Citation
Ahmadi, Parviz
(2014)
Development of professional knowledge and identity of teachers in a tefl graduate programme through academic discourse socialization.
Doctoral thesis, Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Abstract
This study investigatedhow five EFL in-service teachers in a graduate programme
engaged in discourse socialization practices over the first year of the programme and
how the collegial interactions nurtured the professional identity and knowledge
development of these EFL teachers. Three research questions guided the study:
1. How does academic discourse socialization occur among in-service teachers in a
TEFL graduate programme? 2. How does the participants’ engagement in discourse
socialization practices focusing on oral coursework practices influence their
professional knowledge? 3. How does the participants’ engagement in discourse
socialization practices focusing on oral coursework practices influence their
professional identity?
The primary research tools used in this qualitative collective case study were
individual interviews, group discussions and reflective writings of the participants.
The interviews and group discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed in
verbatim and a number of their writings were collected for analysis. The data were
analysed both at a macro-level for any theme emerging from the interviews or
discussions and at a micro-level for tracing epistemic markers in the data reflecting
the perceptions and attitudes of the participants.
The active participation of the participant teachers in discourse socialization
practices facilitated learning in a collaborative learning community. The participants
shared their personal practical experiences, scaffolded their peers and engaged with
assigned academic texts. Their engagement in collegial discussions and with
academic texts developed their professional knowledge in several aspects. Their
awareness of pedagogical challenges was raised and they addressed their learners'
needs and learning strategies in real classroom settings more effectively. The
collegial interactions focused on the transfer of theories learned from the disciplinar textbooks to the pedagogical realities of the EFL educational settings. The
engagement of the participant teachers in academic discourse socialization made
them reconsider their pedagogical beliefs and practices. The participant EFL teachers
reflected over their prior EFL teaching and learning beliefs and practices and shared
them with their peers. In addition, the participants reconstructed and developed a
relative expert identity as well as a critical identity over the status quo of their current
EFL context.
A number of implications for professional development of EFL teachers arise from
this qualitative collective case study. A community of EFL teachers can provide
them with support. Designing professional training programs that are likely to
contribute to professional development of teachers through collegial interaction can
be of great importanceas they may lead to reconsideration of their learning and
teaching beliefs and practices.Guided supervision and more reflection in real settings
can help teachers form the habit of reflection as life-long learning. Peer counselling
services, skill-training under guided supervision, or any other form of support and
scaffolding which provide motives for professional development should be
encouraging.
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