Exploring the professional development activities of tesol beginning teachers a case study

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER EXPLORING THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES OF TESOL BEGINNING TEACHERS: A CASE STUDY Supervisor : Trần Thị Lan Anh, Ph.D Student : Nguyễn Thị Hà Phương Course : QH2016.F1.E8 Ha Noi – 2020 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP HOẠT ĐỘNG PHÁT TRIỂN CHUYÊN MÔN CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TIẾNG ANH MỚI VÀO NGHỀ: NGHIÊN CỨU TRƯỜNG HỢP ĐIỂN HÌNH Giáo viên hướng dẫn : Trần Thị Lan Anh, Ph.D Students : Nguyễn Thị Hà Phương Khóa : QH16E8.F1.E8 Hà Nội – 2020 ACCEPTANCE PAGE I hereby state that I: Nguyen Thi Ha Phuong – QH16.F1.E8, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Mainstream program) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible 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 Signature Date i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I owe the completion of this thesis to my supervisor, Dr Tran Thi Lan Anh with her invaluable suggestions and enthusiastic encouragement Without her careful and dedicated supervision, this research work would never have been completed My gratitude to her is beyond words and I wish that her passion for research will continue to inspire future generations of students in the same way that I was motivated by it Secondly, I would like to express special appreciation to two participants in this research Regardless of the restriction of social distancing in the Covid-19 pandemic and the limited time, they still enthusiastically participated in my data collection procedure If it had not been for their support, I could never have finished this research work I also want to thank my friends, especially Tu Linh, Minh Tam, Linh Chi, Huong Thao, Song Tai, and all of my classmates from QH16.E8 for always supporting and believing in me Last but not least, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my dear parents, younger brother and my special friend, Tran Huy Bao, for their love, patience and unwavering encouragement and support while I was engrossed in my work They gave me strength and motivation to overcome this difficult time Thank you for always being there and helping me whenever I needed it ii ABSTRACT The nature of teaching requires its practitioners to engage in lifelong learning to develop professionally This is especially true for beginning teachers, who might be experiencing a difficult period of time in their career, to try out their beliefs and ideas, expand their teaching strategies, acquire practical knowledge, and formulate their professional identity The professional learning activities and support are indispensable and invaluable for them in their first years of teaching This study investigated the learning activity systems of two early-career teachers using activity theory (Engeström, 1987) to explore the features of learning activities, teacher’s perceptions of their learning and the factors that impact teachers’ learning Two instruments, including semi-structured interview and non-participatory observationwere applied to collect data over the period of two months Findings reveal that (1) the range of experience and teachers’ orientation towards professional learning are two key features in professional development; (2) teachers’ perception of their learning activities considerably impacts their learning Teacher’s positive belief in the values of learning activities drive them to effective learning approaches; otherwise, teachers’ feeling lost and lack of support demotivate them in their learning and teaching; (3) six elements in activities theory and its inner contradictions (Engeström, 1987) including subject, object, tools, rules, community and division of labor impact teacher’s learning It is also clear from the findings that when the inner contradictions in activity system are solved, teachers experience a higher level of learning in the activity system The findings from this study are useful for teachers, teacher educators and future researchers in the same field, especially in the context of Vietnam iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study, statement of research problem and questions 1.2 Scope of the study 1.3 Significance of the study 1.4 Organization CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Key concepts 2.2.1 Beginning teachers 2.1.2 Professional development 2.1.2 Professional development activities 2.2 Related theories and frameworks 2.2.1 Sociocultural approaches to teacher’s learning theory 2.2.2 Activity theory 2.3 Relevant studies about teachers’ professional development and activity theory in teachers’ learning activity systems 12 2.4 Research gaps 14 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 15 3.1 Rationale for choosing the qualitative case study approach 15 3.1.1 Qualitative approach 15 3.1.2 Case study 16 3.2 Research design 17 3.2.1 Research sites 17 3.2.2 Participants 18 3.3 Data collection procedure 20 3.4 Data collection instruments 22 3.4.1 Interview 23 3.4.1 Non-participation observation 26 3.5 Thematic data analysis 27 3.7 Ethical considerations 31 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS 32 iv 4.1 Case 1: Andy 32 4.1.1 Andy as subject of his activity system 33 4.1.2 Objects and outcome of Andy’s activity system 33 4.1.3 The tools of Andy’s activity system 37 4.1.4 The community of Andy’s activity system 39 4.1.5 The rules of Andy’s activity system 41 4.1.6 The division of labor in Andy’s system 43 4.1.7 Contradictions in Andy’s activity system 45 4.2 Case 2: Sophia 47 4.2.1 Sophia as subject of her activity system 48 4.2.2 Objects and outcome of Sophia’s activity system 48 4.2.3 The tools of Sophia’s activity system 51 4.2.4 The community of Sophia’s activity system 53 4.2.5 The rules of Sophia’s activity system 55 4.2.6 The division of labor in Sophia’s system 57 4.2.7 Contradictions in Sophia’s activity system 58 4.3 Cross-case analysis and discussion 60 4.3.1 Subjects of activity systems 60 4.3.2 Objects of activity systems 61 4.3.3 Tools of activity systems 64 4.3.4 Community of activity systems 64 4.3.5 Rules of activity systems 65 4.3.6 Division of labor of activity systems 66 4.3.7 Contradictions of activity systems 66 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION 68 5.1 Findings 68 5.2 Implications 73 5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further research 74 5.4 Concluding thoughts 75 REFERENCE 92 APPENDIX A 75 APPENDIX B 87 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Activity system (Engeström, 1987) 10 Figure 3.1 Data collection procedure 20 Figure 3.3 Procedure of data analysis 28 Figure 4.1: Andy’s professional learning as an activity system 32 Figure 4.2: Contradictions in Andy’s activity system 45 Figure 4.3 Sophia’s professional learning as an activity system 48 Figure 4.4 Contradictions in Sophia’s activity system 58 LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Participants’ background 19 Table 3.2 Data sources and focus of data collection and analysis 22 Table 3.3 Interview details 25 Table 3.4 Classroom observation details 27 Table 5.1 Andy’s and Sophia’s range of teaching and learning experience 69 Table 5.2 Joint activity systems of Andy and Sophia 71 Table 3.5 Descriptive coding in interview analysis 29 Table 3.6 Vivo coding in interview analysis 30 Table 3.7 Process coding in interview analysis 30 vi ABBREVIATION ELT: English Language Teaching EFL: English as a Foreign Language IELTS: International English Language Testing System TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages PD: Professional development USA: United States of America vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study, statement of research problem and questions “Master teachers are not born; they become They become primarily by developing a habit of mind, a way of looking critically at the work they do; by developing the courage to recognize faults, and by struggling to improve” (Kane, 2004) Among all professions, teaching, undoubtedly, has a great demand for its practitioners to engage in continuous and life-long learning (Day, 2002) A teacher can never cease their learning to keep pace with the field and upgrade their understanding, skills, and approaches for effective practice (Day, 2002) Teaching is difficult, especially for the teachers who have just begun their teaching careers Meanwhile, right on the first day of school, they are expected to assume responsibilities similar to those of experienced teachers despite their limited experience and preparation (Westheimer, 2008) Therefore, they usually encounter several problems that may not be prepared in their pre-service learning (Beijaard, Fred & Verloop, 2007) Many experience isolation, lack of support, lack of knowledge about students, and real teaching context, having to focus on survival rather than learning (Bullough et al., 2003; Johnson, 1996; Westheimer, 2008) An alarming number of up to 50% of new teachers leave their jobs after the first three to five years in the USA, Australia, England, and China (Hong, 2010) These findings highlight the need to support novice teachers in the beginning stage of teaching Responding to these challenges and demands, many studies were conducted in numerous aspects of the field with an aim at improving the quality of teacher’s professional development activity in different geographic locations and contextual particularities Avalos (2011) overviewed 111 articles in the theme of professional development over ten years (2000 - 2010) which included 13 articles about beginning teachers The common concerns of those articles about beginning teachers covered mentoring (Hobson, Ashby, Malderez, & Tomlinson, 2009), the Devos, A (2010) New teachers, mentoring and the discursive formation of professional identity Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(5), 1219-1223 Dornyei, Z (2007) Research methods in applied linguistics Oxford: Oxford University Press Duff, P (2008) Case study research in applied linguistics New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Easton, L B (2008) From professional development to professional learning Phi delta kappan, 89(10), 755-761 Engeström, Y & Middleton, D (1996) Cognition and communication at work Boston, MA: Cambridge University Press Engeström, Y (1987) Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit Engeström, Y (1993) Developmental studies of work as a testbench of activity theory: The case of primary care medical practice In S Chaiklin & J Lave (Eds.), Understanding practice: Perspectives on activity and context (pp 64-103) New York: Cambridge University Press Engeström, Y (1996) Development as breaking away and opening up: A challenge to Vygotsky and Piaget Swiss Journal of Psychology, 55, 126–132 Engeström, Y (2001) Expansive learning at work: toward an activity theoretical reconceptualization Journal of Education and Work, 14(1), 133-156 Engeström, Y (2006) Development, movement and agency: Breaking away into mycorrhizae activities In K Yamazumi (Ed.), Building activity theory in practice: Toward the next generation (Vol 1, pp 1-46) Osaka: Center for Human Activity Theory, Kansai University Engeström, Y (2008a) From teams to knots: Activity-theoretical studies of collaboration and learning at work Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press Eraut, M (2000) Non‐ formal learning and tacit knowledge in professional work British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70(1), 113-136 Evans, L (2002) What is teacher development? 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London: Sage Publications 84 APPENDIX A INFORMED CONSENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH STUDY EXPLORING THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES OF TESOL BEGINNING TEACHERS: A CASE STUDY You are invited to participate in a research study Before signing to give your consent, it is important for you to read the following information and raise any questions you may have to be sure of what you are expected to upon your participation Introduction My name is Nguyen Thi Ha Phuong, an undergraduate student in Class QH2016E8, Faculty of English Language Teacher Education (FELTE), University of Languages, and International Studies (ULIS) I am conducting research for my graduation paper under the supervision of Ms Tran Thi Lan Anh, Ph.D (FELTE, ULIS) If you have any questions or concerns related to this research, I am available for contact via: Email at haphuongnguyen1403@gmail.com or phone at (+84)913140398 Purpose of Study This research study aims at investigating the learning activities of teachers as well as the factors that impact their learning It will be presented as a graduation paper for assessment by the Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, University of Languages and International Studies Procedures If you agree to participate in this research, you will be expected to take part in several activities in the research procedures listed below Please tick before the activities that you agree to participate in The results will be sent to you for your agreement before being presented in the final paper � Preliminary interview (45-minute interview to explore participants’ learning experience and their perception - time) � Pre-teaching interview (15-minute pre-interviews to examine what teachers plan to before the lesson - times) � Classroom observation (Observe teachers’ practice - times) � Post-teaching interview (15-minute post-interview to investigate what teachers think about their practice) � Observation of learning activities (Observe teachers’ learning activities) � Focus group discussion (20-minute group discussion following the researcher’s guide to examine a group of teachers’ perception about the learning activities) 85 � Final interview (45-minute interview to explore teachers’ thought about learning activities and the factors impact their learning) � Audio record (Recording audio of the interview, learning activities as well as classroom observation for further analysis in the study) � Video record (Recoding video of the learning activities observation for further analysis in the study) � Documentary (Documentaries such as lesson plan, professional training plan and teachers’ reflection will be collected) Potential Risks or Discomfort This study may cause minor discomfort when the participant is observed in the process of learning activities and during teaching practices However, you can rest assured that the study is not intended to evaluate participant’s performance and learning or judge him/her opinion; therefore, discomfort is expected to be temporary and minimized by the researcher Potential benefits Participants may benefit from engaging in the process of evaluating the learning activities and factors impact them It is expected that through this process, teachers can heighten self-awareness of their learning, and thus enhance professional development Moreover, data produced by participants is hoped to provide insights into the learning activities of early-career teachers, which may benefit the field of language teaching as a whole Confidentiality This study is completely anonymous Only the researcher and her supervisor will have access to research results associated with your identity In the event of publication of this research, no personally identifying information will be disclosed Participation and Withdrawal Your participation in this study is completely voluntary You can refuse to participate or you can withdraw from the research anytime without any loss of benefits or penalty Your participation is highly appreciated Participant Agreement Your signature indicates that you have read the information provided above and you agree to give voluntary consent to participate in this research You will be given one copy of the consent form for recording Participant’s Signature Date 86 APPENDIX B INTERVIEW PROTOCOL Preliminary Interview Name of participant:………………………………………………………………………… Date/time:………………………………………… Session No……………………… INTRODUCTION: My name is Nguyen Thi Ha Phuong, a senior year student at University of Languages and International Studies I am conducting a research study on the Exploring the professional development activities of TESOL beginning teachers: a case study for my graduation paper My study is aiming at investigating key features of learning activities for beginning teachers, teachers’ perception of their learning activities as well as factors that impact their learning The information gained from this study will be presented in my graduation paper and for assessment at my university However, the study is entirely anonymous, and the participant’s identity will not be revealed under any circumstances You were selected as a participant because of your willingness to take part in the research Prior to this interview, you were sent an introduction letter that explains the process of collecting data for the study and a consent form Please remember that your participation in this study is voluntary and you may refuse to partake or withdraw from the study at any time you feel inconvenient So if you agree, may I collect the consent form with your signature? Thank you The following interview is the first interview of the whole data collection process It will last approximately 45 to 60 minutes and will follow a designed interview protocol You will be asked questions regarding your experience and perception about your learning activities in professional development, both your self-directed learning and learning in your community of practice There is no right or wrong answer, so please feel free to express yourself If you allowed, your answer would be tape-recorded for later investigation Do you have any questions regarding this interview? If not, let’s get started with the first interview question QUESTIONS: I PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND Please introduce yourself and your educational background? 87 Please tell me about your teaching experience?  How many years of teaching have you had?  Which grade are you teaching in this year?  Which grades have you ever taught?  How long have you taught in this school?  Have you ever transferred from other schools to here? II PERCEPTION ABOUT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT How you define professional development? In your opinion, which activities are defined as professional development activities? How you think about the importance of professional development applying for beginning teachers? How often you take part in the professional development activities? Please list some forms of activities that you have taken part in? What activities you partake most frequently? What is the role of your school in these activities? What forms of learning activities you prefer: self-directed (learning activities directed by yourself) or collaborative learning (learning activities organized by school authority)  Why? How you often apply what you learned in your teaching? III ACTIVITY OF LEARNING What goals you set for your future learning? What activities you plan for your future learning? Who you often interact with in your learning? Which tools you often use in your learning? Which rules (norms, policies) you often have to follow in your learning? What roles or responsibilities you often play in your school professional development activities? Which difficulties/ tensions did you encounter in your learning? How did you resolve those difficulties? How you often reflect your learning and teaching? 10 Which sources you often use to make sense of your experience? 11 How you often response to the feedback of peers, mentors or students about your teaching methods? 88 INTERVIEW PROTOCOL Pre-teaching Interview Name of the participant: Date/time: Session No.: .…… INTRODUCTION My name is Nguyen Thi Ha Phuong, a senior year student at University of Languages and International Studies I am conducting a research study on Exploring the professional development activities of TESOL beginning teachers: a case study for my graduation paper, in which you have given your consent to take part We have met each other in the preliminary interview of this research This interview follows up that interview and will explore what you plan to in the lesson before you deliver it It will last approximately 15 minutes If you allow, your answer will be tape-recorded for later investigation Do you have any questions regarding this interview? If not, let’s get started with the first interview question QUESTION: What are the objectives of today’s lesson? What activities will you conduct with your students to accomplish these objectives? Why you choose those activities? How you plan to apply what you learned into this lesson? Which tools you use to plan this lesson? What rules you have to follow when planning this lesson? Who you interact with in planning this lesson? Thank you very much for your response Good luck with your lesson today and we will see each other after the lesson 89 INTERVIEW PROTOCOL Post-teaching Interview Name of the participant: Date/time: Session No.: INTRODUCTION: My name is Nguyen Thi Ha Phuong, a senior year student at University of Languages and International Studies I am conducting a research study on Exploring the professional development activities of TESOL beginning teachers: a case study for my graduation paper, in which you have given your consent to take part The following interview is a part of the research The purpose of this interview is to investigate what happened in the lesson today and how you think about that teaching experience It will last approximately 30 minutes If you allow, your answers will be tape-recorded for later investigation Do you have any questions regarding this interview? If not, let’s get started with the first interview question QUESTION: What you think about the lesson today? Did your students achieve all your intended objectives?  If not, what objectives were not reached?  Why weren’t those objectives fulfilled? Did your lesson plan go well? Did you stick to your lesson plan?  Why did you so? How you think about the new methods/ experience that you applied in the teaching activities today? How your students respond to that? What you think contributed to the successful activities today? What activities need improvement?  How could you improve that? Thank you so much for your time 90 INTERVIEW PROTOCOL Activity interview Name of the participant: Date/time: Session No: …………………………………………… INTRODUCTION My name is Nguyen Thi Ha Phuong, a senior year student at University of Languages and International Studies I am conducting a research study on Exploring the professional development activities of TESOL beginning teachers: a case study for my graduation paper, in which you have given your consent to take part The following interview is a part of the research The purpose of this interview is to investigate what happen in today professional learning activity and how you think about that activity It will last approximately 30 minutes If you allow, your answers will be tape recorded for later investigation Do you have any questions regarding this interview? If not, let’s get started with the first interview question QUESTIONS: How you feel about the …………( form of activity) organizing today? What are the goals of the activity? How could the goals be accomplished in the activity? What you think contributed to the successful activities? What aspects need improvement?  How could they be improved? Who take part in the activity? Which tools were used in the activity? Which subjects were taken into consideration in the activity today? Which rules did the activity follow? 10 What roles did you play in the activity? 11 What have you learned or experienced from that? 12 What difficulties or tension did you have when took part in the learning activity?  How did you resolve those difficulties? 13 How you plan to apply new methods/ experience into your teaching? Thank you so much for your time 91 INTERVIEW PROTOCOL Final Interview Name of the participant: Date/time: Session No.: INTRODUCTION: My name is Nguyen Thi Ha Phuong, a senior year student at University of Languages and International Studies I am conducting a research study on Exploring the professional development activities of TESOL beginning teachers: a case study for my graduation paper, in which you have given your consent to take part This is the final interview of the whole data collection process This interview will last approximately 45 to 60 minutes It is designed to investigate your thought about the whole professional development activities you have partaken during the study time as well as your reflection after those activities There is no right or wrong answer, so please feel free to express yourself If you allow, your answers will be tape recorded for further investigation Do you have any question regarding this interview? If not, let’s get started with the first interview question QUESTION: How you feel about the professional development program organized by your school recently? How those activities impact your teaching and your students’ learning? Did your participating in this study help you to reflect your learning and improve the outcome of learning process? Probe: If yes, how did it help you? How you plan to keep on your learning in the future? Thank you so much for your participation in this study 92 ... plans and teachers? ?? learning notes Data sources and focus of data collection and analysis are shown in the Table 3.2 21 Table 3.2 Data sources and focus of data collection and analysis Beginning teachers. .. they have differences in the demographic factors of the teachers in their communities of practice: in School A, many teachers are beginning or early-career teachers, while the majority of teachers. .. Students of Other Languages (TESOL) , focuses on the professional learning activities of beginning teachers A case study is appropriate for describing a complex social issue in a cultural context, and