A case study the impact of summer in service teacher training on teacher change

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ́ TÔNG THI T ̣ HU A CASE STUDY: THE IMPACT OF SUMMER IN-SERVICE TEACHER TRAINING ON TEACHER CHANGE NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ THAY ĐỔI CỦA GIÁO VIÊN DƯỚI TÁC ĐỘNG CỦA CHƯƠNG TRÌNH BỒI DƯỠNG CHUYÊN MÔN NGHIỆP VỤ HÈ M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60-14-10 HANOI – 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ́ TÔNG THI T ̣ HU A CASE STUDY: THE IMPACT OF SUMMER IN-SERVICE TEACHER TRAINING ON TEACHER CHANGE NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ THAY ĐỔI CỦA GIÁO VIÊN DƯỚI TÁC ĐỘNG CỦA CHƯƠNG TRÌNH BỒI DƯỠNG CHUN MƠN NGHIỆP VỤ HÈ M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60-14-10 Supervisor:Lê Văn Canh, Ph.D HANOI – 2011 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS MOET: Ministry of Education and Training YLSS: Yen Lac Secondary School CPD: Continuing Professional Development INSET: In-service Teacher Training EFL: English as a Foreign Language TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES Chapter Table 1.1 Differences between training and development Chapter Table 2.1: Summary of participant selection as it occurred in my study Table 2.2: Summary of interview participant details TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………… i Abstract………………………………………………………………………………… ii Lists of Abbreviations…………………………………………………………………… iv Lists of Tables and figures……………………………………………………………… v Table of contents………………………………………………………………………… vi PART A: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………… 1 Introduction …………………………………………………………………… Rationale ………………………………………………………………………… Aims and objectives of the study……………………………………………… Research questions……………………………………………………………… Scope of the study……………………………………………………………… Methods of the study…………………………………………………………… Significance of the study ……………………………………………………… Design of the study……………………………………………………………… Summary ……………………………………………………………………… PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THE LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………… Introduction………………………………………………………………… …… Teacher training and teacher development Continuing professional development (CPD) and In-Service Teacher Training (INSET)…………………………………………………………………………7 INSET activities and their impact on teacher development…………………….8 Factors affecting the actualization of INSET activities………………………… 5.1 Societal factors……………………………………………………………… 5.2 School/local education authorities‟ expectations…………………………… 5.3 Contextual and cultural factors…………………………………………… Studies on the impact of short training workshops on teacher change ………… 11 Summary ……………………………………………………………………… 12 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY…………………………………………………………… 13 Introduction …………………………………………………………………… 13 The case and participants……………………………………………………… 13 Research methods……………………………………………………………… 14 3.1 Development of the interview schedule…………………………………… 15 3.2 Classroom observation ……………………………………………………… 3.3 Post-observation interview ………………………………………………… Data analysis and findings……………………………………………………… 4.1 Data analysis………………………………………………………………… 4.2 Findings……………………………………………………………………… 4.2.1 Teachers‟ opinions of the impact of the summer in-service workshops on their teaching …………………………………………………… 4.2.2 Teachers‟ opinions of the limitations of the summer in-service workshops ……………………………………………………………………… 4.2.3 The impact of the summer in-service workshops on teachers‟ classroom teaching …………………………………………………………… 4.2.4 Discussions of the findings………………………………………… Summary ………………………………………………………………………… PART C: CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………………… Conclusions of the study……………………………………………………… Limitations of the study…………………………………………………………… Suggestions to enhance INSET activities ………………………………………… 31 Suggestions for further research………………………………………………… 31 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………… 32 APPENDICES ………………………………………………………………………… PART A INTRODUCTION Introduction In this part I present the rationale for carrying out this study This is followed by a brief presentation of the aims and objectives, the research questions, the methods, the scope and the significance of the study Finally, the design of the thesis is presented Rationale Teacher development is a never ending cycle of teacher learning that begins with initial teacher training and continues for as long as a teacher remains in the profession The fact that teaching is a public profession places teachers in the spotlight of societal expectations of continually finding ways to improve student learning The way to make this possible is by enabling teachers to “continue to evolve in the use, adaptation and application of their art and craft” (Lange, 1994, p 250) Hence, the terms teacher development, in-service teacher training (INSET), and continuing professional development (CPD), are often used in a broad sense to refer to all forms of formal and less formal learning undertaken by teachers during the course of their career (Craft, 2000) Teachers undertake learning during their careers not only because they lack knowledge but also because there is an obvious need for teaching professionals to cater to the needs of a continually and rapidly changing world The government has been showing its commitment to educational reform for the last few years In 2008, the Vietnamese Prime Minister issued Decree N° 1400/QD-TTg on approving the National Plan for “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Formal Education System in the period of 2008 - 2020”, according to which one of the major tasks is to enhance teacher professionalism and develop a professional force which is able to implement the new curriculum In order to achieve the goal of the new curriculum, teachers really need great support in different aspects to help them grow professionally Hence, The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) focused on developing teachers by encouraging INSET activities among teachers as a mandatory requirement As a result, INSET activities, which usually appeared in the form of short workshops, have been organized annually during the summer time by the Department of Education and Training of Vinh Phuc to EFL teachers in order to encourage them in their classroom teaching improvement The purpose of my thesis is then to investigate the impact of summer in-service workshops on teacher change in their classrooms in Yen Lac Secondary school (YLSS), in Vinh Phuc, with the focus on their opinions of the effectiveness, the limitations and the practice of these short courses in their classrooms My interest is to explore the change of teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) which plays a significant role in the lives of teachers I am also familiar with the context and some of the factors that affect the INSET activities of these teachers Such factors include opportunities to engage in development events I have worked for the Education and Training Department of Vinh Phuc for seven years now and my role involves organizing summer in-service workshops for English language teachers in Vinh Phuc Through the feedback gained on these workshops organized and through personal interactions with teachers from local schools who were either participants or presenters, I obtained useful feedback about these summer in-service workshops To the best of my knowledge there has been little research carried out or literature produced on the summer in-service workshops of EFL teachers in secondary schools in Vinh Phuc As a result, there is minimal or no insight into the teaching practice in local schools Hence, the aim of my study is to investigate the impact of summer in-service training workshops on class teaching of the teachers at Yen Lac Secondary School, in Vinh Phuc Province Through an exploration of their experiences, I expect to develop a better understanding of how EFL teachers can be supported in their INSET efforts both within their schools and outside Aims and objectives of the study The study aims to find out the impact of summer in-service workshops on teachers‟ teaching practices as reported by the teachers participating in these workshops In order to achieve the above aim, the study seeks to achieve the following objectives: To understand teachers‟ opinions of the impact of summer in-service workshops on their teaching To explore how summer in-service workshops affect their actual classroom teaching Research questions The following research questions guide my investigation: What are teachers‟ opinions of the impact of summer in-service workshops on their teaching? What are teachers‟ opinions of the limitations of the summer in-service workshops? What impact the summer in-service workshops have on teachers‟ classroom teaching? Scope of the study It would be too ambitious for this small-scale thesis to specify all aspects of inservice teacher training activities Therefore, the researcher would like to focus only on the impact of summer in-service workshops on teachers‟ classroom teaching The subjects of the thesis are three EFL teachers of YLSS Methods of the study With reference to the aims of the study, a semi-structured interview in the first stage of the study was conducted This was followed by classroom observations, which were for the purpose to probe deeply into the impact of short in-service workshops on teacher‟s classroom teaching In the last place of the study, a post-observation interview was made to find out the major barriers of the implementation of the training content These procedures were aimed at collecting rich data about views on the impact of the summer in-service workshops on teachers‟ classroom practice through the teachers‟ opinions and their classroom teaching beyond doubt that teachers as professionals should have a strong say over their own classroom teaching It is obvious that teachers‟ voice is systematically and constantly suppressed by the bureaucratic establishment during the policy making process The implication is that classroom practice needs are likely to be identified by teachers themselves In terms of methods of summer in-service workshops, it fails to provide a meaningful framework to help teachers identify their own needs Moreover, it also does not touch on the mode of delivering knowledge in the training workshops Teachers criticize that they lack opportunities for choosing the mode of activities that they consider useful The major trends of teachers‟ continuing professional development in YLSS is dominated by provider-led activities EFL teachers then become “doers” who are responsible only for implementing the guidelines according to a top-down orientation O‟Donoghue (1993) also mentions that the providers offer courses of various curriculum and mode of delivery, but only according to their own interest, expertise and experience in a “one-size-fits-all” manner Individual needs of teachers are seldom considered which consequently ends up with low quality in-service workshops It is important to recognize that teachers are not a homogenous group of professionals and they have different needs at different stages of their careers (Pascal & Ribbins, 1998) Teachers would be more effective in classroom if the summer in-service workshops organized satisfy the teachers‟ needs of teaching practice Moreover, the number of times participating in the training workshops means nothing to teachers when most of them find the “one-size-fits-all” courses useless Teachers at YLSS are facing some barriers in the implementation of the training content into their classroom practice as reported by the teacher participants They are not provided with sufficient support to encourage their involvement in exercising the new teaching strategies and classroom techniques This turns to be one of the key factors contributing to the ineffectiveness of the in-service workshops organized in Vinh Phuc province every summer In short, expecting teachers to comply with new teaching skills and classroom techniques of summer in-service workshops, educational authorities provide wellplanned and appropriate in-service training courses, otherwise result in surface change behind the closed doors of classrooms (Canh & Roger, 2009) Summary In this chapter, findings of the study are presented and discussed As revealed in the findings, summer in-service workshops seem to have some effect on teachers‟ teaching practices However, the limitations of this professional development activity are also voiced by the teacher participants Next part - Part C- presents a short summary of the study and suggestions to enhance in-service training activities This is followed by the discussion of the limitations of the study as well as suggestions for further research PART C CONCLUSIONS Conclusions of the study After reviewing the impact of summer in-service workshops on EFL teacher‟s classroom practice as perceived by EFL teachers in the case school, the summary of the major findings will be presented in the following paragraphs By comparing the teachers‟ opinions, the literature and the effectiveness of the training courses in promoting professionalism among teachers in Yen Lac Secondary School, it is hoped to get further insights into issues concerning the classroom teaching of teachers In the last section, the writer offers certain suggestions based on the findings of this research for schools and policy-maker to better plan for teachers in-service training activities in the future Two important findings are shown in this study Firstly, although teachers did not regard the in-service teacher training workshops to be the most helpful in improving their own teaching, they still participated quite actively in these workshops during their teaching time Secondly, the limitations of these workshops are pointed out by the teacher participants in those workshops, Such limitations include the content fitness, the educational authorities‟ monitoring and evaluation as well as the support of the principal All of these factors contribute to the success of the training workshops However, it is doubtful that EFL teachers‟ classroom practice is effective because of the barriers recognized by the observed teachers in the post-observation interview Limitations of the study The study is just a small case study with only three teachers being involved Therefore, no generalization of the findings was intended The semi-strucred interviews were not long enough plus my interviewing experience and skills The interview data were consequently shallow What the teachers stated does not reflect their thought faithfully because of the power relationship between me – a provincial specialist – and the interviewed teachers Each teacher was observed only twice and they were informed of the observational schedule well in advance The teachers may behave differently when they were not observed Despite the limitations, the findings of the study were informative regarding the impact of the summer in-service workshops on teacher change The findings may also be similar in other similar schools Suggestions to enhance INSET activities In order to improve the current situation, the summer in-service workshops should be re-organized taking into account teachers‟ needs The workshop should also spend more time for teachers to experiment with the new ideas through the application of microteaching and trainers‟ modelling in the real classroom with real students This is necessary to convince teachers as well as to identify the appropriateness of the innovative teaching ideas and strategies Suggestions for Further Research The topic needs further investigating Future studies should be conducted using the same multiple methods but with different schools in a longer time A mixed method design could be used Specifically, a large-scale questionnaire survey is conducted, which is followed by cross-case studies A simulated recall technique can be used to elicit teachers about where the ideas underlying their classroom teaching came from, i.e whether they acquired those ideas from the workshops or from their experience or from their colleagues, etc REFERENCES Altman, H B (1983) Training foreign language teachers for learner-centred instruction: Deep structures, surface structures and transformations In J E Alatis, H H Stern, and P Strevens (Eds.), Georgetown university round table on languages and linguistics (pp 19-26) Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press Candlin, C.N (1983) Principles and problems for INSET in implementing a communicative curriculum In J E Alatis, H H Stern, and P Strevens (Eds.), Georgetown university round table on languages and linguistics (pp 87-96) Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press Canh, L.V (2004) Understanding foreign language teaching methodology National University Publication House Canh, L.V & Roger Barnard (2009) Curricular innovation behind closed classroom doors: A Vietnamese case study Journal of TESOL, 24(2) University of Waikato Publication House Craft, A (2000) Continuing professional development: A practical guide for teachers and schools (Second edition) London: Routledge Day, C & Sachs, J (Eds.) (2004) International handbook on the continuing professional development of teachers England: Open University Press Day, C (1999) Developing teachers: The challenges of lifelong learning London: Routledge Denzin, N.K (ed.) (1978) Sociological methods: A source book (2 nd ed.) New York McGraw Hill Duff, T (1988) Teach English: A training course for teachers Trainer’s handbook Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Eraut, M.E (1994) Developing professional knowledge and competence London: Falmer Press Euan S Henderson (1978) Evaluation of in-service teacher training British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data – Great Britain Evans, L (2002) What is teacher development? Oxford Review of Education 28(1), 123137 Freeman, D (1989) Teacher training, development, and decision making: A model of teaching and related strategies for language teacher education TESOL Quarterly, 23(1), 28-46 Gaunt, D (1995) Supporting continuing professional development In H Bines & J Welton (Eds.) Managing partnership in teacher training and development London: Routledge Guskey, T.R (2000) Evaluating professional development Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press Inc, Sage Hopkins, D (2002) A teacher’s guide to classroom research Third edition England: Open University Press James, P (2001) Teachers in Action: Tasks for in-service language teacher education and development Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Jarvis, G., & Smith, B O (1980) A design for a school of pedagogy Washington, DC:US Government Printing Office Kelly, P (2006) What is teacher learning? A socio-cultural perspective Oxford Review of Education, 32(4), 505-519 Lange, D (1994) A blueprint for a teacher development program In Richards, J & Nunan, D (Eds.) Second language teacher education New York: Cambridge University Press (pp.245-268) Lewis, M., & McCook, F (2002) Cultures of teaching: Voices from Vietnam ELT Journal, 56(2), 146-153 Mann, S (2005) The language teacher‟s development Language teaching, 38 (3), 103118 McMillan, J.H., & Schumacher, S (1997) Research in education: A conceptual introduction London: Evans O‟Donoghue, T.A (1993) Professional Development: a Queensland initiative, British Journal of In-service Education, 19(3), 14-20 O‟Neill, J (1994) Managing professional development In Bush, T & West- Burnham, J (Eds.) The principles of education management Harlow: Longman Pascal, C and Ribbins, P (1998) Understanding primary headteachers London: Cassell Richards, J.C & Nunan, D (1990) Second language teacher education Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Roberts, J (1998) Language teacher education London: Arnold, a member of the Hodder Headline Group Robson, C (2002) Real world research (Second edition) Oxford: Blackwell Stern, H H., & Strevens, P (1983) Georgetown university round table on languages and linguistics 1983 in retrospect In J E Alatis, H H Stern, and P Strevens (Eds.), Georgetown university round table on languages and linguistics (pp 1-6) Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press The Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (2008) Quyết định việc phê duyệt Đề án “Dạy học ngoại ngữ hệ thống giáo dục quốc dân giai đoạn 2008-2020 N° 1400/QĐ-TTg Wang, H (2008) Language policy implementation: A look at teachers‟ perceptions Asian EFL journal Retrieved March 30, 2009, from www.asian-ef-journal.com/pta APPENDIX A SEMI-STRUCTURE INTERVIEW GUIDELINE Cuộc vấn hoat động bồi dưỡng giáo viên hè trường THPT Yên Lạc Cần khoảng 60 phút để tham gia vào vấn Sự nhiệt tình tham gia bạn đánh giá cao Xin cảm ơn bạn Xin lưu ý kết vấn khơng có giá trị dùng để đánh giá giáo viên mà nhằm cung cấp số liệu cho luận văn Họ tên: Tuổi: Số năm cơng tác: Bạn nói hiểu biết bạn khái niệm “bồi dưỡng phát triển trình độ chun mơn” hay “bồi dưỡng trình độ giáo viên”? Tại bạn tham gia hoạt động bồi dưỡng chuyên môn này? Bạn có trở ngại việc tham gia hoạt động bồi dưỡng chuyên môn? Bạn nghĩ cách khích lệ bạn tham gia tích cực vào hoạt động này? Bạn tham gia bồi dưỡng chuyên môn hè lần? Mỗi lần thường kéo dài lâu? Ai giảng viên? Bạn đánh giá tác động lớp bồi dưỡng kỹ giảng dạy bạn?Ví dụ cụ thể? Bạn thấy lớp bồi dưỡng có nội dung có tác động tích cực đến việc giảng dạy ban? Ví dụ cụ thể? Bạn học từ lớp bồi dưỡng? Ví dụ cụ thể? Bạn thấy lớp bồi dưỡng có nội dung có tác động đến việc giảng dạy ban? Vì sao? Ví dụ cụ thể? Bạn thấy lớp bồi dưỡng có nội dung khơng có tác động đến việc giảng dạy ban? Vì sao? Ví dụ cụ thể? 10 Bạn có học kỹ từ lớp bồi dưỡng việc giảng dạy: a Từ vựng, ngữ pháp b Nghe c Nói d Đọc e Viết 11 Theo bạn nội dung PPGD tiếng Anh gì? Bạn học điều đâu? 12 Bạn thấy việc áp dụng nội dung bồi dưỡng chuyên mơn vào lớp học bạn có thuận lợi gì? Khó khăn gì? Vì sao? 13 Trong thực tế giảng dạy, bạn áp dụng từ lớp bồi dưỡng? Bạn cho vài ví dụ? 14 Bạn thấy nội dung lớp bồi dưỡng áp dụng vào thực tế giảng dạy bạn? sao? Hãy nêu ví dụ cụ thể? 15 Bạn đánh giá chung tác động lớp bồi dưỡng mà bạn tham dự việc nâng cao kiến thức chuyên môn nghiệp vụ bạn? Bạn thấy có ích cho bạn? Bạn thấy khơng có ích cho bạn? V ì sao? 16 B ạn g óp ý g ì cho c ác l ớp b ồi d ỡng sau để có hiệu việc giúp bạn nâng cao trình độ chun mơn? a Nội dung b Hình thức c Người tổ chức 17 Ý kiến khác APPENDIX B POST-OBSERVATION INTERVIEW GUIDELINE Cuộc vấn thực sau dự Cần khoảng 20 phút để tham gia vào vấn Sự nhiệt tình tham gia bạn đánh giá cao Xin cảm ơn bạn Xin lưu ý kết vấn khơng có giá trị dùng để đánh giá giáo viên mà nhằm cung cấp số liệu cho luận văn Họ tên: Tuổi: Số năm công tác: 1.Bạn áp dụng phương pháp dạy học vào dạy tiếng Anh vừa rồi?Phương pháp dạy học truyền thống hay phương pháp dạy học theo đường hướng giao tiếp? Bạn học phương pháp dạy học đâu? Trong thực tế dạy vừa rồi, bạn áp dụng từ lớp bồi dưỡng? Bạn cho vài ví dụ? Bạn thấy nội dung lớp bồi dưỡng áp dụng vào thực tế dạy vừa bạn? sao? Hãy nêu ví dụ cụ thể? Vậy từ thực tế dạy vừa rồi, bạn đánh giá chung tác động lớp bồi dưỡng mà bạn tham dự việc nâng cao kiến thức chuyên môn nghiệp vụ bạn? Bạn thấy có ích cho bạn? Bạn thấy kh ơng có ích cho bạn? V ì sao? Để công tác bồi dưỡng thực giúp cho việc giảng dạy bạn thực tế, b ạn g óp ý g ì cho c ác l ớp b ồi d ỡng sau để có hiệu việc giúp bạn nâng cao trình độ chun mơn? a Nội dung b Hình thức c Người tổ chức Ý kiến khác APPENDIX C CLASSROOM OBSERVATION NOTES Full name: Hoang Anh Dung Lesson: Unit : A day in the life of Lesson 5: Language Focus Level: Grade 10 Teaching process: 45 minutes Teaching points Warm-up: Shows a picture with a sheep on the ship Asks students to complete the sentence: I see a … on the… Asks students to speak the sentence loudly Focuses on the two vowel sounds: /I/- /i:/ Pronunciation:- Asks students to look at their books then introduces the language item in Vietnamese - Asks students to repeat - Checks and corrects students‟ pronunciation Listen and repeat Practice sentences Grammar and vocabulary- (Writes on the board) I go to school by bike everyday + Presents the form and (in Vietnamese)Now, look at the sentence What is the use of the Present Simple subject? What is the verb? What is the adverb of frequency? tense Exercise (u us -( su (u us -A -S Exercise + Presents the form and use of the Past Simple tense Makes a comparison in use of the two tenses Exercise Homework ... teacher training and continues for as long as a teacher remains in the profession The fact that teaching is a public profession places teachers in the spotlight of societal expectations of continually... following research questions guide my investigation: What are teachers‟ opinions of the impact of summer in- service workshops on their teaching? What are teachers‟ opinions of the limitations of the. .. understand the notion of teacher training and teacher development; continuing professional development (CPD) and in- service teacher training (INSET) in the literature The chapter also discusses the