The Islamic University- Gaza Deanery of Higher Education Faculty of ...

1.2 Need for the StudyWith the universal recognition of INSET (Inservice Training) or PD (Professionaldevelopment) as a key marker on educational reform agendas, conducting the current studyis strongly needed. This need springs from two main facts; firstly; INSET faulty perceptions;with many teachers, educators, and theorists who still delimit INSET to the attendance ofone-shot workshops or one or two-day training sessions. INSET is not seen as a continuous,broad and a systematic process where it acts as expressed by Henderson, (1978, p. 125) “likea tonic or an injection which gives life, continuity and renewal to most of the teachingpractices‟‟. Thus, this study attempts to present a more valid, comprehensive and innovativeconcept of INSET.Secondly, this study is strongly needed since, as far as the researcher knows, no realattempt was taken to evaluate any INSET programme for UNRWA Gaza English teachers inparticular. This study may be the first in this field; moreover, the intended evaluation is just ameans to an end which is suggesting an effective framework for future English in- servicetraining in the light of teachers' needs and expectations.1.3 Statement of the ProblemWorking as a teacher in UNRWA schools in Gaza for more than twelve years, the researchernotices that English teachers, particularly, novice ones are experiencing a sort of dilemma intheir journey of establishing a stable professional identity. Even experienced teachers seem sodesperate in looking for opportunities to grow professionally, to handle their difficulties andto improve their teaching effectiveness. They always reflect a kind of inability to cope withreal challenges in the field, especially, with the implementation of the new curriculumEnglish for Palestine where experiencing the full potentials of this curriculum can never beachieved in the absence of highly qualified, competent and well-trained teachers. Hence, this6