Turkish and Lithuanian EFL Instructors' Professional Develop- ment Experiences: Worth the Effort, or Waste of Time?*

Yıl 2013, Cilt: 15 Sayı: 2, 160 - 187, 08.01.2014

Servet Çelik Nemira Mačıanskıenė Kübra Aytın

Öz

 

Effective EFL instructors must have a good command of English, as well as sound pedagogical knowledge and adequate communication and classroom management skills. Professional development has been indicated as significant in developing these attributes. This comparative study was designed to analyze the viewpoints of EFL professionals working in Turkey and Lithuania using a scalar survey. The results revealed that Turkish instructors found their professional development experiences to be largely irrelevant, while the Lithuanian instructors perceived professional development as beneficial. In both groups, obstacles such as financial concerns and heavy teaching loads impaired the participants’ ability to grow professionally. The findings may draw attention to the ways in which existing professional growth opportunities are meeting or failing to meet EFL instructors’ needs.

Anahtar Kelimeler

EFL instructors, professional development, professional growth, teacher development

Türk ve Litvan İngilizce Okutmanlarının Mesleki Gelişim Tecrübeleri: Profesyonel Gelişim İçin Harcanan Çabaya Değer Mi?

Öz

Etkili İngilizce öğretmenleri iyi bir İngilizce bilgisine, güçlü bir pedagojik alan bilgisine ve yeterli iletişimsel ve sınıf yönetimi becerilerine sahip olmak zorundadır. Mesleki gelişimin bu nitelikleri sağlama noktasında önemli bir yere sahip olduğuna işaret edilmektedir. Bu karşılaştırmalı çalışma yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğreten Türk ve Litvan profesyonellerin görüşlerini anket yoluyla elde etmek amacıyla tasarlanmıştır. Sonuçlar Litvan okutmanların mesleki gelişimi faydalı olarak algılarken, Türk okutmanların mesleki gelişim tecrübelerini meslekleriyle büyük oranda alakasız bulduklarını ortaya koymaktadır. İki grupta da finansal endişeler ve ağır ders yüklerinin okutmanların mesleki gelişimine zarar verdiği görülmüştür. Çalışmanın bulguları mevcut kişisel gelişim fırsatlarının yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğreten okutmanların ihtiyaçlarını ne şekilde karşılayıp karşılamadığına dikkat çekmek için kullanılabilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğretmenleri, profesyonel gelişim, mesleki gelişim, öğretmen gelişimi

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