Tensions and Possibilities: A Qualitative Inquiry into Moroccan ESP Teachers’ Understandings of Critical Pedagogy

Abstract

This qualitative study explores how experienced English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers in Moroccan higher education conceptualise and engage with the principles of critical pedagogy. Drawing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with seven instructors, each with between seven and twenty-four years of teaching experience, the research investigates participants’ understandings of critical pedagogy, the extent to which they incorporate its principles into their practice, and the institutional or ideological barriers they encounter. Grounded in Freirean and post-Freirean frameworks, the thematic analysis reveals a complex interplay between teachers’ critical awareness and the constraints of neoliberal educational structures. While some participants expressed deep alignment with dialogic, student-centred, and socially responsive pedagogies, others voiced uncertainty or scepticism about the applicability of critical pedagogy within the skill-oriented, market-driven logic of ESP. The study highlights the need for sustained critical professional development, localised theorisation of critical practice, and structural support to bridge the gap between transformative ideals and institutional realities. It contributes to emerging scholarship advocating for a critical turn in ESP by foregrounding teachers’ voices as both agents and critics of pedagogical change.