An Exploratory Study of EFL Teacher Candidates’ Webinar Experiences During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Year 2023, , 475 - 492, 30.08.2023

Kardelen Aslan Osman Solmaz

https://doi.org/10.19171/uefad.1256068

Abstract

Online teacher professional development has become a critical component of the evolving educational landscape, which has been further impacted by the proliferation of digital learning technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research reports on a study that aimed to explore the experiences of pre-service EFL teachers who attended online professional development webinars during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 15 EFL teacher candidates who participated in professional development webinars offered by a variety of global and local institutions. Data were collected through individual and focus group semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The study found that webinars had a positive impact on the professional growth of English language teacher candidates, providing additional support to their formal education. However, attending webinars also presented several challenges and issues for teacher candidates. The findings of this study provide insights into the use of webinars as a potential platform to address the professional development needs of EFL teacher candidates, with implications and recommendations for teacher education programs.

Keywords

online professional development, pre-service teachers, webinars

Project Number

2209A

İngilizce Öğretmen Adaylarının COVID-19 Salgını Sırasında ve Sonrasında Web Semineri Deneyimlerine İlişkin Keşifsel Bir Çalışma

Abstract

Çevrimiçi öğretmen mesleki gelişimi, dijital öğrenme teknolojilerinin yaygınlaşması ve COVID-19 salgınından da etkilenen gelişen eğitim ortamının kritik bir bileşeni haline gelmiştir. Bu araştırma, COVID-19 salgını sırasında ve sonrasında çevrimiçi mesleki gelişim web seminerlerine katılan İngilizce öğretmen adaylarının deneyimlerini keşfetmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmaya, çeşitli küresel ve yerel kurumlar tarafından sunulan mesleki gelişim web seminerlerine katılan 15 İngilizce öğretmeni adayı katılmıştır. Veriler, bireysel ve odak grup yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yoluyla toplanmış ve tematik analiz kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Çalışma, web seminerlerinin İngilizce öğretmeni adaylarının mesleki gelişimleri üzerinde olumlu bir etkisi olduğunu ve örgün eğitimlerine ek destek sağladığını ortaya koymuştur. Bununla birlikte, web seminerlerine katılmak öğretmen adayları için çeşitli zorlukları ve sorunları da ortaya çıkarmıştır. Bu çalışmanın bulguları, İngilizce öğretmeni adaylarının mesleki gelişim ihtiyaçlarını karşılamak için potansiyel bir platform olarak web seminerlerinin kullanımına ilişkin içgörü sağlamakta ve öğretmen eğitimi programları için öneriler sunmaktadır.

Keywords

Çevrimiçi mesleki gelişim, İngilizce öğretmen adayları, Web seminerleri

Supporting Institution

TÜBİTAK

Project Number

2209A

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