Using action research to initiate school-based teacher development activities: insights from Northern Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

ABSTRACT The latest trends in Professional Development (PD) support grounding teacher development activities in the school context. This shift carries remarkable implications for school leadership through the realization that school leaders have a major role to play in PD of teachers. On this basis, action research was undertaken in a higher secondary school in Northern Sindh so as to introduce and sustain school-based PD activities. The research lasted eight months. The school leader, as a researcher, initially played a major role in organizing PD sessions, gradually involving teachers in planning and facilitating such sessions, and finally shifting the overall responsibility to the teachers. The outcomes of this research project suggest that, although challenging, it is possible to initiate and sustain school-based PD activities even in this remote region. The paper discusses several interesting contextual and cultural insights determining the viability of school-based PD activities in this particular region which carry significant implications for school leaders, PD providers, change agents and policy makers.