Future Professional Development Research Articles

Leading sustainable schools in the era of Education 4.0: identifying school leadership competencies in Malaysian secondary schools

The purpose of the study was to develop an empirical School Leadership Competency Model for the era of Education 4.0 (SLCMEduc4.0) to identify school leadership competencies that facilitate and maximize effectiveness in leading sustainable schools in Malaysia. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was employed to identify the underlying factors whereas Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was applied to test the measurement models using Structural Equation Modelling. A total of 444 and 931 respondents completed the survey with usable data for EFA and CFA, respectively. The results suggested that the SLCMEdu4.0 can be explained by eight factors namely; Leading for Learning, Emotional Intelligence, Critical Thinking, Communication and Ethics, Collaboration, Decision Making and Problem Solving, Digital Dexterity and Entrepreneurial with good fit statistics; normed χ² = 2.628, TLI = .950, CFI = .954 and RMSEA = .042. The SLCMEduc4.0 is a coherent premier model that provides useful feedback for practitioners in planning, designing and evaluating future professional development programmes for school leaders.

Professional development for clerkship administrators: a 16-year overview of the clerkship administrator certificate program

ABSTRACT Background: Increasing accreditation requirements as well as transformations in medical school curricula necessitate administrative staff who are not only invested in the clerkship coordinator role but also view what they do as a career. To date, there has been a lack of professional development opportunities for clerkship administrators. Methods: In 2003, the Central Group on Educational Affairs of the Association of American Medical Colleges recognized a need for professional development for clerkship administrators. The Clerkship Administrator Certificate Program emerged from that decision and presented for the first time in 2004 in Omaha, Nebraska. This article provides an overview of the program, how it has been evaluated, and how it continues to evolve. Results: The program had two guiding principles: to offer professional development opportunities for clerkship administrators through interactive workshops and to ensure the program was feasible both in terms of completion and in cost. Over the past 16 years, the Clerkship Administrator Certificate Program workshops have been delivered to over 300 clerkship administrators. Of those, 206 have completed a project in order to receive their certificate. Projects have related to innovations in medical education (n = 41), grading (n = 26), professional development (n = 26), and patient care (n = 20) to name a few. Discussion: In order to meet the demands for presenting the workshops, a train-the-trainer model has been employed to expand the number of individuals presenting the workshops. Additional research needs to be done to determine influence of the program on future professional development endeavors.

Modeling Future Professional Activities of A Specialist in A Vocational Educational Institution

The process of future graduates’ professional activities development is a complex multi-stage process that requires continuous improvement. Preparation of students in construction majors requires special attention, since this area is constantly changing as technical progress is developing. The purpose of the article is to develop a model for future specialists’ professional activities development in the field of construction and operation of buildings and structures. This article analyzes the college curriculum for the major "Construction and maintenance of buildings and structures." Based on the data obtained, the objective necessity of improving the process of students’ future professional activity development was established. The authors developed a model for future specialists’ professional activities development in the field of construction and operation of buildings and structures, the target component of which is mastery of professional activities and development of professional competencies. This model includes necessary elements that are aimed at a more perfect development of students' professional activities. The model includes targeted, meaningful and effective components. The content component reveals the documents on which the process of modeling future specialists’ professional activities development should be based; methodological approaches ensuring implementation of modern educational paradigm; main functions of professional activity, its principles and stages of model implementation. Conclusion: the process of professional development of students requires constant improvement. The model developed by the authors is able to update it and improve the dynamics of professional competencies development.

Студентският конкурс „Моите първи педагогически опити“ – една добра академична традиция

The paper presents the chronicle of a good tradition kept by the Faculty of Pedagogy at St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, namely My First Pedagogical Experiences student contest. In the context of the democratic and humane values in education as well as on the basis of the modern concepts, models, and technologies, the capacity of the forum to activate personality’s synergic self-organizational potential by changing student participation in the educational process is demonstrated. From the point of view of the young people, the developmental effects of the awakening education – realized through the conceptual model of the contest – are studied and systematized. The emphasis is put on encouraging the individual activity and creativity of the future teachers through their active participation in their own professional and practical training. A successful academic tradition is being promoted to stimulate students of Pedagogy to set the vector for their future professional development.

The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on doctors' well-being and performance: A systematic review.

ObjectivesThe well‐being of doctors is at risk, as evidenced by high burnout rates amongst doctors around the world. Alarmingly, burned‐out doctors are more likely to exhibit low levels of professionalism and provide suboptimal patient care. Research suggests that burnout and the well‐being of doctors can be improved by mindfulness‐based interventions (MBIs). Furthermore, MBIs may improve doctors’ performance (eg in empathy). However, there are no published systematic reviews that clarify the effects of MBIs on doctor well‐being or performance to inform future research and professional development programmes. We therefore systematically reviewed and narratively synthesised findings on the impacts of MBIs on doctors’ well‐being and performance.MethodsWe searched PubMed and PsycINFO from inception to 9 May 2018 and independently reviewed studies investigating the effects of MBIs on doctor well‐being or performance. We systematically extracted data and assessed study quality according to the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI), and narratively reported study findings.ResultsWe retrieved a total of 934 articles, of which 24 studies met our criteria; these included randomised, (un)controlled or qualitative studies of average quality. Effects varied across MBIs with different training contents or formats: MBIs including essential mindfulness training elements, or employing group‐based training, mostly showed positive effects on the well‐being or performance of doctors across different educational and hospital settings. Doctors perceived both benefits (enhanced self‐ and other‐understanding) and challenges (time limitations and feasibility) associated with MBIs. Findings were subject to the methodological limitations of studies (eg the use of self‐selected participants, lack of placebo interventions, use of self‐reported outcomes).ConclusionsThis review indicates that doctors can perceive positive impacts of MBIs on their well‐being and performance. However, the evidence was subject to methodological limitations and does not yet support the standardisation of MBIs in professional development programmes. Rather, health care organisations could consider including group‐based MBIs as voluntary modules for doctors with specific well‐being needs or ambitions regarding professional development.

Critical thinking - An essential skill for English pedagogical major students: Review and applications

In the international integration and globalization context and the strong influences of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), critical thinking (CT) is becoming a more and more important skill that students need to be trained. To undergraduate students, critical thinking is not only a key study skill to meet the targets of the university curriculum but also the individuals’ ability to think independently and make appropriate decisions in real-life situations. Consequently, preparing students to utilize the widest range of academic language skills through analysis, synthesis, and problem-solving facilitates them to the highest levels of academic achievement and the future continuous professional development. This article analyses the crucial roles of critical thinking skills in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) and developing practical professionals for English pedagogical major students. For practical purposes, examples of activities and steps of implementation are given to enhance critical thinking skills for students at HCM City University of Education, Vietnam.

Framework to Measure Effectiveness of Teacher Professional Development

This paper presents a framework developed to measure the effectiveness of teacher professional development programs. Adapted from Hunzicker’s (2010) effective professional development, the framework consisted of five dimensions: supportive, job-embedded, instructionally focused, collaborative, and ongoing. The framework was then used to analyze the effectiveness of the teacher professional development programs in the Teacher Professional Development Coupons project in Thailand. The framework was used to analyze the programs qualitatively. The data revealed that most programs contain the elements of supportive, job-embedded, and instructionally focused; however, the elements of collaborative and ongoing were limited. Suggestions for future teacher professional development organizations are provided in terms of the quality of the programs, the monitoring system of the programs, and the program implementation. Keywords: Effectiveness, Teacher professional development, framework, ongoing DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-36-05 Publication date: December 31 st 2019

Secondary school teachers’ ability to recognise and refer students with differing levels of anxiety

Adolescents experiencing excessive anxiety are often under-identified in the school context, and consequently under-referred for in-school counselling or other mental health support. This is despite anxiety being the most prevalent mental health condition currently experienced by adolescents. The purpose of this study was to explore secondary teachers’ ability to recognise the need to refer adolescents with excessive anxiety symptoms. One hundred and fourteen secondary school teachers completed a questionnaire with five vignettes describing students experiencing various degrees of anxiety. Statistical analysis of the data involved use of the one-sample Wilcoxon test and Spearman’s rank non-parametric correlation coefficients. Results indicated that teachers recognised the need to refer adolescents with very severe anxiety symptoms. However, they were less likely to correctly identify and refer students with severe, moderate or mild anxiety symptoms. There was no statistically significant difference between male and female teachers’ decision to refer students for school counselling. These findings are an important step forward in understanding how teachers decide whether or not to refer anxious children for support, and in identifying areas for further training and professional development. Implications are discussed for future professional development for secondary school teachers.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AS A DRIVING FORCE DEVELOPING PSYCHOLOGICAL READINESS TO PROFESSIONAL WORK AT FUTURE MEDICAL SPECIALISTS

The article compares different approaches to understanding of personal responsibility as a driving force developing future medical professionals’ psychological readiness to professional work. The article states that the development of future medical specialists’ personal responsibility depends on the growth of their intellectual abilities and consciousness and goes through several stages, from externally oriented forms of responsibility to internal ones, characterized by increased consciousness, criticality, motivation. The development of future medical professionals’ psychological readiness to professional work presupposes existing in-depth meanings of professional self-fulfilment, searches of true Self and its symbolic legalization in the form of personal responsibility. Personal responsibility is a real tool for development of future medical professionals’ psychological readiness to become a professional, if the ability to analyze alternatives of possible medical assistance, to predict consequences of their own actions and to make informed professional choices on this basis comes to the firth place. Personal responsibility of future medical professionals integrates a set of legal, social and moral and ethical responsibilities, which determines personal awareness of their professional duties and their voluntary performance, as well as the degree of guilt for failure to perform professional duties. At the first stage of future medical professionals’ psychological readiness development, there is an awareness of the extent to which personal responsibility is needed as one of the important components in the structure of psychological readiness. The second stage in readiness development includes decisions on purposes of personal responsibility. The third stage is the need to exercise personal responsibility, which reflects future medical professionals’ need to recognize medicine as a field of their professional actions and to accept the consequences of their work. The result of highly developed personal responsibility and its manifestation is an accepted personal decision on professional actualization, the desire to make choices independently and to show active and expedient professional actions that meet both the professional standards (external responsibility) and own conscience (internal responsibility). The article proves that existing personal responsibility determines the acquisition and development by future specialists of professional resources in the medical sphere, so such responsibility forms an individual’s professional orientation as a system of dominant needs and motives, attitudes, a professional position. At the same time, formed professional resources determine future medical professionals’ psychological readiness to professional work.

Teacher stress and burnout in urban middle schools: Associations with job demands, resources, and effective classroom practices

Stress and burnout are pervasive among public school teachers and amplified in urban schools, where job demands are often high and resources low. Relatively little is known about factors contributing to stress and burnout among urban school teachers specifically, or how these aspects of teacher occupational wellbeing relate to their use of effective classroom practices. Rather than utilizing objective measures, extant research has relied heavily on teacher self-report of antecedents and consequences of stress and burnout, which have also rarely been examined in tandem. To address this and other gaps in the literature, the current study examined the interplay of job demands and resources, stress and burnout, and effective classroom practices (operationalized as warm-demanding teaching). Two discrete observational measures, in addition to teacher self-report, were collected from a sample of 255 teachers in 33 low-income, urban middle schools. Findings indicated that White teachers, female teachers, and teachers in low-income schools reported higher stress and burnout. Teachers reporting more self-efficacy, affiliation with colleagues, and student emphasis on their academics (i.e., more resources) reported lower stress and burnout; furthermore, adding resources to the model attenuated associations between student disruptive behaviors and stress and burnout. In turn, stress was associated with lower levels of observed demanding teaching (instructional dialogue); however, surprisingly, burnout was related to higher levels of observed teacher warmth (sensitivity). We discuss these findings in light of prior research and consider implications for future research and professional development for teachers.

Study on the need to implement mentorship for the emotional development among medical students

Introduction: In this study the effect of mentoring on the emotional development of medical students of Malabar medical college hospital and research centre were studied. The study group consisted of medical students who are exposed to a lot of complex situations throughout their academic tenure and their professional life thereafter. Assessing the quality of emotions is important for medical students, the emotional maturity is an explicitly important aspect of their future professional development. Thus the study makes a much needed effort to find out the influence of emotional maturity on the performance among the First year MBBS students of Malabar medical college. The ability of introducing mentorship programme and how it can influence the emotional wellbeing and thereby show a better performance. Materials and Methods: The study population included preclinical medical students of first MBBS (2017-2018). Data were collected using ‘Emotional Maturity Scale’ to study the emotional maturity. The data were then compiled and analyzed using SPSS Version 18. The paired T test and chi-square tests method was carried out to find the significance of the association between the variables. There is significant association between emotional maturity and performance after mentorship (p -value < 0.001). Results: Among the study participants, 27.5% and 72.5% were males and females, respectively. The study demonstrated a strong association between improvements in emotional maturity of the students by the influence of mentoring being implemented in the student’s activity. Keywords: Mentoring, Academic performance, Emotional maturity, Mentorship: Medical students.

ATRA COMPETENCY STUDY: PROMOTING DEVELOPMENT OF RECREATIONAL THERAPISTS SERVING OLDER ADULTS

Competency concerns the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform specific job tasks. In the field of recreational therapy (RT), four documents from the certification (NCTRC), accreditation (CARTE), and professional association (ATRA) broadly identify areas of competency for RTs. While broad competencies are defined, no specific competencies (i.e., diagnoses, assessments, interventions, theories) are identified. Sixty-seven RT experts, including 10 verified older adult experts with greater than five years experience and peer-reviewed publications, participated in three rounds of a Delphi study to gain content consensus. After experts in each setting identified key terms in the first round, experts reviewed the consolidated list twice to generate the final competency list. Next, all certified recreational therapists were invited to rate the extent that each competency item is being used in RT practice; the extent of their knowledge/skill for each item; and the degree of interest in gaining more knowledge/skill. A total of 1377 recreational therapists participated in the study (88% females, 11% male, 1% non-disclosed) with participants ranging in age from 20-60+ years of age. The study’s findings related to specific diagnostic populations served; interventions/modalities, techniques, standardized assessment tools, and theories utilized; education, training, and counseling topics in treatment; and on-the-horizon treatment and issues. This comprehensive two-part multi-year study is the first to explore current RT practice at a micro-competency level. In the effort to improve practice, these specific competencies necessary for RT practice with older adults are significant to both educators and practitioners in future curriculum and professional development efforts.

Peer Mentoring: the Missing Piece in Graduate Professional Development

Many academic institutions offer professional development programs to prepare graduate students to meet the changing expectations of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty. Peer mentoring is not widely adopted in graduate professional development, yet incorporating this approach can better facilitate the transition from graduate student to faculty member. Using evidence from experience as peer mentors (2011-2017), we examine established characteristics of peer mentoring and evaluate their strengths in the context of a future faculty professional development program. Peer mentors coached mentees by sharing common experiences related to teaching and learning, provided a safe space for mentees to discuss their experiences, and acted as a liaison between mentees and faculty advisors. These benefits translate into increased competency for future faculty to engage in research, teaching, and mentoring.

An Examination of the Relationships of Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Teaching Practices among Elementary, Secondary, and Special Education Educators

ABSTRACTTeacher self-efficacy and teaching practices are both related to effective teaching and learning of mathematics. Given the theoretical and empirical basis for the importance of teacher self-efficacy, we hypothesized that teacher reported self-efficacy would be positively related to teacher self-reported effective teaching practices. This study examined the self-reported construct data across in-service educator grade level (i.e., elementary and secondary) and educator position (i.e., general education or special education) to determine the associations of constructs and the potential for differences between groups. Correlations between self-efficacy and teacher practices in-service teachers were analyzed using Kendall’s Tau. A Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the three participant groups (general education: elementary, general education: secondary, and special education) for the teacher self-efficacy and self-reported teaching practices constructs. Similarities and differences among the relationships between educator grade level, educator position, self-efficacy, and teaching practices are discussed. In addition, implications for future research and professional development with educators are outlined.

Professional development in schools: predictors of effectiveness and implications for statewide PBIS trainings

ABSTRACT Research has identified several factors that contribute to the effectiveness of professional development opportunities in schools including improvement of participants’ knowledge, administrator support, incorporation of active learning activities, duration, fostering coherence, and timing. The current case study examined how these six factors contributed to the effectiveness of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) trainings conducted in Ohio, USA. More specifically, this case study (a) examined whether there was a relationship between each of these factors and the effectiveness of these training sessions and (b) identified the combination of factors that best predicted the effectiveness of these training sessions through multinomial regression analysis. Results revealed the effectiveness of the trainings was significantly related to incorporation of active learning, level of coherence between learning activities at the training and structures in place at participants’ schools, increase in knowledge, and training date. Implications for future PBIS trainings and professional development events in general are discussed.

SPE Strong: Strengthening Our Core: Reinforcing Core Strengths, Delivering Membership Value

President's column SPE has always been strong and provides great value. I am one of those people who believes we can always be better. That is why I plan to emphasize our core strengths and how we can continue to build on them and grow stronger with the industry we serve. Members who take advantage of what SPE offers will find that it enriches their careers, as it has mine. I originally joined SPE as a student at the University of Alberta. At that time, SPE was relatively new to Canada, and the student chapter had only recently been established. The Petroleum Society of Canada, which focused on the Canadian oil and gas industry and later merged with SPE, was the predominant association preference among my peers. To me, SPE brought a global perspective on our industry along with strong technical content and excellent conferences. If you had asked me then what value SPE held for me, my answer would have been simple—a chance to network and learn from technical papers. While my fellow students and I were excited to be a part of the SPE family, we had little concept of the depth and breadth of value the society would provide for our future professional development.• My involvement in SPE has proven to be essential at each pivotal point in my career. As a young engineer, I would gladly pay for my own SPE membership even though I was counting pennies. I considered the annual dues an investment in my career, which continued to pay off repeatedly. I took on many different roles within SPE during my 29 years as a member—embracing positions that would develop my technical knowledge and soft skills, such as leadership and communication. So many doors of opportunity have opened for me because I interacted with my fellow members and utilized what SPE had to offer. The time spent on those SPE activities has always been a wise investment. As your president, I want to expand the value an SPE membership brings to both members and to companies that support their employees’ involvement in SPE. Our society is strong, yet I believe there are opportunities for improvement in the following areas:•• Gain recognition as the technical and unbiased source of information about our industry Develop trust within our industry and with the public Expand the value of membership and attract new members Illustrate value of attending SPE events against competitor events Increase manuscript citations and engage those from outside our industry who want to publish with SPE

Who is Benefitting? International Professional Development for Teachers

If the world is indeed becoming “smaller”, as the platitude suggests, the opportunities to reach out to colleagues in professional discourse should be employed. How does it happen that colleagues are able to exchange ideas and assess the practice of others? It is one thing for policy-makers to discuss pedagogy and philosophy, but how will that translate into practice? If global dialogs are meant to be influential, the importance of those directly affected (that is, teachers) cannot be understated. This paper describes the collaboration between an American University and a regional Ministry of Education in the Russian Federation in an attempt to bridge the cultural gap between two nations and promote effective teaching in public schools. The collaboration was considered to be a pilot project in order to evaluate feasibility, time, cost, adverse effects, and design. The findings indicate a positive experience for both the participants and presenters. That is, all indications point towards the participants believing the professional development made them more effective in their classroom and that a certain amount of cultural understanding had transpired. The stated needs by participants for future professional development and the need to help build relationships through more informal interaction will certainly be taken into consideration when planning ensuing collaborations.

After eliciting: Variation in elementary mathematics teachers’ discursive pathways during collaborative problem solving

Mathematics teachers are called on to craft instruction that centers students’ mathematical ideas and creates consistent, pervasive opportunities for meaning-making through discourse. In the context of collaborative problem solving, teachers can use eliciting and probing to uncover student thinking while students work together to develop mathematical ideas and strategies. After eliciting and probing, teachers can further respond to the student thinking that has been revealed. This study explored the discursive pathways two fourth grade mathematics teachers used after eliciting student thinking, when their aim was to be responsive to and advance student thinking. Drawing on interactions (n = 97) from nine lessons, qualitative analysis identified five distinct discursive pathways after eliciting, two of which, praise and funneling, were associated with the nature of student understanding uncovered during eliciting. Implications for future research and professional development on teacher-student discourse are discussed.

Practice and Challenges of Distributed Leadership at Public Secondary Schools of Dessie City Administration

The objective of this study was to describethe extent to which leadership is distributed in Public Secondary Schools of Dessie City administration and to investigate perception differencesbetween teachers and principals on the extent of the leadership distribution.Quantitative methodology was employed and data was collected from102 teachers and 20 principals working in six public secondary schools at the city administration using a questionnaire that has seven dimensions of the aspects of leadership which was prepared for the purpose of the study based on literatures and other questionnaires used in previous studies. While principals were selected based on their availability, teachers were selected using simple random sampling. Descriptive statistics like Percentage and weighted mean were employed to analyze the collected data after it was inserted to SPSS version 20. Based on the analysis of the data, it was found that leadership is distributed moderately in the selected public secondary schools. Moreover, there were some observed perception differences between teachers and principals on the extent of leadership distribution. While principals tend to be positive on every dimensions of leadership distribution, teachers on the other hand were observed to be less positive. It was also found out thatlack of commitment to participate in leadership activities and the inability to demonstrate responsibility on the teachers’ side were found to be the main challenges to distribute leadership. On the other hand failure to empower, initiate and encourage teachers to make significant contribution, failure to show high professional standards for teachers and not involving the teachers in decision making or initiating ideas from the top despite the meaningful contribution of ideas by teachers from the principals was observed to be main challenges to distribute leadership.It is recommended that initiating and involving teachers in leadership roles from the principals’ side have to be strengthened to cultivate the best out of the teachers and to improve the performance of their school. On the other hand willingness and cooperation from the teachers sideis recommended as it will pave the way for their future professional development and enjoy their extra role beyond teaching in addition to their contribution for their school success.

The Significance of Neuroscience for Teaching English as Second Language (TESL) in the Digital Era

In formal TESL courses, Phonetics, Linguistics, Grammar as well as Psychology are taught. However, Neuroscience, the study of the brain, is necessary for ESL teachers for future professional development to meet the rapidly changing needs of the students at all levels in the digital era. Designing educational practices without knowledge of the brain is like “an automobile designer without a full understanding of engines” (Hart, 1999). Based on the neurological evidence of processing of English and Chinese words in the bilinguals’ brain, Sham (2002) found a new Dual Coding (Paivio, 1986) model for designing CSL teaching materials that best fits young learners’ limited capacity of the brain by reducing their cognitive load (Sweller et al., 1998). Although little research linking neuroscience and learning, Guy and Byrn (2013) emphasis on the understanding of neuroscience of working memory has positive effects on motivating students learning. Direct implication of neuroscience by language teachers has been found difficult, but interdisciplinary study of neuroscience, psychology and education is fruitful (Coch et al., 2007) and there has a great impact of neuroscience on teaching and learning including its implication for ESL college classroom (Sousa, 2010). This paper reviews current research of neuroscience, psychology integrating with ESL teaching and learning, and provides the adult students’ feedback of learning IELTS through the design related to neuropsychological findings in order to demonstrate how significant neuroscience is on TESL. In other words, understanding of neuroscience facilitates ESL teaching and benefits ESL teachers’ professional development in future (247 words).