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چکیده
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The present study aimed at exploring Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions of and barriers to professional development. To this end, 200 EFL teachers teaching at private language institutes in Sannandaj, Bijar, Hamedan, and Tabriz were selected as the participants of the study. First, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 50 participants of the study based on which two questionnaires of teachers’ Perceptions of PD (PDPQ) and Barriers to Teachers’ PD (BTPDQ) were developed and pilot tested with 82 similar EFL teachers to ensure the validity and reliability of the newly constructed instruments. They were then distributed among the participants of the study. The results of descriptive statistics of PDPQ revealed that participants have already attended teacher training course (TTC) ,as a method of PD, most frequently. The results of descriptive statistics of PDPQ revealed that the participants’ most prominent perceptions were found to be PD’s help in enhancing their pedagogical knowledge, improving students’ outcomes, and understanding weak and strong points of the teachers themselves and their colleagues. The results of descriptive statistics of BTPDQ also revealed that lack of motivation, lack of collegial support, and lack of organized plans for PD in language institutes were among the most prominent barriers impeding teachers’ PD. Furthermore, the results of Chi-square analyses indicated that there existed a significant difference between high-experienced and low-experienced teachers in terms of their perceptions towards PD. The results of the current study might contribute to policy makers and managers of language institutes to establish PD activities for their teachers which may lead in learners’ improvement in learning.
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