An Investigation Into Henan Junior High School English Teachers' Needs In Professional Development

National Medium and Long-term Educational Reform and Development Program(2010-2020)points out that China is to “strive to create a high-quality team of professional teachers with noble morality,professional skills and a reasonable structure,which is full of vigor and vitality”.From 2010 to 2020,the main task of the construction of junior high school teachers' development in our country is not to increase the number of teachers,but to develop an excellent team with high-quality professional teachers.The Program shows that the goal of teachers' professional development in the final analysis is to meet the diverse needs of teachers in different development stages.Therefore,the study on professional development needs of junior high school English teachers in different development stages is beneficial to the achievement of this particular group of teachers' professional development goals.Yuan Guiren(2003)pointed out that teachers' professional development is a continuous personal process of development,which is imbued with constantly acceptance of new knowledge and promotion of professional ability.Teachers can become professionally mature through continuous learning and exploration to deepen their professional connotations and improve their professional level,thus achieve professional maturity.The process of teachers' learning and exploring to reach the mature stage is divided into several stages,which are teacher's professional development stages.The contents teachers require to learn and explore are the needs of teachers' professional development needs.Meanwhile,there are various factors impacting teachers' professional development needs in the course of development.It is necessary and realistic to study the needs of teachers' professional development and the impacting factors in different stages.In this thesis,three research questions are raised with the needs of the professional development of English teachers in junior high school in Henan Province as the research object.First,what is the status of junior high school English teachers' professional development needs in different professional development stages in Henan province? Second,what are the main factors impacting junior high school English teachers' professional development needs in different professional development stages in Henan province? Third,what are the ways to meet junior high school English teachers' professional development needs in differentprofessional development stages in Henan province?In the process of the study,teachers' professional development stage theory is applied as the basic theory guidance.Questionnaires and interviews are used as the research methods to investigate Henan junior high school teachers' development needs for professional concept,professional knowledge and professional skills in different stages(survival stage,adjustment stage and mature stage)and the factors impacting the needs in each stage.In the process of the study,the author finds that Henan junior high school English teachers in different stages have different professional development needs and the factors affecting their needs in each stage are also different.To improve the overall quality level of teachers' professional development,the development needs of teachers in different development stages must be met first.The survival stage teachers face the pressure to adapt to the new environment.The most they need is to have a breakthrough of the teaching skills and improve their practical ability.The factors that impact the needs are weak foundation,heavy working pressure and so on.The curriculum reform in normal education to stress subject teaching and improve the quality of teaching practice and the schools' assigning the teaching task according to adjustment of teachers' actual situation to provide an adjusting period are main ways to meet survival stage teachers' needs in professional development.For the adjustment stage teachers,they need positive teaching and professional views,English subject teaching skills,the application of educational theory and so on.Examination-oriented education,on-job training,family and low income are the main factors impacting adjustment stage teachers' needs.To build an effective school-based training system,ease the contradiction between examination-oriented education and quality-oriented education,increase teacher's income and reduce the life burden are the main ways to meet adjustment stage teachers' needs for professional development.Mature teachers need to make a breakthrough in the traditional teaching,learn to use modern teaching media,absorb modern education ideas.The lack of education scientific research condition and self-development belief decreases their development needs.To establish and inter-school and inter-district teacher learning and scientific community is effectively meet the needs of mature stage teachers' needs for development.