VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -------- ĐÀO THỊ HUYỀN SECONDARY SCHOOL EFL TEACHER’S MOTIVATION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – AN INTERVIEW STUDY Sử dụng phương pháp phỏng vấn nghiên cứu về động lực phát triển chuyên môn của giáo viên tiếng Anh tại một trường trung học phổ thông M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI, 2014 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -------- ĐÀO THỊ HUYỀN SECONDARY SCHOOL EFL TEACHER’S MOTIVATION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – AN INTERVIEW STUDY Sử dụng phương pháp phỏng vấn nghiên cứu về động lực phát triển chuyên môn của giáo viên tiếng Anh tại một trường trung học phổ thông M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr. Lê Văn Canh HANOI, 2014 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis is a presentation of my original research work submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, ULIS, VNU.
The material in the research has not been submitted anywhere for any formal course assessment or any award. Whenever contributions of others are involved, every effort is made to indicate this clearly with appropriate acknowledgement and reference. I would also like to confirm my acceptance of the University‟s requirements relating to the retention and use of my thesis deposited in the library for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan, or reproduction of the paper. Ha Noi, June 2014 Dao Thi Huyen i TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to send my special thanks to all of those people who contributed to this research, directly or indirectly.
First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest and most sincere sense of gratitude to my Supervisor, Dr. Le Van Canh, who offered me continuous advice, unfailing support and encouragement throughout the study. I thank him for his systematic guidance, his insightful and constructive comments, and great effort he put in training me in the research domain. Moreover, I am specially grateful for his generosity in facilitating my access to precious source of materials, without which I could not have been equipped with sufficient theoretical knowledge to make this research possible.
Secondly, I am indebted to my colleagues for their timely assistance. I owe them my thanks for their enthusiasm in sharing their materials resources and inputting inspirational ideas so as to help me conceptualize the framework of my study. Last but not least, I take this opportunity to send my heartfelt thanks to all of my family for their unconditional love and care which stimulated me at every stage of my personal and academic life. Their encouragement and expectation grant me more energy and determination, and in some sense, enable me to this accomplishment.
ii TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.thong ABSTRACT The study deals with the theories of the motivation for EFL teachers in participation in PD. It is important that it is carried out to investigate the case of EFL teachers at HaiAn high school. The researcher uses the methods such as interviewing closely EFL teachers to understand their attitude to professional development, and the participants all have positive attitude toward PD. At the same time, the researcher studies the professional development activities that EFL teachers participate.
In accordance with the theory mentioned in chapter one, the EFL teachers all take part in the same formal and informal PD activities, especially the reflective practice. Also, the participants are asked to talk about their opportunities and challenges for their professional development. The result shows that the EFL teachers have strong motivation for PD, although they have some certain obstacles in participation in this process. The study also gives suggestions of measures to overcome difficulties when taking part in professional development.thong TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.thong TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .iii TABLE OF CONTENTS.
iv PART A: INTRODUCTION. 1 Chapter I : LITERATURE REVIEW. Aims of the study. Scope of the study.
Methods of the study. Overview of the study. DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGIES. 4 Components of Motivation.
WHY IS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IMPORTANT?. Why do educators need professional development? Did they learn what they need to know in college?. Why do new educators need extra support?. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.
FACTORS AFFECTING TEACHERS‟ PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. 16 CHAPTER II: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. 1 The setting of the study. Data collection instruments.
18 CHAPTER III: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .thong TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Data analysis approach. Teachers‟ perceptions of the importance of PD. Teachers‟ self-reported PD activities they often participated in.
Formal PD activities. Informal PD activities. Reflection on their teaching. Teachers‟ self-reports on the opportunities and challenges for their PD.
Factors affecting EFL teachers in PD. Summary of the chapter. 32 CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION. Implications for teacher professional development.
Limitations of the study. Suggestions for future research.thong TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.thong PART A: INTRODUCTION Chapter I : LITERATURE REVIEW I. Rationale Everyone is continually developing as a person and, every day in the workplace, we are always learning. Tomorrow will be different from today and we all need to be prepared for change.
Whether you think your role is changing or not, you need to be prepared for the next development opportunity so you don‟t miss out. Professional development has become a major focus in EFL teacher education programs worldwide since it is undoubtedly beneficial and essential for professional growth and more effective teaching. In the paper presented at the first General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland Annual Lecture in Belfast in March 2006, Geoff Whitty for Institute of Education, University of London states that: Contemporary education reform – including marketisation and centralization, but also a new emphasis on the involvement of a wider range of stakeholders – has resulted in a period of significant change for teachers. It has also raised for new questions: for example, what is teacher professional development? How should we understand the roles of teachers? What professional development activities are available and accessible to teachers, and what are the factors affecting teacher‟s participation in those professional development activities? The purpose of this thesis isthus to refocus on our attention on teachers‟ views, especially on urgency of providing teacher professional development that change teachers behaviours in ways that lead to improvement in students‟ performance.
In addition to calling attention to the ongoing need for effective teacher professional development, I will describe characteristics of high quality professional development and make a case for an unconventional approach to professional 1 (LUAN.thong TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.thong development that, unlike “one-shot” workshop and inservice days, allow teacher to acquire and practice new skills over time. While the end result of all education reform should be student improvement, every reform initiative, if it is to succeed, must begin with recognition of the importance of teachers in raising student performance (Ferguson, 1991; Armour-Thomas, Clay, Domanico, Bruno, & Allen, 1989). In other words, “student achievement is the product of formal study by educators” (Joyce and Showers, 2002, p. We cannot expect students to change what they do if we are content for teachers to continue doing what they have always done.
As an old adage puts it, “If you do what you‟ve always done, you will get the results you‟ve always gotten.” This thesis firstly presents the theoretical issues about the roles and nature of EFL teachers in professional development. To clarify these issues, the definition of terminologies is mentioned in chapter II. The next chapter is the presentation of the objectives, aims, methodology used for the research and its findings. The conclusion which includes some comments and recommendations is presented in chapter IV.
In consideration of these problems, as an English teacher, I really want to clarify the topic here with my knowledge and my supervisor‟s guidance to analyze, understand the situation of teaching and learning English at HaiAn high school. Thanks to it, I will find out lessons, experience for myself and make a small contribution to enhancing the effectiveness in teaching this subject. Aims of the study The major aims of the study are: - to gain understandings of secondary school teachers‟ motivation for professional development; and define what is meant by motivation.thong TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.thong - to discuss some common professional development activities. - to identify factors that affect either positively and negatively teachers‟ motivation for professional development.
Scope of the study Given the rationale and the aims of the study, it is necessary to limit the study to the areas which are manageable. Benefits of teacher professional development create the effectiveness of students‟ learning which focuses on two factors: developing teachers‟ motivation in participation in PD and factors affecting this process. The subjects under the study are at HaiAn High School. Research questions The study attempts to find the answers to the following research questions: - What are EFL teachers‟ attitudes to professional development? - How motivated are they for professional development? -What are the common professional development activities secondary school teachers participate in? - What factors that affect teachers‟ motivation for professional development in the secondary school context ? 5.
Methods of the study Because the primary purpose of this study is to gain understanding of the phenomenon under investigation, the main methodology used is qualitative. Specifically, data for this study were merely obtained by means of face-to- face interviews. Overview of the study The study is organized around three parts: 3 (LUAN.thong TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.thong Part I – Introduction – provides the rationale for the study and sets up the aims, scope, research questions and methods of the study. Part II – Development – consists of three chapters: - Chapter 1: Literature review_ is concerned with the literature review of the study.
- Chapter 2: Methodology _ describes the study population, the research design as well as data gathering instruments. - Chapter 3: Results and discussion _ analyses and discusses data. - Chapter 4: Findings and implications_ presents findings and implications. Limitations and suggestions for further research are also provided.
Part III – Conclusion – summarizes and makes a conclusion to the main points which have been explored in the study, gives out recommendations to develop the effectiveness of teacher professional development, some suggestions for future research and the limitation of the study. DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGIES 2. What is motivation? Each individual theory tends to be rather limited in scope. However, by looking at the key ideas below, you can gain a better understanding of motivation as a whole.
According to http//.com, Motivation is the force that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It is what causes us to take action, whether to grab a snack to reduce hunger or enroll in college to earn a degree. The forces that lie beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional or cognitive in nature.thong TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.thong In everyday usage, the term motivation is frequently used to describe why a person does something. For example, you might say that a student is so motivated to get into a clinical psychology program that she spends every night studying.com) Components of Motivation There are three major components to motivation: activation, persistence and intensity.
Activation involves the decision to initiate a behavior, such as enrolling in a psychology class. Persistence is the continued effort toward a goal even though obstacles may exist, such as taking more psychology courses in order to earn a degree although it requires a significant investment of time, energy and resources. Finally, intensity can be seen in the concentration and vigor that goes into pursuing a goal.