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Findings show that learners link English to personal and societal advancement despite values-preservation policies, highlighting resilience amid contested sociopolitical change.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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adult Iranians  \nMehdi Moharami 1 Anne Keary2 Alex Kostogriz3  \n1Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia 2Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia 3Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia  \nAbstract  \nThis paper investigates how Iranian learners invest in English language education amid various cultural and societal influences. Recently, Iranian authorities have expressed concern about the impact of English on society and culture. The first author interviewed eight adult learners in Iran to explore their perceptions of learners’ investment in English language learning, drawing on Darvin and Norton ’s (2016) model. The findings reveal a complex interplay between local and global factors affecting language learning and identity formation. Despite government policies aimed at preserving traditional values, learners express personal and societal benefits from acquiring English. The research highlights that learners’motivations stem more from this interplay of benefits, rather than just globalisation, which  \nCorrespondence  \nMehdi Moharami  \n[mehdi. moharami@scei-he.edu.au](mehdi. moharami@scei-he.edu.au)  \nPublication  \nReceived: 22 March 2025  \nRevision: 14 September 2025  \nAccepted: 16 September 2025  \nPublished: 04 November 2025  \nCopyright  \n©2025 TESOL in Context  \nThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution – ShareAlike 4.0 International License.  \nIranian authorities often view as a threat. This underscores the resilience of Iranian learners as they navigate their linguistic and cultural identities, demonstrating that they see English not only as a foreign language but as a tool for personal and societal advancement. This study contributes to the understanding of how Iranian learners navigate and invest in English language education, shedding light on the cultural and societal factors that shape their perceptions and motivations.  \nKeywords: Education language policy; English language learning; globalisation of English; imagined community; investment.  \nIntroduction  \nThe growing popularity of English language learning among Iranians has raised concerns among Iranian authorities. The precise number of language schools in Iran is unclear due to the existence of unregistered institutions throughout the country (Moharami & Daneshfar, 2021) . In 2016, the Iranian supreme leader’s criticism of the foreign language education approach further intensified the political condemnation of learning English in the country. As a result, Iranian officials have been implementing changes in language policy to manage the increasing interest in English language learning. This paper aims to examine adult Iranians’ investment in English language learning and its implications for cultural practices within Iran’s contested sociopolitical landscape.  \nIslam and its ideologies have formed the bedrock of Iranian education for more than 40 years. Today, Islamic values are woven into Iranian culture, with Islamic ideologies present in every aspect of everyday life. However, over the past decade, authorities have been challenged by the presence of the English language and its impact on learners’ culture and social identity (Daneshfar & Moharami, 2024) .  \nIn 2011, in an attempt to strengthen Islamic values and counter the influence of Western ideologies associated with the globalisation of the English language, Iranian authorities implemented a significant overhaul of the educational system (Malekzadeh, 2011) . The new curriculum, titled the “Fundamental Transformation of Education”, aimed to promote a proIslamic ideology and replace the previous curriculum influenced by the Pahlavi regime. Currently, according to educational policy, secondary school students have the option to learn English or other approved foreign languages, in addition to compulsory Arabic instruction. However, due to the lack of educational materials and teachers of other foreign languages, a","cbCaiminy4MEym51","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiminy4MEym51","pdf",416933,21,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# Policy changes and Iranians’ investment in learning English","[{\"question\":\"What does the paper investigate about Iranian adult learners?\",\"answer\":\"It examines how Iranian adult learners invest in English language education and how this relates to cultural practices within Iran’s contested sociopolitical landscape.\"},{\"question\":\"Why have Iranian authorities expressed concern about English language learning?\",\"answer\":\"They worry about English’s impact on society and culture, viewing it as a threat to traditional values and Islamic ideologies.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the role of local and global factors in learners’ investment?\",\"answer\":\"Learners’ investment reflects an interplay between local and global benefits, and motivations arise more from these combined benefits than from globalisation alone.\"}]","Investment in English language learning by adult Iranians | PDF",1792042855,53]