Mandatory Professional Development Research Articles

Key Elements of Effective Mandatory Professional Development Programs

Mandatory professional development (PD) programs are prevalent in the system despite research evidence of its weakness in changing teachers’ actual classroom practices. There is no coherent understanding of what makes mandatory PD programs effective. We accessed 23 articles from three databases using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis to develop a knowledge base of mandatory PD. We explored how mandatory PD programs have been researched and conceptualised, emphasising what key elements support teachers’ implementation of their acquired knowledge and skills. We developed a framework for designing a mandatory PD program with integrated system-level and school-level extended programs to ensure its effectiveness. Our findings expand Desimone’s elements of effective PD to include school-extended elements such as opportunity and autonomy to implement, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and support and resources for teachers. The framework has implications for articulating policy, improving mandatory PD practices, and theoretical understanding of effective mandatory PD programs.

Психологическая безопасность педагога в условиях цифровой трансформации науки и образования

The article considers the issues of psychological safety of a teacher in the conditions of digital transformation of science and education. In the educational environment, the psychological security of a teacher's personality can be considered as a state of psychological social security, which ensures her professional and personal integrity as a subject of professional and pedagogical activity with the possibility of development and disclosure of resources in terms of information interaction with the social environment. The existing external circumstances caused by the digitalization of education can act as factors for reducing the psychological safety and professional confidence of a teacher in such positions as: the need to transfer, due to the requirements of information reality, previously acquired knowledge, skills, first of all, the skills of pedagogical work from a pre–digital environment to a digital one; mastering previously unused methods of conducting professional pedagogical activity; the experience of a teacher as a subject of work of new conditions of professional and pedagogical activity associated with the search for new meanings in work. The reduced level of psychological safety of teachers, due to the need to use digital technologies in professional and pedagogical activities, may be associated psychoemotionally with the presence in their own minds of some deterministic pedagogical fears: fear of information incompetence, fear of professional uselessness, fear of pedagogical failure. Difficulties of professional adaptation and psychological safety of teachers can be solved by mandatory professional development in such areas as possession of information and communication technologies, management of the adaptation process of students in the electronic information and educational environment of an educational organization, management and control of independent work of students in the information environment, etc. The use of digital educational practices and traditional models of pedagogical work mutually enrich the professional activity of a teacher and increase the psychological safety of the educational environment as a whole. The potential of psychological safety of a teacher can be considered as a key, systemic characteristic of a teacher's personality, ensuring the success and productivity of his activities, the actualization of his professional and personal resources for building a psychologically safe educational environment for education participants.

Evaluation of a Mandatory Professional Development on Supporting Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender-Nonconforming Students in Chicago Public Schools.

To address the reality that LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and others) students remain more likely to experience harm, harassment, and violence at school as well as miss school due to feeling unsafe and the fact that students identifying as transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming (TNBGNC) are at even greater risk of bullying, harassment, and significant mental health concerns, Chicago Public Schools' (CPS) Office of Student Health and Wellness (OSHW) created a novel professional development (PD) requirement in 2019, entitled "Supporting Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Students." The PD, a recorded webinar encouraging independent time for reflection and planning, takes an intersectional approach and is required of all CPS staff members across the entire district. A pre- and postevaluation of the PD, guided by the Kirkpatrick model, was completed by 19,503 staff members. The findings from this evaluation show that staff members significantly increased their knowledge, showed statistically significant gain in self-reported skills, and articulated key actions they could take toward sustaining an environment that fosters skill implementation and culture change more broadly. Findings reveal that a culture that supports staff members in learning from their mistakes can help to encourage staff members to employ gender-inclusive behaviors such as asking individuals for their pronouns and using gender-neutral pronouns. This districtwide mandatory PD approach shows value in influencing staff members' thinking and behaviors known to be supportive of TNBGNC students and may serve as a model for other school districts looking to build capacity to support TNBGNC students.

The critical role of sources of efficacy information in a mandatory teacher professional development program: Evidence from Indonesia’s underprivileged region

The use of mandatory professional development (PD) in developing countries is widely criticised due to its limited impact on improving teacher practices. We investigated the relationships between teachers’ perception of mandatory PD and their self-efficacy beliefs with the mediating effect of sources of efficacy information. Structural equation modelling of survey data from 356 primary school teachers revealed that teachers’ perception of mandatory PD does not predict their self-efficacy beliefs. However, when mediated by the sources of their efficacy information, their perception positively predicts their self-efficacy beliefs. These results have extended our understanding of how mandatory PD can effectively influence teacher practices.

Development of transport service to the population in the social and economic spheres of the state

Public transport services are regulated at the level of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation by legal documents that do not address all issues, which creates difficulties in delegating powers to local governments, including: 1. Solving the issues of restructuring the route network of urban passenger transport, taking into account the needs of the population. 2. Determination of the tariff policy for passenger transportation. 3. Organization and conduct of competitive selection of carriers to prevent unauthorized passenger transportation. When analyzing the existing problems in the field of passenger transportation, it is necessary to highlight: 1. A high level of road accidents in road transport, including those involving passenger vehicles. 2. Systematic non-compliance by carriers, individual entrepreneurs, with the requirements for conducting medical pre-trip and post-trip examinations of drivers carrying passengers. 3. Violation of work and rest regimes of drivers engaged in passenger transportation. 4. Violation of the norms of technical operation of vehicles. 5. The absence of legal norms that enshrine the mandatory professional development of drivers in specialized state educational institutions. 6. Violation of license requirements by drivers.

Characteristics of the working conditions of teachers in distance learning in the aspect of the development of emotional burnout

Researchers surveyed secondary school teachers characterizing the signs of emotional burnout during the educational process in a distance format. We considered preventive measures. The study aims to research the possible development of emotional burnout among teachers in the conditions of distance learning. We conducted a study with the participation of 72 teachers to identify signs of emotional burnout using the V.V. Boyko questionnaire and conducted statistical data processing using Statistica 13.0. The average age of teachers was 47.1 years; the majority were women. In addition, 70,0% of Teachers noted that they have chronic diseases. Based on the results obtained, we concluded that school teachers' lack of work experience in the conditions of distance learning and online classes was a traumatic circumstance for almost half of the teachers, which could serve as a triggering mechanism for the stages of development emotional burnout. Subjectively, teachers associated the formation of symptoms of emotional burnout and health disorders with two-thirds of all cases with working conditions, its intensity, and difficulties with maintaining a healthy lifestyle in self-isolation. The revealed indicators of the phases of the development of emotional burnout allow us to judge that 45.9% of teachers have a formed/dominant symptom of "experiencing traumatic circumstances" registered in the "tension" phase. 31.2% of teachers have a symptom of "anxiety and depression". There are high rates of symptoms of "inadequate selective emotional response" - 54.1% in the "resistance" phase, "emotional and moral disorientation" - 32.8%, "expansion of the sphere of saving emotions" - 31.1% and "reduction of professional responsibilities" - 50.8%. In the "exhaustion" phase, the symptom "psychosomatic and psychovegetative disorders" has a dominant value in 22.9% of teachers. Factors that, according to teachers, contribute to the formation of emotional burnout are: the intensity of work in the conditions of distance learning (61.1%); violation of lifestyle components (36.1%); lack of access to a doctor (29.2%). To prevent the formation of emotional burnout syndrome in the conditions of distance learning: it is necessary to observe for teachers the work and rest regime in compliance with the working time regulations within the framework of official duties and an employment contract, compliance with the rules of a healthy lifestyle, high-quality medical care, and mandatory professional development on online training.

Pharmacists\u2019 knowledge, attitude and involvement in palliative care in selected tertiary hospitals in southwestern Nigeria

BackgroundThe growing number of people living with life-limiting illness is a global health concern. This study therefore aimed to explore the involvement of pharmacists in selected tertiary hospitals in Nigeria in palliative care (PC). It also sought to evaluate their knowledge and attitude to PC as well as factors that hinder pharmacists’ participation in PC.MethodQuestionnaire-guided survey among pharmacists working in three-tertiary hospitals in southwestern Nigeria. The self-administered questionnaire comprised 18-item general knowledge questions related to PC, attitude statements with 5-point Likert-scale options and question-items that clarify extent of involvement in PC and barriers to participation. Overall score by pharmacists in the knowledge and attitude domains developed for the purpose of this study was assigned into binary categories of “adequate” and “inadequate” knowledge (score > 75% versus≤75%), as well as “positive” and “negative” attitude (ranked score > 75% versus≤75%), respectively. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney-U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for analysis at p < 0.05.ResultsAll the 110 pharmacists enrolled responded to the questionnaire, given a response rate of 100%. Overall, our study showed that 23(21.1%) had adequate general knowledge in PC, while 14(12.8%) demonstrated positive attitude, with 45(41.3%) who enjoyed working in PC. Counselling on therapy adherence (100;90.9%) was the most frequently engaged activity by pharmacists; attending clinical meetings to advise health team members (45;40.9%) and giving educational sessions (47;42.7%) were largely cited as occasionally performed duties, while patient home visit was mostly cited (60;54.5%) as a duty not done at all. Pharmacists’ unawareness of their need in PC (86;79.6%) was a major factor hindering participation, while pharmacists with PC training significantly felt more relaxed around people receiving PC compared to those without training (p = 0.003).ConclusionHospital pharmacists in selected tertiary care institutions demonstrate inadequate knowledge, as well as negative attitude towards PC. Also, extent of involvement in core PC service is generally low, with pharmacists’ unawareness of their need in PC constituting a major barrier. Thus, a need for inclusion of PC concept into pharmacy education curriculum, while mandatory professional development programme for pharmacists should also incorporate aspects detailing fundamental principles of PC, in order to bridge the knowledge and practice gaps.

Using observational simulation teaching methods in professional development to address patient safety

BackgroundFramed within the National Quality Health Service Standards and using immersive simulation approaches, a series of videos responding to accreditation audit findings were created and used as teaching artefacts for mandatory professional development at a regional hospital in Australia. The scenarios captured a patient's hospital journey and targeted quality standards for medication administration, infection control, patient identification, documentation and preventing falls. AimTo improve patient safety and quality health outcomes. MethodsMixed methods comprising of quality audit data, surveys and interviews were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the simulation video artefacts and to measure the impact of the professional development initiative using simulation artefacts on patient outcomes. FindingsFindings showed high levels of satisfaction with the new education programme, improved understanding of documentation, improved risk management and a significant reduction in the incidence of falls with injury (73%), medication incidents (34%), and infection (61%). ConclusionThis project promoted a culture of safety and learning and demonstrated that using simulation videos in mandatory professional development can positively impact safety and health outcomes.

English

Continuing professional development (CPD) is a key aspect of any profession and fundamental to the development of a nation. The Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Program (MCPDP) as it is known in the nursing profession in Nigeria is aimed at sustaining capabilities and introducing new skills for modern day practice needs. It also offers the prospect for nurses to improve and broaden their knowledge, expertise and develop the personal and professional qualities. This study analysed the experiences of nurses, both participants and facilitators of MCPDP during the 34th session of the MCPDP in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. A sequential explanatory mixed method design was adopted for the study. All the eighty nurses in attendance participated in the study. A self-developed semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the quantitative data. Qualitatively, eight participants and two facilitators were selected for in-depth interviews. The findings revealed that 18.9% of the respondents attended the MCPDP for license renewal, 18.9% attended to update their knowledge on current practices, while 59.5% attended for both purposes. The challenges in attending MCPDP were lack of time 24.6%, lack of relief staff 23.3%, and high cost of MCPDP registration 20.9%. Organizational challenges included lack of finance due to low turnout of participants. Majority of the participants expressed willingness to participate in MCPDP in the future, while the few retired ones expressed having no need for MCPDP afterwards. The study disclosed that the existing approach for the program may require some form of adjustment so as to meet participants&#39; and facilitators&#39; needs. It was therefore recommended that the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria should review the program structure and organisation.&nbsp;&nbsp; Key words: Mandatory professional development program, nurses, experiences. &nbsp

Fizičko vaspitanje u Republici Srbiji

Physical education, as an integral part of compulsory education, plays a significant role in promoting and improving the physical activity of children and youth. Having regard to the changes occurred in some segments of physical education, during the period of the full state sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia, the analysis included the following: legal framework and adopted documents, PE curriculum and program, physical education teaching conditions, educational standards, teaching staff, physical education exemptions and research in the field of physical education. The importance of physical education, which has been recognized in the legal framework, by the recommendations contained in the adopted regulations and measures, has not been implemented or practically applied. In this sense, an increased number of PE classes and uniform conditions for physical education teaching at the state level, i.e. throughout the country, should be set as a priority. The emphasis which has moved away from the curriculum and learning content towards the learning process and its outcomes, introduction of the mandatory monitoring, evaluating and recording of pupils' physical abilities and allowing pupils to be exempted only from a practical part of the PE course with an obligation to attend PE classes represent significant novelties within the subject bearing a new name (Physical and Health Education). It is necessary to assess the achievement level of educational standards, i.e. to examine the extent to which pupils have acquired knowledge and skills and developed their motor abilities upon completion of their compulsory education. Mandatory professional development of PE teachers aimed at acquiring new competences and strengthening the existing ones is important for the improvement of educational work. The research results have indicated that it is necessary to continuously monitor the prevalence of obesity and level of physical activity and motor abilities in pupils at the national level, as well as to promote healthy eating habits and encourage children to engage in physical activity and exercise.

Teachers’ response to a new mandatory professional development process: does it make a difference?

A Performance and Development Framework has been introduced by the New South Wales Department of Education, the largest provider of schooling in Australia, during a period of unparalleled reform. Engagement with the Framework is mandatory for all the Department’s teachers, and is linked to improving student outcomes through enhanced teacher professional practice. As an initial study of the efficacy of the Performance and Development Framework, this article reports a study of teachers’ understandings of professional learning arising from the first year of the Framework’s implementation. Five teaching staff from one school were interviewed three times during the school year to elicit insights into their professional development during experience of the new system. Three themes emerged: (1) longer serving teachers and less experienced, early-career teachers view the professional learning differently; (2) all the teachers considered the Performance and Development Framework to be a positive development; (3) although there was an uptake of reflective practice, understanding of critical reflection as linked to professional learning was limited. The study concludes that this mandatory professional development process was generally successful in this context, while there is scope for further enhancement, specifically in relation to guiding content and reflective practice.

Frameworks Shaping an Online Professional Development Program for K–12 Teachers of ELLs: Toward Supporting the Sharing of Ideas for Empowering Classroom Teachers Online

In efforts to maintain America's global competitiveness in the knowledge‐based economy, teacher professional development has moved to center stage. With increasing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools, several states have adopted mandatory professional development for classroom teachers to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to shape these students' future capacity to contribute to the well‐being of the country. This article starts by addressing the question of whether using online delivery for teachers' professional development is a more viable option than using school‐ or site‐based programs. It then describes the frameworks that guided the design and organizational structures of an online teacher development program for K–12 teachers of ELLs. Insights shared in this article might serve as guidelines for framing the implementation of similar programs that aim to create empowered teachers who know how to work with ELLs.

POLICY ON FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN INDONESIA

To understand the state of the art of TEFL at elementary and junior secondary schools, a survey was administered to two groups of EFL teacher respondents, namely 88 elementary teachers in Jakarta and 200 junior secondary teachers who live in Jakarta and West Java, and Banten provinces. They teach at either private schools (50.8%) or public schools (49.2%), and 89.0 % of them have worked for more than fi ve years. They are either public (47.4%) or private teachers (52.6%), and most of them are female teachers (69.8%). The junior secondary teachers were participants of the nine-day Teacher Certifi cation Program in September 2011, a mandatory professional development scheme to qualify them as a professional teacher. The primary school teachers are graduates of or are attending PGSD, i.e., four year elementary school teacher education. The survey fi ndings are not generalizable to the whole country, but they present a relatively comprehensive picture of EFL teaching in the basic education units, i.e., elementary and secondary schools. Keywords: Teaching English as Foreign Language (TEFL), Teacher Certifi cation Program, professional development, teacher education

Advance care planning in the oncology settings

Self-determination and patient choice of end-of-life care are emphasised in palliative care. Advance care planning (ACP) is an approach to enabling patients' choices. The use of ACP has not been extensively studied in our current context. Little is known about oncology care nurses' views and the barriers they face in the implementation of ACP. The aims of this study were to assess the uptake of ACP by health professionals and explore nurses' perceived barriers for implementing ACP. This study employed a pre- and post-implementation audit design using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System (PACES) and Getting Research into Practice (GRIP) programs. An education programme on ACP was provided between pre-and post-implementation audits. Nurses and medical professionals (pre-audit, n = 32; post-audit, n = 30) working in oncology departments were invited to complete a questionnaire based on the audit criteria. A convenience sample of 25 nurses participated in the focus group interview. Interview data were analysed by content analysis. The post-audit results were lower than the pre-audit results with a range of decreased compliance from 1% for criterion 5 to 14% for criterion 6. Lack of time to implement ACP was the most frequently raised barrier by oncology nurses. The study findings were disappointing, but this first audit is significant to provide insights for future dissemination and implementation of ACP interventions. An ongoing mandatory professional development programme in ACP for healthcare staff is promising to promote the uptake of ACP in healthcare settings.

E-portfolios support continuing professional development for librarians

The current professional requirements within the Australian health context for evidential mandatory professional development provided the impetus for a small health library to implement an e-portfolio platform for library staff. The primary objective of the project – to provide staff with a tool to record, store evidence of, and reflect on continuing professional development activities – has been achieved. The most challenging aspect of the project was the requirement for staff to engage in reflective practice. The e-portfolio will also be used for the performance review process with the aim of more closely aligning individual professional and career development with the library's goals and the strategic direction of the parent organisation. While the context of this project was a health library, the findings and implications for practice are applicable to the wider library profession.

Factors that Precipitate and Mitigate Crises in Ministry

Using a modified Delphi technique, this study reports mixed-method data for factors identified as leading to crises in ministry. Data were collected from a random stratified sample of Uniting Church clergy based in southern Australia. Three phases (Phase 1 N = 85, Phase 2 N = 95, Phase 3 N = 75) identified precipitants to crises in ministry and strategies to mitigate these crises. Strategies included a need for ongoing mandatory professional development, professional supervision, peer support, and formal ethics training. Results are discussed in the light of job demands, job control and job support, and the self-determination needs of competence, relatedness, and autonomy.

Broadening PhD curricula

To provide formal education and training required for PhDs to perform their complex, multidisciplinary job functions, traditional PhD curricula should be restructured to include mandatory professional development course work.

The implications of mandatory professional development in Australia

In July 2010, a major shift occurred in Australia's nursing and midwifery community, with the nationalizing of education and registration. With this shift came mandatory continuing professional development (CPD), coming into line with current practices in the UK. This has raised issues relating to finance, motivation and the potential dichotomy of interests relating to employee and employer. CPD has many benefits for both parties, but due to financial and organizational pressures it may prove difficult to please both sides. It is vital that a way forward is found that enables nurses and midwives to update their skills, in ever-changing areas of practice, whilst also satisfying the needs of the organization. Practitioners need to become more adept at identifying and utilizing educational opportunities in all their forms.

Empirically Validated Treatments and AACBT

Recently, the American Psychological Association (APA; 1993) Division of Clinical Psychologists (Division 12) established a task force to define empirically validated treatment and make recommendations in relation to methods for educating mental health professionals, third-party payors, and the public about effective psychotherapies. Predictably, the task force report has a somewhat controversial status but continues to be an influential blueprint for the improvement of clinical psychology in various countries including Australia. The role of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AACBT) is highlighted in relation to accreditation and mandatory professional development (Australian Psychological Society).

Professional Development in Iowa: 1979 Surveys

Surveys conducted in Iowa in 1979 reveal that three-fourths of the licensed civil engineers and 90% of the land surveyors will meet the mandatory Professional Development requirements and maintain their licenses to practice. The individuals most likely to drop their licenses or convert them to an inactive status are those who are not residents of Iowa and those who are retired. Most of the civil engineers oppose mandatory requirements for Professional Development; the majority of land surveyors favor such requirements. Some confusion exists among registrants in interpreting the rules adopted. The cost of complying with the rules is a matter of significant concern. The land surveyor group is seriously deficient in the level of attainment of post-secondary education. Annual salaries range from about –24,000 for the land surveyor group to –31,500 for the civil engineer group. Registrants who are society members receive higher annual salaries than those who are not.