Turkish EFL teachers’ professional learning: reflections on critical incidents

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ABSTRACT Although there are many disagreements about its definition and how it should be applied, reflection is an important professional development tool in teacher education. If in-service teachers think in-depth about critical incidents and reflect on them, they can develop new understandings of the teaching and learning process. The study investigated a group of Turkish EFL teachers’ reflections on their pedagogical practices through the use of critical incidents. It also outlined how this reflection process contributed to the professional competence of the participants. Over the course of six weeks, all participants were asked to write reflections based on questions within a critical incident framework. Individual interviews followed this process. The findings showed that the participants mostly identified the ‘self-assessment’ category. Examination of frequency and category data showed that writing reflections on critical incidents increased in-service teachers’ awareness of development and research orientation. Participants were more engaged in professional development and became more aware of their ability to learn from personal experiences. Additionally, the teachers stated that they used the knowledge of these experiences to change their classroom practices.