Classroom Observation: A Factor for Iranian EFL Teachers’ Professional Development and Their Students' Achievements

Abstract

The present paper describes the processes used to examine the effectiveness of less experienced teachers' participation in experienced teachers' classes on students' achievements in terms of their proficiency levels in both Elementary and Pre-intermediate levels. This quasi-experimental design study was conducted In KISH Language School in Bojnurd, a city in the Northeast of Iran. Between July 2011 and October 2011. Twenty-one EFL teachers were selected as experienced and less experienced ones. Also 169 male and female students (age range 15_45 years) taking Elementary and Pre-intermediate courses formed the participants of this study. The participants assigned into experimental and control group. In order to test students' performance in English before the treatment, a Key English Test (KET) and a Preliminary English Test (PET) were employed to check students' English proficiency. There was a statistically significant increase in KET experimental group' final scores before (M=53.87, SD= 2.822), and after treatment (M=70.81, SD=3.113), p-value=.000 which is < .05. The mean increased with 95% confidence interval from 15.81863 to 18.06599. Also there was a statistically significant increase in PET scores before (M=44.36, SD= 2.114), and after treatment (M=59.27, SD=1.835), p-value=.000 which is < .05. The mean increased with 95% confidence interval from 14.233 to 15767. Data analysis and statistical calculations through T-TEST and one way ANOVA revealed that, although both control and experimental group students' proficiency in English enhanced, there was a significant difference in experimental group students' final scores before and after treatment.