Journal of Critical Applied Linguistics Studies

en Modeling the Internalization of Morality as Cooperation among Iranian EFL Learners: A Thematic Analysis Approach عمومى General پژوهشي Research <div style="text-align: justify;">Examining the under-researched area of moral development in EFL contexts, this study examines how Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners perceive and internalize the factors of Morality as Cooperation (MAC), introduced by Curry et al. (2019a), within their unique cultural and educational landscape. Specifically, it investigates how these learners understand and internalize MAC's core factors: family, group, reciprocity, heroism, deference, fairness, and property. Employing thematic analysis on semi-structured interviews with 23 participants (13 females and 10 males) selected through purposive sampling, the present study employed a qualitative research design. Data were gathered after running semi-structured interviews and analyzed utilizing Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis approach and by MAXQDA software version 24. The results showed five major themes: family support, community responsibility, reciprocal relationships, heroic actions, and deference to authority. These themes expose the subtle ways that Iranian EFL learners recognize and use moral principles in their social interactions and ethical frameworks. The results underscore the impact of cultural and educational settings in coursing moral understanding and cooperative behaviors. In reference to the findings of the present analysis, the paper extends the discourse on morality in education, pointing out the need for pedagogical approaches that are culturally sensitive and tailored to learners’ living experiences. Besides, we examined the ramifications of educational settings on the promotion of moral development and the fostering of collaborative behaviors.</div>   qualitative analysis, morality as cooperation (MAC), EFL learners 123 144 http://cals.gonbad.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-59-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Zahra Bayat bayat.zahra.1988@gmail.com 1003194753284600517 1003194753284600517 No Gholamreza Zareian g.zareian@hsu.ac.ir 1003194753284600518 1003194753284600518 Yes Zahra bayat, Ph.D. Candidate, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Department of English Language, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran. Email: bayat.zahra.1988@gmail.com Gholamreza Zareian (Corresponding Author), : Associate Professor, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Department of English Language, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran. Email: : g.zareian@hsu.ac.ir Moslem Zolfaghakhani, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Department of English Language, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran. Email: m.zolfagharkhani@hsu.ac.ir Saeed Ghaniabadi, Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Department of English Language, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran. Email: s.ghaniabadi@hsu.ac.ir Moslem Zolfagharkhani m.zolfagharkhani@hsu.ac.ir 1003194753284600519 1003194753284600519 No Saeed Ghaniabadi s.ghaniabadi@hsu.ac.ir 1003194753284600520 1003194753284600520 No