Unveiling the Impact of Journal Writing on EFL Teachers’ Professional Growth

Abstract

This study aimed to explore and document language teachers’ beliefs and perceptions of journal writing as a tool for improving their practice and enhancing their professional growth. The significance of reflective journals in improving professional practice has been widely reported in pre-service teacher education research. However, research on in-service English as a foreign language teachers’ perceptions of teaching journals has yielded competing views, and it remains an underexplored area. Prompted by this, a qualitative research design was adopted to document language instructors' perceptions of and experiences using teaching journals in their daily lives. Four female English language teachers from the English Language Institute (ELI) at a university in Saudi Arabia participated in a two-week journal writing intervention to reflect on and document their experiences. The findings drawn from the focus-group interviews revealed that the participants had both positive and negative experiences with teaching journals but, for the most part, found journal writing to be a valuable tool for reflecting on their teaching and enhancing their professional growth. Additionally, the participants reported some challenges encountered in integrating journal writing, including lack of time, miscommunication with superiors, lack of motivation, and heavy workload. The study also discusses recommendations for using journals for classroom practitioners and professional development researchers.