Teachers’ professional learning goals in relation to teaching experience^*

* Research affiliation where research was conducted: ICLON Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching.

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of teacher sample.

Characteristics	N
Men	8
Women	8
Years of experience^a
0–7	5
8–19	5
20–35	6
Subject domain
Language	5
Science	5
Social studies	5
Other	1
Teaching certification
University degree	11
Non-university degree	4
No teaching certificate (yet)	1

^a This experience range was the result from combining the professional life phases of Day et al. (2007), Fessler and Christensen (1992), and Huberman (1993), to arrive at three broad categories that reflected teachers’ development.

Table 2. Interview questions to elicit teachers’ professional learning goals.

Perspective on teacher learning	Perspective derived from:	Example interview question
Past learning	Narrative-biographical approach, critical learning experiences, cf. Kelchtermans, Huberman	If you look back on how you have learned to become a teacher, what were the most important things you have learned in the past and how have you accomplished these?
Day-to-day learning	Practical knowledge: building expertise through classroom-based experiences, cf. Putnam & Borko	What do you learn on a daily basis?
	Workplace learning, cf. Tynjälä
Challenges in the workplace	Workplace learning, cf. Tynjälä	Do you experience challenges in your job? And if yes, what do you want to learn from them?
	Concerns, cf. Fuller, Hoekstra et al.
Learning wishes	Will to learn, cf. van Eekelen	(If there were no restrictions whatsoever..) What do you want to develop/learn?
	Continuous professional development, cf. Kennedy, Janssen
Recent learning	Continuous professional development, cf. Kennedy	What have you learnt from the most recent learning activity you undertook in the school?
School-based learning	School-based professional development, learning communities, PD policies and practices, cf. Admiraal et al.	What learning opportunities are there in your school, and how much do you wish to use these opportunities?
Future learning	Career-oriented learning, cf, Huberman, Day	How do you see yourself as a teacher in 5 - 10 years?

Table 3. Codes and definitions for domains of teachers’ professional learning goals.

Code	Domain of learning goal	Definition
1	Communication and classroom organisation	Goals that deal with classroom rules, structure during the lessons, and classroom management; creating a safe learning environment; creating good teacher-student relationships. (cf. Shulman 1986)
2	Instruction and curriculum	Goals related to improving subject-related teaching strategies with regard to knowledge of
		(a) instruction (b) students’ learning (c) curriculum (d) assessment (e) subject content (cf. Shulman 1986; Magnusson, Krajcik, and Borko 1999)
3	Socialisation	Goals related to how teachers (intend to) socialise themselves within their school environment and with regard to their colleagues/management
4	Technological innovation	Goals triggered by working with (technological) innovations inside or outside the classroom which challenge the teacher and are often described as ‘something new’
5	Extra-curricular tasks	Goals related to a particular non-teaching task of the teacher, or a specific position teachers fulfil in the school
6	Teacher as professional	Goals related to problems teachers encounter while executing their job, and which affect their ‘professional behaviour’

Table 4. Frequencies and means of teachers’ learning goals related to teaching experience.

	Years of Experience						Total
	Early 0–7		Mid 8–19		Late^a 20+
	(n = 5)		(n = 5)		(n = 6)		(n = 16)
Domains of learning goals	f	m	f	m	f	m	f	m
1. Communication and classroom organisation	6	1.20	0	0.00	0	0.00	6	0.37
2. Instruction and curriculum	11	2.20	7	1.40	1	0.17	19	1.19
• Instructional strategies^a	5	1.00	4	0.80	1	0.17	10	0.63
• Students’ learning process	2	0.40	0	0.00	0	0.00	2	0.13
• Curriculum development	2	0.40	2	0.40	0	0.00	4	0.25
• Designing assessments	2	0.40	0	0.00	0	0.00	2	0.13
• Content knowledge	1	0.20	1	0.20	0	0.00	2	0.13
3. Socialisation	1	0.20	0	0.00	0	0.00	1	0.06
4. Technological innovation	0	0.00	1	0.20	3	0.50	4	0.25
5. Extra-curricular tasks	0	0.00	4	0.80	1	0.17	5	0.31
6. Teacher as professional	3	0.60	4	0.80	0	0.00	7	0.44
No explicit learning goal	0	0.00	0	0.00	2	0.33	2	0.13
Total goals	21	4.20	16	3.20	5^b	0.83	42^b	2.62

^a Subcategories of Instruction and curriculum. The italic numbers represent the coding frequency of this particular subcategory.

^b The teachers with no explicit learning goal were not included in the sum of goals.

Table

Early career 0–6 years		Duncan (0.5)^a		Ryan (2)		Barbara (2)
	1*	Classroom management	6	Saving energy	1	Structure lesson efficiently
	2	Differentiate between students	1	Structure during the lesson (transitions)	2	How students experience my subject (Economy)
	2	Varying instruction	2	Increase variety of instructional strategies	2	Activating students (applying knowledge)
	3	Being aware of school rules			1	Flexible in handling own classroom rules
		Susan (4)		Sara (4)
	2	Adapt teaching to student level	1	Classroom management
	2	Developing curriculum and assessing skills	2	Instructional strategies to activate students
			6	Deal with lack of time
			2	Assessment of students’ skills
			2	Curriculum development
			6	Be a professional
			2	Content knowledge
Mid career 7–19 years		Courtney (10)		Gerard (10)		Anna (12)
	2	Curriculum development and assignments	6	Organise my work better	2	Continuously adapting instructional strategies
	4	Use IT applications	2	Varying teaching methods	6	Asking for help when problems occur
	5	Coaching novice teachers	5	Becoming a manager
	6	Be a professional
	2	Innovation in instruction
		Ronda (12)		Richard (18)
	2	Continue adapting instruction (improvise)	5	Coaching novice teachers
	1	Improve interaction with students	2	Deepening content knowledge
	5	Coaching novice teachers	2	Curriculum development
Late career 20+ years		Paul (20)		Henry (20)		Patricia (27)
	0	No explicit learning goals	4	Activate students using IT in the classroom	4	Use more IT in the classroom
					2	Continuous adaptation of instruction
		Philip (29)		Vicky (30)		Bernard (34)
	5	Developing as coach for novice teachers	4	Use IT (social media/games)	0	No explicit learning goals

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