What sustains the novice Malaysian teacher of English: a case study

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 585-597
Author(s):  
Ida Fatimawati Adi Badiozaman
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Teaching Context ◽  
Service Training

Purpose The study explores how a novice English teacher’s motivation is sustained as she navigates a range of complex educational contexts in her teaching career. Through the lens of self-concept, the purpose of this paper is to gain an in-depth understanding of the role of this construct when navigating the challenges often faced in the early stages of the teaching profession. Design/methodology/approach In this case study, data were drawn primarily from a series of interviews with one English teacher over the course of three years. Teaching materials, together with teaching evaluations, were used to compare and validate the information obtained during the interview. Findings Despite the challenges faced in each new teaching context, the teacher’s motivation and commitment to the profession were driven and sustained by the high integration of personal goals with one’s self, goal fusion. Furthermore, an inherently strong drive to minimise the discrepancy between her current self and her ideal future self, helped the novice teacher navigate each new setting and its respective demands. Practical implications English teachers need specific support and professional development that goes beyond pre-service education into in-service training. It is important that continuous professional development be undertaken to allow opportunities for the conception of reflective practice and reflective practitioners. Originality/value Self-concept is not only a means of self-evaluation, but also a key driver for goal-relevant cognitions and behaviours effective for teaching practice.

scholarly journals Internationalizing teacher education curricula: opportunities for academic staff development

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-169
Author(s):  
Mónica Lourenço
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Global Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Staff Development ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of a collaborative workshop, aimed to support teacher educators in embedding a “global outlook” in the curriculum on their perceived professional development. Design/methodology/approach The workshop included working sessions, during a period of 13 months, and was structured as participatory action research, according to which volunteer academics designed, developed and evaluated global education projects in their course units. Data were gathered through a focus group session, conducted with the teacher educators at a final stage of the workshop, and analyzed according to the principles of thematic analysis. Findings Results of the analysis suggest that the workshop presented a meaningful opportunity for teacher educators to reconstruct their knowledge and teaching practice to (re)discover the importance of collaborative work and to assume new commitments to themselves and to others. Originality/value The study addresses a gap in the existing literature on academic staff development in internationalization of the curriculum, focusing on the perceptions of teacher educators’, whose voices have been largely silent in research in the field. The study concludes with a set of recommendations for a professional development program in internationalization of the curriculum.

International benchmarking for performance improvement in construction safety and health

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 916-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lance W. Saunders ◽  
Andrew P McCoy ◽  
Brian M. Kleiner ◽  
Helen Lingard ◽  
Tracy Cooke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Construction Safety ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Project Lifecycle

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge on the advantages of integrating safety earlier in the construction project lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is used to collect data from construction sites in the USA, which performs poorly in construction safety and health, and Australia (AU), which performs well in construction safety and health. Qualitative data are collected to determine how and when safety is considered in the project lifecycle in both countries, and then the results are benchmarked to determine the benefits of addressing safety earlier in the process. Findings – Data show that addressing a potential hazard earlier in the project lifecycle has performance benefits in terms of the level of hazard control. Research limitations/implications – The processes that are identified as possibly explaining the performance difference are just based on qualitative data from interviews. Targeted research addressing the relationship between these processes and safety outcomes is an opportunity for further research. Practical implications – The case study data are used to identify specific processes that are used in AU that might be adopted in the USA to improve performance by integrating safety earlier into the decision-making process. Social implications – This paper highlights the advantages of integrating safety as a decision factor early in the process. Worker safety is not just an issue in the construction industry, and thus the findings are applicable to all industries in which worker safety is an issue. Originality/value – This paper advances the safety in design literature by quantitatively supporting the link between when a hazard is addressed and performance. It also links the results to specific processes across countries, which advances the literature because most research in this area to data is within a single country.

scholarly journals Work engagement among participants of residency and professional development programs in nursing

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (suppl 4) ◽  
pp. 1487-1492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciano Garcia Lourenção
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Public Institution ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Utrecht Work Engagement Scale ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Professional Development Programs

ABSTRACT Objective: to assess the levels of engagement at work of nurses enrolled in multi-professional residency and professional development programs in health care of a Brazilian public institution. Method: a cross-sectional study with 36 professionals. The data were collected in September 2013, with use of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), composed of seventeen self-evaluation items with the dimensions vigor, dedication and absorption, as well as an overall score. Results: the levels of engagement ranged from 3.8 to 4.3, and the standard deviations, between 1.1 and 1.3. Nurses showed average levels on vigor (3.8) and absorption (3.9) dimensions, and high levels on dedication (4,3) and engagement (4.0). Conclusion: the professionals presented good levels of energy, resilience, enthusiasm and involvement with the work. They are satisfied with the activity and are dedicated to it, which promotes the acquisition of skills and competences along the in-service training, ensuring a future professional practice of quality.

scholarly journals Digital Storytelling to Unlock Reflective Practice in the Classroom

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Yee Bee Choo ◽  
Tina Abdullah ◽  
Abdullah Mohd Nawi
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Digital Storytelling ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Teaching Literature

It is a common practice that teachers tell stories in the classroom when teaching literature. They are enthusiastic in their teaching profession but students nowadays are diverse in their learning styles and they need different approaches to be taught. Therefore, this study advocates teachers to reflect on their teaching practice to use technology specifically digital storytelling as a teaching method in the classroom. The single case study involved a pre-service teacher who underwent a micro-teaching session in teaching literature. The instruments used were peer observation checklist, the artefacts of digital storytelling, video recording, and reflective journal. The findings indicated that the participant was able to be more aware of her strengths and weaknesses in the crafts of storytelling, personalise her own learning and improve her teaching practice. The implications are for the educators to encourage pre-service teachers to use digital storytelling in the classroom, provide coaching and support to improve their crafts of storytelling in the teaching of children’s literature as well as use digital storytelling as a tool for reflective practice in teacher education.

scholarly journals PERCEPTIONS OF MRSM ENGLISH TEACHERS ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THEIR EXPECTATIONS ON IN-SERVICE TRAINING

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (42) ◽  
pp. 155-167
Author(s):  
Faizahani Ab Rahman ◽  
Nurul Afrahah Hussin ◽  
Sutha Sugumaran
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Question ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Group Methods ◽  
Service Training

This paper looks at the perceptions of MRSM (Majlis Amanah Rakyat or also known as People’s Trust Council) English teachers on their current professional development and their expectations on in-service training. As teachers, they are often expected to act as a source of motivation to their students apart from being accountable in providing instructions, knowledge, and skills in their respective academic subjects. However, very often, teachers are not provided with sufficient and appropriate training that would prepare them to be the kind of teacher that they are required and expected to be. This prompts this study that determines whether the in-service training provided is sufficient and aptly to help the teachers produce academically excellent students. This case study used a qualitative approach with purposive sampling of seven English teachers at Maktab Rendah Sains MARA, Beseri in Perlis with teaching experiences between 10 to 30 years. Semi-structured interviews and focus group methods were used to answer the research question which dwells on the MRSM English teachers’ expectations of professional development teacher training of their students’ achievement. The findings of the study revealed that teachers expect to have more professional development in terms of pedagogy, proficiency level, technology integration, and stress management. They also believe that improvement in professional development can positively affect their students’ achievement as teaching and learning processes can be done more effectively. It is therefore recommended that MARA should highlight its current in-service training and development policy to be consistent with the needs of teachers.

Transformational Shifts of Pedagogy Through Professional Development, Essential Questions, and Self-Directed Learning

2018 ◽  
pp. 160-178
Author(s):  
Ronda Cypret-Mahach
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Essential Questions ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
Transformational Experiences ◽  
Star Reading

This chapter describes transformational experiences of a faculty of teachers during a yearlong action-research case-study of professional development, infused with digital technologies intended to capitalize on self-directed learning strategies, in the use of essential questions specifically designed to target critical thinking in students. Teachers who began to adopt the essence of essential questioning into their teaching practice also began to seek ways to engage in personalized self-directed learning as they looked for avenues to continue development of successful practice. The ability to self-investigate and self-delineate pedagogy was critical for most of participant teachers. The faculty of teachers involved in the action-research case-study demonstrated statistically significant growth on the Measure of Questioning Skills, indicating the experience encouraged teacher growth in questioning abilities. Research data also reflected statistically significant student growth in STAR Reading and STAR Math scores, and an increase in student's Measure of Questioning Skills.

Kaizen event approach: a case study in the packaging industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 1343-1372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Vo ◽  
Elif Kongar ◽  
Manuel F. Suárez Barraza
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Employee Participation ◽  
Production Quality ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Performance Measurements ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Kaizen Events ◽  
Tools And Techniques ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, a case study on the application of lean production principles in a manufacturing facility is presented to demonstrate the impact of frequent and systematic use of a Kaizen event on quality and delivery performance. Second, the detailed description and analysis of the Kaizen event and its impact are provided, including a comprehensive analysis of the role of Kaizen events on employee participation and motivation. Design/methodology/approach The study utilizes a Kaizen event’s case study data with the help of various waste detection and elimination tools and techniques. Changes in overall productivity along with potential long-term improvements in the delivery process are also analyzed and documented. Findings Pre- and post-quality measures are provided to demonstrate the results of the event on the production quality and on the performance of the overall manufacturing processes. Qualitative findings regarding performance measurements and the impact on the employees are reported. Research limitations/implications The Kaizen team applied analytical techniques to one manufacturing site in North America of a company that has a manufacturing presence in 20 different countries. Originality/value Kaizen studies involving packaging operations are quite limited. This study fills this gap by detailing the Kaizen event implementation in a packaging delivery and dispensing systems manufacturer for the cosmetic industry. The implementation of this Kaizen event is detailed along with the data and techniques utilized for process improvement. The study also reports findings regarding the impact of the Kaizen event on employee participation.

Enhancing teachers' and administrators learning experiences through school–university partnerships: a qualitative case study in China

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoyuan Sang ◽  
Jun Zhou ◽  
Abdulghani Muthanna
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Process Analysis ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThis qualitative study aimed to explore how the school–university partnership (SUP) enhances the elementary teachers' professional development in a school-based setting.Design/methodology/approachBy following the qualitative case study methodology, this case study employs semi-structured interviews (the authors designed) with 10 school teachers and administrators. The authors adapted the iterative process analysis (Miles and Huberman, 1984) for compiling, coding, annotating the data and interpreting the interview transcripts. The authors also used the member checking technique that establishes credibility in a qualitative study (Lincoln and Guba, 1985) with six participants.FindingsThe findings suggest that participating in a series of professional learning activities led to the enhancement of teachers' and administrators learning experiences in view of educational theories, action research abilities, teaching efficiency, teaching research capacities and improvement of school guidelines. Further, they reveal that the participants' expectations for future SUP collaborations centred on realizing the sustainability and effectiveness of collaborations, and autonomy of teachers.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of the current study include its focus on a single SUP within one school and the reliance on data collected only by interviews during the SUP process. This study offers implications for teacher learning within SUP collaborations. First, schools should consider how to involve and influence all teachers rather than SUP core members only. To this end, authentic professional learning communities need to be constructed. Second, universities should pay much more attention to the professional development of their faculty members towards integration of theoretical knowledge and practical experiences.Originality/valueThis original study explores practical ways of improving teachers' theoretical and practical teaching practices/experiences through SUP projects, and contributes new knowledge to the teaching professional development of school teachers and administrators.

Managing paradoxes, dilemmas, and change

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rubens Pauluzzo ◽  
Marta Guarda ◽  
Laura De Pretto ◽  
Tony Fang
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Yin Yang ◽  
Case Study Data

Purpose Drawing on Fang’s (2012) Yin Yang theory of culture while taking up the roadmap proposed by Li (2016) for applying the epistemological system of Yin Yang balancing to complex issues in management research, in general, and to paradoxical issues, in particular, the purpose of this paper is to explore how organizations and individuals in the West can balance cultural paradoxes and manage culture dilemmas through the lens of Yin Yang wisdom. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a qualitative case study. Data are gathered through interviews, documents, and field observations in four subsidiaries of an Italian insurance multinational corporation and were analyzed according to the three parameters, i.e., situation, context, and time (Fang, 2012). Findings The findings show how the integration and learning from seemingly opposite cultures and sets of values lead the organization and individuals to balancing cultural paradox and managing cultural dilemma effectively. With regard to situation, the authors find that both organizations and customers choose the most relevant value(s) to take advantage of specific events or circumstances, and that different value orientations can coexist. As for context, the authors show that organizations can adapt their values either through suppression and/or promotion, which can foster individuals to find new balancing within the paradox. In terms of time, the authors show that the process of learning from other cultures over time can play a role in the shift of people’s and organizations’ choices of attitudes and value orientations. Originality/value The paper suggests the relevance and usefulness of adopting Yin Yang wisdom to uncover the dynamic process of cultural learning in Western scenarios.

scholarly journals Sustainability of Professional Development: A Longitudinal Case Study of an Early Career ESL Teacher’s Agency and Identity

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9025
Author(s):  
Jing Huang
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Teacher Agency ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
School Contexts

This paper reports on a longitudinal case study of a Hong Kong early career ESL (English as a second language) secondary teacher, Joyce (pseudonym), who experienced different stages of personal–professional development over seven–eight years (August 2013–December 2020), as follows: (1) entering, and engaging, in teaching for five–six years, upon graduation from a local teacher education BA degree program in summer 2013; (2) resigning from her full-time teaching position and leaving the teaching profession, in response to an “insulting” classroom revisit in her third school; (3) working in an NGO for a short time, after “recovery” from the “insulting” event; and (4) weighing possibilities for resuming teaching, after leaving the NGO in 2019. Drawing on multiple data that were collected over seven–eight years, including interviews, informal communications, and autobiography, this study aimed to examine the issues of teacher attrition and sustainable professional development, in relation to teacher agency and teacher identity, in Hong Kong secondary school contexts. The findings revealed that school and social contexts intertwined with personal experiences, culminating in Joyce’s leaving or staying in the teaching profession. Through focusing on Joyce’s long-term experiences of becoming and being an ESL teacher, the findings shed light on the affordances for, and constraints upon, teacher agency and teacher identity in school contexts.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document