Cansu ALPSOY, Özden OĞUL, Deniz TÜRKDOĞAN

EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Professional Development

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 İstanbul 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 develop themselves professionally and to continue their growths.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

EFL teachers, professional development

EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Professional Development

Keywords:

EFL teachers, professional development,

PDF

___

Alan, B. (2003). Novice teachers’ perceptions of an in-service teacher training course at Anadolu University. Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Alibakhshi, G., & Dehvari, N. (2015). EFL Teachers' Perceptions of Continuing Professional Development: A Case of Iranian High School Teachers. Profile issues in teachers professional development, 17(2), 29-42.
Day, C. (1999). Developing teachers: The challenges of lifelong learning. London, England: Falmer Press.
Eksi, G. & Aydın, Y. Ç. (2012). English instructors’ professional development need areas and predictors of professional development needs. Marmara University, Goztepe Kampusu, Istanbul, Turkey.
Gultekin, İ. (2007). The analysis of the perceptions of English language instructors at TOBB University of Economics and Technology regarding in-set content. Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
Karaaslan, D. (2003). Teachers’ perceptions of self-initiated professional development: A case study on Baskent University English language teachers. Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
Lin, S.-c., Cheng, W.-w., & Wu, M.-s. (2015). Uncovering a Connection between the Teachers’ Professional Development Program and Students’ Learning. Journal of Education and Practice, 66-74.
Maria, M., & Garcia, I. (2016). Informal online communities and networks as a source of teacher professional development: A review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 291-307.
Mahmoudi, F., & Özkan, Y. (2015). Exploring experienced and novice teachers’ perceptions about professional development activities. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 199, 57-64.
Mizell, H. (2010). Why professional development matters. Oxford, OH: Learning Forward.
Ozen, G. (1997). A needs assessment of in-service teacher training programs for professional development at the freshman unit of Bilkent University. Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Richards, J. C., & Farrell, T. S. C. (2005). Professional development for language teachers. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Sentuna E. (2002). Interests of EFL Instructors in Turkey regarding INSET content. Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.