Remaining the Vocational Professional: A Grounded Theory Study of IVET Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 04-23
Author(s):  
Rachel Curmi
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Grounded Theory Study ◽  
Industry Professionals ◽  
Depth Interviews

The Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology (MCAST), Malta’s leading VET provider, opened its doors in 2001 and has since invested heavily in recruiting industry professionals to teach a variety of vocational subjects. New full-time educators commit to complete an in-service pedagogy course within the first five years of employment. However, as full-time IVET educators become seasoned teachers and academics, they run the risk of losing technical competences related to their former vocational profession or discipline. The aim of this grounded theory study is to explore Continuing Professional Development (CPD) practices that enable IVET educators to maintain and update subject-related technical competences. Five in-depth interviews were carried out with IVET lecturers within the Institute of Business Management and Commerce (IBMC) at MCAST. The findings show that, whilst the notion of what constitutes CPD was interpreted differently, all participants had participated in some form of technical CPD at their own initiative, ranging from reading, conferences, seminars, and courses, or practising in the subject-specific area. However, all teachers agreed that the value derived from work placements cannot be replicated by other forms of CPD. Teachers also expressed the need for individually tailored technical CPD, depending on the stage of professional development and subject area taught. Finally, the findings suggest that those teachers who are bound to carry out CPD to meet the requirements set by a professional board (e.g. Accountancy Board or Chamber of Engineers) engage in CPD more systematically and mindfully, highlighting the need for MCAST’s own career planning and CPD policy.

A Grounded Theory Study of Burnout among Youth Workers in Korean Immigrant Churches

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-391
Author(s):  
Youngjun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Korean American ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Korean Immigrant ◽  
Grounded Theory Study ◽  
Immigrant Churches ◽  
Depth Interviews

This research aimed to explore the factors that contribute to burnout among Korean (American) youth workers. Twenty youth workers serving at Korean immigrant churches in California participated in in-depth interviews ( n = 20). The four key themes found, include multidimensional contributors to burnout, symptoms of burnout, impact of burnout, and the resolution of burnout. Based on the findings, this study discusses conclusions and implications for helping youth workers deal with a sense of burnout adequately and ways of thriving in their ministry.

scholarly journals Experiences of Timorese language teachers in a blended Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Open Praxis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monty King ◽  
Bernadete Luan ◽  
Esperança Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Course Content ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Institute

This paper details the experiences of a group of Timorese English language teachers from Lorosa’e English Language Institute (LELI) in Dili, Timor-Leste, who participated in a professional development MOOC entitled Teaching for Success: Lessons and Teaching between March and April 2017. Drawing on the pedagogical principles of blended learning; participants engaged with online course content, and once a week met as a study group to view some video content together and discuss issues arising from it. The authors draw on participant observation, individual and focus group interviews and post-course author reflections to outline the benefits and challenges of doing blended MOOCs in Dili, and propose that they can provide local English language teachers opportunities for subject area knowledge building, language literacy development and more general lifelong learning.

scholarly journals Continuing Professional Development and teachers’ perceptions and practices - A tenable relationship

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
IGA Lokita Purnamika Utami ◽  
Sarah Prestridge ◽  
Ali Saukah ◽  
Fuad Abdul Hamied
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Teacher's Perceptions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Critical Link

Research on the impacts of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) on perceptions and practices has been conducted separately. This study attempts to investigate a relationship between the involvement of   CPD  and the alignment of teachers’ perceptions and practices about effective English teaching to draw a critical link between the relationship and the alignment. This study involved 6 teachers of English as a Second Language in Indonesia. Qualitative approaches of in-depth interviews and observations were the primary data collection tools. The findings indicate a partial relationship between CPD involvement and the alignment of teacher’s perceptions and practices. Specifically, as part of CPD, teacher’s professional enthusiasm is an indicator for a closer alignment in teacher’s perceptions and practices. Implications drawn from this study suggest that greater conscious raising is required to enhance teachers’ professional enthusiasm since it leads to an alignment between perceptions and practices of quality teaching.

Filipino senior high school teachers’ continuing professional development attitudes: Exploring the roles of perceived demand amid a national education reform

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-76
Author(s):  
Allan B. I. Bernardo ◽  
Barbara Wong-Fernandez ◽  
Mateo D. Macalaguing Jr ◽  
Romel C. Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
High School ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
High School Teachers ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Senior High School ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

The professional development of teachers is an important component of quality standards for any educational system, as teachers’ engagement in continuing professional development (CPD) activities are related with aspects of professional commitment and satisfaction. In this study, we explore how perceived demands of a national educational reform in the Philippines are associated with different indicators of senior high school teachers’ professional development. A survey of 289 teachers recruited to teach senior high school for the first time in the Philippines indicated that perceived demand was not associated with CPD participation intentions, but that perceived demand related to job requirement and to career planning had different associations with attitudes towards CPD. These different associations can be viewed as adaptive responding to the uncertainties in their changing work environment. The implications for conceptualizing the context of teachers’ professional development, and the external factors that strengthen or weaken teachers’ positive attitudes towards CPD are discussed.

Continuing Professional Development

2020 ◽  
pp. 356-377
Author(s):  
Shari A. Whicker ◽  
Alisa Nagler
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Motivating Factors ◽  
Regulatory Requirements

Continuing professional development is a critical responsibility within the complex role of today's physician. This chapter provides an overview of continuing professional development for physicians. The authors propose self-determination theory (SDT) as a foundational framework for discussing physician continuing professional development. They also address a variety of motivating factors for physicians being involved in continuing professional development. These factors include regulatory requirements, continued competence, career planning, and their own commitment to learn. Lastly, the authors include a discussion of various continuing professional development formats and the benefits of each, as well as challenges and barriers to effective continuing education.

Development of Non-Technical Skills Required by Future Global Practitioners in MSE and Corrosion Engineering

2015 ◽  
pp. 397-415
Author(s):  
John Robertson-Begg
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Strategic Thinking ◽  
Global Environment ◽  
Global Ethics ◽  
Sustainability Ethics ◽  
Subject Specific

Traditionally, engineers have been taught a subject specific curriculum that would have made them technically proficient in their specialist area. In this chapter, the author argues that currently a broader educational base is needed to prepare them for work in the global environment. Engineers need to become aware of, and be able to embrace, issues such as sustainability, ethics, human rights, social justice and at the same time develop their own skills through continuing professional development. They need to be able to continue keeping themselves technologically aware, take control over their own future career paths, and as their career progresses, they have to think strategically. The chapter covered the following subject matter: The Global Engineer, Strategic Thinking, Global Ethics (Engineering, Business, Social, and Environmental), sustainability, and career planning. It discussed the best approaches to deliver the materials on these topics to engineers from the author's reflections on his own experiences.

scholarly journals Perspectives of psychology graduates on the registration of psychologists in Zimbabwe

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-106
Author(s):  
Herbet Zirima ◽  
Elliott Nkoma
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Board Examination ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Psychology Interns ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Areas Of Interest ◽  
Academic Qualifications ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study sought to explore the views of psychology graduates on the process of registration as a psychologist in Zimbabwe. Specific areas of interest to the researchers were the views of psychology graduates on the academic qualifications required for registration, the post graduate internship programme, continuing professional development and the board examinations. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was done by conducting semi-structured in-depth interviews to twelve purposely selected psychology graduates. All participants had a master’s degree of which five were registered psychologists and the rest were not registered. Three major themes were generated from the analysis of the participants’ interviews and these were: academic qualifications for registration, post graduate internship, board examinations and continuing professional development. Generally, the results reveal lack of choices at masters’ degree programmes resulting in participants embarking on counselling and community psychology degrees. They also showed dislike on the continuing professional development points due to barriers such as localisation of workshops and lack of time to do research. The board of examination was viewed positively. The study recommends that the Allied Health Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe needs to collaborate with universities, psychology interns and registered psychologists in the best way forward in registration and practice of psychologists. Key Words: Registration; Internship; Psychologist; Qualification; Board Examination

Preparing Educators to Collaborate With Professionals Who Work With Learners With Complex Conditions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Tait
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Language Assessments ◽  
Communication Impairments

The manner in which special educators and allied health personnel communicate and coordinate their combined services for children with complex conditions (such as autism and severe communication impairments) is considered to be an important factor in educational outcomes. For example, speech-language pathologists play a crucial role in supporting teachers by assessing a child’s communication potential, designing and then implementing collaborative communication intervention programs. However, clinicians trained to administer standardized expressive language assessments may be somewhat unsure where to start when asked to assess a child who presents with nonsymbolic communication skills. These highly specialized workplace situations are likely to evoke circumstances where professionals may need additional one-to-one guidance. The need for continuing professional development has long been recognized by the education sector when developing effective educational provision for children with special needs. To that end, tertiary institutions have a commitment to support the continuing education of their graduates once they begin their careers. Unfortunately, not everyone can invest the years that full-time or part-time postgraduate courses of study demand. Due to a reduction in postgraduate completion rates, universities have recently accepted that offering micro-credentialing (i.e., continuing professional development in small, intensive chunks) is now a part of their mandate. Blended learning is a viable model for such professional development because this approach provides access to an online community where collegial sharing and discussion can occur. It can also offer face-to-face sessions that may strengthen community building and instant access to a network of professionals for training and development, in an anytime and anywhere professional learning environment, resulting in the fostering of a collaborative professional community.

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