Sustainable Professional Development Research Articles

Implementing CLIL Innovation in a Collaborative Teacher Education Ecosystem

AbstractThis paper reports on the implementation of a 6‐month collaborative teacher education project (CTEP) in China, designed to help teachers adopt CLIL in response to new primary school curriculum requirements. A multi‐site case study was conducted to track two focal teachers' changes in CLIL implementation and its sustainability. Adopting ecological theory, the study investigated how teachers' interactions with university‐based, district‐based, and school‐based teacher educators in the project contributed to their professional development. Our research focused on an innovative dimension of the project, namely, close collaboration among university researchers, teacher educators, and primary teachers who all contributed to the CTEP ecosystem. Data collection involved semi‐structured interviews at the pre‐stage, while‐stage, post‐stage, and delayed post‐stages of the project, classroom observation notes, lesson study minutes, field notes, informal exchanges, and project documents. Our data analysis revealed that although both teachers had a positive attitude towards CLIL, they exhibited different trajectories of changes in their pedagogical practices. The teachers' interactions with teacher educators within and across the four sub‐contexts in the CTEP ecosystem played a significant role in their professional development. Notably, the school‐based teacher educators contributed by establishing a collaborative teaching study group (TSG) that ensured sustainable professional development for the teachers. The findings of this study have important implications for educational policymaking and for designing and implementing collaborative teacher education programmes that offer an alternative to traditional top‐down modes of language teacher professional development.

Approaches for sustainable professional skill development for vocational education students in Thailand.

This article presents a research study that aims to explore sustainable approaches for developing professional skills in vocational education students in Thailand. This is the second phase of the research, which utilizes a qualitative research methodology. The key informants in this study are administrators of vocational education institutions, teachers, and students currently enrolled in vocational education institutions in Thailand, totaling 36 participants. The research uses a purposive sampling method and snowball sampling method. Data collection methods include document analysis, in-depth structured interviews, and observation. The results of the interviews are analyzed, and the content analysis is summarized. The research process consists of 4 steps: 1) literature review, 2) data collection, 3) data analysis, and 4) verification and confirmation. The research findings highlight several key considerations, including: 1) factors influencing the development of professional skills among vocational education students, such as curriculum design, support and counseling, practical training in workplaces, interactive learning, problem-solving and analytical thinking skills development, practical learning, and supportive learning environments, 2) approaches for sustainable professional skill development involve employing the appropriate approaches for self-development. The steps include setting clear goals and plans, active learning and training, technology skill development, experiential learning, problem-solving skill development, participation in professional activities, self-reflection, and continuous self-improvement. These approaches aim to enhance the competencies of vocational education students, ensuring quality and efficiency as part of lifelong learning and sustainable development.

Empowering Teachers: Self-Regulated Learning Strategies for Sustainable Professional Development in Initial Teacher Education at Higher Education Institutions

Promoting self-regulated learning (SRL) skills among teachers has emerged as a sustainable professional-learning approach, contributing not only to equip teachers with tools for lifelong learning and professional growth but also to the overall quality of the educational system. Recognising teachers as pivotal agents in this endeavour, this study addresses the under-researched area of promoting SRL skills during initial teacher education at higher education institutions. This study examines factors promoting key SRL strategies among 546 Catalan pre-service teachers. Controlling for students’ sociodemographic information, multiple regression analyses are used to make inferential judgments and test the separate effects of the independent variables. The findings emphasise the importance of maintaining a proactive attitude that does not preclude them from seeking help when needed, as well as equipping pre-service teachers with the ability to identify the required academic resources and to maintain their engagement and motivation for self-directed learning. Through rigorous analysis, this study not only provides valuable insights into the factors shaping SRL skills but also highlights the broader sustainability narrative within education. Moreover, the study advocates equipping pre-service teachers with the skills to identify necessary academic resources, promoting resource efficiency, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation.

Professional development through collaborative action research for early career academics - a collaborative auto-ethnography during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Early career academics (ECAs) constitute a significant part of the teaching responsibilities in higher education. However, ECAs, especially those employed on sessional or fixed-term contracts are particularly impacted by a lack of sustainable professional development. This article presents findings from collaborative reflection by a small group of ECAs. They explored their experiences in learning to use pedagogical action research in their own teaching facilitated by an academic developer. This collaborative autoethnographic study collected data from verbal and written reflections by all four authors, including field notes, journals, email exchanges, and group meeting recordings. A grounded approach was used to facilitate the data collection and analysis processes. The data analysis process was also guided by inductive thematic analysis. Authors’ reflections included the action research experience, and their respective teaching and teacher’s identities. These findings show that pedagogical action research was effective in helping the authors understand ourselves better as teachers which fostered our teaching practice. The collaborative reflection environment also created a stronger and supportive environment for teaching, increasing teachers’ professional confidence and a sense of belonging, which was extremely beneficial during the prolonged lockdowns.

Micro Credentialing and Digital Badges for Teachers: Professional Skills Development of Secondary School Teachers

This study examined the influence of micro-credentials and digital badges on teachers’ professional skills development at the secondary school level in the Mardan district. Teachers are change agents in shaping student's cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains, and hence, this research aims to enhance teacher professionalism. The objective of the study was to revolutionize teacher perceptions related to Micro-credentials and Digital Badges and their influence on teachers’ professional skills. The finding of the study provides critical insights into micro-credentials and digital badges, intending to elevate secondary school teachers' proficiency in the teaching-learning process. This study recommends focusing on collaborative learning, digital transformation in the teaching-learning process, sustained professional development, and empowering teachers with advanced teaching practices.

Developing a scale to explore self-regulatory approaches to assessment and feedback with academics in higher education.

Students need to acquire high level self-regulatory skills if they are to be successful within higher education, and academics need support in facilitating this. In this article we explore how the current research gap between knowledge of self-regulatory assessment and feedback (SRAF) practices, and academics' professional training in it can be bridged. SRAF tools were used with academics to explore their understandings of and training needs in SRAF; central to this work was the development of a SRAF scale. We consider the value of such tools in supporting academics' professional development needs in SRAF. The reliability and validity of the SRAF scale was tested using exploratory factor analyses (EFA). Iterative EFA resulted in a 17 item support required SRAF scale (SR). Two underpinning factors: Creating the Conditions for SRAF, and Supporting Students' SRAF Skills Development were identified. The reliability of the instrument supported its primary use as a tool to facilitate academics' professional development in fostering students' self-regulatory skills. Our findings highlight the importance of supporting academics in developing strategies to maximize students' metacognitive skills and motivation in assessment and feedback, contingent on effective assessment design. Such professional development needs to be mindful of individual and contextual factors impacting academics' access to, and confidence and competence in, using SRAF in practice. This research is important in highlighting potential disconnects between where academics' focus their attention in assessment, and what is known to have most impact on student learning success. The SRAF tools have considerable potential in supporting translation of theory into practice as part of sustained professional development for academics in higher education.

Lesson Study as a Professional Development Practice: Perspectives of Myanmar Teacher Educators

Lesson study (LS) is a professional development practice in which teachers collaborate to develop a lesson plan, teach and observe the lesson to collect data on student learning, and use their observations to refine their lesson. LS was introduced into education and teacher education in Myanmar through two international projects, but there has been barely any follow-up research exploring whether and how LS is practiced as a regular professional development activity since the international projects terminated in Myanmar. The present study aims to fill this gap by exploring Myanmar teachers' and teacher educators' understanding of lesson study, their LS practices, the benefits of LS they have identified, and the challenges they have experienced in establishing LS as a long-term, sustainable professional development practice. Mixed methodology was used in the research that forms the basis of this study, with an online questionnaire survey for the quantitative study and a semi-structured interview for the qualitative study. The results of the semi-structured interviews complement the results of the questionnaire and provide a deeper explanation along the following four themes: knowledge and practice of the method, the perceived benefits of the method and the challenges of its implementation. The quantitative research results show that 47% of the participants, i.e. all participating teacher educators, were aware of the method, while 53% of the participants, i.e. all participating teachers from public education, had no knowledge of LS. Therefore, the focus of the study had to be limited to teacher educators' understandings, perceptions, practices and experiences of LS. Their understandings of LS slightly vary, while their perceptions of the method are overwhelmingly positive; nevertheless, since the completion of the international projects, the use of lesson study has declined in their practice due to a marked decrease in administrative support, and, consequently, in their own commitmentto LS. The study can shed light on the factors that determine the success of the introduction and adaptation of a new method that can be called innovative.

Sustainable Career Development of Nursing Graduates in Higher Vocational Colleges: A Case Study of Weifang Nursing Vocational College

Background and Aims: Currently, in China nursing graduates of higher vocational colleges are restricted by many factors, particularly career development. Career development is an important indicator for measuring the quality of nursing graduates and the extent to which government and hospitals attach importance to the employment of nursing graduates in higher vocational colleges. Therefore, it is necessary to delve into the career development of nursing graduates in vocational colleges under the current employment situation. This study mainly aimed to investigate the current situation of nursing graduates' career development and factors affecting the career development of nursing graduates. Materials and Methods: The sample was drawn from the 2019 nursing graduates in Weifang Nursing Vocational College using non-random sampling. These nursing graduates participated in the research voluntarily participation and accepted their participation in the research consent form. Data were collected using a questionnaire. The questions focused on many factors that affected their career development, including how hiring practices at government, hospitals, and colleges, factors affecting the recruitment process, and challenges facing career development. Results: The results show that nursing graduates have basic knowledge and skills in nursing. The results also showed that government employment policies, teaching program management, and employability development were the key factors influencing the career development of nursing graduates from higher vocational colleges are relatively successful. Additionally, results indicated that school-based classroom environments have a significant and positive impact on nursing graduates’ career development. The government should increase employment efficiency and change employment policies as necessary to achieve sustainable professional development. Educational institutions and nursing schools should improve their teaching and learning management systems to align with employment policies and needs. Conclusion: The results emphasize how crucial it is for the government to get involved in employment policy optimization to promote the nursing profession's long-term growth. In addition, educational establishments need to modify their pedagogical approaches to better prepare nursing graduates for the skills required by changing job markets and facilitate a smooth entry into the workforce.

A Guzheng Musical Aesthetic on "Hai Zhi Bolan" based on Chinese Aesthetic Education

Background and Aim: Performing and teaching Guzheng is very popular in China. Some musicians create many songs. Scholars have tried to create new exercises and explain the qualities of songs for Guzheng. Hai Zhi Bolan is another song that is recognized for its beautiful aesthetic, for the song to be published, have a better understanding of the song. This article therefore aims to study the aesthetics of the Hai Zhi Bolan song, which was composed with the Guzheng according to the study of Chinese aesthetics. Materials and Methods: The researcher opted for document review due to the presence of multiple authors. When encountering ambiguous or uncertain matters not documented, they conducted interviews with five artists and famous academics, utilizing appointments to address any unresolved issues. Subsequently, conduct a review and deliver a comprehensive descriptive analysis. Data collection and analysis were conducted from August 2021 to November 2023. Results: 'Hai Zhi Bolan' played on Wang Ruiwon's Guzheng is made up of 24 poems about motion and stillness. 'Hai Zhi Bolan' on Wang Ruiwon's Guzheng has 24 motion-and-stillness poems. The 10-minute tune has 288 bars. Guzheng rhythms emphasize melody rhythm on the first, fourth, and seventh beats. Special features include strong rhythm and sixteenth notes. Tempo, emotion, and nature scenes like mountains, water, wind, and birds make up the melody. The timbre enhances the melody. Guzheng practice/performance. Practicing: The musicians use their hands, wrists, and fingers to create a powerful, harmonized sound that matches the Guzheng melody and rhythm. Trainers must understand: Scrubbing, shaking, and volume control. Performing: Music appreciation goes beyond hearing. Guzheng performers' breathing, attitudes, and movements move audiences. Volume, loudness-softness, elasticity, noise reduction, listening more, etc. Faces, emotions, and body movements are performed professionally. Coherent performances require sensible breathing and pauses. Conclusion: 'Hai Zhi Bolan' played on guzheng is made on Wang Ruiwon. Guzheng rhythms emphasize melody, rhythm, tempo, and emotion, and nature scenes like nature make up a melody and add timbre, which enhances the melody. Practicing: the musicians use their hands, wrists, and fingers to create a powerful, harmonized sound that matches the melody and rhythm. Scrubbing, shaking, and volume control. Performing: music appreciation goes beyond hearing. breathing, attitudes, and movements move audiences. Faces, emotions, and body movements. To ensure sustainable professional development, the aesthetic culture of guzheng music and teaching and learning management systems must be in alignment with the career aspirations of young individuals interested in music.

Australian senior‐secondary teachers’ perceptions of leadership and policy for differentiated instruction

AbstractDifferentiated instruction (DI) is an educational praxis that is built on the premise that all students can be engaged in learning and achieve positive academic outcomes. Previous research in secondary schools has shown promise in the success of DI practices and outlines the importance of sustained professional development (PD) for teachers. There is, however, little research on DI within senior‐secondary classrooms in the Australian context. This research is part of a larger study which recruited 12 participants from three schools across two states in Australia, and aimed to investigate teachers’ perceptions of school leadership and support in implementing DI in their classrooms as well as awareness of relevant policies. Findings indicated that when teachers were aware of policies involving DI, they tended to describe policies relating to special education. This suggests that DI is viewed by these teachers as an approach for students with additional needs rather than seen as a whole class philosophy. Similarly, the results indicated that when teachers said that leadership supported them in using DI, this support was commonly reported as isolated professional development in supporting students with additional needs. Discrepancies around awareness of DI policies were also found between teachers at the same school, with those in leadership roles indicating that requirements to utilise DI were embedded in their general teaching and learning policy. Implications for future practice and policy are discussed.

Exploring the contribution of interpersonal emotion regulation to pre-service EFL teachers' sustainable professional development and wellbeing

There is a large body of research endorsing the role of interpersonal skills and emotion regulation in English as a foreign language teachers’ professionalism and psychological states. However, scant research has been done on pre-service EFL teachers’ interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) and the way it can contribute to their sustainable professional development (SPD) and sense of wellbeing. To bridge the gap, this qualitative study examined the perceptions of 34 Chinese pre-service EFL teachers regarding such an interplay using a semi-structured interview. The results of content and thematic analysis revealed that IER strategies used by pre-service EFL teachers had different contributions to their SPD and wellbeing by establishing ‘a supportive learning environment’, ‘strong classroom rapport’, ‘interpersonal communication’, and ‘emotional literacy’. Furthermore, it was indicated that the participants used different activities and practices to regulate and balance their IER strategies to gain SPD and wellbeing including ‘self-oriented’, ‘other-oriented’, and ‘professional development’ activities. The study ends in a discussion of the findings and presents a number of conclusions and future lines of research considering the impact of interpersonal emotions and their regulation on EFL teachers’ professionalism and wellbeing.

Optimalisasi Pelaksanaan Pengembangan Profesional Berkelanjutan bagi Perawat

This research aims to analyze the implementation of continuous professional development in hospitals. The method used is a case report including assessment, problem identification, problem analysis using fishbone, preparation of a Plan of Action (PoA), implementation, and evaluation. The research results show that the main problem is that continuous professional development could have been more optimal. The problem was solved using Kurt Lewin's planned change approach, with the implementation preparing a draft guide for implementing sustainable professional development. Conclusion: The situation in hospital management is that the performance of continuous professional development could be more optimal. The strategy to optimize the implementation of ongoing professional development is to create a guide that becomes a reference for nurses following the continuous professional development program.
 Keywords: Nursing Manager, Guide, Continuous Professional Development, Planned Change

معوقات التنمية المهنية المستدامة لدى مدرسي علم الاحياء في المرحلة الثانوية

The aim of the current research is to identify obstacles to sustainable professional development for teachers of biology at the secondary level. The research was limited to biology teachers at the secondary level who are affiliated with the General Directorate of Al-Qadisiyah Education, and for the academic year 2022-2023. The descriptive research method was adopted, and the size of the research sample was (450) teachers of biology at the secondary level, they were chosen at random. To achieve the goal of the research, the researcher prepared a scale of obstacles to sustainable professional development, which in its final form consisted of (28) items. The validity and constancy of the scale were verified, as the apparent validity of the scale and its logical validity were verified, and the construction validity of the scale was verified through indicators of the discriminatory strength of the scale’s items, and the internal consistency of the scale, which was verified by revealing the relationship between the degree of the items and the total degree of the scale, and the relationship between the degree of the items with the degree of the field to which it belongs, and the relationship between the degree of the field and the total degree of the scale. The constancy of the scale was also extracted by the half-segmentation method, as well as according to the Alpha-Cronbach equation. The data was statistically analyzed and processed, and the t-test was used for one sample. The results showed that all the obstacles to sustainable professional development among biology teachers in the secondary level that were identified in the current research tool are real obstacles, as their relative weights ranged between (50% - 79%), which are high percentages, and the most prominent of these obstacles were for science teachers. The issues at the secondary level are: (the content of sustainable professional development programs does not meet their actual cognitive and professional needs), (they are not involved in determining their needs for the types of sustainable professional development programs), and (the implemented professional development programs are short-term, intermittent, and unsustainable). In light of the results, the researcher recommended the necessity of forming specialized committees of education experts to examine all the obstacles to sustainable professional development among biology teachers at the secondary level, which were identified in the current study and work to address them, and work on a continuous and comprehensive evaluation of all sustainable development programs that have been implemented and will be implemented. As well as following up on the application of what teachers have learned from these programs in the classroom. She also suggested conducting studies similar to the current research in other topics such as chemistry and physics. Keywords: Sustainable professional development, obstacles to sustainable professional development, sustainable professional development programs, biology teachers

Training program based on active learning strategies to develop the soft skills of kindergarten teachers in light of sustainable professional development.

Training program based on active learning strategies to develop the soft skills of kindergarten teachers in light of sustainable professional development.

The Differential Effects of Labeling: How to Do Direct Teaching and E-learning Affect Teachers' Beliefs in Distance Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic with successive lockdowns has caused university education all over the world to suddenly move from face-to-face to online teaching. This study investigates the impact of the teaching method on teachers' beliefs in light of the Corona Covid-19 pandemic. To achieve the objectives of the study, the analytical descriptive approach was used. The researcher developed a questionnaire that was applied to a random sample of 352 faculty members at King Faisal University. The questionnaire was conducted electronically in two stages. In the first stage, the term "direct teaching" was used, and in the second stage it was replaced by the term "distance teaching". The factor validity of the questionnaire was built, and it resulted in three main factors according to the teachers' beliefs, which are: teaching methods, evaluation methods, course organization, and management. The results showed that there was a difference in the level of teachers' beliefs about the factor (teaching methods) according to the teaching method, as the level of teachers' beliefs for the direct teaching method was high, and the distance education method was medium. It also showed a match in the level of teachers' beliefs according to the two methods of direct teaching and distance learning for workers (evaluation methods, course organization, and management), where the level was high. The results of the (T) test showed that the teaching method affects the teachers' beliefs and that the direct teaching method is superior to distance teaching in all factors. The researcher recommends the necessity of sustainable professional development for teachers in the technological aspect through the preparation of professional courses and conferences, and the development of comprehensive plans for the transition to distance education at the time of need and necessity that are flexible and implementable.

The Evaluation of Sustainable Professional Development Program to Enhance English Teachers’ Ability

This research is made based on the teachers’ problem in learning process. There are some problems emerged such as teachers lack of understanding in learning steps and how to write and read for the beginner. On the other hand, teachers also do not understand how to make the appropriate lesson plan. The intentions of this research consist of knowing the implementation of the ministry of religion affair program towards students’ learning outcome and the improvement of teachers’ skill. However, this study is using CIPP evaluation model which is developed by Stufflebeam. This research conducted to English teachers at Islamic school in Serang city. There are twenty-seven teachers who followed this program. The choosing of participants is based on the data from the Information System for Educators and Education Personnel or we called SIMPATIKA. The data is got from the participants’ test, instruments and the documentation. It shows that the program gives the good impact for teachers and students’ learning outcome. There are 47% very good response and 53% good response from students related to this program and there is an increasing teachers’ ability about 27% in taking pretest and posttest. Besides, the category of teachers’ ability is very good based on smile face instrument and bull eyes.

The importance of sustained professional development for diversifying leadership

As longtime professional development providers and program evaluators, we share what we have learned about individual and institutional gender equity impacts of faculty development programs over 20 years, through the lens of current departmental leaders. We’ll describe our lessons learned from 18 interviews of 2020 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics chairs connected to the ADVANCE program at the University of Washington (UW), where we helped grow the number of women STEM department chairs from one to nine over the last 20 years.

Permission granted: professional development to promote social studies content integration

PurposeIn this article, the authors, a university elementary social studies methods faculty member and a district social studies supervisor, discuss the creation of sustained professional development (PD) for elementary teachers on integrated social studies instruction.Design/methodology/approachThe authors detail the development of a PD sequence that included two 45-minute whole-group PD sessions and two days of individual and small-group school-day coaching for each school in the district. The ultimate goal of this PD was to provide the classroom teachers with the pedagogical content knowledge to meaningfully integrate social studies and English language arts (ELA) in their classrooms.FindingsThe collaboration between the university faculty member and the district administrator allowed for the development of meaningful, sustained PD for the classroom teachers.Originality/valueThis work has implications related to the development of PD to integrate social studies and ELA for university faculty working with teachers in school-based settings and for school administrators seeking to provide more PD for their teachers.

What Determines Professional Plans in High School Students

Sustainable professional development of the young generation is a foundation for the present, a resource for the future, and it makes a significant contribution to the economic, environmental, and social stability of our society. As never before, professional self-identity and realistic professional plans become relevant for the persistent career development of modern schoolchildren and students. The present article theoretically substantiated three factors that are fundamental for studying the psychological characteristics of the high school students’ professional plans: personality traits, conscious self-regulation, and career adaptability. The empirical study had its purpose to examine carefully the relationship between personality traits, conscious self-regulation, career adaptability, and professional plans of high school students in the Russian schools. To this end, a conceptual model of intrapersonal and regulatory predictors of the certainty and sustainability of the young people's professional plans was proposed and tested on a sample of schoolchildren in grades 9, 10, and 11 (N = 675). Methods: “Self-Regulation Profile Questionnaire, SRPQM-2020” by V.I. Morosanova, the Russian adaptation of “Career Adapt-Abilities Scale, CAAS” by M. Saviсkas and E. Porfeli, the Russian adaptation of the “The Big Five Inventory2 (BFI-2)” by K. Soto and O. John, as well as the ad hoc questionnaire on the students' professional plans. The structural modeling analysis of the obtained data demonstrated that certainty and stability of the professional plans in the high school students depend on the developmental level of their career adaptability, including all career-oriented resources: concern, control, curiosity, confidence. At the same time, the conscious self-regulation of achieving goals also contributes to the certainty and sustainability of students' professional / academic plans through their career adaptability, which acts as a mediator of this influence. As for personality traits, they make an indirect contribution to the professional plans of young people, determining the development of conscious self-regulation and career adaptability. The results obtained reveal the importance of general psychological (conscious self-regulation) and professionally oriented (career adaptability) resources of students in their professional development.

Co-Teaching in a Digital World: It's Not Teaching by Title, It's Teaching by Talent

While virtual and online schools for students in grades K-12 gained in popularity before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and served a wide variety of student populations, including students with disabilities during the pandemic virtual teaching became the reluctant norm. As online school sites have begun to welcome students with disabilities, inclusive classroom practices such as co-teaching as a model for instruction became an interesting step. The purpose of this year-long, before COVID-19, case study was to better understand the implementation of the co-teaching model at an online K-8 school. Data analysis revealed salient themes which informed the following findings: A need for preplanning before implementation and sustained professional development during implementation, universal benefits for all students with accessibility within the least restrictive environment, and redefining the roles of general education teachers for successful collaboration. Implications and scholarly significance are shared.