ENGLISH LANGUAGE RESEARCH TRENDS AND THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE COMPETENCY: A STUDY OF PAKISTANI EFL TEACHERS’ AWARENESS AND PRACTICES IN RESEARCH SUPERVISION
Keywords:
Research Trend, Theoretical Knowledge, Awareness, Practices, Supervision, English Language ResearchAbstract
This study aims to investigate the research supervision practices of Pakistani EFL teachers at the BS, MPhil, and PhD levels. Different levels of awareness about research impact students' quality of work, motivation, and readiness for future employment. The study adopts a quantitative research design, utilizing survey data collected from 125 EFL teachers. Quantitative techniques, employing descriptive were used to explore differences across qualification levels related to challenges in research supervision, awareness of theoretical knowledge, and professional preparedness. The research findings indicate that MPhil and BS teachers experience high intrinsic cognitive load and struggle with selecting a research topic and meeting deadlines. Conversely, only 26.4% of teachers are aware of specialized research trends. Furthermore, negative supervision at the MPhil level was reported by 22.4% of teachers, while those who completed their PhD face excessive scrutiny, with 80% receiving numerous corrections. The article proposes structured research training programs to scaffold techniques and integrate technology-enhanced learning tools to support teachers. For BS students, basic research training, MPhil-level theory application, and the development of independent research skills at the PhD level are recommended. Future studies should emphasize qualitative insights into institutional policies and ensure that CLT-based interventions effectively enhance academic supervision.
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