How are English language teachers supported to develop professional knowledge and practice, within their schools? Qualitative Study

This was a small-scale, qualitative study into the experiences of ‘support in school for improving knowledge and practice of ELT’ amongst teachers participating in a large- scale, quantitative, quasi-experimental (QE) study (EIA, 2017). The purpose of the study was to identify the nature of ‘support in school’ for the introduction of improved classroom practices, as experienced by teachers. The study sought to explore aspects deliberately incorporated in the EIA School- Based Teacher Development (SBTD) programme (the treatment in the QE study) but which could also occur through other mechanisms (in control schools) such as: * Teachers purposefully introducing communicative language teaching activities that were previously unfamiliar to themselves or their students. * Teachers individually or collaboratively studying, planning, practicing or reflecting upon activities to improve their own English language proficiency, or that of their students * The attitudes and actions of those in positions of authority in schools, such as head teachers and education officers. The study addressed the following research questions: 1. In the setting of the school1, how are English Language Teachers supported to develop their subject or pedagogic knowledge and their classroom practice? 2. How do contextual factors affect English Language Teachers experiences of support in the setting of their schools? 3. Are there identifiable relationships between English Language Teachers’ qualitative experiences of support in the setting of their schools, and the findings of quantitative studies of classroom practices or student learning outcomes?