Investigating the Iranian EFL Teacher s Perception of Critical Cultural Awareness

This study was an attempt to investigate the perception of Iranian senior highschool teachers toward critical cultural awareness. The participants of the studycomprised of 307 teachers in different high schools in Qazvin. All the participantsfilled in the Critical Cultural Awareness Questionnaire. The data were then fed intoSPSS software and were subjected to Principal Components Analysis. Threefactors were extracted and named as CCA in ELT Programs, CCA in ELTTextbooks and Materials, and CCA in General Terms, and the participants’responses were analyzed based on these factors. The results indicated that theteachers’ critical awareness perception toward ELT Textbooks and Materials wasthe highest factor. The results of the item analysis revealed that teachers indicate allcultures should have an equal status in ELT textbooks and materials. It wasconcluded that the teachers’ cultural awareness regarding the integration of cultureinto mainstream teaching should be raised and they should pay more attention toculture in their classes. One significant implication of this study for EFL teachersand also syllabus designers is that an intercultural curriculum can enable learners tohave a better understanding of the target materials.