A Study On The Professional Development Of College English Teachers In Provincial Institutions Of Higher Education

College English teachers are responsible for the teaching of college Englishcourses, and their growth and development are closely connected with theimprovement of college students’ English proficiency and even the development ofour nation. The provincial institutions of higher education reach a large proportionin the amount of colleges and universities in China. Thus the professionaldevelopment of college English teachers in those institutions is of great significancefor the improvement of the quality and efficiency of college English teaching.This thesis attempts to investigate the current circumstance of the professionaldevelopment of college English teachers in provincial institutions of highereducation, discover the factors influencing their development, and have a generalidea of the professional development activities available to them, and the activitiesthat they expect to participate in, thus can put forward some helpful suggestions tobetter promote their professional development, improve the teaching effectivenessand cultivate qualified college graduates for our nation.The participants chosen in this study are college English teachers fromShenyang Normal University, Liaoning University, Shenyang Aerospace University,and Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The questionnaireinvestigation is conducted among the whole college English teachers of the abovefour schools. Six teachers in different periods of teacher career cycle are chosen asthe interviewees to have a further exploration. The results are as follows:1) The majority of the teachers develop well in professionalism andprofessional concept. Besides, most of them have good autonomous developmentawareness. As regards professional knowledge and professional skills, teachers in different teaching periods are relatively weak in different aspects.2) The cooperative and supportive teaching community greatly promotes theirprofessional development. However, the most influential factors that hinder theirprofessional development are as follows: limited time, few opportunities, heavyteaching task, and pressure of scientific research.3) Teachers frequently discuss with colleagues, reflect on their teaching,conduct peer-observation and read relevant literature. On the contrary, they seldomhave the opportunity to study as a visiting scholar, attend academic conferences andseminars, or further their education.4) Teachers in different periods of teacher career cycle have different needs forprofessional activities that they expect to participate in.This study can provide the following implications:Firstly, the implications for college English teachers in provincial institutionsof higher education are as follows:1) They should raise autonomous professional development awareness.2) Teachers in different periods of teacher career cycle should activelyparticipate in the professional development activities available to them.3) College English teachers should reasonably budget their time and endeavorto provide time for their professional development. Moreover, they should lead ahealthy lifestyle and keep healthy both physically and psychologically.Secondly, the implications for the administrative department of provincialinstitutions of higher education are as follows:1) They should reasonably bring in teachers, lighten teachers’ workload andprovide more time and opportunities for their professional development.2) They can create a good learning environment and establish a cooperativeand supportive teaching community.3) They should arrange appropriate professional development activities inresponse to the needs of teachers in different periods of teacher career cycle.