Examining the Effectiveness of Lesson Study on EFL Instruction

The aim of this research study was to explore the effect of lesson study in English as a foreign language classes with respect to teacher development and students’ learning outcomes. To fulfil this research aim an experimental case study was designed with three prospective English language teachers who participated in this study in the course of an eight week teaching period as the requirement of a compulsory course called Practicum offered by an undergraduate teacher preparation program. The participants engaged in lesson study through a cycle of three research lessons, with each participant only having to teach one research lesson. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews at the end of the intervention to be analyzed qualitatively. The analysis of the data revealed the themes as changes in participants’ perceptions, professional learning outcomes and challenges experienced. Overall, it was found that the participants’ perceptions of lesson study were positive and that lesson study was beneficial in terms of professional empowerment.