Exploring EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Self-Directed Learning for Professional Development in a Context of High Schools

This study investigates teachers’ perceptions of self-directed learning for professional development. One hundred and four EFL teachers from public high schools in a province in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, volunteered to participate in the descriptive study with a convergent mixed-methods design. A questionnaire and semi-structured interview were employed as the two instruments for a convenient sampling method of data collection. An SPSS descriptive statistical test and one-Sample t-test were conducted to evaluate the differences between the mean scores of the teachers’ perceptions from a test value of a 5-point Likert scale. Thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data for the in-depth explanation of their perceptions of the roles, the benefits, and challenges of self-directed learning for professional development. The results indicate that the teachers show a positive agreement on the significance of self-directed learning for professional development. In addition, sharing teaching experiences and collaborative development, enhancing teaching methods, and exchanging knowledge are frequently employed by most teachers. However, lack of institutional support, financial problems, family responsibilities, and workload are the main factors hindering them from engaging in self-directed learning for professional growth. In the article, teachers’ plans and expectations of self-directed learning for professional development are also addressed. The findings from this study foster the teachers’ awareness of the significance of their self-directed learning for professional growth, inform the educational managers in promoting a conducive environment for self-directed learning for professional development, and suggest research areas in the future.