Workplace learning in a school of languages :|instructors' values and professional learning practices

Abstract

The quality of professional development opportunities for instructors can be improved by promoting expansive learning environments as it is not possible to develop educators without considering their interaction with school environment and culture. Combining survey quantitative data and semi-structured interview results, this mixed-method study analyzed EFL instructors’ values and professional learning practices by comparing the schools of languages of state schools and foundation schools, as two different workplace settings. It was observed that workplace environment influences instructors’ orientations to learning in terms of (i) what kind of learning activities instructors value and practice, (ii) which factors they perceive as either influencing, supporting or hindering their learning and (iii) whether they believe their professional learning affect the way they work with their colleagues and students. It was concluded that while EFL instructors working in state schools tend to depend mostly on outside experts and have some external foci of professional learning, instructors working in foundation schools are more likely to function as a community of practice, exploiting internal resources and collaborating with their coworkers. Analysis of interview results showed that all instructors thought that their professional learning definitely affected how they work with their students and the majority thought that such an effect was a positive one. However, instructors differed in the way they perceive the effect of their learning on their work with their colleagues.|Keywords : ELT instructors' professional learning, ELT instructors' orientation to professional learning, professional learning situated in a school of languages, expansive learning environments