English Teachers’ Participation and Challenges in Developing Their Professionalism

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the participation and challenges faced by English language teachers in Teacher Professional Development (TPD). Although TPD has been studied in various school settings, less focus has been given to the experiences of English teachers in pesantren settings and compared them to English teachers public schools. To better understand the differences and challenges faced in both contexts, this gap led to a qualitative study. Participant requirement was employed to recruit two English teachers representing distinct school types: a public school in urban Yogyakarta and a Islamic boarding school pesantren in rural Lampung, as participants for in-depth interviews within a descriptive qualitative framework.The data were analyzed by using thematic analysis. The results showed that Teacher B only has access to two forms of TPD-workshop and teacher support groups while Teacher A has more access to all four forms: workshops, self- monitoring, teacher support group, and peer observation. Teacher B face more significant constraints in the form of inadequate pre- service preparation, limited access to technology, and low English language competence. Despite the difficulties, TPD helped both teachers become more motivated and improve their teaching skills. Based on the research findings, it is recommended that schools and education authorities provide more accessible and structured TPD programs.