American Corner Webinar and Its Impact on English Teachers to Their Professional Development: A Study at Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta

The aim of this research was to examine the features of webinar, characteristics of professional development activities on the webinar, and the perceptions of English teachers towards the webinar and their professional development.
The data were collected by observing 5 webinar sessions of the American Corner of Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta. The data collection of this research also used questionnaires which were administered to 15 experienced and novice English teachers and lecturers from state and private schools and universities in Indonesia as the participants of webinar. In addition, 9 of participants were interviewed to gain more insight about their perceptions. The data were then analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.
The results showed that the webinar sessions were supported by online presentation, live chat, Q&A session, and sharing session as its features. While professional development activities on the webinar facilitated English teachers and lecturers in terms of content focus, coaching and expert support, collective participation, and sustained duration. Regarding the perceptions of English teachers and lecturers towards the webinar and their professional development, it showed positive perceptions based on several indicators. Furthermore, the results revealed that the participants had varied responses on the most influential part of webinar to their teaching skills, topics of webinar related to their current and expected teaching practice, preference on professional development activities on the webinar to their teaching practice, and suggestions for the improvement of webinar.