Iranian EFL Teachers' Perceptions Toward Teacher Training Courses

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate teacher training courses (TTCs) in several institutes in Isfahan, Iran, to explore the teachers' perspectives on the status and characteristics of this program. More specifically, this study sought language teachers' perceptions on the aspects (duration, intensity, instructors, practicum) and contents (topics covered in the program, teaching the skills, theory) of the TTC program they attended. For this purpose, 34 language teachers were required to fill out a questionnaire to explore participant teachers' attitudes toward the TTC program elements. Furthermore, the teachers were invited to an interview session in order to share their opinions about the overall usefulness of teacher training courses they had attended. The findings revealed that, overall, the teachers were satisfied with different elements of this program. From the teachers ' point of view, the most useful aspect and content of the program were "instructors" and "teaching the skills", respectively.