A co-authored research article by Prof. Alan Floyd (Professor of Education, University of Reading) and one of his former doctoral students, Dr. Wayne Rimmer, has recently been published in ELT (English Language Teaching) Journal.

The article, titled ‘Teaching associations and professionalism’, reports findings of a study which set out to explore the role of teaching associations (TAs) in developing EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers’ sense of being a professional. Through content analysis of interviews with ten members of TAs and nine non-members, the study finds that “non-members rejected members’ commitment to TA membership as confirmation of professionalism. However, all teachers agreed TAs made a considerable contribution to professionalism through CPD. Concerning impact, the only consensus was that too few teachers are aware of TAs for them to be significant.”

In summary, the study suggests that TAs can play a role in professionalism provided they remain relevant to teachers’ changing contexts and consider non-members’ interests.

To read the article, please click here. (Subscription is required)

To learn more about Prof. Floyd’s research interests, visit his research profile page here. Prof. Floyd tweets at @dr_alanfloyd.

 

Reference

Rimmer, W., & Floyd, A. (2020). Teaching associations and professionalism. ELT Journal. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccaa003