scholarly journals ISSUES WITH EFFECTIVE DESIGN OF AN ESL TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME IN SABAH, MALAYSIA

2018 ◽  
pp. 51-76
Author(s):  
WENDY HIEW ◽  
JILL MURRAY
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Survey Interviews ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This study investigates English as Second Language teachers’ perceptions and the impact of the Professional Up-skilling of English Language Teachers programme, which was designed and conducted by the British Council Malaysia. A review of previous studies revealed a paucity of research focusing on large-scale, standardised teacher professional development programmes that involved English language teachers from both heterogeneous teaching levels (i.e. primary and secondary schools) and heterogeneous districts (i.e. urban and rural). The limited published studies available have been critical of this mode of professional development for a number of reasons, and the purpose of this study was to investigate these issues in the Malaysian context. A mixed methods explanatory sequential design was adopted, which utilised a questionnaire survey, interviews and focus group with the teachers and District English Language Officers. However, this article will focus on the qualitative findings. The findings reveal four major limitations of the programme: in the coursebook materials; negative emotional impact on the teachers, which compromised the potential benefits of the programme; selection of participants; and the amount of follow-up support. The findings have implication on programme designers and providers in designing future teacher professional development programmes. Keywords: Teacher professional development, English language teachers, standardised program, developing country, Malaysia.

scholarly journals The Professional Development of English Language Teachers in Colombia: A Review of the Literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (21) ◽  
pp. 89-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ximena Paola Buendia ◽  
Diego Fernando Macías
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
English Language Teachers

This article offers a review of 25 empirical studies to identify the areas and findings of professional development initiatives for in-service English teachers in Colombia. The reviewed studies suggest that language teacher professional development has focused on six major areas: language proficiency, research skills and reflective practice, teachers’ beliefs and identities, an integrated approach to teacher professional development, pedagogical skills and teaching approaches, and emerging technologies. Results suggest that there is a need to move from traditional master-apprentice, content-oriented, teacher-centered models of professional development towards initiatives that allow teachers to critically analyze their particular context and needs, and devise their own local alternatives so that they can become more active agents of their own process of change. Issues that constitute possible alternatives for future research in the professional development of English language teachers are discussed.

scholarly journals Professional development of English language teachers in Malang, Indonesia: Institutional and individual perspectives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Anik Nunuk Wulyani
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Ict Skills ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
The Individual

<p>Two important areas of professional development for teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Indonesia identified in the 2003 Law on National Education System and 2005 Law on Teachers and Lecturers are disciplinary knowledge and ICT skills. The present thesis investigates institutional and individual aspects of EFL teacher professional development (TPD) in Indonesia in relation to the development of these two areas of expertise.  Three studies were carried out. The first study measured Indonesian EFL teachers’ target language (English) proficiency as a core component of their professional knowledge and how it is maintained and developed by the teachers. EFL teachers’ language proficiency in this study was operationalised as their lexical, reading and writing proficiency and measured using the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT), IELTS-like reading comprehension test and IELTS-like academic writing test, respectively. The results showed that the teachers’ length of service correlated negatively with their knowledge of academic vocabulary, as well as reading and writing proficiency, indicating issues with the outcomes of the TPD in this area. To triangulate the test results, teacher perceptions data were also gathered using questionnaires and interviews. It was found that the EFL teachers tended to overestimate their own overall English language proficiency.  The second study used a longitudinal blogging activity with the EFL teachers as a form of personal professional development that targeted their English language and ICT skills while reflecting on topics related to their professional (teaching) activities. Qualitative analysis of the blog entries of three EFL teachers suggested that the individual teachers’ blogging, critical reading and reflective writing skills were very uneven. Interviews with nine teachers and 11 educational stakeholders were then conducted to understand their views on blogging as a form of professional development. The results revealed that the perceived obstacles and drawbacks outweighed the perceived benefits of blogging as a form of personal professional development.  The third study examined Indonesian national TPD policy documents, how these policies were translated into local professional development programmes in Malang district. It was found that the needs for EFL teachers to maintain their English proficiency and ICT skills were only partially addressed in TPD policy and implementation. In addition, the interviewed teachers and stakeholders perceived the definitions, goals, administration, evaluation, benefits, and challenges of TPD differently.  Taken as a whole, the present findings show that institutional implementation of TPD policies in Indonesia needs to better target individual EFL teachers’ English proficiency and ICT skills, and that opportunities for better professional development need to be sought at both personal and institutional levels. At the individual level, self-motivation to continue learning is crucial for English language teachers who want to keep up with change and innovation in English language teaching. At the institutional level, needs analyses and environmental analyses are essential in designing programs for maintaining and developing teacher professional competency.</p>

scholarly journals Teacher Professional Development Using Mobile Technologies in a Large-Scale Project

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 34-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prithvi Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
English Language ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Mp3 Players ◽  
Teacher Professional

Mobile technologies have been influencing the field of education including language learning for almost a decade. The literature on mobile technologies for education reports a number of case studies that examine various aspects of mobile learning. However, the use of mobile technologies for teacher professional development, particularly in developing economies, is rarely reported. This paper presents a case study of the English in Action (EIA) project, a UK government funded English language development project in Bangladesh, and its use of mobile technologies which not only provides teachers with the ‘trainer in the pocket’ that helps them achieve pedagogical changes in the classroom but also serves as a tool for improving their own English language competence. The paper, in particular, reports on the design and implementation of audio and video teacher professional development materials for MP3 players and mobile phones. It also highlights implications for similar projects intending to deploy mobile technologies.

scholarly journals Professional development of English language teachers in Malang, Indonesia: Institutional and individual perspectives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Anik Nunuk Wulyani
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Ict Skills ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
The Individual

<p>Two important areas of professional development for teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Indonesia identified in the 2003 Law on National Education System and 2005 Law on Teachers and Lecturers are disciplinary knowledge and ICT skills. The present thesis investigates institutional and individual aspects of EFL teacher professional development (TPD) in Indonesia in relation to the development of these two areas of expertise.  Three studies were carried out. The first study measured Indonesian EFL teachers’ target language (English) proficiency as a core component of their professional knowledge and how it is maintained and developed by the teachers. EFL teachers’ language proficiency in this study was operationalised as their lexical, reading and writing proficiency and measured using the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT), IELTS-like reading comprehension test and IELTS-like academic writing test, respectively. The results showed that the teachers’ length of service correlated negatively with their knowledge of academic vocabulary, as well as reading and writing proficiency, indicating issues with the outcomes of the TPD in this area. To triangulate the test results, teacher perceptions data were also gathered using questionnaires and interviews. It was found that the EFL teachers tended to overestimate their own overall English language proficiency.  The second study used a longitudinal blogging activity with the EFL teachers as a form of personal professional development that targeted their English language and ICT skills while reflecting on topics related to their professional (teaching) activities. Qualitative analysis of the blog entries of three EFL teachers suggested that the individual teachers’ blogging, critical reading and reflective writing skills were very uneven. Interviews with nine teachers and 11 educational stakeholders were then conducted to understand their views on blogging as a form of professional development. The results revealed that the perceived obstacles and drawbacks outweighed the perceived benefits of blogging as a form of personal professional development.  The third study examined Indonesian national TPD policy documents, how these policies were translated into local professional development programmes in Malang district. It was found that the needs for EFL teachers to maintain their English proficiency and ICT skills were only partially addressed in TPD policy and implementation. In addition, the interviewed teachers and stakeholders perceived the definitions, goals, administration, evaluation, benefits, and challenges of TPD differently.  Taken as a whole, the present findings show that institutional implementation of TPD policies in Indonesia needs to better target individual EFL teachers’ English proficiency and ICT skills, and that opportunities for better professional development need to be sought at both personal and institutional levels. At the individual level, self-motivation to continue learning is crucial for English language teachers who want to keep up with change and innovation in English language teaching. At the institutional level, needs analyses and environmental analyses are essential in designing programs for maintaining and developing teacher professional competency.</p>

Teacher Professional Development Using Mobile Technologies in a Large-Scale Project

2014 ◽  
pp. 505-520
Author(s):  
Prithvi Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
English Language ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Mp3 Players ◽  
Teacher Professional

Mobile technologies have been influencing the field of education including language learning for almost a decade. The literature on mobile technologies for education reports a number of case studies that examine various aspects of mobile learning. However, the use of mobile technologies for teacher professional development, particularly in developing economies, is rarely reported. This paper presents a case study of the English in Action (EIA) project, a UK government funded English language development project in Bangladesh, and its use of mobile technologies which not only provides teachers with the ‘trainer in the pocket' that helps them achieve pedagogical changes in the classroom but also serves as a tool for improving their own English language competence. The article, in particular, reports on the design and implementation of audio and video teacher professional development materials for MP3 players and mobile phones. It also highlights implications for similar projects intending to deploy mobile technologies.

scholarly journals PRIMARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ ENGAGEMENT IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi Thom Thom ◽  
Pham Thi Thanh Thuy
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Efl Teacher ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Teachers Professional Development ◽  
The Impact

Teachers’ professional development (PD) is viewed as the center of educational reforms in many countries, and this topic has been widely researched by scholars such as Avalos (2011), Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin (2011), Le (2002), and Whitehouse (2011). However, primary English language teachers (PELTers)’ PD has been under-researched in Vietnamese contexts. This paper outlines a project researching PELTers’ PD in a period of ongoing educational transformation, initiated by the National Foreign Languages Project. The authors highlight a ‘mixed methods’ research design with data collected from 68 surveys and five individual semi-structured interviews in a province in North Vietnam. Both the impact of language policy on Vietnamese PELTers' PD and their responses to top-down PD requirements and provision are under investigation. Some initial findings are (i) PELTers' rationales for PD; (ii) their engagement in PD forms and topics; (iii) benefits of PD; (iv)their PD need areas; and (v) factors affecting PD engagement. PELTers' suggestions for improving PD in their contexts are also discussed. This paper offers significant insights for EFL researchers, policy-makers, EFL teacher training institutions and other educators.

scholarly journals English Language Teacher Professional Development During COVID-19 in Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 103-112
Author(s):  
Ganga Ram Gautam
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
New Situation

COVID-19 pandemic has brought a big pedagogical shift in education across the board. In this context, teachers expected to be adaptable in the new situation in by familiarizing themselves to the emerging technology-driven pedagogy. This article explores how 102 English language teachers in Nepal prepared themselves to respond to COVID-19 by attending various professional development events organized between April and September 2020 by different professional forums and organizations. The results show that English teachers in Nepal attended three kinds of events that include training programs to learn technology, events to learn about the online resources for English language teaching and professional development events to enhance their professional skills. Participation in these events made English teachers digitally confident to run the classes online and increased awareness of the integration of online resources in English language teaching.

Teacher Tales About Professional Development in an Evolving Profession

2019 ◽  
pp. 179-216
Author(s):  
Amanada K. Wilson ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
English Language ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
The Impact

This chapter presents the results of an investigation which explores the impact on in-service teacher development resulting from an evolution in English language teaching in Mexico. Using a qualitative approach grounded in sociocultural theory, it presents the narrated stories of seven English language teachers whose experiences span a period of almost a quarter of a century at a public university in central Mexico. Their development as teachers is seen through the re-living, telling, and re-telling of their lived experiences viewed through a Vygotskian lens. A thematic re-storying system is used to analyze the data collected, revealing common themes beginning with the participants’ entry into the profession, their socialization into the community of teachers, and ultimately, their motivation to develop as teachers. This study is not meant to offer an exhaustive review of all teachers throughout the country, but through these narrated stories, both the how and the why of participants’ in-service teacher development tell a bigger story of a winding path from institutionally-promoted teacher training to self-motivated teacher development and a growing sense of professionalism.

scholarly journals Exploring the Impact of Professional Development Intervention through Reflection

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Bahar Gun
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Training Program ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Development Intervention ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Three Phases

Rather than being an analytical research inquiry, this article presents assessment of a specific professional development intervention focusing mainly on the impact of a 3-month in-service teacher education program on 10 English language teachers in Turkey. The data comes from various sources, namely, surveys, interviews, classroom observations and reflective journal entries. The training program is described in three phases: pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention. Based on the data collected during three phases, the training program can be claimed to have an obvious impact on not only the participant teachers’ mind-sets about teaching but also on their day-to-day classroom practices.

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