An Investigative Study Of The Professional Development Of EFL Teachers From Secondary Schools In Xiangxi Remote Minority Rural Areas

The research of teacher professional development is the basic requirement of developing foreign language teaching. It is also the necessity in foreign language education reform and an urgent demand for the developing of rural foreign language education. Over the past twenty years, the research on foreign language teacher professional development has made great progress in China and abroad. However, comparatively speaking, study into foreign language teachers in elementary school is still not enough.Under the framework of sociocultural theories, this case study aims to reveal the reality of secondary English teacher professional development in Xiangxi remote minority rural areas and explores its features and factors through questionnaire, interview and class observation. Two research questions are raised from careful literature review and theoretical study, which are connected with the features of secondary English teacher professional development and factors restricting their professional development in this district.Through investigation and discussion, this study finds that the internal and external factors cause many problems or difficulties in the process of secondary EFL teacher professional development in this area. For instance, the trainings and collegial activities are neglected by teachers; there is lack of communication and collaboration between teachers or teachers and school; most teachers have no sense of the importance and necessity of reflection; most teachers contend traditional teaching beliefs on language, teaching and learning.