Professional Development and the Place of Journals in ELT

Abstract

Professional development is an activity in which language teachers should have ongoing and sustained involvement. There are many ways in which language teachers can pursue professional development, and reading journals is one of these ways. This article reports on a survey of 465 English Language Teaching (ELT) professionals, largely drawn from the Asia-Pacific region, and their engagement in professional development, with a particular focus on journals. Reading a book or journal was the single most commonly reported activity, and overall more than 80% of respondents had read a journal article within the last year. Academic and teaching purposes emerged as the main reasons for this reading. However, those working in the primary and secondary sectors were much less likely to have read a journal article than those in the tertiary sector, and the reasons for this are discussed. These results provide the basis for reflections on the place of journals in ELT professional development today. One reflection is on the value for teachers of journals published by the professional organizations to which they belong.