Towards a Critical ELT Pedagogy Approach at Universities in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Critical Pedagogy (CP) is an approach that engages learners in questioning their power in relation to some given inequities in the society. It promotes the development of critical thought, social awareness, and learner voice alongside language proficiency. Language, as a vital tool for expressing one’s thoughts, plays a crucial part in what is known as Critical Language Pedagogy (CLP) which involves learners’ roles in their teaching approaches. This study not only describes the status quo of ELT in Kurdistan Region of Iraq, but also advocates for an alternative approach. Through eliciting feedback from 35 local university teachers and interviewing 10 of them, this paper aims to shed light on EFL teachers’ attitudes and challenges towards critical pedagogical approach. The forthcoming deep analysis will set the main findings in perspective in relation to scholarship on critical pedagogy and ELT in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Kurdish ELT teachers recognize that the adoption of critical pedagogy in Kurdistan Region has been met with systemic challenges such as resource inadequacy, teacher qualification shortfalls, class sizes, the curriculum limitations, and the students’ general attitudes. Despite the challenges, attempts are made to apply the principles of CLT in some classes.