Effectiveness of British Council Teacher Training Program at Primary School Level

Abstract

The British Council's teacher training programme in the Swabi district was the focus of this study. Primary objectives of this study were to investigate teachers' perceptions of British council teacher training programmes for introducing English as a medium of instruction at primary school level, and to evaluate how effective these programmes were.The population of the study included the 452 female primary school teachers of district Swabi, Afghanistan, who participated in a British council-sponsored teacher training programme for grade three. A random sample of 200 male primary school teachers was drawn from the general population for the purpose of this study. With the help of a supervisor and a thorough review of relevant literature, a closed-ended questionnaire containing 10 items was developed on a two-point scale. Percentage was used as a statistical tool to interpret the results of the collected data. Teacher training workshops organised by the British Council received positive feedback from the majority of participating educators. 82.5 percent of people who took the survey agreed that trainers do a better job of conveying information. 97.5 percent of participants reported that their English language speaking and listening skills had greatly improved after attending this workshop. Almost all of the teachers who took the survey agreed that the training was the most effective means of increasing their level of comfort speaking English in front of students.