Reflective EFL Teacher Education in Armenia

Abstract

The aim of this research is to explore how reflective practice is being integrated into various English language teacher development programs in Armenia. The hypothesis to be tested in the research states that the EL teacher development model in Armenia allows for reflective practice. However, the degree of reflectivity varies from program to program and depends on such organizational factors as the length of the course, the frequency of the classes provided, the ratio between teacher learners and teacher educators and so on. The data were obtained via structured interviews with teacher educators and program managers, insider-view descriptions of two programs/courses in which I was involved and one group interview with teacher learners. The findings appear to support the research hypothesis. It was also revealed that the teacher learners` reflections are practice oriented. In other words, the teacher learners reflect on what they learn to ensure a more conscious and creative transfer of the course content to their own classrooms.