Abstract:

The concepts of what it means to be a learner and a language teacher have radically changed with the developments that caused English language to become a lingua franca around the world. In response to such radical changes, language teachers are urged to constantly reconstruct their knowledge, improve their practices, attitudes and beliefs accordingly. Professional Development (PD) programs are a way of improving language teachers’ practices. In this systematic review, the qualitative studies about PD programs in the field of foreign language teaching were reviewed according to predetermined criteria. Selected studies were analyzed using MAXQDA software. The analysis of selected articles shows that there are regional patterns in terms of the purpose of PD. While Region 1 focused on framing PD activities around educational policies, the studies in Region 2 focused on integration of technology and collaboration in PD activities. In addition, the studies were diverse in their methodological and theoretical frameworks. It is concluded that there is a need to explore the experiences of language teachers after they attend PD programs.

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