A Case Study of Two EFL Teachers’ Reflections on Their Professional Development Journeys: Teacher-Researcher Collaboration

Abstract

This study examines two English language teachers’ professional development (PD) journeys, facilitated by two researchers in Turkey. To this end, each teacher participated in classroom observations and provided weekly written and oral reflections on their PD practices over a period of 10 weeks. Weekly follow-up interviews and group discussions were conducted to encourage collaborative reflection on their PD experiences. The aim was to empower participants to make informed decisions through critical self- and co-reflection. The underlying aim of this dialogic and evidence-based approach was to enhance the teachers’ understanding of their professional growth, thereby informing their decision-making process. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings indicate two themes, each with two subthemes. The first theme, ‘collaboration’, comprises ‘engaging a critical friend for feedback and support’ and ‘teacher-researcher collaboration to develop a more systematic approach to self-observation’. The second theme, ‘complementary components of PD’, includes ‘critical self-reflection as a means to identify areas of improvement’ and ‘taking ownership of lifelong professional development’. More specifically, the findings of the study indicate that teachers have meaningful PD experiences facilitated by researchers. Notably, these researchers maintain a non-hierarchical relationship, actively encourage dialogue, foster reflection, and participate in collaborative discussions. Furthermore, the findings show that the bottom-up PD model contributes to fostering critical self-reflection, as well as nurturing a sense of ownership and autonomy among teachers as they shape their professional growth.