USING REFLECTIVE JOURNALS AS A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOOL: VOICES FROM PRIMARY SCHOOL EFL TEACHERS

Abstract

This paper reports a qualitative case study on the use of reflective journal writing (RJW) as a professional development (PD) tool by three Vietnamese primary school English language teachers (VPETs). The study aims to explore their attitudes towards RJW through the data collection tool of interviews conducted with the teachers before and after they spent eight weeks writing reflective journals on their English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching at primary schools. The interview results indicated that the teachers shifted their attitudes toward the use of RJW as a PD tool, from being hesitant and doubtful of its advantages to being enthusiastic and welcoming to RJW. Regarding the influences of RJW on their teaching performance, the issues of time and insufficient training experience were reported as the barriers in journal teaching writing. However, RJW was acknowledged to help improve the teachers' teaching performance and personal development. The findings suggested that RJW could be used as a valuable PD tool to enhance both teaching effectiveness and professional growth among EFL teachers.