우수 초등 영어교사의 전문성 발달에 관한 사례 연구

A case study of expert elementary English teachers’ professional development.

This study aims to explore the professional development of expert elementary English teachers, specifically focusing on their teacher cognition, instructional practices, and processes of teacher expertise. Five to eight lessons were observed per teacher (19 classes total), and three to five interviews with each teacher were conducted (18 interviews total). 30-60 students per teacher were surveyed (124 students total), and three to six students per teacher (12 students total) were interviewed. A school administrator of each teacher was also interviewed. Other data include teaching journals, students’ learning logs, and the certification of attending teacher education programs. The findings showed the teachers’ prior learning and teaching experiences strongly influenced their teacher cognition, which is closely related to their instructional practices and teacher expertise. They made efforts to apply what they had learned from English learning, teaching, and teacher education programs to their own classroom teaching in accordance with the context. The teachers developed professionally as they reflected on their lessons and learned to teach continuously with open-mindedness and a sense of ownership, implemented learner-centered instruction by considering their students' responses and learning outcomes, and contributed to the school community as expert teachers. Important implications regarding English teachers’ professional development are discussed.