Efficacy of a Professional Development Training Program in Macao to Assist Non-Native English Teachers Foster Learning Motivation in EFL Classrooms

Abstract

ABSTRACT
In considering the challenges faced by educators as a result of the rapid acceleration of globalization, the need for professional development programs to assist educators’ awareness of how to respond to these challenges is now more critical than ever. Since the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), in December of 1999, when the Portuguese Government handed administration of the territory back to China, there has been an increased focus on how to attract and sustain international investment in the region. Within the last ten years Macao has seen unusually rapid growth, especially in the Gaming, Hotel and Events industries, with a significant proportion due to the entry of American Corporations such as MGM, Wynn, and Galaxy. Now more than ever the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government would like to see an enhancement of the English Language acquisition process in schools throughout the territory. The purpose of this research investigation is to explore the effectiveness of a professional development program on the professional efficacy of local Macao English language teachers to affect student motivation in English as foreign language (EFL) classrooms throughout the territory. The constructs which frame this study will be defined in the literature as areas of collaborative action research, reflective teacher education, teacher professional development, social constructivism, teacher efficacy and student motivation. This qualitative study, which employs a collaborative action research methodology in its design, comprised two levels of examination:
I. What are the effects of an intensive professional development program on;
a. an EFL teacher’s practice?
b. an EFL teacher’s feelings of professional efficacy?
II.a. Can changes in a teacher’s practice affect student motivation?
b. Can changes in a teacher’s professional efficacy affect student motivation?
The following six sub-questions assist in focusing the examination:
1. Do teachers consider the professional development training beneficial?
2. Are participating teachers’ willing to or capable of applying what they’ve learned in the training to their respective classrooms?
3. As a result of the training what changes do teachers report / facilitator observe as having occurred in EFL classrooms?
4. Have teachers perceived an increase in their students’ motivation to learn English as a result of change efforts implemented?
5. Do teachers feel they can influence their students’ motivation to learn English?
6. Do teachers feel adequately supported throughout the program?
Data sources comprising; the facilitator’s notes and classroom observations, survey responses, professional teaching journals, students’ pre & post responses to the motivational survey and documents including student work provided by the teacher participants were collected over an eight month period from October 2003 – June 2004. Triangulation using both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools was incorporated into the design to ensure reliability of the interpretation. The professional development program focused on in this study aimed for teachers to:
• Collectively set and work towards achieving common goals related to the facilitation of a communicative learning environment in the classroom.
• Reflect upon factors in their respective classrooms that could be impeding students’ success with learning English.
• Understand how to select appropriate curricular materials to enhance the communicative learning environment in the classroom.
• Become equipped with tools and knowledge to design, initiate and assess a change program within their respective classrooms
Student motivation to learn English became the problem focused on throughout the training due to the fact that teachers unanimously identified it as a difficulty faced, in both primary and secondary EFL classrooms.
Though there is no intention to universally generalize the results of this study; within the limited context of the case studied here in the Macao SAR, teacher participants in the program perceived changes in their students’ behavior which suggested an increase in motivation in their respective classrooms as a result of change efforts they initiated via this program. The experiences documented herewith warrant justification for further research.