Research and reflective practice in the EFL classroom: Voices from Armenia

Abstract

A sociocultural perspective of teacher development honours the rich knowledge base that teachers work from as they strive to connect theory ("expert" knowledge) to practice ("experiential" knowledge). The present paper explores classroom research and reflective practice as forms of teacher-led inquiry for the EFL context. In particular, this study explores the extent to which Armenian EFL teachers engage in classroom research, the challenges they face therein, and whether or not they consider themselves to be reflective practitioners. The findings are presented against the backdrop of the Armenian context with recommendations for cultivating teacher-led inquiry to promote teacher development in a range of EFL settings.

The Development of a Reflective Teaching Model for Reading Comprehension in English Language Teaching

“…Reflection-in-action involves monitoring and assessing one's own and others' behavior in teaching and learning events (cited in Edwards, 2017). Cirocki and Farrelly (2016), in turn, also established the nature of reflective teaching and distinguished between three types of reflection such as content reflection (what), process reflection (how), and premise reflection (why). Furthermore, Senge (1990, cited in Taggart & Wilson, 2005 identified three types of reflection; (1) technical reflection, (2) practical reflection, and (3) critical reflection.…”

“…To conclude the conceptual alternatives of reflective teaching described above, first, the most distinct factor described by almost all the researchers in reflective teaching (Ashwin, et al, 2015;Cirocki & Farrelly, 2016;Fatemipour, 2013;Garzon, 2018;Hulsman, Harmsen, & Fabriek, 2009;Pollard, et al, 2014;Ratminingsih, Artini, & Padmadewi, 2018;Richards & Lockhart, 2005;Spalding & Wilson, 2002;Taggart, & Wilson, 2005) is that reflective teaching is a cyclical and conscious process. Therefore, a teacher who uses reflection should know the main concepts of this process.…”

“…2. Based on a number of studies (Ashwin, et al, 2015;Cirocki & Farrelly, 2016;Fatemipour, 2013;Garzon, 2018;Hulsman, Harmsen, & Fabriek, 2009;Richards & Lockhart, 2005;Spalding & Wilson, 2002;Taggart, & Wilson, 2005), reflective teaching is used in different fields such as mathematics, English language teaching, dance education, and the sciences. Therefore, to apply the reflective teaching process in teaching reading comprehension, the teacher can construct a new RTMRC and conduct experimental research to test it.…”

Using Action-Research Based Program for Enhancing EFL Pre-Master Students' Information Literacy Skills and Self-Reflective Inquiry

“…Thus, the action researchbased program is considered more effective than the regular instruction in improving learners' skills of information literacy. This is shown in table (17). Note.…”

Students’ reflections in teaching practicum: A case study of EFL pre-service teachers

“…In line with the importance of reflective practice, there has been abundant research related to reflective practice in various contexts such as in English language teaching (Cirocki & Widodo, 2019;Lee, 2008;Valdez et al, 2018), teaching English to speakers of other languages (Eickhoff & De Costa, 2018;Farrell, 2016;Nguyen & Ngo, 2018), and in English as a foreign language (Cirocki & Farrelly, 2016;Fakazli & Kuru Gönen, 2017;Rozimela & Tiarina, 2018;Uştuk & De Costa, 2020). In an EFL context like Indonesia, for example, being professional is one expectation for being teachers in the 21 st century (Norahmi, 2017).…”