BEYOND TRAINING: AN INTEGRATED TRANSFORMATIVE AND SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING FRAMEWORK FOR CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

Abstract

The current state of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in English Language Teaching (ELT) is under strain due to rapid digital change and growing linguistic diversity, which make traditional workshop-driven approaches less effective and often priorities compliance and certification over teacher agency. This paper presents the Transformative and Self-Directed CPD (TSD-CPD) Framework. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used. First, 380 English teachers from South India completed a survey; structural equation modeling analyzed the data. Then, 25 highly engaged teachers provided interviews and monthly reflective journals. Results show that transformative learning and self-directed readiness independently predict professional growth. Teacher agency partially mediates these links, while institutional support moderates them. The study integrates Mezirow’s Transformative Learning with Knowles’ Adult Learning for ELT. It calls on policymakers and institutional leaders to adopt flexible, self-directed CPD systems that nurture teacher autonomy and sustained development.