An individualized professional development model for EFL professionals: A self-directed learning approach

This case study seeks to investigate the efficacy of Individualized Professional Development (IPD) approaches and their possible advantages over traditional professional development (PD) methods in enhancing SDL and personalized professional growth. The study aims to deliver an in-depth overview about the EFL instructors' PD perceptions and needs, their related experiences, and the impact of IPD implementation on their teaching. The participants of the study were EFL instructors working at a foundation university in Turkey. This study employed an embedded experiential mixed-method research design. In the pre-intervention phase, a survey was administered to 32 EFL instructors to find out their initial perceptions and needs related to PD Practices. Then, pre-test and post-test were employed to 6 EFL instructors to explore their self-assessment before and after the implementation. Descriptive Statistics and The Wilcoxon signed-rank test were carried out to analyze the quantitative data by using the SPSS Version 25 and 30. The qualitative data were obtained from 6 EFL instructors via Structured Follow-up Interviews and a focus group meeting. Thematic analysis was carried out to describe the EFL instructors' viewpoints related to the IPD. The findings emphasizes the drawbacks of traditional, one-size-fits-all PD methods, advocating alternative PD practices promoting self-reflection, flexibility, autonomy and customization by catering to instructors' specific needs and interests to synchronize their self-directed IPD with classroom requirement. Despite initial skepticism and challenges in self-regulation, the participants exhibited a positive shift towards adopting IPD strategies by emphasizing the significance of getting scaffolded support and guidance by a mentor or an expert. Keywords: EFL instructors, professional development, self-directed learning, individualized professional development