EFL Teachers Attitudes towards Professional Development Programs

Abstract

Teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) need to improve their knowledge and practices continuously. They need to be involved in professional development programs (PDPs) which help them to remain updated with the new trends in teaching and learning. As their attitudes can influence their participation in PDPs, it is necessary to investigate their views towards these programs. This mixed method study examined the attitudes of EFL university teachers towards PDPs and the factors that affected their attitudes. The data were collected through questionnaire and interviews. The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS, whereas the qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The results revealed that EFL teachers have positive attitudes towards programs. Furthermore, One-way ANOVA results showed that there were statistically significant differences in EFL teachers’ attitudes towards PDPs based on their training years. Besides, Independent-samples T-test results revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in EFL teachers’ attitudes towards PDPs based on their qualifications. According to the study results, it is recommended to evaluate teachers’ attitudes after training programs to help improving these programs to meet their views and needs. Further research could be done using multiple data sources such as teachers’ journal.