Professional Learning Research Articles

How medical practitioners experience development over their careers: implications for professional growth and learning

ABSTRACT This study investigated variation in medical practitioners’ ways of conceptualising their own development as doctors over their careers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 experienced doctors (including GPs, physicians and surgeons) using phenomenographic research methods. Analysis focused on identifying participants’ awareness of different dimensions of potential development as a doctor, with variation in awareness of different dimensions leading to variation in overall conceptions of development as a doctor. Four qualitatively different conceptions of development were identified, varying in terms of what doctors thought development was (potential outcomes) and how they went about developing (potential approaches). Different developmental outcomes were dialectically entwined with different approaches to development. That is, what doctors understood development to be guided by both how they went about it, and what they were most likely to gain from a developmental activity. The greatest developmental potential arose from conceptions that viewed development as a complex, multi-dimensional phenomenon. Unfortunately, such complex understandings of development did not necessarily arise spontaneously with career experience. This makes it imperative to introduce targeted professional learning experiences that are designed to increase doctors’ awareness of different dimensions of development as early in their training and careers as possible.

Mentoring in practicum: supporting student teachers’ learning to notice with collaborative observational tools

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to the knowledge on supportive mentoring practices in student teachers’ practicum by exploring the ways that mentoring conversations structured around a specific observational tool built on the theoretical concepts of professional noticing and collaborative reflection might support professional learning in student teachers’ practicum. An observation-grounded mentoring framework (OMF) was designed and examined in an intervention study conducted in Norway. The study used Van Es and Sherins’ framework of learning to notice (2002) in the analysis of the intervention. School-based mentor teachers and student teachers in eight practicum groups participated in the study. Data was collected from interviews, worksheets and reflective texts. The findings show that structuring mentoring conversations around observation descriptions can support student teachers’ learning to notice by helping them identify noteworthy classroom interactions and reason about what is noteworthy with peers and mentors. Moreover, findings suggest that observation-grounded mentoring conversations can nurture deeper understandings of teaching and learning and boost awareness of the purpose of teaching. The paper underscores the importance of supporting noticing development in initial teacher education and recognises the potential contribution observational tools can make.

Supporting In-Service and Pre-Service Teachers in Rethinking Formative Literacy Assessments

Oral reading assessments provide teachers with valuable information about children’s reading abilities, which can then inform instruction. However, the structure of some oral reading assessments (e.g., running records) have been critiqued, especially when they are used to provide students with a prescribed “reading level”. The purpose of the current study was to support in-service teachers (ISTs) and pre-service teachers (PSTs) in implementing a highly supportive oral reading assessment, the Listening to Reading–Watching While Writing Protocol (LTR—WWWP), which guides teachers towards specific instructional targets for individual children instead of a score or level. We were curious about the ISTs’ and PSTs’ perceptions of the protocol, including its affordances and limitations. Data sources were the ISTs’ feedback responses and the researcher fieldnotes after five professional learning sessions, as well as the PSTs’ survey responses after learning about the protocol during literacy method courses. Results revealed that both the ISTs and PSTs found the protocol to be useful, and they appreciated the concrete information it provides regarding multiple components of literacy (e.g., decoding, comprehension monitoring). However, they also noted logistical concerns regarding assessment implementation and selecting authentic texts. Results also revealed misconceptions about the assessment, which subsequently informed revisions of the LTR-WWWP and the related professional learning.

Experiences of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Undergraduates and Placement Educators of Blended Practice-Based Learning

Securing sufficient practice-based learning opportunities for health care students is long-standing and well documented and not unique to the United Kingdom (Beveridge & Pentland 2020; Martin et al., 2004). Increasing Allied Health Professional learners on healthcare programmes and the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the need for radical change and innovative ways of working to address placement capacity. Due to the capacity pressures, blended practice-based placements were implemented in partnership with clinical collaboration across the Cheshire and Merseyside region. As this placement model had not been robustly tested, a decision was made to pilot this across different settings and ethical approval was sought and granted, to fully evaluate this approach. The participants consisted of second-year physiotherapy and first- and second-year occupational therapy learners. The aims of the study were to: ascertain the value and experiences of a newly introduced blended placement-based learning through the anonymous collection of data from an online questionnaire (quantitative) and focus groups (qualitative) in response to challenges relating to placement capacity. Initial findings suggest there are benefits for learners including new skill acquisition, such as organisational and adaptability skills, the ability to influence change in patient care and improved clinical reasoning. Challenges for learners include the type and length of project not being comparable to their peers, reduced clinical time, perceived discrepancies in marking during the placement and opportunities to develop confidence. Alternative placement models are required to meet ongoing capacity demands. This work adds to the growing body of placement related literature.

Supporting the development of teachers as expert learners: lessons on professional learning from large scale pedagogical innovations in Mexico and Colombia

ABSTRACT This conceptual article presents a challenge to the dominant view and practice of teacher professional learning and its focus on preparing experts in teaching and proposes instead an emphasis on preparing experts in learning. Drawing on contemporary knowledge on the nature of human learning and development, and in particular, the key role that constant exposure to expert practice plays on effective learning, the author develops the argument that the emphasis of teacher professional learning should be placed on developing mastery of the practice of learning much more so than developing mastery of the practice of teaching. Through a secondary analysis of existing knowledge on two successful initiatives of large-scale pedagogical innovation in Mexico and Colombia, the author distils some fundamental features of professional learning approaches that support the development of teachers as expert learners. He outlines an explanation of why and how this type of professional learning is contributing to the remarkable improvements in student learning and wellbeing achieved by these pedagogical innovations. He also proposes some additional features currently missing in the two cases examined that could be considered for a next generation of professional learning approaches to effectively prepare teachers as experts in learning.

Towards the Structure of the Digital Competence of the Library Specialists

The purpose of the article is to present the structure of the digital competence of a library specialist, developed based on research of recommendations of specialised organisations and regulatory documents, European approaches to the development of digital competence frameworks, and the results of a survey of library specialists. The research methodology is based on applying systemic, functional, acmeological, axiological and socio-communication approaches, which made it possible to scientifically understand the essence and structure of the formation of digital competence of library specialists. The theoretical methods of analysis and comparison helped to study the problem, clarify the essence of key concepts and determine the structure of the digital competence of library specialists; generalisation and systematisation were used to substantiate the components of digital competence. The scientific novelty. The structure of the digital competence of a library specialist is defined, which takes into account overall digital competence, digital technologies for professional activities, support learning, teaching and research (in particular, promoting digital literacy and users digital inclusion, digital mentoring), the ability to digital transformation and professional development in the digital environment. The author presents the draft digital competence framework for library specialists, which can be considered for improvement in the draft framework published by the Ministry of Digital Transformation for public discussion. Conclusions. The digital competence framework for library professionals can become the basis for an effective system of training and in-service training in digitalisation at different degrees of education, as well as a tool for effectively monitoring the level of digital competence among library staff. The presented draft digital competence framework for library professionals includes six areas (digital literacy; digital collections and resources; digital service, digital technologies and tools in professional activities; digital mentoring; digital leadership and professional development), thirty descriptors, and provides four levels of proficiency described by task complexity, autonomy, attitude, and cognitive domain. A comparison is made with the draft published by the Ministry of Digital Transformation in June 2024, along with recommendations for its improvement.

The impact of Digital literacy on ICT self-efficacy in Islamic secondary school teachers in District Kot addu South Pakistan

Digital literacy is the skill of using digital technologies in order to find, assess and produce relevant information and products. ICT self-efficacy refers to self-confidence in instructional use of Information and Communication Technology tools.This paper focuses on effects of Digital Literacy on ICT self-efficacy of teachers in Islamic secondary schools in District Kot Addu South Pakistan. Hence, probing into how digital literacy affects teacher’s self efficacy when using ICT in teaching becomes relevant given rising push on adoption of technology in learning. The results are expected to contribute to the body of knowledge regarding professional development needed to support appropriate incorporation of technology into teaching practices.It seeks to alert professional development providers on the potential of impacting teacher confidence and competence on using technological tools in instruction. This paper presents a qualitative investigation concerned with the effects of digital literacy on ICT self-efficacies of teachers in the Islamic secondary schools in District Kot Addu, South Pakistan. The research sought to establish the present level of use of, and confidence in use of, information communication technology among teachers; personal computer/Internet literacy skills; and correlation between these skills and attitude towards the use of ICT in teaching. In this study, data was collected through use of semi structured interviews and focus group discussions with fifteen teachers from five Islamic secondary schools. Finally, through analyzing themes identified in the cross-case analysis, it was shown that although most teachers adopted digital literacy and were comfortable with technological tools, they lacked adequate knowledge on how to incorporate digital technologies with higher complexity into their teaching practice. In addition, the study showed that the profile of digital literacy influenced ICT self efficacy, the need to address with immediacy and desire the continuing professional learning to improve on it. The study has therefore called for enhanced training that not only increases computer literacy skills but also the level of self-confidence in the use of ICT in teaching to enhance teaching practices in era of technology.The professional development programs should then focus on developing the skills that would increase ICT self efficacy among teachers so as to increase the level of self confidence in integration of technology in teaching and learning practices.

Examining Science Teachers’ Conceptions of Student Interest as a Consideration in Designing Assessments

ABSTRACT A key goal of science education articulated in A Framework for K-12 Science Education is to create opportunities for students to answer questions about the world that connect to their interests, experiences, and identities. Interest can be seen as a malleable relationship between a person and object (such a phenomenon students might study). In this paper, we analyzed data from a design study of an online course focused on preparing 11 secondary teachers to design three-dimensional tasks that align to the Next Generation Science Standards and that connect to students’ interests. Our data sources were teachers’ descriptions of their design decisions about what phenomena to use to anchor assessment, designed assessment tasks, and interviews with them about those decisions. We found that interest was an important consideration for assessment design, but teachers considered student interests in different ways. Some teachers shifted their views of what it meant to engage student interests in the context of assessment design over the course of their participation in professional learning. Most teachers made decisions about what they believed their students were interested in based on their knowledge of students or beliefs about their students’ interests. In supporting teachers to design summative assessments that link to students’ interest, it is critical to assume teachers bring a range of conceptions of interest and to consider the feasibility and utility of task design tools from teachers’ point of view.

A systematic review of coach developers’ professional learning

ABSTRACT The objective of this paper was to systematically review the empirical evidence surrounding sport coach developers’ (CDs) professional learning. CDs are key in coaching ecosystems because they influence coaches’ learning. However, little is known about the processes and mechanisms involved in how CDs learn to practice, which has implications for their training and support requirements. A thematic synthesis was undertaken on the 30 included studies. Findings generated themes concerning (1) CDs’ understanding and application of learning theory, (2) the influence of their employing governing body, (3) the role and importance of peers, and (4) expert facilitators in influencing CDs’ professional learning and practice. These findings provide insights for CDs and organisations responsible for training and developing CDs. The limited body of literature highlights the juvenile state of CD research, and recommendations are made to further investigate CDs from a broader range of sports and contexts.

Re-imagining teacher assessment: How teachers are encouraged (or not) to pursue ongoing professional learning in New Brunswick

Re-imagining teacher assessment: How teachers are encouraged (or not) to pursue ongoing professional learning in New Brunswick

VIVÊNCIA DAS ESTUDANTES DE ODONTOLOGIA DA FACULDADE DO AMAZONAS – IAES NO PROJETO DE EXTENSÃO REFERENTE ÀS PRÁTICAS MULTIDISCIPLINARES EM ODONTOLOGIA HOSPITALAR – UM RELATO DE EXPERIÊNCIA

Introduction: The role of the university is to train critical, reflective and ethical professionals. In this context, as an educational strategy, aligning theoretical teaching with practice, this experience took place at the Hospital and Emergency Room 28 de Agosto. The study was carried out by undergraduate students of the Dentistry course, in their sixth semester, with the practice taking place on two days a week, monthly, with a total duration of eight hours. The activities included lectures to patients, such as oral hygiene care and intraoral examinations, under the supervision of Prof. MSc. Guilherme Ferreira. Hospital Dentistry is a consolidated specialty in the care of hospitalized patients, encompassing a multidisciplinary approach and dental interventions. The care structure at the hospital was organized, ensuring safety and comfort for patients. In the Intensive Care Unit, there was one intubated patient, receiving continuous monitoring, and the other patients demonstrated good health. This experience report aims to share the experience acquired in the practice of Hospital Dentistry, highlighting the multidisciplinary work, the application of the relevant legislation and the challenges faced. Methodology: Descriptive in nature, providing an insight into the dental practices applied in the hospital environment – ​​description of the care provided, the clinical conditions of the patients, the multidisciplinary approaches and the difficulties faced by the professionals. Results and Discussion: Dental care provided to patients with various clinical conditions was observed, allowing an immersion in hospital dentistry. There was an opportunity to learn about hospital protocols and how they align with the hospital's standards and procedures, in relation to infection control and patient safety. The experience highlighted the complexity of dental care and highlighted the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration. Conclusion: The experience was an essential act for future professional practice, providing theoretical and practical learning, the opportunity to observe in a real clinical environment, to verify the complexity of hospital dental care and to adapt to the challenges of the environment.

Cultivating a STEM-driven School Culture: A Librarian’s Journey

Librarians play a crucial role in fostering discovery and a desire to explore new concepts. This exploratory case study examines the librarian’s role in implementing STEM concepts and applications in a Texas elementary school. Focus group and interview data were analyzed and coded to identify patterns and themes. This paper focuses on the emergent themes of the (a) librarians’ role in STEM education and (b) supporting a STEM-driven school culture. Findings include the librarian’s creation of a professional learning network, her leadership role, and how she supported a STEM-driven school culture. The results of this study point to the need to expand the definition of a STEM teacher leader to include non-traditional leaders such as librarians. Implications on how librarians can help create a STEM-driven school culture are discussed.

Perceptions of a Digital Dental Technology Curriculum: A Qualitative Study of Dental Technology Students.

Integrating digital dental technology into undergraduate curricula can better prepare dental technology students for a digitally driven workplace. However, students' perspectives on this education are sparse in the literature. This qualitative study explored dental technology students' perceptions of a digital dental technology curriculum. An online questionnaire was administered to third-year and fourth-year students, as well as recent graduates from the West China School of Stomatology. It comprised three sections: (1) demographic data, (2) perceptions of learning effectiveness and its impact, and (3) suggestions for curriculum improvements. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a chi-squared test. Sixty-nine valid responses were collected, yielding an effective response rate of 90.79%. Over 80% of respondents thought the courses beneficial for professional learning, career selection and practical work. However, 35% of third-year students reported being unable to complete digital design independently upon finishing the courses, and 62.50% of fourth-year students also lacked confidence in this area. While 95% of third-year students and 87.5% of fourth-year students intended to pursue digital-related positions, only 33.33% of employed graduates were engaged in relevant professions, indicating that the demands for digital competence in the workplace significantly exceeded the curriculum content. This study found that most students had a positive perception of the digital dental technology curriculum. However, a gap remains between curriculum content and professional practice demands. Further research and curriculum shifts driven by skill application and work scenarios are required to support the digital transformation of dental technology education and dentistry.

Understanding Preschool Educators' Writing Knowledge: Insights from the Early Writing Knowledge Assessment

AbstractTeachers' knowledge impacts their practices in classrooms. While considerable research has sought to understand teachers' broad emergent literacy knowledge, less is known about the specific knowledge teachers hold regarding early writing. The present study engaged 66 diverse early childhood teachers in five Head Start programs across two states to examine teachers' knowledge for early writing, bringing specificity to our understanding of teachers' knowledge of writing skills and development. To overcome issues of current elicitation materials which employ researcher generated questioning and decontextualized testing formats, we utilized an innovative instrument (The Early Writing Knowledge Assessment: EWKA) to elicit teachers' knowledge and beliefs from three authentic, contextualized child writing samples reflecting distinct, developmental writing skills. Teachers reflected on each sample and responses were coded using a two‐step process and an a priori set of codes derived from established early writing theories. Results indicated that generally, teachers' early writing knowledge aligned with research‐based conceptualizations, however, wide variation existed in the language used. Patterns existed in the components and subcomponents emphasized depending on the developmental skills demonstrated in the sample. Study findings highlight the wide variability, including inaccuracies, of teachers' early writing knowledge and the inconsistent language used to describe writing development used in the field, both of which have implications for research and practice. Implications for the field, including the potential use of the EWKA to better understand the workforce and for use in professional learning are further discussed.

“Walking with Dreams”: The Categories of Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy and Its Influence on Learning Engagement of Senior High School Students

Career decision-making self-efficacy is a key factor influencing high school students’ ability to make informed choices. It is closely associated with their professional interests, learning engagement, and academic performance. This study aims to explore the latent categories of career decision-making self-efficacy among Chinese high school students and analyze the differences in learning engagement across students with different types of career decision-making self-efficacy. A convenience sampling method was employed to recruit 510 Chinese high school students as participants. A questionnaire survey was conducted using the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale and the Learning Engagement Scale. The validity of the questionnaire was analyzed using Amos 23.0, descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed with SPSS 26.0, and a latent profile model was constructed using Mplus 8.0. The results indicate that there are four latent categories of career decision-making self-efficacy among high school students. In terms of learning engagement levels, the categories are ranked from highest to lowest as follows: high career decision-making self-efficacy type, lack of external exploration type, lack of internal exploration type, and low career decision-making self-efficacy type. Students with high and low career decision-making self-efficacy demonstrated significantly higher levels of learning engagement compared to those categorized as lacking external or internal exploration. Therefore, the design of career education curricula for high school students should focus on enhancing career decision-making self-efficacy to stimulate their intrinsic motivation for learning. Differences among various student types should be acknowledged, allowing for tailored and individualized instruction. Additionally, efforts should be made to strengthen integrated career guidance that links academics, career interests, and future professions, guiding all stakeholders to shift away from entrenched practices of “exam-oriented education” and utilitarian perspectives.

Digital era learner-centered leadership and teachers’ efficacy: the mediating role of teachers’ professional learning

PurposeThis research aimed to investigate how learning-centered leadership influences teachers’ self-efficacy, with a focus on the mediating role of teachers’ professional learning in Malaysian national secondary schools. Given the continuously evolving educational environment and the integration of technology, teachers’ self-efficacy is of utmost importance.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this study were collected from a sample of 430 secondary school teachers in Malaysia, and the analysis was conducted using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe research revealed significant relationships between variables: learning-centered leadership positively related to teachers’ professional learning, which, in turn, positively influences teachers’ self-efficacy. Interestingly, the study found that the direct relationship between learning-centered leadership and teachers’ self-efficacy was not significant. These findings highlight the crucial mediating role of teachers’ professional learning in the relationship between learning-centered leadership and teachers’ self-efficacy.Originality/valueThese findings provide important insights into the factors that enhance teachers’ self-efficacy and competence, especially within the dynamic environment of schools.

Analisis Kinerja Guru Penggerak di SD Negeri 149 Palembang

This research discusses the role of teacher leader in improving the quality of education and student learning outcomes. This research uses a qualitative method where this method uses interview techniques, observation and document analysis. This data collection uses a population of all teachers significantly contributes to the implementation of innovative teaching practices, the development of student potential and the formation of collaborative professional learning communities. Apart from that this research analyses the importance of teacher leader in increasing student involvement and create a safe and comfortable learning environment. This research has identified several challenges that will be faced including limited resources, time, the need for continuous training to improve competency. This is recommended so that schools can provide ongoing support and opportunities for professional development for teacher leader. Overall, the performance of teacher leader at SD Negeri 149 Palembang can play a crucial role, so that the school’s educational goals can be achieved which can provide benefits to the student’s learning experience.

School leaders’ innovation-related self-efficacy: professional development and learning networks make a difference

ABSTRACT Many studies point to the relevance of school leaders’ self-efficacy for the successful organisation and management of schools. However, to date, there are only a few findings on which factors have a positive influence on this characteristic. This study therefore examines the extent to which the use of formal and informal learning opportunities, in addition to the antecedents mentioned by Bandura (mastery experience, vicarious experience, social persuasion, physiological and emotional states), have a direct positive effect on school leaders’ innovation-related self-efficacy, as well as an indirect effect on self-efficacy mediated by mastery experience. Analyses of a survey with a representative sample of N = 405 school leaders in Germany using structural equation models confirmed the effect of mastery experience (i.e. perceived achievement), vicarious experience (i.e. encouragement from a team), and emotional states (i.e. exhaustion) on school leaders’ self-efficacy. Regarding professional development, the analyses revealed a direct positive effect of participation in university training and professional learning networks, which were not mediated by mastery experience. Our results demonstrate the value of leadership preparation programmes that enable the participants to explore different work-related tasks and promote feelings of mastery, as well as the importance of team coherency and potential value of distributed work.

Exploring pre-service teachers’ reflection mediated by an AI-powered teacher dashboard in video-based professional learning: a pilot study

Exploring pre-service teachers’ reflection mediated by an AI-powered teacher dashboard in video-based professional learning: a pilot study

Systematic Review on the Impact of Instructional Leadership on Implementing Teachers' Continuous Professional Development Program in Tanzania: A Case Study of Primary Schools in Mkuranga District

This study investigates the role of instructional leadership in implementing and succeeding Teachers' Continuous Professional Development (TCPD) programs in primary schools within Tanzania's Mkuranga District. Through a systematic literature review, the research underscores the critical importance of instructional leadership in shaping educational quality and student outcomes. The data was collected systematically from databases such as Scopus, Google Scholar, Research Gate, and PubMed were selected due to their extensive collections of peer-reviewed journals, articles, and conference papers. This review synthesizes findings from 18 selected articles published between 2010 and 2024, focusing on administrators' and teachers' perceptions of instructional leadership, its influence on TCPD program implementation, challenges faced by administrators, and strategies for improving instructional leadership in primary schools. The review reveals that effective instructional leaders articulate a clear vision for educational improvement, align professional development with school goals, and foster a culture of collaboration and continuous learning. Despite the recognized benefits, challenges such as inadequate funding, resistance to change, and administrative turnover hinder TCPD implementation. The study offers strategic recommendations, including targeted training for leaders, professional learning communities, resource allocation, monitoring and evaluation, and community engagement, to enhance instructional leadership and TCPD effectiveness