Action research and collaborative reflective practice in English language teaching

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this investigation was to explore how reflective practice (RP) could be implemented and systematized in diverse ELT Mexican contexts in order to foster continuous professional development. Hence, this collaborative action research was conducted over aperiod of 22 months with different English Language Teaching (ELT) practitioners; 24 Mexican teacher educators and two in-serviceEnglish language teachers from Longford, Ireland and Texas, USA who were living and working in Mexico. The data was collected by means of classroom observations, feedback sessions, individual interviews, and professional dialogues–informal meetings, self-reporting,and text messaging.

Overall, the findings of this investigation showed that teachers, who had the openness to challenge inconsistencies, gaps and at times fears in their teaching stances, beliefs and therefore practices, also had the willingness to carry out reflective actions that were guided by critical inquiry, collaboration with the researcher and modelled practices by other colleagues; enabling teacher effective engagement in reflective procedures as well as in personal continuous professional development processes.

KEYWORDS:

• Action Research
• Collaborative Reflective Practice
• Continuous Professional Development
• Collegial Discussions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. British Council Mexico: The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities. The British Council’s operations in Mexico began in 1943.

2. ICELT: The In-service Certificate in English Language Teaching (ICELT) from Cambridge is a course that lasts 150 hours and covers basic general ELT methodology and pedagogical content. The language proficiency required is a B2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning. (Cambridge Assessment English, 2015).

3. CEFR: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an international standard for describing language ability. It describes language ability on a six-point scale, from A1 for beginners, up to C2 for those who have mastered a language. (CEFR, 2011).

4. CELTA: (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) is an initial teacher training qualification for teaching English as a second or foreign language (ESL and EFL). It is provided by Cambridge English Language Assessment and was developed to be suitable both for those interested in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and for Teaching English to the Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). (Cambridge Assessment English, 2011).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jovanna Godínez Martínez

Jovanna Matilde Godínez Martínez has been involved in the field of English Language Teaching since the year 2000. In 2009 she became a Teacher Trainer and since then has been conducting English Language Teaching development courses in Mexico and Central America. She obtained both a Master’s degree in English Language Teaching as well as a Research Doctorate degree from the University of Southampton, UK. Her main academic and research interests concern Continuous Professional Development, Reflective Practice in ELT and Collaborative Action Research. Currently she is the founder and general director of the company ELT Services & Consulting in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico.