A Study On New English Teachers’ Informal Learning And It’s Influencing Factors

The improvement of teachers’ professional competence in our country mainly relies on formal training and learning.Since most of the training contents and ways are subject to the arrangement of the ministry of education and the schools,which is easily deviated from the teaching practice of teachers and leading to a passive and perfunctory type of "training and learning" in teacher’s learning.While the informal learning that takes place in the workplace or life is receiving increasing attention due to conforming to the teacher’s professional characteristics and serving teacher’s personal development pursuit.Under such context,based on the Knowledge Management Theory and Non-continuity Education Theory,this study focuses on "the new teachers’ informal learning" and analyzes its current situation as well as it’s influencing factors through learning awareness,learning ways,learning contents and learning effect so as to answer the following questions:Firstly,what is the current situation of the new English teachers’ informal learning?Secondly,what are the factors that affect the new English teachers’ informal learning?To answer the above research questions,this paper tried to get quantitative research and qualitative research methods combined.A questionnaire was used for 97 new English teachers in quantitative research.Qualitative research was expanded through interviews and classroom observations for three new English teachers,then the questionnaire data and interview result were sorted out and analyzed.The study shows that there is a contradiction between strong learning awareness and weak learning plan awareness of new English teachers;there have been unstructured ways in combination of ways initiated by individuals and interpersonal interaction;the learning contents are presented in multiple themes which mainly focus on pedagogical knowledge and skills;there exists both instant effect and hysteresis effect in the informal learning.Based on the analysis of current situation,four influencing factors are presented from the perspective of subjective factors of crisis awareness at initial stage and personal traits,cultural factors involving training-based learning culture and alienated teacher culture,environmental factors including easy access to learning resources and fragmented time to learn,and institutional factors about the occupation of administrative trivia and the promotion of evaluation system,etc.According to the analysis of current situation and it’s influencing factors,four strategies in regard to the individual,the teacher group,the external environment and the school management are proposed in this paper so as to provide practical and feasible help for the new English teachers’ informal learning.