In-Service Training Programs: EFL Teachers Self-Identity

In-service training programs are intended to keep practicing teachers up-to-date and/or to address the issues which occur in their practical teaching. Given the importance of this mandate and the time and budget put into these programs, it is necessary to scrutinize these programs to determine whether they fulfill the objectives formulated for them in the first place. The main purpose of the present study was to systematically scrutinise the possible relationship between English as a foreign language teachers’ identity and in-service training program. In doing so, 40 EFL teachers and instructors, within the age range of 30 to 50 (mean age = 39), and teaching experience of 5 to 25 years, public schools in Tonekabon were selected based on convenience sampling strategy. They were asked to fill in a questionnaire, namely, the Liou’s Identity Questionnaire (2008). To test the research hypotheses of the study, two separate t-tests and one way ANOVA, and a multiple-regression were applied. The findings of the study showed a statistically significant positive association between EFL teachers’ self-identity and in-service training program. Considering the findings of the study, teacher trainers and administrators are thus recommended to organize some preparation conferences and hold different workshops in order to familiarize EFL teachers with both practical and theoretical bases of in-service training program, and also improve their actual self-identity

کلیدواژه ها:

In-service training programs ، self-identity ، EFL teachers