INSET Course Research Articles

A Study on Turkish EFL Teachers’ Motivations through In-service Trainings

Although many studies are available in terms of in-service teaching training programmes in the literature, studies on the motivation levels of in-service English teachers are quite scarce. This study aims to find out the effect of in-service teacher training programmes taken by Turkish EFL teachers and what factors influence their motivation under the effect of variables such as age, gender, the highest degree held by teachers, the subject of the highest degree, teaching experience, in-service training course forms, school degrees and school types where teachers work, in-service training course topics, countries where in-service training courses are held and ways of finding in-service training courses. 130 Turkish in-service EFL teachers taking their trainings both in Turkey and other countries took part in the study as participants. A new motivation scale was created and used by combining two different scales: an INSET course participation survey and a motivation to teach scale in the study. According to the results, public and female teachers are found more motivated compared to male and private school teachers. Furthermore, teachers complain about insufficient peer interaction, little trainer-participant communication, not being able to improve their English proficiencies and enlarge their networks and getting follow-up support. In addition, EFL teachers in Turkey prefer practical forms of in-service teacher training programs and topics closely related to ELT such as short courses, teaching practice, teaching young learners, teaching vocabulary and creativity more than other theoretical or time consuming forms. Finally, the research revealed that private school teachers are pleased with the quality of the courses they have taken so far whereas public teachers are more motivated to teach in terms of flexibility that their job provides them.

Effect of Research Engagement on EFL Teachers’ Motivation for and Efficacy in Teacher-Research

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether research engagement helps participating teachers develop as motivated and efficacious teacher-researchers. Seventeen non-native English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers participated in the study. The study specifically aimed to examine if there are any differences in participants’ motivation for research and efficacy in research at the end of the INSET course. Data came from Motivation for and Efficacy in Research questionnaires which were originally developed for the purposes of this study and other sources (i.e. interviews, essays). The findings of the study indicated that even though the participants’ efficacy for research engagement increased significantly, the instruction did not elicit any statistically significant changes in their motivation levels. Results also revealed significant implications for teacher educators, EFL teachers, teacher education departments and MA programs.

EFL TEACHERS' CPD EXPERIENCES: PERSPECTIVES FROM OMAN.

EFL TEACHERS' CPD EXPERIENCES: PERSPECTIVES FROM OMAN.

Developing an INSET Course for State EFL Teachers in Greece: A Process-Oriented Teacher Education Proposal towards Digital Literacy

Developing an INSET Course for State EFL Teachers in Greece: A Process-Oriented Teacher Education Proposal towards Digital Literacy

Making the most of your CPD

Mentoring, observation, INSET and external courses will form the backbone of your CPD during your NQT year. David Weston advises on how to make the most of these opportunities

Identifying the training needs of EFL teachers in teaching children with dyslexia

The study aims to provide a descriptive account of the training needs of EFL teachers who face the challenge of teaching dyslexic students within the mainstream classroom in primary education. A total of ninety-four EFL teachers employed in Northern Greece participated in the pilot study. A questionnaire, constructed on the basis of a review of the relevant literature was used. The findings indicated that the teachers had only limited awareness in dealing with dyslexic student in the EFL classroom. However, they stated their interest for INSET courses in order to become equipped with further knowledge and skills and be able to teach dyslexic students more effectively in an inclusive way.

Teachers’ views on the effectiveness of in‐service courses on the new curriculum in Turkey

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of in‐service courses conducted by the Ministry of National Education in order to inform teachers about the changes introduced by the new primary and secondary school curricula. The study also aims to reveal whether these changes have entered the classrooms based on the teachers’ views of the INSET courses they attended. For this purpose, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with both primary and secondary school teachers during the 2007–2008 academic year. Data were analysed based on the effective INSET criteria identified from the literature. According to the findings, the INSET courses were found to be ineffective, mainly in terms of the quality of the instructors, teaching methods employed, duration of the courses and support after training. Suggestions to conduct effective INSET courses, especially when change is afoot, are included at the end of this paper.

INSET participation and certification: a case study from China

This article aims to explore practical constraints that prevent teachers from participating in INSET courses for their continuing professional development. This study, from the course clients' perspectives, examines the points of view of the teacher trainees and administrators involved in a teacher-training course in China. Questionnaires and interviews were employed to gather data. The findings indicate the importance of appreciating both teachers' concerns as individuals and administrators' practical considerations that, if ignored, could lead to the undermining of the overall quality of training. It is argued that in-service teacher training can be maximised on the condition that a society-wide supportive mechanism is established that ensures smooth coordination between the various levels concerned

Report on the Evaluation of the Action 3.2 In-set Courses Organised Within the Framework of Action 3 of Comenius

SUMMARY The following article presents the results of the assessment of the Comenius courses run within Action 3, between the year 1996 and 1999. Different systems were used for the global evaluation, and were carried out before and after the courses, both by participants and organisers. They show positive and negative aspects, and there are suggestions for the improvement of the courses in the future. On the whole, the conclusion is that the courses are thought to be very positive and enriching.

Reflection and theory: conceptualising the gap between teaching experience and teacher expertise

Arising from an inductive reflection on the teaching of an INSET course for rural teachers, this article develops a largely conceptual argument about the role of theoretical knowledge in teacher development. Teachers' experiences – and practical knowledge derived from it – are not sufficient to develop teacher expertise. Theoretical reflection in turn produces qualitatively different insights about teaching and learning, which can provide teachers with conceptual tools to establish new links between what they know and what they do. However, there is very little research evidence about the way experienced yet poorly qualified teachers use theoretical knowledge to reflect about their work

Reflections from a time log diary: towards an analysis of the labour process within further education

This article explores the use of a time log diary to examine the labour process for lecturers in further education (FE). In this preliminary small-scale study, a time log diary was used as a research tool to investigate the day-to-day teaching of FE lecturers accessed through an INSET course. This examination is placed within the socio-economic and political context within which lecturers are placed. The data collected from the diaries reflected the variability of labour processes within FE. Despite individual differences in the way in which people laboured, there is evidence to support the intensification of labour with lecturers consistently working over hours. This was a feature of the cameos we examined and across the diaries as a whole, where we gained a sense of an over-burdened profession.

A participant-centred approach to INSET course design

INSET course designers often find, much to their disappointment, that the innovations they are promoting fail to be implemented in the manner they had envisioned. This paper considers why even theoretically sound and well-presented innovations may fail to address the practical needs of teachers working in foreign-language environments, and suggests that a higher level of success may be attained through an approach to course design which draws on participants' knowledge of the local learning/teaching situation. A number of practical suggestions are made for how to design such a ‘participant-centred’ INSET course.

Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Their Pupils’ Mathematical Errors

This article is mainly concerned with the didactical and the epistemological approach towards pupils’ errors in mathematics. The findings of an investigation into a representative sample of Cypriot teachers’ attitudes of errors in mathematics are presented. Although teachers draw on behaviourism as a way of understanding pupils’ errors, a considerable number of teachers seem to be influenced by both cognitive science error theory and the obstacle theory. Inferential statistical analysis revealed that teachers’ attitudes of errors are mainly associated with the attendance of a specialised INSET course in mathematics. Teachers who attended the INSET course in mathematics are generally more influenced by the cognitive science theory and the obstacle theory. Implications for the development of policy on teacher training are discussed. It is argued that with appropriate training teachers will be able to adopt a model of interpreting errors in mathematics based on the didactical and the epistemological approaches.

Teachers Knowledge of Geometry Teaching - Two Years on after an Inset Course

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on research done on teachers pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in geometry, two years after they have completed an INSET-course offered by the Primaiy Mathematics Project, at the University of the Western Cape. The aim of the study was to explore (a) teachers knowledge of geometry as a source of PCK; (b) teachers knowledge of pupil learning as a source of PCK; (c) a possible characterization of teacher orientations with respect to PCK. This study is interpreted within the context of the teacher's classroom actions.

Lessons to be learnt from negative evaluation

INSET programmes which introduce novel approaches to teaching often seem exciting and eye-opening while the course lasts. However, the programmes do not always take account of what will happen when the course participants return to their daily routines. This article describes the postcourse evaluation of an INSET programme for Japanese secondary school teachers of English (JSTs), which found that the communicative approach introduced in the course was not implemented by a number of the participants. This reluctance to innovate seems to stem from differences between British and Japanese educational and cultural traditions. It is suggested that INSET courses should therefore present a range of traditional and modern approaches to EFL methodology, so that teacher trainees can select those which are most appropriate in their particular circumstances. Such courses should be more sensitive to the participants’ cultural and educationa! backgrounds, and provide a cognitive element from the start.

Common codes for mainstream ESL support across the curriculum

This paper reports a five-day pre-term INSET course for the staff of an international school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The first section gives a description of the school and its perceived need for INSET on cross-curricular English language support for bilingual students developing their knowledge of, and skills in, English. The second section describes the course, whose contents can be considered relevant to all contexts of English-medium school education, and indicates related curriculum action. The principal argument is that all teachers involved in the support of ESL learners—i.e. both mainsteam subject teachers and language support (TESOL) specialists—can best communicate with each other and facilitate their students' learning through the medium of “common codes”. These common codes are defined and exemplified.

The consequences of INSET

Teachers attending short INSET courses are usually exposed to a great amount of new information and ideas. While this can be exciting at the time, the after-effects may be less salutary. This article describes one particular INSET course and the reactions of the participating teachers one year later. It suggests that very few of this ideas presented on the course were taken up in the way anticipated by the tutors, mainly due to the mediating effects of the participants' own beliefs about teaching and learning. Any INSET course which is seriously concerned with long-term change in teachers' practice will have to take these beliefs into account.

Teaching Home Economics by a Problem‐solving Approach in Sudanese Secondary Schools for Girls

>ABSTRACT This study investigated a practical problem in Sudanese secondary female home economics education, namely, the lack of involvement of methods of teaching critical thinking skills, which is believed to be a major defect in teaching/learning of home economics. Also, there is a complete omission of provision of any INSET programme for secondary home economics teachers regarding the improvement of their methods of teaching. This paper presents an account of an INSET course in teaching problem‐solving conducted in Sudan in summer 1992 for secondary home economics teachers of Omdurman. Using both semi‐structured interviews and self‐report Likert questionnaire, teachers' views about teaching problem‐solving in the context of home economics were investigated. Respondents views were solicited on several areas. The results showed teachers' positive attitudes towards the INSET and the use of problem‐solving methods. As INSET of Sudanese home economics teachers has been consistently ignored, the findings of...

Supporting Distance Learning: the role of the associate tutor in management self‐development

ABSTRACT This paper is concerned with understanding more clearly, the part played by a partnership between Associate Tutors (ATs), who would normally be LEA Advisers/Inspectors and Facilitators (Deputy Headteachers) in the learning support network for students who are following an accredited management self‐development INSET course using distance learning materials. The evidence was collected from six ATs and one facilitator using a semi‐structured interview technique.

Improvements in mathematics performance as a consequence of self‐assessment in Portuguese primary school pupils

The research set out to test the effects upon children's academic (mathematical) performance of the regular use of pupil self‐assessment techniques taught to a group of 25 primary school teachers on a 40 hours INSET course, and subsequently introduced by them as routine procedures in their individual classes. Results showed that the children (N=354) in these classes manifested significant improvements in scores on a purpose‐built mathematics test when compared to a control group of children (N=313) in classes where pupil self‐assessment was not employed.