Exploring novice English teachers’ professional development: Insights from the Turkish context

English teachers’ professional development

Abstract

Novice English teachers’ (NETs) status is particularized as a distinctive phase in which they often cope with various problems while learning to teach effectively. NETs’ professional development (PD) demands much attention, yet there is a paucity of research documenting their PD in the ordinary course of their professional lives. This case study focused on four NETs’ PD in the primary-school context in Turkey and investigated their perceptions of PD, what strategies they used, and the role of the school context in their PD. Findings showed that they perceived PD as an ongoing process inherent in their professional lives and in which they improved their knowledge and skills for better teaching. In addition, findings revealed that the NETs’ PD relied on self-directed learning that mainly took place in their workplaces, and they followed certain strategies for PD. Lastly, findings indicated school context as a critical phenomenon facilitating and impeding the NET’s PD. Accordingly, the norm of English-only, formal meetings and orientation programs appeared as facilitating factors, whereas the lack of proper induction programs, de-contextualized training seminars, and the NETs’ neglected status emerged as hindering factors. In light of these findings, several implications for PD and further research are suggested.