scholarly journals Teacher Professional Development: EFL Teachers’ Experiences in the Republic of Benin

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Juvenale Patinvoh Agbayahoun
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Republic Of Benin ◽  
The Republic

<p>Using a survey, this study examines EFL teachers’ views on professional development, the models of teacher development they are familiar with, and their experiences in the area. The study also inquires into the teachers’ knowledge and opinions about inquiry-based teaching. The results indicate that though the EFL teachers often have the opportunity to participate in teacher development activities, these activities do not enable them to develop the skill of reflection and action on practice as they are patterned on top-down models of teacher development and happen in a one-shot workshop-style. Other teacher development activities such as action-research, reading research findings in the field, peer observation, mentoring, or teacher networking are unfamiliar to them. While the participant EFL teachers acknowledged that the top-down teacher development activities give them exposure to informative input, they also reported that such activities, paradoxically, have little impact on their teaching and students’ learning. Most of them acknowledged having very little knowledge of teacher development activities that involve self-intiative and autonomy, and they expressed interest in learning about and trying action-research in their classrooms.</p>

scholarly journals Towards Understanding EFL Teachers’ Conceptions of Research: Findings From Argentina

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-72
Author(s):  
Darío Luis Banegas
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Research Findings

This paper investigates the conceptions of research held by English as a foreign language teachers in Argentina. Quantitative data from 622 participants from an online questionnaire were followed by qualitative data from online interviews with 40 of those participants. Results show that the teachers conceptualised research through conventional notions closer to a quantitative paradigm. They felt research was not part of their job, and a lack of time was the main reason for not engaging in/with research. Teacher development, agency, empowerment, and autonomy could be sought by engaging teachers with forms of research which are meaningful to them, such as action research.

scholarly journals The sustainable impacts of teacher action research on EFL teachers in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 952-971
Author(s):  
Yunita Puspitasari ◽  
Utami Widiati ◽  
Saiful Marhaban ◽  
Teguh Sulistyo ◽  
Rofiqoh Rofiqoh
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Teacher Action Research ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Development Literature ◽  
Depth Interviews

Action research has been a prominent topic in continuous professional development literature. Studies have evidenced its potentials for teachers, but not many have discussed the sustainability of the research as a means of Teacher Professional Development (TPD) as well as its sustainable impact. Underpinning the issue of sustainability, the present study aims at investigating what factors made the teachers choose to continue conducting teacher action research, and what pedagogical and professional competences perceived changed as sustainable impacts of Teacher Action Research (TAR). This qualitative study with a phenomenological undertone adapted Seidman’s framework to conduct in-depth interviews with five English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. The results showed that motivation and self-efficacy belief, institutional supports, and collaboration with academics/universities were essentials for sustainable engagement with the research. Pedagogically, the teachers increased their awareness of the students’ characteristics, knowledge of effective learning, and ability to carry out reflective teaching. In terms of professional competence, they felt very confident and were able to make more publications. This study implies that TAR is a model of TPD that is able to develop EFL teachers’ professionalism where they can establish a better practice and develop themselves as professionals and individuals on daily basis, without leaving their students.

scholarly journals Teacher Professional Development and Appraisal

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-152
Author(s):  
Kushtarbek Kimshanov ◽  
Totukan Dyikanbaeva
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
High Standard ◽  
Teacher Appraisal ◽  
International Literature ◽  
Muslim Society ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
And Training

Abstract The paper is based on analysis of international literature on school teacher appraisal and professional development.  Teacher appraisal is a very important area of study, and traditionally it has been quite a contested field as well.  Teachers used to feel tension and anxiety due to unfair teacher appraisal, and they often reacted to teacher appraisal with resentment and nervousness.  Historically, teacher teacher appraisal was aimed to inform the issues and training considerations in education during the decades of the seventies and was establish to exercise greater accountability to maintain a high standard in education. However, eventually the developmental purpose had been emphasized. This paper presents rich literature on teacher appraisal and teacher development concepts. Abstrak Artikel ini berdasarkan analisis literatur internasional pada penilaian guru sekolah dan pengembangan profesional. Penilaian guru merupakan bidang kajian yang sangat penting, dan sudah menjadi bidang kajian yang cukup sering diperdebatkan. Guru kerap merasa tegang dan cemas dikarenakan penilaian guru yang tidak adil, dan mereka sering bereaksi terhadap penilaian guru dengan kekesalan dan gugup. Dalam sejarahnya, penilaian guru bertujuan untuk memberitahukan isu-isu dan pertimbangan pelatihan dalam pendidikan selama dekade tujuh puluhan dan telah dibentuk untuk melatih akuntabilitas yang lebih baik untuk mengatasi standar pendidikan yang tinggi. Namun, akhirnya tujuan pengembangan telah ditekankan. Artikel ini memberikan beragam informasi tentang penilaian guru dan konsep pengembangan guru. How to Cite : Kimshanov, K. Dyikanbaeva, T. (2015). Teacher Professional Development and Appraisal. TARBIYA: Journal Of Education In Muslim Society, 2(2), 146-152. doi:10.15408/tjems.v2i2.2802. Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15408/tjems.v2i2.2802

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 INVESTIGATING EARLY-CAREER TEACHERS’ ADAPTATION CHALLENGES: A CASE OF INDONESIAN EFL TEACHERS

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 367
Author(s):  
Yogi Saputra Mahmud
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teacher Professional

Teacher professional development has recently become a central focus in the Indonesian context, particularly after the implementation of the post-bachelor teacher professional education program or Pendidikan Profesi Guru (PPG) for both pre-service and in-service EFL teachers in 2013. However, studies reveal that the transition from teacher education programs to the initial teaching career at schools has been described as a challenging phase. Despite the growing attention of scholars in exploring beginning teachers’ challenges, studies focusing on the early-career Indonesian EFL teachers, particularly those who just completed the PPG program, are considered limited. Therefore, drawing on a qualitative case study with two beginning Indonesian secondary EFL teachers, this study aims to unravel the challenges during their first-year teaching experience at school after completing the PPG program. By thematically analysing the semi-structured interviews, this study indicated that the teachers experienced four significant challenges: 1) pedagogical (classroom management, lack of teaching resources, test-based learning atmosphere), 2) professional (complex self-identification), 3) social (maintaining rapport with senior teachers), and 4) personal (mood management).  Despite having been trained professionally through the PPG program, the result suggested that the beginning teachers still faced considerable challenges during their initial endeavour as an English teacher at school. Pedagogical implications are discussed in terms of the need for continuous professional development for the newly certified teachers during their initial career at schools.

Target Inquiry

2017 ◽  
pp. 383-416
Author(s):  
Tanya Gupta ◽  
Deborah Herrington ◽  
Ellen J. Yezierski
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Effective Teacher ◽  
Teacher Experiences ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Change In Teacher Practice ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
The Impact

Researchers have identified several features of effective teacher professional development. Yet, there is little research on long-term Professional Development (PD) programs that provides information on the impact of such programs on in-service teacher experiences and practice during long-term PD. A qualitative case-study approach was used to investigate the impact of the Target Inquiry (TI), a long-term PD program, on change in teacher practice and the factors that support or impede these changes. The TI program is for science teachers who wish to earn a Master of Education focused on advanced content or to complete a 15-credit certificate program. Bell & Gilbert's model of teacher development and Spillane's model of teacher enactment of reforms were used as a frameworks to examine change. Teachers reported that participating in long-term PD, when combined with the necessary tools, resources, and strategies empowered them to embrace an inquiry-based practice.

Exploratory Practice in Continuing Professional Development

2017 ◽  
pp. 61-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines K. Miller ◽  
Maria Isabel A. Cunha
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Recent Trends

This chapter is constructed as a reflective professional narrative coming from the context of public and private continuing professional development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The authors start the text by making explicit their involvement and alignment with the rationale of Exploratory Practice, within the broader horizon of language Teacher Development (Allwright, 2001). The text establishes a theoretical dialogue with Reflective Practice, Action Research and Exploratory Action Research, considering them as recent trends in teacher education and other possible modes of Practitioner Research (Allwright & Hanks, 2009). The authors expand on Exploratory Practice as a paradigm that foregrounds inclusivity, ethics and criticality. Examples of Potentially Exploitable Pedagogic/Professional Activities (PEPAs) and Potentially Exploitable Reflexive Activities (PERAs) will be shared by showing that they result from integrating the ‘work for understanding' with regular pedagogic activities or broader educational practice.

Teacher Development: Strategies and Perception

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 69-78
Author(s):  
Padam Lal Bharati ◽  
Subas Chalise
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Development Strategies ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Teachers Professional Development ◽  
Clear Idea

Aspects of teachers’ professional development in general and EFL teachers in non-English speaking countries in particular are issues that warrant constant research. Although these are widely researched areas internationally, within Nepal grounded professional development studies have been sparsely carried out. A considerable section of practicing English language teachers has no clear idea of the issue although it directly concerns themselves. Against this backdrop, this article explores some EFL teachers’ perception on the concept of teacher development in a relatively sophisticated centrally located town of Nepal.The Saptagandaki Journal Vol.8 2017: 69-78

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