Contents

Abstract 1

1.1 Introduction. 3

1.2. Statement of the Problem.. 5

1.3. Research Questions. 6

1.4. Objectives and Significance of the Study. 7

1.5. Definition of the Key Words. 8

1.6. Outline of the Study. 9

2.1. Review of the Related Literature. 13

2.1.1. The Conceptual Framework of Metaphor 14

2.1.2. Studies on Learners’ Beliefs about Language Learning and Teaching. 15

2.2. Teachers’ and Learners’ Roles in the Design of Dominant Language Learning and Teaching Methods. 29

3.1. Methodology. 34

3.1.1. Participants. 34

3.1.2. Instruments. 35

3.1.3. Design of the Study. 36

3.1.4. Procedure of Data Collection and Analysis. 36

4.1. Results. 39

4.1.1. Metaphors about EFL Teachers’ Roles. 40

4.1.2. Metaphors about EFL Learners’ Roles. 49

4.1.3. Results as a whole. 57

4.2. Discussion of the Results. 58

4.2.1. Discussion of Metaphors about Language Teacher’s Roles. 59

4.2.2. Metaphors about Language Learner’s Roles. 61

4.3. Relationship between Metaphors and the Roles Proposed in the Design of Language Learning and Teaching Methods. 63

5.1. Summary. 69

5.2. Conclusion. 70

5.3. Implications. 71

5.4. Limitations of the Study. 72

5.5. Suggestions for Further Research. 73

References. 75

Appendices. 79

List of Table

 Metaphors developed by Iranian Kurdish-speaking EFL learners for the concept of an English language teacher 40

 Metaphors developed by Iranian Kurdish-speaking EFL learners for the concept of an English language learner 49

List of Figure

. An illustration of metaphorical themes about EFL teachers’ roles generated by Iranian Kurdish-speaking high school students. 48

. An illustration of metaphorical themes about EFL learners’ roles generated by Iranian Kurdish-speaking high school students. 57

Abstract

Language learners come to educational contexts with preconceived beliefs about different aspects of language teaching and learning. These perceptions are not clear and concrete enough to language teachers and even the language learners themselves. In line with the change and increase in the direction of the qualitative studies conducted on beliefs elicited by use of metaphors all around the world, the present study aims at investigating the metaphorical reflections about language teachers’ and language learners’ roles by a group of Iranian Kurdish-Speaking high school students learning English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) as their third language in a local context in Ilam, in western Iran. To this end, modified metaphor elicitation questionnaires as well as complementary short interviews were administered to a convenient sample of 86 participants. Using content analysis, the metaphorical expressions collected via completion of the metaphor prompts were structured into dominant thematic categories in terms of language teachers’ roles and language learners’ roles for further analysis. The metaphors were also examined to determine whether they fit into the roles assigned to language teachers and learners in the design of current language teaching and learning methods. Generally, the results revealed that the metaphorical images were in the same line with other previous studies. In addition, the elicited metaphors were comparatively for and against the proposed roles for EFL teachers and learners in educational settings. There were also several pedagogical implications for language teachers and language teacher educators and language education programs as well as suggestions for further investigations.