Types Of Professional Development Research Articles

Science Teacher's Professionalism In Planning Practical Learning Activities

Learning is a process of interaction between students and educators and learning resources in a learning environment. Teachers should always carry out self-development so that they always perform optimally in providing knowledge and being facilitators for students. The implications of teacher professional development relate to the quality of education. Professional development of teachers is very important to improve the quality of schools, the way teachers teach, and student achievement. Teachers participate in several types of professional development, including activities to improve knowledge, skills and attitudes. Practical learning is an activity that is closely related to teacher professionalism, carried out with the aim of getting the opportunity to test and apply theory using laboratory facilities/outside the laboratory. Practical learning is described as an activity that invites students' positive attitudes from the conditioning created by the teacher

Understanding the Lived Experiences of ESSU Guiuan Lecturers

Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, the researchers examined the components and lived experiences of six lecturers who have entered into the educational environment from schools of education with less than eight years of classroom teaching experience as contractual teachers. This study looked at what it means to be a lecturer in the classroom today, the challenges in the profession, how lecturers approach educating students, and the types of professional development, mentoring, or training they believe they need to educate students in the classroom effectively. This research used an in-depth interview strategy for data collection because it allows the participants to reflect on past, current, and relevant experiences in detail for the study. The one-on-one, in-depth interviews sought to engage the participants in conversations that would encourage responses that revealed the meanings of the participant's experiences in the education profession. The discussion summarizes the findings, the emerging themes included (1) the prevailing truths in pursuing a career of teaching, (2) side stories on new days of teaching,(3) transition, interaction, and relationship as perceived components in the journey of teaching, (4) challenges in instruction, student's behavior management, peer-relationship, and working environment, (5) aspiration to meet competence in teaching, (6) overwhelming consequences on the change of role of teachers amidst pandemic. Further, this study offers recommendations and discusses implications on the lived experiences of lecturers in the education profession.

The Understanding of Effective Professional Development of Mathematics Teachers According to South Sudan School Context

This paper aims to provide an understanding of effective professional development (PD) for mathematics teachers according to the context of South Sudan schools. Hunsicker’s (2011) checklist of effective PD was taken as a framework. The framework has five characteristics—supportive, job-embedded, instructional focused, collaborative, and ongoing—and these five characteristics have been used for shaping the study. Interviews were designed and administered to educational officials, principals of two schools, and six sampled mathematics teachers, patterning their understanding about effective PD of mathematics teachers in the South Sudan school context. The analysis showed that the types of PD that exist in the South Sudan school context include the preparation of a lesson plan and the scheme of work for novice teachers, a weekly professional participation of teachers within their working hours, and informal dialog and guidance among peers. In addition, some unqualified teachers are sent to teacher training institutions during holiday times, which can be regarded as a kind of in-service and continuous PD. Our findings are that most of the participants do not have a clear view of what effective PD means. The participants mentioned aspects that can be seen as parts of effective PD according to the literature, but none of them had a holistic or explicit understanding. There is a need to engage those stakeholders to work deeply on aspects of effective PD if a meaningful improvement in student learning is to happen in classrooms.

Snacks, shoulders, and sleep: factors that influence teachers’ professional development decision-making

ABSTRACT The professional development literature has identified characteristics of effective professional development and investigated teachers’ reasoning for their professional development choices. A thorough understanding of teachers’ decision-making about their professional development choices can assist providers in developing opportunities that teachers are likely to uptake. This article reports on a study that examined teachers’ self-reported decision-making around professional development with the intent of further refining the field’s understanding of their choices. The 22 participants were teachers who participated in semi-structured interviews that elicited their responses to questions about the types of professional development in which they participated. The findings reveal how teachers are influenced to attend professional development and shed further light on the nature of the considerations teachers make when faced with professional development choices. We argue that these understandings can be leveraged to design professional development opportunities that will appeal to teachers.

WHEN TEACHERS SPEAK: SENIORS SCHOOL TEACHERS PERCEPTION OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN ILORIN, NIGERIA

Teacher professional development is a life-long process that should last until the teacher's tenure or retirement; consequently, teacher professional development should be viewed as a continuous process. If teachers do not keep up with global developments, particularly those brought about by technology, they will be out of place in this era. Three research questions were formed to guide the conduct of this study, purposive sampling techniques were used to select five participants, and themes that emerged were perception (life-long process, teachers’ needs and a way of getting new ideas), the second research question reveals the different types of professional development that the teachers attended while the last theme reveals the challenges the teacher encountered such as lack of funding, availability of the program, time constraint, transportation issue and incompetent personnel. The study concluded that the issue of professional development cannot be over-emphasized, and the following recommendation was made; teacher professional development should be made available to all teachers and not just some few privileged ones; there should be proper monitoring during the selection process so that those that are non-teachers are not selected; government should also ensure that teachers are motivated (financially) when they are going for continuing education.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0029/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Relationships between teacher education mechanisms and teacher practices, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction in the U.S.: An analysis of TALIS 2018

This study (N = 1175) examined relationships between mechanisms of teacher education and lower-secondary teacher practices, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction in the U.S. Through secondary analysis of Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 data, we investigated relations between these important constructs and various formal and informal pre-service and in-service teacher learning activities (e.g., types of professional development, induction, mentoring, teacher cooperation). Multi-level regression analyses adjusted for the TALIS sampling design—and controlling for an array of teacher and school characteristics—revealed evidence for the potential value of a variety of teacher-education mechanisms. For instance, we found evidence for the potential benefit of teacher cooperation, particular pre-service teacher education foci, and specific in-service teacher education activities. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Teacher Professional Development and Practice of Project-Based Learning in Taiwan: The Moderating Effect of Self-Efficacy

ABSTRACT Throughout the world, educational leaders are pushing for a movement away from teacher-directed learning to engaging students in student-driven learning. Project-based learning (PBL) has been adopted as an instructional approach that promotes student inquiry and cognitive growth. At the national level, Taiwan has launched a curriculum reform to encourage PBL-type learning opportunities for students. This study draws on the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) of 3,835 lower secondary teachers to investigate the degree to which Taiwan teachers engage in PBL. We identify influential factors for PBL using “the form” rather than “the content” of professional development and consider self-efficacy as a moderator to examine if the effect of professional development on PBL varies in teachers with different self-confidence in professional competence. The result indicates that teachers do not engage in PBL teaching strategies regularly. However, certain types of professional development do predict PBL practices, and self-efficacy is a significant moderator of this relationship. Professional development should attend to the advancement of teacher self-efficacy, primarily focusing on fostering capabilities of managing classrooms so the impact on teacher pedagogical practice can be greater. Additionally, school leaders should provide experiential learning and create enabling environments to sustain teachers’ drive for innovative teaching strategies.

Pesantren Efektif: Studi Gaya Kepemimpinan Partisipatif

This article aims to describe how participatory leadership styles are applied and contribute substantially to the effectiveness of boarding school management. Research is done using survey data sets. Research is of a descriptive qualitative type. The research took Al-Mujaddid integrated boarding school locus of Sabang-Aceh city. Our analysis shows that participatory leadership becomes a fundamental base in the implementation of the boarding school education system. The effectiveness of participatory leadership styles refers to some aspects, namely (1) decision-making processes; (2) organizational conflict-handling processes; and (3) communication strategies in shaping a positive boarding culture. Research implications for boarding school managers in order to perform variative professional development in all types of leadership. Expectations to participatory leadership style can affect teachers' participation in teaching, mentoring, peer observation, and coaching compared to other types of professional development. The paper proposed a participatory leadership style in the Boarding Cottage, as well as other Islamic education systems that have characteristic similarities in the organization of boarding school education. Recommendations for educational practitioners for ideal leadership in boarding school.

A Survey of the Experiences of Paraprofessionals With Roles, Training, and Communication When Working With Students With Autism

Paraprofessionals are critical members of instructional teams for students with autism; however, little is known about their job preparation and professional development needs. This study addressed the gap in the literature by surveying 325 paraprofessionals in public school settings in the United States and Guam who reported working with students with autism. Data were gathered on paraprofessionals’ (a) roles and responsibilities, (b) applied knowledge from different types of professional development, (c) perceived barriers to professional development, and (d) types and timing of communication with their supervising teachers. The results of this study have direct implications for individuals interested in developing a model of professional development that will meet the unique needs of paraprofessionals who work with students with autism.

Teachers' practices during COVID-19: Practices and perspectives in elementary and secondary settings.

COVID-19 affected modes of instruction and instructional processes across K to 12 classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine K-12 teaching practices in one large district during COVID-19 and whether there were differences in overall practices, affect, and confidence, and regarding remote teaching between elementary and secondary teachers. Further, their professional development experiences were examined and their evaluation of those. 97 PreK to grade 12 teachers completed a survey regarding their confidence and affect to teach writing and reading, and provide remote instruction. Teachers also shared specific practices they engaged in during remote instruction and when working with special education and English Language Learners, described the types of professional development they received, their evaluation of their experience, and commented on their college-preparation. Overall, teachers did not find remote instruction of writing and reading as effective, but they commented on the potential of online instruction to be continued after the pandemic if they were provided with adequate support. Further, differences were found between elementary and secondary teachers on their affect and confidence for teaching writing and reading but not for remote instruction. Finally, teachers’ comments indicate the need for ongoing PD to address instructional and implementation needs. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

The influence of socio-demographic variables on the motivation and satisfaction of employees in the tourist economy of Serbia

Starting from the assumption that working conditions have a significant impact on the quality of work of employees, the paper investigates the impact of selected socio-demographic variables on motivation and job satisfaction of employees in Serbia. As independent variables, this research analyzed gender, age and education, while the key dependent variables were motivation, satisfaction with the types of professional development and education, as well as the attitude about the importance of professional development and training. Therefore, an original empirical research was conducted among the employees of tourist organizations from the territory of Serbia. Descriptive statistics, t test for independent samples, correlation and analysis of variance were applied as main quantitative methods. The degree of motivation and satisfaction of employees was ana?lyzed from the perspective of motivation and satisfaction with the types of professional training and education using the Likert scale. An adequate qualitative methodology was applied, too. Based on the research conducted within this paper, it can be concluded that gender, age and education affect the business performance and that there is a positive correlation between the degree of motivation and job satisfaction on the work of employees, and thus indirectly on the business performance of tourism enterprises in Serbia.

Synergistic Team Teaching for Professional Development: A Case Study Approach

This study proposes an innovative approach for English professors who lack the time to engage in professional development (PD) programs, believe such programs are conducted in a decontextualized manner, or regard them as too expensive. Based on a qualitative case study performed from January to September 2018, this study addresses the following question: How can team teaching promote PD for mid-career English as a foreign language university professors? It investigates the types of PD that emerged when two English professors at the University of Costa Rica engaged in synergistic team teaching. Theparticipants team taught a course for students newly admitted into the English-teaching major. In this study, synergistic team teaching is understood as a method in which two professors share classroom space and teaching practices and engage in planning discussions together. To understand what the participants learned when practicing team teaching, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and coded following Creswell and Poth’s (2018) data analysis spiral. The coding was developed in light of the conceptualization of PD developed by Guskey (2002), Sparks (2002), and Johnson (2006). Accordingly, thisstudy identifies instances (during the interview or during the classroom observation) that can be interpreted as change of the classroom practices, change in the attitudes and beliefs of the professors (Guskey, 2002), continuous improvement of teaching and learning (Sparks, 2002), and teacher’s knowledge transformed into practice (Johnson, 2006). This study shows how team teaching offers professors a community of practice in which they can share, discuss, and implement new teaching knowledge. Through team teaching, teachers receive PD benefits that match their classroom context perfectly, enabling them to engage in authentic, fully contextualized learning opportunities.

The Practice Architectures that Enable and Constrain Educators’ Risk-Taking Practices in High Quality Early Childhood Education

Purposeful and considered risk-taking can be an important aspect of early childhood education professional practice. Educator risk-taking can contribute towards the quality of education programs. Recent research shows that educators in high quality early childhood education services take a range of risks in their professional practice; yet we do not fully understand the conditions that make early childhood educator’s risk-taking possible. This lack of knowledge potentially inhibits early childhood educators from taking the kinds of risks that support high quality early childhood education. This article examines a qualitative case study that investigated the conditions within three high quality early childhood education settings that enabled and constrained educators’ risk-taking. By using the theory of practice architectures, we identify a range of cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements that worked together to create the conditions for educators in the study to take risks in their professional practice. Through analysis of observations, interviews and documents, arrangements found within, and brought to, the participating services included a service philosophy that recognises the value of risk-taking, particular types of professional development, and trusting relationships between educators, educators and leaders, and educators and families. Findings from this study have implications for the early childhood sector and individual services in reviewing the arrangements that enable and constrain educators in taking the kinds of risks that contribute towards high quality early childhood education.

Graduate Student Instructors, the Courses They Teach, and the Support They Value

AbstractThis chapter presents a study exploring the diverse characteristics of Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) employed at eight research universities in the United States and investigates the ways in which these characteristics impact the value GSIs place on types of professional development and support in teaching.

Professional development for school leaders in England: decision-making for social justice

ABSTRACT A study of nine headteachers in England, using a research protocol developed and carried out in Ontario, finds implications for the professional development of school leaders with respect to their decision-making to achieve greater equity. The types of professional development that leaders found to be most effective within their particular contexts are identified. The challenges faced by school leaders are explored in relation to their efforts to reduce context-specific achievement gaps. The data generated from semi-structured interviews are examined within the context of the English school system, which is highly neoliberalised and has a performative driven policy landscape. The impact of this context on the practice of school leadership for social justice is discussed and, in particular, how data-based decision-making can be improved through professional development in order to achieve more equitable outcomes, especially for disadvantaged students. The paper has relevance for practitioners in how its findings illuminate professional development practices that school leaders might benefit from and from an argument that reflective and reflexive school leaders are more likely to make objective, critically informed decisions.

Conventionality and evidence: two elements of professional development that could matter to teachers

ABSTRACT Professional development (PD) is one way to maintain or increase teacher effectiveness in any number of domains. However, PD comes in many formats and with a wide range of evidence on its effectiveness – both of which can shape teachers’ perspectives of the PD even before they participate. The purpose of this research was to examine how elementary and secondary teachers evaluate different types of PD based on their content and delivery format and on their supporting evidence. Teachers were quasi-randomly assigned to read one of four vignettes describing a fictitious PD programme claiming to improve student motivation. There were four PD conditions resulting from crossing two programmes (conventional vs. unconventional) and two types of evidence (experimental vs. qualitative). Teachers (n = 539) evaluated one of the four PD options in terms of its quality and how efficacious they thought it would be in helping them motivate students. On both outcomes, elementary teachers preferred PD supported by qualitative evidence over experimental; whereas, the opposite was found for secondary teachers. There were no preferences based on conventionality. We discuss the implications of these results in terms of making information accessible to teachers and in terms of addressing teachers’ research literacy.

New Standards and Old Divides: Policy Attitudes About College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Students with Disabilities

Background/Context The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) requires that all students with disabilities (SWD) receive a free, appropriate public education designed to meet their unique needs to prepare them for post-school education and employment (American Psychological Association, 2018). In the past two decades, momentum has grown for a supplementary idea: that schools be held accountable for SWD achieving grade-level standards. Thus standards-based reform for SWD is often caught between ideals of standardization and principles of differentiation. Purpose and Research Questions The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which district administrators, principals, general educators, and special educators differ in their policy perceptions of the newest college- and career-readiness standards (CCRS) for SWD versus other learners. Our research questions were: To what extent do teachers of SWD report delivering similar or different instructional content compared to general education teachers? What types of instructional supports do teachers provide, what types of professional development do teachers receive, and how do these differ by teacher type? How do policy perceptions differ between teachers of SWD and general education teachers? How do district administrators, principals, and teachers differ in their policy perceptions of the CCRS as they relate to SWD? Research Design In three states (Texas, Ohio, and Kentucky), we surveyed a stratified sample of teachers, principals, and district administrators on the implementation of their state's standards and directed them to respond for SWD who participate in the regular accountability system. Conclusions/Recommendations Results indicate an environment where SWD continue to receive less grade-level content and, in Texas and Ohio, are served by personnel who do not believe that the standards are appropriate. Kentucky demonstrated greater consistencies between general education and SWD instruction and policy environments. Findings raise questions about whether CCRS are being implemented for all students.

Professional Development Engagement and Career Satisfaction of Agriscience Teachers

Teachers should possess a set of professional commitments, which includes active participation in professional development that leads to student learning. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between professional development engagement and career satisfaction. This study used a quantitative descriptive correlational research design. A purposive stratified sample of states and a census of teachers in those states were used. The Tailored-Design Method, using multiple points of contact with various modes was used to collect data with minimal survey error. There was a response rate of 72.5% (n = 892). The mean score for the professional development engagement was 118.3 (SD = 13.4; n = 858) on a 150 point scale. Agriscience teachers participated in workshops at a higher rate than any other type of professional development. Levels of implementation varied among types of professional development. The mean score for career satisfaction was 19.9 (SD = 4.4; n = 878) on a 25 point scale. Professional development engagement and career satisfaction had a moderate positive correlation (r = .34). These findings showed a high level of participation in professional development, especially workshops and a high level of career satisfaction. Recommendations for practice and future inquiry are provided.

Neither Fish nor Fowl: the Contested Identity of Teachers of English in an EFL Context

The literature on language teacher identity describes teacher identity as dynamic, shaped through professional and personal experiences and mediated by peer interaction, the effects of pedagogical strategies and professional discourses (Barkhuizen, 2017). This article reports on key findings from a study that investigated the perceptions of Chilean teachers of English about their work and their identity as language teachers. Data were collected through an online questionnaire with 716 respondents from teachers of English across Chile. The questionnaire included specific questions on teachers’ motivation, the nature of effective teaching practices, types of professional development and factors that contribute to their professional learning. The analysis of two critical open-ended questions related to levels of teacher satisfaction and valorization revealed that although teachers feel generally satisfied with their jobs, at the same time they feel essentially undervalued and somewhat illegitimate. Factors such as standards frameworks which compel teachers to validate their knowledge of the language, constraints in relation to working conditions and modest salary levels directly contributed to the perceptions of satisfaction and valorization. A significant implication of this study is the need for a more complex understanding of the motivations that drive the development of English language teacher identity.

Using Professional Development Opportunities to Advance Your Nuclear Medicine Career.

Nuclear medicine technologists (NMTs) have multiple opportunities to advance their careers beyond an entry-level NMT. Many careers that NMTs can obtain require additional skills, education, or qualifications. Participating in professional development (PD) opportunities is necessary to acquire the skills necessary for career advancement. PD opportunities can come from professional societies or organizations, be sponsored by an institution or employer, or come from participating in an educational degree program or advanced certificate program. The type or types of PD in which NMTs should engage will be unique for the type of position they are striving for and their current skills, knowledge, and educational level. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of PD should be considered by NMTs who are wishing to advance their careers and to select the development path that is most suited for their needs.