Exploring the professional development activities of tesol beginning teachers a case study

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER EXPLORING THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

GRADUATION PAPER

EXPLORING THE PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES OF TESOL

BEGINNING TEACHERS: A CASE STUDY

Supervisor : Trần Thị Lan Anh, Ph.D

Ha Noi – 2020

ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

HOẠT ĐỘNG PHÁT TRIỂN CHUYÊN MÔN CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TIẾNG ANH MỚI VÀO NGHỀ: NGHIÊN

CỨU TRƯỜNG HỢP ĐIỂN HÌNH

Giáo viên hướng dẫn : Trần Thị Lan Anh, Ph.D

Hà Nội – 2020

ACCEPTANCE PAGE

I hereby state that I: Nguyen Thi Ha Phuong – QH16.F1.E8, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Mainstream program) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper

Signature

Date

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I owe the completion of this thesis to my supervisor, Dr Tran Thi Lan Anh with her invaluable suggestions and enthusiastic encouragement Without her careful and dedicated supervision, this research work would never have been completed My gratitude to her is beyond words and I wish that her passion for research will continue to inspire future generations of students in the same way that

I was motivated by it

Secondly, I would like to express special appreciation to two participants in this research Regardless of the restriction of social distancing in the Covid-19 pandemic and the limited time, they still enthusiastically participated in my data collection procedure If it had not been for their support, I could never have finished this research work

I also want to thank my friends, especially Tu Linh, Minh Tam, Linh Chi, Huong Thao, Song Tai, and all of my classmates from QH16.E8 for always supporting and believing in me

Last but not least, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my dear parents, younger brother and my special friend, Tran Huy Bao, for their love, patience and unwavering encouragement and support while I was engrossed in my work They gave me strength and motivation to overcome this difficult time Thank you for always being there and helping me whenever I needed it

ABSTRACT

The nature of teaching requires its practitioners to engage in lifelong learning to develop professionally This is especially true for beginning teachers, who might be experiencing a difficult period of time in their career, to try out their beliefs and ideas, expand their teaching strategies, acquire practical knowledge, and formulate their professional identity The professional learning activities and support are indispensable and invaluable for them in their first years of teaching This study investigated the learning activity systems of two early-career teachers using activity theory (Engeström, 1987) to explore the features of learning activities, teacher’s perceptions of their learning and the factors that impact teachers’ learning Two instruments, including semi-structured interview and non-participatory observation- were applied to collect data over the period of two months Findings reveal that (1) the range of experience and teachers’ orientation towards professional learning are two key features in professional development; (2) teachers’ perception of their learning activities considerably impacts their learning Teacher’s positive belief in the values of learning activities drive them to effective learning approaches; otherwise, teachers’ feeling lost and lack of support demotivate them in their learning and teaching; (3) six elements in activities theory and its inner contradictions (Engeström, 1987) including subject, object, tools, rules, community and division of labor impact teacher’s learning It is also clear from the findings that when the inner contradictions in activity system are solved, teachers experience

a higher level of learning in the activity system The findings from this study are useful for teachers, teacher educators and future researchers in the same field, especially in the context of Vietnam

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the study, statement of research problem and questions 1

1.2 Scope of the study 2

1.3 Significance of the study 3

1.4 Organization 3

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 Key concepts 5

2.2.1 Beginning teachers 5

2.1.2 Professional development 6

2.1.2 Professional development activities 6

2.2 Related theories and frameworks 8

2.2.1 Sociocultural approaches to teacher’s learning theory 8

2.2.2 Activity theory 9

2.3 Relevant studies about teachers’ professional development and activity theory in teachers’ learning activity systems 12

2.4 Research gaps 14

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 15

3.1 Rationale for choosing the qualitative case study approach 15

3.1.1 Qualitative approach 15

3.1.2 Case study 16

3.2 Research design 17

3.2.1 Research sites 17

3.2.2 Participants 18

3.3 Data collection procedure 20

3.4 Data collection instruments 22

3.4.1 Interview 23

3.4.1 Non-participation observation 26

3.5 Thematic data analysis 27

3.7 Ethical considerations 31

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS 32

4.1 Case 1: Andy 32

4.1.1 Andy as subject of his activity system 33

4.1.2 Objects and outcome of Andy’s activity system 33

4.1.3 The tools of Andy’s activity system 37

4.1.4 The community of Andy’s activity system 39

4.1.5 The rules of Andy’s activity system 41

4.1.6 The division of labor in Andy’s system 43

4.1.7 Contradictions in Andy’s activity system 45

4.2 Case 2: Sophia 47

4.2.1 Sophia as subject of her activity system 48

4.2.2 Objects and outcome of Sophia’s activity system 48

4.2.3 The tools of Sophia’s activity system 51

4.2.4 The community of Sophia’s activity system 53

4.2.5 The rules of Sophia’s activity system 55

4.2.6 The division of labor in Sophia’s system 57

4.2.7 Contradictions in Sophia’s activity system 58

4.3 Cross-case analysis and discussion 60

4.3.1 Subjects of activity systems 60

4.3.2 Objects of activity systems 61

4.3.3 Tools of activity systems 64

4.3.4 Community of activity systems 64

4.3.5 Rules of activity systems 65

4.3.6 Division of labor of activity systems 66

4.3.7 Contradictions of activity systems 66

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION 68

5.1 Findings 68

5.2 Implications 73

5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further research 74

5.4 Concluding thoughts 75

REFERENCE 92

APPENDIX A 75

APPENDIX B 87

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1 Activity system (Engeström, 1987) 10

Figure 3.1 Data collection procedure 20

Figure 3.3 Procedure of data analysis 28

Figure 4.1: Andy’s professional learning as an activity system 32

Figure 4.2: Contradictions in Andy’s activity system 45

Figure 4.3 Sophia’s professional learning as an activity system 48

Figure 4.4 Contradictions in Sophia’s activity system 58

LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Participants’ background 19

Table 3.2 Data sources and focus of data collection and analysis 22

Table 3.3 Interview details 25

Table 3.4 Classroom observation details 27

Table 5.1 Andy’s and Sophia’s range of teaching and learning experience 69

Table 5.2 Joint activity systems of Andy and Sophia 71

Table 3.5 Descriptive coding in interview analysis 29

Table 3.6 Vivo coding in interview analysis 30

Table 3.7 Process coding in interview analysis 30

ABBREVIATION

EFL: English as a Foreign Language IELTS: International English Language Testing System TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

USA: United States of America

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study, statement of research problem and questions

“Master teachers are not born; they become They become primarily by developing

a habit of mind, a way of looking critically at the work they do; by developing the courage to recognize faults, and by struggling to improve”

(Kane, 2004) Among all professions, teaching, undoubtedly, has a great demand for its practitioners to engage in continuous and life-long learning (Day, 2002) A teacher can never cease their learning to keep pace with the field and upgrade their understanding, skills, and approaches for effective practice (Day, 2002) Teaching is difficult, especially for the teachers who have just begun their teaching careers Meanwhile, right on the first day of school, they are expected to assume responsibilities similar to those of experienced teachers despite their limited experience and preparation (Westheimer, 2008) Therefore, they usually encounter several problems that may not be prepared in their pre-service learning (Beijaard, Fred & Verloop, 2007) Many experience isolation, lack of support, lack of knowledge about students, and real teaching context, having to focus on survival rather than learning (Bullough et al., 2003; Johnson, 1996; Westheimer, 2008) An alarming number of up to 50% of new teachers leave their jobs after the first three

to five years in the USA, Australia, England, and China (Hong, 2010) These findings highlight the need to support novice teachers in the beginning stage of teaching Responding to these challenges and demands, many studies were conducted in numerous aspects of the field with an aim at improving the quality of teacher’s professional development activity in different geographic locations and contextual particularities Avalos (2011) overviewed 111 articles in the theme of professional development over ten years (2000 - 2010) which included 13 articles about beginning teachers The common concerns of those articles about beginning teachers covered mentoring (Hobson, Ashby, Malderez, & Tomlinson, 2009), the

use of tools (Devos, 2010; Harrison, Dymoke, & Pell, 2006; Hennissen, Crasborn, Brouwer, Korthagen, & Bergen, 2010; Killeavy & Moloney, 2010; Kwan & López-Real, 2010; Sundli, 2007) and conditions associated with the support with their teaching difficulties (Fantilli and McDougall, 2009; Mitchell and Logue, 2009; and Oberski and McNally, 2007) In the Vietnam context, there have also been many researchers who approached various aspects in this field such as ―the role of subject leaders in the PD of beginning teachers within a school department‖ (Thorpe & Tran, 2015), Peer mentoring (Nguyen, 2015), beginning teachers’ belief (Pham, 2010) However, there are no existing published studies in the Vietnam context about beginning teachers’ perceptions of their learning This has inspired me to conduct a study on the beginning teacher’s professional development learning activities, their perception of those activities, and the factors that impact their learning The findings gained from this study will yield insights into the practice in the Vietnam context to fill in the mentioned gap in the literature on beginning teachers’ professional development.

All in all, this study aims to answer the following questions:

1 What are the key features of the professional development activities for beginning TESOL teachers?

2 How do beginning teachers perceive the professional development activities they experience?

3 What factors impact on their professional development?

1.2 Scope of the study

This study sits comfortably in the field of English Language Teaching (ELT) and Teaching English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL), focuses on the professional learning activities of beginning teachers A case study is appropriate for describing a complex social issue in a cultural context, and can provide rich insights and reveal a high degree of completeness and depth of analysis (Dornyei, 2007) Therefore, the case study is the selected research method for my study In order to provide an in-depth understanding of a phenomenon, Yin (2003) suggests

the research takes into account different data from a variety of sources to ensure research validity by providing a means of triangulating data In my study, multiple data sources are used, such as interviews, classroom observations, and artifacts

1.3 Significance of the study

Due to the demand for high-quality EFL teachers to fulfill the need for effective English learning in Vietnam, Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan (2008) published the National Project 2020 which set a goal to shift the foreign language as the strength of Vietnamese people by enhancing both the quality and quantity of teaching English Thus, the professional development activities and support for novice teachers should be put into proper consideration The answers to three research questions in this work are supposed to benefit early-career teachers, headmasters, principals, and educationalists Firstly, the research is hoped to encourage the beginning teachers to engage in the professional learning programs to broaden their skills and knowledge as well as overcome the difficulties in the beginning stages of their teaching career The research findings and suggestions could also be used to assist headmasters, principals, and educationalists in proposing applicable policies, professional programs, and supports to facilitate novice EFL teachers to develop their profession Last but not least, the research can set the analytic foundation for other studies conducted in the same field, especially

in the Vietnam educational context

used to analyze data It also summarizes what has been studied about beginning teachers’ professional learning and activity theory framework Chapter three

(Methodology) explicates the methods this study followed to arrive at the final

conclusion It includes the research approach, sampling and research design (data

collection and data analysis methods) Chapter four (Findings and Discussion)

presents the results of the study which covers individual-focused case studies from two selected case teachers and discusses the similarities and differences via cross-

case analysis The final chapter, Chapter five (Conclusion) concludes the discovery

in the study and answers the research questions It also gives implications for teachers, teacher educators, and researchers for further study Moreover, in the last chapter, the research’s limitations are discussed and the suggestions for further studies are offered

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Key concepts

2.2.1 Beginning teachers

Whilst the phrase ―beginning teacher‖ or ―novice teachers‖ is commonly used to refer to teachers in their early career as newly and recently qualified practitioners (Thorpe & Tran, 2015), the precise meaning depends heavily on context Several definitions specify the first three years of teaching (US Government, 2001) but other interpretations also include the period of initial teacher preparation training (Hobson, 2009) For the purpose of this research, I adopted the definition of Farrell’s (2012) that beginning teachers or novice teachers are those who have finished their pre-service teacher education and have just initiated their pedagogical career in an educational institution fewer than three years This understanding provides a precise time frame (three years), an exact starting point (after finishing a teacher education program) and highlights the fact that teachers need to be qualified first to be regarded as ―beginning teachers‖

Beginning teachers are the research subject due to several typical features Firstly, they are in the developmental stages (Bradley, 2010), so they engage in conscious deliberation and planning with many aspects of their practice yet to be established (Hagger et al., 2008) They are more able to learn through deliberating about the nature of the expertise that they want to develop (McIntyre, 1993) Secondly, they are experiencing the period of encountering countless problems and difficulties in their teaching career The first years of teaching, as stated by Kang & Cheng (2014), is a doubtless and essential period when teachers test their beliefs and ideas, expand their teaching strategies, acquire practical knowledge, and formulate their professional identity Research from the Project on the Next Generation of Teachers (Johnson, 2004, p.13), in addition, reported that new teachers ―feel that they have no access to clear answers, feel that their sense of professional competence is challenged, and ultimately question their choice of teaching as a career‖ Thirdly, they lack experience and a profound understanding

of typical classroom activities and expected problems and solutions (Berliner, 1987) These features are a double-edged sword, which either motivates them to make efforts to learn and improve or discourages them from engaging in the teaching career Consequently, beginning teachers’ professional development is a matter of importance

2.1.2 Professional development

Teachers’ professional development is a broad term that is studied and presented in the relevant literature in many different ways Glatthorn (1995) adopted the definition that ―Teacher development is the professional growth a teacher achieves as a result of gaining increased experience and examining his or her teaching systematically‖ (p.41) Similarly, Loucks-Horsley et al (2009) defined teachers’ professional development as opportunities to develop new knowledge, skills, approaches, and disposition to improve their effectiveness in their classroom Horn (2004) shared the same viewpoint by bringing about further discussion that professional development is a broad range of processes and activities that contribute

to the learning of educators Regardless of various definitions of professional development, the arguments stood on the same side that professional development

is the centralized system supporting the development of knowledge, skills, attitudes, aspirations, and behaviors leading to the improvement of student accomplishment (Killion, 2002) The specific goals of teachers attending professional development program include engaging in self-reflection and evaluation, developing specialized knowledge and skills about many aspects of teaching, expanding their knowledge base about research, theory, and issues in teaching, taking on new roles and responsibilities such as supervisor or mentor teacher, teacher-researcher, or materials writer and developing collaboratively with other teachers (Richards & Farrell, 2015)

2.1.2 Professional development activities

Professional development includes formal experiences (attending workshops and professional meetings, mentoring, etc.) and informal experiences (reading professional publications, watching television documentaries related to an academic

discipline, etc.) (Ganser, 2000) A series of professional activities in language teaching listed are workshops, self-monitoring, teacher support groups, professional meetings, reading of professional materials, analysis and discussion of critical incidents, journal writing, peer observation, teaching portfolios, presentation, peer coaching, self-reflection, team teaching, action research, conferences, seminars, and case analysis These activities can be classified into two major categories which are the principles of self-directed learning (Bailey et al, 2000; Richards & Farrell, 2005) and the principles of collaborative learning (Bailey et al, 2001; Desimone et al., 2009; Richards & Farrell, 2005) Each category has some typical features that directly impact teachers’ learning and development

Firstly, the self-directed learning principle is the category in which teachers use self-study as the main instrument for learning (Bailey et al., 2000; Richards & Farrell, 2005) In self-directed learning, responsibility for teacher development shifts from managers to teachers themselves It does not mean that teachers are provided fewer development opportunities in their workplace, but that they are encouraged to set their own goals and construct their own knowledge and understanding in accordance with the context in which they are placed (Nguyen, 2015) According to Richards & Farrell (2005), this principle recognizes the values of experiential learning, central to which are the following processes: inquiry, self-appraisal, experience, personal construction, contextual learning, and planning and managing

Secondly, according to Brody & Davidson (1998), collaborative learning emphasizes that cooperation is ―grounded in the human moral and social capacity to take the position of the other through numerous forms of reciprocity, mutuality, and give and take (as cited in Richards & Farrell, 2005, p.57) In other words, collaborative learning is the learning process that involves the participation of several stakeholders in teacher learning such as teaching community, colleagues, headmasters, and students Besides, content focus, coherence, and duration are believed to contribute to the effectiveness of a collaborative professional development activity (Nguyen, 2015)

In the study field, several researchers distinguished the difference between professional development and professional learning (Easton, 2008; Webster-Wright,

2009) According to those studies, professional development traditionally has been focused on providing educators with information, whether it’s theories regarding pedagogical practices or updates in subject matter and highlighted the need for educators to grow individually (Easton, 2008) On the other hand, professional learning emphasizes a modernized version that encourages interactive learning in a community (Easton, 2008) The researchers follow this tendency approve that professional development is outdated terminology and should be transformed into professional learning However, many other researchers still used the two terms,

―professional development‖ and ―professional learning‖ interchangeable, for example, Richter, 2011 and Avalos, 2011 This study adopts the later tendency because it aims to explore both collaborative learning and self-directed learning activities of teachers

2.2 Related theories and frameworks

This section will review theories related to the research subject, which are sociocultural approaches of teacher’s learning theory (Vygotsky et al., 1978) and activity theory and its concept of contradictions (Engestrõm, 1987) Teachers’ learning theory (Vygotsky et al., 1978) is directly related to the research subject because it could provide the basis for analyzing teachers’ activities in their community of practice Activity theory along with its contradictions, on the other hand, is used as the analytical framework for two case studies to draw the conclusion of all three research questions

2.2.1 Sociocultural approaches to teacher’s learning theory

Teacher’s learning is introduced as the process by which teachers move towards expertise, and a distinction is made between teacher knowledge and teacher identity (Evan, 2002) Two major approaches to teacher learning are cognitive learning and socio-cultural learning Cognitive learning used to be a dominant consideration of teachers’ learning; however, it showed a number of limitations which render it inadequate for understanding the complexity of teacher learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991, cited in Kelly, 2006) Therefore, it is argued that socio-cultural approaches are more helpful, providing broad insights into teacher’s learning (Kelly, 2006)

Sociocultural approaches to learning and development were first systematized and applied by Vygotsky et al in Russia in the 1920s and 1930s They are based on the concept that human activities take place in cultural contexts, are mediated by language and other symbol systems In social-cultural approach, what

is learned is specific to, and grounded in, the situation in which it is learned Vygotsky et al (1987) Being inspired by Vygotsky et al, Kelly (2006) explained that if from the cognitive point of view, knowing means possessing, from the sociocultural perspective it means belonging, participating, and communicating In other words, the most important term in socio-cultural learning is ―context‖ which means teacher’s learning is closely linked with the community of practice because knowledge is not an entity in the head of an individual, which can be acquired, enriched, or changed, but in the context it takes place The present study, therefore, does not consider teacher’s separately from the context but in accordance with their community of practice

2.2.2 Activity theory

Activity theory is one theory among many others under the sociocultural approach to learn It is a philosophical and multidisciplinary framework to research various human behaviors (Yamagata-Lynch & Haudenschild, 2009) The root of activity theory stems from the German philosophies of Kant and Hegel, the writings

of Marx and Engels, and the Russian cultural-historical psychology of Vygotsky, Leont’ev & Luria (Engeström, 1987) It is an evolving theory that has proven fertile

in education research Activity theory views learning as a social activity and the basic unit of analysis is an activity (Kaptelinin & Nardi, 1996) Activity theory has evolved to reach the third generation The third version develops conceptual tools for understanding dialogue, multiple perspectives and voices, and networks of interacting activity systems (Engeström, 1987)

Figure 2.1 Activity system (Engeström, 1987)

As illustrated in Figure 2.1, a human activity system (Engeström, 1987)

contains six interacting components: subjects, objects, tools, rules, division of labor and community

Subject of an activity system refers to the individual or group of individuals

whose agency is the focus of the analysis (Choi, 2010) In the present study, subjects are two beginning teachers whose professional learning activities are influenced by sociocultural historical context within which he/she teaches

Object describes the orientation of the activity, derived from motivation to

achieve an outcome It is also the ―raw material‖ or ―problem space‖ that gives reasons for the subject to participate in the activity (Dang, 2012, p.2) There is no objectless activity (Engeström, 2008a) Objects in this study are the teacher's perception of PD, their orientation towards PD, and their perception of PD programs in their community of practice

Tools are mediating triggers used by subjects, which consist of artifacts

(technical tools) and signs (psychological tools) Tools are not conveniently handed

to the subject (Dang, 2012) They are invented, purchased, discarded, and replaced

in the activity system and can even be sources of disruption (Engeström &

Middleton, 1996) Teachers in the present study use subject content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and instructional materials (textbooks, lesson plan, video clips, professional development plans) as tools in their learning.

Rules refer to any explicit and implicit regulations, norms, and conventions

that constrain actions and interactions within the activity system (Engeström, 2008a) Here, the rules include the professional rules mediating teachers’ professional practice and cultural rules related to social relationships among colleagues and relationships between teachers and students

Community refers to the social group that the subject identifies being a

member of while participating in the community Teachers' schools and subject departments are considered as communities in these two cases In those communities of practice, experienced colleagues, other beginning teachers and students directly related to the cases

Division of labor refers to work relationships and power relationships

between members of the community The present study highlights the division of labor between beginning teachers and experienced teachers in professional development activities along with the relation between teacher and students in classroom practice

All of these components of activity systems, as shown by the

multidirectional arrows in Figure 2.1, can mediate changes not only for the object

and subject but also for each other directly or indirectly In addition, activity systems are not stable and harmonious systems; instead, this can be described by inner contradictions caused by tensions among the components of the system (Cole

& Engeström, 1993; Engeström, 1987) When the conditions of components cause the subject to face the contradictory situations that hamper the attainment of the object, the contradictions arise If the contradictions can be resolved, they have the potential to generate transformation into outcomes (Engeström, 2001) In other words, contradictions within activity systems generate disturbance but drive change and development (Engeström, 2001)

In the present study, teacher’s professional development is viewed as an activity system Firstly, data collection procedure will be guided by the framework

of activity theory Then it will be used as an analytical lens to explore the

professional learning activity systems of two collected cases in Chapter 4

2.3 Relevant studies about teachers’ professional development and activity theory in teachers’ learning activity systems

Teachers’ professional development is studied and presented in the relevant literature in many different ways But always at the core of such endeavors is the understanding that professional development is about teacher’s learning, learning how to learn, and transforming their knowledge into practice for the benefit of their students’ growth (Avalos, 2011) Within the field of TESOL, a large number of articles published in Teaching and Teacher Education has reported on research and interventions designed for teachers, with teachers and by teachers aimed at their professional learning, with an eye on their impact on teacher and student changes They cover different geographical regions and different research and development procedures It is worth mentioning that in 2011, Avalos published an article named

“Teacher professional development in Teaching and Teacher Education over ten years” which reports on 111 studies about teachers’ professional development

including 13 studies focusing on beginning teachers in various geographical regions and thematic areas between 2000 and 2010 This literature review of Avalos presents a systematic review of past research on professional development However, the article by Avalos only reported studies up to 2010, while the research

on teachers’ professional development keeps growing ever since Therefore, in this section, I will contribute to the literature review by firstly, discussing more studies about teacher’s professional development from 2010 until now, and then mentioning the published drew on the activity theory framework to explore teachers’ professional development

The teacher’s professional development studies (2010-2020) are taken into account to draw an overview of the literature theme Some efforts have been made to conceptualize professional development as well as a large number of aspects around

the field since 2010 Concerning influential factors, efficiency, values, and quality of professional development, we could refer to several works of Vail (2011), Fenwick & Weir (2010) and Kessels (2010) Patrick et.al (2010), Bayar (2013) and Gray et.al (2011), Szeto & Cheng (2018) paid attention to the relationship between professional development and teacher’s features, community of practice, the principal and educational policies Beginning teacher’s difficulties and tensions are also mentioned

by several researchers in their works such as Pillen (2013), Noom-Ura (2013) and Sholva & Fejgin (2010) Among all the thematic areas mentioned by Avalos (2011), teachers’ reflection is highlighted in the largest number of studies, for instance Killeavy

& Monloney (2010), Moon (2013), Körkkö & Turunen (2016), Santagata & Yeh (2016) and so on All the works have been done with an aim to provide beneficial suggestions and recommendations to make progress and enhance the effectiveness of professional development in their targeted context

Moreover, many studies adopt activity theory and its concept of contradictions (Engeström, 2001) as the analytic lens for examining teacher's professional development activities Therefore, this section continues to synthesize articles and studies about teachers’ professional development using activity theories in various geographical regions In the USA context, Yamagata & Haudenschild (2009) used activity theory as an analytic lens for examining Technology Professional Development

in School In the same context, Ian (2010) conducted a study to illuminate teacher change and professional development context with activity theory and its notion of contradiction The study claimed that the contradiction within secondary education is a dual view of students as objects of instruction versus students as willful individuals; the difficulties arising from this contradiction can either inhibit or motivate teachers’ learning L.Hu and Webb (2009) used the activity theory to analyze how seven Chinese English teachers implemented ICT pedagogy The results revealed the potential driving force for change was the conflict between the traditional teacher-centered pedagogy in the educational system and the student-centered pedagogy which was advocated by the introduction of ICT Choi & Kang (2010) conducted a study to analyze online collaborative group work using an activity system in South Korea In the same context,

Ahn (2011) used sociocultural and activity theory to analyze teachers’ learning and contradiction in the teacher’s activity system In the Vietnam context, Dang (2012) conducted a case study on teacher professional identity formation in the paired-placement of student teachers The study analyzed the conflicts within the collaboration

to identify the factors driving the intricate collaborative learning process and revealed the findings that opportunities for learning were initially manifested in conflicts within the teacher pairs All the studies suggest that activity theory is useful for understanding teacher professional development because it allows researchers to capture and examine the complexities involved in teachers’ learning as well as the dynamics of teachers’ work-life (Lisa, 2003) In addition, Activity theory enables researchers to represent and illuminate insights from data on multiple individuals collaboratively engaging in learning activities in their natural setting

2.4 Research gaps

Section 2.3 has reviewed the studies on teachers’ professional development

and the studies using activity theories to analyze teachers’ professional development The body of research on the theme is extensive in various contexts, from Asia countries to European and American; however, research undertaken in Asian contexts is much more limited especially in the case of Vietnam Secondly, although professional development was a common theme for previous study, none

of them focused on teachers’ perspective of their learning activities Thirdly, most studies using activity theory analyze a teacher's professional development in general Only a few studies distinguished between the professional development activity systems of beginning teachers and those of experienced teachers Moreover, all mentioned researchers only used activity theory as the analytic tool instead of guiding for data collection Therefore, in order to fill in the gaps that emerged from reviewed research; this study’s objective is to investigate the professional learning activities of beginning teachers using activity theory

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

This chapter demonstrates how the method of study fits the research questions and the theoretical framework Firstly, this chapter provides the rationale for using a qualitative case study Secondly, it describes the research design Then, the third section discusses the procedure to collect data And the fourth section focuses on the rationale and design of the instruments The last section describes the thematic way in which activity theory was operationalized in the data analysis

3.1 Rationale for choosing the qualitative case study approach

3.1.1 Qualitative approach

The qualitative approach is ideal for providing insight into such contextual conditions and influences (Doryei, 2007) It does not aim to generalize universal laws, but to interpret and explain contextualized social phenomena, such as classroom culture and peer or group development (Kamberelis & Dimitriadis, 2005) My study uses Engeström (1987)’s activity theory to indicate teachers’ professional development activities in relation to their community of practice From this perspective, the focus is not on the product of development, but on the very process by which higher forms are established (Robins, 2003)

Besides, the nature of the research questions also influences the kind of research framework that best fits the purpose (Mertens, 2009) If the research questions focus on the process or implementation of a program, the participants’ individualized outcomes, the unique qualities of individuals in-depth and detailed information, and participant’s beliefs, it is appropriate to adopt qualitative methods

(Mertens, 2009) The two ―What‖ questions of my research (What are the key features of the professional development activities for beginning TESOL teachers? AND What factors impact on their professional development?) suggest that the

focus of my study is beginning teachers’ learning, which reflects the qualities of teachers’ learning activities Therefore, qualitative research seems to be the most appropriate option for my study

3.1.2 Case study

Case study is defined as ―an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context‖ (Yin, 2003, p.13) It can provide rich insights and reveal a high degree of completeness and depth of analyses when describing a complex social issue in a cultural context (Dornyei, 2007) The present study focuses on exploring teacher’s professional learning within the culture and context of a particular community of practice In addition, Yin (2003) suggests that a case study design should be considered when the focus

of the study is to answer the question of ―How‖ and ―Why‖ This study answers the question ―How do beginning teachers perceive the learning activities they experience?‖ Therefore case study is the preferred research method for my study

However, every method has both strengths and limitations The main limitation of qualitative research, including case study, is the issue of sample size and generalizability (Dornyei, 2007), especially when contrasted with large-scale experimental methods Qualitative research, different from quantitative, not focuses

on ―meaning in the general‖, but emphasizes the in-depth exploration of the

―meaning in the particular‖ (Dornyei, 2007, p 27) As Stake (2006) argues, the purpose of a case study is not to represent the world, but to represent the case Indeed, although a case study cannot be generalized to the whole population, the theoretical principles and models of some case studies can be relevant to other studies, which are called ―analytic generalization‖ (Dornyei, 2007, p.153) To make

a case ―analytic generalization‖, case selection and sampling are very crucial (P.Duff, 2008) Purposive sampling with strategies such as: typical, criterion, extreme/deviant, and critical case sampling is commonly adopted to generalize cases to the wider research community All in all, although there are several limitations to case qualitative research, it is still the most suitable approach for my present study To lessen the limitation, I adopt typical sampling and analytic generalization to have results as valid as other research methods

In this study, I adopt embedded multiple case study research design for two reasons Firstly, the evidence from multiple cases is often considered stronger and

more convincing (Yin, 1994) The second reason is because the multiple case studies enable the researcher to explore the similarities or differences within and between cases (Baxter & Jack, 2008) The goal is to replicate findings across cases Hence, my study considers two schools as two cases and within each school, a teacher was selected as a case, making this study an embedded multiple case study Each teacher’s professional learning is considered as an activity system, following Engeström’s (1987) framework After investigating two particular cases, I draw on the similarities and differences between the two cases

3.2 Research design

After discussing the reason for using a qualitative multiple case study approach, this section firstly gives background information about the sites for the data collection The second part describes the participants as well as the principles and selection of participants The third part illustrates the detailed data collection procedure

3.2.1 Research sites

The study will be conducted at two research sites: School A, School B

School A is an international private school Many foreign and local language teachers in school A are beginning teachers with limited teaching experience They were recruited strictly through three rounds: application, interview, and model teaching With the aim of establishing a high-qualified bilingual school in the locality, School A focuses on developing language and teaching knowledge for teachers with numerous learning activities In the school year, School A carries out many activities for teachers such as seminars, workshops, sharing sections, professional meetings, and teaching competitions

Founded in 1991, School B is a high school for the talented students in a province It is one of the most high-qualified high schools in the country Students

in school B are selected by a very competitive examination and have a tendency to focus on a specialized subject Every year, school B recruits several teachers Most

of them are experienced and high-qualified teachers rotated from other high schools

in the province However, last year, school B recruited three beginning teachers To

prepare their teachers for the high demand of the working environment, school B organizes sample teaching and professional meetings regularly Sample teaching is the activities which organized for teachers to deliver sample lessons and observe others lessons and give feedback.

School A and B were chosen as the research sites because of the research purposes This selection fits with the qualitative multiple case study approach

Multiple case studies, as reviewed in Section 3.1, enable the researcher to explore

the similarities or differences within and between cases (Baxter and Jack, 2008) Besides, it is imperative that the cases in this study were chosen carefully so that the researcher can predict similar results across cases, or predict contrasting results based on a theory (Yin, 2003) The commonalities of these two schools are: (1) they have beginning teachers in their community of practice and (2) they stress the importance of professional development by organizing learning activities for their teachers However, they have many differences Firstly, they are located in different regions School A is in the most developed city of the country and School B is in the rural area Secondly, they are different in the bureaucracy: the first school (School A) is an international private school, whilst the second (School B) is a public school for the gifted students Thirdly, they have differences in the demographic factors of the teachers in their communities of practice: in School A, many teachers are beginning or early-career teachers, while the majority of teachers

in the second school are middle-career and experienced ones Drawing on these similarities and differences as the basis for case selection, the study could potentially hypothesize the similarities and the differences in teachers’ experiences and perceptions about their professional learning activities

3.2.2 Participants

Sampling

As stated in Section 3.1, for multiple case studies, each case should be

carefully selected (Yin, 2003) My study utilizes typical sampling to selected participants whose experiences and practices are typical concerns of the research focus This strategy assumes that we can get a form of the targeted features

possessed by the participants (Yang, 2012) Although we cannot generalize that every teacher has the same experiences, we can list the typical features of that experience (Dornyei, 2007) In my study, there are two criteria for typical sampling.

The first sampling criterion is the teachers’ previous teaching and learning experience My study focuses on the activities that teachers direct or collaborate with colleagues to obtain knowledge of teaching Therefore, their variety of teaching experience and the number of learning activities they participate in was one sampling criterion The second sampling criterion is their communities of

practice, which are the research sites mentioned in Section 3.2.1 According to

activity theory, the subject’s motives are socially and historically constructed (Gillette, 1994) Teachers’ communities of practice greatly influence their professional development Thus, the school in which teachers work is the second criterion for selecting cases

According to the two sampling criteria, the first case was chosen from a group of beginning teachers who had various teaching experiences, held different positions in previous working environments, and participated in inadequate professional development before working in the current school The second case was selected from a group of teachers who had limited teaching experience and rarely participated in any professional activities before joining the current school

Moreover, the selection was also based on my intention to create diversity in participants’ backgrounds including gender, variety of experience, and working institutions

Background of the participants

To protect their identities, from now on I will address them by pseudonyms

as specified below

Table 3.1 Participants’ background

Case No Pseudonym Gender Qualification Graduation year

3.3 Data collection procedure

After illustrating the sampling selection of two cases, this subsection introduces the procedures of data collection which comprise five steps and

illustrated in the chart below (Figure 3.1) Data collection will be built up over approximately one month This prolonged period of engagement serves to increase the credibility of research findings (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) Multiple methods will

be employed to collect evidence to obtain the most prosperous understanding of the research problem (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004)

Figure 3.1 Data collection procedure

Before starting the first step of this data collection procedure, I piloted the semi-structured interviews with two English beginning teachers They gave me some feedback about the structure of the interview protocols and translation of certain terms After reviewing the protocols, I began data collection procedure Prior to the preliminary interview, each participant was given an introductory letter, which explained the purpose of the study and data collection procedure with a

consent form attached (see Appendix) The participants had enough time to read

and ask any questions to clarify their concerns with the study When they agreed

with the procedure, they signed their name on the consent form to give agreement to participate in the study Then negotiation and arrangement of time and method of interviews, classroom observation and learning activities observation were made

In the first step, participants were interviewed individually The preliminary interview, which last for about 45 minutes, was designed to explore teachers’ background, previous teaching and learning experience and their conception about professional development for beginning teachers

Secondly, with both teachers’ and students’ agreement, the two teachers’ classroom teaching was observed, about 2 hours for each teacher Before and after the lesson, I conducted two short semi-structured interviews to examine teachers’ objectives and their reflection of the lessons The classroom observation lasted for about one month During that time, I conducted the third step of the procedure, a semi-structured interview about professional learning activities The interview lasted for about 30 minutes to investigate teachers’ perception about their professional learning as well as the professional development activities organized by their schools The last step was final interviews which lasted for about 30 minutes and explored their final thought about the learning activities and the factors impact on their learning All interviews were tape recorded with the permission of participants During the whole data collection process, I also collected some documentary data such as lesson plans, teachers written reflection, professional development plans and teachers’ learning notes

Data sources and focus of data collection and analysis are shown in the Table 3.2

Table 3.2 Data sources and focus of data collection and analysis

Beginning teachers

Data sources Focus of data collection analysis

Preliminary interviews with individual

teacher (N=2)

Personal background Experience as language teacher/ tutor/ teaching assistant

Previous PD experience Perceptions of PD

Activity system interviews (N=2)

Evaluation about PD experience Goals and plans for PD

Pre-teaching interviews (N=4)

lesson objectives intention of applying teaching tools

Classroom Observations (N=4)

use of teaching tools social context of teaching teacher - student interaction

Post-teaching interviews (N=4) Reflection about the lesson

Final interviews with individual teacher

(N=2)

perceptions of PD and PD activity after participating procedure

factors impact teachers' learning

Artifacts (lesson plans, instructional

materials, professional development plan,

professional meeting minutes, etc.)

evidence of use of teaching tools

evidence of teachers' PD procedure

3.4 Data collection instruments

This section discusses the design and rationale for two instruments used in the data collection procedure which are semi-structured interview and classroom observation In order to link the data to the theoretical framework, the design of interview protocols and observation guides all reflect the activity theoretical framework

3.4.1 Interview

Rationales for using interviews

Interviews are one of the most widely used and most fundamental research techniques In qualitative research technique, interviews involve conducting intensive individual interviews with a small number of respondents (Boyce & Neale, 2006) They offer researchers opportunities to probe into any emerging issue and at the same time an interview guide can help to maintain a systematic coverage

of the targeted research field Detailed information and relaxed atmosphere for data collection are two major benefits that make interviews common in research (Boyce and Neale, 2006)

Semi-structured interviews are used in a great deal of applied linguistic research These have a set of pre-prepared guiding questions called interview protocols The interview protocol acts as a guide and a basis on which the interviews are established (Knox and Burkard, 2009) Not only does it consist of a list of interview questions but it also contains procedural guide including a script for interviewers to begin, guide and end an interview, prompts to collect consent from the participants and to remind interviewers to collect the data correspondent to the research topic (Jacob & Furgerson, 2012) Moreover, interview protocol is believed

to be essential for novice researchers who have limited experience because it could aid the researchers by leading them through the interview process Considering those advantages, this study employed semi-structured interviews with interview protocols in all stages

Constructing interview protocols

There are four interview protocols used in four semi-structured interviews during data collection procedure The first interview, which is named preliminary

interview, comprises three sections (see Appendix) Section 1 is to gain information

about teachers’ background and their previous learning and teaching experience The second section is designed to explore teachers’ conception about professional development And the last section is to explore teachers’ perception about their

professional learning activities as well as the activities organized by their community of practice The second interview is an activity interview, which is designed to have a more detailed insight about learning activities that teachers participate in their schools and their goals for further learning Here, both teachers mentioned ―sample teaching‖ as a typical activity for their professional development Thirdly, pre teaching and post teaching interviews are used to examine teachers’ objectives and reflection about the lessons And the last one, final interview aimed at exploring teachers’ final thought about their learning process and factors impact their learning The guiding questions in all semi-structured interviews are designed based on teachers’ learning theories and six elements in activity theory (Engeström, 1987) including subject, object & outcome, tools, community, rules and division of labor

The interview questions were first drafted and then sent to one expert in the field of TESOL research for suggestion After that, they were tested in a pilot study with two beginning teachers A pilot study is necessary in this case because it helps examine whether there will be any faults or limitations in design of the interviews (Kvale, 2007, as cited in Turner, 2010), and thus prompt the refinement of the design In this study, after conducting the pilot interview, I received some feedback about the structure of the interview protocols and translation of certain terms As a result, I revised them for clearer versions

Conducting interviews

All the interviews were conducted with the guide of interview protocols However, in a semi-structured interview, the researcher has a good overview of the phenomenon and is able to prepare broad questions in advance (Dornyei, 2007) In

my interview, besides preparing interview protocols, classroom observation was applied with an aim to provide me with an overview of the phenomenon in teachers’ contexts to talk about the issues raised in an exploratory manner (Yang, 2012) During the interviews, questions could be asked about the reasons for any gap between teacher’s perception and their classroom and learning practice according to the results of classroom observation Before data collection procedure, the consents

forms, which include research purposes and procedures, were given to participants The participants understood and agreed with the data collection procedure and no consent form needs to be given in each interview Audio and/or video recording were asked for permission of the participants before the interview begins For participants’ convenience, interviews were conducted either online or offline based

on their preference With the restriction from face-to-face meetings in the pandemic, all interviews were conducted online The interview details are specified in the

Table 3.3 below:

Table 3.3 Interview details

Participant Interview Place Date Duration

Andy

Sophia

3.4.2 Non-participation observation

Qualitative research can reveal the interpretations of teachers and students about classroom activities (Dornyei, 2007) Two basic ways of getting information about people are through the individual’s own accounts and through external observation (Dornyei, 2007) Therefore, in order to evaluate the teachers’ professional learning activities, besides interviews, my study uses classroom observation

Observation, as the name implies, is a way of collecting data through observing Observation data collection method is classified as a participatory study, because the researcher has to immerse herself in the setting where her respondents are, while taking notes and/or recording (Hoyle & John, 1995) It offers direct information about the research field without having to rely on what subjects say they do Therefore, such data can provide more objective descriptions of events and people’s behavior than self-report data

During the data collection procedure, I observed two lessons of each participant Bell (1999) suggests that we should make decisions about what is to be observed Using activity theory (Engeström, 1987) as the analytical framework, my observation focuses on six elements mentioned in activity systems (subject, object, tools, community, rules and division of labor) The preliminary interview arranged before classroom observation gave me the clue to decide what to focus when observing The observation followed observation protocols because it can help to reveal the complexity of classroom reality and focus on key events During observation, I also took observation notes By observing participants’ classroom practice, I could examine teachers’ tools applied in the lesson, interaction with their students and the division of labor they divided in their classroom practice

However, my classroom observation faced a difficulty which led to several limitations Because of the effect of Covid-19 pandemic, all schools applied virtual teaching, thus, my classroom observation occurred virtually instead of directly as planned The observation of virtual class refrain me from observing student’s

emotional reaction and behavior during lessons Teachers, in the virtual lesson, also

had restrictions on interacting with their students Below is the Table 3.4 that

specifies the time and length of each observation session

Table 3.4 Classroom observation details

Participant’s Name Lesson Date Duration

3.5 Thematic data analysis

This section explicates the process in which I analyze the data collected from the participants The primary data source was the interview transcript and classroom observation notes Firstly, I commenced the data analysis process by transcribing all interviews verbatim Then, thematic analysis was adopted as a method of qualitative data analysis because this method enables me to explore and understand shared meanings and experiences (Braun, Clarke, & Terry, 2019)

In this study, Braun & Clarke’s six-phrase framework for doing a thematic analysis (2006) is adopted Firstly, I familiarized with the collected data including interview transcript, observation notes and artifacts by reading carefully and made side notes to mark the potential piece of information that might be potentially relevant to the research questions Then, I scanned the data again to ―generate initial code‖ and ―search for themes‖ (Braun & Clarke, 2016, p.44) based on both semantic and latent levels of meaning Semantic level, which is ―…within the explicit or surface meanings of the data and the analyst is not looking for anything beyond what a participant has said or what has been written.‖ (p.84) was used for analyzing what participants verbally describe Whilst, the latent level, which is

―…starts to identify or examine the underlying ideas, assumptions, and conceptualizations – and ideologies - that are theorized as shaping or informing the semantic content of the data‖ (p.84), was concerned with the observation process along with the categories in the Activity theory frameworks which I mention in

Section 2.2.

The analysis in my study can be divided into three phrases (Figure 3.3) The

first phrase is to analyze the activity systems of two case teachers including six elements: subject, object, tools, community, rules and division of labor These analyses build a foundation for the analyses of contradictions in the second phrase And the third phase analyses the similarities and differences between two cases

Figure 3.3 Procedure of data analysis

Two levels of analysis namely vertical and horizontal (Braun & Clarke, 2006; Saldaña, 2009) were utilized to analyze these three phases Vertical analysis was conducted on the first and the second phrases when individual participants’ activity systems and contradictions were analyzed In the third phrase, I compared and contrasted data cross participants and the horizontal analysis was carried out Therefore, once I had completed analyzing data from each participant to achieve a set of them by vertical analysis, I performed the horizontal analysis to identify the similarities and differences between cases

Illustration of interview transcript analysis

To analyze data from the interview, firstly, I carefully read all the transcripts again and tried to generate initial codes of the information (Braun & Clarke, 2006) Two types of coding I mainly used in this part were Descriptive coding and In Vivo coding

Descriptive coding was used when I summarized ―in a word or short phrase the basic topic of a passage‖ (Saldaña, 2009, p 262) in the interview transcript like

―professional rules‖, ―English competence‖ or ―knowledge about subject‖ Table

3.5 gives more examples of this type of coding

Table 3.5 Descriptive coding in interview analysis

Example quote Code Type of code

Applying virtual teaching is not

too difficult for me; otherwise, I

have more time to explore the

endless online source and learn

new teaching techniques

You know, teachers, like me

(teaching young students)

cannot apply one technique or

activity again and again So I

need to learn and find

something new to apply in my

lesson

Intentionality to learn

Motivation to learn

Descriptive code

In Vivo coding is the type of code that uses ―words or short phrases from the

participant’s own language in the data record‖ (Saldaña, 2009, p 264) Below is one

example of In Vivo coding

Table 3.6 Vivo coding in interview analysis

Sometimes, activity doesn’t go well

I need to think about how to

improve it for the next lesson

I always want to apply new

teaching techniques which are

retrieved from real-life contexts

such as role-play, project, etc in my

lesson Whenever I try new ways to

teach, I learn something from that

Think about how to improve

Applying new teaching techniques

In Vivo code

Illustration of observation analysis

To analyze observation notes on participant’s teaching practice, I used “process coding” Process coding was defined by Saldaña (2009) as the usage of gerunds to

signify visible and conceptual action from the collected data

Table 3.7 Process coding in interview analysis

Teacher delayed his response to

students’ question and checked the

information before explaining for

them

She explained forms, meaning and

usage, required students to practice

then corrected the answers Students

listened and followed all the

requirements of the teacher.

Checking in formation

Delivering

3.7 Ethical considerations

The main ethical issue is the teacher's concerns about participating in the study, which I addressed at the beginning of the data collection procedure Firstly, the participation in this study was totally voluntary The participants could decide to participate or withdraw from the study when they want so they should feel no pressure during the procedure Secondly, I clearly explained about the research procedure, their roles and responsibilities before giving consent to participate Each participant kept one copy of consent form for their records The consent form was attached below as an appendix

Third, participants’ identities were anonymous The participants were identified by pseudonyms instead of their name Also, all the data collected was treated with high confidentiality Only my supervisors and I were able to access the transcriptions and interview recordings