A Qualitative case study of english language teachers’ views towards teacher research as a professional development tool

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2015
Karakaya, Nuriye
This study investigated the current situation in relation to teacher research as a professional development tool among practicing English teachers in Turkey in their respective educational contexts. The perceptions of in-service ELT teachers on teacher research as a professional development tool and its sustainment among practitioners were studied in a qualitative case study design. Eighteen in- service EFL teachers from primary school, high school and university settings were recruited in the study. Initially, the participants completed an open ended questionnaire related to their previous experiences and perceptions of teacher research as a professional development tool. Following the surveys, a semi structured interview was utilized for in depth information. The results of the study indicated that teacher research has the potential to be an effective professional development tool among practitioners. Teacher research was found useful in helping to solve context specific classroom problems, raising awareness in teaching, promoting teacher autonomy, strengthening collaboration among colleagues and serving teachers as a feedback channel into the student perceptions. The attitudes of the teachers towards teacher research were mostly positive however; the challenges in the application of teacher research constituted the reasons for teachers’ abstinence from using this tool. The prominent challenges included the lack of information related to the philosophical underpinnings of this tool, lack of technical knowledge to apply teacher research and the physical problems such as limited resources, time and heavy workload. Based on the results of the study several implications have been drawn to make teacher use more prevalent among EFL teachers. School support notably is important in this asset.

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Citation Formats
N. Karakaya, “A Qualitative case study of english language teachers’ views towards teacher research as a professional development tool,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2015.