Professional Difficulties Facing Secondary School English Language Teachers and It's Effect in Classroom Performance in Northern Governorates of Palestine

The present study attempted to investigate the professional difficulties facing secondary school English language teachers in Northern Governorates of Palestine. It also aimed at answering the following questions: 1. what are the professional difficulties facing secondary school English language teacher and their effect in classroom performance in the northern governorates of Palestine? 2. Are there any differences related to the effect of gender on teachers’ professional difficulties? 3. Are there any differences related to the effect of academic qualification on teachers’ professional difficulties? 4. Are there any differences related to the effect of years of teaching experience on teachers’ professional difficulties? 5. Are there any differences related to the effect of place of work on teachers’ professional difficulties? 6. Are there any differences related to the effect of number of in-service training courses on teachers’ professional difficulties? The population of the study consisted of all English language teachers in the Northern Governorates of Palestine (1132) teachers in the scholastic year 2003-2004. The sample of the study was 25.6% from the whole population, which was chosen randomly. The researcher used means, standard deviations, percentage, T-value, P-significant and post-hoc (LSD) in order to answer and test the above-mentioned questions at ( level of significant. The findings of the study were: 1. Most of secondary school English language teachers in the Northern Governotates of Palestine suffered great professional difficulties in all study domains. 2. There were no statistically significant differences at in professional difficulties facing secondary school English teachers between male and female teachers in the following domains:B,D,F,G,H. While there were a clear statistically significant differences in the following domains:A,C,E. 3. There were clear significant differences at in professional difficulties facing secondary school English teachers due to academic qualification in the following domains:A,B,D,E,G,H. While there were no significant differences in the following domains:C,F,I. 4. There were significant difference at in professional difficulties facing secondary school English teachers due to years of teaching experience in the following domains:D,E,I . While there were no significant difference in the following domains: A, B, C, F, G, H . 5. There were significant differences at in professional difficulties due to place of work in the following domains:C,F,H . While there were no statistically significant difference in the following domains:A,B,D,E,G,I . 6. There were significant differences at in professional difficulties due to number of in-service training courses in all study domains. On the basis of the results of the study, the researcher recommended that teachers should be provided with adequate working conditions, salary, health benefits, professional development, specialized in-service training course and with respectable job security as well as special facility-related equipment. Teachers also should show moral incentives to help them in improving themselves for the benefit of learning-teaching process in Palestine under the bad condition made by Israeli occupation as best as they can.