A Needs Analysis Study for a Teacher Development Course based on the Elements of Community of Inquiry Framework for Language Teacher Candidates

Introduction 

Along with the epistemological shifts taking place in the field of education (Johnson, 2009), the teaching practice has also undergone a drastic change accordingly. These changes are reflected in Teacher Development Courses (TDCs) manifesting themselves as activities to strengthen social and professional networks, such as cooperative development, critical friend groups, teacher study groups, virtual networks and so on (Dewan Türüdü, 2020). Forte and Flores (2014) emphasize the need for teacher collaboration in such programs, reporting its critical contribution to not only teachers themselves but also their students, their schools and their communities.

One of the limitations with regard to the design of TDCs is their coherence with the actual classroom practices (Kennedy, 2016; Songül, 2019). Studies conducted on the effectiveness of TDCs clearly reveal the need to incorporate a theoretical framework for the sake of quality in education, effectiveness and sustainability in the long term (Ansyari, 2015; Pamuk, 2011; Wetzel et al., 2014). TDCs should employ a theoretical lens that would allow teachers to form such communities, learn by experiencing, reflecting and making meaning out of the content rather than being merely passive recipients of knowledge. 

Community of Inquiry as a Framework for TDCs

Stemming from the dearth of studies focusing on construction of knowledge through interaction and collaboration (Dewan Türüdü, 2020), integration of Collaborative Learning Environments has become a necessity in teacher education (Kuusisaari, 2014). In this regard, it is acknowledged that TDCs should hold characteristics with a focus on pedagogical aspects pertaining to online and blended learning rather than holding heavily techno-centric professional approaches (Harris et al., 2009), which mainly focus on the affordances and the limitations of technology. Such TDCs do not possess the “integration” element (Foulger et al., 2012); therefore lack the sustainability component as well.

Considering the aforementioned limitations, CoI Model may offer an effective methodology to influence students’ learning experiences positively in an online environment by supporting the teaching and research of online educational practice (Kim & Gurvitch, 2020). The CoI Model proposes that there are three elements coming into play to enable a meaningful learning experience: social presence, teaching presence and cognitive presence (Garrison et al., 1999). The high-level incorporation of these elements are critical to form an effective community of inquiry. Garrison et al., (2010) report that more sustainable learning takes place with the CoI Model providing that social, teaching and cognitive presence components are present in the online learning environment at a high level. 

The researcher is seeking to answer the following questions in her current study:

1. What are the perceptions of SMEs, LTCs and in-service language teachers regarding the design and the development of a TDC??

2. What are the perceptions of LTCs regarding Social, Teaching and Cognitive Presences in the TDC?

3. What aspects of the TDC could be reinforced to enhance the Social, Teaching and Cognitive Presence of LTCs in this particular TDC?

4. Is there an alignment between the LTC’s perceptions on what they do as a part of their teaching practice and what they actually do in their lessons?

Methodology

Multiple-case design study explores a phenomenon through in-depth data involving multiple sources of information (Creswell, 2013). Therefore this design has been adopted in this current study so  as to gain insights on diverse perspectives regarding the design of a TDC. Employing a multiple or collective case study design may enable the researcher to analyze each case thoroughly (Yin, 2003). As the intention is not to generalize to a population, rather have an in-depth exploration of a particular phenomenon, purposeful sampling has been preferred in the present study to obtain more representative results pertaining to a particular population (Creswell, 2005:203).

Phase I of the current study entails needs analysis results regarding the design of a TDC for LTCs.

Interview  Findings of Phase I 

As indicated above, the needs analysis stage consists of interviews with three parties (namely: LTCs, in-service language teachers and SMEs. 

The researcher interviewed 5 LTCs in order to understand:

• Their expectations of an ideal TDC;

• Their instructional needs and expectations.

The emerging themes out of these interviews are on social, pedagogical, organizational and field-related listed as below along with their frequencies:

• Social Aspects - enhancing social presence (5)

• Pedagogical Aspects - constructive feedback (5); freedom in the work mode (5); practice opportunities (4); individualized feedback from tutors (4)

• Organizational Aspects - open communication channel (2)

 

Field-specific Aspects- enhancing learner engagement (4); classroom management (3)

The researcher interviewed 5 in-service language teachers in order to gain insights on the following:

• Their expectations of an ideal TDC;

• LTCs’ instructional needs and expectations.

    The critical elements of TDCs arising from the interview findings with in-service language teachers are on design and organizational levels listed as below along with their frequencies:

• Design Aspect - loop input (5); bridging theory and practice (5); freedom in the work mode (5); constructive feedback (5); reflections (5); enhancing social presence (2)

• Organizational Aspects - having guest speakers (4); quality time to digest the content (4); timely efficient sessions (3); creating a sustainable community (2)

    The researcher interviewed 6 SMEs working in the field of language teacher education in order to understand the following:

• The elements of an effective TDC according to their own perceptions and experiences;

• Instructional needs of LTCs.

Core elements pertaining to the design and development of TDCs are seen as below along with their frequencies:

• Bridging theory and practice (6); freedom in the work mode (6); incorporating 4 types of feedback in the process (6); reflection opportunities (6); setting clear goals and objectives at the onset (5); rubrics & clear guidelines for reflection & self-assessment (4);  lesson observations with a particular focus – followed by reflection (4); having guest speakers (4); conducting needs analysis (3); creating a sustainable community (3); keeping a portfolio (3); loop input (3); systematic resource support (2); synchronic coherence (1); interactivity (1)

The instructional needs of LTCs according to SMEs are on pedagogical, content, technological, self-regulation and diversity tolerance levels. The codes pertaining to these themes are listed as below along with their frequencies:

• Pedagogical Knowledge - Classroom Management (4); Effective Lesson Planning (3); Material Creation & Adaptation (3); Practice Opportunities (6);

• Content Knowledge - Language Awareness and Analysis (2);

• Technological Knowledge - a repertoire of Web 2.0 tools for various pedagogical purposes (3); Technology Use in alignment with pedagogical goals (6); 

• Self Regulation - Strategy Training (2); Self-Inquiry (1)

• Diversity Tolerance - Intercultural Competence (2); use of gender neutral language (1)

Suggested Instructional Strategies based on the Needs Analysis Results 

The data collected from LTCs, in-service language teachers and SMEs clearly revealed the need for “freedom in the work mode”, meaning that  a particular work mode (i.e. group work) should not be imposed on participating teachers in TDCs. This aspect could be dealt with flexible assignments and/or tasks that would fit into individual, pair and/or group work. “Abundant practice opportunities” is another predominant code that arises from the interview findings. Aligning this with “quality time to digest the content” and “having a repertoire of activities, strategies and tools” code, working stations may be an effective way to give LTCs an opportunity to go over the content in their own time along with their own preferences (in terms of work mode), and come back to the sessions with their experiences and reflections along with the theoretical lens discussed in the TDC Sessions. 

“Loop Input” code, one of the most predominant themes in the needs analysis, is about providing participants with the opportunity to experience the content themselves without being explicitly told about it. This may also go hand in hand with reflection activities and may guide the trainers to provide more personalized content as such an instructional strategy may offer insights into LTCs’ classrooms and personalized experiences. 

Another predominant theme that emerged from interview results with LTCs and in-service language teachers is the need to provide “individualized feedback” to LTCs. Some LTCs expressed that they may feel uncomfortable in front of their peers in case they attempt to ask further questions and so on. Therefore, this may be a good idea to consider this whilst giving feedback to LTCs on pair and/or group assignments.

The emergence of “social presence” code from the interview findings with LTCs and in-service teachers is about the ability of participants to be able to identify themselves with their communities, engage in communication in a trusting atmosphere and enhance interpersonal relationships through the projection of their individual personalities (Garrison, 2009). Therefore, the existence of social presence within a learning community may help mitigate the effects of isolation through the provision of open communication channels and collaboration with others (Wicks et al., 2015). This construct should not only be reflected in the design but also in the implementation of TDC Sessions. The tutors in TDCs should hold a positive attitude towards LTCs contributing to the positive atmosphere in their sessions, which may potentially add to the community spirit helping LTCs express themselves as freely and comfortably as possible. “Having guest speakers”, another code that arises regarding the design of TDCs, may help with this aspect as well as helping LTCs hear as diverse ideas as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Ansyari, M. F. (2015). Designing and evaluating a professional development programme for basic

technology integration in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 31(6). https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1675

Creswell, J. W. (2005). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative 

and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Merrill.

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing among 

Five Approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Dewan Türüdü, A. S. (2020). Instructors’ reasons for participating in a professional development

program and the nature of teacher interaction: a case study in a Turkish preparatory school [Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences. English Language Teaching.]. Middle East Technical University.

Forte, A., & Flores, M. A. (2014). Teacher collaboration and professional development in the

workplace: A study of Portuguese teachers. European Journal of Teacher Education, 37, 91–105.

Foulger, T. S., Buss, R. R., Wetzel, K., & Lindsey, L. (2012). Preservice teacher education

benchmarking a standalone ed tech course in preparation for change. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 29(2), 48-58.

Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T. and Archer, W., 1999. Critical inquiry in a text-based environment:

computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2–3), pp.87–105. 10.1016/S1096-7516(00)00016-6. 

 

Garrison, D. (2009). Communities of Inquiry in Online Learning. Encyclopedia of Distance

Learning. 352-355. 10.4018/978-1-60566-198-8.ch052.

 

Gi-cheol, Kim, G. & Rachel Gurvitch, R. (2020) Online Education Research Adopting 

the Community of Inquiry Framework: A Systematic Review, Quest, 72:4, 

395-409, DOI: 10.1080/00336297.2020.1761843

Harris, J., Mishra, P., Koehler, M. J. (2009). Teachers’ technological pedagogical content

knowledge and learning activity types. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(4), 393-416

Johnson, K. E. (2009). Second Language Teacher Education: A Sociocultural Perspective. New

York: Routledge

Kennedy, M. M. (2016). How does professional development improve teaching? Review 

of Educational Research, 86(4), 945e980.

Pamuk, S. (2011). Understanding preservice teachers’ technology use through TPACK

framework. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 28(5), 425–439. doi:10.1111/j1365-2729.2011.00447x

Songül, B. C. (2019). An examination of the impact of an online professional development

program on language teachers’ cognition and teaching practices [Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences. Computer Education and Instructional Technology.]. Middle East Technical University.

Wicks, D.A., Craft, B.B., Mason, G.N., Gritter, K. and Bolding, K. (2015), “An investigation into

the community of inquiry of blended classrooms by a faculty learning community”, The Internet and Higher Education, Vol. 25, pp. 53-56.

Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, 

CA: Sage.