ABSTRACT
While some research has examined the effectiveness of offshore professional development (PD) programs for Japanese teachers of English (JTEs), few studies have explored the effectiveness of onshore, Japan-based PD programs for these teachers. This chapter examines an onshore PD program designed to support JTEs in delivering curricula specified by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and finds that the program is effective in changing JTEs’ self-perceptions as English teachers. In this program, JTEs reconcile challenging ministerial directives in recent curriculum reforms with their everyday classroom experience. The qualitative and quantitative data taken from the responses of 154 participants over a 2-year period (2014–2016) are analysed here. The results show that JTEs responded positively to the program because it provided them with opportunities to reflect critically on their teaching practice and abilities to deliver curriculum changes. The chapter concludes that carefully tailored PD programs could transform teachers’ self-perceptions and give them confidence in applying new pedagogical practices in their classrooms.
