IMPROVING THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS THROUGH PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

This article presents a methodology for the continuous professional development of English language teachers through problem-based learning and reports evidence from its experimental evaluation. Uzbek studies of professional competence, foreign-language education, modern educational technologies, and problem-based instruction are critically compared to define the unresolved research gap. The quasi-experimental study involved 1,000 teachers equally assigned to control and experimental groups. A 25-item questionnaire was completed by 412 teachers in the experimental group, and 367 complete responses were included in multivariate analyses. At post-test, the proportion of teachers at the high level reached 25%, while the beginner level fell to 16% in the experimental group; the final group distributions differed significantly. Factor analysis supported an integrated professional-development construct comprising PBL knowledge, classroom application, professional problem solving, professional speaking in English, and reflection with feedback. Regression results identified reflection and PBL knowledge as the most stable predictors of professional English speaking. The findings support a professional-development cycle built around authentic pedagogical problems, collaborative analysis, facilitation, feedback, and reflective transfer to classroom practice.