On the basis of the findings and discussion of the study, implications and issues for policy and practice are discussed in the following:
For the Government
Aiming at improving the current situation, the government should assess the policy governing teachers’ CPD. Their role should switch from bureaucrats who aim at achieving organizational goals, to
152
facilitators who genuinely should show its commitment on the CPD of teachers, in a way to create the space needed by them. If the government is not considering teachers’ CPD as peripheral, it may need to re-adjust the financial resources in different aspects in education so that more emphasis is put on teachers’ CPD.
A systematic policy to include teachers and schools as active participants in CPD should be developed. More teachers should get involved in formulating educational policies so that genuine and effective changes can take place. It is vital to unite the policy-makers with the frontline workers in order to balance their conflicting interests and fulfil their diverse needs.
CPD should be adopted with the use of a ‘soft-landing’ approach from the outset (ACTEQ, 2006), i.e. not to impose any rigid requirements or a set of regulations on teachers, but to achieve a basic common understanding so that CPD can be affirmed as a shared goal among professional teachers. This is “to facilitate the realization of the spirit of the teachers’ CPD framework: trust in and reliance on the professionals, and hence teachers’ professional autonomy and school-based decisions in CPD-related matters” (ACTEQ, 2006:30).
The government should help establish a culture of sharing and learning among teachers and schools, which is conducive to their active participation. The Education Bureau may establish cluster networks or e-platform among schools in the same district in order to let teachers have more opportunities The Education Bureau should consider a further study to monitor the emerging trends in professional development service provision and identify quality providers in other priority areas of school practice.
There should be consideration to developing a good classroom research and practice publication to inform teachers of the application of effective learning principles and practice, and to reinforce the fact that teachers are often themselves the source of best practice.
Policy-makers, organizations concerned with initial teacher and in-service training and schools themselves should review their provision so that it is relevant to the specific needs of teachers who work in these contexts, in different professional life phases and in different scenarios (Day et al., 2007: 155).
There is also a need to educate policy-makers about the meanings of CPD with a sustained and developmental view of professional development, taking different forms of CPD that allow for
153
collaboration, inquiry and reflection.
For school principals and school middle managers
In order to sustain a learning organization, school leaders must create a climate that promotes the continuous professional learning of all school participants (O’Sullivan, 1997). Collegiality among teachers should be promoted so as to facilitate cross-fertilization of ideas and experience. Encouragement from the school should be given to teachers to participate in CPD. Middle managers, including subject panel heads, department heads etc., should recognize the importance of CPD. Middle managers should be clear about the schools’ and teachers’ needs in continuing professional development such as the middle management in schools (Wong, 2005). There should be coordination in CPD planning and implementation across classrooms, subject departments and the school as a whole appeared so as to provide opportunities for the individual classroom to be enlarged and for the individual development needs and processes of teachers (Carney, 2003). Teachers can thus be more supported within the school’s overall development agenda. Further, it should be aware that effective professional development should provide teachers adequate chances to try new ideas and strategies, with feedback on practice, sufficient technical, psychological and administrative support, and opportunities to gain a conceptual understanding of the underlying rationale (Ingvarson, 1987). A collaborative sharing and learning culture should be further continuously promoted through organizing and providing opportunities for real professional development opportunities where teachers feel their ownership of professional development and their needs are inquired in collegial interaction and support within school.
Moreover, there should be balanced CPD opportunities for teachers. Schools should not just provide CPD for school development; meanwhile, schools should suit and satisfy teachers’ personal needs of teachers. In support of sustaining teachers’ professional development opportunities, there is thus a strong need for a structured professional growth plan as discussed and compromised by teachers and administrators, in which teacher personal professional growth plans may provide an opening to build up collaboration and enhance collegiality (Fenwich, 2004).
Another important concern is about the relationship between school appraisal and CPD. Based on this study, some teachers had CPD records in their own appraisal and peer observation was done for
154
appraisal purpose. CPD, by its nature, should be used for encouraging learning and sustainable development in making improvement in schools and classrooms. If CPD is focused on accountability and performance and is inclined to high-stake orientation, it will not help teachers to develop themselves as lifelong learners who continue to improve themselves for ongoing improvement in their teaching and enhance school development. There should be a school based review about the CPD policy and appraisal system, including how to make use of the CPD records and whether peer class observation is used for appraisal or there can be other ways for encouraging peer observation.
But most importantly, as reflected in the study, time and heavy workload should be taken into account in school based CPD policy-making process. Creating space for teachers’ CPD is a very common term but it is not always achieved. Careful arrangement for teachers’ CPD should thus be made by different kinds of supportive administrative arrangements such as timetabling, financial support and resources provision.
For CPD coordinators
This study also provides CPD coordinators with fruitful data to identify where teachers are and so forth attempt to meet their CPD needs.
CPD coordinators should give immediate sensitive responses to teachers’ CPD needs of the development of teacher competencies, with reference to the findings of this study.
When planning CPD activities, CPD coordinators should be aware of teachers’ preference of CPD activities, based on the findings of this study. Opportunities for school based CPD activities such as peer observation and co-planning should be given to teachers who realized that school based CPD activities are effective in helping them in supporting their classroom practice in a more direct way.
CPD coordinators should promote collaboration opportunities to colleagues in order to build up a sharing and learning cultures.
CPD coordinators should promote collaborative action research that teachers can jointly participate. Before doing so, they should let teachers understand the rationale behind doing collaborative action research.
155
the study into considerations. They should address teachers’ concerns and difficulties about their CPD participation. As noted in this study, there are urgent needs for providing sufficient time and resources for supporting teachers’ participation in CPD activities.
For further study
This study used a multi-methods approach to illuminate teachers’ perceptions about CPD and provide a better understanding about teachers’ experience in CPD. It has provided a framework to further study about teachers’ preference, participation and perceived effectiveness of CPD activities and teachers’ perceived needs. The current study also provides a framework to further study about teachers’ perceived needs of CPD domains. Teachers and schools need to know more about how CPD help them develop teachers’ professional knowledge, skills and careers and how teachers’ CPD can enhance student learning. The following are suggestions for further study.
1. This study should be replicated with other populations to explore teachers’ perceptions of CPD. 2. This study is a small scale study. It can be applied to other schools in Hong Kong for further
investigations of teachers’ perceptions of CPD in Hong Kong. The findings will be a good reference for education policy-makers and other stakeholders in education.
3. This study can be a longitudinal study comparing with the findings of the current study in order to further understand teachers’ needs for CPD in the changing world.
4. The relationship between some demographic factors like gender and years of teaching experiences can be further investigated in another study.
5. Further study can be conducted to examine relationships amongst teacher confidence, satisfaction and perceived needs in the development of teacher competencies.
6. As found in this study, higher academic study was perceived as the most effective to teachers’ CPD. But there are just very few studies about this area in relation to student learning. So there can be a further study in studying the relationship between higher academic study and student learning.