EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Professional Development

Year 2017, Volume: 6 Issue: 8, 80 - 93, 01.12.2017

Cansu Alpsoy Özden Oğul Deniz Türkdoğan

Abstract

It is
an indisputable fact that English has become today’s lingua franca. That being
the case, the prominence of English is broadly recognized, particularly in EFL
settings. Therefore, in those countries where English is not frequently spoken,
professional development of English teachers is highly significant to sustain
and better the quality of the education provided. Hence, this study aims to
investigate Turkish EFL teachers' beliefs and habits about professional
development through conducting a qualitative research by focusing on the
information gathered from observations and interviews. The study involves
several different participants varied in gender, nationality and years of
experience with different departments in the field of language in one of the
practicum schools located in İstanbul in 2016. Results of the study show that
most teachers view professional development as “a must” due to different, but
equally valid reasons and thereby engage in various activities to develop
themselves professionally and to continue their growths. 

Keywords

EFL teachers, professional development

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