Esl/Efl Teacher Development Through Journal Writing

Abstract

Reflective practice is becoming a dominant paradigm in ESL/EFL teacher education programs worldwide. Reflection in teaching refers to teachers subjecting their beliefs and practices of teaching to a critical analysis. One way to promote reflective practice for experienced EFL teachers is through journal writing. This study sought to investigate in what ways regular journal writing promotes reflective thinking. The study focused on three experienced EFL teachers in Korea who came together weekly to reflect on their work. The process included regular journal writing by each participant. The study examined: 1) what the teachers wrote about in their journals; 2) whether the level of reflection was descriptive or critical. The teachers' journal entries were studied and coded according to the topics they wrote about, and these served as a measure of critical reflectivity. Results showed that: 1) the teachers wrote about the problems faced in their teaching, their personal theories of teaching, and they described their approaches and methods; 2) two of the teachers were reflective in their orientation to teaching, the other teacher was not. Implications for the use of journal writing as a means to promote critical reflection for ESL/EFL teachers are discussed.