Research Information System
4th Annual International Conference on English Language Teaching Qatar University, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar, 14 - 15 December 2019
Being
a professional in every area is an endeavor, a purposeful or industrious
undertaking. Teacher professional development is about teachers learning,
learning how to learn, and transforming their knowledge into practice for the
benefit of their students’ growth. Teacher research has been a powerful tool
for professional learning. Research can help us explore the complex process of
teaching and learning, allowing us to gain a richer understanding of our own
and our learners’ values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors and feelings (Çeltek
& Eken, 2017). Teachers, however, can be hesitant to engage in research due
to lack of time, motivation, confidence and they may have the belief that
research results are irrelevant to the immediate needs of the teaching and learning
situation. This study aimed to support teachers to become empowered to do
classroom-based research. To this end, nine lecturers in the School of
Languages in Turkey conducted research in their classrooms. This study
presented the theoretical framework of classroom-based research and teachers’ reflections
about their research were evaluated through data obtained from formal
interviews. Qualitative thematic analysis of conversations was strengthened by
using the constant comparison method of Grounded Theory. The classroom research
based PD employed in this study helped to empower teachers and assisted in
eliminating negative notions of research. Results also suggested that through
classroom based research, teachers felt more engaged with their classroom
dynamics, and experimented while teaching.