Assessing the effectiveness of the 'new teachers' training course' at Eastern Mediterranean University English Preparatory School in Northern Cyprus

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of an in-service course, the 'New Teachers Training Course' (NT), at Eastern Mediterranean University English Preparatory School (EMUEPS) in Northern Cyprus. The study aimed at finding out the extent to which the NT course helped the new teachers to implement the integrated skills curriculum. It investigated how the NT course in EMUEPS promoted knowledge, skills and attitude of the trainees. The data collection procedure took place in EMUEPS. The subjects of this study were 31 new teachers who all participated in the NT course, 4 teacher trainers and the coordinator of the NT course. In this study both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered. The quantitative data were collected through Likert scale questionnaire and the qualitative data were collected through two open-ended questions and interviews. The questionnaire containing both close-ended and open-ended questions was given to each participant of the NT course and interviews were conducted with the teacher training coordinator and teacher trainers. The focus of the questionnaire and interviews was mainly on the expected improvement in the paticipants' knowledge, skills and attitudes towards teaching learning practices, in addition to their general understanding of the NT course. During the first stage of data analysis, frequencies were determined for each questionnaire item. Secondly, quantitative data results were analyzed and their means and standard deviations were calculated and displayed in tables. Thirdly, qualitative data results of the open-ended questions in the current trainee questionnaire were analyzed and the results were listed in tables according to their response categories. Finally, reponses from interviews were compared with the data gathered from participant questionnaires. It was hoped that a cross sectional study would help the study to analyze the kind of changes the course brings about. The results of the study show that the NT course in EMUEPS benefited the trainees. The skills they acquired throughout the course were transferred into effective actual teaching situations. The teaching coordinator and the teacher trainers also reported that the trainees improved their teaching abilities in the implementation of the new integrated-skills program in EMUEPS.