English Teachers’ Views and Attitudes toward Training Programmes in Innovative Teaching Practices and ICT: An Empirical Research

Abstract

Developments in pedagogic science and technology, the rapid diffusion of the internet, as well as social changes, which mean less homogeneous classrooms than before, render necessary the ongoing training of English teachers so that they can keep up with changes. Teacher training programmes should be designed in such a way so as to be in line with teachers’ needs. In this framework, in this paper we present the results of an empirical study on the attitudes of teachers of English as a foreign language in primary and secondary education toward teacher training programmes in innovative teaching practices, and more specifically the pedagogical use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education. The research results show that the majority of the teachers believe that teacher training programmes are instrumental in enriching the teaching process with innovative and modern teaching practices, which are essential in education, due to the changing social conditions, the developments in pedagogical science and the diffusion of ICT in society and education. Teachers also expressed their preference for participation in teacher training programmes that are practical in nature and help them deal with everyday problems they face in the classroom. The research results provide useful information to those engaged in the planning and implementation of teacher training programmes.