Professionalism as a Predictor of Reflective Teaching and Criticality of EFL Teachers
Subject Areas : Research in English Language PedagogyَAdel Dastgoshadeh 1 , Kaveh Jalilzadeh 2
1 - Department of English, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran
2 - School of Foreign Languages İstanbul University Cerrahpasa, Turkey
Keywords: professionalism, reflective teaching, critical thinking, Professional Development,
Abstract :
The professional development of EFL teachers is supposed to include and be related to many of the teacher’s characteristics that develop during their professional teaching practice. EFL teachers' critical thinking and reflective teaching can also be influenced by their developing cognitive and meta-cognitive professional skills and competencies. This study investigated the relationship between the professional development of EFL teachers and their reflective teaching and critical thinking. It also investigated whether any component(s) of professional development would best predict reflective teaching and critical thinking. To this end, 45 Iranian EFL teachers in Sanandaj participated in the study. They completed three questionnaires as follows. One was a Teachers’ Professional Development Questionnaire to measure the participant teachers’ professional development. The second questionnaire was a Teachers’ Reflective Thinking Questionnaire to assess the participants’ reflective thinking. The third questionnaire was a Critical Thinking Appraisal Form to measure the participants’ critical thinking. Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient was calculated to check the correlation of professional development and its subscales with reflective teaching and critical thinking. Multiple standard regression was run to check whether any component(s) of professional development would predict reflective teaching and critical thinking. The results indicated that out of the three components of professional development, namely, subject-matter field, dedicated field, and pedagogical field, it was the pedagogical field that significantly correlated with and predicted both reflective teaching and critical thinking.
Abdar, S., & Shafaei, A. (2022) The relationship between EFL teachers’ reflective thinking and their teaching style in the Iranian EFL context. Reflective Practice, 23(5), 1-13 DOI: 10.1080/14623943.2022.2086534
Beijaard, D., Meijer, P. C., & Verloop, N. (2004). Reconsidering research on teachers' professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(2), 107-128.
Black, G. L. (2015). Developing teacher candidates’ self-efficacy through reflection and supervising teacher support. Education, 21(1), 78-98.
Campbell, L. M. (2000) The unspoken dialogue: Beliefs about intelligence, students, and instruction held by a sample of teachers familiar with the theory of multiple intelligences [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. The Fielding Institute, United States.
Choy, S. C., & San Oo, P. (2012). Reflective thinking and teaching practices: A precursor for incorporating critical thinking into the classroom? International Journal of Instruction, 5(1), 167-182.
Choy, S. C., Yim, J. S., & Tan, P. L. (2017). Reflective thinking among pre-service teachers: A Malaysian perspective. Issues in Educational Research, 27(2), 234-251. Https://www.iier.org.au/iier27/choy.HTML
Clarke, M., & Otaky, D. (2006) Reflection on and in teacher education in the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Educational Development, 26, 111-122. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2005.07.018
Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Health & Co Publishers.
Facione, P. A. (2006). Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational assessment and instruction. The California Academic Press.
Gellin, A. (2003). The effect of undergraduate student involvement on critical thinking: A meta-analysis of the literature 1991-2000. Journal of College Student Development, 44(6), 746-762.
Griffiths, V. (2000). The reflective dimension in teacher education. International Journal of Educational Research, 33, 539-555. Retrieved from. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0883-0355 (00)00033-1.
Khodabakhshzadeh, H., & Ghaemi, H. (2011). The role of critical thinking in IELTS instructors' teaching success. World Journal of English Language, 1(2), 52-70.
Khodabakhshzadeh, H., Garmabi, H., & Fayendari, M. B. (2017). Exploring the relationship between burnout and critical thinking skills among Iranian university professors teaching TEFL. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 6(7), 261-267.
Kuhn, D. (1999). A Developmental Model of Critical Thinking. Educational Researcher, 28, 16-46. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X028002016
Ma, J., & Ren, S. (2011). Reflective teaching and professional development of young college English teachers from the perspective of constructivism. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 1(2), 153-156.
Mahmoodi-Shahrebabaki, M., & Rajabi-Kondlaji, M. R. (2015). Investigating the associations between English language teachers' reflectiveness and teaching experience. International Journal of Languages Education and Teaching, 3(1), 256-272.
Mermelstein, A. D. (2018). Reflective teaching as a form of professional. MEXTESOL Journal, 42(4), 1-14.
Mousapour Negari, G., & Beiranvand, Z. (2013). Investigating Iranian EFL teachers’ reflective teaching and their critical thinking abilities. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 4(3), 776-782.
Noormohammadi, S. (2014). Teacher reflection and its relation to teacher efficacy and autonomy. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 1380-1389. DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.556
O’Hare, L. O., & McGuinness, C. (2009). Measuring critical thinking, intelligence, and academic performance in psychology undergraduates. The Irish Journal of Psychology, 30(4), 123-131.
Parsi, G. (2017). The relationship between EFL teachers’ critical thinking and use of motivational strategies. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 8(2), 14-21.
Parsi, G., & Ashraf, H. (2020). The Relationship among EFL teachers’ critical thinking, professional identity, and teaching experience. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 7(1), 144-154.
Pollard, A., Collins, J., Simco, N., Swaffield, S., Warwick, P. (2008). Reflective teaching: Evidence-informed professional practice. (3rd ed.) Continuum International Publishing Group.
Rahnama, S., Abdolrezapour, P., & Ayatollahi, M. A. (2016). The effect of reflective teaching practice on Iranian EFL learners’ complexity, accuracy, and fluency of oral speech. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 3(7), 240-250
Riyanti, D. (2021). Teacher professional development through reflective teaching. Journal of English Teaching and Research, 6(2), 101-110.
Schön, D. A. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books Publisher.
Sharifi, S., & Abdolmanafi Rokini, J. (2014). The effect of reflective teaching on pre-service teachers’ learning and teaching development in a learner-centered situation. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World, 5(4), 49-58.
Soodmand Afshar, H., & Farahani, M. (2015). Reflective thinking and reflective teaching among Iranian EFL teachers: Do gender and teaching experience make a difference? Elsevier, Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 19(2), 615-620.
Urzua, A. & Vasquez, C. (2008). Reflection and professional identity in teachers’ future-oriented discourse. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 1935-1946.
Watson, G., & Glacer, E. (1980). Watson-Glaser critical thinking appraisal. Psychological Corporation.
Watts, M. & Lawson, M. (2009). Using Meta-analysis activity to make critical reflection explicit in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25, 609-616.