Exploring changes in teachers’ instructional practice through self-evaluation as a meditational activity: A case study

Abstract

This study investigated an Indonesian English language teacher’s instructional practice and the extent to which the practice capable of change as a result of engagement in mediated self-evaluation. The study was framed using Vygotsky’s sociocultural theories. A case study, which drew on multiple data sources including interviews, classroom observations, and documentation, was employed. A range of artefacts including lesson video recording, student feedback, and collegial dialogue are used to self-evaluate teacher’s instructional practice. The qualitative analysis suggested that self-evaluation involving teacher's self-reflection on teaching in Indonesian university contexts had significant potential for mediating changes in instructional practice. The findings also revealed that teacher self-evaluation led to heightened self-reflection through which teachers understood themselves and their instructional practice more deeply in terms of their strengths and areas for development. This suggests that teacher self-evaluation contributes to professional learning by empowering teachers to transform their practice. Given that teacher self-evaluation is still a relatively new phenomenon in the Indonesian educational context; the positive outcomes reported in this study are promising. Hence, it is reasonable to recommend that educational leaders in Indonesia provide opportunities for teachers to formally self-evaluate. The necessary provisions must therefore be in place and will ideally include formal training or workshops on how to perform a self-evaluation, the allocation of time to carry out the process, and ongoing support to address teachers’ needs and concerns about the process in terms of consistency and timeliness.