Teaching a second or
foreign language has long been considered a complex task depending on several
internal (psycho-emotional) and external (environmental) factors (Derakhshan,
2022; Pennington & Richards, 2016; Pawlak et al., 2020). To deal
effectively with the instructional complexities, educational administrators all
around the world prompt language teachers to ameliorate their pedagogical and
professional practices (Derakhshan & Nazari, 2022). In doing so, they
typically prepare some training programs to equip their pre- and in-service
language teachers with the novel skills and knowledge they need in the face of
a changing world. These training programs, which are called teacher
professional development (TPD) programs, are commonly developed by teacher
educators and program designers to hone teachers’ abilities to take a
professional role and gain competencies needed in L2 education (Cirocki &
Farrell, 2019).
TPD programs are a set of
activities designed to promote an individual’s skills, knowledge, expertise,
and other characteristics as a teacher (Zeng, 2023). More precisely, TPD
programs include formal and informal learning opportunities that pave the way for
the professional growth and development of teachers (Kyndt et al., 2016).
Formal opportunities encompass structured, pre-planned training programs,
including workshops, seminars, and teacher training courses (TTCs), allowing
teachers to update and improve their present instructional knowledge and skills
(Borg, 2018). Informal opportunities, on the other hand, comprise unstructured
and unplanned learning activities that take place both inside and outside the
instructional context (Borg et al., 2022). Reading recently published articles,
communicating with colleagues, and reflecting on instructional practices are
some informal opportunities for teachers to promote their pedagogical knowledge
and skills (Farrell & Ives, 2015; Vangrieken et al., 2017).
Previous research on
professional development programs has witnessed that both formal and informal
learning opportunities bring about desired changes in language teachers’
instructional practices (Mehdizadeh et al., 2023; Sadeghi & Richards, 2021;
Wu et al., 2023) and lead them to professional success (Derakhshan, Coombe,
Arabmofrad et al., 2020; Derakhshan, Skevi et al., 2023, Coombe, Zhaleh et al.,
2020; Fan & Wang, 2022; Garzón et al., 2020, Zhi & Wang, 2023). This
implies that professional development programs comprising formal and informal
learning opportunities enable language teachers to function more effectively at
work (Wang et al., 2023). Considering the critical role of language teachers’
professional development in their success, factors influencing English
teachers’ professional growth and their desire to attend development programs
need to be widely explored. Given the fact that individuals’ perspectives and
attitudes towards professional development may influence their engagement in
professional development programs (McCray, 2018), how English teachers perceive
professional growth and development should be investigated as well.
Additionally, it is necessary to examine whether the teaching environment
(online and face-to-face) can induce significant changes in English teachers’
perceptions of professional development. In an endeavor to respond to these
necessities, the present special issue invited many L2 researchers from
different countries (e.g., China, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, New Zealand, Spain, Turkey,
the United Kingdom, and the United States) to address the above-mentioned
issues. The following brief overview of this special issue will showcase how
some of the above issues were addressed either directly or indirectly in the
authors’ contributions.
The papers included in the
current special issue center around three main topics, namely (a) English
teachers’ perceptions of different forms of professional development; (b)
Implications of English teachers’ professional development, professional identity,
and identity tensions; and (c) Determinants of English teachers’ professional
development and identity. Together, these papers address a variety of issues
and problems related to teacher professional development and suggest a range of
ideas and recommendations for promoting the professional growth and development
of language teachers, notably EFL and ESL teachers.
Wang and Wang, for
instance, address the first key topic of this special issue by examining
Chinese pre-service EFL teachers’ perceptions of self-directed professional
development. The authors try to uncover the benefits and challenges of this new
form of professional development in EFL instructional contexts. Zhou and Eslami
pursue this thread of research by exploring EFL teachers’ attitudes towards
technology-based professional development as another form of teacher
professional development. They seek to scrutinize the challenges of this
innovative form of professional development from the perspective of EFL
teachers. Likewise, in another empirical study, Mashhadi, Hussein, and Fahad
look into English teachers’ perceptions of mobile-assisted professional
development. In a similar attempt, Hua and Zhang probe into novice and
experienced English teachers’ perceptions, knowledge, and practices. In their
survey research, they try to determine whether teaching experience can make
significant changes in English teachers’ beliefs and perceptions. In Solhi and
Busra’s phenomenological study, we once again see EFL teachers’ perspectives on
professional development programs.
The second major topic of
this special issue revolving around the implications of teacher identity,
identity tensions, and professional development starts with Jia and
Derakhshan’s paper, which provides valuable insights into the role of English
teachers’ professional identity in their professional success. Similarly, in
their study, Fathi, Naderi, and Soleimani explore the implications of teachers’
professional identity in Iranian EFL classrooms. They delve into the role of
professional identity in reducing job burnout among Iranian EFL teachers. In a
similar vein, Yang and Wang also address the implications of teacher
professional identity by evaluating the impact of Chinese EFL teachers’
identity on their attrition rate. Further, through a dissonance theory
perspective, Pan and Kirkpatrick attempt to divulge the negative consequences
of professional identity tensions in EFL instructional settings.
The third topic that
emerged from the contributions can be seen in Sun and Zhang’s paper. They
report on an experimental study examining the role of teaching modes, namely
online, blended, and face-to-face, in promoting English teachers’ professional
development. By the same token, Sanz-de la Cal, Ortiz-Revilla, Alonso-Centeno,
and Greca report on a quasi-experimental study assessing the role of
co-teaching programs in developing Spanish-English teachers’ pedagogical
competence and skills. In another research, Zhang and Greenier describe the
role of two psycho-affective variables, namely optimism and psychological
capital, in improving English teachers’ pedagogical effectiveness. Further,
using a process model approach, Li and Akram attempt to find out whether
emotional regulation can predict EFL teachers’ professional development. This
theme can also be traced in the work of Wang and Wang, who focus on the
contribution of emotion regulation to English teachers’ sustainable
professional development. Li further continues this research line by studying
the implications of teacher emotion regulation in online EFL classes. In
another article, Zhang, Yang, and Proietti Ergün discuss the role of work
engagement and buoyancy in predicting Chinese EFL teachers’ professional
development. Qi and Derakhshan add to the discussion by assessing the impact of
job satisfaction and organizational commitment on EFL teachers’ desire for
professional development. On their part, He, Qin, and Chen take into account
the interaction between young teachers’ positive and negative emotions and
their professional identity. Li and Xu close this interesting topic by
exploring the factors that may influence EFL teachers’ professional identity
formation.
The great number of papers
submitted to this special issue and the 19 articles published in it, confirm
the relevance and importance of teacher professional development in the
language education environments, particularly EFL and ESL contexts. As a whole,
the papers in this special issue reveal that different forms of professional
development programs provide language teachers with a wide range of options and
opportunities to ameliorate their pedagogical practices and advance in their
profession. Moreover, they provide examples of the psycho-emotional and
environmental factors that result in language teachers’ professional growth and
development. In addition, these studies also identify the implications of
professional identity and professional development in language education
contexts. We are grateful to the contributors to this special issue for their
scholarly and thought-provoking papers, which will undoubtedly be the starting
point for future empirical research into what has now become a critical and growing
phenomenon in the language education domain.
Ali Derakhshan, Yongxiang Wang, Yongliang Wang & José Luis
Ortega-Martín
Guest Editors
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