EFL Teachers' Teaching Skills Learned from Teacher Professional Development (Workshop) and the Challenges in Implementing Them in Classroom Practice

Abstract

EFL Teachers' Teaching Skills Learned from Teacher Professional Development (Workshop) and the Challenges in Implementing Them in Classroom Practice; Zahratul Labibah; 220210401013; 86 pages; English Language Education Study Program; Language and Arts Department, Faculty of Education; Jember University. Teacher Professional Development (TPD) workshops have become one of the most common forms of professional development designed to support teachers in improving their professional competence and teaching practices. Through workshops, teachers are introduced to new teaching strategies, innovative instructional methods, assessment techniques, and educational technologies that are expected to enhance the quality of classroom instruction. However, although workshops provide valuable learning opportunities, many teachers still experience difficulties in transferring the knowledge and skills gained from workshops into their daily classroom practice. Most previous studies have focused on the effectiveness or design of professional development programs, while limited attention has been given to teachers’ experiences in learning teaching skills from workshops and the challenges they encounter when implementing those skills in real classroom contexts. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the teaching skills learned by EFL teachers through Teacher Professional Development workshops and to investigate the challenges they faced in implementing those skills in classroom practice. This study employed a descriptive qualitative research design. The participants were three experienced EFL teachers from junior and senior high schools in Indonesia who had attended at least five professional development workshops within the last five years. The participants were selected purposively based on the predetermined criteria. The data were collected through two rounds of semi-structured interviews with each participant to obtain comprehensive and trustworthy information regarding their workshop experiences. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and validated through member checking. The collected xiii data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis, combining inductive coding with deductive theme development based on the teaching skills framework presented in the Buku Pedoman Perkuliahan dan Praktik Micro Teaching of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Jember. The findings revealed two major themes. The first theme is Skills EFL teachers learn from TPD workshops, showed that professional development workshops contributed significantly to teachers’ teaching skill development. The workshops supported the development of seven teaching skills, such as planning skills, instructional skills, classroom management skills, communication skills, assessment skills, reflective skills, and technological skills. The participants explained that workshops enabled them to prepare lesson plans more systematically, apply innovative instructional strategies, manage classrooms more effectively, communicate more confidently with students, conduct more meaningful assessments, reflect on their teaching practices, and integrate digital technologies into classroom instruction. Collaborative activities, hands-on practice, discussions, and experience-sharing sessions conducted during workshops also encouraged teachers to develop their professional competence continuously. The second theme, Challenges in Implementation that revealed teachers continued to encounter several difficulties when applying the knowledge and skills learned from workshops. These challenges consisted of infrastructure barriers, including limited internet access and technological facilities; students' barriers, such as differences in students’ English proficiency, learning readiness, and motivation; and teachers’ personal barriers, including limited time, existing teaching habits, workload, and the commitment required to consistently implement new teaching strategies. These findings indicate that although workshops provide valuable professional learning experiences, successful implementation is influenced by contextual factors beyond teachers' individual knowledge and skills. In conclusion, Teacher Professional Development workshops make meaningful contributions to the development of EFL teachers' teaching skills. xiv Maximizing the impact of workshops requires continuous follow-up support, relevant workshop content, adequate school facilities, and sustained teacher commitment to implementing the newest knowledge in classroom practice. It is expected that the findings of this study will provide useful information for teachers, workshop organizers, educational institutions, and future researchers in designing more practical, context-sensitive, and sustainable professional development programs that effectively support teachers' classroom practi