Role of Teaching Experiences in Managing Strategies Employed by Iranian EFL Teachers

To provide a supportive classroom atmosphere, applying appropriate classroom management strategies is crucial, because an unsupportive classroom atmosphere, in other words, not paying attention to classroom management strategies, causes more learners' misbehaviours and can hinder the teaching and learning process. This research project investigated the strategies used by Iranian EFL teachers facing their students ׳ misbehaviours in terms of teachers' years of teaching experiences. Participants of the present research were 75 (41 females and 34 males) Iranian EFL teachers at universities of Bushehr Province. The study enjoyed a mixed method design using three sets of instruments encompassing a Five Likert-scale questionnaire, a semi-structured interview and an observation for collecting the data. The questionnaire was utilized to identify EFL teachers ׳ classroom management strategies during class time. To analyze the data, an independent samples t-test was used. The results provide evidence that experienced teachers utilized ignoring and removing the students from class more than novice teachers and novice teachers outstandingly applied eye contact, talked to students/advice, yelled at the students, and lower students' grade as management strategies more than experienced teachers. The findings could have implications for curriculum designers, EFL teachers, and policymakers because it could enhance their skills in better managing learners' misbehaviours.