Research Information System
US-CHINA EDUCATION REVIEW B, vol.5, no.8, pp.527-534, 2015 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Novice language teachers, especially those who are in their first or second year of teaching, generally feel a need for in-service programs that better equip them for the institutional needs, expectations, and challenges, as well as meeting their own professional development agenda. Although most educational institutions have their own induction and in-service programs, most of these programs are pre-planned or set programs addressing the institutional needs and may not always meet the individual needs of the novice teachers. Therefore, novice teachers may feel in despair and search for ways to develop themselves professionally, academically, as well as personally. In recent years, continuous professional development (CPD) programs are in rise and many educational institutions now have started to establish their own CPD programs to meet the needs of all of their teachers, especially those who are relatively new to the profession. In accordance with the new changes and trends, Anadolu University (a state university in Turkey) School of Foreign Languages (AUSFL) initiated a new CPD program for its teachers. In this paper, the preliminary findings, namely, findings from the needs of novice teachers are presented. In part of the needs assessment, novice teachers’ needs and expectations from a CPD program are sought and based on their responses, a new, institutional model is proposed.