Exploring EFL Teachers' Perceptions towards Professional Development: A Case of an Omani University

Abstract This study explored how English language teachers at an Omani university viewed professional development (PD). The research study aimed to develop an understanding of the PD these teachers receive and their views regarding their professional development and the challenges they face during PD. The study adopted an interpretive approach to understanding the current situation of six teachers working at the English language department (ELD) at one Omani university. The main instrument to collect data was a semi-structured interview adopted based on the previous studies. The sampling method was a convenience sampling as the researchers used their colleagues as the participants of the study. The study's findings revealed that participating teachers were aware of the significance of PD but were disappointed that the voices of teachers were not heard. The results of the study revealed many challenges including lack of autonomy, insufficient time, heavy workloads, unsupportive working environments, and PD activities that were not considered necessary by the participants. The outcomes further revealed that teachers' attitudes remain an overlooked issue within these Omani studies, specifically in ELT/EFL context. Hence, the findings of this study provided a contribution to the body of knowledge on issues related to teacher PD and teachers' attitudes to PD within the ELD teachers' context. The narrow number of teachers participating in the study could be attributed to reluctance of teachers to take part in research and/or a lack of interest in the topic. Therefore more studies can be conducted with a larger sample size. Key words: Adult learning; PD (professional development); PD challenge; Teachers attitudes