Mid-Career Teachers: A Mixed Methods Scoping Study of Professional Development, Career Progression and Retention
Globally, there are ongoing problems with teacher retention, leading to a loss of experience and expertise. In policy and research, the emphasis is often on the professional development and retention of early career teachers, whereas teachers in later stages of their career are relatively under-repr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/6/299 |
| _version_ | 1797529932082970624 |
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| author | Josephine Booth Mike Coldwell Lisa-Maria Müller Emily Perry James Zuccollo |
| author_facet | Josephine Booth Mike Coldwell Lisa-Maria Müller Emily Perry James Zuccollo |
| author_sort | Josephine Booth |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Globally, there are ongoing problems with teacher retention, leading to a loss of experience and expertise. In policy and research, the emphasis is often on the professional development and retention of early career teachers, whereas teachers in later stages of their career are relatively under-represented. This article addresses this imbalance, reporting on a mixed methods scoping study that explores definitions of mid-career teachers in England and their retention and development, via a literature review, primary data collection and secondary analysis of data from the OECD’s TALIS 2018 survey. We found that there is no agreed definition of mid-career teacher, relating to time in teaching, role and wider life circumstances and self-definition. Whatever definition is used, mid-career teachers are a heterogenous group, with varying needs, career plans and commitment to the profession. Whilst typically confident in their practice, their learning needs vary and are often experienced as unmet, especially for those looking for progression routes outside leadership and those with family commitments. This indicates that their potential for career development to benefit the profession may not be reached. The article concludes with suggestions for further study, policy and practice to improve understanding of this under-researched group. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:20:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e04836897410469eb5c5ec17fbae4aa3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:20:56Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-e04836897410469eb5c5ec17fbae4aa32023-11-22T00:25:58ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022021-06-0111629910.3390/educsci11060299Mid-Career Teachers: A Mixed Methods Scoping Study of Professional Development, Career Progression and RetentionJosephine Booth0Mike Coldwell1Lisa-Maria Müller2Emily Perry3James Zuccollo4Sheffield Institute of Education, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, UKSheffield Institute of Education, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, UKChartered College of Teaching, Pears Pavilion, Coram Campus, 41 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AZ, UKSheffield Institute of Education, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, UKEducation Policy Institute, London SW1W 9TR, UKGlobally, there are ongoing problems with teacher retention, leading to a loss of experience and expertise. In policy and research, the emphasis is often on the professional development and retention of early career teachers, whereas teachers in later stages of their career are relatively under-represented. This article addresses this imbalance, reporting on a mixed methods scoping study that explores definitions of mid-career teachers in England and their retention and development, via a literature review, primary data collection and secondary analysis of data from the OECD’s TALIS 2018 survey. We found that there is no agreed definition of mid-career teacher, relating to time in teaching, role and wider life circumstances and self-definition. Whatever definition is used, mid-career teachers are a heterogenous group, with varying needs, career plans and commitment to the profession. Whilst typically confident in their practice, their learning needs vary and are often experienced as unmet, especially for those looking for progression routes outside leadership and those with family commitments. This indicates that their potential for career development to benefit the profession may not be reached. The article concludes with suggestions for further study, policy and practice to improve understanding of this under-researched group.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/6/299mid-career teacherteacher developmentteacher retentionteacher careersscoping study |
| spellingShingle | Josephine Booth Mike Coldwell Lisa-Maria Müller Emily Perry James Zuccollo Mid-Career Teachers: A Mixed Methods Scoping Study of Professional Development, Career Progression and Retention Education Sciences mid-career teacher teacher development teacher retention teacher careers scoping study |
| title | Mid-Career Teachers: A Mixed Methods Scoping Study of Professional Development, Career Progression and Retention |
| title_full | Mid-Career Teachers: A Mixed Methods Scoping Study of Professional Development, Career Progression and Retention |
| title_fullStr | Mid-Career Teachers: A Mixed Methods Scoping Study of Professional Development, Career Progression and Retention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mid-Career Teachers: A Mixed Methods Scoping Study of Professional Development, Career Progression and Retention |
| title_short | Mid-Career Teachers: A Mixed Methods Scoping Study of Professional Development, Career Progression and Retention |
| title_sort | mid career teachers a mixed methods scoping study of professional development career progression and retention |
| topic | mid-career teacher teacher development teacher retention teacher careers scoping study |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/6/299 |
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