Engagement with professional development

The opinions reflected above were tested with another question, which aimed to identify

real experience and to compare this with opinions about professional development.

There is a variation between beliefs about professional development and real experience

as the following question from the questionnaire shows: ‘Which of the following have

you done in the last one year?’

Questionnaire Extract 2

Options No. of Responses Percentage

A short course at a University or College 20 20.4%

A short course outside a University or College 13 13.2%

School based workshops and seminars 64 65.3%

External workshops and seminars 54 55.1%

Informal teacher group meetings 22 22.4%

Formal school meetings 32 32.6%

Attending teacher association meetings 25 25.5%

Informal chats with colleagues 46 46.9%

Self-study 58 59.1%

Internet research/browsing for information 44 44.8%

Observing other teachers 45 45.9%

Engaging in problem solving or reflective practice 46 46.9%

179

The responses show a drop in actual experience of teachers’ opinions about professional

development. The differences in responses to the two questions are highlighted in

Questionnaire Extract 3 (which illustrates opinion versus experience).

Questionnaire Extract 3

There is a visible discrepancy between these teachers’ opinions and experience of

professional development in all but two some categories (formal school meetings and

informal chats with colleagues). However, the difference between opinions and

experience of school-based workshops is small (73.5% and 65.3% respectively);

highlighting the fact that many Nigerian English language teachers in the sample have

had recent experience of school-based professional development. A significant number

of teachers in the sample (55%) have also engaged in external professional development

in the year before the questionnaire. Opinions about the role of the Internet in teacher

development are high at 70%; however, in practice less than half of the sample engages

in this experience probably because of lack of technological access.

Options Opinion Experience

A short course at a University or College 58.1% 20.4% A short course outside a University or College 21.4% 13.2% School based workshops and seminars 73.5% 65.3% External workshops and seminars 78.6% 55.1% Informal teacher group meetings 35.7% 22.4%

Formal school meetings 19.4% 32.6%

Attending teacher association meetings 40.8% 25.5% Informal chats with colleagues 33.6% 46.9%

Self-study 51% 59.1%

Internet research/browsing for information 70.4% 44.8%

Observing other teachers 50% 45.9%

Engaging in problem solving or reflective practice 60.2% 46.9%

180 5.2.4 Awareness of collaborative development

Questionnaire A probed for awareness of collaborative development by including formal

and informal TG or TA meetings and informal chats with colleagues. Responses show

that awareness of these as professional development opportunities was low. There was

disparity between opinions and experience of these opportunities: described below.

Questionnaire Extract 4 (opinion onTG/TA/informal chats versus self-study)

Opinions expressed in Extract 4 shows that formal school meetings were least perceived

as being beneficial to professional development. Less than 50% of the sample perceived

TAs, TGs and chats with colleagues in similar ways. This is contrasted with self-study

to present a picture of collaboration/peer support versus individual effort/support.

Opinions about peer contributions to practice are lower than opinions about self-support.

Questionnaire Extract 5 shows actual experience of the same opportunities.

Questionnaire Extract 5 (experience of TG/TA/informal chats versus self-study)

No. Percentage

Informal teacher group meetings 35 35.7%

Formal school meetings 19 19.4%

Attending teacher association meetings 40 40.8%

Informal chats with colleagues 33 33.6%

Self-study 50 51%

No. Percentage

Informal teacher group meetings 22 22.4%

Formal school meetings 32 32.6%

Attending teacher association meetings 25 25.5%

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Questionnaire Extract 5 shows that opinions about TGs and TAs though low, are not

supported by actual experience, which is lower. These responses suggest that teacher

collaboration and peer support are low within the context. The experience of formal

school meetings is higher at 32.6% than beliefs about its benefits. Informal chats with

colleagues are higher in practice than beliefs about its benefits for professional

development. Self-study, which represents personal effort, is actually higher in practice

and significant as a preferred method of professional development (when compared to

peer support) in the context. These responses suggest that Nigerian ELT would benefit

from awareness raising about teacher collaboration through TGs, TAs and formal and

informal school meetings. Nevertheless, self-study (at 59.1%) is identified as one of the

main provisions for reflection in the context, as are participation in external and school-

based workshops, which are 55.1% and 65.3% respectively. Poor perceptions of TGs,

TAs, formal school meetings and chats with peers as professional development

opportunities may reflect an individualistic culture (Lortie 1975, Huberman 1992) in

Nigerian ELT. Analysis of responses suggests that awareness needs to be created among

Nigerian teachers that professional development can be gained from informal

interactions with colleagues and by self-engagement with practice (Brookfield 1995,

Hatton and Smith 1995, Johns 2000, Bailey and Willet 2004).

Finally, the questionnaire sought reasons why Nigerian teachers do not engage more in

professional development. The most significant reason was financial (usually lack of

money or funding). This was mentioned 35 times. Lack of motivation was mentioned 10

182

or transport challenges (6 mentions) ignorance (5 mentions); lack of awareness and

laziness (4 times each) and conflicting interests (3 mentions). Responses show that

teacher development is on the increase in Nigerian schools. I expected that time would

be mentioned more frequently as a significant inhibiting factor, but it wasn’t. Despite

mentions of financial issues Nigeria teachers have found new ways of developing

themselves, aided by government, their schools; personal study and by interactions with

colleagues. From post-observation interviews and questionnaire data which were

administered across Nigeria, I established that there are provisions for reflection in

Nigeria and that it might exist in intuitive practice, even though it is not yet integrated

into the NCE curriculum as strategy or content. Thus my research question emerged

from the study: If reflection was in use within the context, ‘how do Nigerian teachers

use reflection’? To answer this question, I moved to Phase 3 of the study, using

individual and focus group interviews to find answers from teachers who had some

experience of reflection in their practice, even if limited.