Teachers, attitudes towards professional development activities and their impact on their practices and motivation. (c2011)

Abstract

The backbone of any successful and effective educational organization is a high-quality teaching staff. It follows that a well-designed professional development (PD) program is needed for preparing competent teachers. This case study, which took place in School “X”, used quantitative and qualitative research method and data analysis to find answers to the following research questions: “What are the attitudes of the secondary and middle school teachers at “School X” regarding the effect of the school’s professional development programs on the quality of their teaching practices and motivation? How do teachers’ attitudes compare (Science/Non-science; Middle/ Secondary; Female/ Male) regarding professional development? What are teachers’ recommendations to improve the quality of the professional development program provided by their school?” Questionnaires, focus group interviews and observations were conducted to collect and triangulate data results. Participants included all middle and secondary teachers of the Beirut Campus of school X (160 teachers), while each interview session was conducted with five (in the case of middle school teachers) or six teachers (in the case of secondary school teachers), representing different departments. Finally, the observation sessions targeted the in-service day (academic and recreational parts), SPEC (Student centered problem based experiential and collaborative learning), Study groups, and Outreach. It was found that teachers regard professional development program in their school as beneficial in general but could be enhanced further. Although the attitude of novice teachers towards professional development is more favorable than that of veteran teachers, findings show that the overall teachers’ attitude towards professional development is a negative one. Modifications and suggestions to improve the quality of the professional development activities at school X were proposed by the teachers. In conclusion, School X offers a prosperous professional development program, but its fruitfulness will remain limited unless a more systematic organizational structure is created.