Professional development through reflective practice: The case of Addis Ababa secondary school EFL in-service teachers

The purpose of this research was to examine the reflective practice skills and attitudes that were used by EFL teachers in their professional learning. This study followed a convergent parallel mixed-methods research design. The qualitative data was analyzed first by locating the practice indicators to assess reflective practice. Six indicators were in the teachers' narratives. Next, both data strands were merged to be discussed together, and three themes were generated from the views of the teachers that were related to some of the reflective teaching skills and attitudes covered in the survey scale. The quantitative data findings showed that EFL in-service teachers believed they often used a considerable number of reflective teaching skills and attitudes during the learning-teaching process. In the qualitative data findings, the teachers' narratives indicated that they were not engaged in reflective teaching at all, and they held the attitudes of pre-reflection level. This study implies that teacher education and training programs should be budgeted to offer training for teacher educators, mentors, and school principals and provide support for secondary schools. In addition, the professional development staff should provide in-service teachers with professional training about reflective practice and work with the school leaders to produce a culture of inquiry in their schools. The study suggests teachers must give more attention to practical, continued, and open-ended learning engagements that will facilitate reflective learning practices that are very useful for coping with the dynamic and complex nature of the teaching profession.