Needs, Interests, Enablers and Barriers to Professional Development: Findings from the Nepalese EFL Teachers

Abstract

Professional development for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers has gained increasing relevance worldwide. This study reports on issues of Nepalese EFL teachers’ professional development (needs, interests, enablers and barriers). Data from 257 EFL teachers were used to assess and explore these issues. Quantitative data were used to describe the needs, interests and their relationships with the teachers’ socio-demographics; while qualitative data were used for exploring the enablers of and barriers to teacher professional development. More than half of the teachers reported their professional development needs for various instructional skills to be high to very high. Similarly, more than two thirds of the teachers reported their PD interests for all professional development activities to be high to very high. The EFL teachers also highlighted a number of environmental, institutional and personal enabling and challenging factors in pursuing their professional development. This study concludes that Nepalese EFL teachers demonstrated a considerable need of and interest in TPD despite experiencing several types of challenges.