I’m technically working on a proposal in which I want to treat teachers as self-directed teacher-learners from different perspectives, aiming at exploring how they experience self-directed teacher learning through the practice of autonomy in professional development, employing phenomenography as the research methodology.

The main problem that I’m dealing with is the methodology. I intend to invite 10 high school EFL teachers (in Vietnam) to participate in the study. Their professional needs as well as strengths and weaknesses in CPD will first be analyzed. I will then advise them individually so that each of them can choose, evaluate and follow a different CPD model which fits them most. Regular meetings between the members will be held so that exchanges can be made and progress can be kept. This is how I will do to make them practice their autonomy in CPD. However, the way this is organized does not follow any single CPD model in particular (as far as I know). Instead, I believe that those teachers can develop their autonomy in CPD through promoting their capacity (abilities to identify where, when, how and what to learn) as well as their freedom from control over CPD; and this development needs to be treated individually. What I want to study is their experience in becoming self-directed teacher-learners, and the process of “becoming” can actually take place thanks to their deliberate practice of autonomy in CPD.

I’m not sure whether the method will work or it is acceptable/doable for a regular doctorate proposal.

Thank you for helping me with this.