Perceptions of Secondary Level English Teachers on In-Service Teacher Training: A Narrative Inquiry

Teacher training is one of the major components of continuous professional development (CPD) which makes the teacher stay updated and informed regarding the innovative pedagogy and methodology. In-service teacher training is a systematized planning or program through which teachers refresh or upgrade their professional knowledge, skills, and practice. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of secondary-level English teachers on in-service teacher training. The study assessed the perception of the teacher towards in-service teacher training. The study adopted a narrative inquiry methodology. Five participants were selected purposively from Godawari Municipality, Lalitpur. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and after transcribing, translating, and classifying them, the data were analyzed thematically. Self-efficacy theory developed by Albert Bandura has been applied to analyze the study. The findings of the study indicated that teachers were positive towards in-service teacher training. They opined that in-service training supported them in their professional development to conduct different hands-on activities effectively in their classrooms, and after this school-based training, they updated themselves with innovative pedagogy and methodology. The teachers demanded regular in-service training based on their needs. Further, teachers focused on ICT-based teacher training rather than theory-laden conventional training but they were not satisfied with the top-down approach of in-service teachers training packages. The study concludes that research needs to be carried out on the impacts on students' performance through teacher training.