| Summary: | The thesis is concerned with the evaluation of in-service programmes for language teachers. The main focus is on UK-based face-to-face provision for teachers of English to speakers of other languages, although some reference is made to programmes for teachers of languages other than English. A number of questions are posed: • What procedures are currently used by UK institutions to evaluate in-service programmes for language teachers? • How satisfactory is the approach to evaluation in use in UK institutions in the eyes of key respondents and judged by such criteria as validity and reliability? • What procedures other than those in common use might contribute usefully to programme evaluation? These questions are explored by means of survey techniques and case studies. On the basis of the resulting evidence, it is argued that there is a need for review of existing evaluation practices and for the dissemination of good practice. The thesis is structured as follows: Chapter 1 defines key terms, presents the case for programme evaluation and offers a rationale for the focus adopted. Chapters 2 and 3 deal respectively with theoretical issues and evaluation method and provide a context for the empirical work described in subsequent chapters. Chapter 4 reports the findings of a survey into current evaluation practices in UK institutions, and Chapters 5-8 comprise case studies in which the potential contribution of specific programme evaluation techniques is examined. Chapter 9 makes recommendations for future practice.
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