Perceptions of teachers and school management teams on their participation in school-based professional development and its Impact on their teaching practice.

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the viewpoints of educators concerning their participation in professional development initiatives within educational institutions. One facet of the research investigates the levels of participation and satisfaction among teachers and School Management Teams (SMTs). On the other hand, the other component focuses on the function of Subject Specialists as Departmental Heads (DH) in strategising and facilitating professional growth initiatives for educators at the institutional level. This study is grounded on the Continuing Professional Development (CPTD) policy, which mandates educators to amass 150 professional development points within three years. Professional development points can be obtained through diverse activities such as self-initiated, school-initiated, and externally initiated programmes. The research places particular emphasis on teacher development that educational institutions initiate. The study's results indicate that educators and School Management Teams (SMTs) were actively engaged in a diverse array of teacher development initiatives conducted within the school setting. The activities above hold significant value because they can furnish efficacious strategies that augment classroom practices. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that the SMTs were remiss in their obligation to report school-initiated activities to the South African Council for Educators (SACE), a crucial element in overseeing and promoting the professional growth of teachers. The present study employs a quantitative methodology, and the data were obtained through two survey instruments that the researcher developed. The questionnaires comprise several segments encompassing diverse topics. The Post Level 1 questionnaire for teachers comprises 25 questions, whereas the SMT questionnaire encompasses 31 questions. The themes that are covered in this study comprise various aspects such as engagement in teacher development initiatives, significance and influence of such activities, provision of resources to facilitate teacher development, duties and obligations of teachers, incentives for participation, guidance and assistance from School Management Teams (SMTs) (about SMT questionnaire solely), and allocation of time for teacher development. The adequacy of the sample size of 87 participants in this study should be emphasised, as it facilitated a thorough investigation of the research topic and yielded significant insights into the perspectives and encounters of educators and school administrators. The research was carried out within the Ehlanzeni district in Mpumalanga province, with a specific emphasis on a designated subset of educators and School Management Teams (SMTs) from the White Hazy1 Circuit, encompassing both primary and secondary schools. The statistical software package utilised for data analysis was SPSS version 27.0. The collected quantitative data is analysed using descriptive statistics, including graphs, cross-tabulations, and other figures, to present the results. The study utilised inferential methods, specifically correlations and chi-square tests, to analyse the data. The p-values determined the statistical significance of the results. A statistical significance was attributed to a significance level lower than 0.05. The study's results have significant policy implications that warrant consideration. The initial step is for the School Management Teams (SMTs) to ensure appropriate planning and allocation of time for teacher development within the school premises following the policy guidelines. Subsequently, Subject Matter Teachers (SMTs) must give precedence to their involvement in and documentation of Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) endeavours, as it is a compulsory obligation stipulated by the SACE Act No.31 of 2008. Notably, the present study did not investigate the effects of teacher development programmes implemented within school settings on students' academic achievement. Therefore, it is recommended that additional research be conducted to explore this aspect.