Document Type : Original Research
Authors
1
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Affairs and Counseling Farhangian University, PO Box 889-14665, Tehran, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
3
Undergraduate Student of Elementary Education, Farhangian University
10.48310/itt.2026.22346.1307
Abstract
Contemporary educational systems, particularly at the secondary school level, face a significant challenge due to the tension between deep learning demands and exam-oriented pressures, which affect teachers’ roles and professional identities. This study aimed to explore secondary school teachers’ lived experiences of instructional–assessment role conflict and examine how their professional identity develops, with implications for teacher education. Using an interpretive paradigm and a qualitative approach, the study employed descriptive phenomenology. The sample included 19 secondary school teachers from Minab, selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using grounded theory techniques, including open, axial, and selective coding.
Findings revealed three main themes: first, the nature and dimensions of role conflict, reflecting the paradox between fostering deep learning and the pressure to cover content quickly, and gaps between curriculum goals and assessment criteria; second, reflections in professional practice, including a shift from conceptual teaching to accelerated instruction, reduction of teachers’ roles to exam executors, and instrumental teacher–student interactions; third, reconfiguration of professional identity and motivation, indicating changes in the meaning of teaching, reduced efficacy, and motivational burnout.
Results suggest that exam-oriented approaches limit teachers’ pedagogical agency and place them in stressful situations. Nevertheless, teachers maintain a relative balance between educational values and institutional demands through adaptive strategies and emotional engagement. The study emphasizes the need to revise teacher education programs, strengthen conflict management skills, and prepare teachers for exam pressures, recommending that assessment policies and institutional support be designed to safeguard teachers’ professional identity and pedagogical effectiveness.
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