Roy Mathew, Marilu R. Madrunio
University of Santo Tomas, Philippines
This study investigated the English teachers' perceptions of the role of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) practices in basic education in Kerala, India, focusing on language proficiency, research and reflective practice, teacher beliefs and integrated approach to CPD, pedagogical skills, and emerging technologies. The study employed the convergent parallel research method and collected data from 142 teachers. The analysis revealed that the majority of the teachers agree that CPD enhances their confidence in language use necessary for effective ESL teaching, while the classroom observations confirmed a prevalent use of local language in classroom discourse. Moreover, 65.5% of the teachers engage actively in research due to CPD, covering areas like language skills enhancement, classroom environment improvements, and technology use. Reflective practices revealed that most teachers give constructive feedback, but only a few utilize multiple assessments to gauge student performance. A significant finding is that 52.8% regularly reflect on their teaching strategies, reinforcing self-improvement and student-centered teaching approaches. More than 80% of the respondents agree that they integrate different professional development practices as a result of CPD programs, while actual classroom practices often isolate language skills such as reading and speaking. Pedagogical improvement through CPD was evident, but a notable number of teachers still disagreed on CPD’s significant role in student language development. Emerging technologies remain underutilized, with half of the participants lacking confidence in using them, parallel with the observation data indicating minimal multimedia tool preparation. These findings underscore the need for tailored and contextualized programs focusing on comprehensive technology integration, enhanced research skills, and continuous reflective practices to foster effective ESL teaching in Kerala's basic education sector.
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