School-Initiated Type-2 Activities in Continuous Professional Teacher Development

• Main Author: Smit, Nicolaas Andrias Johannes
• Other Authors: Sing, Nevensha
• Language: en
• Published: University of Pretoria 2021
• Subjects: UCTD; teacher professional development; school management team; school improvement; quality management; type-2 development
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2263/78496; Smit, NAJ 2020, School-Initiated Type-2 Activities in Continuous Professional Teacher Development, MEd Dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/78496>

Professional development is more than marking an attendance register at a workshop. Professional development is a reflective process of continuous self-development that should inform the very essence of any learning context. This dissertation builds on how teachers experience school-initiated type-2 teacher professional development in secondary public schools and how their experiences may contribute to the work in the field of teacher professional development and assessment. Although a number of studies have examined teachers’ comprehension of the Continuous Professional Development framework in South Africa and the quality management policies, there is a considerable lack of literature on the relationship between the professional development of teachers and school improvement. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand teachers’ experiences with the implementation of Type-2 Continuous Professional Teacher Development activities in public high schools. The data for this qualitative study were collected through semistructured interviews and policy document analysis. The coded data were analysed and emerging themes were identified. The participants of this study consisted of teachers and members of the School Management Team. However, the study found that teachers perceived that there is a gap in the focus of professional development programmes. Teachers felt that the type-2 developmental activities seemed only for the benefit and achievement of the school’s goals, and do not adequately address the developmental needs of teachers themselves. The findings of this study argue that a culture of shared responsibility and leadership in secondary schools do indeed improve the development of teachers and the successful academic achievement of learners. === Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2020. === Education Management and Policy Studies === MEd === Unrestricted