Social and Human Sciences Review, Batna1 university.

Volume: 21 N: 02 (December 2020) p 963-982

ISSN: 1111-5149, EISSN: 2588 – 2430

The Influence of Higher Education Research

Methodology Teachers' Academic Identity on EFL
Students' Attitudes toward Research

‫تأثري الشخصية األكاديمية لألستاذ الجامعي على موقف طلبة اللغة االنجليزية تجاه‬
‫مقياس منهجية البحث‬

Mounira Derouag1, Constantine University

m.derouag@univ-batna2.dz

Received in 2019-09-10 accepted in 2020-10-13

Abstract
Teaching research methodology to undergraduate students at the departments of
English in Algeria is considered a big challenge for both teachers and students. This paper
attempts to find the extent to which the academic identity of research methodology teachers
plays a role in shaping their students' attitudes toward research and research methodology
subject. An interview and a questionnaire are conducted with the research methodology
teachers and EFL Students at Batna 2 University. The results reveal that research is a minor
part of the work of these teachers; there is a lack of research experience transfer from
teachers to students; and, students are interested to learn this subject but they complain about
the way it is taught. Hence, it is recommended for teachers to employ effective and
interactive means which allow them to act their roles as teachers and as researchers and help
students develop more positive attitudes toward research.

Key words:
Research methodology; higher education teachers; researcher-identity; EFL students;
attitudes toward research.
:‫امللخص‬
‫ يعد تحديا بالنسبة لكل من‬2‫إن تدريس منهجية البحث العلمي لطلبة اللغة اإلنجليزية في جامعة باتنة‬
‫ في هذه الدراسة تطرقنا الى مدى تأثيرالشخصية االكاديمية الساتذة منهجية‬. ‫األساتذة والطلبة على حد سواء‬
‫من خالل مقابلة شفهية مع اساتذة المقياس واستبيان للطلبة‬.‫البحث على موقف الطلبة تجاه هذا المقياس‬
‫اساتذة المقياس ال يولون اهمية كبيرة لتطوير مهاراتهم في البحث العلمي بل للتدريس‬:‫توصلنا إلى عدة نتائج‬
‫ تقريب البحث العلمي من خالل مناقشات حول خبرات االساتذة في مجال البحث‬،‫اضافة الى ذلك‬. ‫وحسب‬
‫ تبيَ ن ايضا ان طلبة اللغة اإلنجليزية مدركون و مهتمون بالبحث لكن‬.‫االكاديمي ليس من اولويات االساتذة‬
‫ فالبد على أساتذة هذا المقياس توضيف طرق فعالة و‬،‫ولهاذا‬.‫يرون أن طريقة تدريس منهجيته غير مناسبة‬
‫تفاعلية قادرةعلى خلق جو مالئم اين يلعب األستاذ دوره كأستاذ و باحث في نفس الوقت من جهة و ايضا‬
.‫يمكن الطلبة من تطويرمواقف إيجابية تجاه البحث العلمي من جهة أخرى‬
:‫الكلمات املفتاحية‬
‫منهجية البحث العلمي؛ هوية الباحث؛ األستاذ الجامعي؛ طلبة؛ مواقف تجاه البحث‬

1
- Mounira Derouag

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 The Influence of Higher Education Research Methodology Teachers' Academic
Identity on EFL Students' Attitudes toward Research
Introduction
In the wide range of educational research conducted in Algeria, classroom-
based research is hugely conducted on primary and secondary education, and higher
education classroom is under-researched (Messekher, 2013; Riche, 2010). Hence,
this study ventures to unveil a critical aspect in the teaching profession of Higher
Education (HE, henceforth) teachers; that is teacher academic identity.
Understanding the latter can help in examining "…aspects of teaching: the ways in
which students integrate a range of influences, the necessary confronting of tensions
and contradictions in their careers"(Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009, p. 175). Moreover,
explorations of HE teachers' academic identity in different EFL contexts revealed
that it is “…a crucial component in determining how language teaching is played
out"(Varghese, Morgan, Johnston, & Johnson 2005, p.10). Furthermore, Pennington
and Richards (2016) claimed that “In teaching, identity emerges as a dynamic
construct that is shaped by the context in which the teacher works and that may have
different features at different times" (p.2). Therefore, university teachers, including
EFL teachers, have to combine the teaching role with the researcher role in building
their academic identity.

This study investigated the influence of higher education research

methodology teachers' academic identity on EFL students' attitudes toward research.
What motivates this study is that we are currently teaching research methodology to
undergraduate third year EFL students at the department of English, Batna 2
university. We have noticed through four years of experience that, compared to the
other courses, this course is given relatively little attention by the students and it is
not among their favorite subjects. They tend to view this course with negative
attitudes which constitute obstacles to their learning (Murtonen & Lehtinen, 2003;
Papanastasiou & Zembylas, 2008; Wilson, 1998). As part of a whole PhD project on
analyzing students' problems with the research methodology course and hence
developing both the teaching and assessment of this course to undergraduate EFL
students, this paper focuses on examining the role that the teacher’s academic
identity plays in classroom practice within the context of the research methodology
course taught to third year EFL students hoping to answer the following questions:
a. How do the teachers of research methodology course work on developing
their academic identity, especially their research identity at the department
of English, Batna 2 University?
b. How do EFL Students view the research methodology course?
c. How can academic identity of the teachers influence their students'
attitudes towards the course?
1. Literature Review
Investigating the students’ attitudes toward research methodology course with
respect to their teachers’ academic identity requires a good understanding of
teachers' academic identity development especially their researcher identity which
clarifies their readiness to transmit not only the course knowledge but also values,

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behaviors, and skills of research. In addition, a thorough examination of the main

factors influencing the students’ attitudes toward their learning and toward research
is critical. To this end, this section will examine literature on the following areas:
university teachers' academic identity, including teacher researchers, undergraduate
students' attitudes toward research and the state of the research methodology course
in human science majors.

1.1. The Algerian Higher Education (AHE) Teachers'

Academic Identity Formation

Though the concept of identity is complex to understand, it is certain that it is

a result of various factors interacting with each other in a long, on-going,
spontaneous, contextual, and dynamic process (Epstein, 1978; Kondo, 1990;
Beijaard et al., 2004; Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009; Varghese, 2005). It is well
documented in literature that identity theorists have thoroughly covered these factors
in different contexts and they have clearly explained this process of identity
formation using different approaches (Richards, 2006; Sachs, 2005; Wenger, 1998;
Parkison, 2008; Rodgers & Scott, 2008). Hence, identity is a reflection of the context
where the individual is frequently active (Pennington & Richards, 2016). For
instance, in their study, Lankveld, Schoonenboom, Volman, Croiset, & Beishuizen
(2016) approached university teacher identity from a socio-cultural point of view and
stated that they "develop and maintain their identity in relation to the 'collective
regard' that others have for their role" (p. 2). By this, they stressed the social and
cultural factors influencing university teachers’ identity construction. Identity
formation is also viewed as “communicative action” (ibid); that is, it is a result of
interactions with others. In the case of teachers, it is in their "community of practice"
(Lankveld et al., 2016) where most of their interactions take place. Other identity
theorists assumed that in different contexts individuals have multiple and competing
identities (ibid). In other words, in varied social contexts and circumstances,
individuals go through multiple experiences that, in their turn, contribute to the
process of their identity formation. Identity formation is also tightly connected with
practice and, in this regard, Wenger (1998) argued that "There is a profound
connection between identity and practice. Developing a practice requires the
formation of a community whose members can engage with one another and thus
acknowledge each other as participants" (p.149). So, referring back to the example
of teachers, identity shifts could occur throughout a teacher’s career as a result of
interactions within broader communities. Therefore, individuals can hold different
professional identities depending on the different connections they make and roles
they play in different contexts. Indeed, there is much to understand if one is to
appreciate the importance of identity in any individual's development.

The Academic identity, that is the focus of the present study, in its turn, is
subject to different and various interpretations. It is, however, agreed that academic
identity is particularly work-related and it is shaped by the institutional context
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 The Influence of Higher Education Research Methodology Teachers' Academic
Identity on EFL Students' Attitudes toward Research
(Pennington & Richards, 2016). In the context of academia, it results from a
combination of meanings of ‘lived experiences’ of work (Mathe, 2018). A more
elaborate definition is given by Feather (2010) who viewed academic identity "A
representation of an individual’s inner being, his or her values, beliefs and attitudes.
Thus, academic identities are a manifestation of numerous complex experiences and
representations of a culture or defining communities that a person is based in" (p.189).
Academic identities are simply viewed as"…a trinity of research, teaching and
scholarly activities that are subject or discipline-based" (Clarke, Hyde, & Drennan,
2013, p.7). In this trinity of voices, research is seen as crucial to defining academic
identity and what it is to be an academic at the university (Harris 2005). Academic
identities are considered to be "a source of ‘meaning’ for the academics and their
‘identification’ with the university" (ibid, p. 10)

Through their academic careers, all academics working at the Algerian

universities build their identities through official and personal ways. First of all, to
be accepted to teach at the Algerian university a ‘Magistère’ degree, for the classical
system, or a doctorate degree for the LMD system, is required. More than half of the
Algerian university teachers start teaching at the university when holding a
‘Magistère’ degree, and then they simultaneously prepare their doctorate degree.
This is how most of them develop their research identities as the doctorate degree
requires candidates to publish articles and, of course, to write their theses. Few
teachers are also members in research laboratories where they also build their
research identities. Moreover, there are some teachers who even voluntarily
participate in study days, conferences, and other national or international scientific
events to develop their professional identities. Unfortunately, there is another
category of Algerian teachers who are just satisfied with their ‘Magistère’ degree
and university teaching and do nothing for their academic career and who, we think,
negatively influence their students' attitudes toward research.

Research on academics' identity working in the Algerian higher education has

almost no trace. Hence, in the the body of literature very little is known of how their
identities and practices, especially EFL teachers, are formed and developed. As such,
a fuller understanding of their identity is hard to realize. The only study that explored
how EFL teachers construct their identities is conducted by Messekher (2013). Using
narrative inquiry, her study tried to explore lived experiences of two Algerian EFL
teachers in order to find about their academic identity formation. She emphasized
that, because of the educational reforms implemented, especially in the English
Language Teaching, the Algerian context had witnessed many changes which, in
their turn, seriously had influenced teachers' identity formation processes. She also
regretted the lack of resources and professional training opportunities in many EFL
workplaces including the university. Through the analysis of the narratives of her
participants, who were full time and part time teachers at the university, she revealed
that the Algerian identity of teachers is chiefly featured by: identification,
negotiability, alignment, imagination and engagement. That is, by identifying and
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 Mounira Derouag

negotiating their past EFL learning experiences, teachers shape their future EFL
teaching practices and, through imagination, they develop their prospective identities.
For developing their identities, teachers need also to align with their communities of
practice and engage in training programs. She concluded by emphasizing the fact
that teachers need to take a course in "Reflections on EFL Teaching and Learning"
especially in training programs. So, though our study focuses only on research
methodology teachers at the department of English, it will hopefully address the
absence of discussion on HE teachers' academic identity and especially the Algerian
researcher identity.

1.2. Research Methodology Teacher's Researcher Identity

As has been mentioned before, research is the trademark activity of the

university academic. Lamar and Helm (2017) defined researcher-identity as " an
individual’s self-concept as a researcher and includes the process of understanding
experiences, increasing awareness, and incorporating both into the sense of self"
(p.4), and as a “unique concept that possibly includes research self-efficacy and
interest" (p.4). Lankveld et al. (2016) stressed the fact that at higher education "Roles
like teaching and research were mixed; some academics saw themselves as
researchers who teach while others perceived themselves as blended professionals
who bring teaching and research together in the quest for learning" (Lankveld, et al.
2016, p.5). Hence, the university environment requires teachers to project both roles
of a teacher and a researcher in their classrooms. However, these too critical roles
may pose a conflict of choice to some HE teachers and end up with preferring
teaching over research without trying to integrate research in their instruction. In a
very real sense, they may identify themselves better with teaching than with research.
In their study, Lamar and Helm (2017) claimed that in the literature the main focus
is professional identity rather than research identity as it specifically relates to
research. Riche (2010) insisted that “Teachers, no matter what module they are in
charge of, are required to change roles and identities from those of purveyors of
encyclopedic knowledge, that quickly dates, to that of methodologists who show the
one way to remain updated on the major academic issues confronting their students."
(p.3). Indeed, for the general professional development of teachers, and for the
overall benefits of students, the researcher identity is part and parcel of teachers'
identities.
Therefore, for research methodology teachers, who are the focus of the present
study in all domains, the researcher identity is what chiefly matters. In addition to
projecting an effective teacher identity, RM teachers in particular are logically
expected and required to show in action, through their knowledge, behaviors and
skills, and activities, that they are too engaged in research and they are updated with
novelties especially in EFL research to ensure that students develop a positive
attitude toward research in general and the course in particular. Indeed, the quality
of what and how these teachers teach is primarily affected by their views of their
own professional identity especially the researcher identity.
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 The Influence of Higher Education Research Methodology Teachers' Academic
Identity on EFL Students' Attitudes toward Research
1.3. Research Methodology as Course in the English
language Studies Curriculum
Studying at the university requires much knowledge of research in the field
and also knowledge of how it should be conducted. In Algeria, research skills are
taught to EFL students as soon as they join the university. For EFL students,
undergraduates or postgraduates, methodology is considered as an independent
pedagogic unit in their curriculum. The content of the course is covered in six
semesters of the bachelor degree and four semesters of the two levels of the master
degree. The course is assessed at all levels by adopting a continuous evaluation
method where most of the teachers prefer to assign students small project works.
This implies that it is considered a critical course in the English language studies
program. Riche (2010) identified three main reasons for giving such a course much
significance. First, higher education reform requires students' acquisition of skills
such as autonomy, learning to learn, mastery learning, etc. Second, students need to
cope with the emerging information and learn how to access and understand it,
critically evaluate it, and use it for the sake of their learning. Third, students are
encouraged to raise their learning potential, rate of success and their capacity to learn
by conducting research in different areas of their learning. In spite of the fact that
syllabus designers were right to incorporate research methodology as a fundamental
unit, they indicated neither the type of the content that should be covered nor the
ways and means by which it should be assessed and graded (ibid). It is aimed through
this course to develop students' research skills like documentation and referencing,
note taking, academic writing, etc. in order to handle their research tasks. Moreover,
this course offers students the opportunity to learn the different steps of research
process such as framing research questions, designing a study, gathering data and
analyzing and presenting the findings. The overall aim is not only to produce
consumers of research but also producers of research.
1.4. Students' Attitudes toward Research and Research
Methodology Course

Developing students’ knowledge of research is critical at all stages of their

university studies. Hence, developing positive attitudes toward research seems to be
a worthy goal that could be achieved especially through a module in research
methodology. Evans (2011) argued that research is based on someone's "willingness",
which, according to her, is based on motivational and attitudinal preparedness.
Bezuidenhout and Alt (2011) urged lecturers to develop not only students'
knowledge and understanding but also skills and attitudes that will last in the long
term. Indeed, the attitudinal aspect of learning that is simply explained in terms of
positive perception of the relevance and usefulness of research may determine to a
great extent students' willingness and motivation to learn the content of the
compulsory research methodology course.
The small number of studies which focused on research methodology course
and covered the student aspect have agreed that undergraduate students develop
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 Mounira Derouag

negative attitudes toward this course and they are most of the time reluctant to engage
in research (Panastasiou & Zembylas 2008; Kracker, 2002). In this regard, by
developing such attitudes, student's learning and performance in this module could
make later on an obstacle when engaging in Master’s or doctoral studies
(Onwuegbuzie, 1997). As students are strongly influenced by the teacher, they
sometimes hint that lecturers serve just as “gatekeepers"(Onwuegbuzie & Wilson,
2003) to their achievement and they perceive them as the anxiety-makers (Ibid.).
What is more, teachers in charge of the research methodology course are seen as to
repeat the same content for many years using the same methods that are mainly based
on lecturing despite the changing nature of data and students preferences. Also,
students are not satisfied with the way this course is designed, delivered, and assessed
(Ben, 2018). Moreover, some students even question the relevance of research skills
to their studies and their life in general. Therefore, the amount of effort students make
to develop their skills in research and their active engagement will be influenced by
such attitudes and perceptions. Hence, building more positive attitudes towards
research will lead to intrinsic motivation to engage in research (Evans, 2011).

2. Methodology
Since this study aims at finding the relationship between the dependent
variable "students' attitudes toward research" and the independent variable "teachers'
academic identity", we opted for a mixed methods approach design to our research.
By collecting and integrating both quantitative and qualitative data via a
questionnaire, administered to third year EFL students, and an interview conducted
with teachers of their research methodology subject, it is hoped to thoroughly
understand the correlation that exists between teachers' academic identity and
students' attitudes toward research methodology course.
2.1. Population and Sample
Issues related to the teaching and learning of the research methodology
course at the departments of English, especially at Batna 2 University, are seldom
investigated. Hence, this paper is meant to deal with some of them and some of the
related literature. Investigating the influence of teachers' researcher identity on
students' attitudes toward this course is better addressed to both teachers of research
methodology and their students. Third year EFL undergraduate students are chosen
purposefully because they have already been introduced to this course in their first
and second years. At the same time, we have noticed the disengagement of students
of this level compared to Master students. The teachers who are interviewed are
currently teaching third year students. From the total number of five teachers,
including ourselves, three teachers volunteered to be interviewed, two males and one
female. Purposive sampling is used, that is choosing the participants by judging their
typicality (Lowe, 2007). Thus, the students sample is chosen according to the
teachers who accepted to be interviewed. Then, random sampling is also used to

969
 The Influence of Higher Education Research Methodology Teachers' Academic
Identity on EFL Students' Attitudes toward Research
select one administrative group 2of students for each teacher as teachers do not teach
the same number of groups. As such, three groups were chosen randomly and the
total number of students was 90.

2.2. Data Gathering Instruments

Investigation of both the teachers' researcher identity and students' attitudes
toward the research methodology course requires the descriptive method. Because
classroom is a very complex space, a great deal needed to be understood within it by
developing tools that help to describe what is going on inside. Thus, both the
teachers' interview and the students' questionnaire are thought to thoroughly examine
the problem under study and help to reach both reliable and valid results.

2.3. Description of the Questionnaire

As a means of principally gathering attitudinal data (Lowe, 2007), the
questionnaire is perfectly suitable to investigate the students' attitudes toward the
course of the research methodology in their program of third year. Moreover, as
Pettersen (2015) believes students play a critical role in HE quality improvements
through their feedback that can be mainly gained through the means of a
questionnaire. In addition to gender and age, the questionnaire is composed of a total
number of ten questions which are divided into two sections. In the first section,
students are asked about their attitudes toward research and research methodology
course. The second section investigates their teachers' research identity and the
research methodology course. The questions are varied between a Likert Scale,
multiple choice and open ended questions. Out of ninety questionnaires, seventy
eight are answered.

2.4. Description of the Interview

Since the independent variable that has been studied in this study concerns
teachers, that is teacher's researcher identity, it is of a paramount importance to carry
on an in-depth interview with them. To the three teachers who accepted to be
interviewed, eighteen questions were asked. The questions were divided into four
sections to give the respondents a clear idea of how to organise their ideas. The first
section was devoted to the teachers’personal information and it contains four
questions. The teachers' potential for conducting research was the second element in
the interview and contains five questions. In the third section, teachers were asked
four questions about how they manage their teaching and research roles at the
university. The last part of the interview, which consisted of five questions, was
about the teachers' attitudes toward research methodology course.

2
An administrative Group includes approximately 30 students
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 Mounira Derouag

3. Analysis of the Data

3.1 Analysis of the Questionnaire

A. Students' Personal Information

Table (1): Students' Gender and Age

Gender Male Female
N 19 59
% 24.35 75.65

Age Between Between Between More

[20-23] [23-26] [26-29] than 30

N 59 15 3 1
% 75.65 19.23 3.84 1.28
3

For a clearer description of the target population of this study, the participants
were also asked to mention their gender and age. As it is shown in the previous table,
the majority are females, a typical feature of the department of English, university of
Batna 2. As the table also shows, the age of third year students chosen for this sample
ranges between twenty and thirty. However most of them (75.65%) are under twenty
five with the exception of one participant whose age is fifty four.

B. Students' Attitudes toward Research and Research

Methodology Course

3
N.B. n = number , % = percentage

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 The Influence of Higher Education Research Methodology Teachers' Academic
Identity on EFL Students' Attitudes toward Research
Table (2): Students' Attitudes toward Research
Statement Strongly Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly
Disagree Agree
N % N % N % N % N %

1 08 10.25 20 25.64 20 25.64 08 10.25 22 28.20

2 09 11.53 10 12.82 19 24.35 18 23.07 24 30.76
3 07 08.97 12 15.38 16 20.51 20 25.64 23 29.48
4 09 11.53 12 15.38 13 16.66 18 23.07 26 33.33

5 08 10.25 14 17.94 15 19.23 13 16.66 28 35.89

6 14 17.94 26 33.33 14 17.94 10 12.82 14 17.94

7 18 23.07 19 24.35 18 23.07 11 14.10 12 15.38

8 19 24.35 20 25.64 16 20.51 10 12.82 13 16.66
9 18 23.07 13 16.66 15 19.23 15 19.23 17 21.79
10 20 25.64 18 23.07 12 15.38 06 07.69 22 28.20

Statements from one to five indicate positive attitudes toward research and
as the above table shows students do agree and even strongly agree that research is
interesting, valuable, and useful for their field of study. However, students do believe
that research has nothing to do with daily life activities (33.33% disagree with the
fact that research is useful in daily life). Statements from seven to ten indicate
negative attitudes toward research and the results show that the students do not think
that research as such is stressful, complicated, or difficult. But they do believe that
the research methodology course will not contribute to their personal life (28.20%
strongly agree that the research methodology course does not apply to personal life).

Table (3): Students' Satisfaction with Time Allotted for RM Course

Answers Yes No
N 33 45
% 42.30 57.70

As the above table shows, students are not really satisfied with the time
allotted for the research methodology course, that is one hour and a half per week.

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 Mounira Derouag

Table 4: Research Methodology Teachers' Way of Teaching

According to Students
Answers Teacher Centred Learner Centred
N 51 27
% 65.38 34.62

Table 5 Nature of the RM Lectures

Answers Theoretical (based Practical (based on Both theoretical

on lecturing) activities) and practical
N 42 08 28
% 53.86 10.25 35.89

Tables 4 and 5 reveal that research methodology teaching at the department

of English is mainly teacher based (65.38%) and the content of this course is mainly
theoretical and based on lecturing (53.86). Students' answers of the fifth open ended
question suggest the following points to ameliorate the teaching of this course.
According to most of the students (90%), lectures should be based on practice and
interactive activities; the time of the course should be extended; technology devices
like data show should be used; group work should be adopted as a method of
interactive teaching; authentic research projects should be introduced to students and
analysed according to what has been explained during the theoretical lectures and
the teachers' way of teaching should be motivating.

C. Teachers' Research Identity and the Research

Methodology Course
Analysis of the open ended questions 2 and 3 of this section revealed the
following results. Students have almost no idea of the research area of their teachers
with the exception of two students who mentioned that their teachers are searching
the psychological variable of the teacher-learner relationship and communication
and the four language skills. Moreover, students almost have never been given any
examples from the field of the study of their teachers to illustrate for example how
to write a research problem, develop a hypothesis or design a questionnaire etc.

Table (6): Students' Research Activity

Answers Yes No
N 65 13
% 83.33 16.67

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 The Influence of Higher Education Research Methodology Teachers' Academic
Identity on EFL Students' Attitudes toward Research
Table (7): Students' Views on their Teachers' Contribution in their
Research Projects
Answers Yes No
N 30 48
% 38.47 61.53

Table (8): Teachers' Role in Conducting Research

Answers Classroom Email Office None
Workshops Meetings
N 21 15 02 40
% 26.92 19.23 02.57 51.28

According to the above tables (6, 7, and 8), the majority of teachers (83.33%)
make research activity a requirement for their students. However, students reported
that their teachers do not help in the process of conducting their projects and even
though they do assist their students in realizing their projects, the only means they
use is the classroom workshops that we believe do not really yield good results as
the number of students is really big and the time of the pedagogic session is just one
hour and a half. Using Emails or office meetings to further help the students get
better research knowledge and skills is not among their academic conduct.

3.2 Analysis of the Teachers' Interview

A. Personal Information

The teachers who were interviewed are in charge of teaching research

methodology to undergraduate third year EFL students at the department of English
at Batna 2 University. They were two males and one female. One male teacher [A]
has got his PhD degree after 20 years of teaching at the university and the other male
teacher [B] has 6 years of teaching and he is still preparing for his PhD degree. The
female teacher [C] has 10 years of teaching experience and she has submitted her
PhD thesis and waiting for her viva voce. The teacher with the longest teaching
experience has the same number of years teaching research methodology. The other
male teacher has only 2 years of research methodology teaching experience. From
2011 till 2019, the female teacher has not taught research methodology regularly;
that is, one year she teaches and the next year she does not. Hence we can say that
she has 5 years of RM teaching.

B. Teachers' Potential for Conducting Research

Teachers view themselves as academics differently. Teacher [A] believes that

he is very motivated to develop his professional identity in spite of all restrictions.
He strived to get his PhD degree and he is also a member of the URNOP research
laboratory (L'Unité de Recherche en Neurosciences Cognitives- Orthophonie -
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 Mounira Derouag

Phoniatrie). Moreover, he is very active in organizing many scientific events as

conferences and study days. Teacher [C] has also emphasized that she is active as an
academic and willing to reach higher degrees for her self-esteem and academic
identity formation. Restricted by completing her PhD thesis she has just participated
three times in national and international conferences but she still has not organized
any scientific activity. On the contrary, teacher [B] admitted that he is doing his best
just to keep himself linked to the academic community. For him completing a PhD
degree has to do with raising the salary, being recognized by people and has nothing
to do with developing himself academically.

C. Teaching and Research Roles

The tasks of teaching and researching are viewed by the three teachers as
difficult to manage. Hence, all of them consider teaching as primary for it is at the
end of the day an administrative obligation. This also explains the delay in submitting
their PhD theses (teacher [A] after 20 years, teacher [B] is in his fourth year and he
has not submitted yet, and teacher [C] has submitted after 6 years). Of the three
teachers, only teacher [C] sees a strong link between teaching and researching and
she says that they complete each other. The evidence that she is working on
developing her teaching through her research is that she undertook her PhD research
project on developing the teaching of a creative writing course that she herself used
to teach. For the other teachers, their PhD project topics have nothing to do with their
teaching subjects.

D. Teachers' Attitudes toward the Research

Methodology Course

For all interviewed teachers, the research methodology course was their own
choice to teach. However, they find it difficult to teach for the following reasons.
Teacher [A] believes that the crowded classes hinder better teaching of this course.
For teacher [B] the scientific nature of the course makes it hard to explain and
understand. The lack of audiovisual materials, such as data shows, was another
obstacle teacher [C] faces while teaching this course. She also believes that one hour
and a half can never be sufficient to teach the theoretical content and do the practical
activities. Successful teaching of this course also depends to a great extent on
students’ readiness to learn. For both teachers [A] and [C], students are curious to
learn and eager to develop their research skills. However, teacher [B] holds another
view. That is; students are reluctant to learn this module. Though all the three
teachers approve that that they share with their students their research experiences
by, for example, giving examples from their current research projects, a majority of
the students answer that they know nothing about their teachers' project topics.
Nonetheless, by assigning the research projects to their students by the end of the
second semester of the academic year, teachers could find other ways to share with
them some of the aspects of their research identity. Through emails, by inviting
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delegates of each group to the teacher's office, and through classroom workshops, all
teachers tried their best to help students conduct their projects and at the same time
transfer other research skills that classroom time and course content do not allow
sharing.

5. Results, Suggestions for Development, and

Conclusion
Investigating teachers' researcher-identity and students’ attitudes toward the
research methodology subject in this study reveals many results. As far as students are
concerned, research and research methodology subjects are interesting, valuable and useful;
and they do believe that more time should be devoted to this subject. However, students do
regret the way this course is taught; it is based on teacher lecturing. They also criticised the
fact that their research methodology teachers do not share with them their research
experiences and focus only on presenting the content of this course. Moreover, the students
complained about their end term projects which are considered the last assessment on the
basis of which they are graded in this subject. For most of them, applying all the theoretical
knowledge in conducting their projects is really difficult to achieve especially that they have
had no practice before this activity, and they find almost no assistance from the part of their
teachers who rarely get in touch with them via few classroom workshops or emails.

As far as teachers are concerned, though all of them are aware of the critical
importance of developing a researcher-identity at higher education, research per se is not the
priority of all. Teaching occupies most of their time and only teacher A manages time to
sharpen his research skills by being active in a research laboratory and organising and
participating in scientific events. Even teacher C shows motivation to go through the journey
of developing her researcher- identity after she defends her PhD thesis and she strongly
believes that only through research she can develop and ameliorate her teaching.
Considering teachers' attitudes toward research and research methodology subject, the
context (including class size, subject timing, students inner-motivation, the scientific nature
of the subject, etc.) of teaching this course is in itself a big hindrance to its successful
teaching; and it is a hindrance to its assessment that, as it is mentioned above, done through
assigning students project works. The second term is stressful to all teachers including
research methodology teachers because of the many pedagogical activities they have to fulfil
by this time, such as supervising and being a member of many master degree dissertation
defence sessions and at the same time invigilating exams and correcting exam papers etc.
Indeed, the academic identity seems often problematic for lecturers as they juggle between
expectations, roles and employment conditions (Beijaard, Meijer, & Verloop, 2004).

The findings of this research provide insights for areas of possible development. We
recommend the following points:

1. The content of research methodology subject should not be presented only

theoretically and a lot of practice and engaging activities are required;
2. The time of the course should be extended to at least two sessions per week;

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3. Audio-visual aids such as data shows should be used to facilitate students'

learning;
4. Authentic research projects like research proposals, research papers, and
dissertations should be introduced and analysed by students according to
their theoretical knowledge of research;
5. Teachers of the research methodology subject should share with their
students their own research experiences to raise their motivation and
interest for this subject;
6. Inviting students to attend scientific events of the university with their
teachers and hold discussions on the topics tackled would further engage
students in the field of research and show to them how research is important
for their teachers and hence for them;
7. Teachers are also recommended to assist their students through the steps of
the research process through workshops, office meetings, emails and other
possible means to maximize the students' ability to feel connected with the
course and to guarantee better results and high quality projects;
8. Teachers should go through specialised professional training on research
methodology teaching to keep track with innovative teaching and learning
developments.

The importance of the role of the teacher in the classroom cannot be denied but at
higher education since the focus is shifted to students and most of the curricula developers
call for students centred learning and autonomous learning, it is thought that teachers play a
small role in the process of learning that is being just a guide. Hence, through this study in
which the teachers’ researcher identity and its impact on EFL students' attitudes toward the
research methodology course is critically examined, it is aimed at finding about who the
teachers of this course are, what they do to develop their researcher-identity for it is of a
paramount importance in developing their students' positive attitudes toward the course and
research in general. As it has been highlighted through this study, the more the teachers are
engaged with research, discuss research inside the classroom, and assist their students in the
process of conducting research, the more the students are motivated to learn about research;
the better research skills they acquire, and the more they are willing to present competitive
and high quality research projects.

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Appendices
Students' Questionnaire

EFL Students’ Attitudes toward Research Methodology Course

Dear student,

This questionnaire is designed to investigate your attitudes toward research, in

general, and the research methodology course learned during your degree program
in particular. It also aims to find out how much your teachers' research experience
and research skills influence and form these attitudes. The answers provided by you
are going to be treated confidentially. Your cooperation will be highly appreciated.

Personal Information
Gender: Male  Female 
Age: 
Section One: Students' attitudes toward Research and research methodology
course
Q1.The following statements refer to some aspects of educational research. Please answer
all the questions sincerely.
Circle one of the numbers opposite each of the statements that follow.

Strongly Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
1. I enjoy research 1 2 5 6 7
2. Research is interesting 1 2 5 6 7
3. Research is very valuable 1 2 5 6 7
4. The skills I have acquired in research will 1 2 5 6 7
be helpful to my field of study
5. Research should be taught to all students 1 2 5 6 7
6. I use research in my daily life 1 2 5 6 7
7. Research makes me anxious 1 2 5 6 7
8. I find it difficult to understand the 1 2 5 6 7
concepts of research
9 Research is a complicated subject 1 2 5 6 7
10.Tthe research methodology course does 1 2 5 6 7
not apply to my personal life

Q2: Are you satisfied with the time allotted for the research methodology course? Yes
 no 

Q 3: How do you see your teacher way of teaching?

Teacher centered
Learner centered
Q 4: Are the lectures
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 Mounira Derouag

Theoretical (based on lecturing)

Practical (based on activities)
Both Theoretical and Practical
Q 5: What do you suggest to develop the teaching and learning of this course?
………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………..
Section Tow: Teachers' Research Identity and the Research Methodology
Course
Q1. Do you know what research area your teacher of research methodology is interested
in?
………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………..
Q2. Does he/ she give you examples from one of his/ her research projects to explain difficult
points in a lecture?
………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………….
Q3. Are you asked to conduct any research? Yes  No 
Q4. If yes, does the teacher help you in your project? Yes No 
Q5. How does the teacher help you?
Classroom Workshops  Emails  Informal meetings None of these 

Teachers’ Interview
Dear Teacher,

This interview is conducted to investigate the influence of the research methodology

teachers' academic identity on students' attitudes toward research, in general, and
research methodology course, in particular. It also aims to find out how much your
research experience and research skills influence and shape these attitudes. The
answers provided by you are going to be treated confidentially. Your cooperation
will be highly appreciated.

I. Personal Information
1. Gender male female
2. Degree: Magistère PhD
3. Years of teaching experience (…)
4. Years of teaching R M experience (…)
II. Teachers' Potential For Conducting Research
1. How do you view yourself as an academic?
2. Do you belong to any research community/ laboratory? What is it?
3. What made you decide to start the doctoral study?
4. How often do you participate in conferences/study days, attend PhD
viva voce?
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5. Have you organized any scientific event?
III. Teaching and Research Roles
1. Which do you consider as primary activity, teaching or researching?
2. How do you see research and teaching fit into your academic career?
3. Does your doctoral research project have anything to do with
developing your teaching?
4. Do you share with your students your research experiences?
IV. Teachers' Attitudes toward the Research Methodology Course
1. Is teaching research methodology your own choice or is it imposed
on you?
2. What makes the course difficult to teach?
3. Have you ever tried to change the method of your teaching?
4. Do the students seem curious to learn the content of this course?
5. In which way do you help your students carry on their research
projects?

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