professional development

Teacher supervision plays a pivotal role in the improvement of education system and the way in which teachers and student teachers perceive it. Consequently language teacher supervisors can utilize appropriate supervisory models to keep teachers update and promote them professionally. The present study investigated the role of language teacher supervisors in student teachers and in-service teachers’ professional development in Iran. To have a representative sample, some 210 EFL teachers practicing in the secondary schools and a total of 215EFL student teachers studying English at some Iranian state and Azad universities participated in the study. A 43-item questionnaire regarding EFL teachers’ attitudes about the impact of supervisory practice on their professional development with a format of a 5-point Likert-type was distributed among them. Also, ten percent of the participants were interviewed. Then the frequencies related to each item were calculated and a Chi-Square was used. Subsequently, qualitative data were transcribed. The results indicated that in-service and pre-service teachers have the same perceptions towards the role of their supervisors in their professional development. However, according to the findings it was concluded that the models of language teacher supervision in language teacher education are different from the models practiced in in-service classes where mostly traditional models are common.

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 own pedagogical weak points and strong points and those of their colleagues. Furthermore, the results of chi-square analyses indicated that high-experienced teachers had significantly more positive perceptions of professional development than their low-experienced counterparts. The results of the current study yielded a valid and reliable model for measuring English teachers’ perception of professional development which can be adopted safely by other similar studies. The findings might also contribute to policymakers and managers of language institutes to establish proper professional development activities for their teachers which might consequently lead to learners’ improvement in learning.

Systematic research on English language teachers' perceptions of research has not yet shown whether or not ‘teacher research’ is acceptably understood and carried out in institutions of higher education worldwide. Moreover, understanding cross-cultural (mis)conceptions of and barriers to research is an important initial step in promoting teacher research engagement. This article explores perceptions of teacher research held by 68 university lecturers (38 Iranians and 30 Malaysians) teaching English at graduate and undergraduate levels. Data was collected using questionnaire surveys followed by focus group and electronic interviews. The participating lecturers reported their views on the nature of research, their levels of reading and doing research, and their reasons for research engagement. Comparative analyses of their response frequencies indicated that common perceptions of research were more in line with traditional views of research in both subgroups. Low research engagement by doing and moderate engagement by reading was reported by teachers from both countries. Time limitations and lack of skills were reported as the most frequent barriers to teacher research. A series of Chi-Square analyses comparing the two contexts indicated significant differences in how lecturers saw good teacher research and how they were affected by different de-motivating elements of their institutional research culture. The findings indicate that socio-cultural contexts affect research perception and have valuable implications for the curricular promotion of teacher research in English Language Teaching in institutions of higher education in the targeted institutions

In- service professional development activities seem to be of much significance to teachers who face challenges in teaching or teaching related issues such assessment and curriculum development. Despite the rich literature review of teachers' professional development, in-service professional development needs of EFL teachers have not been assessed yet. The present study aimed at developing and validating an in-service professional development needs scale for EFL teachers. In doing so, a mixed research method was used. In the qualitative phase, the professional development needs were explored through interviewing with 20 EFL teachers who were selected through purposive sampling. In the quantitative phase, the professional development scale was submitted to 220 teachers. Data were analyzed through running exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha. Results showed that extracted professional development needs were reduced to four main areas: a) teaching, communication skills and assessment, b) educational psychology and technology, c) material development, and d) language and meta-language skills. The findings can be used by language schools and educational centers to provide EFL teachers with the most urgent professional development needs.

The present research is an attempt to investigate Iranian EFL teachers’ professional development activities for teaching literacy. In this regard, experience, gender, and major of the EFL teachers in the Iranian institutes were taken into account. 268 EFL teachers (n=268) were randomly selected from among the teachers of English teaching in different language institutes in the east and center of Tehran (N=2700), based on Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) table of sample size selection. The EFL teachers taking part in the present study received the Novice and Experienced Teacher Questionnaire (Rodríguez & McKay, 2010) based on which the researcher could diagnose if they were a novice or experienced. Then, they were asked to fill out the questionnaires of novice and experienced teacher questionnaire (Rodríguez & McKay, 2010) and teachers’ professional development questionnaire (Scheerens, 2010). The data were collected and analyzed via SPSS software; version 24, and then reported and checked against the quantitative research questions of the study. The results revealed that professional development is considered significant by both novice and experienced EFL teachers. However, the more experienced ones pay more attention to the activities which could pave the way for their promotion. In this regard, the teachers with English majors showed more interest in making use of PD activities, while no significant difference was found between the male and female teachers in this regard. The findings have implications for the EFL educational context.

Teacher professional development, as a burgeoning term, has attracted a surge of interest in English language teaching. In second language (L2) professional development, the common orthodoxy has been one which considers teachers as that of knowledge consumers. It is commonly argued that top-down approaches to teachers’ professional development has done little to maximize teachers’ professionalism. To unravel the above-mentioned dilemma, this study was an attempt to implement collaborative action research, as a viable means, to boost teachers’ professional development in a networked community of shared knowledge. To this end, thirteen male and female Iranian English teachers, within the age range of 22-35, were selected through convenience sampling. The selected participants were added to a group in WhatsApp. The online classes began with plenary debate, mostly in the form of workshops through problematizing a particular topic, which were directly linked to teachers’ actual teaching experience. Insights into the EFL teachers’ professional development were acquired through the triangulation of data from four main sources (i.e., teachers’ professional journals, reflective journals, action research projects, and semi-structured interviews). The findings revealed that engaging EFL teachers in a collaborative dialogue in a networked community of shared knowledge ultimately culminated in development of action research projects which resulted in sustained L2 professional development, whereby participating teachers developed a broader understanding of research and adopted reflective inquiry in their L2 teaching practices. The findings have important implications for language teachers in general, and EFL teachers, syllabus designers, and material developers, in particular.

Background: The aim of this study was to predict self-efficacy based on professional ethics and development. Methodology: The research was descriptive-correlational with structural equation modeling in terms of method, and applied in purpose. The population included all Isfahan Province Farhangian Universitychr(chr('39')39chr('39'))s student teachers in the academic year 2019-2020, 150 of whom were randomly selected according to the Morgan-Krejcie table (1990). The research instruments were Martin’s teacher self-efficacy (2003), Gregorychr(chr('39')39chr('39'))s professional ethics (1990), and the New Jersey Institute of Professional Standards for Teachers’ professional development (2014) questionnaires, whose reliability according to the Cronbach test was 0.86. For data analysis, the descriptive statistics were analyzed in Spss26 and the structural equations were analyzed in Amos24. Results: Data analysis results showed a professional development and self-efficacy path coefficient of 0.54 and a professional ethics and self-efficacy path coefficient of 0.69 (P<0.05) About 0.76 of the criterion variablechr(chr('39')39chr('39'))s changes (self-efficacy) can be explained with the “professional development” and “professional ethics” independent variables. Conclusion: Therefore, professional ethics and development have a significant correlation with physical education teachers’ self-efficacy, and their professional ethics and development should receive more attention.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between professional Development and organizational maturity with educational productivity of educators (case study of Bushehr Province). In terms of the applied purpose, this research is descriptive in terms of descriptive strategy and in terms of the method of data collection it is a field survey that is carried out. The instrument for measuring this research was a researcher-made questionnaire for organizational maturity (13 items), a researcher-made questionnaire designed for educational productivity of teachers (34 items), and a researcher-made questionnaire developed by professional teachers of teachers (15 items) that were set in the 5-value Likert scale . From the viewpoint of the professors of counsel and counsel, as well as 11 experts, for confirmation of face validity and content of the questionnaires and confirmatory factor analysis, the validity of the questionnaire structure was used and the reliability of the questionnaire was carried out on 30 members of the community of research and calculation Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.81, 0.88 and 0.79 for organizational maturity, professional growth and teacher productivity. The statistical population consisted of all the educators of Bushehr province (N = 511) and the sample size of the study was determined using Morgan table 213 people. Sampling method was cluster random sampling. To analyze the data, at the level of descriptive statistics, frequency and frequency, mean and standard deviation of the frequency table, and the level of inferential statistics, confirmatory factor analysis for verifying the validity of the research questionnaire structure, to determine the normal distribution of variables from the Smirnov colomograph test and, finally, to test the assumptions The final model of the research was drawn from Pearson correlation tests, multiple regression and structural equation modeling using SPSS version 23 and AMOS software. The results of the study showed that between professional growth and educational productivity (r = 0.725) and its components, between organizational maturity and educational productivity (r = 0.431) and its components, and between professional growth and organizational maturity (602 / 0 = r) There is a positive and significant correlation between the education teachers of Bushehr province (Sig = 0.001). Also, educational productivity changes with the use of professional growth components (F = 170 = 879) and organizational maturity components (F = 18.627), as well as organizational maturity changes using professional growth components (24.624) = F) Predictability. The results showed that professional development has a significant positive effect on educational productivity (t = 4/131) and organizational maturity (t = 3/614/3) and organizational maturity on educational productivity (t = 3/38 = 38) in Bushehr province. (Sig = 0/001) and the developed models for these variables had a good fit.

Purpose: The present study was conducted with the aim of presenting a professional development model for high school teachers. Methodology: The research is applied in terms of purpose and exploratory in terms of mixed method. In the qualitative section, the statistical population included all experts in education and training sciences in Tehran that a sample of 15 people was selected by purposive sampling using the principle of theoretical saturation from the above community. In the quantitative part, the statistical population included all high school teachers in Tehran that 382 people were selected by stepwise cluster sampling. In order to collect data in the qualitative part, an in-depth semi-structured interview with 5 open-ended questions was used, and in the quantitative part, a researcher-made questionnaire was used to design a career development model. Qualitative data analysis was performed using thematic analysis method and partial least squares method was used to analyze quantitative data. Findings showed that the components of professional development according to experts included three dimensions of professional knowledge, professional commitment and professional ability. Findings: The results of factor analysis on 25 items of professional development model showed that the factor loads of the items of each factor and the relevant t-index had a factor load of more than 0.4. Also, all variables had the mean and extracted variance above 0.5. Also, in order to determine the reliability of data collection tools, Cronbach's alpha method was used. The values ​​of these coefficients for all variables were above 0.7, which indicated the appropriate reliability of the questionnaire. There is a strong link between the role of human capital and the development of countries. Conclusion: Human capital growth is a set of knowledge, skills and characteristics that lead a person to individual, organizational and social success.

The demand for learning English as a foreign language has significantly heightened the need to recruit efficient teachers. Related literature confirms the lack of studies on teacher characteristics that can affect their job satisfaction. This study aimed to study the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers’ professional development, job satisfaction, and reflective thinking. One-hundred and fifty-nine teachers from different universities, language institutes, and schools wer e requested to answer the professional development questionnaire, the Minnesota satisfaction questionnaire, and reflective thinking scale as the main data collection instruments. These questionnaires were given in three different ways: in person, email, and social networks. Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine the hypothesized model of associations. This model was confirmed following the application of the modification indices proposed by the software (Normal chi-square = 3.4; RMSEA =.03; RMR =.02; GFI =.94; AGFI =.91; NFI =.94; CFI =.94; IFI =.94). The findings showed that there were significant internal correlations between all the latent variables and their sub-scales. Furthermore, findings of multiple regression analysis revealed that professional development and reflective thinking positively predicted job satisfaction, with professional development exerting more predictive power compared to reflective thinking. Pedagogical implications of the results have been discussed.

Abstract The present study is a qualitative research with a phenomenological approach that has been conducted to identify the dimensions and components of professional development of primary school principals and to develop its framework. The statistical population of the study was the principals of public primary schools in Tehran in the academic year of 2019-2020. In two stages of sampling, samples were selected by quota and then purposive sampling methods. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The interview continued until the data exploration and data collection process reached a theoretical saturation point after interviewing 14 people. Data were analyzed by open and axial coding steps. Two methods of verifying the interviewees and verifying an external expert were used to control the validity. Two methods of verifying the interviewees and verifying an external expert were used to control the validity. To determine the reliability, two methods of reviewing the writings and also the method of recoding were used. The agreement was calculated in the coding homogeneity and the agreement coefficient was 86%. Findings showed that the professional development framework for primary school principals has 3 dimensions, 14 components with 117 indicators  Which includes : the content dimension of professional development (with components of general management knowledge, specialized management knowledge, interactive skills, resource management skills, professional skills, personal inclinations, managerial attitude, physical and mental ability and intellectual ability), the dimension of professional development process (with the components of self-development actions and developer relations) and the dimension of organizational requirements (with the components of knowledge acquisition and acquisition of skills, modification of selection and appointment methods of managers, improvement of organizational structure and processes).

Despite many studies on teacher autonomy (TA) and its connection with learner autonomy (LA), scant attention has been devoted to TA on its own and how it might contribute to teachers themselves. Against this backdrop, the current study set out to investigate novice English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ autonomy development in terms of their self-directed professional development (PD) and capacity for their self-directed PD, the two subcomponents of the multidimensional framework of TA. To this end, two novice EFL teachers’ audio diaries on the aforementioned subcomponents were collected for 10 months. Moreover, to complement the probable gaps in the diary phase, the teachers were interviewed in five terms. The thematic analysis of  the  collected diaries  and  diary-based  semi-structured interviews revealed that novice EFL teachers’ main activities for self-directed PD embraced peer observation, peer coaching, reading books, making use of technology, reflection, action research, and attending workshops. Additionally, the findings indicated that novice EFL teachers were equipped with both capacity and willingness to self-direct their PD. The constructive factors enabling  them  to  develop  such  capacity  included  experience,  reading  books,  and  external support. The findings bear implications for teacher educators to underline the value of PD strategies for teachers. Teachers should also be aware of the PD strategies they could employ for their self-direction. The findings suggest some implication for institute managers too.

Despite many studies on the concept of learner autonomy and the relationship between teacher autonomy (TA) and learner autonomy, scant attention has been devoted to TA on its own. To bridge this gap, the present study used narrative accounts to discover language teachers’ autonomy in terms of self-directed professional development (PD), capacity for self-directed PD, and freedom from control over PD. To this end, eight English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers narrated their past stories regarding these three dimensions. The thematic analysis of their narratives showed that their main activities for self-directed PD included peer observation, peer coaching, making use of technology, continuing education, action research, interacting with professionals, and attending workshops. Regarding capacity for their self-directed PD, the teachers claimed they had the capacity and willingness to self-direct their teacher learning. External support, experience, motivational factors, and reading books and articles were instrumental in teachers’ capacity development. Moreover, the findings revealed that although teachers viewed financial problems, conference attendance, lack of time to do PD activities, and rules of the institutes as obstacles to their freedom over PD, they employed strategies to change them into opportunities. The findings suggest implications for teachers and teacher educators to acquaint themselves with different PD strategies and to raise teachers’ awareness about the value of PD, respectively. The findings might bear implications for institute managers as well.

حمایت از طرح و توسعه معلمان یکی از وظایف اصلی مدیران مدارس است. مدیران به عنوان می توانند نقش مؤثری در رشد حرفه ای معلمان داشته باشند. هدف اصلی این پژوهش بررسی نقش گرسازان در رشد حرفه ای معلمان دوره متوسطه منطقه یک شهر اهواز با روش کیفی بود. برای انتخاب نمونه از روش نمونه گیری گلوله برفی استفاده شد. برای گردآوری داده ها، روش مصاحبه نیمه ساختاریافته و داده ها بر اساس روش تحلیل محتوای تحلیل و تحلیل شد. این پژوهش به دنبال پاسخگویی به پنج سوال تحقیق است. یافته ها نشان داد که مدیران مهارت های خوبی دارند اما نیاز به کسب مهارت های لازم در زمینه هایی مانند ارزیابی، برنامه ریزی و تفویض اختیار دارند. همچنین مشخص شده است که مدیرانی در مدرسه فعالیت های آموزشی انجام دهند، اما برای برگزاری و برگزاری کارگاه ها و سمینارهای داخلی برنامه ریزی نمی شوند. این مطالعه همچنین نشان داد که مهم ترین چالش هایی است که مدیران در ایفای نقش می کنند برای توسعه حرفه ای معلمان، بودجه، امکانات و مواد آموزشی، بروکراسی اداری، بی انگیزی و... است.  

Lesson Study is considered as a way of improving teachers’ professional development in foreign language teacher education courses. Integration of collaboration with focused observation within Lesson Study facilitates teacher professionalization and pedagogical practice. Therefore, this study aimed to explore Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions of the practical implementation of Lesson Study, and examine novice and experienced EFL teachers’ comments about merging their theoretical knowledge with practice throughout the application of Lesson Study. To this end, four novice and three experienced language teachers, both female and male were selected as the participants of this study. Data collection was done through triangulation of teachers’ reflective notes, an unstructured interview, observation, and field notes. The findings indicated that EFL teachers have positive views toward Lesson Study as a means of professional development. Additionally, the novice and experienced EFL teachers have different attitudes regarding lesson planning, reflective teaching, and collaborating with other colleagues. The findings of this study can have implications for EFL teachers and teacher educators to promote ongoing learning in their profession through reflective teaching and collaboration.

The present qualitative research sought to investigate EFL teacher educators’ experiences and attitudes toward critical thinking and its role in teacher professional development. The adopted design was a case study and the theoretical framework was the theory of transformative learning (Mezirow, 1978). For the data collection purpose, 30 EFL teacher educators participated in in-depth interviews. The  whole procedure of  the data collection was audiotaped for further reference in data analysis. The interviews were transcribed to familiarize with the data and the transcribed interviews were member checked with the participants. The collected data were analyzed through reflective thematic analysis. The data analyzed paved the way for generating three themes: cognition, metacognition , and personal growth/self attainment . The findings of the study comprise a number of implicatios for both theory and practice. One aspect of our contribution is that the notion of critical thinking can be conceived as more than cognitive and metacognitive one; it should be conceptualized as possessing both facets as well as other possible subsets. Beyond that, we suggest that critical thinking should be conjectured as being both a process and a product.

The epistemological tenets of sociocultural theory view teacher professional development as a continuous and reflective analysis of pedagogical practices and learner development. Accordingly, inquiry-based approaches to teacher professional development and specifically reflective journals can be an asset for teachers, in their endeavor for self-empowerment, by creating a mediational space in which they can exercise their agency and achieve more productive instructional practices. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate the professional development of ten Iranian EFL student teachers through narrative inquiry, “which is conducted for and by the teacher” during one year of attending practicum. To this end, 100 reflective writings of 10 EFL student teachers, which were written during one year, were analyzed based on three functions of narratives as “externalization”, “verbalization” and “systematic examination” (Johnson & Golombek, 2011). The results indicated the importance of narrative inquiry in the development of the professional identity of student teachers. The results also implied the value of responsive mediation in L2 teacher education. 

Purpose: Professional development of managers is one of the factors affecting the position of organizations compared to other organizations. Therefore, the present study was conducted to propose a model for professional development of educational managers in the banking industry. Methodology: This study was applied in terms of objective and quantitative in terms of research method. The research population consisted of 280 Bank Sepah branch managers and educational consultants and experts of Sepah Bank headquarters in Tehran in 2021. The sample size was estimated n=161 based on Cochran's formula who were selected by simple random sampling method. For data collection, a researcher-made questionnaire for the professional development of educational managers (78 items) was used, the content validity of which was confirmed by 10 experts, and its reliability was obtained by Cronbach's alpha method above 0.70. Finally, the data were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using SPSS24. Finding: The results of the present study showed that 2 items were excluded due to the factor loading less than 0.40 and the final form of the researcher-made questionnaire for the professional development of educational managers had 76 items and 4 organizational, individual, technological and environmental dimensions and 21 components with the factor loading above 0.40. Accordingly, a 4D model for professional development of educational managers in the banking industry was drawn. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, for the professional development of educational managers, it is possible to increase its organizational, individual, technological and environmental dimensions through the related components and items.

The present study aimed to develop our understanding of various aspects of EFL teachers’ perceptions of professional development in Iran using mixed-methods design. After a review of current literature and questionnaires, in the qualitative phase of the study, interviews were conducted with 12 EFL teachers and teaching experts. The data obtained from the interviews was subject to content analysis and the results revealed 4 major themes. In the quantitative phase, based on the findings of the qualitative phase and the supporting literature, a 74-item questionnaire was constructed and administered to 250 participants, after pilot testing and reviewing of the items. The quantitative data was analyzed through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and a 4-factor structure was identified. After modifications in the questionnaire, the final version of the questionnaire was administered again to the participants and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) confirmed the construct validity of the EFL TPPD questionnaire and the four components. The results revealed that professional development activities, benefits, needs and barriers are the major dimensions of Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions of professional development. The proposed model can have theoretical and practical contributions to EFL teacher professional development.

Quality of teaching plays an important role in students’ achievement which is the main goal of education. So far, teacher education has witnessed widespread reforms to improve this quality with no clear evidence to uphold the claim that experienced teachers are more competent than beginning teachers. This study attempted to investigate whether years of teaching experience can make any significant difference in EFL teachers’ quality of teaching. For this purpose, classroom interactions of 90 teachers who were teaching English to 7th-grade students were observed by using Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). Findings showed better teaching quality in terms of instructional and emotional support for beginning teachers (0-3 years of teaching experience), but this dimension declined for transitioning (4-5) and experienced teachers (more than 5 years) with no evidence of a significant difference between them. The only superiority of experienced teachers was having better classroom management compared to other teachers with beginning teachers in the lowest position. These findings suggest that directed professional development programs and evidence-based learning can be beneficial for all teachers regardless of their years of teaching experience.