Organisational conditions to boost or limit professional development in the Cypriot primary school

Abstract

In this article, I examine which organisational conditions can promote or limit the professional development of teachers in the Cypriot primary school. The discussion builds on findings from a study I conducted about Cypriot primary school teachers’ reflective practices (Loizou 2011). The study was qualitative and used semi-structured interviews with a cross section of 18 primary school teachers. The findings revealed that the kind of professional exchange in which the teachers engaged was associated with their ability to bring about substantial change in practice through reflection. Further analysis showed that the organisational conditions in each school can differentiate the teachers’ professional exchange. The aim of this article is to examine the association between organisational conditions, professional exchange and change in practice. In particular, I aim to explore how organisational conditions can underpin the development of different kinds of professional exchange and how this impacts on change and professional development. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for Cypriot teachers’ development through professional exchange in the primary school.

Keywords:

• theories-in-use
• espoused theories
• professional development
• reflective practice
• primary school teachers
• professional trust