Speaker
Description
Collegial support can play an important role in teachers’ professional development by providing opportunities for sharing knowledge, exchanging teaching experiences, solving classroom-related problems, and learning collaboratively. However, the ways in which university English lecturers perceive and experience such support may vary according to their professional needs and career stages. This study aims to explore EFL university lecturers’ perceptions of collegial support for their professional development, with particular attention to the forms of support they experience, how they perceive such support, and how it may contribute to their professional learning and teaching practices. Adopting a qualitative approach, the study will involve six EFL lecturers from one university, purposively selected to represent varied levels of teaching experience and participating voluntarily. Data will be collected through an open-ended questionnaire followed by individual semi-structured interviews lasting approximately 30–45 minutes. The questionnaire will provide an initial overview of participants’ professional backgrounds and experiences of collegial support, while the interviews will enable more in-depth exploration of their perceptions and experiences. The data will be analysed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and themes across participants’ accounts. The study is expected to provide a contextualised understanding of how collegial relationships may facilitate or constrain lecturers’ professional development and to offer implications for fostering more supportive and collaborative professional learning environments in higher education.