Philippine E-Journals

This research explores the shared learning of non-native EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers engaged in a voluntary teacher inquiry group over one year. This study aims to illuminate the most salient issues involved in the revision of Whole Language knowledge into their prospective contexts. It also examines how group interaction patterns facilitate the revision of Whole Language in EFL contexts. During the initial data analysis, a cyclical pattern was discovered, characterizing the group dynamic. This pattern was very close in form to what has been published as “the inquiry cycle.” This similarity is noted, but a new, modified version of the inquiry cycle is formalized as part of the analysis. This study provides avenues for understanding how EFL teachers perceive the tensions involved in transferring Whole Language gained in the U.S. to their home contexts. The study examines the process of professional growth during participation in the study, a process that not only improved participants’ knowledge of English language teaching and learning in different cross-cultural EFL contexts, but also supported and perpetuated the growth of a collaborative EFL teacher community. The results of the study also demonstrate how Whole Language could best be reshaped and used in English language teaching fields.