Abstract
The paper reports on a collaborative learning project coded as the teacher inquiry community that was carried out over a year in a private higher education institution to improve the professional capability of language-based subject teachers. Nine teachers completed the project all of whom were females and shared work experience of 2–29 years. Six of them held some form of qualification in education, and all except for one possessed at least a basic degree in some field. The study focused on three questions namely teacher benefits, impact of practice, and application of solutions. Findings revealed that the former two questions were well substantiated for most teachers, but the same thing could not be said of the third. While a number of senior teachers benefitted at the level of classroom implementation, the others explained away their inability to incorporate new ideas in their teaching. Individual characteristics and personality, and culture seemed to make a difference. However, the study concluded that the collaborative learning model could serve as a viable mechanism for the teachers’ professional development.
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Deni, A.R.M., Malakolunthu, S. Teacher collaborative inquiry as a professional development intervention: benefits and challenges. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 14, 559–568 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-013-9280-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-013-9280-y