This paper investigates how professional learning of teachers might be improved by two key factors: distributed leadership and teacher agency. Designed as a cross-sectional survey, this study used data from a total of 283 teachers working in a mix of public primary, secondary, and high schools across nine provinces in the eastern, central, and…

This article utilises complexity thinking to further develop a heuristic model for teacher professional growth as a continuous, recursive and adaptive process. Conversations with six case teachers are drawn upon in a phenomenographic study, seeking variation in ways of experiencing learning and development, together comprising professional growth.…

Personal observations suggest that science lecturers in higher education do not always feel comfortable engaging with the support offered through academic development initiatives. At a research-intensive university in the UK, research was conducted using a mixed-methods approach to establish how science lecturers engaged with continual…

Considerable research has shown professional learning communities (PLC) within schools as a beneficial way for teachers to develop professionally within the context of their own work environment. Although the positives are often highlighted in PLC's, there is limited information as to how teachers function within these spaces. This qualitative…

Whilst attendance at short, day-long courses or workshops features prominently in teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) profiles, research remains equivocal about their lasting impact. The present study addresses questions about the impact of short-course CPD in the context of a national CPD programme aimed at developing teachers'…

A considerable body of literature has shown the benefits of lesson study, but little attention has been paid to the determinants of lesson study involvement. This study examines how teachers' participation in lesson study is affected by their attitudes towards lesson study as well as their perceived competence. A multilevel logistic regression…

Understanding factors that influence teacher use of professional development learning is critical if we are to maximise the educational and financial investment in teacher development. This study used a multi-case mixed methodology to investigate the factors that influence teacher adoption, adaption, and abandonment of teacher-directed learning.…

Through a discourse analysis of the qualitative data collected in an ethnographic approach, this study investigates learning emerging in an English teachers' professional learning community (PLC) at a Chinese secondary school in Shanghai. It explores the discourse features of situated interactions in two types of typical events occurring regularly…

Well-designed face-to-face and virtual communities of practice provide opportunities for teachers to learn, grow as professionals and make changes to their practice with the support of peers. However, as more K-12 teachers become Connected Educators and act as conduits between online spaces and communities in their schools, the boundaries between…

This study examines how participation in a US Department of Education policy fellowship influenced the career pathways of teacher leaders. This sample of teacher leaders is illustrative of teacher leadership development beyond the classroom and demonstrates challenges and opportunities. Notably, 64% of participants reported changing their…

This article examines changes in teachers' beliefs and practices over the course of a professional development (PD) program concerned with the implementation of a constructivist-oriented pedagogy in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. Grounded in situative theories of learning and development, the School-based Support Program places…

Data from a study of 81 exemplary secondary school teachers across the United States provide a portrait of how these teachers have become leaders whose influence and partnerships extend well beyond their classrooms and schools. Propelled by a deep personal desire to learn and a commitment to help students learn, the teachers are learners first,…

To gain a deeper understanding of mentor preparation, which is still an underdeveloped area, the current paper focuses on a formal mentor education programme offered to teachers in secondary school at a university in Norway. The research questions in this qualitative study examine why teachers participate in the programme, how they perceive the…

Continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers in Scotland, as in many other countries worldwide, is receiving increased attention. Within the Scottish context, a gap in the CPD framework had been identified for early-career teachers who have completed the induction year but are not yet eligible to embark on the Chartered Teacher…

For developing professional development (PD) programs, research suggests referring to effective components. In developing a PD program on classroom dialogue, we explored to what extent effective components could be addressed. We conducted a study with two groups. In the "Dialogic Video Cycle" (DVC), six German teachers participated in a…