EAP instructors’ professional development and their knowledge sharing: A case of nursing courses

Background: It has been agreed upon by educators and scholars that one of the key successes in any educational setting is promoting the professional  development  of  teachers.  Having  this  in  mind,  the researchers  of  the  present  study  investigated  nursing  English  for academic purposes (EAP) and instructors’ perceptions of knowledge sharing. In addition, they sought whether EAP instructors’ perceptions of knowledge sharing would predict their professional development. 

Methods: Ninety-four EAP instructors from different medical universities across the country were recruited in the present study. Two questionnaires of ‘EAP instructors’ perception towards knowledge sharing’ scale and ‘a teacher  professional  development’  were  used  to  gather  data.  A  semi-structured  interview  was  also  performed  to  explore  the  participants’ opinions regarding the inhibitors to develop teacher learning communities. 

Results: The results showed that the mean of EAP instructors' perception of  knowledge  sharing  in  the  sample  group  was  2.90  with  a  standard deviation of 0.338 which was lower than the expected average (3). Also, there was a positive and significant relationship between the perception of EAP  instructors  and  knowledge  sharing  with  respect  to  the  level  of significance (sig= 0.000) and the error rate of 0.01 with their professional development. In addition, the multiple regression analysis showed that cultural, reflective, personal cost and sharing, and organizational variables were  able  to explain  the  variance  of  professional  development. As  the findings of the semi-structured interview revealed, among other factors, instructors’  lack  of  incentive,  lack  of  commitment,  and  their  lack  of familiarity with the importance of teacher learning communities were the major inhibitors to developing teacher learning communities among EAP instructors. 

Conclusion:  Knowledge  management  can  become  a  rudimentary strategy which may pave the way to personal/professional development. This sheds light on the importance of collaborative work which should take  place  within  an  educational  setting.  Accordingly,  some implications  have  been  suggested  to  encourage  knowledge  sharing among EAP instructors.