The Role of Action Research in Promoting EFL Teachers’ Professional Development in Higher Education: A Case Study of the Department of English at Constantine 1-Frères Mentouri University

Abstract

The present research attempts to investigate the role of action research in promoting the professional development of EFL teachers in higher education, focusing on a case study of the Department of English at Constantine 1- Frères Mentouri University. The major aim is to find out how engaging in action research influences teachers’ reflective practice, instructional strategies, and professional identity, as well as the challenges they encounter in implementing it. This study is a qualitative case study which has used both a semi-structured interviews and classroom observations as data collection methods. In this study, eight university teachers of English were included. The thematic analysis found that action research improved the teachers’ ability to reflect on their work, encouraged them to use more engaging teaching techniques, while also fostering a stronger sense of professional identity and autonomy. However, the analysis of the results have also shown teachers’ experienced difficulties such as lack of time, limited support from their own institutions and insufficient training in methods of conducting research. Overall, these findings highlight the role of action research as a valuable, teacher-driven way to support professional development in higher education, and also underline the need for better policies and resources from institutions to make it work well. Additionally, this study adds to the small body of research on teacher professional development in Algeria and offers practical suggestions for building a stronger culture of reflective practice among EFL teachers.