Teaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran (TELLSI) Teaching English Language 2538-5488 6 2 2012 12 30 Mainstream ELT curriculum implementation in Iran: A micro analysis perspective 1 23 54898 10.22132/tel.2012.54898 EN Mahmood Reza Atai Kharazmi University Esmat Babaii Kharazmi University Farhad Mazlum Maragheh University Journal Article 2012 03 02  The purpose of this study was to investigate some core issues of ELT curriculum implementation in Iran undertaken by policymakers in practice, i.e. teachers. The core issues include: the efficiency of communication channels between ELT planners and implementers, the extent to which ELT textbooks are believed to meet students’ cognitive and affective needs, the criteria English teachers are evaluated with and by whom, the extent teachers follow officially-approved teaching and testing practices, how ongoing professional support is provided to the teachers, and if context-based feedback of implementers is processed by planners. To collect data, structured interviews were conducted with 22 head teachers and open-ended questionnaires were administered to 672 teachers in 13 provinces. Results indicate that problems pertaining to evaluation policy, methods and techniques policy, in service training policy, and communication policy at practice level widen the gap between ELT planners’ rhetoric and implementers’ practice. It is argued that as long as curriculum implementers are not involved in setting ELT policies, the distance between these two groups will keep on growing. https://www.teljournal.org/article_54898_826f4329981a0f25d3a12c68aaea72b3.pdf