gender differential paper IJCRB

ijcrb.webs.com
INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS
JUNE 2011
VOL 3, NO 2
Professional Development of English Teachers: The Saudi Arabian
Context
Dr Intakhab A. Khan
Asst. Professor and In-charge (Training)
King AbdulAziz University Community College, , Jeddah- 21589, Saudi Arabia.
Abstract
Teaching in general and English language teaching (ELT) in particular is a challenging task.
In order to be effective in the classroom most teachers need a background of training: preservice
or in-service. Professional development as a component of in-service training has
been found very effective in educational sector as there is always a chance that a new
incumbent doesn’t possess suitable qualification or experience. Teaching of English in Saudi
Arabia requires great deal of expertise in the subject and enough exposure to the teaching
scenario of the bilingual context. The aims and objectives of teaching of the target language
often remains a dream, however, the governmental efforts are sincere. In this case, the
professional development of the concerned English teachers may be proved to be helpful in
the process of attainment of the conceived objectives.
The present paper tries to explore the need of professional development for English teachers
in Saudi. It is generally found that most English teachers face problems in teaching the target
language. Among the factors that are supposed to be responsible, the in-service training
(continuous professional development) is very crucial. There are many aspects that can be
directly or indirectly associated with the concept of professional development. The following
are some of them: teacher’s background, their perception regarding the need of teacher
development, effect of effective training on human resource development, attitude of teachers
towards professional development, effectiveness of professional development, participation in
such programs and utilization of the program input to the actual teaching/learning situation.
Keywords: ELT, training, professional development, strategies, learning
theories.
1. Introduction
The concept of professional development can’t be ignored in any teaching situation. It has
become almost a necessity in the modern time. There are many studies that reveal the poor
results of educational practices related to the teaching of English in Saudi Arabia. But, most of
the time, there exists a controversy over the factors that affect the results or outcomes of
learning. The teachers always blame the attitude of the learners for failure of learning while the
administration and families blame the teachers. Moreover, there is a fact that if there is no
learning there is no teaching. This philosophy obviously emphasizes the role of the teachers, and
holds the teachers accountable for failures in the process of learning the target language
(English).
It is found that quite a lot of the professionals are not suitably trained in their areas of specialties
such as ELT/EFL/ESOL. Thus, it is inevitable to ignore the relevance of professional
COPY RIGHT © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 1583