Professional Development Learning Research Articles

Contemporary educational methods in periodontology.

The 1st European Workshop on Periodontal Education in 2009 made recommendations regarding the scope of periodontal education at undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG) and continuing professional development (CPD) levels, defining competencies and learning outcomes that were instrumental at the time in helping to define periodontal teaching curricula. The 19th European Workshop on Periodontology and 2nd European Consensus Workshop on Education in Periodontology (Education in Periodontology in Europe) was held in 2023 to identify changes and future developments in periodontal education (including those informed by the COVID-19 pandemic) and embracing methods and formats of periodontal teaching and training. The aim of this review was to assess current knowledge regarding education methods in periodontology, including traditional face-to-face (F2F) teaching and the move to student-centred methods, virtual learning methods and use of digital technology, as well as blended teaching and learning (including teaching delivery and assessment) at UG, PG and CPD levels. Systematic searches were conducted to identify relevant studies from the literature. Data were extracted and descriptive summaries collated. The pandemic was a major disruptor of traditional F2F teaching but provided opportunities for rapid implementation of alternative and supplementary teaching methods. Although online learning has become an integral part of periodontal education, teachers and learners alike favour some form of F2F teaching. Blended teaching and learning are feasible in many areas of periodontal education, both for knowledge and skills acquisition as well as in assessment. Student-centred methods and blended approaches such as the flipped classroom seem highly effective, and online/virtual classrooms with both synchronous and asynchronous lectures are highly valued. Learning with haptic methods and virtual reality (VR) enhances the educational experience, especially when VR is integrated with traditional methods. The quality of the teacher continues to be decisive for the best knowledge transfer in all its forms. Live F2F teaching continues to be highly trusted; however, all types of student-centred and interactive forms of knowledge transfer are embraced as enhancements. While digital methods offer innovation in education, blended approaches integrating both virtual and traditional methods appear optimal to maximize the achievement of learning outcomes. All areas of periodontal education (UG, PG and CPD) can benefit from such approaches; however, more research is needed to evaluate their benefits, both for knowledge transfer and skills development, as well as in assessment.

A Bibliometric Analysis of the Knowledge Structure of Reflective Learning in the Health Sciences

This research aims to identify the developmental patterns of reflective learning in the health sciences context and offer suggestions for future research in this field. Our dataset consists of 385 studies conducted between 1983 and 2023 in the Web of Sciences (WOS) database. In this study, bibliometric analysis techniques such as performance analyses, co-citation analysis, co-word analysis, and co-authorship analysis were employed. The results of the co-word analysis indicated that Cluster 1 emphasizes medical education, student performance, and skill development, showcasing that self-assessment and feedback are crucial components of reflective learning. Cluster 2 explores how health services shape student experiences and the impact of reflective learning on these experiences. Cluster 3 highlights the centrality of reflective learning in professional development and patient interaction. Clusters 4 and 5 elucidate the roles of knowledge, attitudes, and quality management in the reflective learning process. Clusters 6 and 7 underscore the critical importance of continuous improvement and patient safety within the context of reflective learning. In conclusion, the topic of reflective learning is garnering increasing interest in health disciplines, and further comprehensive analyses are needed to better understand the trend of this interest.

A bibliometric performance analysis of publication productivity within pedagogy, andragogy, and heutagogy continuum: Outcomes of SciVal analytics

The pedagogy, andragogy, and heutagogy (PAH) continuum have been widely endorsed within higher education and online learning over the years. Thus, the evaluation of research productivity has become relevant due to the emerging development of the PAH continuum as a theoretical framework. This paper aims to explore the research productivity within the PAH continuum by performing a bibliometric performance analysis. An iterative search strategy was performed to identify PAH authors and then investigate their research productivity over a 5-year period (2017–2022) using the SciVal analytics instrument by Elsevier. Drawing upon the results from multiple bibliometric analyses, the study explores publication productivity specifically in relation to the PAH continuum. This study revealed that distance education, learning, teaching, professional development, and lifelong learning have been the most prominent research areas within the PAH continuum. Within that, related topics were identified, including online learning, mobile learning, e-learning, and educational technology.

Subject and Classroom-based Teacher Forums in the Realm of Teacher Professionalism in Indonesia

The demands of education in today’s world undeniably requires the presence of professional teachers who are knowledgeable, skillful, independent, creative, innovative, visionary, and character. This premise accentuates that teachers at all level of education need to acquire at least four main competences: professional, pedagogic, social, and personal. These main competences would enable them to perform current expected teaching demands. The article employs theories of professional development and social constructivist learning in which social and practical aspects of learning and teaching are taken into account. It draws on personal observations, reflections on current events, and experience of the authors while taking into accounts some empirical findings of researchers in the field of education. Given the central role of professional teachers in the era of industrial revolution 4.0, the article discusses three main issues in regards to current teaching and learning realms: a) teacher professionalism; b) challenges to teaching profession in contemporary world and how teachers deal with them; and c) urgency for effective Subject-based Teacher Forum - STF and Classroom-based Teachers Work Group - CTWG that are expected to support teachers to achieve their professional goals. Hence, the article is expected to provide conceptual and practical information regarding teacher professionalism and its challenges and how STF and CTWG forums support teachers to perform their teaching tasks and responsibilities and overcome the ever-increasing challenges to teaching setting in contemporary educational settings. In particular, the article informs the urgent needs of teachers’ forums which are able to promote teacher professionalism and provide solutions for the improvement of learning and teaching practices in Indonesia.

Highlighting the NIAID Radiation and Nuclear Countermeasures Program's Commitment to Training and Diversifying the Radiation Workforce.

Developing and maintaining a robust and diverse scientific workforce is crucial to advance knowledge, drive innovation, and tackle societal issues that impact the economy and human health. The shortage of trained professionals in radiation and nuclear sciences derives from many factors, such as scarcity of specialized coursework, programming, professional development, and experiential learning at educational institutions, which significantly disrupt the training pipeline. Other challenges include small numbers of faculty and educators with specialized radiation/nuclear expertise that are continually overextended professionally and scientifically, with the burden of training falling on this subset of individuals. Even more alarming is the recent loss of radiobiologists due to increased retirements and deaths, leaving the radiobiology community with a void of mentors and knowledge. Lastly, inconsistency in acquiring stable grant funding to recruit and retain scientists is a major hurdle to training the next generation of radiation and nuclear scientists. Recommendations from the scientific community and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine describe the need to bolster educational resources and provide more hands-on training experiences. Of equal importance was the suggestion that funding agencies provide more opportunities for training and tracking the radiation workforce. The Radiation and Nuclear Countermeasures Program (RNCP), and the Office of Research Training and Special Programs (ORTSP), both within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) are committed to helping to develop and sustain the radiation research workforce. This commentary illustrates the importance of addressing radiation workforce development and outlines steps that the RNCP is taking to help mitigate the issue. In addition, the role for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in helping to increase the number of students trained in the radiation sciences is discussed, and the NIH's DEIA priorities and RNCP efforts to improve DEIA in the research community are highlighted. One of the main goals of this commentary is to provide awareness of available educational (i.e., development of a radiation biologist eBook) and funding resources. A summary of available awards targeting early- to mid-stage investigators and diversity candidates is given, and it is hoped that this list, although not exhaustive and not specific for all focus areas in radiation (e.g., cancer research), will encourage more radiation biologists to explore and apply to these under-utilized opportunities.

Global education reform and the Swedish CPD market: restricted professional learning and the power of ideology

ABSTRACT Against the backdrop of global convergences in education reforms, a growing focus on teacher competences has emerged in European policy discourses about teacher professionalism and professional learning and development that has driven an expanding international and national CPD market involving both state and private operators. Developments in Sweden are an example, and the aim of this article is to identify and explore the discourses on teacher professional learning that seem to proliferate on this newly emerged and expanding market and their connections with and consequences for teacher professionalism. Two sets of data have fed the analysis. These are (a) CPD invoices and (b) interviews with school principals. The analysis indicates that the dominant discourses discursively shape teacher professionalism in relation to ideas about teachers as learners as collegial consumers of knowledge. Policy recommendations about peer learning become a subordinated element of a dominant discourse that prioritises and privileges the agency of knowledge producers, such as consultancies, compared to other actors as intermediaries. Commodification is a new key intermediary process in professional learning for teacher professional development.

Training secondary English teachers to engage students in challenging and complex issues with journalistic strategies

ABSTRACT Classroom discussions of social issues, ranging from gun violence and climate change to race and gender identity, have become risky and politicised, dividing parents and educators along ideological lines and leading to censorship. Journalistic teaching and learning in secondary school English classes present one viable solution. However, few professional development opportunities exist to support teachers who lack formal professional or scholastic journalism training to integrate journalistic practices and disciplinary lens into general English language arts classrooms. This study explores teacher experiences and perspectives on student learning building on an innovative professional development and classroom curriculum. Results demonstrate strong evidence for the scalability of this networked learning professional development approach and for the teacher-generated innovations that enhanced student experiences. Teachers perceived substantial improvements in students’ core skills in journalistic learning, such as evaluating bias and credibility of sources, conducting interviews with community members, and writing. Results illustrate a timely and impactful approach to training English language arts teachers in a student-driven, culturally relevant, and practical approach to writing instruction.

Transformational learning and agency for professional identity development: first-year social work student retention and wellbeing

ABSTRACT Challenges relating to first-year student retention and learning outcomes are recognized as a multi-faceted issue in the tertiary education sector across many professional programs, including social work. Graduating students can find it difficult to establish themselves in the workplace. The researchers wanted to understand if fostering a sense of professional identity for social work students as part of the research experience might in and of itself enable retention because of improved opportunities for transformational learning, agency, and wellbeing as a student. The participatory action research project was designed around a community of practice of social work students facilitated by two recent graduates to undertake the collaborative design and creation of supportive educational resources. Student empowerment, connectedness, and wellbeing were improved by involvement in the collaborative professional task of doing research, with students reporting increased connection with the university and engagement in their learning. Implications for fostering professional identity development during social work education are explored.

Workforce training needs to address social and emotional wellbeing in home-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care.

ObjectiveTo explore the training needs of the home care workforce in supporting the social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples receiving aged care services through the Home Care Package (HCP) Program.MethodsA mixed-methods design including (1) a focus group and interview with coordinators of HCP Program services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across metropolitan and rural South Australia in April and June 2022, and (2) a desktop review of training, professional development opportunities and resources for existing and pre-entry workforce addressing the SEWB of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in aged care across the Vocational Education Training and higher education sectors in South Australia, the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, the Department of Health and Aged Care website and aged care email alerts between December 2021 and September 2022.ResultsFive themes representing workforce training needs were identified: cultural safety, trauma-informed care, case management, compliance with funding rules and preferred formats for training. The desktop review identified a paucity of formal training, professional development and resources within the context of addressing the SEWB of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in aged care.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that ongoing practice-based professional development learning opportunities are needed within organisations to enhance peer-learning and support. These need to be available together with dedicated formal training programs and practical resources on meeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' SEWB in aged care.

The Effect of the Socio-Emotional Learning for Professional Development (SEL-PD) Program on Turkish Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge and Practices

The use of socio-emotional learning skills in the classroom is one of the most important teacher competencies. Therefore this study aimed to examine the change in early childhood pre-service teachers’ professional perceptions, knowledge and skills throughout the Socio-Emotional Learning for Professional Development Program which was developed to provide support for pre-service teachers. The sample of this qualitative study consisted from 25 early childhood pre-service teachers whom selected through criterion based purposeful sampling. They met the criterion of completing the School Experience Course and having ongoing teaching practice at a kindergarten with 3-6 year old children. Data collected through Demographic Information Form and Structured Interview Form. Structured interview form include questions regarding participants’ perceptions on teachers’ professional development, emotion socialization responses, their interaction with children and the program outputs on their professional development. The findings showed that pre-service teachers’ perceptions and practices towards professional development and socio-emotional learning have been changed positively after the program implementation. Besides, their emotional awareness and emotion socialization skills have been improved. It is revealed that this changes also improved their classroom practices that they displayed more social emotional learning skills and less negative emotion socialization behaviors during their classroom practices. Findings were asserted concerning the importance of pre-service teacher training in terms of acquiring socio-emotional learning.

Canvases of Professional Erudition in STEAM Education

The delivery of instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) requires layers upon layers of professional knowledge concerning STEAM pedagogy, methodologies, technology, and active involvement strategies to support student learning. A professional understanding of these critical areas is relevant for supporting student learning and is germane in actively involving parents in STEAM learning. While educators commonly engage in professional development opportunities, professional development is principally singular and typically ends without continuance or re-examination. Professional learning, on the other hand, is ongoing and revisits professional growth needs for educators. In this article, the researcher utilized targeted professional growth needs for STEAM educators that included qualities of site-based professional development and professional learning referred to as professional erudition. This study employed targeted professional erudition for providing high school science teachers skills related to constructivism, experiential learning, communications and dialogue, reflection and self-evaluation, and active parental involvement. Students and parents participating in the study maintained journals regarding their experiences during science inquiry learning and teachers maintained journals concerning their experiences and perceptions regarding targeted professional erudition. Qualitative data indicated providing professional erudition for STEAM teachers results in authentic professional growth, improved communications, and skills and strategies for supporting participatory science learning.

Mobile learning for teacher professional development: An empirical assessment of an extended technology acceptance model

This study explores how mobile learning (m-learning) can serve as a valuable resource for the professional development of Iraqi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research investigates the model's fit, structural relationships between variables, and potential moderating effects of gender and academic rank. Findings revealed that Iraqi EFL teachers generally demonstrated positive attitudes toward m-learning adoption, with identified challenges in self-efficacy and ease of use. Gender analysis indicated that females exhibited higher ease of use, self-efficacy, enjoyment, and positive attitudes and intentions toward m-learning adoption. Higher-ranked teachers perceived m-learning as more useful. The extended TAM displayed a good fit to empirical data, revealing significant positive relationships between variables. Gender did not moderate these relationships, but academic rank played a substantial role. The findings guide strategies for targeted professional development, addressing technical support concerns, and designing engaging experiences to facilitate successful m-learning integration in higher education, considering the unique needs and challenges of Iraqi EFL teachers.

Investigation of the challenges in online formative assessment faced by Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers in South African schools

Formative assessment is crucial for teachers to gauge students’ understanding of subject content, and applying formative assessment in an online context is more challenging than in a traditional Physical Sciences classroom. This study examines challenges experienced by Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers when enacting online formative assessment as per the research question. The empirical investigation adopted a generic qualitative design in which three purposively selected Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers from three different schools and quintiles within the Tshwane North District in South Africa. Data were collected through individual and focus group interviews. Interviews were video recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed using grounded theory to construct a thematic framework for supporting the study. Technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) was utilised as a theoretical framework underpinning the study to identify challenges experienced by Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers when enacting online formative assessment. Challenges identified in this study include the enforced utilisation of Annual Teaching Plans, lack of technological knowledge, lack of internet connectivity, and poor digital infrastructure at schools, and in towns and cities in South Africa. The study aims to show that the Department of Basic Education faces the key imperative to provide continuous teacher professional development and concomitant online learning materials that can facilitate meaningful enactment of online formative assessment in various educational settings while policy is needed to ensure that every student has access to data and internet resources.

An Organizational Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice: A Multipronged Strategic Approach.

Cedars-Sinai is a sixth continuous Magnet organization in Southern California that embodies inclusive leadership in support of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) principles. The organization adheres to a strategic model prioritizing staff sense of belonging, empowerment, engagement, curiosity, and creativity. Employing inclusive leadership, we have implemented strong programs of professional development and continuous learning, innovation, and research. This leadership and these programs have fostered a culture of inquiry, support evidence-driven practice, quality improvement, and staff engagement. Our organization is committed to creating a caring and healing environment that promotes performance. We believe in practicing loving-kindness toward ourselves and others as a core value. Executive leadership support has been a key element in our successful implementation of DEIJ strategies, including employee resource groups, Shared Leadership Councils, transition to practice programs, health equity research, and innovative solutions. These strategies have been shown to yield a significant return on investment.

Is Average Worrying? A Mixed Method Study of Malaysian Public University Administrative Staff’s Workplace Communication Apprehension

Even when employed, English oral communication skills proficiency continues to be an asset; mastering the skill is advantageous. The notion has driven comprehensive studies on communication, including apprehension, yet the focus on workplace contexts remains minimal. Therefore, this investigation aims to discern communication apprehension’s effect on staff’s communication skills, their administrative tasks, and the institution, to support the skill enhancement. Utilizing the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension instrument and a purposive sampling, the study’s explanatory sequential mixed method design sampled institution’s one hundred fifteen administrative staff. The staff communication apprehension levels were recorded as moderate, with the highest in delivering public speeches. Nevertheless, interview results proved differently to extend worrying trends among staff. The trend could jeopardize staff’s personality and productivity in the long run. The mediocre level also hinted at skill’s stagnant inclination or deterioration if it is not consistently used in conducting workplace tasks or events. The need for an impactful lifelong learning professional development plan to improve staff English oral communication skills is apparent by the University. The university's plan also need to include supporting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for their employees.

Culturally- and Linguistically-Responsive Online Teacher Learning Professional Development

This literature review explores the landscape of online teacher learning and professional development (PD) that is responsive to cultural and linguistic differences. The researchers, a diverse group of doctoral students, instructors, and teacher educators, are motivated by the need to address racial inequities and disparities exacerbated by the recent pandemic. The review aims to understand the theories and conceptual models used in responsive online teacher preparation and PD, the utilization of technology and its affordances, and the intentional targeting of specific groups for responsive teacher preparation and PD. The study followed a systematic approach, resulting in the selection of 27 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The findings highlighted the significance of socioculturally inspired theories, frameworks, and practical models in addressing inclusivity. They, in turn, influenced various tools used to reduce barriers, create online communities, enhance accessibility, and promote engagement. Accordingly, the review also revealed that to foster inclusivity, intentional efforts were required to involve teachers from minority, majority, and international communities. The implications emphasized the importance of teacher preparation and PD in establishing responsiveness, refuting deficit thinking, and capitalizing on cultural and linguistic assets. They also underscored the need for equity in the design of online teacher training and professional development. Finally, the review concluded with the various ways AI could be looped into the process.

Why does teacher learning vary in professional development? Accounting for organisational conditions

ABSTRACT Professional development providers often struggle with how some teachers take up and internalise new instructional practices while others have difficulty implementing new ideas and strategies. Teacher personal characteristics account for only part of this differentiation in learning, and there are unanswered questions regarding how organisational conditions shape teacher learning in professional development (PD). To address these questions, we examined U.S. elementary teachers’ learning and change in a science professional development project. We expected to find that, in addition to personal characteristics, teacher change would be differentiated by the type and number of constraints within the organisational environment. Instead, we found that teacher change was differentiated by teachers’ ability to draw on areas of alignment and iterative learning as resources to resist anti-science and teacher-centred aspects of the organisational environment. These resources were generated through coherence between the PD, teacher pedagogical beliefs, and existing instructional routines, as well as observing student learning while trying out PD strategies.

The New Curriculum Implementation in Indonesia: A Study in Two Primary Schools

The new 2013 curriculum has just been implemented recently in Indonesia from primary to secondary school levels. There are a lot of criticisms towards the implementation, especially in the schools’ readiness to apply the new curriculum in the real classroom. This study aims to investigate the role of school leaders in the new curriculum implementation. Several aspects were also examined: teacher professional development with regards to the curriculum implementation, how schools involve parents prior and during the curriculum implementation, supporting factors for the implementation and factors that hinder the success of the new curriculum implementation. Data were gathered from school leaders, teachers, and parents. The findings show that school leaders in these schools play an important role by exercising transformational leadership and shared instructional leadership. Continuous teacher professional development and professional learning community are other important factors for the success of the new curriculum implementation. Time constraints and limited resources are reported to be the hindering factors. The findings show that albeit schools acknowledge the importance of parental involvement in students’ learning, schools have not given adequate support that parents need in order to be fully involved in their children’s learning.

Participating in professional development programmes or learning in the wild? Understanding the learning ecologies of Holocaust educators

AbstractHolocaust education, which refers to the teaching and learning of the Holocaust—the systematic genocide of six million Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II—is an essential component of history and social studies education in many countries. Its primary aim is to raise awareness of the Holocaust, promote understanding of its historical significance and develop critical thinking and empathy in students. However, despite the increasing specialisation and institutionalisation of Holocaust education, there is still a lack of understanding of how Holocaust educators acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to teach the subject effectively. This study aims to explore the learning ecologies of a group of Italian Holocaust educators, focusing on their motivations for initial and lifelong learning and their learning practices. Ten in‐depth interviews were conducted with teachers from different subject areas. The results showed that participants were driven by either personal or curricular motivations and interests and used a range of learning approaches for both initial and lifelong learning. Although few participants considered digital technologies and social media as a learning environment, they were found to be useful resources. The study concludes with practical implications for further research.

Application of flipped classroom combined with virtual simulation platform in clinical biochemistry practical course

BackgroundThe study explores an innovative teaching mode that integrates Icourse, DingTalk, and online experimental simulation platforms to provide online theoretical and experimental resources for clinical biochemistry practical courses. These platforms, combined with flipped classroom teaching, aim to increase student engagement and benefit in practical courses, ultimately improving the effectiveness of clinical biochemistry practical teaching.MethodsIn a prospective cohort study, we examined the impact of integrating the Icourse and DingTalk platforms to provide theoretical knowledge resources and clinical cases to 48 medical laboratory science students from the 2019 and 2020 grades. Students were assigned to the experimental group using an overall sampling method, and had access to relevant videos through Icourse before and during class. Using a flipped classroom approach, students actively participated in the design, analysis, and discussion of the experimental technique. For the experimental operation part, students participated in virtual simulation experiments and actual experiments. Overall, the study aimed to evaluate students’ theoretical and operational performance after completing the practical course. To collect feedback, we distributed a questionnaire to students in the experimental group. For comparison, we included 42 students from the grades of 2017 and 2018 who received traditional instruction and were evaluated using standard textbooks as the control group.ResultsThe experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group on both the theoretical and experimental operational tests (82.45 ± 3.76 vs. 76.36 ± 3.96, P = 0.0126; 92.03 ± 1.62 vs. 81.67 ± 4.19, P < 0.001). The survey revealed that the experimental group preferred the teaching mode that combined the flipped classroom with the virtual simulation platform. This mixed method effectively promoted understanding of basic knowledge (93.8%, 45/48), operative skills (89.6%, 43/48), learning interest (87.5%, 42/48), clinical thinking (85.4%, 41/48), self-learning ability (91.7%, 44/48), and overall satisfaction compared with traditional methods (P < 0.05). This study demonstrates that an innovative teaching approach significantly improves the quality of clinical biochemistry practical courses and promotes students’ professional development and self-directed learning habits.ConclusionIncorporating virtual simulation with flipped classrooms into clinical biochemistry practical teaching is an efficient and well-received alternative to traditional methods.