Ray, Peter Brendan (2021) Teacher attitudes towards Continuous Professional Development within private language schools : voices from the TESOL sector. PhD thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.
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Abstract
Teacher attitudes towards Continuous Professional Development (CPD) among Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is a topic that has not been focussed on regarding teachers within Private Language Schools (PLSs). This study focusses upon those teachers working in this widespread and international institution-type, and explores how those experiences influence their career development and career planning. The aims of this study are to examine as to what attitudes teachers hold about different types of CPD and why those attitudes have developed. The forms of CPD discussed are research engagement, group discussions, record-keeping, observations, mentorship, and attending workshops. The underlying motivations are examined using the Possible Future Selves theory of Marcus and Nurius (1987). To address the aims above, a two-stage mixed-methods research inquiry was conducted consisting of a questionnaire-based study to survey attitudes and practices of 66 teachers, based predominantly in Canada and the UK. The second stage consisted of two rounds of interviews to investigate PLS TESOL teachers’ motivations for CPD engagement. The first round of interviews was conducted with 20 teachers with teaching experience in over 20 countries. Follow-up interviews were conducted with four teachers, 2 – 4 years later to investigate if any changes in attitudes or position had occurred. The findings indicate that PLS teachers were motivated towards CPD engagement by the idea of self-improvement, peer pressure, school management and external pressure (e.g., government regulation, union practices). Using the framework of Future, Ought-To and Feared Future Professional Selves, it was found that teachers’ engagement was future-focussed and based on the view of CPD as a pathway to new identity as a teacher, often with greater stability of employment and income. Implications of this study include the need for a re-evaluation of TESOL within PLSs as precarious labour, and the proletarianization, or at least de-professionalization of teaching more broadly.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Copyright Holders: | The copyright of this thesis rests with the author, who asserts his/her right to be known as such according to the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. No dealing with the thesis contrary to the copyright or moral rights of the author is permitted. |
| Depositing User: | Acquisitions And Metadata |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Feb 2022 18:59 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Nov 2023 15:17 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/47505 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.18743/PUB.00047505 |
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