Exploring school-based professional development in Maltese secondary schools : the experiences of teachers and school leaders

Abstract

The amplified attention given to innovative forms of ongoing professional development (PD) is attributed to a collective voice in existing literature which claims that student learning is dependent on the efficacy of teaching. It reflects a recognition of the critical role teacher PD plays in fostering and sustaining a culture of transformative learning. However, there is growing concern within the local context that the current school-based Community of Professional Educators (CoPE) PD falls short of fulfilling this potential. It is, in fact, often failing to produce enriching teacher learning experiences that justify the time and money invested. This mixed methods research hypothesises a divergence in Maltese secondary school leaders’ and teachers’ perceptions of organised school-based CoPE PD along with an uneven endorsement of priorities. Such dissonance potentially hinders the nourishment of active collaboration aimed at deconstructing authoritative cultural norms that perpetuate teacher isolation and demotivation. In the initial research phase, the quantitative data collected through an online questionnaire shared with teachers employed within the Maltese secondary school sector is analysed. This allows for an evaluation of teachers’ outlooks on the nature of the CoPE PD they engaged with in the last two years, including its relevance, effectiveness, and insights into their preferred features of future PD. A follow-up focus group offering a more in-depth exploration of teachers’ experiences provides evidence of their role in the planning of CoPE PD, the barriers impeding their commitment towards mastering PD outcomes, and the extent and nature of support received to solidify learning. During this qualitative research phase, further data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with three school leaders, shedding light on their role in the CoPE PD design process, the factors they consider during its planning, and the exercised leadership styles driving the schools’ visions. Triangulated with quantitative findings, the thematic qualitative analysis reveals that despite school-based CoPE PD being widely perceived among Maltese secondary school teachers and school leaders as a potential growth mechanism, its lecture-based format followed by workshops and interactive discussions yields short-lived outcomes with an insignificant impact on teaching and student learning. Despite teachers being familiar with and genuinely eager to support the realisation of their respective schools’ visions, incoherent one-size-fits-all CoPE PD lacking timely and tailored support alienates them from actively engaging in professional conversations that embrace a critical reflective inquiry. Whilst designing CoPE PD, apart from bearing in mind educational reforms, teachers identified areas of improvement and students’ learning needs, school leaders also pay close attention to the perceived relevance or appeal of PD topics, guest speakers’ delivery methods and teachers’ preferred learning styles. Findings point to a strong preference among teachers for more hands-on, job-embedded PD tailored in conformity with their shared feedback and focused on maximising high-quality collaboration as a tool for teachers to master their creative potential and enhance student learning. These research outcomes imply the need for a cultural change through reimagining school based CoPE PD as a collaborative teacher-driven endeavour catalytic in bringing teacher leadership, agency and collective reflection to the fore in job-embedded PD initiatives. Aimed as a contribution to enhancing teachers’ professional growth, this study urges teachers to self seek personalised, teacher-led PD, and advises school leaders to model collaborative PD, establish support structures and give teachers a more central role in decision-making. Meanwhile, policymakers are urged to support teacher learning by creating space for the formation of professional learning communities that extend beyond schools, along with providing adequate PD for school leaders and PD facilitators. Finally, this research aspires to pave the way for well-designed school-based PD with a more self-directed approach that boosts teachers’ intrinsic motivation and transforms traditional, passive roles into professional learning communities embracing an open-minded search for learning and self-efficacy.