International Journal of Emerging Issues of Social Science, Arts, and Humanities
Vol. 1 No. 3; August 2023; Page: 41-52
An Analysis of the Effective Continuous Professional Development Programs on Teaching in UAE
Sathiya Priya Prasanna1*, Lubna Ali Mohammed2
1,2Faculty of Social Science Arts and Humanities, Lincoln University College, Malaysia
*Corresponding author’s e-mail: sathiyakarthick10@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The present study aims to identify the most effective CPD program for teaching among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Continuous Professional Development programs allow teachers to learn new skills and techniques. Teachers who take part in professional development sessions learn how to improve their teaching methods and techniques. They also comprehend how to create creative, differentiated, and innovative lesson plans and other resources that can be used in the classroom to improve their teaching skills and students' learning outcomes. This helps them improve their abilities as educators and helps them teach their students better. Schools may consider employing CPD training providers to teach certain skills to their employees. These could range from an hour or two to a full training program lasting several weeks. All of these can be used to fulfil CPD requirements. The researcher adopted a survey type that consists of a random sampling of 153 private school teachers in Abu Dhabi as a sample for the study. The investigator has adopted the Effective Continuous Professional Development scale from. The investigator has prepared the personal data sheet. The interpretation of the data was done employing inferential statistical techniques. The paper finds that INSET Sessions have the most positive effect on teaching methods. The paper's findings will allow educators to analyse the effect of different CPD programs on teaching in the UAE.
Keywords: Effective; Continuous Professional Development Program and Teaching
Background
A happy, healthy workplace depends on fostering a culture of learning. Continuous professional development (CPD) is essential because of this. Businesses that adopt a CPD culture at the organizational level encourage development, introspection, devotion, and commitment. CPD stands for continuous professional development. The ability of professionals to retain and evolve their skills, their understanding of those skills, and associated knowledge and experience by proactively tracking, documenting, and reflecting on activities that improve their performance is known as continuous professional development, or CPD for short. Designing a strategy or framework that promotes learning along a relatively short learning curve is one of the best ways to assure continued professional development (Belfield et al., 2001).
Significance of the Study
CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development and is the term used to describe the learning activities professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities. CPD is intended to improve the standards and quality of teaching, learning, and leadership at all levels. CPD supports teachers' learning from Initial Teacher Education right through headship to enhance their professional competence and maximize their potential. CPD increases teacher motivation, confidence, and commitment to teaching; learning new skills and applying them in the classroom can lead to a more effective teaching environment. One of the key features of effective CPD is the sustained duration of a specific program to provide teachers with adequate time to learn, practice, implement, and reflect upon new strategies (Darling-Hammond, Hyler & Gardner, 2017) and as Dylan Wiliam puts it, to allow them the time to get into 'new habits' (James et al., 2006).
Teachers who practice continuous professional development (CPD) reflect frequently on their academic achievement, professional growth, administrative leadership, and research. Today's teachers would be able to set the pace and make their position grounded and future-ready thanks to this and the development of skills and competencies. For aspiring educators to succeed in the long run, ongoing professional development is crucial (Brown, Edmonds & Lee, 2001). In the area of teachers' continuing professional development, several items are crucial: Understanding one's own strengths and weaknesses, engaging students effectively, encouraging self-directed learning and curiosity, deepening learning capacity, stimulating creative thinking, and practicing mindfulness for one's own well-being. The findings of this study will help the school management and SLT (Senior Leadership Team) plan effective CPD programs in schools in Abu Dhabi. It would provide a complete analysis of the different CPD Programmes conducted in schools. Also, this study may help other schools in the same region to plan effective CPD programs in their schools. Policymakers may use this study to plan the structured evaluation framework of CPD Programmes. The findings of this study will be useful for future researchers to carry out more research in this field. These abilities can be greatly enhanced by teachers.
Review of Related Studies
According to Al Abbassi and David (2021), there was a direct connection between the learning outcomes of the students and the performance of teachers in the class. The performance of the teachers was influenced by professional development and its associated variables, (Abbasi & David, 2021).
Goodall & Montgomery (2014) investigate the range of evaluative practices for CPD in use in schools against the model proposed by Guskey (2000): Participant reaction, Participant learning, Organizational support, and change; Participant use of new knowledge and skills; Pupil learning outcome. The thesis described different modes of evaluating CPD programs for example interviews, students’ outcomes, classroom observation, documentary evidence, etc. It gives an idea of the barriers to participation in CPD. The most frequently evaluated component was participant satisfaction, which was always evaluated in over 35% of schools, according to CPD leaders. According to the study, CPD leaders in the survey felt that the most effective forms of CPD were INSET days (50% rating them as "highly effective"), followed by mentoring /critical friendships rated as most effective by 50% of respondents. Kennedy (2005), Models of Continuing Professional Development: A Framework for Analysis, Journal of In-Service Education. The article presents a framework in which the main characteristics of a range of models of CPD are identified and categorized. It is categorized as training, award-bearing, deficit, cascade, standards-based, coaching/mentoring, community of practice, action research, and transformative Smith, Hayes & Shea, (2017).
The researchers Tyagi and Misra, (2021) have done a study on the Continuing Professional Development of Teacher Educators: Challenges and Initiatives. The study provides knowledge of the challenges of CPD programmes, for example Infrastructural Challenges, Institutional Challenges, Time Management Challenges, Psychological Challenges, and Financial Challenges.
Uniqueness of the Present Study
The investigator has reviewed some recent studies related to the variables of Effective Continuous Professional Development programs. The above studies reviewed show that none of the studies directly deal with the Effective Continuous Professional Development of private school teachers in Abu Dhabi. Further, the present study differs from the studies discussed in terms of population, area, and samples. So, the investigator has conducted an analysis study of the effectiveness of Continuous Professional Development Programmes in teaching in the UAE.
Objective for the Study
Harris (2004) aims to find the most effective CPD program on teaching among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi and to analyze the effect of different CPD programs on teaching among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
General Objectives
To identify the most effective CPD program for teaching among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi
Specific Objectives
To find out the level of Continuous Professional Development Programs for teachers in private schools in Abu Dhabi.
To find the effect of INSET (In-Service Education and Training) Sessions on Teaching methods among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
To find the effect of Department meetings on Teaching methods among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
To find the effect of Lesson Observations by the HOD on Teaching methods among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
To find the most effective Continuous Professional Development program among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
Alternate Hypotheses for the Study
Ha1: INSET Sessions have the most positive effect on teaching methods among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
Ha2: Department Meetings have the least effective CPD program on teaching methods among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
Ha3: Lesson Observations by HOD have the positive effect on teaching methods among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
Fig 1: Conceptual Framework
Limitations of the Study
The study was limited only to private school teachers in Abu Dhabi. The sample was limited to 153 private school teachers in Abu Dhabi. The investigator has used the survey method only for teachers. Only a few of the CPD programs were analysed. The effectiveness of different CPD programs was not analysed.
Methods
Population and Sample for the Study
Population is the collective or totality of the things or people who are included in the study's intended scope. Teachers at the private schools in Abu Dhabi make up the study's population. A tiny fraction of the population was chosen for observation and study in the sample. "A sample is a representative group of individuals selected from a large population." John & James (1992). The researcher chose a sample from the population using a straightforward random sampling approach. 153 private school teachers from private schools in Abu Dhabi, make up the sample. The current investigation was primarily created as a normative form of research and the data collection method used was a survey. Under pertinent sections, the specifics of the methods used in this inquiry are described.
Tool Used for the Present Study
Continuous Professional Development Programs on the Teaching Scale
The investigator decided to adopt the Continuous Professional Development Programs on Teaching Scale with special reference to the continuous professional development program because of the impact, efficiency, effectiveness, and evaluation of the provision of CPD for private school teachers. In the current research, the researcher chose three programs: In-Service Training Sessions, Department Meetings and Lesson Observation by the Head of the Department. The questionnaire included 37 questions which were arranged from 1-37 numbers in such a way that the first 9 (1-9) questions were meant for 'In-Service Training Sessions', the next 9 (10- 18) for the 'Department Meetings' and the next 9 (19 -28) for 'lesson observation' and the last 9 (29 to 37) are mixed questions meant for all three different CPDs. The questionnaire also included participant demographic details questions and three general questions.
Establishing Face Validity
Face validity refers to the ability of a subject-matter expert to review the items and make a judgment on whether the test appears to measure what it purports to assess. A non-statistical type of validity called face validity entails systematically reviewing the text's content to see if it represents a representative sample of the behavior domain that is being measured. Experts in the fields of education and teaching were given the adopted draught tool to determine its face validity. Some unrelated items were removed and modified after considering the experts' criticisms and suggestions, and others were reorganized and improved. The tool was deemed to have sufficient face validity as a result.
Reliability
The reliability of the tool was established by Cronbach's Alpha value. The tool was administered to 30 private school teachers from Al Saad Indian School in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi. The response was scored for each item and the Cronbach alpha value was found. The value was found to be 0.926, which is considered a high value of Cronbach's alpha, and it indicated a high consistency of the items in the scale. The item- total correlation values are given in the following table.
Table 1: Reliability Statistics
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's Alpha
Number of Items
0.967
37
Final Draft
The final draft had 37 items. An online survey has been conducted and the data has been collected and consolidated through Google sheet and done the analysis by using SPSS version 22. It was recorded by the investigator. All the items are positive in nature. Thus, one can get a minimum score of 37 and a maximum score of 185.
Scoring Procedure
The collected data were then scored systematically using the scoring key. The sum of the ratings against all 37 items constitutes the score of Continuous Professional Development Programs on the Teaching Scale of private school teachers being observed. 37 items are listed to represent In-Service Training Sessions, Department Meetings, and Lesson observation by the Head of the institution, which have five alternative responses viz., strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree and were awarded 5/4/3/2/1, respectively. All the items are positive in nature. The total score of the respondents was obtained by adding the scores given for each item on the scale Thus, the score for a respondent could range between 37 and 185.
Table 2: Scoring Procedure for Responses
S. No.
RESPONSE
SCORE
1
Strongly Agree
5
2
Agree
4
3
Neutral
3
4
Disagree
2
5
Strongly Disagree
1
Statistical Techniques Used
The following statistical measures were used:
Mean
SD
Percentage analysis
Analysis
Continuous Professional Development Programs in Teaching.
Descriptive Analysis: Normality Test
Table 3: Normality Test
Tests of Normality
Kolmogorov-Smirnova
Shapiro-Wilk
Statistic
df
Sig.
Statistic
df
Sig.
INSET
0.168
153
0.000
0.899
153
0.000
Department Meetings
0.206
153
0.000
0.858
153
0.000
Lesson Observation
0.175
153
0.000
0.881
153
0.000
CPD Total
0.146
153
0.000
0.912
153
0.000
a. Lilliefors Significance Correction
According to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the p values are 0.000, a significant deviation from normality. The assumption of the hypotheses that our sample is not normally distributed is rejected; therefore, according to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and the Shapiro-Wilk test, all the above variables are not normally distributed.
Objective: 1
To find out the level of Continuous Professional Development Programs for Teachers in private schools.
Table 4: Level of Continuous Professional Development Programs on Teaching of Private School Teachers
Dimensions
Low
Moderate
High
Count
%
Count
%
Count
%
In Service Training Sessions
16
10.5
89
58.2
48
31.4
Department Meetings
23
15.0
75
49.0
55
35.9
Lesson Observation
17
11.1
136
88.9
0
0.0
Continuous Professional Development Programs Total
20
31.1
95
62.1
38
24.8
Graph 1
Objective: 2
INSET Sessions have the most positive effect on teaching methods among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
Table 5: INSET Sessions have the most positive effect on teaching methods among private school teachers at Al Saad Indian School, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi.
Dimension
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Count
%
Count
%
Count
%
In Service Training Sessions
71
46.40
75
49.01
6
3.92
Graph 2
Objective: 3
Department Meetings have the least effective CPD program on teaching methods among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
Table 6: Department Meetings have the least effective CPD program on teaching methods among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi
Dimension
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Count
%
Count
%
Count
%
Department Meetings
81
52.94
62
40.52
10
6.53
Graph 3
Objective: 4
Lesson Observations by HOD has a positive effect on teaching methods among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
Table 7: Lesson Observations by HOD has the positive effect on teaching methods among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
Dimension
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Count
%
Count
%
Count
%
Count
%
Lesson Observations
81
52.94
61
39.86
10
6.53
1
0.653
Graph 4
Objective: 5
Most effective Continuous Professional Development program among private school teachers in Abu Dhabi.
Table 8: Most effective Continuous Professional Development program among private school teachers of Abu Dhabi
CPD Programmes
Frequency
Percent
INSET Sessions
88
57.5
Department Meetings
36
23.5
Lesson Observations
29
19.0
Total
153
100.0
Graph 5
Results and Discussion
Table 3 revealed that 10.5% of private school teachers have low, 58.2% have moderate, and 31.4% have a high level of In-Service Training Sessions. 15.0% of private school teachers have low grades, 49.0% of them have moderate grades, and 35.9% of them have high levels of attendance at department meetings. 11.1% of private school teachers have low grades, 88.9% of them have moderate grades, and none of them have a high level of Lesson Observation. 31.1% of private school teachers have low, 62.1% have moderate, and 24.8% have high levels of overall Continuous Professional Development Programmes.
Table 4 revealed that, among the 153 samples, 46.40% of private school teachers strongly agree that their INSET Sessions have the most positive effect on teaching methods. 49.01% of private school teachers have agreed that in-service sessions have the most positive effect on teaching methods. 3.92% of private school teachers are neutral in their INSET sessions, which has the most positive effect on teaching methods.
Table 5 revealed that, among the 153 samples, 52.94% of private school teachers strongly agree that department meetings have the least positive effect on teaching methods. 40.52% of private school teachers have agreed in their department meetings that teaching methods have the least positive effect. 6.53% of private school teachers are neutral in their department meetings, which has the least positive effect on teaching methods.
Table 6 revealed that, among the 153 samples, 52.94% of private school teachers strongly agree that lesson observations by the HOD have the most positive effect on teaching methods. 39.86% of private school teachers agree in their Lesson Observations that the HOD has the most positive effect on teaching methods. 6.53% of private school teachers are neutral in their Lesson Observations by the HOD, which has the most positive effect on teaching methods. 0.653% of private school teachers disagree with their Lesson Observations by the HOD having the most positive effect on teaching methods.
Table 7 revealed that, among the 153 samples, 57.5% of private school teachers chose the most effective Continuous Professional Development programme as INSET sessions. 23.5% of private school teachers have chosen the most effective Continuous Professional Development programme as department meetings. 19.0% of private school teachers have chosen the most effective Continuous Professional Development programme as lesson observations by the HOD, Pataki (2005).
Conclusion
The present study will act as a guiding light for educational policymakers and teachers to enable the teaching-learning process and teaching strategies through continuous professional development programs and to plan the structured evaluation framework of CPD Programmes. By enhancing the in-service training sessions of teachers, educators can not only enhance academic excellence among such teachers but, in turn, also raise the level of academic performance and move towards a brighter future. Later, they can contribute positively to nation-building. In sum, it may be concluded that there is a strong linkage between in-service training sessions, lesson observation, and department meetings. Thus, to minimize academic underachievement among students, there is an urgent need on the part of the institutions to make conscious and decisive efforts in the direction of enhancing the Continuous Professional Development Programmes for the teachers. This type of INSET session training program should be carried out by teachers who are efficient and firmly believe in the potential that each student possesses. This will ensure that the entire information is disseminated in such a way that the pupils become oriented towards the enhancement process. These abilities can be greatly enhanced by teachers.
In the present study, based on the results revealed, in-service training sessions were the most effective Continuous Professional Development program for private school teachers in Abu Dhabi. So, it can be implemented in all the schools, and in-service training sessions should be given frequently. This study may help other schools in the same region plan effective CPD programs in their schools. These abilities can be greatly enhanced by teachers.
Declarations
Ethics approval and consent to participate: In the data collection process, electronically informed consent was obtained from the participants.
Conflict of interests: Not applicable
Acknowledgement: Gratitude to, supervisor for the immense support extended by her throughout the preparation of this manuscript. All the authors are acknowledged, and all the required details are mentioned.
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