The adaptability and professional development of teachers in bilingual education

Abstract

This article is part of a common European trend that focuses on the professional development and qualifications of individuals for their employability. The sociological category of “liquid modernity” (Bauman, 2007) as applied to current reality is adopted. Also, the qualitative effects of adaptability (Fernández Aráoz, 2008) as a competence derived from the business world are considered with the following aim: to account for the potential value of adaptation for the ongoing professional development of teaching specialists in bilingual education. Using qualitative-interpretative research, content analysis is performed for an in-depth treatment of data obtained from a heterogeneous sample of in-service teachers. This is done by means of questionnaires and life stories. Results reveal the status of the components of adaptation, articulated by informants as adaptive capacity features and adaptability attributes. The values presented show that adaptive capacity has low structural potential, while there is a lack of balance in adaptability attributes. Finally, guidelines and remediation strategies are offered to agents, institutional bodies and teacher trainers, responsible for the professional development of bilingual teachers.