An evaluation of the implementation of the English language teacher’s professional portfolio in Armenian EFL settings

Abstract

The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the implementation of a language teacher’s professional portfolio in the curriculum of the Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (CTEFL) program at American University of Armenia (AUA) and to investigate its later contribution in a student’s career as a teacher in Armenia. In light of this, the study aims to investigate the extent to which the process of implementing the requirement of a teacher’s professional portfolio in the CTEFL program at AUA has affected the overall efficiency of the educational process. More specifically, this study tries to explore to what extent the CTEFL students’ awareness of the fact that their current academic work (e.g., lesson plans, projects, research papers, etc., marked by the faculty and fulfilled according to the requirements of different courses), which are later to be included into their Professional Portfolios, affect their motivation and perceptions of autonomy while following the prescribed program of studies at AUA. The study has been conducted at AUA and the data has been collected mainly by means of questionnaires distributed to the CTEFL graduate students of the previous two academic years: 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. The data for the study has also included the professional portfolios submitted by the students. The audio-taped interviews with the potential employers were aimed at revealing the potential employers’ attitudes towards recognizing teacher’s professional portfolios as an assessment measure to consider while hiring a teacher in Armenia. As the results of the study indicate, the accruing insights and information support the researcher’s belief in the efficacy of using professional portfolios in all the tertiary level institutions in Armenia, which are devoted to language teacher education. Recommendations and suggestions are also provided for the successful implementation of professional portfolios in Armenian EFL teacher training settings.