100 learners and 20 observers selected from Khuzestan province based on convenience sampling participated in the study. To carry out the study, a questionnaire developed by Akbari, Ghafar Samar and Tajik (2010) was used to investigate the participants’ perception about classroom observation, and an attitude questionnaire developed by the researcher was administered to the participants. The results showed that the three groups of participants did not show a significant difference in their perception of classroom observation; however, they showed a significant difference in their attitude toward classroom observation. In further analysis of the data, it was found that gender did not make a significant difference in the participants’ perception of and attitude toward classroom observation. The participants age did not make a significant difference in the participants perception, but it made such a difference in their attitude. The participants’ field of study made a significant difference neither in their perception nor in their attitude. The EFL teachers and observers teaching experience did not make a difference in their perception, but it made a difference in their attitude.