Contextual Factors, Personality Traits and Moroccan EFL Teachers’ Informal Learning: A Correlational Study

Abstract

Most studies in the field of teachers’ education have focused solely on the formal aspect of teachers’ education. Furthermore, research that has been done on teachers’ informal learning in the workplace, though significantly limited (Fraser, 2010; Kwakman, 2003), is primarily qualitative with small sample sizes. With this being said, it should be noted that formal and informal learning should not be viewed as dichotomized and mutually exclusive. They should instead be viewed as a continuum, equally important and complementary. Recently, research on teachers’ informal learning in the workplace has been gaining more attention. This study, therefore, aims to contribute to this growing area of research by investigating the interrelation between contextual factors, personality traits and Moroccan EFL teachers’ informal workplace learning. A convenient sample of 125 Moroccan EFL teachers was recruited to complete a questionnaire that elicits information related to their workplace conditions, personality traits and informal learning. It is hoped that this study’s findings will result in a deeper understanding of teachers’ informal learning in the workplace. Ideally, it is hoped that the workplace can be transformed from mere places of experience to rich learning environments.