Trang 5 ABSTRACTThis paper reports a qualitative case study on the use of reflective journalwriting RJW as a professional development PD tool for English as a foreign Trang 6 ACKNOWLEDG
HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES - HUYNH THI NHA NHA USING REFLECTIVE JOURNALS AS A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOOL FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS: A CASE STUDY MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Foreign Language and International Studies, Hue University THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES - HUYNH THI NHA NHA USING REFLECTIVE JOURNALS AS A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOOL FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS: A CASE STUDY MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 8140111 SUPERVISOR: PHAN QUYNH NHU, Ph.D THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ - HUỲNH THỊ NHÃ NHÃ SỬ DỤNG NHẬT KÝ CHIÊM NGHIỆM NHƯ MỘT CÔNG CỤ PHÁT TRIỂN CHUYÊN MÔN CHO GIÁO VIÊN TIỂU HỌC: MỘT NGHIÊN CỨU TÌNH HUỐNG LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 8140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS PHAN QUỲNH NHƯ THỪA THIÊN HUẾ, 2023 STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree in any university I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person where due reference is made in the thesis itself Signed: Huynh Thi Nha Nha Date: 19/12/2023 ABSTRACT This paper reports a qualitative case study on the use of reflective journal writing (RJW) as a professional development (PD) tool for English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in three primary schools in central Vietnam The study aimed to explore how primary EFL teachers perceive and utilize RJW to improve their teaching Data were collected through interviews, teaching journals, and observations The results indicated that the teachers changed their views on the use of RJW as a PD tool, from being hesitant and doubtful of its advantages to being enthusiastic and welcoming to RJW Regarding the influences of RJW on teaching performance, while the issues of time and motivation were reported as the barriers in journal teaching writing, RJW was acknowledged to help improve the teachers' teaching performance and personal development Based on the findings, implications were suggested to develop RJW as a valuable tool for and of EFL teachers in similar contexts to enhance both their teaching performance and professional growth ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to everyone who provided invaluable assistance in completing my research paper I am grateful for the guidance and encouragement of my supervisor, Dr Phan Quynh Nhu, who played a vital role in my success I would also like to thank the lecturersers at University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Hue University for their support and knowledge of English, which was essential for this study I would like to extend my thanks to three participants, who were my former teachers, for their enthusiastic cooperation, without which this research would not have been possible Last but not least, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my family and friends for their encouragement and patience throughout this endeavor List of Tables Table 3.1 Profile of teacher participants Table 3.2 Interview 1’s focuses Table 3.3 Interview 2’s focuses Table 3.4 Guiding questions for reflective writing journals Table 3.5 Data collection procedure Table 3.6 Main themes List of Abbreviations EFL: English as a Foreign Language MOET: Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training PD: Professional Development RJW: Reflective Journal Writing RT: Reflective Teaching VPETs: Vietnamese Primary EFL Teachers TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP ABSTRACT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS List of Tables List of Abbreviations TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction 12 1.1 Research Background .12 1.2 Research Aims 16 1.3 Research Questions 17 1.4 Research Significance 17 1.5 Overview of the Thesis 18 Chapter 2: Literature Review 20 2.1 Definitions of Key Terms 20 2.1.1 Professional Development 20 2.1.2 Reflective Teaching 21 2.1.3 Reflective Journal Writing .23 2.2 Benefits of Reflective Journal Writing 24 2.2.1 Fostering Self-Awareness 24 2.2.2 Enhancing Critical Thinking 25 2.2.3 Solving Problems 25 2.3 Challenges of Reflective Journal Writing 26 2.3.1 Time Deficiency 26 2.3.2 Insufficient Training Experience 27 2.4 Review of Previous Studies 27 2.4.1 Benefits and Challenges of Reflective Teaching 28 2.4.2 Benefits and Challenges of Writing Reflective Journals 29 2.5 Gaps in Literature 31 Chapter 3: Methodology 33 3.1 Research Design .33 3.1.1 Qualitative Research Approach 33 3.1.2 Case Study 34 3.2 Participants 35 3.3 Data Collection Tools .37 3.3.1 Interviews 37 Interview 38 Interview 39 3.3.2 Teaching Journals 40 Part 1: Teaching information 41 Part 2: Main contents 41 3.3.3 Class Observations 42