International Journal of Practical and Pedagogical Issues in English Education

International Journal of Practical and Pedagogical Issues in English Education

The Development and Validation of an EFL Teachers’ Intellectual Perseverance Scale

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Department of English, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
Abstract
Intellectual perseverance is an emerging construct in research related to teacher classroom resilience. Evidence suggests that teachers with intellectual perseverance are likely to persevere and have commitment when facing challenges. Considering the critical role of intellectual perseverance in language teaching, this study aims to develop and validate a reliable instrument that measures EFL teachers’ intellectual perseverance in the face of challenges. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, literature was reviewed for the conceptualization and finding the key dimensions of intellectual perseverance related to EFL teaching. Based on the findings, an initial scale was developed including fifty-one items in a pool to be evaluated for face and content validity. Through using the views of the experts some items were modified and 30 items remained. A pilot study involving a criterion-based sampling of 227 EFL teachers was conducted to assess the scale's validity and reliability. Exploratory Factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha analysis explained a strong internal consistency and construct validity. Based on the analysis, three sub-constructs were found for the 23 remaining items including teaching resilience, goal- orientation, and emotional resilience. The study findings suggest that the developed scale is valid and reliable to be used by language education researchers and policy makers.
Keywords
Subjects

Akin, A., & Arslan, S. (2014). The relationships between achievement goal orientations and grit. Egitim ve Bilim, 39(175). https://doi.org/10.15390/eb.2014.2125
Alrefaai, I., & Shah, S. A. (2020). The Role of Emotional Intelligence in the EFL Classroom: Reflections of EFL Teachers. Journal of Education in Black Sea Region, 6(1), 110-118. https://doi.org/10.31578/jebs.v6i1.223
Alshraah, S. M., Aly, E. M. S., & Alqasem, M. F. (2023). Equipping lecturers with student-centric and learner-focused methods in response to evolving learner needs in foreign language instruction. Research Journal in Advanced Humanities, 4(3), 191-207. https://doi.org/10.58256/dxx5yq80
Andrea, L., & Mirko, F. (2021). The virtues needed by experts in action. Epistemology & Philosophy of Science, 58(4), 142-157. https://doi.org/10.5840/eps202158466
Barkhuizen, G., Benson, P., & Chik, A. (2013). Narrative inquiry in language teaching and learning research. Routledge.
Battaly, H. (2017). Intellectual perseverance. Journal of Moral Philosophy, 14(6), 669-697.‏ https://doi.org/10.1163/17455243-46810064
Bolarinwa, O. A. (2015). Principles and methods of validity and reliability testing of questionnaires used in social and health science researches. Nigerian postgraduate medical journal, 22(4), 195-201. https://doi.org/10.4103/1117-1936.173959
Bradberry, L. A., & De Maio, J. (2019). Learning by doing: The long-term impact of experiential learning programs on student success. Journal of Political Science Education, 15(1), 94-111.‏ https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2018.1485571
Clemente, N.L. (2022). Pedagogical Virtues: An Account of the Intellectual Virtues of a Teacher. Episteme.
Clemente, N. L. (2024). Pedagogical virtues: An account of the intellectual virtues of a teacher. Episteme, 21(2), 683-697. https://doi.org/10.1017/epi.2022.25
Colognesi, S., Van Nieuwenhoven, C., & Beausaert, S. (2020). Supporting newly-qualified teachers’ professional development and perseverance in secondary education: On the role of informal learning. European Journal of Teacher Education, 43(2), 258-276.‏ https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2019.1681963
Credé, M., & Tynan, M. C. (2021). Should language acquisition researchers study “grit”? A cautionary note and some suggestions. Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning, 3(2), 37-44.‏ https://doi.org/10.52598/jpll/3/2/3
Credé, M., Tynan, M. C., & Harms, P. D. (2017). Much ado about grit: A meta-analytic synthesis of the grit literature. Journal of Personality and social Psychology, 113(3), 492. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000102
DiNapoli, J. (2019). Persevering toward What? Investigating the Relationship between Ninth-Grade Students' Achievement Goals and Perseverant Actions on an Algebraic Task. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 14(3), 435-453.‏ https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5747
DiNapoli, J. (2023). Distinguishing between grit, persistence, and perseverance for learning mathematics with understanding. Education Sciences, 13(4), 402. https://doi.org /10.3390/educsci13040402
Dörnyei, Z., & Taguchi, T. (2009). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing. Routledge.‏
Dörnyei, Z., & Ushioda, E. (2021). Teaching and researching motivation. Routledge.‏
Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner.
Duckworth, A. L., & Eskreis-Winkler, L. (2020). True grit: The science of success. Educational Leadership, 77(1), 18-24.
Dweck, C. S., & Yeager, D. S. (2019). Mindsets: A view from two eras. Perspectives on Psychological science, 14(3), 481-496.‏ https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618804166
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random house.‏
Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A. (2001). A 2× 2 achievement goal framework. Journal of personality and social psychology, 80(3), 501. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.80.3.501
Ezzy, D. (2013). Qualitative analysis. Routledge.
Fathi, J., Greenier, V., & Derakhshan, A. (2021). Self-efficacy, reflection, and burnout among Iranian EFL teachers: the mediating role of emotion regulation. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 9(2), 13-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102446
Fernández-Martín, F.D., Arco-Tirado, J.L., & Hervás-Torres, M. (2020). Grit as a Predictor and Outcome of Educational, Professional, and Personal Success: A Systematic Review. Psicología Educativa, 26(2), 163 - 173. https://doi.org/10.5093/psed2020a11
Fischer, B., Viens, D., Rondeau, D., Turgeon-Gouin, C., & Plaxton, E. (2021). Facilitating Interactions between Additional-Language Students and Highly Competent Speakers. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 77(3), 189-211. https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr-2019-0057
Galiţa, R., & Bonta, E. (2023). Critical thinking at play in language autobiographies. The case of intellectual perseverance. Exploring the Autobiography as a Genre and a Data Collection Tool, 66.‏ https://doi.org/10.18485/philologia.2011.9.9.7
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of educational research, 77(1), 81-112. https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298487
Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., Anderson, R.E., & Tatham, R.L. (2019). Multivariate Data Analysis. Cengage Learning.
Hiver, P., & Dörnyei, Z. (2017). Language teacher immunity: A double-edged sword. Applied Linguistics, 38(3), 405-423. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amv034
Hochanadel, A., & Finamore, D. (2015). Fixed and growth mindset in education and how grit helps students persist in the face of adversity. Journal of International Education Research, 11(1), 47-50. https://doi.org/10.19030/jier.v11i1.9099
Horwitz, E. K. (2020). Becoming a language teacher: A practical guide to second language learning and teaching. Castledown Publishers.
Hossain, K. I. (2024). Reviewing the role of culture in English language learning: Challenges and opportunities for educators. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 9, 100781.h ttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100781
Howard, R.W. (2023). Gauging the Power of Perseverance and Extent of Unrealized Potential in One Intellectual Domain. The American Journal of Psychology, 136(3), 257-271. https://doi.org/10.5406/19398298.136.3.03
Howard, M. C., & Crayne, M. P. (2019). Persistence: Defining the multidimensional construct and creating a measure. Personality and Individual Differences, 139, 77-89.
Huang, L., & Lajoie, S. P. (2021). Process analysis of teachers’ self-regulated learning patterns in technological pedagogical content knowledge development. Computers & Education, 166, 104169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104169
Huescar Hernandez, E., Moreno-Murcia, J. A., Cid, L., Monteiro, D., & Rodrigues, F. (2020). Passion or perseverance? The effect of perceived autonomy support and grit on academic performance in college students. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(6), 2143.‏ https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17062143
Hynes, J. (2022). A Professional Teacher Disposition, Defined and Assessed Through Peer Reviewed Literature from 1985 to 2021: A Narrative Review.‏
Johnson, K. E. (2016). Language teacher education. In The Routledge handbook of English language teaching (pp. 121-134). Routledge.
Jones, K. A., Jones, J. L., & Vermette, P. J. (2013). Exploring the complexity of classroom management: 8 components of managing a highly productive, safe, and respectful urban environment. American Secondary Education, 21-33.‏
Jung, S., & Lee, S. (2011).Exploratory factor analysis for small samples. Behavioral Research Methods, 43, 701–709. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-011-0077-9
Keesey, S., Schaefer, A., Loy, M., & Allen, C. J. (2018). Developing growth mindset and grit in preservice teachers. Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children, 5(1), 3.‏ https://doi.org/10.61611/2995-5904.1006
King, N. L. (2014). Perseverance as an intellectual virtue. Synthese, 191, 3501-3523.‏ https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-014-0418-1
King, N. L. (2021). The excellent mind: Intellectual virtues for everyday life. Oxford university press.‏
Khindri, A., & Rangnekar, S. (2022). The Trait of Perseverance: A Literature Review and Future Research Directions. The American Journal of Psychology, 135(3), 271-285. https://doi.org/10.5406/19398298.135.3.02
Komarraju, M. (2013). Ideal teacher behaviors: Student motivation and self-efficacy predict preferences. Teaching of Psychology, 40(2), 104-110. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0098628312475029
Kyriazos, T. A., & Stalikas, A. (2018). Applied psychometrics: The steps of scale development and standardization process. Psychology, 9(11), 2531. https://doi.org/10.4236 /psych.2018.911145
Ledesma, J. (2014). Conceptual frameworks and research models on resilience in leadership. Sage open, 4(3), 2158244014545464.‏ https://doi.org/10.1177/ 2158244014545464
Luthans, F., Youssef, C. M., Sweetman, D. S., & Harms, P. D. (2013). Meeting the leadership challenge of employee well-being through relationship PsyCap and health PsyCap. Journal of leadership & organizational studies, 20(1), 118-133. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/1548051812465893
Mansfield, C. F., Beltman, S., Broadley, T., & Weatherby-Fell, N. (2016). Building resilience in teacher education: An evidenced informed framework. Teaching and teacher education, 54, 77-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.11.016
Matheson, J. (2024). Epistemic Autonomy and Intellectual Humility: mutually supporting virtues. Social Epistemology, 38(3), 318-330.‏ https://doi.org/10.1080/02 691728.2023.2258093
Matthews, J. S. (2020). Formative learning experiences of urban mathematics teachers’ and their role in classroom care practices and student belonging. Urban Education, 55(4), 507-541.‏ https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085919842625
McDermott, R., Daniels, M., & Cajander, Å. (2015, June). Perseverance measures and attainment in first year computing science students. In Proceedings of the 2015 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (pp. 302-307).‏
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis. SAGE publications.
Montas, M., Rao, S. R., Atassi, H. A., Shapiro, M. C., Dean, J., & Salama, A. R. (2021). Relationship of grit and resilience to dental students’ academic success. Journal of Dental Education, 85(2), 176-186. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.12414
Morgado, F. F., Meireles, J. F., Neves, C. M., Amaral, A., & Ferreira, M. E. (2017). Scale development: ten main limitations and recommendations to improve future research practices. Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41155-016-0057-1
Muhammad, B., & Khan, R. Safiullah.(2022). Mindset and achievement: a secondary school perspective in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Global Educational Studies Review, 7.
Mundfrom, D. J., Shaw, D. G., & Ke, T. L. (2005). Minimum Sample Size Recommendations for Conducting Factor Analyses. International Journal of Testing, 5(2), 159–168. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327574ijt0502_4
Ojong, A. S. (2023). Unraveling the Efficacy of Differentiated Instruction in Enhancing Second Language Acquisition: A Comprehensive Review and Future Directions. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 6(6), 75-82. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2023.6.6.8
Okanlawon, A. E. (2022). Analysis of Intellectual Demands Embodied in The Learning Objectives Prescribed for Mathematics and Science Components of The Teacher Training Manual. International Journal of Research in STEM Education, 4(1), 64-82.‏ https://doi.org/10.31098/ijrse.v4i1.775
O'Neill, S., & Thomson, M. M. (2013). Supporting academic persistence in low‐skilled adult learners. Support for Learning, 28(4), 162-172. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.12038
Parker, C. B. (2015). Perseverance key to children’s intellectual growth.‏ https://doi.org/10. 51952/ 978144 7322245
Polit, D.F., Beck, C.T. (2006). The content validity index: Are you sure you know what’s being reported? Critique and recommendations. Res Nurs Health 29, 489–497. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20147
Qingyan, G., Azar, A. S., & Ahmad, A. (2023). Factors affecting teachers’ quality in higher vocational colleges in maoming city, China. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 8(8), e02994-e02994. https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview /2023.v8i8.2994
Rattray, J., & Jones, M. C. (2007). Essential elements of questionnaire design and development. Journal of clinical nursing, 16(2), 234-243. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01573.x
Ricci, L., Lanfranchi, J. B., Lemetayer, F., Rotonda, C., Guillemin, F., Coste, J., & Spitz, E. (2019). Qualitative methods used to generate questionnaire items: A systematic review. Qualitative health research, 29(1), 149-156. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732318783186
Richards, J. C. (2022). Exploring emotions in language teaching. Relc Journal, 53(1), 225-239. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220927531
Roulston, K. & Choi, M. (2017). Qualitative interviews. In U. Flick. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Collection (pp. 233-249). Sage Reference.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary educational psychology, 61, 101860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860
Sadeghi, F., Sadighi, F., & Bagheri, M. (2021). Exploring Language Mindsets, Goal orientations, and Responses to Failure: Proficiency Level in Focus. Research in English Language Pedagogy, 9(2), 397-427. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.1833814
Saifullah, S., & Khan, O. Z. (2022). Relationship between grit and academic resilience among university students. CARC Research in Social Sciences, 1(1), 11-14. https://doi.org /10.58329/criss.v1i1.4
Schöpfer, C., & Hernandez, J. (2024). The critical time for critical thinking: intellectual virtues as intrinsic motivations for critical thinking. Philosophical Psychology, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2024.2430509
Seligman, M. E. P. (2018). The hope circuit: A psychologist’s journey from helplessness to optimism. Public Affairs.
Semião, D., Mogarro, M. J., Pinto, F. B., Martins, M. J. D., Santos, N., Sousa, O., & Tinoca, L. (2023). Teachers’ Perspectives on Students’ Cultural Diversity: A Systematic Literature Review. Education Sciences, 13(12), 1215. https://doi.org/10.3390/ educsci13121215
Sengupta-Irving, T., & Agarwal, P. (2017). Conceptualizing perseverance in problem solving as collective enterprise. Mathematical thinking and learning, 19(2), 115-138.‏ https://doi.org/10.1080/10986065.2017.1295417
Seven, M. A. (2020). Motivation in Language Learning and Teaching. African Educational Research Journal, 8, 62-71.
Sigmundsson, H., & Haga, M. (2024). Passion and grit in individuals with high levels of growth mindset are different than in individuals who have low growth mindset. Acta Psychologica, 250, 104480.
Sisk, V. F., Burgoyne, A. P., Sun, J., Butler, J. L., & Macnamara, B. N. (2018). To what extent and under which circumstances are growth mind-sets important to academic achievement? Two meta-analyses. Psychological science, 29(4), 549-571.‏ https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617739704
Slavec, A., & Drnovšek, M. (2012). A perspective on scale development in entrepreneurship research. Economic & Business Review, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.15458/2335-4216.1203
Soodmand Afshar, H., & Doosti, M. (2016). Investigating the impact of job satisfaction/dissatisfaction on Iranian English teachers' job performance. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 4(1), 97-115. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2015 .1037335
Southwick, S. M., Litz, B. T., Charney, D. S., & Friedman, M. J. (2014). Resilience and mental health. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 10, 629-654. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511994791
Stemler, S., (2000). An overview of content analysis. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation 7(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.7275/z6fm-2e34.
Stewart, G., & Reinders, H. (2024). Language Teacher Resilience: Antecedents and Experiences. Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning, 6(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.52598/jpll/6/1/2
Sukarno, S., Win, K. T., & Hong, D. A. C. (2024). Teachers' Views Regarding the Character of Students' Perseverance in Science Learning. Integrated Science Education Journal, 5(1), 59-64.‏ https://doi.org/10.37251/isej.v5i1.806
Tavakol, M., & Dennick, R. (2011).Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha. International Journal of Medical Education, 2, 53-55. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.4dfb.8dfd
Tiwari, S., & Verma, K. (2023). A Critical Study of Angela Duckworth’s Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Research  Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences,14(3), 152-154.
Totsika, V., & Hastings, R.P. (2009). Persistent challenging behaviour in people with an intellectual disability. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 22, 437–441. https://doi.org/10.1097/yco.0b013e32832cd9b8
Turner, C. (2022). Neuromedia, cognitive offloading, and intellectual perseverance. Synthese, 200, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-022-03472-w
Ursachi, G., Horodnic, I. A., & Zait, A. (2015). How reliable are measurement scales? External factors with indirect influence on reliability estimators. Procedia Economics and Finance, 20, 679-686. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(15)00123-9
Vanney, C. E., Mesurado, B., & Aguinalde Sáenz, J. I. (2024). Measuring qualities needed for interdisciplinary work: The Intellectual Virtues for Interdisciplinary Research Scale (IVIRS). PloS one, 19(11), e0312938. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312938
Vansteenkiste, M., Niemiec, C. P., & Soenens, B. (2010). The development of the five mini-theories of self-determination theory: A historical overview, emerging trends, and future directions. The decade ahead: Theoretical perspectives on motivation and achievement, 16, 105-165. https://doi.org/10.1108/s0749-7423(2010)000016a007
Villacañas de Castro, L. S. (2017). ‘We are more than EFL teachers–we are educators’: emancipating EFL student-teachers through photovoice. Educational Action Research, 25(4), 610-629. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2016.1215930
Wang, H. C. (2023). Facilitating English L2 learners’ intercultural competence and learning of English in a Taiwanese university. Language Teaching Research, 27(4), 1032-1048. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820969359
Wang, S., Zhou, M., Chen, T., Yang, X., Chen, G., Wang, M., & Gong, Q. (2017). Grit and the brain: spontaneous activity of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex mediates the relationship between the trait grit and academic performance. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 12(3), 452-460. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsw145
Watkins, M. W. (2018). Exploratory factor analysis: A guide to best practice. Journal of black psychology, 44(3), 219-246.‏ https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798418771807
Ward, J., DiNapoli, J., & Monahan, K. (2022). Instructional perseverance in early-childhood classrooms: Supporting children’s development of STEM reasoning in a social justice context. Education Sciences, 12(3), 159.‏ https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12030159
West, S. G., Finch, J. F., & Curran, P. J. (1995). Structural equation models with no normal variables: Problems and remedies. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues, and applications (pp. 56–75). Sage Publications, Inc.
Williams, M., & Moser, T. (2019). The art of coding and thematic exploration in qualitative research. International management review, 15(1), 45-55.‏
Xue, Y. (2021). The role of EFL teachers' self-efficacy and emotional resilience in promoting learners' success. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 8763856. https://doi.org/10.3389 /fpsyg.2021.8763856
Yang, A. (2024). Challenges and opportunities for foreign language teachers in the era of artificial intelligence. International Journal of Education and Humanities, 4(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.58557/(ijeh).v4i1.202
Yeager, D. S., Carroll, J. M., Buontempo, J., Cimpian, A., Woody, S., Crosnoe, R., & Dweck, C. S. (2022). Teacher mindsets help explain where a growth-mindset intervention does and doesn’t work. Psychological Science, 33(1), 18-32.‏ https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976211028984
Zimmerman, B. J. (2008). Investigating self-regulation and motivation: Historical background, methodological developments, and future prospects. American Educational Research Journal, 45(1), 166-183.‏ https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831207312909
Zimmerman, B. J., & Schunk, D. H. (2011). Self-regulated learning and performance: An introduction and an overview. Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance, 15-26. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203839010.ch1
Volume 3, Issue 2
Spring 2025
Pages 22-50

  • Receive Date 07 January 2025
  • Revise Date 10 April 2025
  • Accept Date 11 May 2025