Iranian EFL Teachers' Experiences with Online Professional Development: Perceptions and Preferences

Abstract

Professional development (PD) has received a growing attention in teacher education research since it has the potential to affect teacher learning. More recently and in particular as an aftermath of COVID19 pandemic, online PD modes have overtaken more traditional face to face approaches. Despite this, studies on language teachers' preferences for online PD approaches have been limited. To bridge this gap, this study investigated Iranian English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' perceptions of online PD. Participants included 105 male and female EFL instructors teaching at private institutes, universities, and public schools. An online questionnaire consisting of closed- and open-ended items was employed to discover teachers' perspectives on PD. The findings indicated that despite having little or no online PD experiences, most teachers had a positive perception towards an electronic mode of professional learning and rated expert teacher applications, online video lesson study, and video library as their favourite online resources. The study recommends taking advantage of various online PD formats in teacher education programs, esp. at a time when most teaching and learning continues to be online worldwide.

Keywords

• covid-19
• online professional development
• teacher education
• teacher perceptions
• teacher preferences