In-service education and training (INSET) : the perceptions of English language teachers in Malaysia

The national concern to improve the level of education in Malaysia prompted the Ministry of Education to conduct a comprehensive review of the education system and introduce the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013-2025) to transform the education system. One of the aims was to upgrade the quality of in-service teacher training for teachers. This has resulted in a reshaping of the type of courses and delivery mode for in-service education for teachers (INSET). CPD providers in Malaysia tend to conduct training using the cascade model due to limited resources and expertise and teachers are hardly consulted about their needs or learning preferences. This is likely to have a significant impact on the quantity and quality of INSET for teachers in a top-down national priority driven system. This study examines the perceptions of a group of Malaysian English language educators, comprising primary school non-specialist English language teachers and senior teachers who are newly appointed School Improvement Specialist Coaches (SISCs) of their INSET experiences. It covers the areas of their previous INSET experiences and their perceptions of the effect of INSET on their classroom practice. The research also aims to identify their future expectations of INSET in terms of their professional development needs, their pupils' needs, school needs and their views on national needs of Malaysia's education system with reference to INSET. This research is informed by the qualitative survey approach which establishes variation in terms of values and dimensions that are meaningful within a certain population. The study focuses on diversity in a population of educators who attended INSET programmes on literacy, pedagogy and Language Arts. The methods that were used comprised focus group interviews and individual interviews. The researcher followed the INSET journey of three groups of primary school educators who were selected using convenience sampling and purposive sampling. The findings suggest a strong relationship between the educators' educational backgrounds, pre-service training, their knowledge of the English language subject and continuing professional development. These impact upon their teaching as a result of their understanding of the objectives in the Primary School Standard Curriculum document, their priorities and preferences in how to teach the English language, their culture and language. This study identifies gaps in different aspects of professional development especially on INSET needs for subject specific skills, pedagogical skills and collaborative learning through districtwide INSET and school-based INSET in Malaysia