Addis Ababa University
College of Humanities, Language Studies, Journalism and
Communication
Department of Foreign Languages and Literature
An individual assignment on:
EXPLORING ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: HOW ARE HIGH
SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS DEVELOPING IN LEME SECONDARY GOVERNMENT SCHOOL?
By
Yoseph Feleke
GSR/5937/13
Submitted to: Hailom Banteyerga /PhD/
Associate Professor in ELT
May 21, 2021
Abstract
Professional development is considered as an essential element in enhancing the teaching and
learning process to ensure student learning. Professional development can also be deemed as a
cornerstone of teacher professionalism and quality. This qualitative grounded theory study
grants the study of exploring High School English Language Teachers’ Professional
Development in Leme Secondary government school. To ensure the collection of wide-ranging
data, methodology and data source triangulation was used. Eight English language teachers
from 1 randomly selected government high school, 2 of the schools’ principals /vice and main
principals/ and 1 Woreda school supervisor were interviewed. A focused group discussion was
also held on the research topic among 5 English language teachers. The results indicated that,
most of High School English language teachers in the school do not have a conducive
environment for their professional development. They lack in the essential attention to improve
in the profession and are mandated to take part in the ‘General CPD program’ of school which
was perceived to be irrelevant and not contextualized. Their low proficiency level in the
language and lack of awareness on CPD were as well the other two major constraints
emphasized. The paper, therefore, argues that English language teachers should have a
conducive CPD environment where they can improve the language and take responsibility for
their own learning if they are required to positively impact their students’ language learning
outcomes. Ministry officials and policy makers also should give the required attention and
support to high school English language teachers in government schools.
i
Acknowledgment
Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my instructor Dr. Hailom Banteyerga who
gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful research project on the topic “EXPLORING
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT”. I
also came to know a number of new things about conducting the Qualitative Grounded Theory
and how to exploit the various components in it.
I would also like to acknowledge Leme Secondary School. Last but not least, I would like to
extend my gratitude to respondents: principals and English language teachers who significantly
supported me in carrying out the interview and the focused group discussion within the shortest
time possible and with due concern. And special thanks goes to Daniel Alemayehu for taking
responsibility in demonstrating and helping me go forward with the interview sessions.
Yoseph Feleke
ii
Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................... i
Acknowledgment .......................................................................................................................................... ii
List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................... v
Chapter One .................................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1.
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1
1.2.
Background and Research Context .......................................................................................... 1
1.3.
Problem of the Statement ......................................................................................................... 2
1.4.
Rationale and Significance of this Study .................................................................................. 2
1.5.
Limitations of the Study ........................................................................................................... 3
1.6.
Operational Definitions of Key Terms ...................................................................................... 3
1.7.
Organization of the Dissertation .............................................................................................. 4
Chapter Two ................................................................................................................................................ 5
2.
Literature Review ............................................................................................................................ 5
2.1.
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 5
2.2.
Language Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development .................................................... 5
2.3.
What does Effective Continuing Professional Development entail then? ............................... 5
2.4.
Factors Influencing Language Teachers’ CPD ........................................................................... 6
2.5.
The Ethiopian National CPD Program....................................................................................... 6
2.6.
Recent Endeavors on English Language Teachers’ Development in Ethiopia .......................... 6
Chapter Three ............................................................................................................................................... 8
3.
Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 8
3.1.
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 8
3.2.
The Research Approaches ........................................................................................................ 8
3.3.
Type of the Research Design Used ........................................................................................... 8
3.3.1. Grounded-Theory Research ........................................................................................................ 9
3.1.2. Data collection procedure ........................................................................................................... 9
3.4.
How was data collected? ........................................................................................................ 10
3.5.
Data Analysis Procedures ....................................................................................................... 11
3.5.1. Constant Comparative Analysis ................................................................................................ 11
3.5.2. Coding ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Chapter Four ............................................................................................................................................. 16
4.
Research Findings ........................................................................................................................ 16
4.1.
Researcher Role and Bias ....................................................................................................... 16
iii
4.2.
Construction of Vignettes....................................................................................................... 17
4.3.
Initial coding ........................................................................................................................... 18
4.4.
Theme 1: The General CPD Program .................................................................................... 23
4.4.1. Content and Organization ......................................................................................................... 23
4.4.2. Relevance of the Program to English Language Teachers........................................................ 26
4.5.
Theme 2: Upgrading and Updating ........................................................................................ 30
4.6.
Theme 3: Teachers’ English Language Proficiency Level ..................................................... 32
4.7.
Theme 4: Individual Effort and Teachers’ Attitude ............................................................... 35
4.8.
Theme 5: Private School Reference ....................................................................................... 37
4.9.
Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................... 38
Chapter Five .............................................................................................................................................. 39
Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 39
5.
5.1.
Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 39
5.2.
What does the CPD Environment of High School English Language Teachers in Government
School look like?......................................................................................................................................... 39
5.3.
How Aware and Satisfied are English Language Teachers about their Professional
Development in Government School? ........................................................................................................ 43
43
[[[
5.4.
What are the Major Factors Affecting English Language Teachers’ Development in the
Environment? .............................................................................................................................................. 45
5.5.
Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................... 47
Chapter Six .................................................................................................................................................. 48
6.
Conclusion and Recommendations .............................................................................................. 48
6.1.
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 48
6.2.
Recommendations .................................................................................................................. 49
References .................................................................................................................................................. 51
Appendices ................................................................................................................................................. 56
Appendix 1: Guiding interview questions for 8 teachers.......................................................................... 56
Appendix 2: Guiding interview questions for main and vice principals, and Woreda school ................... 57
Supervisor. .................................................................................................................................................. 57
Appendix 3: Questions for Focused Group Discussion ............................................................................. 58
Appendix 4: The Transcribed Interview and FGD................................................................................ 59
iv
List of Abbreviations
CPD
Continuous (continuing) Professional Development
MOE
Ministry of Education
EELPA
Ethiopian English Language Professionals Association
ETP
Education and Training Policy
ESDP
Education Sector Development Program
GEQIP
General Education Quality Improvement Program
TDP
Teacher Development Program
ELQIP
English Language Quality Improvement Program
ELIP
English Language Improvement Program
ELTIP
English Language Teaching Improvement Program
CLIL
Content and Language Integrated Learning
HDP
Higher Diploma Program
EMI
English Medium of Instruction
INSET
In-Service Education and Training
ELT
English Language Teaching
PLC
Professional Learning Communities
ELC
English Language Club
TA
Teacher Association
ETC
English Teachers’ Club
TEI
Teacher Education Institutes
EFL
English as a Foreign Language
IATEFL
International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language
SBEM
School-Based English Mentoring
v
Chapter One
1.1.
Introduction
Over the last decade, teachers’ CPD had been of major interest to researchers more than ever
before as countries in the world continue striving to ensure quality education to their citizens.
‘CPD’ stands for ‘Continuous or Continuing Professional Development and generally indicates
the course of continuing growth of a professional after joining a profession’ (Padwad & Dexit
2011: 7). CPD for teachers had, therefore, become a valuable venture in education since their
unprecedented influence on any country’s education quality is unarguably acknowledged. They
are believed to be the ones who can ensure quality education if only they are competent enough
to prosper in their profession (Craft 2000).
For formal education to take place, teachers, students, and curricula are the top three basic
foundations any school needs to have. These three fundamental components of educational
success, however, may not ensure the quality of any education on their own except their coexistence accurately plays a key role in the education process. Most importantly, teachers need to
be qualified and reliable educators since they have the power over the other two elements of
education. They can guide, control, promote or even delay students learning or curriculum
implementation depending on their professional qualification (Day 1999; Craft 2000).
1.2.
Background and Research Context
For more than two decades, the Ethiopian Ministry of Education (MOE) has been striving to
develop the country’s education status through increasing primary, secondary, and higher
education enrolment rates. In 1994, a national ‘Education and Training Policy (ETP)’ framework
was launched to ensure education advancement through an initiative called ‘Education Sector
Development Program (ESDP)’. Over the years, the reform has enabled the sector to register
notable progress on access to education, a significant drop in repetition rates in schools and a
rapid expansion of school infrastructures. Nevertheless, all these achievements have been
massively challenging the sector as the success was not accompanied by adequate improvements
in quality.
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This being a national issue, currently, ESDP III which was launched in 2005/06, integrating the
nationwide ‘General Education Quality Improvement Program (GEQIP)’ is working hard
towards achieving a quality education at all levels of the sector. Among other components,
GEQIP primarily includes ‘Teacher Development Program (TDP) and the ‘English Language
Quality Improvement Program (ELQIP)’.
In this study, therefore, the CPD initiatives and experiences of English language teachers in the
selected government high school in the capital Addis Ababa is explored to shed a light on the
opportunities and the obstacles that still exist.
1.3.
Problem of the Statement
Ethiopia uses English as a medium of instruction for academic subjects in high school and
onwards allowing the language to play a decisive role in the education sector. Depending on
specific regional policies, government schools in some regional states use English as a Medium
of Instruction (EMI) from grade 5 onwards, some from grade 7, but all at a national level, apply
EMI from grade 9 onwards (MOE 2009; Heugh et al 2007). The fact that Ethiopian students in
government schools fail to learn the language properly in their elementary which will still
continue to their high schools, poses a risk on their tertiary and continuing education later. This
problem observed in the teaching of the language at high school is largely attributed to the lack
of qualified teachers, mainly caused by lack of appropriate Continuing Professional
Development. Once on the job, according to a report by Mejena (2003: 160), ‘English language
teachers in Ethiopia teach what they know, what they have, what they think, and what they
believe. Then, how are English language teachers developing if the English language teaching
quality is still suffering despite the effort underway to develop them?
1.4.
Rationale and Significance of this Study
The cause and effect relationship teachers have on the quality of education is undeniable.
Teachers are surely agents of change (Hayes 2014). If a change on quality of English language
teaching in Ethiopia is required, a closer investigation on how English teachers should be
encouraged to develop in the profession in high schools to positively impact students’
achievement in the language from such age is crucial. The very significant aspect of this study is
that there seems to be very little attention on high school English language teachers’ professional
2
development. Therefore, conducting this study provides empirical evidence that can feed into
future endeavors. The results will shed light on the area for a more detailed investigation. To
attain this overall general objective of the study, the following questions are addressed in the
results:
1. What does the CPD environment of High School English Language Teachers in
government school look like?
2. How aware and satisfied are English language teachers about their professional
development in the selected government school?
3. What are the major factors affecting English language teachers’ development in the
environment?
1.5. Limitations of the Study
This study will be based on a particular selected high school English language teachers in Bole
Sub City, the capital city of Addis Ababa. It is clear that the results of the study would not be
more valid, reliable and cannot be generalized for the whole sub-city because the data were not
obtained from wider population of sub-city. However, since the study is delimited only to one
sub-city and one school because of the researcher has a serious time constraint because he was
conducting the research while taking the course Qualitative Research. Therefore, it may be
hardly possible to generalize this study results to Bole sub-city Administration. However, the
study will be described in sufficient detail to enable readers to connect the findings and insights
to other contexts if appropriate.
1.6.
Operational Definitions of Key Terms
To avoid ambiguity and have clarity in the study, the following terms or phrases are explained
with the following operational definitions.
High School: According to the Education and Training Policy (ETP), it is an educational level in
the structure of the educational system that provides basic education in the second
cycle of schools.
3
Continuous Professional Development: The systematic maintenance, improvement and
broadening of knowledge and skills and the development of personal qualities
necessary for the execution of professional and technical duties throughout the
practitioners working life.
Engagement: The act or the state that teachers, school principals and supervisors participated in
teachers’ CPD activities in schools.
1.7. Organization of the Dissertation
This paper is divided into 6 chapters. The next chapter is the review of literature which
deliberates on relevant academic contributions behind the research area in emphasis. Following
that, the third chapter describes the methodology used to collect data. Chapter four then presents
the entire findings of the research followed by chapter five, the discussion on the research
findings. Finally, the remaining chapter is devoted to the conclusion and recommendation of the
study drawing implications from the results.
4
Chapter Two
2. Literature Review
2.1.
Introduction
In this chapter, the first 4 topics present international literature on language teachers’ Continuing
Professional Development (CPD). They present current posts and arguments on the meaning and
interpretation of CPD through the views, claims and research projects of international experts in
the field. Then, the following 2 topics briefly cover English language teachers and CPD issues in
Ethiopia.
2.2.
Language Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development
For more than four decades, Continuing Professional Development has been part and parcel of
language teacher education and development in the world (Mann & Walsh 2017). For language
teachers, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a compulsory requirement in their
career which has the potential to create connections between their past, present and future
professional-selves. Various experts in the field define and interpret the term differently and it
has apparently been given an overlapping meaning with ‘In-Service Education and Training’
(INSET) (Dean 1991).
CPD is most of the time interchangeably used with INSET as it was formerly called INSET or
in-service training and education. Craft (2000: 6) explains these two terms saying, ‘formerly
known as in-service education and training, or INSET, a phrase now with a much wider currency
to describe in-service training is Continuing Professional Development. CPD includes in-service
training and education (INSET) and many other undertakings satisfying teachers’ developmental
needs in the profession. INSET, however, cannot be CPD on its own.
2.3.
What does Effective Continuing Professional Development entail then?
According to Day (1999: 1), the nature of teaching itself demands career-long professional
learning. He says, ‘Growth involves learning which is sometimes natural and evolutionary,
sometimes opportunistic or the result of planning. CPD is inclusive of all these various kinds of
learning.’ The characteristics that embody effective professional development vary widely in the
5
literature as contexts are acknowledged to be of diverse from one another. Thus, there are no
fixed descriptions of what CPD undertakings should embrace to achieve success in the process.
2.4.
Factors Influencing Language Teachers’ CPD
‘School culture’ is one of the influential factors in the literature that can positively or negatively
affect teachers’ development. Various authors and researchers (for example Day & Sachs 2004;
Dean 1991; Ucan 2016; Wermke 2011; Clement & Vandenberghe 2000; Timpereley 2008) agree
that the school in which teachers work has a notable effect on the teachers’ development as
teachers learn through interaction with their professional environment. Teachers’ development
can positively be influenced if their development concerns everyone in the school.
2.5.
The Ethiopian National CPD Program
Currently, the country at national level implements a CPD program in all primary and secondary
schools (MOE 2009). This program includes two categories- ‘updating’ and ‘upgrading’.
Ethiopian teachers at all levels are expected to update their pedagogical and subject matter
knowledge through the continuous activities they undertake in this program. They are required to
carry out 60 hours of CPD activities every academic year. ‘Upgrading’ on the other hand, is the
process of undertaking additional studies such as converting their certificate to a diploma,
diploma to first degree and more (MOE 2009). In his study report on the implementation of this
CPD program in a secondary and preparatory school, Wondem (2015: 53) identified that it has
not been successful in the school he investigated for several reasons. Their study also criticized
the CPD program in schools for being impractical and overall confusing to teachers and even to
school leaders. This puts a substantial discrepancy between the theory and practice reality of the
endeavor which opens doors for further investigation.
2.6.
Recent Endeavors on English Language Teachers’ Development in Ethiopia
Few studies conducted so far on English language teachers’ development in Ethiopia,
highlighted the great demand for appropriate professional development structure in government
schools (Berbirso 2014; Alemu 2013; Mijena 2013). Regardless of the effort exerted and amount
of investment made on developing English language teachers, studies argued that English
teachers in government schools still lack the appropriate development in their career.
6
In conclusion, English language teachers’ continuing professional development in Ethiopia is
evidently under-researched. The ELIP-ELTIP endeavor could potentially impact teachers’
development to a certain extent but it cannot inevitably bring the anticipated change on its own
since it is a one-off incident. Therefore, there is fairly a wide consensus that CPD engagements
should be introduced for Ethiopian English language teachers particularly in government
educational establishments.
7
Chapter Three
3. Methodology
3.1. Introduction
[[[[[
While conducting a study, a researcher needs to go through different sets of issues to cohesively
organize the overall flow of the research process (Creswell 2014). In this chapter, the ‘research
approach’ the study applied to best achieve its goal is discussed. The chapter reports on how data
was collected, from whom, why and when.
3.2.
The Research Approaches
This study was exclusively ‘qualitative’. It required discovering and understanding what the
CPD environment of high school English teachers in government school looked like from the
perspectives and opinions of different participants. According to Snap and Spencer (2013: 3),
‘qualitative research is a naturalistic, interpretative approach concerned with understanding the
meanings which people attach to phenomena (actions, decisions, beliefs, values etc.) within their
social worlds’. In a social research of this kind where the subject matter which is English
language teachers’ professional development needs to be first understood before measuring the
phenomenon, using a qualitative approach was, hence, unarguably well-justified. The very
important aspect of this study that made it fall under the category of ‘qualitative approach’ was
primarily the ‘philosophical assumption’ it could be associated with. The philosophical
assumption of a research as Maxwell (2009) calls it the ‘paradigm’ or the ‘worldview’, according
to Creswell (2014), is the very crucial element that can help a researcher accomplish the desired
goal.
3.3.
Type of the Research Design Used
The research was ‘exploratory’ or as Richie (2003) calls it, it was ‘contextual’. It was concerned
with exploring the CPD undertakings of English language teachers in the selected government
high school in Addis Ababa. Qualitative research provides researchers the chance to ‘unpack
issues, to see what they are about or what lies inside them and explore how they are understood
by those connected with them’ (Richie 2003: 28). In the previous chapters, it has already been
stated that not much is known about the CPD undertakings of high school English language
8
teachers in government schools. This study, therefore, explored the issue for further attention in
the area.
3.3.1. Grounded-Theory Research
To train teachers to link theories to practice is not easy especially if the theory is generated ‘by
logical deduction from a priori assumptions’ (Glaser and Strauss, 1967: p. 3). We argue that a
change of focus to grounded theory may offer solution to this problem. This is because grounded
theory methodology produces theories which ‘fit the situation being researched, and work when
put into use’ (ibid). Glaser and Strauss (1967) further explain that by ‘fit’ they mean that the
categories are ‘readily applicable to and indicated by the data under study’ and by ‘work’ they
mean that the theories are ‘meaningfully relevant to and be able to explain the behavior under
study’. In other words, the theories can be easily understood and applied as they are grounded in
the data. For instance, a grounded theory generated based on the data obtained from classroom
research will be easily understood and applied by learners, teachers and other people who have
experiences of being in the classroom.
3.1.2. Data collection procedure
Teachers’ CPD is quite broad in nature which requires the individual teacher to engage in
various activities in or outside the school environment. However, CPD is not only the concern of
teachers but is also a responsibility of schools and governments. This study focused on obtaining
information from all possible stakeholders which have a direct or indirect impact on English
Language Teachers’ Professional Development. As a result, data source triangulation was used
to collect reliable data and provide multidimensional findings. Data were collected from 8 high
school English language teachers in a particular government school, 2 school principals /vice and
main principals/, 1 Woreda school supervisor. According to Richie (2003: 43), ‘triangulation is
cited as one of the central ways of validating qualitative research evidence. It adds breadth or
depth to our analysis using multiple perspectives’. The paragraphs below exhaustively narrate
the motivation behind the need to involve each participant in the study with the sampling
procedure and the methods used to collect data.
9
All the participants in this study were purposively selected. As a first step, 1 government high
school was chosen. 8 English teachers were selected from the school out of 18 English language
teachers. The selection was made via the principal and deputy principal. They were asked to
recommend 8 English language teachers in the school who have a good reputation for their
active involvement in CPD undertakings. The intention was to find out what sort of CPD
activities the English language teachers undertake in and outside their school to develop their
profession, so, teachers with good motivation were found relevant for the study. According to
Day (1999), teachers only develop actively. They never develop passively. Therefore, teachers
with a recognized active involvement in CPD engagements were found vital for this study.
In addition to the teachers, data were collected from the deputy principal and principal who
helped select the teachers. As discussed in the review literature chapter, school culture, which is
mostly governed by school principals, has a considerable influence on teachers’ professional
development (Day & Sachs 2004; Dean 1991). Therefore, understanding the phenomenon from
the principals’ point of view was as well advantageous.
As an ultimate step towards involving relevant stakeholders in the study, data were also collected
from 5 English language teachers focused group discussion grouping them in to two equal parts.
Generally speaking, purposive sampling was used for this study. As Richie and Lewis (2003: 96)
elaborate on it, in a qualitative study, ‘the sample units are chosen because they have particular
features or characteristics which will enable detailed exploration and understanding of the central
themes and puzzles the researcher wishes to study’.
3.4.
How was data collected?
[[
The type of design used for the grounded theory research carried out in this study was the
constructivist grounded theory design. Grounded theory is designed so that a theory may be
developed from a social phenomenon based on the field data gathered in a study (Ary, Jacobs,
Razavieh, & Sorenson, 2006, p. 33). Within the constructivist grounded theory design there is
room for the researcher to consider existing theory as found in the literature and to bring in a
personal understanding from the field when forming the research question/s (Marshall &
Rossman, 1999).
10
Data for this study was collected through semi-structured interviews and focused group
discussion. As a qualitative study which relied exclusively on participants’ views and
perspectives, using these methods was vital. According to Mann (2016), interviews for
qualitative study are undoubtedly potential sources of in-depth information. He said, they ‘are
widely held to be a fundamentally useful way to understand beliefs, experiences and worlds’
(2016: 2). Mann also clarified the semi-structured interview saying, it is a partially structured
interview giving reasonable amount of freedom to informants. It can be understood that for this
study, open-ended questions were prepared prior to interviewing participants to only guide the
interview process and allow more space for further elaboration.
On the other hand, Longhurst (2003:145) defined focus group discussion as a ‘group of people
usually between 6 & 12 who meet to talk about a particular topic that has been set by the
researcher. The idea is to attempt to stimulate a group of friends or people who have things in
common and feel relaxed talking to each other’. For this study, 5 English language teachers held
intensive discussion on their CPD with in two groups. They have different qualifications, English
language proficiency levels, teaching experiences, and the experience of teaching in government
sector. Irrespective of all these differences, however, the discussion helped the researcher
explore their deeper understanding of CPD since that was what brought them together in one
place. Interviews were made in English with all participants.
3.5.
Data Analysis Procedures
Glaser and Strauss (1967) have noted that it is often a natural impulse for a person to generate
theory, but they distinguished purposive generation of theory as a distinct process requiring a
controlled methodology (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). This section explains constant comparative
analysis, coding, and the generating of theory.
3.5.1. Constant Comparative Analysis
Many indicators (behavioral actions/events) are examined comparatively by the analyst who then
"codes" them, naming them as indicators of a class of events/ behavioral actions (Strauss, 1987,
P.25). He or she may give this class a name, thinking of it then as a coded category. By making
"comparisons of indicator to indicator the analyst is forced into confronting similarities,
differences, and degrees of consistency of meaning among indicators. This generates an
11
underlying uniformity, which in turn results in a coded" category. Strauss (1987, P.25) has also
noted that a second procedural step is that after "a conceptual code is generated, then indicators
are compared to the emergent concept .... from the comparisons of additional indicators to the
conceptual codes, the codes are sharpened to achieve their best fits to data." Meanwhile "further
properties of categories are generated, until the codes are verified and saturated," yielding
nothing much new.
3.5.2. Coding
Although, different theorist use different terms for coding processes, Glaser (2005) uses the
terms open, axial and theoretical coding. First, open coding is used line by line throughout the
interview transcripts. Gerunds are used during open coding to remain close the participants’
behavior and language (Charmaz, 2006; Denscombe, 2010). Gerunds record the participants’
actions through use of nouns in the form of the present participle of `verbs that is the –ing form.
Initial coding needs to accurately preserve participants’ words, actions and processes.
Second, axial coding is used to identify core categories. Patterns and relationships emerge
through an on-going cyclic process of comparing data with data, and informal clustering, and
mind mapping. Finally, theoretical coding is used to find constructs, connections, and explain
relationships to generate theory (Urquhart, 2013). Glaser and Strauss (1967) and Glaser (2005)
insist that no prescribed or pre-planned codes are used. Codes are created from the participants’
words and collected data. Core categories emerge to show basic social processes that explain
rather than merely describe the phenomenon being studied.
3.5.2.1.
Open Coding
Strauss (1987, P.28) described open coding as the initial type of coding done during a research
project is termed open coding. This is unrestricted coding of the data. This open coding is by
scrutinizing interview, or focused group discussion very closely: line by line, or even word by
word. The aim is to produce concepts that seem to fit the data. These concepts and their
dimensions are as yet entirely provisional; but thinking about these results in a host of questions
and equally provisional answers, which immediately lead to further issues pertaining to
conditions, strategies, interactions, and consequences.
12
As the analyst moves to the next words, next lines, the process snowballs, with the quick
surfacing of information bearing on the questions and hypotheses, and sometimes even possible
crosscutting of dimensions. A single session with a single document can often astonish even the
experienced researcher, especially when the document at first glance seemed not to promise
much in the way of leads. The point is really that the potential is not so much in the document as
in the relationship between it and the inquiring mind and training of a researcher who vigorously
and imaginatively engages in the open coding (Strauss 1987, P.28). Here the researcher basically
read through his data several times and then started to create tentative labels for chunks of data
that summarized what he saw happening. The researcher also recorded examples of participants’
words and establish properties of each code.
3.5.2.2. Memo Writing
[[
This happens alongside the open coding process. In fact, before even beginning to do the coding
process, it’s recommended to write a memo to capture an overview of the coding (e.g., the
interview topic, key issues, links between concepts) (Scott, 2009). Memos serve to “track the
theory development”, and thus the theory will be “captured in the memos” if the process is done
correctly (Scott, 2009). In this way, memo writing helps to bridge the gap between coding and
theoretical analysis (Charmaz, 2015). Scott (2009) also writes that the most important aspect of
this process is that the memos are meant to explain the relationship or potential relationships
between the given codes and their relationships with other codes.
Since coding requires “constant comparison of data with other data, data with codes, codes with
codes, codes with categories, and categories with other categories”, (Charmaz, 2015) memo
writing helps to record these comparative processes. Another purpose of memo writing is to
write down thoughts as they arise in the mind (Scott, 2009). Some examples of questions to ask
include, “What am I taking for granted here as I analyze this data? Is there another way of
looking at this? Are there alternative explanations? What might they be?” (Scott, 2009).
I was writing the memos by using a memo application (Evernote) that could be used on both my
laptop and mobile phone in order to record the ideas instantly. It was particularly helpful to
record instant ideas which were related not only to data analysis but also the overall process.
13
These memos had been accumulated and were easily accessed and retrievable for future
examination (Maxwell, 2013). In this sense, it acted also as a kind of methodological journal
(Charmaz, 2014)
3.5.2.3.
Axial Coding
Strauss (1987, P.32) explained that ‘Axial coding’ is an essential aspect of the open coding. And
its analysis rotates around one category at a time, in terms of the paradigm items which results in
cumulative knowledge about relationships between that category and other categories and
subcategories. A convenient term for this is axial coding, because the analyzing revolves around
the "axis" of one category at a time. It is unlikely to take place during the early days or even
weeks when the initial data are collected and analyzed (Strauss, 1987, P.32).
Axial coding can be used to shorten the lengthy amount of data made during making open
coding; however, the selective code is crucial to be implemented after it so as to still decrease
burden. LaRossa (2005) distinguished axial coding from open coding in its focus upon an
“explicit” examination of relationships between variables or categories. The researcher used
axial coding to clearly identify the relationships among the open codes, and made the
connections among the codes.
3.5.2.4.
Theoretical Coding
[
Once the thematic similarities were identified during axial coding, theoretical coding allowed for
the researcher’s reflective analysis of the identified categories and provided the information that
aided in the further recognition of the thematic conceptual developments as they arose from the
data. During theoretical coding, all previously identified categories and sub-categories became
linked with a materializing core category, which is the major representation of what the study is
about. The materialization occurred during this study through a constant and continual reflective
analysis of the categories which allowed for the combination and coordination of the categories.
This analysis was based on the relevance and similarity of the categories to one another towards
the creation of a new core theory. By comparatively analyzing the various categories in a
constant continuing manner for their correspondent properties, which would identify each as a
part of the relevant whole, meaning was made from the data. Thus, the emergent central category
14
was literally established by the recognition of relevantly similar qualities from within the
categories. Charmaz (2014) also described the last phase of coding, named theoretical coding, as
follows:
The purpose of these codes is to help you theorize your data and axial codes.
Theoretical codes are meant to be integrative; they lend form to the axial code
you have collected. These codes may help you tell an analytical story that has
coherence. Hence, theoretical codes not only conceptualize how your substantive
codes are related, but also may move your analytic story in a theoretical direction
(p. 150).
This phase is to merge substantive codes which relate to each other to make a narrative that
clearly illustrates the core categories. That is, this coding is not simply combining existing axial
codes; rather, it is a process of weaving each concept and making stories. In order to achieve this,
similar to the work of creating axial codes, existing axial codes which were illustrating central
phenomena and related to the research questions were merged in order to create bigger concepts
(sub-folders) and themes (folders).
15
Chapter Four
4. Research Findings
4.1.
Researcher Role and Bias
Qualitative researcher acted as an important instrument in the process of data collection and
analysis (e.g. Miles et al., 2014). In line with this, it is important to note that every researcher has
different preconceptions which could directly/indirectly influence the quality of data analysis, as
follows:
Ground theorists, like other researchers, may and do unwittingly start from
their own preconceptions about what a particular experience means and entails.
Preconceptions that emanate from such standpoints as class, race, embodiment,
culture, and historical era may permeate an analysis without the researcher’s
awareness (Charmaz, 2014, p. 156).
From this perspective, sustained reflection on researchers’ influences in the overall research
process is essential. In line with this issue, the concept of role/bias has been an important factor
in deciding the quality of qualitative research (e.g. Johnson, 2015). This, however, should not be
understood as meaning that in qualitative research the aim is to completely erase a researcher’s
preconceptions or biases:
It is impossible to deal with these issues by eliminating the researcher’s
theories, beliefs, and perceptual lens. Instead, qualitative research is primarily
concerned with understanding how a particular researcher’s values and
expectations may have influenced the conduct and conclusions of the study
(which may be either positive or negative) and avoiding negative consequences
of these. Explaining your possible biases and how you will deal with these is a
key task of your research proposal (Maxwell, 2013, p. 124, original italics).
Instead, incorporating information about the researcher is a better method for readers to
understand easily the process of the researcher’s analysis and variables influencing the data
collection and analysis (Peshkin, 2000; Hall & Callery, 2001; Tracy, 2010; Gentles, Jack,
Nicholas & McKibbon, 2014). The concept of researcher’s role has been defined differently in
16
terms of its scope (Hall & Callery, 2001; Mruck & Mey, 2007; Ahmed, Abdulla, Hundt &
Blackburn, 2011; Gentles et al., 2014). Berger (2015) recently argued that reflexivity of
researchers impacts on the overall research process in three ways, when researchers: i) share the
experience of research participants; ii) move from the position of an outsider to that of an insider
of the context of the study; and iii) have no personal familiarity with research participants.
In line with this, Peshkin (1988) examined the influence of ‘subjectivity’ of a researcher which
he described as the ‘I’s’ in the process of conducting research. It is helpful to provide some
background about my interest in English language teachers’ professional learning because most
social science research begins from the researcher’s curiosity, and this curiosity influences the
processes of data collection and analysis (Lofland et al., 2006). This study also began an
enduring personal interest; more precisely, an interest in how English language teachers can
retain a continuous passion for teaching, and this was closely related to my personal life.
I was a primary and secondary school English language teacher who had worked at a middle
school, a high school and preparatory levels for 15 years. I was very enthusiastic about
enhancing my teaching quality. I participated in various CPD programs. Although most CPD
programs were held outside of my school so I had to do catch up lessons in order to attend, I
tried to attend CPDs programs as much as possible. In particular, whenever I obtained fresh
teaching ideas I tried to apply it to my lessons. Some pedagogy, however, were not helpful
because they had low levels of relevance or coherence. Through engagement in any educational
sector, I was able to experience other English language teachers’ pedagogies and also apply them
to my lessons.
Along with these efforts, I also went to a post-graduate school. I took a number of courses which
were taught by the professor in this study and I was able to learn various instructional models. I
really enjoyed this learning experience although maintaining the life-style of working during the
day and studying at night is very challenging.
4.2.
Construction of Vignettes
As explained in the previous sub-section, data collected from different sources were analyzed by
using Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2014) and writing analytical memos. Through
this process, codes that illustrated teachers’ professional learning in the CPD as related to the
17
research questions were merged to construct themes. As a result, a total of 5 themes were
constructed. The data collected for this study was thematically categorized to establish the 5
themes presented in this chapter.
As a qualitative study, which relied to a large extent on participants’ views and perceptions, the
presentation of this chapter is supported by direct quotes. Thus, the 8 English language teachers
are individually characterized as T1 to T8, and the deputy principal is labeled as DP; the main
principal is labeled as P, and the Woreda school supervisor is labeled as WSS.
4.3.
Initial coding
Initial coding is a way to understand in-depth raw data collected. In order to achieve this, initial
codes must stick closely to the raw data (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). In other words, initial codes
must be ‘well-grounded’ in the raw data. It should be noted, however, that in order to capture
emerging concepts, initial codes must arise from research participants’ perspectives and the
central phenomena; rather than from researcher’s preconceptions about existing theories (Corbin
& Strauss, 2008; Maxwell, 2013). In terms of data amount within an initial code, rather than
using the ‘word-by-word’ or ‘line-by-line’ coding (Allan, 2003), the project employed the
‘chunk’ – as a unit of meaning(s) – coding ranging from a word to a paragraph (Miles et al.,
2014). In creating these initial codes, each code was as grounded as possible by using the words
of the research participants.
18
Table 1 List of Initial Indicators and Concepts from Interviews
Axial coding
Initial coding
Reference
transcript
The General CPD
Program
- three areas in total for 60 hours
- Two topics coming from the City Administration
Education Bureau
- requiring us to undertake 20-hour long activity
- subject specific
- planning different things related to our teaching
- focusing on at the beginning of each academic year
- working on active learning
- planning on their own
- focusing on increasing students’ results
- no specific attention for English teachers in this CPD
- keeping on our regular reports
- preparing portfolio
- Preparing worksheets
- saving them the portfolio to submit to the office
- checking if the reports match
- meet every 15 days, mostly for 15 minutes
- discussing about the general teaching and learning
process
- sharing experiences
- observing each other’s class
19
Interview/FGD
Relevance
Program
the - Doing the 60 hour CPD
of
to
English
- getting the certificate at the end of the
- not getting the promotion
Language Teachers
- bringing salary increment
- doing the CPD mainly for promotion
- not focusing on the practice aspect of the CPD
- not taking CPD positively
- making us busy for nothing
- boring and a waste of time
- not giving all your time to students
- not liking the CPD
- copying each other’s work
- peer observation once in a semester
- too generic
- criticizing it for being too generic
- not giving you any specific area
- working for all subjects
- is a paper-based
- is all about attitude
- is life-long
- helping English language teachers develop personally and
professionally
- CPD in my view is School-Based Mentoring
Upgrading and Updating
- receiving training from the Ministry of Education
- upgrading with the summer course opportunity
- upgrading opportunities we have really motivates us
- upgrading opportunities is really motivating
- no ELT-related trainings for us
- needing
trainings very much for our English
language improvement
20
Teachers’ English Language - not exercising the language at all
Proficiency Level
- teaching in Amahric
- not knowing the language
- knowing how to speak
- needing to know what to teach
- needing to know to write, read or listen in the
language
- needing to be a good conversant of English
- lack of proficiency
- no exposure to the language
- weak when it comes to speaking and writing English
- terrible at writing
- not having the opportunity to improve the language
Individual
Effort
Teachers’ Attitude
and - not just sitting and expect anyone to come and support me
- browsing the internet, read books, come to any association
- enhancing my skills
- setting certain requirements to achieve
- joining some associations
- establishing centres
- big problem is attitude
- affecting teachers’ development
- needing to love what they do
- scarying to most teachers
- joining the profession not by choice but by chance
- Individual effort is very important
- positive attitude towards English
- only needing attitude and exerting effort
21
Private School Reference
- teachers’ development is affected by the environment
- working in government schools and my friends in private
schools
- my GPA was even better than theirs
- completely changed
- being more skilful than I am
- experience sharing sessions with private schools
- impacting our English teachers positively
Memo Sorting and Writing up
After reaching the saturation stage of the research process, I started the memo sorting and
writing up, which required me to go through all the memos generated in the data collection and
analysis stage. Memo sorting is one of the essential parts of methodology as it helps put all the
ideas together and integrate the theory. Essentially, the goal here was to conceptualize the issues
discovered during the substantive coding stage. To start the memo sorting process, I firstly
looked at my memo bank and tried to compare every memo on my computer with each other. The
sorting process was guided by the analytical rules mentioned in Glaser’s (1978, pp.116– 128)
theoretical sensitivity book. I tried to follow the procedures stated closely and work my way
towards finishing the theory development process. Moreover, based on the stated procedures, I
asked questions constantly during the memo sorting process (Glaser, 1978, p.123), namely,
‘Where does it fit in?’. The memo sorting process and going through various different ideas took
around two days. I started to develop more memos, which focused more on addressing how the
core categories, sub-categories, properties and dimensions related to each other. This led me to
the discovery of various theoretical codes present in the memo.
22
4.4.Theme 1: The General CPD Program
4.4.1. Content and Organization
As stated in the previous chapters, all government school teachers in Ethiopia, irrespective of the
level of class and the subject matter they teach, are mandated to take part in the national CPD
program which hereafter will be referred to as the ‘General CPD’. All the participants, except the
focused group participants, the English teachers, the deputy and main principals and the Woreda
school supervisor spent much of the interview time talking about this program. The focus of this
study was to explore how the English language teachers are developing within this framework
and through other activities outside of it. Therefore, the findings presented here focus on how the
teachers are particularly benefiting from this endeavor.
The English teachers explained the overall implementation of this CPD which was identical to
what the principal said. He said the program starts at the beginning of every academic year with
a 60-hour action plan. According to T7 below, 3 topics are chosen for their activities each
demanding 20 hours long activity.
T7:“We work on three areas in total for 60 hours. Two of the areas or topics come
from the City Administration Education Bureau and the school. Each of these
requires us to undertake 20-hour long activity respectively. The rest 20-hour is
given to our areas. It is subject specific and we plan different things related to our
teaching
Precisely, T7 explained that the two topics or areas come from higher authorities amounting to
40 hours in total while one of the topics, which should cover 20 hours activities, is the decision
of the individual subject teacher. According to the deputy and main principals, what teachers do
in this 20-hour is what makes the program ‘subject-specific’. Other than that, teachers of all
subjects are required to focus on similar CPD contents prescribed by their school and higher
authorities. P below elaborated on the issue with an example.
P: “The Education Ministry sends one area of interest which teachers are required
to plan and work on for 20 hours. Then, we (the CPD committee of the school)
add another one after discussing what should be focused on at the beginning of
23
each academic year. That is another 20 hours. For example, this year, all the
teachers are working on active learning and continuous assessment. The third 20
hour is left for the teachers to choose and plan on their own specific area of
interest and subject matter they teach.”
According to P, English teachers in his school, like all other teachers, work on these two
teaching methodology areas and on one area of their own classroom practice throughout the
academic year. Like the 8 teachers and the Woreda school supervisor, he made it clear that there
is no special attention given to English teachers in this program.
What P said above was confirmed by many of the teachers. The teachers’ plans and activities are
strongly attached to improving their students’ exam results. They said, within the 20 hours open
space given to them, they plan varying activities related to their English teaching and their
students’ academic achievement.
T7: “We plan different things and our prime focus is on increasing students’ results.
For example, I give a tutorial session called ‘refresh your mind’ to my students
every morning before class time. That is my plan and I am following it.
P: “Well, there is no specific attention for English teachers in this CPD. But, the
teachers, within the 20 hours given for them, can plan to undertake activities on
their own classroom practice which I believe is subject specific. They can for
example plan on how they can improve their students’ academic achievement.”
For T7, the tutorial session he provides is what counts as his ‘subject-specific’ 20-hour CPD
activity. The same was true for the other teachers. They mentioned their plans to give a tutorial
and after-class sessions in addition to their other 40-hour CPD activity plan. Therefore, these
sorts of plans are the ones the principals regarded as the teachers’ subject-specific CPD
activities.
All the teachers explained that the entire 60 hours CPD mainly requires planning and
continuous reporting. They said their plan is what will be held against all the activity reports
they submit to their principals. According to what they plan to achieve, the teachers may
conduct action research, provide support and follow-up to students through tutorials like T7
24
above, hold peer observations, departmental and 1 to 5 meetings. But, whichever activities they
carry out, they emphasized that they make sure they file reports in their ‘CPD Portfolio’ since
the focus on paper reports is immense. All the teachers shared similar experiences like T2
below:
T2: “A file is opened for each of us in which we keep our regular reports. That is
what we call ‘portfolio’. For instance, I may give tutorials to my students to
improve students’ results, or I probably have prepared worksheets or held talks
with my colleague about something. I will write down all these activities and save
them in my portfolio to submit to the office. Then, as I have told you, the specific
principal whose job is to control CPD, will check if my reports match with the
plan I first submitted and grades my work. Then you will be certified.”
Therefore, according to T2, what they plan, do and report are the most crucial phases of this
program. But most of the teachers argued that the ‘do’ part is never valued since the planning
and reporting are the ones principals check and approve from their portfolios. They stressed on
the absence of follow-up on what they do before their reports, which will be discussed in detail
later.
Though what they plan and do mostly varies, all the teachers emphasized that the 1 to 5 and
departmental meetings are common to all of them. The 1 to 5 grouping is a top-down policy in
which teachers are grouped with one best-experienced member who can lead discussions and
share experiences. The group meets every 15 days to talk about classroom related issues. T7
below is the head of such grouping in his school.
T7: “Under this 1 to 5 group, we meet every 15 days, mostly for 15 minutes or less
during break time and discuss about the general teaching and learning process.
We share experiences, observe each other’s class and hold discussions on that.
The department head or the office has the say to who should be included in this
group. They chose me as a head because I have 29 years of teaching experience.”
It is mandatory for teachers to take part in these meetings and report their attendance to the
office. The meeting in the school is held every 15 days but for varying lengths of time. Like T7
above, 7 of the teachers said they meet for 15 minutes or less while the principals said for 45
25
minutes and over. Perhaps, this contradiction occurred because the principals only considered
teachers’ reports while the teachers revealed what they truly experience which will be further
explained later.
4.4.2. Relevance of the Program to English Language Teachers
The most crucial feature of the finding understood how important the CPD undertakings were
believed to be to the English teachers. And for that, the perceptions of the teachers, the
principals and the Woreda school supervisor played a pivotal role in terms of unpacking the
reality on ground from a variety of point of views. Presumably, it was the part where a lot of
contradictions arose.
To begin with, it is worth mentioning the strong bond observed between the General CPD and
career improvement/ promotion. Though there was little confusion, all the teachers, principals
and the Woreda school supervisor mentioned that this CPD endeavor is mainly beneficial to
climb few levels up in the career ladder for a salary increment. The teachers and principals
forwarded contradicting but again overlapping views on this. What T3 said below was shared
by many of the teachers.
T3: “Doing the 60 hour CPD and getting the certificate at the end of the year is useful
for promotion. If you do not do that, you do not get the promotion. So, even if I do
not like the program, I do it. And the promotion brings salary increment you
know.”
However, the two principals, deputy and main principals were totally against the idea of linking
the CPD with the career-ladder and salary increment. They argued that teachers misinterpreted
the aim of the program, but again constantly mentioned in the end, teachers’ promotion is the
result of their CPD performance. If teachers fail to satisfy the requirements, they will not be
promoted. Generally, the program was often associated with promotion and career improvement
in the teachers’ and principals’ statements.
DP: “Teachers think they are doing the CPD mainly for promotion. However, the aim
should have been to improve their skills. But the truth is if they don’t have a 60hour CPD activity portfolio at the end of the year, they do not get the promotion.”
26
On the other hand, only 2 teachers out of the 8 and the Woreda school supervisor and the 2
principals believe that the CPD program is beneficial. However, 6 out of the 8 interviewed
English language teachers strongly argued that the program is not helping English teachers
develop at all. It was believed to be irrelevant and a waste of time lacking local relevance for
English language teachers. The teachers’ criticism focused on the paper-based and obligatory
aspect of the endeavor. They argued against the impracticality of the program saying the focus
is on how many paper reports are submitted for how many hours but not on what was done
practically.
T2: “The administration does not focus on the practice aspect of the CPD. All they
worry about is the report you submit, the paper. No matter how hard you worked,
if you do not give them that on paper, it is nonsense. That is what makes us hate
the things we do here.”
Many teachers like T2, forwarded their critical reflection on the program. Most of them never
considered it useful. T7 below is the head of the 1 to 5 meeting who was quoted earlier. With
such position in his school and more than 29 years of teaching experience, he even believes that
the program is a waste of time.
T7: “If you want to know what I think about this CPD program, including me and
majority of the English language teachers in my department do not take it
positively. We never think of it as something beneficial. It is just making us busy
for nothing. It is boring and a waste of time.”
It was true that all the other teachers interviewed from the same school had a similar opinion
about the program. T6, for instance, argued that teachers are unhappy with the program as it
overloads them with activities for students in addition to their regular teaching classes.
These teachers talked about the ‘faking of their CPD’ as a result. They said they copy each
other’s work and submit unrealistic reports. This is where the principals missed the point earlier
when talking about the teachers 1 to 5 meetings, and explained how they fake their reports.
27
T6: “I think all of us like any other government workers need a break. It is really
difficult to give all your time to students. I believe this is the main reason why we
do not like the CPD we have here. We mostly copy each other’s work. And we
have, for example, peer observation once in a semester, and the 1 to 5 meeting
every 15 days. We might have held the meetings or the observation for 10 minutes
or less, but we report saying we did it for 45 minutes.”
Unlike other activities in this General CPD, the English language teachers said they greatly
value the meetings they hold with their peers in their department or the 1 to 5 grouping.
However, most of them feel they are under pressure to even do that; so, they often falsify the
meeting reports.
The teachers were not the only ones who criticized the program for lacking practicality. The
Woreda school supervisor also confirmed that the general CPD is what English language
teachers in government schools are currently occupied with when it is not obviously ideal for
their development.
WSS: “Let me tell you about the CPD program. Many people are critical about the
CPD program we currently have in schools for being too generic. They criticize it
for being too generic because if you look at the CPD tool kit or the framework or
the CPD manual, it does not give you any specific area or examples for English
teachers to become better English teachers. It works for all subjects. That is why
it is too generic.
He argued that the program is generic in its sense that it lacks English language content in it
which cannot assist English language teachers’ development. For that, he believes that the
program is of no importance to English language teachers.
Nevertheless, 2 of the teachers out of the 8 interviewed and all the 2 principals believe that the
General CPD is very useful to English language teachers as it is for other subject teachers. All
the 2 principals emphasized that they did not believe the paper-work was as extreme as some
teachers made it to be.
28
P: “It is correct. It is a paper-based. Teachers are required to show evidence for
what they did, but it is not that extreme.”
Like the 2 teachers who were optimistic about the general CPD, the 2 principals attributed some
of the teachers’ critical comments on the program to be the result of lack of awareness and
negative attitude to their own profession.
According to the 2 principals, the teachers who complain are those with very little or no
P: “It is all about attitude. Well, it will certainly take time but I am sure there will be
attitudinal change. If they truly work hard, they can change. It is mostly those
who do not work hard who complain. Those who really understand it are always
benefited.”
understanding of the program’s benefit. They believe lack of awareness is the cause for the
teachers’ negative attitude towards the General CPD. T1 below is one of the English teachers
who was positive about the program.
T1: “You know what, everyone has varying attitudes naturally. I do not really
understand why people say it is boring. If anyone wants to move from one level to
another, they need promotion. And for that, they need to update and upgrade
themselves through this CPD. It helps you compile your works in a file at the end
of the day.”
The Woreda school supervisor was, however, more critical about this program and mentioned a
Mentoring program which the MoE has been running for few years which replaced the general
CPD for English teachers.
When asked why none of the English teachers or the principals interviewed for this study
mentioned this Mentoring program, the supervisor affirmed that the program did not yield results
as planned. According to him, the implementation differed from region to region and the
performance status of the program in Addis Ababa was not so good. He said that the MoE should
be working hard for a better implementation and imagines the increasing level of awareness on
this program among education leaders in Addis Ababa Education Bureau.
29
WSS: “The most useful for English language teachers’ CPD in my view is SchoolBased Mentoring which is subject-specific and which can help English language
teachers develop personally and professionally. This mentoring program is lifelong that can help the teachers sustainably. Teachers will be coached, mentored
and trained by teachers who have good command of English.”
According to the official, if implemented properly, the School-Based English Mentoring
Program is advantageous to assist English language teachers’ development in government
schools.
This mentoring program may have a positive impact on English teachers’ professional
development when implemented, but for the time being, the English teachers do not have such
program in their schools. Ultimately, this part of the finding shows that the General CPD is
what English language teachers are currently busy with in the selected school. All participants
confirmed that there is no special attention given to English language teachers in this program
and that they are treated like other subject teachers. The teachers are mandated to plan a 60-hour
CPD activity at the beginning of every academic year and report their undertakings to their
schools throughout the year. They are solely evaluated for the report they submit and not for the
practical aspect of what they do which resulted on the faking of their CPD.
4.5. Theme 2: Upgrading and Updating
As mentioned in the literature review chapter, ‘upgrading and updating’ are the two main
categories of the general CPD framework in government schools. Nevertheless, the finding of
this study shows that these two categories were separately mentioned as the two types of the
English language teachers’ professional development components outside the general CPD.
‘Upgrading’ was referred to as the process of undertaking additional studies such as converting
certificate to a diploma, diploma to first degree and more, while ‘Updating’ was interpreted as
the result of ‘in-service’ training. What was worth noticing in the data about these two terms is
the fact that all the 2 principals talked about them as an initial answer to explain ‘how their
English teachers are developing in their schools’.
30
P: “Our English teachers receive training from the Ministry of Education and
upgrade themselves with the summer course opportunity the government provides.
That is mainly how they are developing.”
It was then, the principals talked about the General CPD. However, the teachers’ initial answer
regarding their development was concerned with the General CPD and then the updating and
upgrading opportunities they have in their schools. All the 8 English teachers, the 2 principals
and the Woreda school supervisor talked about the ample ‘upgrading’ opportunities available
for teachers in government schools. Out of the 8 teachers interviewed, only 1 said, she is paying
for her in-service education while all the others are mostly upgrading their education from
diploma to a degree level with a sponsorship from the government. T8 below was the only
teacher who said she is self-sponsored.
T8: “I am paying for my evening class to upgrade myself. I decided to do this because
I did not want to wait until I receive the opportunity from the government.”
According to T6, there are certain requirements teachers need to meet to get the upgrading
opportunities which mainly consist of the length of teaching service. However, including her, all
the teachers appreciated the upgrading opportunity they have in their schools and underlined the
T6: “Here, what stand out the most is the upgrading opportunities we have. It really
motivates us. Imagine, with a teacher salary and with all the struggles in life, if
we did not have such opportunity, you would not try to upgrade yourself since you
cannot afford it. So, the essence of believing that there are upgrading
opportunities is really motivating.”
significance of that to sustain their motivation. T8 was very precise about this:
Like T6, some of the teachers related the upgrading opportunity with their motivation while
others believe it boosts their confidence and helps them have better future in the profession.
They greatly valued this convenience in their schools and acknowledged the positive role it is
playing in their professional development.
31
On the other hand, training, especially ELT-related ones were said to be very scarce. All the
English teachers believe that ELT-related training is extremely required and crucial for their
area of teaching but they hardly have had the opportunity so far.
T7: “There are no ELT-related trainings for us. Even if there are few, they are for
some teachers, not for all of us. We need trainings very much especially for our
English language improvement.”
They talked about the ‘quota training’ offered by the Ministry of education in collaboration with
the British Council which took place in the previous year for only 2 teachers per school. This is
the only training few of them have had recently. Though all the 8 teachers talked about this
quota training, only 3 out them had the chance to take part in it. The main principal explained
that there is a shortage of resource to provide frequent training to all teachers from the
Ministry’s side and said the quota training is the result of that.
The training, according to those who took part, was primarily concerned with English language
teaching methodology with an emphasis on language skills. According to the official, this
training is the product of the English Language Teaching Improvement Program (ELTIP) which
was offered to few selected English language teachers of high schools in Addis Ababa.
4.6.Theme 3: Teachers’ English Language Proficiency Level
This was perhaps the most crucial element of English language teachers’ professional
development which is critically emphasized in this study. To start with the teachers, they
mentioned government school teaching environments as places where the English language
does not exist except in students’ textbooks and rarely in their English classes. They related the
lack of the language in their environment to their worsening proficiency level in it. They said
their fluency in the language is trapped somewhere below the standard and no support exists to
improve it.
T7: “As English language teachers, we are really challenged because we do not
exercise the language at all. We are even accustomed to teaching in Amahric. I
believe the major problem we have is that we do not know the language and we
are expected to teach it well. We teach our students to speak, right? But we do not
32
even know how to speak. To teach we first need to know what to teach before
knowing how to teach it. To teach we first need to know what to teach before
knowing how to teach it. We need to know to write, read or listen in the
language.”
T7’s argument was shared by the Woreda school supervisor. He said his office is aware of the
notable English language teachers’ low proficiency level in the language and that it is
understood teachers have difficulties teaching it.
WSS: “You know, to be an English teacher, first you need to be a good conversant of
English. Unless you are proficient in the language, you cannot teach it. But if you
go to different schools, the reality is totally different and this is mainly because of
their lack of proficiency. To address this problem, ELTIP was pioneered.
The ELTIP training which was referred to as the ‘quota-training’ by the English teachers
previously is what the Ministry is currently using to address the problem. According to many of
the teachers, such type of training is advantageous and needed but they argued more on having
exposure to the language as the best way to improve it.
T7: “English is a language. It is not something you can teach with a formula. It is
improved within day-to-day activities. There must be exposure to the language.
We never use the language outside our class. Even in our class, we are
accustomed to teaching it in Amharic.”
They claimed that it is the lack of attention in their environment which aggravates the situation.
‘English Day’, was what they kept on referring to when talking about using the language for
communication in their environment. The day according to them is attributed to the use of the
language to communicate with the entire school community. They call it ‘Amharic Fasting
Day’. The intention is to use English for that day and no other language. However, they say it is
a failure and they primarily blame the administration staff for that. Let alone using the language
for departmental meetings or among peers, the teachers complained that a single day entitled to
the use of the language is not even supported or seriously approached by the school
administration.
33
The language problem was a sensitive issue raised by all the teachers. They even made it
personal that some, like T4 below, shared their private concerns.
T4: “To be honest, I am very weak when it comes to speaking and writing English. I
might have received trainings on how to teach these skills but I am not even good
at them in the first place. I now have an assignment from my evening class, but I
could not start it yet since I am terrible at writing. You see, this is a big problem.”
This teacher’s problem even goes to the extent of challenging her education. The principals also
mentioned similar situations like T4 and confirmed they recognize teachers’ problems during
classroom observations. However, they accused teachers for lacking the determination to
improve their own profession.
Similarly, the Woreda school supervisor underlined the significance of teachers’ own effort in
his statement. He said, if teachers continue expecting to provide regular training to improve
their English that would simply be unfeasible. He stressed on the need for teachers to exert their
own effort to improve the language or develop their profession.
WSS: “You cannot invite someone from English speaking countries like America or
British to improve their English. My advice is for the teachers to improve
themselves. English is not first or second language in Ethiopia. Teachers do not
have the opportunity to improve the language once they get out of the school. So,
they should come up with their own strategy to improve their English. One is they
have to read in English. Now that we are living in a technology world, with high
technology, teachers need to access that too.”
Likewise, there were also 2 teachers among the interviewed who stated individual effort as the
only way one can improve the language. Teachers surely do not have the opportunity to
improve the language in their environment. They also barely have training opportunities, so like
the official, the principals and the 2 teachers, one’s own effort is the only solution which
basically stood out in the finding.
34
4.7. Theme 4: Individual Effort and Teachers’ Attitude
This theme primarily emerged from the discussion held among 5 English language.
Interestingly, their discussion mainly involved issues such as motivation, attitude and individual
effort. They believed these are the most crucial features of any professional development. They
signposted that the essence of CPD does not exist in government schools at all since most of the
teachers from there do not understand it well. They said development starts from the individual
teachers and that any CPD related problem primarily originates from the teachers themselves.
They emphasized on the fact that unless teachers are personally motivated to grow, no one can
bring that development to their profession. For teachers to be supported with their development,
the members believe that individual teacher’s first need to start the journey on their own.
Discussant 1: “I do not just sit and expect anyone to come and support me for my
own development. It should be me who can support myself. I should browse the
internet, read books, come to any association which can help me enhance my
skills and do more. You know, before I know what CPD is, I have been
experiencing it myself. But you know, I believe this CPD thing is only
implemented by the teacher himself and I think it is the teacher who should set
certain requirements to achieve it. Therefore, it is important if we can join some
associations which work on enhancing English language teachers’ skills.”
There was a strong emphasis on the significance of experience sharing for development.
Majority of the discussants expressed their views on notable impact on their professional
development. Among the 5 teachers interviewed, only 1 was participating in association like
Ethiopian English Language Professionals’ Association /EELPA/. T7 below was the only active
member of EELPA who has been involved in an English association to enhance his professional
development.
T5: “I am a member in EELPA. It is a very good place for development. It has been
so useful for me. I think small centers should be established in different places
with similar endeavor to access more English teachers.”
And the other 3 teachers were also aware of EELPA, especially those who took part in the quota
training. They said they were informed about it there but could not be part of it because of lack
35
of time and different personal problems. They believe teachers are sometimes reluctant to
develop themselves.
Discussant 2: “I think one big problem is attitude. One is the kind of perceptions
teachers have for themselves. That really affects teachers’ development. If you
hate or do not like being a teacher, why would you need to lift it up? Teachers
really need to love what they do.”
A similar concern was shared by the supervisor. Looking at the wider picture, he said the
problem primarily emanates from the recruitment process. According to him, that is why many
teachers are reluctant to develop their language or their profession. Here is what he said about
that:
He said this also raises the issue of teachers’ turn-over which has been challenging the
education sector for so long. Highlighting the complexity of the issue, he stated his firm stance
on teachers’ own effort as the only solution available to overcome the situation.
WSS: “We know that English is very scary to most teachers. Do you know why?
Most teachers joined the profession not by choice but by chance. So, the problem
lies on the recruitment. Those teachers who do not want to become teachers have
now started joining the profession.”
WSS: “Individual effort is very important. What else is attitude? If you have a positive
attitude towards English, you can be a good user of English. So, it only needs
attitude and exerting effort. Otherwise, if they expect a lot from the government or
from someone else, then they won’t develop.”
In general, the themes- ‘individual effort and teachers’ attitude dominated the overall findings of
this study. The Woreda school supervisors and principals were making frequent references to
these points while expressing their views on viable solutions. But it was more interesting in
finding out that the focused group overall discussion highly indicated these two crucial elements
of professional development.
36
4.8. Theme 5: Private School Reference
This part of the finding was totally unpredicted. It was worth noticing that the 2 principals and
the 8 English teachers interviewed constantly mentioned private schools for their good practices
in teaching the language. Private schools were considered to have special attention on English
language and that the teachers who work there were stated to have better exposure and
T8: “I believe teachers’ development is affected by the environment. For example,
after I graduated from college, I started working in government schools and my
friends in private schools. Surprisingly, my GPA was even by far better than
theirs when we graduated. But now, they are completely changed. Their English
is more fluent than mine and they are more skillful than I am.”
improvement as a result. T8 below shared an interesting insight:
The majority of the teachers, like T8, made critical comparisons between the two environments.
They mostly made the reference right after stating problems that exist in government schools
such as the lack of attention and exposure to the language. They compared the conduciveness of
the environments and opted private schools for being encouraging.
The teachers’ argument on private schools was not simply individual claim or opinion. One of
the principals affirmed that this private school reference issue went as far as holding a formal
P: “For all our teachers, we formally have experience sharing program with schools
once a year. Our English teachers in their department came to a decision to hold
experience sharing sessions with private schools. I personally believe this should
maybe more often so that it positively impacts our English teachers.”
school level experience sharing session.
Like the teachers, this principal believed that private schools are worth referring to while talking
about English language teaching and teachers’ development. The teachers especially valued the
attention private schools give to the teaching of the language and claimed that it is that sort of
attention they mostly aspire to have in their environment as well.
37
4.9. Chapter Summary
In this chapter, the English language teachers’ CPD environment in the particular government
school can be understood from its different angles. All the participants involved in this study
contributed their share from a variety of perspectives. The varying and overlapping feature of the
findings from the different participants has implications which will be discussed in the following
chapter, but for the summary here, the following are the main findings stated in this study:

English language teachers in government school, like any other subject teachers, are
mandated to take part in the general CPD program.

This general CPD is thought to be massively irrelevant and not contextualized for
English language teachers’.

School-Based English Mentoring Program (SBEM) was initiated by the Ministry of
education to replace the general CPD for English language teachers but has not been
successful so far. None of the teachers or principals in this study was aware of it.

Upgrading opportunities are available widely but in-service ELT- related training is rare.

Few English language teachers had the opportunity to receive a ‘quota-training’ under
ELTIP.

Teachers’ low English language proficiency level is a critical concern for the teachers at
national level.

Teachers’ individual effort and positive attitude were emphasised for being the most
crucial elements of successful CPD.

Private schools were said to have a conducive environment for English language
teachers’ development.
38
Chapter Five
5.
Discussion
5.1. Introduction
Triangulating data sources for this study led to an understanding of the research problem from its
different angles. In the previous chapter, it was clearly depicted that all the participants- the 8
English teachers, the 2 principals /the deputy principal and main principal/, the Woreda school
supervisor and the 5 focused group teachers were expressing their views from their own
standpoints. Several interpretations were made during the analysis of the data and this chapter is
wholly devoted to the presentation of those considerations. The analysis and the discussion will
be backed up with relevant literature in the field. To help guide the flow of ideas and fit the
interpretations of the findings to the inquiry of this study, the research questions will be used as
topics throughout the chapter.
As mentioned in the concluding chapter, this study has limitations. The data analysis presented
here or the conclusions or implications drawn out of it may not be generalizable to the entire
government high school English language teachers population of the country. However, they are
not also limited to the 8 English language teachers who took part in this study. The insights
drawn particularly from the Woreda school supervisor and the focused group members have the
capacity to broaden the scope of the study and make it inclusive of many more high school
English language teachers in similar situations.
5.2. What does the CPD Environment of High School English Language Teachers in
Government School look like?
CPD is an ongoing process and its success is highly influenced by the conduciveness of
environments (Clement & Vandenberghe 2000). ‘CPD environment’ in this study is to mean
every activity English language teachers undertake within their surrounding in or outside their
schools as part of their professional development. That is what teachers’ CPD demands and what
their environment should involve. It is ‘multifaceted’, as Borg (2015:2) describes it, and
addresses behaviors, knowledge, emotions and thinking. It may occur naturally through schools
or outside them.
39
The finding of this study shows that high school English language teachers in government school
have similar CPD environments like all other subject teachers in their schools. If a similar study
was conducted on Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or any other subject teachers’ CPD
environment, the results would have been identical to the ones we have here. English language
teachers, like all other subject teachers, are overloaded with the daily activities of the general
CPD program in their schools. They claimed to have very little time to undertake other activities
outside this program since they are as well busy with upgrading their level of education. Mann
and Walsh (2017: 104) attributed such situation to be the result of tensions in education systems.
They said, to meet the demand of ‘rapidly evolving societies, teachers are facing increasing
pressure to take part in CPD activities.’
As briefly mentioned in the review of literature chapter, the theoretical assumption of this
General CPD seems to base itself on the current underpinnings of successful CPD approaches in
the field. For instance, setting goals, prior to undertaking activities, is the foundation of any
structured CPD program (Richard & Farrell 2005). In this general CPD, teachers plan their
activities, implement the plans daily and report back to their school principals. Then, the
principals crosscheck teachers’ plans if they go with their reports and certify them for benefits
related to career development and salary increase. With the risk of oversimplifying the endeavor,
these are the main steps the teachers take every year to live up to their General CPD program
requirements which in theory corresponds to what Richards and Farrell (2005), consider the most
crucial strategic steps of any structured CPD program
Similarly, the CPD approaches, such as the 1 to 5 grouping, departmental meetings, peer
observations or the school visits, enforced in the program, can also be considered the modern
types like the ones discussed in the review literature chapter. The program does not totally rely
on a top-down approach, but rather gives the impression that it supports teachers’ autonomous
learning and values their contribution. Teachers were describing the freedom they have to plan
and undertake varying activities. For instance, T7 was quoted talking about the choice he had on
the sorts of activities he aspired to undertake as part of his plans. This again theoretically
matches with what Borg (2015), underscores as an exemplary CPD practice which greatly values
teachers experience and knowledge
40
Furthermore, the findings in the previous chapter imply that collegiality is taken into
consideration in this general CPD. Though mandated, teachers come together in their department
or their 1 to 5 grouping to talk about issues related to their classroom practices. This is
considered one of the best CPD approaches in the field at present. Padwad and Dexit (2015)
from their study on small English teachers’ clubs in schools confirmed that, the coming together
greatly assists English teachers’ development in many ways. In fact, the 1 to 5 meeting and the
departmental regular sessions identified in this study can be considered the most valuable
elements of the English language teachers’ CPD environment as will be discussed in further
detail later.
In a broader sense, collaboration between individual teachers, schools and the government can
also be observed in this general CPD. In the production of the 60-hour activity reports at the end
of an academic year, teachers are required to work on different teaching methodology issues.
Topics are collectively chosen, in which, one area comes from the government (education
bureau), the second from respective schools and the third, from individual teachers. According to
Day (1999) the collaborative effort of all these three stakeholders is what makes a CPD endeavor
productive in schools.
The approaches above can all be regarded as the positive aspects of the general CPD in theory.
However, in practice, the endeavor lacks relevance to the English language teachers’
professional needs in the environment. As Avalos (2010: 10) underlined it, ‘not every form of
professional development, even those with greatest evidence of positive impact is of relevance to
all teachers.’
Teachers’ successful professional development satisfies both their institutions’ and their personal
goals. According to Richards and Farrell (2005), most schools try to take both into consideration
while implementing CPD programs. The General CPD, however, seems to overshadow the
personal needs and goals of the individual teachers. Teachers were seen talking about the plans
they have in the program which all were concerned with their students’ achievements.
Obviously, there is no harm with teachers working hard for their students’ better academic
achievement in their CPD as that is the essence of CPD- for teachers to professionally develop
well and positively impact their students’ academic achievement (Borg 2015; Avalos 2010; Day
1999). But then again, if that goes to the extent of overloading the teachers with piles of work
41
with no or very little envisaged outcome to their own personal growth, that makes any CPD
undertaking more of a burden than a fruitful experience (Day 2000; Borg 2015; Dias-Maggioli
2004). T6 was for instance, straightforward about this issue. She said, ‘I think all of us like any
other government workers need a break. It is really difficult to give all your time to students.’
Evidently, she did not think the program had any impact on her development which was also
shared by majority of the other teachers. And this is problematic since it could lead to teachers’
rejection and resistance. Day (2000: 101) said in some life-long learning opportunities for
teachers, ‘arguably, the measures put in place to drive student progress forward have neglected
the needs of teachers themselves.’ But, according to Day & Sachs (2004), teachers’ personal
development needs must be reconciled with schools’ needs so that they actively engage in
professional development undertakings to get the best out of them.
On the other hand, the teachers were seen to be very appreciative about the upgrading
opportunities they have in their environment. In fact, the principals’ initial response to how their
English language teachers develop was their upgrading circumstances. Clearly, this can be
considered one of the teachers’ sources of development. According to Craft (2000), in-service
education or INSET is a very crucial supplement for CPD which improves teachers’ professional
skills.
However, the interpretation given to ‘updating’ was worth noticing. In the findings, teachers and
principals interpreted ‘updating’ to be the result of only in-service trainings such as the quota
training mentioned and never reflected on the updating impact of the general CPD. Apparently,
for teachers, in-service trainings are vital as Craft mentioned it above. In fact, Richard and
Farrell (2005) claim that teachers will not be able to learn on their own without the help of
training and workshops. So, the significance of trainings is totally undeniable. But it was worth
noticing that the General CPD Program was never considered to have an updating impact on
teachers’ profession or personal growth when that should have been the case. Day (1999: 4) says,
‘the central purpose of professional development is to enable teachers to fulfill roles in the
changing contexts in which their work and learning takes place’. However, with no reaction on
the updating effect of the General CPD, the teachers and even the principals were emphasizing
on the need for ‘updating opportunities’ which according to them were ‘in-service ELT-related
trainings’.
42
5.3. How Aware and Satisfied are English Language Teachers about their Professional
Development in Government School?
[[[
The majority of the teachers interviewed were against the current general CPD program they
have in their schools which unexpectedly was supported by the principals. Interestingly, the
principals claimed teachers’ critical opinion about the program to originate from lack of
awareness and accountability. P was particularly quoted saying ‘…It is mostly those who don’t
work hard who complain.’
The 8 English teachers who took part in this study were, however, chosen by the Principals
themselves. They chose these teachers for their good reputation in their schools and for being
active participants in the general CPD. This displayed a notable inconsistency between the
teachers’ identity and the principals reasoning for supporting the CPD endeavor. Most of these
teachers were very critical about the program and argued that it is totally irrelevant and a waste
of time for several reasons. Their active involvement and good reputation did not stop them from
being critical. Perhaps, it can be noted that the implementation of the program lacks flexibility or
as Dias-Maggioli (2004: 6) claims, it is not ‘inquiry-based’. The principals not even once tried to
consider the teachers’ feedback on the program but simply accused them for being critical.
The teachers were not satisfied with the program mainly because it is obligatory and impractical.
From the previous chapter, it can be understood that the program is under full control of the
schools’ principals. Majority of the teachers displayed lack of ownership and accountability as a
result. They found the program totally irrelevant and a waste of time but they do it anyway since
it holds their future in the profession which is the promotion for a better salary.
The principals, as mentioned previously, never considered the teachers’ complaint on the
program but rather confronted the issue with accusation. Day (2000: 107) claims that, like
students, teachers’ successful learning happens through motivation, which according to him
‘cannot be achieved by means of tight centralized control’. Most of the teachers also argued that
the program is impractical. They said they mostly fake their reports since the focus is on how
much paper reports are submitted for how many hours but not on what was done practically.
Borg (2015:5) describing similar situation said, ‘At management level, satisfaction can be
obtained from the quantitative knowledge that X teachers have spent Y hours attending Z CPD
43
sessions. However, the harsh reality is that CPD in such cases is too often largely a waste of
time.’
The general CPD was intensely associated with ‘career development’ and promotion. Possibly,
setting career development or promotion as the result of a CPD endeavor cannot entirely be
considered wrong. According to Craft (2000), extending the experience of an individual teacher
for career development or promotion purposes can be one of the many reasons for undertaking
professional development. However, the teachers in this study, interpreted ‘career-development’
as a source for salary increase only. ‘career development’ surely represents salary escalation but
most importantly it represents the development of teachers’ experiential knowledge from one
level to another which is not at all considered in the views of the teachers in this study (Bailey et
al 2001).
Collegiality, which is according to Richards and Farrell (2005: 11), the ‘creating of a culture
through developing cohesive and professional relationships between staffs’, was the most valued
CPD approach the 8 English teachers mentioned. Though some admitted they often fake them,
the 1 to 5 and departmental meetings were better preferred than other approaches the teachers
have in the program. This can be linked to the extreme positivity group focused discussion
members displayed on the sharing of ideas and experiences with colleagues in their association.
Associations of this kind, greatly promote collegiality and collaborative development which
should also be replicated in schools. According to Smith and Kuchah (2016:213), few studies
conducted so far revealed ‘how strong the impact of participating in Teachers Associations can
be on teachers personal and professional lives especially in developing countries where the
teacher training opportunities they provide can represent the only available avenue for
professional development.’
The other most important aspect of the finding was understanding the teachers’ overall CPD
interpretation. Interestingly, the data collected from focused group discussion members mostly
brought the themes ‘individual effort and teachers attitude which are the most crucial elements of
CPD. According to Bailey et al (2001), teachers’ heightened awareness and positive attitude are
essential for their development to be open to change. These themes were constantly associated
44
with intrinsic motivation and awareness which were barely mentioned by the 8 English language
teachers.
The finding shows that focused group discussion members are responsible for their own
professional development and that they exert their individual effort to own it. Mushayikwa &
Lunbben (2009) call this a ‘self-directed PD’ while Attard (2017) calls it a ‘personally-driven
PD’, all referring to teachers’ own initiative to develop oneself. This was unlike most of the
English language teachers interviewed from the government schools who hardly talked about
their individual effort to personally or professionally develop. This is indicative of the extreme
lack of awareness among the teachers interviewed, not on the general CPD program they have in
their schools like the principals claimed, but on the term ‘CPD’ itself and what it requires mostly.
It might have broadened their prospects and helped them realize that everything they do to
become better teachers, be it on their own or in collaboration with others is what counts as their
CPD (Mann & Walsh 2017). Whereas, for most of the teachers in government schools, their
environment has already burdened them with all the irrelevant CPD undertakings and narrowed
down their CPD perspectives to only what they do in their schools. Perhaps, this provides a clue
to why English teachers in private schools are developing better than those in government
schools. The repeated private school referencing by the teachers and principals might get
answers out of this. Nevertheless, this is a critical issue which requires an intensive investigation.
5.4. What are the Major Factors Affecting English Language Teachers’ Development in the
Environment?
Lack of attention, teachers’ low proficiency level in the language and lack of individual effort are
the major problems affecting English teachers’ professional development in the environment
according to the participants in this study. According to Dias-Maggioli (2002:202), CPD for
language teachers is needed primarily to enable them to ‘help their students develop proficiency
in the target language.’ But in the case of this study, teachers have neither the appropriate
Professional Development nor the proficiency level in the language themselves to positively
impact their students’ learning. The teachers massively related their worsening proficiency with
the extreme lack of exposure to the language in their environment.
45
Language improvement surely demands practice and the teachers do not have that. The ‘English
Day’ is, for instance, indicative of the extremity of the problem. There is this one day which the
teachers hope to communicate in the language just to create the exposure in the environment but
even that day is not appropriately reinforced or valued. This goes totally against Steven
Krashen’s ‘comprehensible input hypotheses for second language acquisition. According to
Krashen (1991: 410), ‘only comprehensible input is consistently effective in increasing
proficiency.’ With his study results, he confirmed that ’those with more exposure to the language
tend to show more proficiency in it’ (1991: 411). That was why the teachers kept on making
references to private schools to claim how the level of attention given to the language and the
teachers there with appropriate exposure to the language help English language teachers develop
better. Presumably, the problem is a national concern as well. The Woreda school supervisor was
quoted saying:
WSS: “You know, to be an English teacher, first you need to be a good conversant of
English. Unless you are proficient in the language, you cannot teach it. But if you
go to different schools, the reality is totally different and this is mainly because of
their lack of proficiency. To address this problem, finally ELTIP was pioneered.
However, ELTIP, which was referred to as the quota training might enhance the teachers’
pedagogical knowledge for immediate classroom consumption but cannot improve their
proficiency level since it is a one-off incident and no language can be improved through such
one-off events (Berbirso 2014). Such training is what Hargreaves (1994: 430) metaphorically
described as ‘an occasional injection given to teachers to pep them up, calm them down or ease
their pains’ but nothing more than that.
From the supervisor’s statement above, it can also be understood that teachers’ upgrading or
level of education does not seem to impact their proficiency in the language. Even though,
according to the official, most of the teachers who took the proficiency test were Bachelor
Degree and Master degree holders, which are the two very high levels of education entitlements
the teachers could possess, they were unable to pass the exams. This shows that the only way the
teachers can improve the language is through their Continuing Professional Development and
their daily exposure to it which do not exist within their current working environment.
46
The other very crucial shared problem was teachers’ negative attitude which provokes lack of
individual effort. This is directly linked to the teachers’ motivation. According to Daniels
(2016:62), the root of motivation means ‘to move’ and this psychological construct refers to
people’s desires to act and/or to exert effort. Except for the 8 English language teachers, the
other participants in this study highly emphasized on the importance of individual effort for a
successful professional development. This is unarguably true. CPD requires motivation and an
exertion of ongoing individual effort to be effective as Mann (2005:105) claims it is a
‘continuing process of becoming which can never be finished.’
However, what is more problematic is when the source of teachers’ lack of individual effort for
their own professional development is overlooked or unidentified. Daniels (2016:61) says,
‘research suggests that the contexts in which individuals function can greatly influence their
motivation to exert effort and to engage with tasks.’ Currently, the teachers are overburdened
with the General CPD program which majority of them considered irrelevant and a waste of
time. They expressed hatred and dissatisfaction to this program and their overall working
environment which clarifies why the teachers are unable to exert their effort on their own CPD.
This can, therefore, be considered the other critical problem affecting English teachers’
professional development in government schools.
5.5. Chapter Summary
The interpretations discussed in this chapter can be summarized as follows:
 English language teachers in government schools are not given the appropriate attention they
deserve which can assist their development in the environment.
 The current General CPD program the English teachers are busy with does not consider English
language teachers’ personal and professional needs at all.
 CPD ownership or individual teachers’ own effort to take responsibility for one’s own
development barely exists among the English language teachers interviewed.
 Collegiality was found to be the most valuable CPD approach for the English language teachers
in the selected government school environments.
 English language teachers low proficiency level in the language which is aggravated by the
extreme lack of exposure to the language in government schools’ context, was confirmed to be the
major factor affecting the teachers’ development in the environment in addition to teachers’
negative attitude and lack of personal effort.
47
Chapter Six
6. Conclusion and Recommendations
6.1. Conclusion
This study in general depicts the extreme lack of attention on high school English language
teachers’ professional development in the particularly selected government school. It can even be
argued that teachers’ lack of individual effort and negative attitude highlighted previously, can
most probably be attributed to the lack of attention to English teachers observed in the
environment. According to Day (1999: 20), ‘It is important in schools which are effective, good
and engaged in continuous development that attention is paid to teachers’ lives, their learning
and development needs and working conditions.’
The English language teachers’ very crucial development need in the profession is generally
overlooked. According to the findings, English language teachers lack the appropriate
proficiency level in the language to properly continue developing in the profession. This might
be considered the teachers’ personal problems and that it might be argued that the teachers
themselves should strive to change it on their own.
Noticeably, this study also highly favors individual teachers’ effort to their own development.
However, this problem is a lot more than only the concern of individual English language
teachers in government school and could not just be left to the teachers’ decision and sense of
accountability. It is rather a national issue which has been a hindrance to the provision of the
country’s quality English language teaching endeavor. Therefore, it is better to agree with Knight
(2009:508) who said, ‘rather than blame teachers and ask, ‘why do teachers resist?’ Perhaps
those of us who lead change should ask ‘what can we do to make it easier for teachers to
implement new practices?’
48
6.2. Recommendations
This study attempted to provide a potential input to policy makers, teacher educators and schools
who are currently working on improving the country’s English language teaching quality. It
notifies the enormous demand of a context-sensitive and specific CPD framework for high
school English language teachers in government schools. These teachers as can be understood
from this study need assistance with their professional development and simply arguing that they
should be responsible for their own development is unfeasible. It is rather practical if conducive
CPD environment is created to the teachers in their schools by making use of what is already
available.
The following practical implications are, therefore, the heart of this study:
 First and foremost, it is crucial to start giving attention to the teachers perhaps
through replacing the General CPD with the School-Based Mentoring program. It
is also all about creating a conducive CPD environment to English teachers;
therefore, the mentoring program should be flexible enough to introduce other
professional practices that can sustain the teachers’ development.
 Small clubs should be established in schools or through the prevailing
departmental meetings. In this study, the 1 to 5 meeting and the departmental
regular gatherings were greatly valued which signifies the need to strengthen the
endeavour.
 Providing consistent training to individual English language teachers in
government schools is unfeasible. Teachers’ dependency on trainings should,
therefore, be transformed through continuous awareness raising discussions
within their departments or the Mentoring program.
 Improving the proficiency level of one’s English language teacher requires a
continuous effort of individuals. However, it can also be assisted through creating
conducive environments with adequate exposure to the language. This can happen
through increasing the use of the language during teachers’ regular meetings.
49
 Whichever CPD program is favoured to be implemented in schools, the teachers’
professional needs should primarily be taken into consideration along with
schools’ and respective governments’.
50
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Guiding interview questions for 8 teachers
1. What does Continuing Professional Development mean to you?
____________________________________________________________________________
2. What is your day to day activity like?
____________________________________________________________________________
3. How do you reflect on your teaching? What kinds of things do you do?
____________________________________________________________________________
4. Many teachers I interviewed said the CPD program you have in your school is time
consuming and demotivating. Are you aware of this? What things have you done so far to
make sure teachers are doing it with motivation?
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Teachers said they are asked to provide too much paper work, I am sure you have heard this
complaint before, have you? What do you think about that?
___________________________________________________________________________
6. So, clearly, the CPD program you have in your school does not give any special attention to
English teachers. Don’t you think they require special attention? How important do you think
is this CPD for English teachers?
_________________________________________________________________________
56
7. What do you think are the major problems affecting English language teachers’ development
in your school or in general?
_________________________________________________________________________
8. Teachers were mentioning their low level of English language proficiency as the major
factor affecting their development. They were blaming the school environment for
aggravating the situation, what do you think about this?
_________________________________________________________________________
9. How important do you think is a school environment for English language teachers CPD?
_________________________________________________________________________
10. How should English teachers be helped to develop effectively in your school or outside
your school?
____________________________________________________________________________
11. Do you have anything to add?
____________________________________________________________________________
Appendix 2: Guiding interview questions for main and vice principals, and Woreda
school Supervisor.
1. How do you see the relevance of CPD program for teachers?
__________________________________________________
2. Do you think English teachers are engaging in CPD activities?
__________________________________________________
3. Do you think CPD is being properly implemented?
__________________________________________________
57
4. To what extent, do English teachers are engaging in CPD?
__________________________________________________
5. How do you follow-up the implementation of CPD activities in your school?
__________________________________________________
6. Would you mention the major activities that English teachers are participating?
__________________________________________________
7. How do English teachers justify their participation in the CPD activities?
__________________________________________________
8. Do you think the school leaderships and school supervisors participate in CPD activities?
How do you justify?
__________________________________________________
9. Do you think the school leaderships and school supervisors support English teachers as
they implement their CPD plans?
__________________________________________________
10. Does the school allocate budget and material resources for the implementation of CPD
programs?
__________________________________________________
11. What factors hinder the implementation of CPD?
__________________________________________________
12. To
promote
the
implementation
of
the
CPD,
what
do
you
suggest?
__________________________________________________
Thank you in advance for your cooperation!!
Appendix 3: Questions for Focused Group Discussion
I would like to thank you all for sparing your time for this discussion and hope that the
discussion at the end will provide you with certain input for your own professional development.
1. How do you describe Continuous Professional Development?
58
2. What do you personally do develop yourself in the profession?
_________________________________________________________________
3. What are the major problems according to your experience that affect English teachers
development in the profession?
_________________________________________________________________
4. Do you attend ELT-related workshops, trainings or short-term courses? Have they been
appropriate to your context?
__________________________________________________________________
5. How do you describe your school environment contributing to your development?
__________________________________________________________________
6. How do you reflect on your teaching? What kinds of things do you do?
__________________________________________________________________
7. Do you have any thong to add?
__________________________________________________________________
Appendix 4: The Transcribed Interview and FGD
The data collected for this study was thematically categorized to establish the 5 themes presented
in chapter four. As outlined previously, data was collected from 8 English language teachers in a
selected school, 2 of the school’s principals and 1 Woreda school supervisor interviews while a
focused group discussion was held among 5 English language teachers. Unexpectedly, the
themes which emerged from all these participants greatly overlapped though there were also
some contradictions observed. The researcher put the huge amount of data gathered through
interviews and focused group discussion in to 5 major themes so as to focus on the most
significance points categorized under the 5 themes.
1. Theme 1: The General CPD Program
1.1.
Content and Organization
Teacher 5: “We work on three areas in total for 60 hours. Two of the areas or topics come from
the City Administration Education Bureau and the school. Each of these requires us to undertake
59
20-hour long activity respectively. The rest 20-hour is given to our areas. It is subject specific
and we plan different things related to our teaching.
Principal 2: “The Education Ministry sends one area of interest which teachers are required to
plan and work on for 20 hours. Then, we (the CPD committee of the school) add another one
after discussing what should be focused on at the beginning of each academic year. That is
another 20 hours. For example, this year, all teachers are working on active learning and
continuous assessment. The third 20 hour is left for the teachers to choose and plan on their own
specific area of interest and subject matter they teach.”
Teacher 7: “We plan different things and our prime focus is on increasing students’ results. For
example, I give a tutorial session called ‘refresh your mind’ to my students every morning before
class time. That is my plan and I am following it.
Principal: “Well, there is no specific attention for English teachers in this CPD. But, the
teachers, within the 20 hours given for them, can plan to undertake activities on their own
classroom practice which I believe is subject specific. They can for example plan on how they
can improve their students’ academic achievement.”
Teacher 2: “A file is opened for each of us in which we keep our regular reports. That is what
we call ‘portfolio’. For instance, I may give tutorials to my students to improve students’ results,
or I probably have prepared worksheets or held talks with my colleague about something. I will
write down all these activities and save them in my portfolio to submit to the office. Then, as I
have told you, the specific principal whose job is to control CPD, will check if my reports match
with the plan I first submitted and grades my work. Then you will be certified.”
Teacher 7: “Under this 1 to 5 group, we meet every 15 days, mostly for 15 minutes or less
during break time and discuss about the general teaching and learning process. We share
experiences, observe each other’s class and hold discussions on that. The department head or the
office has the say to who should be included in this group. They chose me as a head because I
have 29 year of teaching experience.”
60
1.2.
Relevance of the Program to English Language Teachers
Teacher 3: “Doing the 60 hour CPD and getting the certificate at the end of the year is useful for
promotion. If you do not do that, you do not get the promotion. So, even if I do not like the
program, I do it. And the promotion brings salary increment you know.”
Deputy Principal: “Teachers think they are doing the CPD mainly for promotion. However, the
aim should have been to improve their skills. But the truth is if they don’t have a 60-hour CPD
activity portfolio at the end of the year, they do not get the promotion.”
Teacher 2: “The administration does not focus on the practice aspect of the CPD. All they worry
about is the report you submit, the paper. No matter how hard you worked, if you do not give
them that on paper, it is nonsense. That is what makes us hate the things we do here.”
Teacher 7: “If you want to know what I think about this CPD program, including me and
majority of the English language teachers in my department do not take it positively. We never
think of it as something beneficial. It is just making us busy for nothing. It is boring and a waste
of time.”
Teacher 6: “I think all of us like any other government workers need a break. It is really difficult
to give all your time to students. I believe this is the main reason why we do not like the CPD we
have here. We mostly copy each other’s work. And we have, for example, peer observation once
in a semester, and the 1 to 5 meeting every 15 days. We might have held the meetings or the
observation for 10 minutes or less, but we report saying we did it for 45 minutes.”
Woreda school supervisor: “Let me tell you about the CPD program. Many people are critical
about the CPD program we currently have in schools for being too generic. They criticize it for
being too generic because if you look at the CPD tool kit or the framework or the CPD manual, it
does not give you any specific area or examples for English teachers to become better English
teachers. It works for all subjects. That is why it is too generic.
Principal: “It is correct. It is a paper-based. Teachers are required to show evidence for what
they did, but it is not that extreme.”
61
Principal: “It is all about attitude. Well, it will certainly take time but I am sure there will be
attitudinal change. If they truly work hard, they can change. It is mostly those who do not work
hard who complain. Those who really understand it are always benefited.”
Teacher 1: “You know what, everyone has varying attitudes naturally. I do not really understand
why people say it is boring. If anyone wants to move from one level to other, they need
promotion. And for that, they need to update and upgrade themselves through this CPD. It helps
you compile your works in a file at the end of the day.”
Woreda school supervisor: “The most useful for English language teachers’ CPD in my view is
School-Based Mentoring which is subject-specific and which can help English language teachers
develop personally and professionally. This mentoring program is life-long that can help the
teachers sustainably. Teachers will be coached, mentored and trained by teachers who have good
command of English.”
2. Theme 2: Upgrading and Updating
Principal: “Our English teachers receive training from the Ministry of Education and upgrade
themselves with the summer course opportunity the government provides. That is mainly how
they are developing.”
Teacher 8: “I am paying for my evening class to upgrade myself. I decided to do this because I
did not want to wait until I receive the opportunity from the government.”
Teacher 6: “Here, what stand out the most is the upgrading opportunities we have. It really
motivates us. Imagine, with a teacher salary and with all the struggles in life, if we did not have
such opportunity, you won’t try to upgrade yourself since you cannot afford it. So, the essence of
believing that there are upgrading opportunities is really motivating.”
Teacher 7: “There are no ELT-related trainings for us. Even if there are few, they are for some
teachers, not for all of us. We need trainings very much especially for our English language
improvement.”
62
3. Theme 3: Teachers’ English Language Proficiency Level
Teacher 7: “As English language teachers, we are really challenged because we do not exercise
the language at all. We are even accustomed to teaching it in Amahric. I believe the major
problem we have is that we do not know the language and we are expected to teach it well. We
teach our students to speak, right? But we do not even know how to speak. To teach we first
need to know what to teach before knowing how to teach it. To teach we first need to know what
to teach before knowing how to teach it. We need to know to write, read or listen in the
language.”
Woreda school supervisor: “You know, to be an English teacher, first you need to be a good
conversant of English. Unless you are proficient in the language, you cannot teach it. But if you
go to different schools, the reality is totally different and this is mainly because of their lack of
proficiency. To address this problem, finally ELTIP was pioneered.
Teacher 7: “English is a language. It is not something you can teach with a formula. It is
improved within day-to-day activities. There must be exposure to the language. We never use the
language outside our class. Even in our class, we are accustomed to teaching it in Amharic.”
Teacher 4: “To be honest, I am very weak when it comes to speaking and writing English. I
might have received trainings on how to teach these skills but I am not even good at them in the
first place. I now have an assignment from my evening class, but I could not start it yet since I
am terrible at writing. You see, this is a big problem.”
Woreda school supervisor: “You cannot invite someone from English speaking countries like
America or British to improve their English. My advice is for the teachers to improve
themselves. English is not first or second language in Ethiopia. Teachers do not have the
opportunity to improve the language once they get out of the school. So, they should come up
with their own strategy to improve their English. One is they have to read in English. Now that
we are living in a technology world, with high technology, teachers need to access that too.”
4. Theme 4: Individual Effort and Teachers’ Attitude
Discussant 1: “I do not just sit and expect anyone to come and support me for my own
development. It should be me who can support myself. I should browse the internet, read books,
63
come to any association which can help me enhance my skills and do more. You know, before I
know what CPD is, I have been experiencing it myself. But you know, I believe this CPD thing
is only implemented by the teacher himself and I think it be the teacher who should set certain
requirements to achieve it. Therefore, it is important if we can join some associations which
work on enhancing English language teachers’ skills.”
Teacher 5: “I am a member in EELPA. It is a very good place for development. It has been so
useful for me. I think small centers should be established in different places with similar
endeavor to access more English teachers.”
Discussant 1: “I think one big problem is attitude. One is the kind of perceptions teachers have
for themselves. That really affects teachers’ development. If you hate or do not like being a
teacher, why would you need to lift it up? Teachers really need to love what they do.”
Woreda school supervisor: “We know that English is very scary to most teachers. Do you know
why? Most teachers joined the profession not by choice but by chance. So, the problem lies on
the recruitment. Those teachers who do not want to become teachers have now started joining the
profession.”
Woreda school supervisor: “Individual effort is very important. What else is attitude? If you
have a positive attitude towards English, you can be a good user of English. So, it only needs
attitude and exerting effort. Otherwise, if they expect a lot from the government or from
someone else, then they won’t develop.”
5. Theme 5: Private School Reference
Teacher 8: “I believe teachers’ development is affected by the environment. For example, after I
graduated from college, I started working in government schools and my friends in private
schools. Surprisingly, my GPA was even better than theirs when we graduated. But now, they
are completely changed. Their English is more fluent than mine and they are more skillful than I
am.”
Principal: “For all our teachers, we formally have experience sharing program with schools once
a year. Our English teachers in their department came to a decision to hold experience sharing
64
sessions with private schools. I personally believe this should maybe more often so that it
positively impacts our English teachers.”
65