Turkish EFL pre-service and in-service teachers’ views on professional development and related activities

Abstract

A large and growing body of literature has investigated the issue of teacher professional development in the EFL context. However, there have been relatively limited studies regarding the comparison of in-service and pre-service teachers' perceptions of professional development. This study, therefore, aims to present inservice and pre-service teachers' perceptions of some professional development activities and to investigate whether differences exist between these two groups regarding their attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions. The participants of the study consisted of six in-service and six pre-service EFL teachers from a state university in Turkey, all of whom participated in the study voluntarily. The participants were emailed and asked about their beliefs about the potential contribution, necessity, and future intention to use professional development activities. Their responses were analyzed by content analysis. The findings indicate that both groups of teachers think positively about professional development and professional development activities and are willing to pursue professional development.

Newly qualified teachers’ perceptions and experiences about portfolio assessment in Wa Municipality, Ghana

“…Studies focusing specifically on the use of professional portfolios with in-service and preservice teachers (Hossein, 2021;Evişen, 2021;Haghighi Irani et al, 2020) have found that constructing a professional portfolio and reflecting on one's teaching tend to improve teaching methods. For example, content examination of the participants' portfolios in Doty's study on science teaching revealed a gradual shift from a teacher-centered to a student-centered approach.…”

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“…This finding is in line with Önalan and Gürsoy (2020) in which the participants had shown moderately high agreement on voluntary participation of in-service training because they thought that training was necessary for teachers' professional development. In another study of Evişen (2021), the in-service teachers stated that professional development was necessary as long as they were doing their job. They described it as an ongoing, lifelong process.…”

Reflective Thinking and Professional Development: An Autoethnography of an Efl T

“…These publications, in line with the contemporary global literature, elaborate on the significant use of diverse reflective tools and across different contexts varying from coursework to practicum in EFL teacher education (Bener & Yıldız, 2019;Burhan-Horasanlı & Ortaçtepe, 2016;Dos & Demir, 2013;Genç, 2010;Karakaş & Yükselir, 2021;Kırmızı & Tosuncuoğlu, 2019;Kırmızı & Sarıçoban, 2021;Koçoğlu, 2008;Ögeyik, 2020;Özkan et al, 2014;Yalçın Arslan, 2019;Yeşilbursa, 2011). The body of research also encompasses not only the student teacher reflections but also teacher educators' respective reflective accounts in the given topic (Atay, 2008;Demir, 2015;Evişen, 2021;Sert, 2010).…”