Professional Development Practices Research Articles

Professional Development Practices, Promotions and Organizational Commitment: A Propoundment of Professional Integration Interaction Practices (PIIP) Model


 
 
 
 Public universities in Uganda have been challenged by levels of organisational commitment of their academic staff. This study alluded to influence of professional development practices at Makerere and Kyambogo universities on organisational commitment of the academic staff. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional survey design with both qualitative and quantitative approaches, with a study sample of 320 academic staffs from both Makerere and Kyambogo Universities, selected using simple random and purposive sampling techniques. The study data were anlysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and regression analysis, whereas qualitative data were thematically analyzed. Further analysis was done using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The Human Capital theory and the Equity theory guided the study. SEM showed that horizontal promotion as an avenue of staff promotions had an insignificant positive direct influence on organizational commitment (β = 0.002, p = 0.972 > 0.05). While informal learning as a professional development practice had an insignificant direct effect on organizational commitment (β = 0.033, p = 0.537 > 0.05). These findings, coupled with the limitations in the Human Capital and Equity theories, led to the Professional Integration Interaction Practices (PIIP) model proposed by the study. The study concluded that, University Councils in conjunction with management in Makerere and Kyambogo Universities, and the Ministry of Education and Sports through National Council of Higher Education, should adopt the PIIP Model with a view to raise professional standards and hence organizational commitment of academic staff.
 
 
 
 

Professional development of social work education and practice in Pakistan within a global context

ABSTRACT Issues such as lack of licensure and registration, a dearth of standards, and lack of defined job descriptions and job titles are some obstacles that create challenges to the expansion of the field of social work internationally. The purpose of this article is to provide insight on the challenges of implementation and professional development of social work education and practice in Pakistan. This article is divided into five sections: the historical development and characteristics of social work education, the development of social work practice, the professional development of social workers, the need to improve social work education, and professionalizing social work practice and education using indigenous social work education and practice in Pakistan.

An evaluation of community placements for GP registrars in Yorkshire and the Humber: ‘a home visit… not to a patient but to the community’

ABSTRACT Background GP registrars are required to demonstrate capabilities in ‘community orientation’, reflecting skills in developing and working with services that respond to community needs. These skills have sometimes been seen as vague and difficult to obtain. In the Yorkshire and the Humber Deanery of Health Education England we developed a novel programme of community placements to overcome this. Registrars spent two half-days with a community organisation of their choosing, working in their practice area. Aim To evaluate if and how community placements enabled registrars to develop capabilities in community orientation. Methods All registrars completing placements were invited to participate in the evaluation; 13 (7%) accepted. Semi-structured, face-to-face and telephone interviews explored registrars’ perceptions and experiences of the programme. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results The majority of participants reported that placements enabled them to attain a range of capabilities in community orientation. Registrars described an improved understanding of their practice community and the social determinants of health. Placements impacted their clinical practice by stimulating a holistic approach to the assessment and management of health needs. Our analysis described five key mechanisms for this learning: building confidence, building communities and networks of practice, gaining novel perspectives, generating a hunger for general practice and experiential learning. Conclusion Community placements enabled GP registrars to attain capabilities in community orientation. Further research is required to determine the transferability of our findings and further evaluate mechanisms of learning through placements outside of training and their role in the development of professional practice.

Constructing child welfare science in the early development of child welfare in Finland

ABSTRACTThis paper delineates the intellectual history of endeavours to generate a unified science of child welfare in Finland in the early twentieth century by elucidating the efforts of leading Finnish protagonists to depict the concept of child welfare science. The idea of such a new science was not unique to Finland; similar trends emerged extensively throughout the industrialising world, in which child welfare was being increasingly championed. The fundamental reasons given for developing a child welfare science in Finland were linked with ambitions to develop child welfare as a consistent system in modern society. The aspiration to develop a scientific basis for child welfare was not only about adapting relevant research-based knowledge to practice, but also about creating historical and theoretical self-understanding in the field. The intention was to construct a comprehensive conceptual framework for the child welfare needed in policymaking, legislation, and systems building, as well as in the development of professional practices. Although focusing on Finland, the review is of more general significance.

Examining participant perceptions of the UCSF school of pharmacy master preceptor program

IntroductionThe University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy faculty created the Master Preceptor Program (MPP) to instill best practices in clinical precepting, leadership and professional development, and interprofessional education (IPE). Graduates of the program are encouraged to mentor colleagues at affiliated sites. This study aimed to explore MPP participants' perceptions about the program and to collect general feedback. MethodsA descriptive qualitative study of MPP participants who completed the program between 2017 and 2019 was conducted. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were used to collect general programmatic feedback and examples of skill implementation. All encounters were conducted and recorded online via Zoom. Three investigators independently analyzed transcripts for codes related to key programmatic areas using conventional content analysis. ResultsTen of 14 past MPP participants participated. Themes included confidence and skills gained in clinical teaching, self-reflection and network opportunities supporting professional and leadership development, and a need for structured expectations and deliverables. Participants noted several benefits of the MPP on clinical teaching, such as improving confidence and adopting teaching techniques, structural and organizational skills, and a learner-centered approach. Participants also mentioned programmatic offerings that improved leadership and professional development, such as networking opportunities in the MPP and at conferences. Participants did not mention IPE in their responses. ConclusionsAll participants recognized the MPP as an effective training program to enhance clinical precepting skills, leadership, and professional development. Program structure and intentional incorporation of IPE skills are areas of improvement for future cohorts.

A Cross-cultural Adaptation of A Measure of Intergenerational Family Relations, for Use in Brazil

ABSTRACT We carried out a cross-cultural adaptation of the Intergenerational Solidarity Index, for use in Brazil (ISI-BR) with a sample of 682 people between the ages of 18 and 85. We used EFA, CFA and reliability measures. ISI-BR is a 24-item instrument with five factors: Functional solidarity, Affectual solidarity, Normative solidarity – obligations; Normative solidarity – values, and Conflict. Cronbach’s alpha for the full scale was .84 and the composite reliability of the subscales ranged between .69 and .93, suggesting that they have good to excellent precision. We discuss the implications of this instrument for research, professional practice and public policy development.

Establishing a centre for evidence‐informed practice within a school: Lessons from the Research and Evidence Centre

AbstractDespite the numerous attempts to engage teachers on a practical level with evidence‐informed pedagogies, there is little empirical research that maps the journey, from the inception to the implementation and practical applications, of a research centre within a school with the aim of embedding evidence‐informed practice within the school. This paper will seek to address this empirical gap by providing the case study of one school that set up such a centre. Data for this paper was collected through 10 interviews and 42 questionnaires with staff at the school as well as by outlining the case study of how the centre came to be. Our preliminary findings suggest that for a centre for evidence‐informed practice to be successful there needs to be a clear direction from senior management and give time for engagement, teachers can be sceptical of research which can be too opaque and jargonistic and the job of the researchers should concentrate on making everything accessible but not simplistic. We also found that a centre for evidence‐informed practice can be best utilised for creating partnerships and collaborations with other schools, it can enhance the digital education capacity of teaching staff and should provide a diversity of resources to cater to the various interests and needs of the teaching body. Despite the uniqueness of the case study, we argue that findings can aid schools that are thinking of embarking on a similar process and provide ideas of how this can be done successfully. Context and implicationsRationale for this studyThe study wanted to investigate the potential benefits and barriers by having an in situ research centre for evidence informed practice in a secondary school. The findings would add to the empirical basis for schools wanting to establish similar centres.Why the new findings matterThe findings show the potential of having such a centre with regards to professional development and reflective practice as well as enhancing the opportunities for collaborations and partnerships with other schools with similar priorities.It also discusses potential barriers with some considerations for how these can be overcome.Implications for language teacher educatorsSchool leaders should consider how they can harness the potential of evidence informed practice by establishing similar initiatives which can act as hubs within schools. Practitioners can see how they might fit within such an initiative, by taking an active role or by benefiting from the outputs produced by the centre. Policy makers can consider how they can facilitate such initiatives and, most importantly,identify potential resources that can be allocated to schools wishing to have dedicated staff and/or space.

Teacher wellbeing and social support: a phenomenological study

ABSTRACT Background Internationally, teachers are increasingly reporting elevated levels of stress, anxiety, exhaustion and burnout. Although social support has been found to be a protective buffer against stress, depression and burnout, there have been limited strength-based studies examining the relationship between social support and teacher wellbeing. There is also a need for qualitative research to facilitate in-depth understanding of teachers’ application of positive psychology strategies to improve wellbeing. Purpose Using the positive psychology PERMA wellbeing framework, this strengths-based, qualitative study aimed to address this gap in knowledge by asking: what are teachers’ experiences of consciously providing social support to their colleagues, and what are the reported effects on their wellbeing and teaching practice? Method The study employed a phenomenological approach. In-depth interviews were held at three time points with a small sample of five Australian teachers, none of whom had previous experience with applying positive psychology strategies to support their wellbeing. The study required participants consciously to use the positive psychology strategy of providing social support to their colleagues for 15 working days. In addition, the teachers completed daily written reflections. Data from the interviews and written reflections were analysed thematically. Findings The core themes emerging from the data were ‘eudaimonia and altruism’, ‘friendship’ and ‘pedagogical practice and professional development’. Teachers reported providing social support at work by engaging in eudaimonic and altruistic behaviours, supporting their own wellbeing, collegial relationships, pedagogical practices, professional development and whole school operational practices. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of understanding how teachers provide social support, and the flow-on effects of socially supportive behaviours in schools. Findings from this study may inform future research and changes to pedagogical practices and professional development that are supportive of teacher social support and teacher wellbeing.

Message for the Special Issue: Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Inquiry

Academic and professional practice development is taking an ever-more dominant role in higher education and is evolving through undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry (URSCI) in the undergraduate curriculum, particularly in courses involving interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary modules/subjects. Such courses are critical to engaging students in more meaningful and deeper learning experiences and enabling them to experience real-world issues, all while developing various disciplinary and professional skills as part of both a specific content area and more general competencies. By developing and enhancing URSCI skills, graduates from higher education institutions gain the agility to adapt to changes in the world. Inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches are required to tackle global challenges such as climate change, food security, and public health. Such engagements and experiences are particularly important as employers increasingly expect graduates to have higher-order literacies and communication skills in addition to their discipline-specific knowledge. This special issue, therefore, presents original work and nuanced ways that faculties around the world actively engage students in URSCI.

Patterns of teacher collaboration, professional development and teaching practices: A multiple correspondence analysis of TALIS 2018

Teacher collaboration and professional development activities are core issues of teacher professionalisation. The purpose of this explorative study is to explore patterns of professional development participation, teacher collaboration and teaching practices using multiple correspondence analysis. Feedback provided to teachers and class characteristics were also included in the analysis. Therefore, secondary analysis of lower secondary teacher data from the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018 was conducted. The explorative analyses show that teachers who are not participating in collaboration activities are less likely to use teaching practices like clear instruction and cognitive activation. Feedback and class characteristics also show small but notable connections to collaboration and teaching practices. Teacher working with challenging classes (e. g. high number of children with problem behaviour) frequently use cognitive activation and clear instruction practices but also less collaboration and participation in professional development.

Scientific and methodological support for the development of professional readiness of teachers to minimize the risks of low adaptability of the educational process

Introduction. Modern conditions for the development of society actualize the need to improve the quality of education. However, schools are currently affected by various risks, including risks of low adaptability, which increase the likelihood of failure of students. In this regard, there is a problem of overcoming risks, the need for scientific and methodological support for the development of professional readiness of teachers to minimize the risks of low adaptability. The purpose of the article is to develop and theoretically substantiate the model for the implementation of scientific and methodological support for the development of professional readiness of teachers to minimize the risks of low adaptability of the educational process Materials and methods. 11 schools of the Orenburg region (the Russian Federation) took part in the research. The authors used the content analysis of development concepts, medium-term development programs, self-study reports aimed at identifying the significance of the risks of low adaptability of the educational process for schools with low educational results; moreover, the professional deficits of teachers in minimizing risks were determined. Based on the data obtained, a modeling method was applied, which made it possible to develop a process model of scientific and methodological support of teachers' professional readiness to minimize the risks of low adaptability Results. It was revealed that for 45.5% of schools with low educational results, the risks of low adaptability are presented with a high degree of significance, for 36.4% of schools – with an average degree of significance, for 18.1% of schools the risks are presented with a low degree of significance. Typical professional deficits of teaching staff while minimizing the risks of low adaptability are identified: conducting a comprehensive assessment of the risks of low adaptability (100%); identifying sufficient content to overcome the risks of low adaptability (100%); definition of goals and objectives of action plans to reduce the risks of low adaptability (75%); specification of measures to reduce the risks of low adaptability (75%). A process model of scientific and methodological support for the development of teachers' professional readiness to minimize the risks of low adaptability has been developed, including target, methodological, organizational-executive, criteria-evaluation and effective blocks. Discussion and conclusion. The identified typical professional deficits of teachers require the implementation of scientific and methodological support for the development of professional readiness of teachers to minimize the risks of low adaptability of the educational process. The results of the study can be used in the practice of professional development of teaching staff of schools with low educational results.

Storyline in natural science teacher education - An approach to the coherence between theory and practice

The development of teacher identity depends on education rooted in theory- and practice-related activities. The Storyline Approach (TSA) can help to highlight connections between theory- and practice-oriented teaching using stories, characters, places, and tasks performed through role-play variants. In this study, natural science11This study is all about natural science teacher students, studying for being teachers in primary school (6-13 yr. pupils) even if we further on in this paper is writing just science students, or science teacher students. teacher education students at a Norwegian university developed and implemented Storyline projects within the areas of biology, environmental education, and technology. This study suggests that Storyline promotes theory- and practice-oriented knowledge and discusses this in relation to the Aristotelian knowledge forms. Through practical tasks, the students in this study reflected on connections between pedagogical and didactic theories, the need for theoretical and practical knowledge, and their future work as schoolteachers. Through this case study, we have determined that Storyline is fruitful for promoting coherence between practical and theoretical knowledge in science teacher education and for the development of professional practice as future teachers.

Patients’ impact on the hidden curriculum of medical students a qualitative study on undergraduate medical students

Aim: To explore and understand professional practice development through medical students’ observation of patient’s responses towards the medical students, illness, and hospital staff.Methodology: Semi-structured focused group discussions were conducted between 3rd September 2019 and 3rd May 2020 using non-probability purposive sampling. Three focused groups were conducted with fourth year medical students (n=19) to discuss about their third-year clinical placement experience. The focused group discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework to label the concepts, attached code to the data, and the codes were subsequently grouped into similar themes. Themes that emerged from the interpretation of the coded data were identified. Results: Four main themes emerged from the focus groups: (1) Student’s observation on patient’s responses towards students, illness, and staff; (2) Patient’s perspectives towards students; (3) Students were affected by the experience; and (4) Factors influencing patient’s responses to students, illness, and staff. The impact of patient’s behaviour has influenced students’ professional practice in two ways. The first impact is collaboration of students’ observation during clinical placement with what has been learned through the written curriculum. The second impact is through a hidden curriculum.Conclusions: The hidden curriculum has influenced our students’ learning through observation of new aspects and implementation of the learned written curriculum. Students can aspire medical educators, doctors, and medical staff to adopt approaches and attitudes that have a positive impact on students’ professional practice and to acknowledge that they are the role models for the new generation’s learning through the hidden curriculum.

THE INTERNATIONAL POPULARISATION OF LESSON STUDY: EARLY STUDIES AND THEIR RELEVANCE IN LATER LITERATURE

Lesson study (LS) is a teachers’ professional development practice with a Japanese origin that, at present, is practiced in more than 30 countries. Literature on LS acknowledges the works of Stigler and Hiebert and of Yoshida in 1999 as the origin of its internationalization. However, earlier studies described its practice and have mostly remained under the radar of LS previous researcher. This historical and documentary literature review sheds light on these previous studies describing LS, analyses their bibliometric relevance, and uncovers the first use of ‘lesson study’ as the terminology adopted in the international literature. Results reveal eight studies clearly describing LS before 1999 and more oblique references in the 1980s. ‘Lesson study’ appeared first in 1997, but we make the case for the previous use of other terminology. Findings also show that only those studies written by authors who later became key in the field of LS have received a high number of citations. These results bring attention to LS-related literature that has infrequently been cited, granting it recognition in the international history of LS, and expanding our current view in relation to its practice.

Exploring Continuous Professional Development of Woman English Language Teachers

This study explored woman English as a Foreign Language teachers’ perceptions and practice of professional development. In this research, semi-structured interviews were used for data collection from purposefully selected participants. The participants were three secondary level woman English language teachers of Rupandehi district, state no. 5, Nepal. These teachers had a proper understanding of professional development and were found to put significant personal effort into their professionalism including the training given by the Ministry of Education. In this study, I used the theory of Liberal Feminism. Jaggar (1983) advocates that society as whole benefits from the public contributions of woman in general and educated woman in particular. The study contributes to all concerned stake holders including, teachers, students, teaching institutions, training centers and associations, and trainers to understand the value of professional development for woman EFL teachers, plan and provide more opportunities, and take it into the main stream of ELT discourse to improve the status of woman English language teachers in academia in Nepal.

Harnessing the Power of Reflective Journal Writing in Global Contexts: A Systematic Literature Review

writing that has significant impacts on student writers worldwide and identify the qualities of reflective journal writing that foster transformative practices involving personal, relational, and intellectual activities. This systematic literature review incorporated important theoretical frameworks into acceptable convictions. A thorough analysis of 20 recently published research articles (out of 450) from 2016 to 2021 aimed to present written arguments that support thesis positions and credible evidence, as well as determine the global contexts of writing practices. The findings showed that reflective journal writing reinforced a profound transformation to further explore self-discovery, self-inquiry, and critical ideas. It is also concerned with writing performance, as well as the advancement of cognitive and metacognitive writing skills. Reflective journal writers' voices empowered significant changes in a variety of writing aspects, including personal idea exploration, creativity, self-organization, and professional practice development. These findings have implications for encouraging critical reflection, self-expression, and critical thinking among students. They should write reflective journals that can have an impact on a global community and allow them to bring about transformations.

Professional learning in clinical supervision: highlighting knowledge work

PurposeClinical supervision is a crucial workplace practice for professional learning and development. Research is needed to investigate in detail what happens in supervision to understand how this practice contributes to learning. This paper aims to examine how professionals work with knowledge and navigate epistemic challenges in working with problems of practice.Design/methodology/approachThree pairs of psychologists audio-recorded five consecutive supervision sessions and were interviewed twice during that time. Analysis considered supervision as a site of emergent learning, focusing on what was discussed and how problems were worked on, whether as epistemic objects (open-ended, aimed at generating new insights) or by using an approach to knowledge objects that focused more directly on what to do next.FindingsOne pair consistently adopted an epistemic object approach, while another was consistently more action-oriented, focused on knowledge objects. The third pair used both approaches, sometimes expanding the object with a view to gaining insight and understanding, while at other times focusing on next steps and future action.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to study clinical supervision in terms of how knowledge work is done. Foregrounding the epistemic dimensions of supervision, it reveals previously unexplored but consequential differences in how knowledge is worked with and produced as supervisory pairs discuss complex issues of practice.

Exploring teachers' preconceptions of teaching machine learning in high school: A preliminary insight from Africa

The teaching of machine learning is now considered essential and relevant in schools globally. Despite the ongoing discourse and increased research in the emerging field, teachers' conceptions of machine learning remain under-researched. This study aims at filling the gap by describing the initial conceptions of teaching machine learning by 12 African in-service teachers. We detailed the result of a phenomenographic analysis of teachers' pre-conceptions on teaching machine learning in K-12 settings. Twelve high school (Grades 10–12) computer science teachers in some selected African countries were recruited for a semi-structured interview. Five categories emerged from the analysis of the semi-structured interviews as follows: supporting student technical knowledge, having knowledge of the concept, focusing on professional development practices, contextualizing teaching resources and tools, and sustainability for development goals. These involve the relevance of teaching machine learning, the pedagogical approaches, strategies, and sustainability relating to practical implementation in schools. The results suggest the need to train in-service teachers to use existing tools designed for introducing machine learning. The teachers should also be involved in the co-designing process of resources considering contextual factors and, significantly, the curriculum to integrate machine learning into mainstream education. Involving teachers in the development process would help contextualize machine learning, contributing to real impact and societal changes.

SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP AS A TOOL FOR UNIVERSITY TRAINING OF SOCIAL WORKERS

Decentralization and democratization of public and state relations affects today’s social work in Ukraine. Universities should be the source which with the help of social partnership can change the status of a future social worker. The purpose of the article is to study social partnership as a tool for training social workers in higher education. The study used the analysis of educational and methodological practice of professional development of social work on the basis of social dialogue at universities. Teaching the discipline "Social Partnership" for students majoring in "Social Work" must be consistent with the requirements of the time, which are set before higher education. First, it is the importance of the transition of higher education institutions to formal partnerships with employers, which would include the training of professionals needed for the social services market. Secondly, the fixation of the "teacher – student" partnership in the syllabus as a reflection of the agreement on the organization of the educational process in the specialty "social work" and other specialties inthe humanities cycle. Thirdly, it is necessary to actively involve scientific and scientific-pedagogical staff in the study of the mechanism of social procurement and to ensure its proper understanding and use by practicing specialists in our country. Among other important factors there are consideration of social partnership as an integrative quality of personality, which allows to interconnect the interests of different groups of socially divided society and develops in students through the acquisition of relevant knowledge and skills, the formation of attitudes to the world. These factors form the basis for claiming that teaching partnership is both a process of learning to use this tool in social services, and its use in the educational process. The tools for training future social workers include the development of a system of active civic participation, support for student participation in the case movement, social order, and the syllabus of the discipline.

The Challenges of Effective Teaching and Learning of English in Public Secondary Schools in Nigeria

The strategic place of English language in national development and mutual co-existence of Nigerians is not debatable. English has become a foreign national language to which the destiny of Nigeria is inextricably tied. The teaching of English at all levels of education in Nigeria is bedeviled with certain debilitating challenges. This paper examines some of the challenges of teaching and learning English in public secondary schools in Nigeria. It identifies such problems as poor quality of pupils admitted to secondary school, incompetent teachers of English, poor methodology and lack of motivation among others. The paper concludes that effective teaching of English language is a sine qua non for meaningful development in Nigeria and emphasizes the need for collective efforts in this direction. It recommends better training and retraining of teachers through continuing professional development practices and better commitment on the part of the government to the course of English studies in schools in Nigeria.