Iranian EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Professional Development, Creativity and Reflectivity

Subject Areas : Journal of Studies in Learning and Teaching English

Mehdi  Abbasi ¹ (Department of English, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran)
Fatemeh  Behjat ² (Department of English, Abadeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Abadeh, Iran)
Mohammad Sadegh  Bagheri ³ (Department of English, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran)

Received: 2023-04-30 Accepted : 2023-05-03 Published : 2023-06-01

Keywords: Creativity Reflectivity, Teacher Education, Professional Development,

Abstract :

Teachers are generally believed to be one of the most important elements in the success of any educational scheme. Therefore, it is vitally important that teachers be well-prepared when they begin teaching and continue to improve their knowledge and skills throughout their careers. Despite the plethora of studies in teachers’ professional development, there is uncertainty about the relationships between teachers' professional development and their capacity for creative and reflective thinking. Additionally, how these elements might fit into the larger context of teachers' professional lives is under question. The present study was designed to explore the Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions towards professional development, creativity and reflectivity. To do so, 10 EFL teachers were asked to participate in a semi-structured interview. The results indicated that teachers’ professional development, creative and reflective thinking contribute to developing language learners’ language proficiency and motivation. The findings of this study assist teacher educators when these factors are included in language teacher education programs, it helps second/foreign language learners promote their proficiency in different areas of language learning.

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