Speakers
Description
This proposal seeks to address a significant research gap by examining the professional development needs of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in private centers. Despite their pivotal role in language education, EFL teachers in private centers often lack policies and support for their continuous professional growth. While existing literature often examines professional development in broader educational contexts, there is a lack of focus on the needs of teachers and feasible approaches for professional development within private language centers. The aims of this study are twofold, which are investigating the professional development needs of EFL teachers in private centers and elucidating how these needs shape their choices of professional development activities. This mixed-methods study will engage 80 teachers from private centers with diverse sizes of operation. Grounded in a theoretical framework encompassing Maslow's hierarchy of Human Needs, Vygotsky’s Socio-cultural Theory and Vietnam’s English Teacher Competency Framework of Dudzik (2012), questionnaires will assess perceived needs while qualitative semi-structured interviews will go into representative individual responses, providing deeper insights into the professional development landscape of EFL teachers in private centers. The findings are expected to provide two key outcomes: firstly, an overview of professional development needs among teachers in private centers, and secondly, insights from interviews with teachers to inform targeted investment in professional development approaches. These findings will guide recommendations for private centers and related stakeholders in designing effective professional development programs aligned with the needs of EFL teachers.
