Professional Development Policy Research Articles

Initial Development and Validation of a Questionnaire for Students’ Artificial Intelligence Knowledge in Education

This research investigates students' knowledge in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education through the administration of a formulated questionnaire. Drawing upon insights from thematic analysis of qualitative responses and computation of Cronbach's alpha coefficients, the study aims to produce a tool to assess tertiary level students' understanding regarding AI integration in academic settings. Results reveal varying degrees of awareness, knowledge, and confidence among students, highlighting thematic areas such as perceived benefits, ethical considerations, and disciplinary perspectives. While the questionnaire demonstrates validity, reliability, and scalability as a measurement tool, limitations including response bias and generalizability are acknowledged. Implications for educational practice and research are discussed, emphasizing the utility of the questionnaire in informing curriculum development, professional development initiatives, policy decisions, and future research directions. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into students' perspectives on AI in education, offering a foundation for enhancing AI literacy, fostering ethical awareness, and shaping the future of AI integration in educational settings.

Leveraging diversity through purposeful flexibility: towards a redefinition of the international classroom

ABSTRACT To date, participation in an international classroom has been positioned as a means to prepare most Dutch higher education students to live and work in a globalised world. Nevertheless, it is not clear how the international classroom is defined and how lecturers should be equipped to deliver on its potential for Internationalisation at Home, especially within culturally diverse, practice-oriented universities of applied sciences. Through a Delphi study engaging 28 expert lecturers and policy makers from five Dutch universities of applied sciences, this study offers a new definition of the international classroom, framing it as an approach that centralises diversity across the classroom as an asset in the design and facilitation of education. Drawing on the panel’s collective experience, it proposes eight competences that lecturers need to implement this approach, providing a framework to rethink professional development, curriculum innovation and human resource policies within and beyond Dutch universities of applied sciences.

Evolution of Professional Standards: Reflecting on the Past to Inform the Future

Clearly defined professional standards result in better prepared professionals who positively impact outcomes for children and families by ensuring an effective workforce. This article describes the evolution of early intervention early/childhood special education preparation standards from the on-the-job competencies of the 1960s to the historic 2020 Initial Practice-Based Professional Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators (EI/ECSE Standards), in concert with the evolution of the profession itself. Influencing factors include (a) changes in federal legislation and policy, (b) ages and characteristics of children served, (c) growing knowledge of effective practices, (d) collaboration with other disciplines, and (e) ongoing advocacy for EI/ECSE as a profession. The article concludes with a vision for using these EI/ECSE Standards to guide the future local, state, and national agenda of the profession around preservice preparation and accreditation, professional development, state and federal policy, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and standards-informed research.

Investigating Professional Development Policy and Practice for Educational Policy-Makers in Vietnam: An Exploratory Study

There has been a large number of studies concerning professional development at the micro level. However, little research has been particularly conducted to investigate professional development at the macro level. This study aims to explore professional development policy and practice in a Vietnamese government department. Using a qualitative with two focus group discussions including 11 participants and semi-structured interviews with 14 people, the study investigates professional development for state policy-makers in testing and quality assurance in Vietnam. Results show that these government officials themselves actively looked for professional development programmes together with receiving support from their organisational leaders. The research findings also reveal that top-down and bottom-up professional development mechanisms are being implemented. However, professional development policy has not been documented in this government agency. It is suggested that professional development policy aligned with best practices should be discussed, developed and evaluated by agency members and soon approved by the agency’s leader.

The Quality of Primary School Teachers’ Professional Development Policy Implementation: Conceptualization of Targets, Contents, Methods, Process and Contexts in Oromia, Ethiopia

The Quality of Primary School Teachers’ Professional Development Policy Implementation: Conceptualization of Targets, Contents, Methods, Process and Contexts in Oromia, Ethiopia

Relevance and effectiveness of primary school teachers’ professional development policy and practices in Oromia regional state, Ethiopia

The study evaluated the relevance and effectiveness of primary school teachers’ professional development policy and practices in Oromia Regional State. The researcher used a mixed method with concurrent triangulation design. The researcher selected a total of 618 samples of the study using different sampling techniques such as purposive, convenience, stratified, and simple random sampling techniques. The data were collected from primary sources of data such as teachers, mentors, principals, supervisors, coordinating committees, and parents using questionnaires, interview, focus group discussion, document examination, and observation. The researcher analyzed the data using mean, standard deviation, one-way ANOVA and post-hoc test, and thematic narration. The findings of study showed that teachers’ professional development practices were powerless to update professional competencies and improve professional and innovative pedagogical practices in classrooms. Primary school teachers were not learning proficiently from continuous professional development practices to ensure basic and specific professional competencies required in classrooms. The implementations of reflective activities such as action researches, classroom observation, differentiated learning, collaborative learning, microteaching, and lesson studies couldn’t contribute to practical changes. The study forecasts the requirement of context specific policy framework and practical toolkit for newly deployed and experienced teachers rather than focusing on the generic policy document.

Comparison of Lecturers’ Competency in Maldives Higher Education Institutes

Researchers in the past have found that instructors’ levels of competence have an important effect on their ability to teach. This research aims to determine if there is a quality gap in Maldives’ higher education institutions between public and private institutions and between full-time and part-time lecturers. An online structured questionnaire was used to conduct a cross-sectional survey as part of the quantitative research strategy. Lecturers from both public and private universities took part in this investigation. The Mann-Whitney U test found a statistically significant difference between public (M=67.52) and private (M=48.07) institution lecturers in terms of competency; U=829.50, p=0.021. However, lecturers’ competency mean rank scores of full-time lecturers (M=64.82) and part-time lecturers (M=59.34) indicate the difference of mean scores of lecturers’ competency was not statistically significant, U=937.50, p=0.55. It is likely better recruitment and in-service professional development policies at public institutes are established at the institutional level, thereby improving lecturers’ competency compared to private institutes.

Indifferent, skeptical, ambivalent, moderate, and enthusiastic: What impacts profiles of teachers' technology views

Teachers' views about information and communication technology are a key affordance or barrier to classroom technology adoption and use. However, in determining factors that impact these views, much research has relied on variable-centered approaches that bifurcated teachers' views into mere positive or negative groups. Such approaches oversimplify key information that could serve educational authorities attempting to address low technology integration in schools. Therefore, this large-scale study employed a latent profile analysis with multilevel logistic regression analysis that aimed to (1) identify profiles of teachers' views of information and communication technologies for teaching and learning and (2) explore effects from teacher- and school-level variables on these profiles. Utilizing nationally generalizable data from 2079 full-time eighth-grade teachers from 150 different schools across South Korea from the International Computer and Information literacy study 2018, the analysis revealed five profiles of teachers' views: Indifferent, Skeptical, Ambivalent, Moderate, and Enthusiastic, with Moderate being the largest, and Highly Ambivalent and Indifferent the smallest. The findings from multilevel logistic regression analysis indicated numerous effects from teacher- and school-level antecedents and processes that matched each profile, highlighting school leaders’ ICT views. Notably, there were no effects from regional differences. Implications for leaders and policymakers are discussed in the context of professional development and reform policies.

Learning difficulties in school children: health and education professionals' perceptions.

to understand health and education professionals' perceptions regarding children's learning difficulties in public schools. qualitative research, of the participatory action type, linked to Paulo Freire's Research Itinerary. Forty-five professionals participated, through interviews and a Virtual Culture Circle. The analysis was developed through careful reading, reflection and interpretation of highlighted topics. professionals discussed the (in)visibility of learning difficulties, strategies and resources in the educational sector and the search for solutions in the health sector. It was found that the production of complaints related to school learning is attributed predominantly as an individual problem of children or their family, exempting the educational institution from this process. greater investment in professional training and development policies is urgently needed to facilitate coordination between sectors, with a view to overcoming outdated pedagogical and health models.

РЕТРОСПЕКТИВА И ПЕРСПЕКТИВА: ИСТОРИЯ МОДЕЛИ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО РАЗВИТИЯ КИТАЙСКИХ УЧИТЕЛЕЙ

The teacher professional development model is an important part of teacher education and the key aspect in developing teacher’s individual style, consolidating their professional knowledge, and improving their teaching methods. In retrospect to value connotations, the article explores the evolutionary characteristics of the macro design from governmentled to multi-subject collaboration, the development of teacher groups from scattered groups to integration, and the development of individual teachers from passive to active professionals. As for the prospective view, the authors claim the need to deepen the reform of the teacher professional development model by innovations from the governmental macro-regulation of teacher professional development policies, strengthening the integration concept of teacher professional development model, and integrating the elements of the teacher professional development model, as well as improving teachers’ knowledge, teaching techniques, and reflection on teaching

Adult learning theory tenets: A panacea to ICT skills gaps among educators in South Africa

The integration of information communication technology (ICT) in education is vital for achieving educational objectives, and South Africa has undertaken diverse efforts and initiatives to promote this integration in schools. Despite policy support and financial backing, there persists a gap in educators' ICT skills uptake. This paper adopted conceptual analysis to make sense of the principles of adult learning theory (ALT) as a veritable tool for improving ICT skills uptake among educators. The paper outlines the Department of Basic Education's efforts in promoting ICT integration in schools and discusses the associated challenges. Overall, the article advances ALT tenets in planning and implementing ICT-focused, school-based teacher professional development (SBTPD) in schools. These tenets include the need-to-know principle, self-concept or self-directedness principle, learners' experiences principle, readiness-to-learn principle, orientation-to-learning principles, and intrinsic-motivation principle as effective correlates of ICT-oriented SBTPD training. Based on the explication, the paper recommends reforming existing teacher professional development policies, promoting a decentralised approach to ICT training, and conducting comprehensive ICT needs assessments to design effective ICT-oriented needs-based SBTPD training.

TEACHERS AS FACILITATORS

This study examines the essential role of educators as facilitators of personalized learning environments in moroccan schools. As education systems around the world increasingly recognize the importance of personalized learning to meet the various needs of students, understanding the specific role of teachers is becoming paramount. This research examines the practices, challenges and potential opportunities faced by educators in implementing personalized learning approaches in moroccan classrooms. The study uses a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Qualitative data is obtained through in-depth interviews with teachers exploring their views on personalized learning and the associated roles and responsibilities of educators. In addition, a survey questionnaire is distributed to teachers to collect quantitative data, which allows a broader understanding of the prevalence and effectiveness of personalized learning practices in different school contexts. The data collected will be analyzed using thematic analysis and statistical techniques to identify emerging themes, models and correlations. The results of this study will contribute to all existing knowledge on personalized learning and highlight the specific challenges and opportunities faced by educators in moroccan schools. By exploring the role of teachers as facilitators in personalized learning environments, this research will inform education decision-makers, administrators and teachers themselves on effective strategies to promote personalized learning approaches in moroccan classrooms. The expected implications of this research include the identification of best practices and strategies to integrate personalized learning into the moroccan education system. The results of the study could lead to the development of teacher training programs, professional development initiatives and policy recommendations that meet the needs of educators and students in personalized learning environments. Finally, this research aims to support the improvement of educational practices in moroccan schools, by promoting a student-centered approach that promotes personalized learning experiences.

Understanding teacher identity in teachers' professional lives: A systematic review of the literature

AbstractThis article presents a systematic review of a substantial body of literature that considers the ways in which the concept of teacher identity has been used to understand and explore teachers' professional lives. The aim of the review was to go beyond the limitations of specific areas of teachers' practice to explore the broad and rich field of teachers' professional lives. Drawing on 412 articles from 2000–2021, the review demonstrates the growth in teacher identity research, particularly since 2010. Results from the review are categorised into seven thematic groups that span key areas related to teachers' professional lives: (1) Models and frameworks of professional lives; (2) Narratives of professional lives; (3) Becoming a teacher; (4) Contexts; (5) Communities; (6) Change, transition and conflict; and (7) Subject specialisms. The review reveals gaps in teacher identity research, such as: few research studies from Global South countries; a limited number of studies focusing on non‐core curriculum subjects, including arts, history, geography and physical education; fewer studies focusing on primary school and early years teacher identities; and a divide between identity scholarship and research, and policy and practice. The article concludes with a call for teacher identity research to be expanded and broadened with the aim to facilitate the progress of identity work in scholarship, policy and practice. Context and implicationsRationale for this studyIn the context of a growing body of research on teacher identity, particularly in the last decade, there remains a paucity of identity‐focused systematic reviews. Existing systematic reviews tend to focus on specific fields such as subject specialisms, teacher education and beginning teachers. However, far fewer reviews span the broader field of teachers' professional lives; this article responds to this gap in the literature.Why the new findings matterThe findings from this review are important in highlighting the most commonly explored areas in teacher identity research as it relates to teachers' professional lives. As such, the findings can inform policy and practice for teacher education and professional development at local, national and international scales. The findings also highlight gaps in the literature and the implications this may have on teacher identity scholarship.Implications for educational researchers and educatorsFirstly, educational researchers can identify key themes arising from existing teacher identity research studies. This can help them to focus on specific areas that would benefit from further research as well as providing them with a single space from which to draw on the existing corpus of research studies. Secondly, teacher identity research is important for the professional lives and practice of educators and this review provides educators with an opportunity to understand the teacher identity scholarly landscape and, in turn, apply findings from the research to their own professional practice.

Development and validation of the teachers’ augmented reality competences (TARC) scale

AbstractWhile augmented reality (AR) can offer many advantages in education, one reason for the difficulty of integrating it in instructional practices is the lack of teachers’ AR competences. Therefore, there is an increasing need to address the required competences needed by teachers to effectively integrate augmented reality (AR) in their teaching. This study develops and validates a comprehensive augmented reality competences scale for teachers. The suggested instrument encompasses skills related to the creation, use and management of augment reality resources for teaching. The scale was validated on a sample of 150 educators from 45 countries teaching in primary, secondary or tertiary levels. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated valid results in terms of model fit criteria, factor loadings, validity, and reliability. The final scale is composed of 11 items and 4 competence components. Teaching subject, general digital skills and previous AR class experience revealed significant differences across the scale components, while gender and age did not reveal any significant associations. Educators in higher education institutions self-reported higher competence level for designing, developing, and modifying AR resources compared to secondary and primary levels. The scale can be used by educators to self-assess their AR competences, teacher professional development institutions and policy makers to develop training programs in AR and software companies to develop AR experiences that can empower educators.

Assessment of Mathematics and Science Teachers’ Knowledge and Practice of Feed-back System in Junior High Schools in Hohoe, Ghana

Aim: Teachers' knowledge of feedback systems encompasses their understanding of the purpose and types of feedback, as well as their knowledge of how to design and implement effective feedback processes. The practice of feedback systems refers to the extent to which they implement feedback processes in the classroom. This includes the frequency and quality of feedback provided to students, as well as the use of feedback to guide instructional decisions. Assessing teachers' knowledge and practice of feedback systems in junior high schools is important because effective feedback practices are essential for promoting student learning and academic achievement. This study aimed to assess mathematics and science teachers' Knowledge and Practice of feedback systems in junior high schools in Hohoe, Ghana.
 Methods: A survey research design was used to collect data from 104 mathematics and science teachers using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data.
 Results: The results showed that the mean Knowledge score of mathematics and science teachers was 3.12, indicating a majority agreement level of knowledge of feedback system. The mean practice score was 2.12, indicating a majority disagreement level of practice of feedback system in the classroom. There was no significant difference in knowledge and practice scores between male and female teachers. However, an inverse correlation was found between knowledge and practice scores, indicating that teachers with higher knowledge of feedback systems may not necessarily be effective at implementing those systems in practice.
 Conclusion: It was observed that majority of the participants do not practice feedback in their teaching.
 Recommendations: There is need for professional development programs and policies that support effective feedback practices in the classroom. Further research is needed to identify the contextual factors that influence teachers' feedback practices and their understanding of feedback purposes in Ghana.

Digital transformation in foreign language education: Examining the position of the EFL teacher in ICT literacy diffusion

Digital transformation and ICT adoption in Japanese higher education has lagged behind other developed countries. Drawing on Diffusion of Innovation theory, this preliminary case study examines the role of English foreign language (EFL) teachers as opinion leaders in information communication technology (ICT) literacy diffusion in the Japanese university context. The preliminary findings indicate EFL teachers enhance ICT literacy in breadth and depth for both teachers and students. With these findings this study proposes a tentative conceptual model that adds to the current scholarship on ICT utilization in Japanese higher education by illuminating how teachers can support digital transformation to expand the breadth and depth of ICT literacy, and cross-cultural diffusion of technology. Policy and pedagogical implications for in-service teacher professional development are discussed.Keywords: EFL; opinion leaders; Japan; digital transformation; ICT literacy; higher educationPart of the Special Issue Teaching practices in times of digital transformation <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.ac86609b>

Understanding Professional Development Policies for Novice Lecturers: Perspectives from the University Management

Professional development policy is an initiative intended to up-skill novice lecturers, and in so doing improve university education. This qualitative case study was conducted to explore the understanding of university management on professional development policies. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and documents. The participants were twelve university management at two selected public universities in China including vice-chancellors, directors of the Academic Affairs Office, deputy deans, and administrators in the Academic Affairs Office. Data from documents supplied the data obtained from interviews. Then, using thematic analysis to identify the themes that emerged from the data obtained. The findings of this study indicated that the university management has a comprehensive and deep understanding of professional development policies. As policymakers, they are aware of what the policy contains, which includes the policy target group, policy goals, guiding principles, and fields covered in policies. The university management should take and enact their role of lecturer professional development seriously, and provide useful activities and programs for novice lecturers to help them.

Job satisfaction and professional development among teachers working under two parallel top-down reforms

ABSTRACT Following the increasing demand to improve educational systems, ‘top-down’ reforms were developed targeting teachers’ work conditions alongside new professional development policy. The current study aimed to examine the perceptions of teachers who are employed under two reforms in parallel, regarding their job satisfaction and professional development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 teachers who work simultaneously under the two reforms. Based on analysis technique that focuses on content, four themes related to teachers’ job satisfaction were identified: workload and multiple tasks; inherent satisfaction; the struggle between personal and professional identities; and ‘broken’ routine. In addition, three themes regarding professional development were found: forced and limited; unnatural and disconnected to the field; and workload as ruling out a profound process. Taking all the themes into consideration, three portraits of teachers were found: the praising, the flowing, and the embittered. Implications and meaning of the findings will be further discussed.

Evaluating the Outdoor Play &amp; Learning for Pre-schools Underneath the Covid -19 Restraints

This study is about out-door play under the covid-19 restrictions, using Go NAPSACC assessment for outdoor play. Self-Assessments help teachers in the preschools providers and compare their practices to best-practice standards based on the most current research. Go NAPSACC’s best-practice standards for preschool programs can help children up to age 5 develop healthy habits for eating, physical activity, and oral health. The Go NAPSACC self-assessment is the beginning toward change. The researcher distribute the questioner for 40 schools, 27 governmental schools plus 27 teachers, and 13 international schools plus 13 teachers. The assessment is divided into four categories: Outdoor Playtime Outdoor Play Environment Education &amp; Professional Development Policy To assess the schools environment under the Covid-19 restrictions, when the covid-19 hit the word. Qatar was effected as part of this world, the ministry of education and higher education stated and required the closure of the physical education classes and the outdoor play from 2020 to 2021 then came back at 2022. According to the new system, students must attend from one to three times a week to the school building, while maintaining an attendance rate of about 30% of the total number of students in the school per day, in order to attend some basic subject classes, conduct practical experiments in laboratories and take tests. (Gulf,2020) The teachers of the education practiced and experienced difficulties in distance education allowed teachers to develop subject competencies and improve their capability to use ICT in the school environment.( Rasa et al;2022) The research found that through the pandemic, the cognitive and motor development skills of children at age five suffered the most followed by their learning experiences. Stay-at-home measures also led to a harsh reduction in physical activity, which may explain the underdevelopment in motor skills. (SRCD,2022) Qatar will begin a gradual lifting of restrictions imposed due to the spread of the Corona virus in all public and private schools in the country. The Qatari Ministry of Education announced in a statement, that "in light of the health indicators of the Corona pandemic (Covid-19), and in the interest of the ministry for the interest of students and their academic future, it has been decided to return to normal school hours as of tomorrow, with the possibility of including the school schedule for recess and physical education class for the first time since the Corona pandemic’’. (Roya News,22) Keywords: Outdoor Play &amp; Learning, Physical health, Physical Education, Parents, Pedagogy. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-4-01 Publication date: February 28 th 2023

Storytelling in L2 English-medium engineering lectures: A typology

This paper presents a framework for identifying and categorizing instances of storytelling in English lingua franca (ELF) higher education situations, based on a corpus of English Medium Instruction (EMI) engineering lectures in France. The lectures were delivered to international students at Master's level, by L2-English lecturers of mixed nationalities. This research draws on previous studies of oral narratives in general, and in similar academic contexts, to analyze the 60 h of video and audio recordings of the corpus. The framework outlines the identification, categorization and description of stories, with transcribed extracts from the corpus illustrating the categories. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the role played by storytelling in EMI-ELF courses and could benefit lecturers themselves, but also students, institutions and their professional development policies.