Exploring the teachers’ and school leaders’ perceptions about their professional development

Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine and evaluate the professional development of teachers and school leaders within the Maltese scenario in the 21st Century. All professions require that the individuals keep themselves updated through upskilling in-service training, courses, etc. The teaching profession requires nothing short of this. Research has brought out that there is a positive correlation between teacher quality and student achievement. The driving force promoting this teacher quality is professional development. This study aimed to explore the beliefs and perceptions that school leaders and teachers in the primary sector hold towards this principle. The methodology adopted incorporated a questionnaire survey administered to a sample of teachers, focus-group interviews conducted with heads of school, as well as an interview with the CEO of the Institute for Education. The findings from this study brought out that all participants consider professional development to be very important and empowering. However it was felt that, the way professional development is conducted needs to be reviewed, with greater focus given to relevance and accessibility for today’s educational demands.