Dogme Language Teaching in Multilingual Gulf Universities: A Phenomenological Inquiry

Abstract Book of the 11th International Conference on Advanced Research in Education, Teaching and Learning

Year: 2026

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Dogme Language Teaching in Multilingual Gulf Universities: A Phenomenological Inquiry

Dr. Sayyed Rashid Ali Shah, Tariq Elyas, Ibrar Bhutt

ABSTRACT:

This study investigates how experienced EFL teachers in multilingual Gulf universities negotiate the principles of Dogme ELT within highly regulated, exam-driven higher education environments. While Dogme promotes emergent language, interaction, and minimal materials, Gulf institutions prioritise standardisation, textbook coverage, and visible accountability—conditions that render spontaneous, learner-generated pedagogy professionally risky. Drawing on a phenomenological design and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study explores the lived teaching experiences of six university lecturers from across the Gulf region, using semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires to illuminate how educators interpret, adapt, or resist Dogme within their institutional contexts.

Findings reveal a complex landscape in which Dogme functions simultaneously as a pedagogical disruption and a source of professional renewal. Teachers described tensions between their beliefs in dialogic, student-centred learning and institutional cultures that equate professionalism with predictability, compliance, and measurable outcomes. Yet, rather than abandoning Dogme, participants enacted “micro-improvisations”—small, strategic adaptations that blended Dogme-inspired discourse with mandated curricular structures. These acts served as forms of agency, emotional resilience, and quiet resistance that allowed teachers to reclaim meaning in their practice.

The study demonstrates that Dogme’s relevance extends beyond methodology: it exposes how language policies, institutional logics, and performative cultures shape pedagogy in global higher education. By foregrounding teacher voice from a region underrepresented in ELT scholarship, the research contributes insights into context-sensitive innovation, multilingual university dynamics, and the possibilities of rehumanising teaching within increasingly standardised systems.

Keywords: Dogme ELT, Gulf Countries, Higher Education, Phenomenological Study, Teacher Perceptions