The influence of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme on the classroom practices and professional development of technology teachers

Abstract

Dissertation MEd--University of Pretoria, 2014

The main purpose of this study was to explore the influence of a Continuing Professional Development
 (CPD) programme on the classroom practices and professional development of Technology Education
 teachers. Clarity was sought on how those Technology Education teachers who had participated in the CPD
 programme were influenced by the outcomes of the CPD programme in terms of their classroom practices
 and professional development. Although the school set-up and its management structure was not part of the
 outcomes of the CPD programme, the researcher felt that it was also important to highlight and describe
 from teachers’ point of view the nature of support (if any) that the teachers received from their respective
 schools to enhance their professional development and growth. A qualitative approach to research, in the
 form of multiple case studies was used in this study. Purposeful sampling was applied to select the three
 teachers who participated in this study. Data was collected using multiple qualitative data collection
 strategies and instruments that included the use of once-off semi-structured interviews, classroom
 observations and documents analysis.
 Findings from this study revealed that those Technology Education teachers who participated in the CPD
 programme under review in this study had their classroom practices and professional development, to some
 extent influenced by the outcomes of the CPD programme. Teachers confirmed that most of the teaching
 strategies they apply in their classes were adopted from the CPD programme under review. Teachers
 acknowledged that they had acquired new teacher Technology Education-specific teacher knowledge which
 in turn helped their learners to learn effectively in class. There is also evidence from the results of this study
 that suggest that teachers had been greatly motivated by the CPD programme to improve their Technology
 Education-specific teacher knowledge. However, teachers still lacked the ‘drawing skills’ that are critical
 to procedural knowledge. Further, the study revealed the need for the development of structured classroom
 activities that will assist novice Technology Education teachers to deal with the dynamics of the subject
 with much ease. Lack of effective curriculum management and support in schools were highlighted as
 inhibitors to the professional development and growth of Technology Education teachers.

gm2014

Science, Mathematics and Technology Education

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