Continuing professional development (CPD) at a distance: Teachers' reflections on enhancing distance education (DE) provision
In Ghana, continuing professional development (CPD) initiatives for teachers are fragmented, with limited participation opportunities for all subject teachers, resulting in a high reliance on distance education (DE) programs. This qualitative study investigates teachers' experiences with DE upg...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Educational Research Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666374023000791 |
| _version_ | 1797398485987753984 |
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| author | Ellen Abakah David Addae Delali Amuzu |
| author_facet | Ellen Abakah David Addae Delali Amuzu |
| author_sort | Ellen Abakah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Ghana, continuing professional development (CPD) initiatives for teachers are fragmented, with limited participation opportunities for all subject teachers, resulting in a high reliance on distance education (DE) programs. This qualitative study investigates teachers' experiences with DE upgrading programs and their thoughts on improving. Data was gathered from 32 participants in the Ekumfi district of Ghana. The findings show that, despite the constraints, teachers in Ghana are taking an agentic stance in using DE for their professional development. However, while DE programs provide reliable paths to updating professional knowledge, they are insufficient as a CPD tool to assist teachers' learning for improvements in classroom practice. Teachers' DE experiences reveal a rigid program structure with content that is unreflective of current educational concerns and the utilization of didactic teaching and learning approaches. These are detrimental to active learning and unlikely to result in effective teacher improvement. To strengthen DE as an effective CPD tool in Ghana, the study recommends regularizing other CPD avenues, revising DE upgrading programs for teachers, and systematising mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating teachers' competencies before and afterDE participation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:26:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4b77e9d62526487dbd74e9b00bc9ebff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-3740 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:26:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Educational Research Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-4b77e9d62526487dbd74e9b00bc9ebff2023-12-10T06:17:57ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Educational Research Open2666-37402023-12-015100304Continuing professional development (CPD) at a distance: Teachers' reflections on enhancing distance education (DE) provisionEllen Abakah0David Addae1Delali Amuzu2Department of Adult Education & Human Resource Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana; Corresponding author.Department of Adult Education & Human Resource Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana; Department of Adult, Community and Continuing Education, University of South Africa, Sunnyside, Pretoria, South AfricaDepartment of Adult Education & Human Resource Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, GhanaIn Ghana, continuing professional development (CPD) initiatives for teachers are fragmented, with limited participation opportunities for all subject teachers, resulting in a high reliance on distance education (DE) programs. This qualitative study investigates teachers' experiences with DE upgrading programs and their thoughts on improving. Data was gathered from 32 participants in the Ekumfi district of Ghana. The findings show that, despite the constraints, teachers in Ghana are taking an agentic stance in using DE for their professional development. However, while DE programs provide reliable paths to updating professional knowledge, they are insufficient as a CPD tool to assist teachers' learning for improvements in classroom practice. Teachers' DE experiences reveal a rigid program structure with content that is unreflective of current educational concerns and the utilization of didactic teaching and learning approaches. These are detrimental to active learning and unlikely to result in effective teacher improvement. To strengthen DE as an effective CPD tool in Ghana, the study recommends regularizing other CPD avenues, revising DE upgrading programs for teachers, and systematising mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating teachers' competencies before and afterDE participation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666374023000791Distance educationContinuing professional developmentGhanaTeacher agency |
| spellingShingle | Ellen Abakah David Addae Delali Amuzu Continuing professional development (CPD) at a distance: Teachers' reflections on enhancing distance education (DE) provision International Journal of Educational Research Open Distance education Continuing professional development Ghana Teacher agency |
| title | Continuing professional development (CPD) at a distance: Teachers' reflections on enhancing distance education (DE) provision |
| title_full | Continuing professional development (CPD) at a distance: Teachers' reflections on enhancing distance education (DE) provision |
| title_fullStr | Continuing professional development (CPD) at a distance: Teachers' reflections on enhancing distance education (DE) provision |
| title_full_unstemmed | Continuing professional development (CPD) at a distance: Teachers' reflections on enhancing distance education (DE) provision |
| title_short | Continuing professional development (CPD) at a distance: Teachers' reflections on enhancing distance education (DE) provision |
| title_sort | continuing professional development cpd at a distance teachers reflections on enhancing distance education de provision |
| topic | Distance education Continuing professional development Ghana Teacher agency |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666374023000791 |
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