Teachers’ Beliefs on Professional Learning

Abstract

There has recently been an increasing interest in teacher learning, opportunities available for professional development of teachers, and teachers’ beliefs regarding professional learning. This study aims to review the literature on what and how language teachers learn through professional learning experiences, what beliefs they hold about the learning experiences they are involved in, and the contribution of professional learning experiences to classroom practice. Following the thematic review of studies on the acquisition of professional knowledge, the scope of professional knowledge, beliefs on professional learning experiences and the impact of learning experiences on classroom practice, the study reveals the results of the exploratory case study carried out with four English language teachers at a public university in Turkey. The results point to the settings for teacher learning, types of learning experiences in the early and recent years in the profession, beliefs on teacher learning and the contribution of that learning to practice.

Keywords

• professional knowledge development,teacher beliefs,teacher learning,professional learning experiences

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