Challenges for Professional Development of Malaysian ESL Teachers

Abstract

The paper aims to provide insights into the current understanding of the challenges
 faced by in-serviced primary school ESL teachers in completing their degree on
 a part-time basis. In relation to the government’s effort to improve the quality of
 primary education, many English language teachers have enrolled in the ‘Teacher’s
 First-degree program’ offered by the Ministry of Education. The participants of the
 program, somehow, face a number of challenges. As adult learners, the ESL teachers
 need to follow in doing the degree part time as all of them are full time teachers
 and teaching in different schools. Sociocultural theory of Lev Vygotsky provided
 the theoretical framework for this case study. This qualitative study explored the
 experiences of five in-service primary school English language teachers who were
 involved in the program. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to identify the
 challenges faced by the teachers in completing a primary school teacher’s first-degree
 program organized by the Ministry of Education (MOE). The main data generated
 from semi-structured interviews was analysed using thematic analysis approach. The
 findings revealed that job commitments, family commitments, health mental issue and
 time management are the main challenges faced by them. Exploring in-service primary
 school English teachers challenges in furthering their studies part-timely might give
 the Ministry of Education (MOE) consideration in understanding of language teachers’
 selves and needs while pursuing their first degree. This research might also be helpful
 to investigate the current practices of the professional development of primary school
 English teachers in Malaysia.

Systematic Review on Issues and Challenges of Pre-Service English Teachers in Malaysia

“…This lamentable state requires immediate attention as teacher quality is crucial in determining the students' success and the key to effective education (MoE, 2013;Pushpanadham, 2020). In addition, previous studies on ELTE have mostly documented the reform initiatives done by MoE (Omar et al, 2019;Rashid et al, 2017;Selvaraj, 2010). Nevertheless, these studies did not cover more recent issues and challenges among pre-service English teachers (PSETs) in Malaysia.…”

“…Based on the analysis, nine studies have discussed PSETs' struggles in their professional development efforts (Amin et al, 2019;Gill & Berezina., 2020;Goh & Canrinus, 2019;Hassan et al, 2018;Ismail & Awang, 2017;Madin & Swanto, 2019;Omar et al, 2019;Zakaria et al, 2015). The most common issue was time and commitment management among teachers in their professional development initiatives.…”

“…The most common issue was time and commitment management among teachers in their professional development initiatives. Some studies found that teachers who were required to complete their degree programme part-time had to juggle between work commitments at school, family commitments and attending their degree programme as a student (Omar et al, 2019;Ismail & Awang, 2017).…”

“…They have to constantly monitor, assess, and record the student's ongoing progress. As a result, most PSETs feel unprepared and overworked, affecting their mental and health well-being (Omar et al, 2019).…”