ANTHROPOLOGIST, cilt.20, sa.1-2, ss.149-155, 2015 (SCI-Expanded)
In this research study, 114 English language instructors working at a university in Turkey were asked to complete a survey concerning the qualities of successful professional development activities in which they were involved. The results provide a list of activities that the participants considered the most effective, such as personal experience, teaching in the classroom, participating in training sessions presented by colleagues, observing colleagues while teaching, and attending B.A., M.A., or Ph.D. courses. The activities identified as effective include receiving feedback from colleagues after in-class observations, reading source books and journals, and participating in sessions given by trainers. The activities found to be the least effective include attending conferences, receiving feedback from trainers after in-class observations, and attending certificate programs. The results suggest that making use of activities that activate practitioners' first hand experience and involvement will most probably result in an increase in effectiveness attained from professional development programs.