Teacher's attitudes toward their job and professional development in Turkey : an EFL perspective (original) (raw)
Related papers
Relation Between Teachers' Job Satisfaction and Their Motivation for Professional Development
Journal of Turkish Studies, 2019
The purpose of the research was to deepen the understanding of whether satisfaction with the work that teachers do motivates them to participate in different forms of professional development. Important factors were identified in this context that encourages teachers to participate in professional development. According to selfdetermination theory, SDT (Deci & Ryan, 2000) are two motivational factors that drive an individual to be involved in actions, such as career development. Job satisfaction is an important motivating factor, where in the case of teaching the motivating factor, internal or external, appears to be mixed. Therefore it cannot be ascertained whether satisfaction is the most important motivational factor that influences teacher participation in forms of professional development. If students 'success as a result of quality teaching is considered as a form of teachers' satisfaction with their work then it emerges as an important factor in terms of gender (r= .24).This we have tried to do through quantitative research with a sample of teachers. The degree of job satisfaction and the increased demand / need for participation in various forms of continuous professional development assume that they are not reciprocally linked. Research is quantitative. The data was collected by the questionnaire. The sample consists of 170 teachers belonging to genders, low secondary school, rural and urban school.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE LIVES OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS: THE TURKISH CONTEXT
Although professional development is assumed to be of value and considered as an essential component of quality teaching, there has been little research on how and why teachers engage themselves in continuous learning and whether professional development affects teaching or student learning. With respect to this issue, the present study aimed to investigate how EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers in Turkey perceive professional development and how they engage in professional development practices. For this purpose, the researchers explored the professional development efforts of 33 in-service Turkish EFL teachers throughout their career by means of a cross-sectional survey. Follow-up, structured interviews were carried out with two EFL teachers to supplement the questionnaire results and to detect the perspectives of in-service teachers about professional development in terms of conditions in their lives and institutions. Both quantitative and qualitative data indicated that if EFL teachers in Turkey are encouraged with institutional support by means of a manageable workload and appropriate working hours, they could most likely be more motivated to reflect upon their own practices, have the necessary skills to become multitaskers and share their experiences and problems with colleagues to improve professionally.
Arab World English Journal, 2020
Understanding a process is the key to maximizing the outcomes of such a process; teachers' professional development (PD) can be further facilitated through fully apprehending the process by which they grow professionally and the factors that contribute to such growth. In this study, the author intends to explore the relationship between a school environment and teachers' readiness for PD as well as how they perceive of the impact of PD on their professional and personal qualities, students' performance, teachers' career progression, and commitment to the job and workplace. The author administered semi-structured interviews with three English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers who are in their mid-career stage and work for private, American curriculum-based schools in Dubai. The results show that all three interviewees admit the positive influence of PD on their professional performance, personal qualities, students' outcomes, career progression and commitment to the profession. How a progressive school culture would impact teachers' inclination towards PD has also been brought to attention by the interviewees as a critical aspect. As potential areas of research on PD, it is recommended that students' academic performance is to be looked into closely through examining their assessment results in order to muster tangible evidence on the significance of teachers' PD. Also, a conversation analysis of classroom discourse following a number of classroom observations of teachers in different career stages would be another informative research method to investigate the impact of PD on teachers' performance and on classroom dynamics.
EFL Teachers' Professional Development Efforts: A view from Turkey 1
The International Journal of Research in Teacher Education, 2017
Although professional development is assumed to be of value and considered as an essential component of quality teaching, there has been little research on how and why teachers engage themselves in continuous learning and whether professional development affects teaching or student learning. In tandem with this, despite the ongoing pursuit to expand the knowledge and skills of EFL teachers in Turkey and regardless of the innovative language policy reforms that have been put into practice in the country, the learners are yet to achieve the desirable language proficiency levels. Though increasingly more research has been in progress for examining the effectiveness of the professional development activities, they usually tend to disregard the primary needs of teachers. With respect to this issue, the present study aimed to investigate how EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers in Turkey perceive professional development and which factors facilitate/hinder their professional development efforts. For this purpose, the researcher explored the professional development efforts of three in-service Turkish EFL teachers throughout their career by means of semi-structured interviews. Follow-up observation notes, analytic memos and graphic elicitations were also utilized to supplement the results and to detect the perspectives of in-service teachers about professional development in terms of conditions in their lives and institutions. Qualitative data indicated that EFL teachers in Turkey appreciate the importance of professional development and they are willing to improve themselves. However, only to the extent that they are encouraged and fostered by institutional support, could they most likely be genuinely motivated to reflect upon their own practices, share their experiences and problems with colleagues and move forward in their professional lives.
EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Professional Development
2017
It is an indisputable fact that English has become today’s lingua franca. That being the case, the prominence of English is broadly recognized, particularly in EFL settings. Therefore, in those countries where English is not frequently spoken, professional development of English teachers is highly significant to sustain and better the quality of the education provided. Hence, this study aims to investigate Turkish EFL teachers' beliefs and habits about professional development through conducting a qualitative research by focusing on the information gathered from observations and interviews. The study involves several different participants varied in gender, nationality and years of experience with different departments in the field of language in one of the practicum schools located in Istanbul in 2016. Results of the study show that most teachers view professional development as “a must” due to different, but equally valid reasons and thereby engage in various activities to dev...
Teachers and their professional development
2017
This article addresses the problem of professional development of teachers. It is important to improve the professional development of teachers in a long perspective. It impacts not only the improvement of their professional knowledge but also stimulates students by building the climate of a "learning" organization; therefore, it supports not only students but also the whole school's community. The study focused on the relation between teachers' approach and their professional development. There were 85 subjects who participated in the in the questionnaire survey. They were deliberately selected and took part in an annual course on Educational leadership. The main focus was on teachers and their work values, especially on what influences their decision making process as to participation in various forms of professional development. Also, what are their attitudes towards learning now and in the future. The study also used the GSES (The Self-Efficacy Scale) tool for ...
SATISFACTION LEVELS OF TEACHERS IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN TURKEY
Literature shows that professional development activities are beneficial for teachers' self-improvement and students' learning and achievement. In spite of global efforts to address them, some issues surrounding professional development activities persist. The researchers in this study examined the satisfaction level of teachers in professional development activities in Turkey and identified the factors affecting their satisfactions in these activities. For this aim, this study addressed the following research questions: 1) what are the satisfaction levels of teachers in professional development activities in Turkey? and 2) what factors affect the satisfaction levels of teachers in professional development activities? The results of this qualitative study demonstrate that the satisfaction of Turkish teachers with professional development activities is really low; as a result, teachers are choosing not to participate in any activities. The reasons for this dissatisfaction and unwillingness to participate include: 1) offering only traditional professional development activities, 2) not involving teachers in the design of professional development activities, 3) ignoring teachers' needs during the process of planning of professional development activities, 4) offering activities unrelated to authentic classroom situations, and 5) having low quality of instructors in professional development activities. Finally, the researchers have some suggestions about how the Ministry of National Education might increase teacher satisfaction in professional development activities.
An Investigation of the Professional Development Agenda of Turkish Efl Student Teachers
i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 2018
Teacher Professional Development (PD) is crucial for sustaining the quality of teaching. This study aims at investigating PD plans of English student teachers and the factors affecting those plans. The data were collected through a survey applied to 101 participants, and semi-structured interviews with 20 student teachers studying at an English Language Teaching (ELT) program of a large state University in Turkey. Survey findings showed that the majority of the student teachers have PD plans. The analysis of the interview data indicated that there were academically oriented (scholarly oriented pursuits, career-oriented pursuits), occupational, and teaching methodology plans. In addition, there were plans for improving English proficiency, using technology effectively, motivating learners, and teaching speaking skills. Factors affecting student teachers' plans included but not limited to practicum experience, competence-based issues, and family reasons. The findings are discussed in line with the conditions of second language teacher education programs in Turkey, namely program entry and exit requirements, as well as teaching motivation and English proficiency.
Professional Development in Education, 2016
The attention being devoted to teacher educators as professionals and their professional development is unquestionably increasing. Whilst much of that attention is being directed at teacher educators in different countries, international comparisons have been quite rare to date. The research question addressed in this study was: 'Do experienced teacher educators from different countries differ in their concerns, professional development activities and developmental goals?' Interviews were conducted with 25 participants from 10 different countries, all of whom were experienced teacher educators. Teacher educators' concerns varied in the course of their careers. During their induction their primary focus tended to be on survival, whereas later on in their careers their concerns became linked to their own professional identity and their students as individuals. Participants from all the participating countries were involved in a range of developmental activities. A large majority was involved in research-related activities which they perceived as an important tool in their professional development. All the participants had plans for their further professional development but sometimes foresaw hindrances to the realisation of those plans, such as a lack of resources and time. The interview data did not provide evidence to suggest clear country-specific differences. In fact, the opposite would appear to be the case: teacher educators from different countries seem to have similar concerns, and their current professional development activities and plans for future development are also quite comparable.
Journal of Teaching Language Skills, 2018
The present study aimed at exploring Iranian EFL teachers’ perception of professional development. To this end, 200 EFL teachers teaching at private language institutes in Iran were selected as the participants of the study. First, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 50 participants of the study based on which Professional Development Perception Questionnaire was developed and pilot-tested (i.e. subjected to exploratory factor analysis) with 82 similar EFL teachers. The questionnaire was then expert viewed and administered to all the 200 participants of the study and was subjected to another factor analysis to ensure its validity and reliability more comprehensively. The findings yielded a valid model or inventory for assessing EFL teachers’ perceptions of professional development. The results also revealed that the participants perceived professional development enhanced their pedagogical knowledge, improved students’ learning outcomes, and helped them understand their ...