Investigating the Barriers to EFL Teachers’ Professional Development in Erbil High Schools
Najmulddin Shamsuldeen Mahmood
English Department, College of Basic Education, Salahaddin University
Rozhgar Jalal Khidhir
English Department, College of Basic Education, Salahaddin University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25130/jls.5.2.25
Keywords: Barriers, EFL teachers, professional Development
Abstract
The present study entitled, ‘’ Investigating the Barriers to EFL Teachers’ Professional Development in Erbil High Schools”, aims at investigating the barriers to English Language teachers’ professional development in the city Centre of Erbil. To achieve the aims of the study, a questionnaire has been constructed to investigate the barriers to professional development. The tool of the study was exposed to some experts as jury members in the fields of English language, linguistics, and applied linguistics to achieve its validity.The sample of the study is 100 English Language teachers in public high schools. The data was analyzed after being statistically computed by employing SPSS programme to show Percentage, the Mean, and the Standard Deviation of the items of the questionnaire. The findings of this study reveal that there are some outstanding barriers that prevent English Language teachers from participating in professional development activities or training courses. The barriers are: (poor internet infrastructure and teachers’ illiteracy with modern technological tools, the ineffectiveness of teachers’ performance appraisal system, a bad design of professional development programmes, Training venues, financial constraints, teachers’ demotivation, the lack of qualified and professional English language trainers, English language teachers’ excessive workload, administrative routines, personal problems (family problems) and poor economic conditions, teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards the professionalism of their performance, the effects of colleagues. The study also shows that the variables such as gender, age, marital status, qualification, years of teaching, and teaching hours per week have an impact on teachers’ participation in career-development activities. The contribution of this study can help other researchers in conducting further studies to investigate the barriers that influence teachers’ participation in profession-related activities or training courses among public high school English language teachers. It also helps the education decision makers to plan effective professional development programmes
