MA Students' Perceptions of their Professional Identity

In the field of education, several studies have focused on students' prior and current learning experiences and how these experiences influence learning and teaching outcomes. Nevertheless, scarcely any have focused on postgraduate students' voices in the context of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in Mexico. In an attempt to identify the impact of an MA programme on students' professional development and shed light on their perceptions about these experiences, this study explores TEFL students' points of view of their professional development by means of a mixed apporach to research.The findings that emerged from the data relate to students' perceptions of their professional development while studying the MA based on three main features: professional identity, perceptions of the curriculum of the programme, and perceptions of the teachers. This research implies that a lot can be learnt by paying attention to what students have to say.

Autorentext

Cliserio Cruz ist derzeit Englischprofessor und Bildungsforscher an der Universität von Veracruz, Mexiko. BA in englischer Sprache und MA in Unterrichten von Englisch als Fremdsprache. Er hat seine Forschungsergebnisse auf nationalen und internationalen Konferenzen und Foren vorgestellt.

Klappentext

In the field of education, several studies have focused on students' prior and current learning experiences and how these experiences influence learning and teaching outcomes. Nevertheless, scarcely any have focused on postgraduate students' voices in the context of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in Mexico. In an attempt to identify the impact of an MA programme on students' professional development and shed light on their perceptions about these experiences, this study explores TEFL students' points of view of their professional development by means of a mixed apporach to research.The findings that emerged from the data relate to students' perceptions of their professional development while studying the MA based on three main features: professional identity, perceptions of the curriculum of the programme, and perceptions of the teachers. This research implies that a lot can be learnt by paying attention to what students have to say.