Professional development needs of primary school English-language teachers in Malaysia

Professional development (PD) is not only an ongoing process that contributes towards personal growth of teachers, but also an integral element in improving the quality of schools. Hence, educational authorities have invested significantly - in terms of money, time, effort and energy - in PD programmes/activities with the aim of enhancing teachers' competencies so that they become professionally competent. However, effective PD should be based on the actual needs and existing practices of teachers. This paper reports the PD needs of Malaysian English-language teachers teaching in the primary schools using quantitative and qualitative data. The study, which was carried out in 2010 for six months (January to June), concludes that the Malaysian teachers prefer, mainly, PD programmes/activities that emphasise their pupils' needs as well as their own professional needs and interests. It is thus suggested that the Ministry of Education assists the schools and teachers to take more responsibility to plan, develop, implement and assess their own PD programmes/activities.