DEVELOPMENT OF PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND CLUSTER APPROACH: POINTS OF CONTACT IN TEACHING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Number of studies have been conducted about practical approaches to teaching a foreign language and professional development, but their interconnectedness has been considered to a lesser extent. The research presented here examined these patterns comparatively by disciplinary fields that form a kind of academic cluster within the frames of university. The research based on the analysis of various publications on the topic and on the years of personal teaching experience of the author. Three inventories were filled in by participants from one university (Gulistan State University, acting as a source of professionals), one school (School No.2 in Gulistan, acting as a basic employer) and one private school (PS, acting as an another employer). Based on a hierarchical cluster analysis, four patterns emerged: (1) Participants with diverse teaching approaches; (2) Participants perceiving their professional (workplace’s) culture as most supportive and collaborative; (3) Individualistic knowledge-focused participants; and (4) Professionally unintegrated participants (students). About 45% of the participants belonged to the first group and their readiness for integration to educational cluster turned out to be on the highest level. Participants in the second and third groups were less open to professional development; this was particularly true for those working in municipal and private schools. Finally, almost all participants in the fourth group had less than one year of teaching experience and results of this group are quite challenging to analyze.Cite as: Dushayeva S. J. (2023). Development of Professional Skills and Cluster Approach: Points of Contact in Teaching a Foreign Language. Delhi University Magazine. Series: The Humanities and the Social Sciences, 10 (1): 203-214. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.803086