Effects of continuing professional development on Sri Lankan English as a second language teachers’ classroom practices

In recent decades, innovations in the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers worldwide have enhanced the quality and sustainability of ESL education in school systems. Advancements in technology, training opportunities, practitioner research, and collegial networks introduced significant innovations to CPD, which also need constant support and revival to underpin teachers' practices (Campbell et al., 2004). However, innovations vary from one context to another depending on 'context-specific' resources and characteristics (Hayes, 2014). Thus, CPD in Sri Lanka in particular, needs a deeper focus on context-specific understanding to instigate a change in the CPD process for the improvement of ESL teaching and learning processes. With the goal of addressing this need, my doctoral study explores Sri Lankan ESL teacher perceptions of CPD and application of their newfound knowledge in classroom practices by embracing a sociocultural theoretical perspective of second language teacher development. For this qualitative study, five ESL teacher participants who were doing CPD were chosen through a purposive sampling strategy. Data generated over a period of seven months through online semi-structured interviews and classroom observations followed by post-observation interviews were analysed thematically, initially creating visual representations. The findings were presented as three case studies in relation to school settings: urban, semi-urban and rural. The findings suggest the need for a reciprocal four-way transformation in the nature of CPD that would result in strong positive relationships among authorities, trainers and teachers, for an enhanced CPD scenario. Future research is recommended to broaden the scope by covering different parts of the country and involving more stakeholders.