The Characteristics of Effective Professional Development That Affect Teacher’s Self-Efficacy and Teaching Practice

Bachtiar Bachtiar

doi:10.31605/eduvelop.v3i2.624

Abstract

Many research suggests that effective professional development (PD) can help teachers increase their knowledge, skills and understanding about teaching. Research evidence also indicates that good quality PD enhances teacher sense of efficacy. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of good quality PD that affect teachers’ self-efficacy from the perspective of junior secondary English Language teachers in Indonesia. Data derived from the initial and follow-up questionnaires, TSG observations, and semi-structured interviews. The findings found that English language teachers perceived good quality PD are those activities that increase teachers’ knowledge and teaching skills, encourages collaboration, and is based on teachers’ classroom practical needs. The study suggests the need to involve teachers in the process of planning, designing, and implementing PD in order to maximize its benefits.

Highlights

A differentiation is often made between teacher professional development (PD) and teacher professional learning (PL)
This study examines the perceptions of junior high school English language teachers in three districts in Indonesia of the characteristics of effective PD activities that affect their self-efficacy and teaching practice
Through confirming that the research participants valued opportunities for collaboration and PD content that met teachers’ practical needs, they situated their perceptions about professional learning that helped them experience in meaningful learning activities

Summary

Introduction

A differentiation is often made between teacher professional development (PD) and teacher professional learning (PL). Professional learning, on the other hand, is a more recent term that implies to internal process through which teachers create professional knowledge (Timperley, Wilson, Barrar, & Fung, 2008). Poskitt and Taylor (2008) provide a succinct difference between PD and PL where they describe PD as having connotations of delivering some kinds of information to teachers in order to improve their practice, while PL implies a more internal process through which individual teachers create and develop professional knowledge. A growing consensus among researchers that innovative PD is seen to be the key to the success of any education reform initiative that helps teachers improve their teaching in the classroom (Boyle, While, & Boyle, 2004; Guskey, 2003).

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