Teachers leading their own professional growth: self-directed reflection and collaboration and changes in perception of self and work in secondary school teachers

Abstract

Addressing the themes of transformation and professional growth as self-directed phenomena, and supported by a multi-disciplinary collaboration of secondary school teachers, this study was designed to investigate professional growth as an individually reflective and authentically collaborative phenomenon. Of interest to this researcher was some of the ways in which self-directed professional learning, personal and shared reflection, and authentic collaboration – in a supportive study group environment – could create changes in teachers' perceptions of themselves and their work, and catalyse professional growth. It was of interest whether these changes would be reflected in a cluster of effects on perception associated with the focus group intervention.