What influences teachers’ commitment to a lifelong professional development programme? Reflections on teachers’ perceptions

Abstract

This article reflects on the implementation of lifelong professional development for teachers in Taiwan based on our analysis and understanding of the participation of elementary and secondary school teachers in the Teacher Professional Development and Evaluation (TPDE) programme. This qualitative account is established based on 34 in-depth teacher reports, which provided insight into the dynamics of teacher involvement in the programme and aided our investigation of whether this programme supports or inhibits continuous, lifelong professional development. Analysis of the data revealed two main factors influencing teachers’ commitment to the programme: self-direction and resource supportability. Based on the findings, we propose and argue that the teacher lifeworld-based approach, which raises awareness of and considers teachers’ own specific situations and purposes, be used as an alternative or supplement to the knowledge- and practice-based professional development approaches advocated in the literature to ensure the attainment of authentic outcomes. Finally, we identify the implications of this policy for teachers’ lifelong and authentic professional growth by suggesting how these programmes might best be put into practice.

Keywords:

• Lifelong professional development
• teacher professional development
• authentic commitment
• Taiwan

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the National Science Council, R.O.C., for their support of this work through the grant NSC96-2516-S-328-002-MY2.