Assessing Reflection as a Tool of Female Teacher’s Professional Development in Saudi EFL Post-Observation Conferences

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated the effect of Saudi EFL post-observation conferences on female teachers’ professional development through assessing teachers’ reflection. It also examined to what extent these conferences are considered reflection-enhancing. Moreover, it contributed towards filling the gap in the literature regarding this area because of two reasons. The first is that there is a paucity of research on functional and thematic analyses of post-observation conferences either internationally or in the Arab world. The second is that most studies conducted in this area have only been surveyed. The sample consisted of 30 Saudi EFL female participants divided into 10 supervisors and 20 teachers. They voluntarily recorded the post-observation conferences conducted by them in Saudi schools in Riyadh region. Two analytic systems are used to analyze the recordings: a functional analytic system and a thematic one. The findings showed that post-observation conferences do not contribute towards enhancing teachers’ reflective skills as a key element of teachers’ professional development.