English Language Teacher Professional Development: When Institutional Frameworks Fall Short

In the last couple of decades, teachers’ professional development has received much attention in the field of teacher education. In addition to maximizing quality in preparing English language teachers in pre-service programs, efforts have also been directed towards enhancing ongoing in-service professional development worldwide. The way these needs are addressed vary across nations based on policies and institutional frameworks. The purpose of this paper is to discuss EFL teachers’ beliefs, experiences, and their needs regarding professional development in a particular context: Northern Cyprus. In particular, teachers’ visions, self, and their role in relation to development were examined. Interviews with 12 teachers in three different cities were carried out. Our findings indicate that if institutional support for professional development is unavailable or insufficient, teachers rely on their own resources. Their preference, however, is to be part of the system that supports and appreciates their efforts. The findings also imply that these teachers are aware of the constraints in the system and they highlight that a needs analysis should be carried out to design professional development activities that meet teachers’ needs and interests. Based on the findings, recommendations are made to the governing bodies.