Fostering Alignment: How Supportive Conditions Bridge Language Teacher Identity, Beliefs, and Practice in Listening Instruction

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of English Language and Literature, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

2 University of Texas at San Antonio

Abstract

How can language teachers consistently enact their beliefs about effective pedagogy, particularly in the often-marginalized skill of listening? This study argues that the answer lies in understanding and supporting Language Teacher Identity (LTI). This study examined LTI through the aspects of agency, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and commitment. Using a mixed-methods design with 59 Iranian EFL teachers (questionnaire) and an in-depth qualitative study of three teachers (observations, interviews), the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and their practices was investigated. Teachers had above 5 years of teaching experience both in the qualitative and quantitative phase and ranged in age from 24 to 45. Contrary to studies that found frequent misalignments, our findings revealed a strong congruence between what teachers believe and what they do. This alignment was fundamentally enabled by supportive institutional conditions, including teacher agency, professional trust, and a lack of restrictive policies, which empowered teacher development and affirmed their sense of self. The study concluded that the development of positive LTI and consistent belief-driven practice is deeply facilitated by the educational ecosystem. This study offers implications for school administrators and teacher educators on creating environments that nurture teacher agency, thereby directly improving instruction in line with teachers’ beliefs.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by the Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages at the University of Mazandaran. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.

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History

  • Receive Date: 02 April 2026
  • Revise Date: 28 April 2026
  • Accept Date: 01 May 2026
  • First Publish Date: 01 May 2026
  • Publish Date: 01 May 2026

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