Characteristics and Substantial Outcomes of “Snowball”: A Long-Term English Teacher Professional Development Program in Seoul

Abstract

English language teacher education programs have been offered for in-service teachers producing rather successful results when evaluated immediately after the periods of their implementation. Their long-term results are, however, rarely tapped upon and academically reported. The purpose of this paper is to investigate long-lasting effects of a one-year-long such program, called “Snowball”, that was developed in 2015 and ever since implemented by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. To fulfill the purpose, the researchers recruited 12 Snowball graduates to understand how they characterize the program and what changes they have experienced back in their school life. A qualitative analysis of their in-depth interviews has shown that Snowball is characterized by its participants learning in special-interest groups, through action research, and with many sources of inspiration. It also showed that the Snowball graduates spread a culture of sharing, changed their pedagogical values and practices, and also multiply caused changes in social positioning. From these results, the researchers have concluded that Snowball has been a tremendous success with long-lasting impacts.