Teaching English to young learners in private sector of Iranian ELT: Challenges and local realities

Abstract

The growing phenomenon of (pre)primary English education worldwide has resulted in the rise in prominence of the discipline of teaching English to young learners (TEYL). Under the global forces and parents' pressure, early EFL learning has also turned into a pervasive trend in the marketized private sector of Iranian ELT as evidenced by the ever-growing number of classes of ever-younger learners. However, it is not clear what stands at its core because it has not received the attention it deserves, and reports on its status quo are almost non-existent. This qualitative study was conducted to shine the spotlight on some local realities and challenges faced by Iranian TEYL to trigger more intensive research and informed discussion into this Cinderella area of scholarship. The findings regarding each aspect are presented and discussed along with implications and directions for future research.