Continuing professional development process: English language teachers’ views on the role of teacher research

Abstract

The changing needs of learners drive teachers to improve themselves in terms of professional development (PD). To achieve that, teachers apply to programs such as in-service training (INSET) programs. However, these programs may sometimes fail to respond to the needs of teachers; therefore, “teacher research†(TR) gains importance. A researcher teacher is expected to both engage IN (doing) TR as well as engage WITH (reading) it. Although TR contributes to teachers’ PD, only few studies are available in the Turkish context. Therefore, the current study aimed to reveal English language teachers’ views and practices on TR in the PD process. Twenty-seven English language teachers (19 females, 8 males) working in state schools were interviewed. Data collected through semi-structured interviews were analyzed via content analysis. From Richards and Farrell’s (2009) list of eleven tools for PD, only workshop was mentioned to be applied for their PD, meaning that teachers adopted input transfer activities although they saw themselves responsible for their PD. Additionally, although the majority of teachers favored the benefits of TR, none of them was found to do research, justifying Borg’s (2006) ten conditions for TR. The findings of the study have implications for English teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum developers, and policy-makers.

Keywords: Teacher Research, Professional Development, Teachers' Research Engagement, INSET, In-Service Training