This thesis reports a study in the area of continuing professional development for teachers of English as a foreign language (TEFL). The research focuses on teachers' retrospective views of their in-service Diploma course, specifically their reasons for taking the course, their learning experience during the course and their perspectives on its impact. This appears to be an under-researched area, so, in an attempt to frame it, the literature is drawn from a number of different areas: teacher training impact studies within both EFL and mainstream teaching; writing in the area of teachers' careers, motivation and receptivity to professional learning; teacher learning and development; teacher professional identity; and supervision and mentoring of teachers. In terms of methodology, the study takes a case study approach with data analysed through a framework drawn from phenomenography, and investigates the topic through the use of several stages of qualitative, semi-structured, individual interviews. Some writers in the field of teacher education have taken the view that in-service professional development has little impact on practice but the findings from this study, although tentative and small-scale, are much more optimistic about the long-term value of CPO in the chosen field. Despite having varied opinions of their respective courses, almost all the interviewees could give concrete examples of sustained impact in the context of their subsequent practice, and in many instances it was possible to suggest tentative links between what had made the experience life-changing or otherwise. There was some considerable variation in the types of impact perceived and there also appeared to be a difference in the 'depth' of outcomes. Potential links between impact and other key issues are explored in detail, for example, motivation and receptivity to professional learning, self-identity and self-confidence as a teacher, the importance of prior teaching experience, and the role of course tutors.

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There is an urgent need to invest in teacher education programmes in the Arab world. Outdated curricula and methodologies, reliance on rote learning and not enough qualified teachers present a threat to the quality of education in the region. Traditionally, language teacher education programs have focused on transmission, product-orientated approaches that are applicable to any teaching context. However, there is a growing shift towards a constructivist, process-orientated perspective where trainee teachers are active participants in learning to teach. This thesis explores the rationale behind shaping and contextualizing curriculum and delivery of a teacher education reading methodology course in a government college system in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a location that is currently underrepresented in the research literature. Employing a qualitative case study methodology, and drawing upon a range of influences including Vygotskian teacher education constructivist pedagogy, data is drawn from course evaluations, focus group interviews, online discussions and observational analysis. The analysis explores the perceived impact of constructivist teacher education pedagogy on the formation of reading teaching styles during teaching practice at three levels: the perceived impact of curricular changes; the perceived and observed impact of constructivist delivery innovations (systematic microteaching, performance modelling and problem-based learning) and the perceived impact of teacher education pedagogy upon an evolving system of knowledge and beliefs. The findings suggest that by attending to a Vygotskian constructivist-based contextualized EFL model of second language teacher education pedagogy, the potential to enhance the capacity of Emirati student teachers to teach reading successfully and enact pedagogic change in local government schools is increased. However, while all participants aspired to become agents of change by making a clear distinction between themselves and their past teachers, differences in reading teaching styles were noted for varying ability groups, moving from eclectic to behaviourist styles. While investigating the unique features of the case itself, these findings may have resonance for teacher education programmes in the other Middle Eastern contexts.

UK concerns over teacher shortages, and national and international interest in student retention contextualise this study. Addressing a dearth of evidence for undergraduate withdrawal in Initial Teacher Education (ITE), the thesis questions why students withdraw from their courses of ITE and why some consider withdrawal but persist. Located within a mixed-methods institutional case-study, quantitative survey approaches provide information about the incidence of withdrawal, persistence and the student experience amongst a population of 81 postgraduate and 490 undergraduate ITE students. Qualitative semi-structured interviews provide an in-depth understanding of the withdrawal or persistence of 29 students. A case-by-case analysis of interview data portrays the individuality and complexity of the withdrawal/persistence process; whilst a cross-sectional analysis considers factors affecting withdrawal and persistence across the 29 interviewees and .110 'persisting' questionnaire respondents. The research, drawing upon a social constructionist epistemology, accords primacy to the student perspective. Withdrawal from ITE was found to be affected by a range of factors: intra- personal, inter-personal, academic. professional, institutional and external. Antecedents of particular interest include intra-personal factors such as responses to stress, lack of confidence, and perfectionism; inter-personal factors including bullying; and aspects of teacher identity. contrasting voluntary withdrawal with persistence suggests that goal commitment and determination are strong antecedents of persistence. Other factors which seem to promote short-term continuation include: support; course-related factors; and intra-personal qualities such as coping strategies, self-efficacy and perseverance. Such factors provide a window for supportive intervention, with the hypothesis that those interventions affecting goal commitment are likely to be the most successful in promoting continuation. The study analysed evidence of an unwillingness to seek institutional support. Given that support was identified as a factor in continuation, avoidance of support is a key finding.

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This mixed-methods study investigates community college students' perceptions of effective Teachers. This issue is critical as self-financing institutions which rely on students for their income may often fail to meet the needs and preference of their students due to a mismatch of both parties' perceptions of what constitutes an effective teacher. The study was conducted in two phases. In phase one, 468 students from a local community college were surveyed with the aid of the Teacher Behaviors Checklist (TBC) which asked them to identify factors that they believed to be most important for effective teachers. The quantitative data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and statistical correlation. In phase two of the study, 18 recent graduates from the same community college were interviewed to gain a more detailed understanding of their perceptions concerning the most important characteristics for effective teachers. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The purpose of adopting more than one approach was to triangulate the findings ,obtained in this study and to follow up general statements which arose from the questioill13ire in more detail. Firstly, the results of this study generally supported the findings of Buskist et. a1. (2002) and Schaeffer et. al. (2003) by identifying the following as being the most important attributes of an effective teacher: knowledgeable about subject matter; effective communicators; and enthusiastic about teaching and their topics. In addition, being creative and interesting; well prepared; flexible/open-minded; approachable; having realistic expectations; providing constructive feedback; and presenting current information were also shown to be important behaviours of an effective teacher. The study revealed some evidence that the social and cultural backgrounds of the students could affect their perceptions. Secondly, results obtained from thematic analysis of the interview data suggested that the characteristics of effective teachers could be classified into four main themes: Technical skills, or the ability to deliver the subject content, and to make it feasible for the students to learn; Human skills, or the ability to interact with students and to build trust and assurance. These were seen as essential to motivate students and create their desirability to learn. A third theme included Knowledge skills, or the ability to organise, package-and then pitch the materials at the correct level for the students. The final theme, Social calibre or status refers to the academic or professional qualifications, research record and physical appearance of the teacher. Teachers who possess characteristics within these four themes were said to construct the proper learning environment that could facilitate students' learning and create an enjoyable learning experience. However, there was some evidence that this process was modulated by contextual factors which include gender, programme of study, trust-assurance and the reliance of individual students. These findings, therefore, argue that students emphasized both teaching competence and the ability to bu~1d relationships as being the most important characteristics of effective teachers. This being the case, trainers and administrators would be advised to prioritize these attributes in relation to the training and recruitment of teaching staff in community colleges within Hong Kong.