Lebanese teachers’ views on ‘continuing professional development’

Abstract

This study elicits Lebanese teachers’ views on Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Seven hundred and thirty‐nine teachers from across Lebanon responded to semi‐structured questions about personal and school efforts to help stay up to date. They expressed their views on what constitutes effective CPD, why this is needed and how this influences their practice. Quantitative and qualitative analysis resulted in categories and themes that were further compared with the literature findings to check relevance. Findings showed that CPD in Lebanon focuses on workshops as coordinators conjecture, but there is no follow‐up for application of what is learned. Findings also indicate a need to have more structured and systematic CPD for all teachers with a focus on action research and mentoring. The latter is needed more than the current practice of fragmented workshops, and diverse standards of presenters and content of training. The researchers recommend that policy makers stipulate mandatory CPD for all teachers.