Uncovering Teachers’ Needs in the Quest for Quality Bilingual Education

Abstract

This article identifies the training needs of primary school teachers within the area of bilingual education related to their daily work, viewed through the lens of effective professional practice. Using a mixed methods research design, a self-assessment questionnaire was constructed based on comparative document analysis, a discussion group, and expert opinion. The purpose of this questionnaire was to determine the existing discrepancy between what is perceived as the reality of classroom performance and how it should be in order to ensure the delivery of quality bilingual education, supported by the parameters of school effectiveness. The questionnaire was completed by teachers from the Spanish region of Andalusia. The priority training demands detected pertain to the creation and maintenance of a local and external network of contacts for the purposes of collaboration, the promotion of intercultural communication, and the evaluation, selection, adaptation, and use of existing CLIL materials. On the basis of such demands, several considerations are proposed in the development of ongoing training that will enable bilingual education teachers to carry out their work effectively.