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

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Online professional development
• EFL teacher candidates
• Webinars

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

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Çevrimiçi mesleki gelişim
• İngilizce öğretmen adayları
• Web seminerleri

Kaynakça

1. Al-Jarf, R. (2021). ESL teachers' professional development on Facebook during the COVID-19 pandemic. European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 2(6), 75-81. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejedu.2021.2.6.220
2. Al-Naabi, I., Kelder, J. A., & Carr, A. (2021). Preparing teachers for emergency remote teaching: A professional development framework for teachers in higher education. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 18(5). https://doi.org/10.53761/1.18.5.4
3. Alvarez, A. V. Jr., & Corcuera, L. C. (2021). The webinar experiences of higher education instructors in the time of emergency remote education. International Journal of Scholars in Education, 4(2), 134-145. https://doi.org/10.52134/ueader.983093
4. Atmojo, A. E. P. (2021). EFL teachers’ online teacher professional development experiences amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: Practices and perceptions. Englisia: Journal of Language, Education, and Humanities, 9(1), 1-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.22373/ej.v9i1.9127
5. Bragg, L. A., Walsh, C., & Heyeres, M. (2021). Successful design and delivery of online professional development for teachers: A systematic review of the literature. Computers & Education, 166, 104158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104158
6. Chin, J.M.C., Ching, G.S., del Castillo, F, Wen, T.-H., Huang, Y.C., del Castillo, C.D., Gungon, J.L., Trajera, S.M. (2022). Perspectives on the barriers to and needs of teachers’ professional development in the Philippines during COVID-19. Sustainability, 14, 470. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010470
7. Creswell, J.W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (3rd ed.). Sage.
8. Elliott, J. C. (2017). The evolution from traditional to online professional development: A review. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 33(3), 114-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2017.1305304

9. Ersin, P., Atay, D., & Mede, E. (2020). Boosting pre-service teachers’ competence and online teaching readiness through e-practicum during the COVID-19 outbreak. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 2(2), 112-124. https://doi.org/10.46451/ijts.2020.09.09
10. Juárez-Díaz, C., & Perales, M. (2021). Language teachers’ emergency remote teaching experiences during the COVID-19 confinement. Profile Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 23(2), 121-135. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v23n2.90195
11. Khanna, A., & Thakarar, G. (2021). Perception of the effectiveness of webinars on English language teachers in Western India. Psychology and Education Journal, 58(5), 1782-1788.
12. Kim, H., & Lee, J. H. (2022). SMART Teacher Lab: A learning platform for the professional development of EFL teachers. Language Learning & Technology, 26(2), 25-37. https://doi.org/10125/73475
13. Liu, M. H., & Kleinsasser, R. C. (2014). Fostering online professional development between EFL pre-service and in-service teachers: Affordances and challenges. English Teaching & Learning, 38(2), 43- 52. https://doi.org/10.6330/ETL.2014.38.2.02
14. Luo, T., Freeman, C., & Stefaniak, J. (2020). “Like, comment, and share”—professional development through social media in higher education: A systematic review. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68, 1659-1683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09790-5
15. Philipsen, B., Tondeur, J., Pareja Roblin, N., Vanslambrouck, S., & Zhu, C. (2019). Improving teacher professional development for online and blended learning: A systematic meta-aggregative review. Educational Technology Research and Development, 67, 1145-1174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09645-8
16. Rao, P. S. (2019). The influence of webinars in developing teaching skills of the English language teachers: A comprehensive study in ELT. Research Journal of English Language and Literature, 7(4), 370-380.
17. Rosell-Aguilar, F. (2018). Twitter: A professional development and community of practice tool for teachers. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 1(6), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.452
18. Silvhiany, S. (2022). Indonesian teachers’ professional development practices and needs in post-pandemic education. VELES: Voices of English Language Education Society, 6(1), 215-232. http://dx.doi.org/10.29408/veles.v6i1.5265
19. Shin, J. K., Borup, J., Barbour, M. K., & Quiroga Velasquez, R. V. (2022). Webinars for English language teachers during the pandemic: Global perspectives on transitioning to remote online teaching. AERA Open, 8(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584221083976
20. Tafazoli, D. (2021). CALL teachers’ professional development amid the COVID-19 outbreak: A qualitative study. CALL-EJ, 22(2), 4-13.
21. Tafazoli, D. (2022). CALL teacher education and professional development: A retrospective synthesis of the two decades of teaching English with technology. Teaching English with Technology, 22(3/4), 1-19.
22. Toquero, C. M., & Talidong, K. J. (2020). Webinar technology: Developing teacher training programs for emergency remote teaching amid COVID-19. Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Sciences, 11(3), 200-203. https://doi.org/10.30476/IJVLMS.2020.86889.1044
23. Uştuk, Ö. (2022). How massive open online courses constitute digital learning spaces for EFL teachers: A netnographic case study. Teaching English with Technology, 22(3/4), 43-62.
24. Yıldırım, B., Akcan, A. T., & Öcal, E. (2022). Teachers' perceptions and STEM teaching activities: Online teacher professional development and employment. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 21(1), 84-107. https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/22.21.84