Heading for new shores? Longitudinal participation patterns in teacher professional development

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent research indicated the advantages of diversified teacher professional development participation patterns (PDPP) to foster teachers’ professionalisation. This study investigated teachers’ PDPP from both cross-sectional and longitudinal perspectives using data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) utilising information on teachers’ professional development enrolment across three years (N = 3,539). Results from latent class and multiple group analyses indicated that teachers showing higher professional engagement and teachers who were granted paid temporary leave from teaching demonstrated more diversified PDPP. Multiple logistic regression models revealed that the same variables seemed to prevent changes to less diversified PDPP over time. If our study results are confirmed in replications and studies that allow to detect cause-effect relationships, implications for educational policy and practice could be to raise teachers’ professional engagement and grant engaged teachers a paid temporary leave from teaching to participate in professional development activities.