Professional Development Knowledge Research Articles

Integrating Research, Theory and Knowledge for Professional Development: A Narrative Inquiry

This personal narrative in qualitative research investigation delves into the impact of reflection on the personal and professional growth of educators. Critical reflection emerges as a pivotal concept that educators assimilate into their daily practices. Despite ongoing discussions about its essential nature, the role of critically reading and reflecting on theories and research in preparing teachers within South Asian pedagogy remains uncertain. This article adopts a cross-case study approach, incorporating a personal narrative from an educator to explore critical reflection in community development. The researcher critically analyzes two scholarly articles from distinct journals, grounded in the belief that theory and knowledge evolve through simultaneous research and reflection. The study’s findings underscore the importance of reflection in enhancing teachers’ awareness of personal and professional growth, contributing to advanced community knowledge. Improving professional knowledge through research is a key outcome, enabling educators to optimize theory and knowledge for locally relevant, high-quality scholarship.

An exploration of Irish nutrition educators’ experiences of competency-based assessment in nutrition science education

BackgroundCompetency-based assessment (CBA) supports the development and attainment of skills required for the workforce. Little is known about educators’ experience in developing or implementing CBA in nutrition science education or their opinions on how well it captures a student’s preparedness for the workforce. The objective of this study was to explore educators’ experience of CBA in nutrition education in Ireland.MethodGrounded in interpretivism, in-depth, semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews were conducted with 13 educators from five of the ten undergraduate honours degree nutrition programmes across Ireland. Interviews explored experiences of CBA and perception of students training to prepare for the workforce. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was implemented whereby the data were transcribed, inductively coded, and themes identified.ResultsA clear divide was evident between participants who were confident in their understanding of CBA and those who were unsure or had no knowledge of the term. Those with a clear understanding were more involved in programme development and evaluation. Three themes were identified: ‘Assessment process’ including intended learning outcomes, assessment design, and grading systems, ‘Student-centred approach to assessment’ focusing on work-based assessment and preparation for the workforce, and ‘Upskilling educators’ to equip educators with the skills and knowledge for professional development and to foster student success.ConclusionThe importance of CBA as a student-centred approach, supporting them to meet standards expected to practice as a nutrition professional, was the key experience of educators. Training in CBA and inclusion of more authentic assessment may better prepare students for the workforce.

Action research and professional development in schools

This article examines practitioner action research in schools and how action research can enhance practice and generate knowledge through partnerships between academia and the education sector. In 2020, revisions to the Norwegian curriculum for primary and secondary education introduced guidelines for professional work. The changes in the curriculum framework entail teachers’ collaboration in knowledge production - utilizing research and their own experiences in the process. This changed the formal role of teachers from transmitting established knowledge to producing knowledge in professional development and research activities. The new regulations can be related to traditions within practitioner action research. The article explores how action research can be used as a methodological framework in the professional work of schools. The starting point for the article is a thematic analysis of reflections from an action research project named Deeper Learning – How?, in which six schools participate in developing a model for unit planning. Structured interviews were conducted with members of school development groups in the schools every six months over 3.5 years, totaling seven interviews per school. The participants' reflections on their professional work serve as the empirical basis for the article. Results from the thematic analysis demonstrate that participants employed the action research process as a methodological tool to cultivate new insights and enhance practice. These reflections enrich the schools' comprehension of their educational practices and lead to measures for improvements, actions, and change. The results also highlight that proactive leadership, agreed-upon measures, teamwork, and a consistent rhythm in professional work are vital for educational practice development and knowledge production.

Challenges in Teaching Pronunciation to Saudi Female Learners at Taif University

Prince Muhammad Bin Salman’s 2030 vision has amplified the importance of the English language in Saudi Arabia and efforts to increase its use in the Kingdom. This need is illustrated by the increasing trend of Saudi universities and certain corporations requiring prospective students to take regional standardized English examinations. The goal of this study is to identify female Saudi EFL learners’ pronunciation issues, assess needed help, and suggest teaching strategies to EFL instructors. Learners will be examined through a series of pronunciation exams intended to enhance their listening and pronunciation skills. This research is relevant because young people are a key element of HRH Mohammed Bin Salman’s Vision 2030 as they represent the kingdom, internationally. The questions in this study address the challenges instructors confront in dealing with the most common pronunciation issues faced by adult female Saudi students in the EFL classroom. The obstacles faced by ESL instructors teaching pronunciation in schools included self-confidence, professional development knowledge, and instructional methodologies. Fear of making mistakes while pronouncing words was commonly stated as an obstacle to confidence when teaching pronunciation to students. Moreover, several teachers admitted to having difficulty pronouncing some phrases, indicating a lack of familiarity with English pronunciation. According to respondents, the time given to cover the required courses in the program proved insufficient for pronunciation teaching. The most successful method was to include pronunciation tasks in English classrooms. Due to the unique qualities and needs of each student, there are a limited number of instructional materials and other resources accessible on pronunciation.

Conference Reflections

Research Article| October 01 2014 Conference Reflections Stacey Kiser Stacey Kiser 1NABT President – 2014 Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The American Biology Teacher (2014) 76 (8): 490. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2014.76.8.1 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Stacey Kiser; Conference Reflections. The American Biology Teacher 1 October 2014; 76 (8): 490. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2014.76.8.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentThe American Biology Teacher Search Past President Mark Little refers to our community as the “NABT family.” The community atmosphere, along with our focus on teaching, elevates NABT to my primary professional development group. I occasionally attend professional conferences that focus on narrower subdisciplines of biology that feed my curiosity. The education sections at these conferences, while improving, lack critical mass and a celebration of teaching. NABT is different. I think of all of you as my teaching siblings and cousins who support me, cheer me, challenge my assumptions, tease me, but always improve me professionally. Here is my story of building my NABT family. I attended my first NABT Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1996, when an expert instructor encouraged me to co-present. In my first year of full-time teaching, I had a little knowledge of professional development but certainly no formal career-development plan. I ended up presenting by myself after my co-presenter... You do not currently have access to this content.

Enfermería Médico-Quirúrgica, 2013

La Enfermería Quirúrgica es un área de la Enfermería que se enfoca en la identificación de los problemas de salud que requieren de resolución quirúrgica, de tratamientos, y cuidados generales y específicos. Lo anterior fundamenta que los profesionales de enfermería cuenten con una sólida formación científica y humanista. El libro Brunner y Suddart Enfermería Médico- Quirúrgica, a través de sus contenidos permite a quienes están en formación y a quienes ya ejercen la profesión, fortalecer estos conocimientos (técnicos, científicos, éticos y legales) para el desarrollo profesional

The Professional Development Needs of Mathematics Teachers in Saudi Arabia

This study aimed at determining the professional development needs of mathematics teachers in Saudi Arabia. The sample of the study contained 643 teachers and 39 supervisors of four districts of education across Saudi Arabia. The survey addressed two domains of professional development: content knowledge in mathematics, and pedagogical content knowledge. The study found that, in the domain of content knowledge for professional development, the most frequently occurring topics were as follows: Topological concepts and their applications, spherical geometry and its applications; mathematical problems solving; mathematical logic, reasoning, and proof; and, limits and continuity and their applications. In the domain of pedagogical content knowledge, participants defined areas of deficit across thirteen topics. Included in these were: Mathematical teaching for students with special needs; mathematical teaching for gifted students; lab use in teaching mathematics, etc. Two-way ANOVA indicated that there were significant differences in means of mathematics teachers’ needs for professional development in favor of supervisors vs. mathematics teachers in the pedagogical content knowledge domain alone. While there were no significant differences in the means of the need for professional development for mathematics teachers related to their teaching grade level or to the interaction between job and grade level in both domains.

The effects of collaborative reflection on EFL teaching

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of collaborative reflection on two EFL teachers to explore teaching with a view of solving various problems in their language classes. It's assumed that during the process of collaboration, participants develop new strategies to deal with different problems in their language classrooms. Particularly, the dialogue between teachers extends their beliefs about language teaching and learning emphasizing the importance of sharing knowledge in professional development (Akyel, 2000; Kraft, 2002). To examine this hypothesis, two EFL teachers working at the preparatory school of an English-medium Turkish university in Istanbul, Turkey volunteered to participate in this study. The data came from three qualitative research methods: a) observers’ field notes, b) electronic journals and c) notes from the teachers’ dialogues. The results revealed that collaborative reflection might have positive effects on EFL teachers’ instructional practice and enhance teacher dialogue.

Against Professional Development

This paper raises questions about the sort of knowledge which has come to count as professional development knowledge. The author interrogates the curriculum and pedagogy of academic professional development programs in Australian universities, drawing parallels with Third World development programs. She argues that professional development knowledge is privileged over disciplinary knowledge in setting lifelong learning agendas for academics, and notes some problematic consequences of this for academics engaged in professional development programs.

Against Professional Development

This paper raises questions about the sort of knowledge which has come to count as professional development knowledge. The author interrogates the curriculum and pedagogy of academic professional development programs in Australian universities, drawing parallels with Third World development programs. She argues that professional development knowledge is privileged over disciplinary knowledge in setting lifelong learning agendas for academics, and notes some problematic consequences of this for academics engaged in professional development programs.

Professional Knowledge in Professional Development

From time to time it is pleasing to be able to devote an entire issue to articles that focus on a single topic. This issue affords us the opportunity to look inward at ourselves and consider our development as a profession. From time to time it is pleasing to be able to devote an entire issue to articles that focus on a single topic. This issue affords us the opportunity to look inward at ourselves and consider our development as a profession.

Being a Professional in Schools and Universities: limits, purposes and possibilities for development

AbstractThis paper, an edited version of the Lawrence Stenhouse Memorial Lecture, argues that if the kinds of emancipation and empowerment envisaged by Stenhouse for students in schools are to be practised, educators in universities and other educational organisations must recognise and assert that they are a part of rather than apart from a broader social, economic and political dialogue in which teachers, teachers’ associations, parents, governors, local education authorities and policymakers in other places are engaged. As professional researcher‐developers still with ‘room to manoeuvre’ within and without politically driven policy agendas, they have a legitimate voice, a contribution to make, alongside others, to the development and critique of educational policy at strategic levels and to developments in schools and classrooms. Within this broad theme four related topics are addressed: (1) lifelong learning; (2) knowledge of professional development and change; (3) the limits and possibilities of educational research; and (4) dilemmas in being a professional: moral purposes and roles of academics in continuing professional development.