Abstract
The present study investigates teacher professional development (TPD) experiences from three different schools in regional Indonesia. A case study design is adopted and a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview are administered to collect data about professional development experiences of teachers, highlighting teachers’ participation and perceived impacts of TPD on their instructional practices. The collected data are quantitatively and qualitatively analysed to see trends and patterns of teachers’ TPD practices. The findings of this study problematise the teachers’ high level of TPD participation but low impact of TPD on teachers’ instructional practices. Some key findings and practical recommendations that are likely to help teachers to translate TPD ideas into their day-to-day practices are discussed and put forward.
Highlights
With the recognition of teachers’ central role in the education system, Teacher professional development (TPD) has been increasingly gaining prominence in all educational improvement reforms or initiatives. Wei, Andree, and Darling-Hammond (2009) claim that “[a]ll around the world, nations seeking to improve their education systems are investing in teacher learning as a major engine for academic success” (p.28)
Formal TPD refers to learning activities provided by externals, which mostly ran off-site schools, while informal TPD refers to learning activities initiated and provided by the schools or teachers and which were conducted on-site
In terms of TPD participation, this study has found that teachers across the three case study schools generally have high levels of participation in formal TPD
Summary
With the recognition of teachers’ central role in the education system, TPD has been increasingly gaining prominence in all educational improvement reforms or initiatives. Wei, Andree, and Darling-Hammond (2009) claim that “[a]ll around the world, nations seeking to improve their education systems are investing in teacher learning as a major engine for academic success” (p.28). Demands for students to learn more varied and new knowledge and skills, such as digital literacy, problem solving abilities or higher order thinking skills, are mounting (OECD, 2019). All these pressures and demands call for more effective teaching methods and strategies, together with more individualised and varied approaches, meaning that teachers are required to teach students in a way that they were not taught about or prepared for (Hargreaves, 2003). One legitimate solution for teachers to develop such qualities is to continuously develop their expertise; Hendriks, Luyten, Scheerens, Sleegers, and Steen (2010) contend that: In this context, even initial teacher education of the highest quality cannot provide teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary for a lifetime of teaching. Teachers are called upon to acquire new knowledge and skills and to develop them continuously (p.12)
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