Abstract
Participation in professional development activities is important for teachers to continuously improve their knowledge and skills. However, teachers differ in their attitude towards learning activities. This paper examined how different goal orientation profiles are related to participation in professional development activities (acquiring information and asking feedback). To this end, we conducted latent profile analysis based on a sample of 984 teachers in vocational education. Five profiles were identified: diffuse (50.1%), moderate learning (12.3%), high avoidance (10.9%), performance oriented (15.9%) and success oriented (10.7%). Furthermore, means of acquiring information and asking feedback from teachers were compared across the profiles. Teachers with a success-oriented profile (high learning and performance approach goals) scored significantly higher while teachers with a high-avoidance profile scored significantly lower on asking for feedback and acquiring information. Exploration of background characteristics indicated that age, gender and work experience outside education were related to the goal orientation profiles. Our findings show that goal orientation profiles can be used to explain individual differences in teachers’ propensity to engage in professional development activities.
Highlights
Participation in professional development activities is important for teachers to continuously improve their knowledge and skills
In line with our expectations, learning goal orientation (r = .28, p < .001) and performance approach goal orientation (r = .14, p < .001) were positively related to asking feedback and performance avoidance was negatively associated with asking feedback (r = −.14, p < .001)
Work experience outside education showed a positive correlation with the learning goal orientation (r = .20, p < .001) and a negative correlation with the performance avoidance goal orientation (r = −.11, p < .001)
Summary
Participation in professional development activities is important for teachers to continuously improve their knowledge and skills. This paper examined how different goal orientation profiles are related to participation in professional development activities (acquiring information and asking feedback). To this end, we conducted latent profile analysis based on a sample of 984 teachers in vocational education. A teacher that scores high on both the learning and performance-avoidance goal orientation is eager to try out new tasks at work and at the same time concerned with the negative judgement of others if these innovations would fail. Ongoing involvement in professional development activities, such as acquiring information, asking colleagues for feedback, or experimenting with new teaching practices contributes to the successful implementation of CBE and other educational innovations (Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Wallace, & Thomas, 2006)
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