TRANSFORMING MALAYSIAN TEACHER AGENCY THROUGH CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Enhancing teachers’ agency is critical because it may help to ensure students’ success in second language learning. Thus, English teachers are provided with continuous professional development (CPD) programmes and activities to enhance their professional knowledge, experiences, skills, attitudes, teachers’ beliefs, and classroom practices so that they can improve the learners’ learning process. However, the English standard of Malaysian students is still low. This study aims to explore the best way to create CPD programme that can transform the teacher agency in Malaysia. Using a comprehensive review of recent published research articles, this paper discusses the different models of CPD, their challenges, and strategies to improve the programmes. The review illustrates that CPD can be best carried out on online platforms and that it has to be tailored to the different needs and characteristics of the teachers. Empowering teacher agency through CPD is significant in assisting the government in improving language proficiency among Malaysians as well as contributing to effective strategies for improving the educational quality in Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013–2025.