A study of the availability and frequency of short refresher training courses for secondary school english language teachers in jimma zone, ethiopia

Abstract

This study was conducted in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia, to investigate the availability and frequency of short refresher training courses for secondary school English language teachers. Data were collected from 36 English teachers (taken from 11 secondary schools) through structured questionnaire and18 officials (heads and training experts of education bureaus) and 11 school directors via interview. Quantitative data were analyzed into frequencies and percentages, while qualitative data were analyzed through the techniques of description and interpretation. The findings showed that short refresher training courses, although highly demanded, were nearly unavailable for secondary school English language teachers in the study setting. It is thus recommended that school administrators and educational bureau officials work hard to make such trainings available for teachers. Jimma University can also play an important role in addressing this critical need through its communitybased training and problem solving approach. Besides, the English teachers themselves must inquire for these trainings since they are the ones who queue at the forefront of the teaching battle