An investigation into the professional development of primary school English language teachers: the effects of keeping diaries on teacher reflection and attitudes towards teaching

There are 2 phases in this study. The aim of the first phase of the study was to determine the reflective practices of primary school English language teachers in the city centre of Çanakkale. The aim of the second phase of the study, on the other hand, was to introduce reflective teaching to a group of teachers and through a diary study to determine whether teachers? reflective practices and their attitudes towards teaching profession would change or not. The first phase of the study was conducted with 27 primary school English language teachers from 16 schools in Çanakkale. In this phase, a Reflective Practice Questionnaire (RPQ) and an attitude scale towards teaching profession which were developed by the researcher in the light of the comprehensive literature review were used to collect data. The data obtained from the questionnaire and an attitude scale towards teaching profession were analyzed and interpreted with the help of SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) computer program. 12 teachers out of 27 participated in the second phase of the study voluntarily. In this phase, the data were obtained by means of a structured diary,teacher-researcher meetings and a structured interview was given at the end of the diary study. Apart from these, in order to determine whether there is a change in teachers? attitudes as a result of the diary study, the attitude scale was also given to these 12 teachers at the end of the diary study. SPSS computer program was used to analyze the data obtained from teachers? pre-and post test attitudes in this second phase of the study. Besides, the data collected from the diary, teacher-researcher meetings and the final interview were also studied to determine whether there was a change in teachers? reflective practices. The results of the first phase of the study revealed that teachers are still stuck with the traditional reflexion methods such as exams, lesson notes and daily lesson plans. The methods that are mostly used in reflective teaching practices such as diary keeping, video recording and taping the lessons got the lowest score in the questionnaire although 19 teachers reported that they do reflective teaching studies. According to the findings concerning the attitudes of primary school English language teachers in the study towards being a teacher, it is seen that teachers have moderate attitudes towards teaching profession not highly positive at all. As for the second phase of the study, primarily, the attitudes of 12 teachers participated in the diary study were determined with the attitude scale given at the end of the study again. As a result, it was found that there was no statistically significant change in their attitudes towards teaching profession. However, when the means of pre and post attitude scale results were taken into account, the post-test results were considerably higher than the pre-test results which might suggest that the diary study might have been effective in this change. The data obtained from the diaries of the teachers and the meetings also demonstrated that all the teachers observed their classes and questioned their teaching. Besides, this study helped them to elucidate the mechanism by which theygradually change, through a diary study in which they introduce new techniques and roles into their repertoires, at the same time adjusting those techniques and roles to fit their own circumstances and needs in their teaching practices. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the importance of reflective teaching studies in teaching profession. It should be concluded that the diary study is helpful in that it allows for not only a form of reflection but it also emphasizes a step-by-step look at what teachers are doing. Through this method of reflection, teachers are able to think about their lessons in an organized way so as not to overlook any aspect.