Can CELTA qualification be the new bridge between pre-service and in-service education?: Perceptions of in-service teachers

Yıl 2016, Cilt: 5 Sayı: 2, 0 - 0, 30.06.2016

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Öz

 

Teachers play an essential role in shaping the future generations of a society. Therefore, preparing teachers for this noble profession is of utmost importance.  Helping teachers with their initial years in which they meet with the challenges of teaching in a real life situation and encouraging their ongoing development are as important as their pre-service training. While each of these training steps are designed with the necessities of the related contexts, there is a longstanding debate on the best possible intersections of these different phases of teacher training programs. This study, therefore, examines whether an internationally recognized teacher certification course (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages-CELTA), which is designed primarily for pre-service teacher training can be useful as a bridge between pre-service and in-service teacher education. In this qualitative study, the aim is to compare the perceptions of 44 CELTA -holder English language instructors towards CELTA training and its impact on their teaching and learning through an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The analysis revealed that CELTA offers something new to all trainees; however, the gains from the course differ according to trainees’ educational background and teaching experience.

Keywords: CELTA, pre-service education, in-service education