English language teachers’ perceptions on professional development: A case study of in-service teachers in Muğla

Year 2017, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 205 - 217, 21.06.2017

Sabriye Şener , Ayten Çokçalışkan

Abstract

Professional development (PD) is not
just a short term involvement but a long process starting from teacher training
at university and going on throughout the working life of the individuals.
Therefore, it is thought that teachers pass through different stages in their
careers and have different perceptions on their PD. Teachers’ thoughts,
attitudes, motivation, and the stages they pass through affect their perform ance
in the workplace. This study aims to reveal the perceptions of English language
teachers on PD and what kind of practices they employ to become more
professional. It is a descriptive and explorative case study into professional
development of in-service teachers. During the data collection and analysis,
qualitative research design was employed. By employing a purposeful sampling,
the qualitative data were gathered from 9 non-native English in-service teachers
working at different state schools in the west of Turkey during the spring term
of 2016-2017 education year. Semi-structured interviews were benefitted to
collect data. The analysis showed that teachers
were aware of the significance and necessity of PD and saw it as a process
which helped them to be more knowledgeable and experienced. They also pointed
out that involving in such studies could increase their motivation and
confidence.

Keywords

Professional Development, Career Stages, In-service Teachers, Life-long Learning

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