Factors Affecting Lecturers’ Participation in Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

A case study research design was employed to investigate college lecturers’ perceptions on factors affecting their participation in continuing professional development (CPD). The survey questionnaire instrument was developed by the researchers to answer the two research questions that were posed. Forty lecturers were randomly selected from the four Faculties at the BA ISAGO University College. Botswana. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the findings and the findings revealed that college lecturers were more likely to participate in CPD if they interpreted the content of such programmes as relevant and realistic and if such programmes offered the lecturers the opportunity to share their ideas. It also showed that they were more likely to participate in CPD if they think such programmes were relevant to the self-identified needs of the lecturers themselves. Conversely, insufficient resources to implement learning; lack of money to pay for courses; CPD programme content not well focused and structured; and workload hindered the college lecturers’ individual abilities to participate in CPD. The study concluded that addressing CPD inhibiting factors would translate to active participation of the lecturers in CPD programmes. Recommendations focused on how management of BA ISAGO University-college could positively impact on continuing professional development of its lecturers. Address for Correspondence: Dr. C. I. O. Okeke University of Fort Hare, East London Campus, Eastern Cape, RSA E-mail: [email protected] INTRODUCTION Continuing Professional Development (CPD) obligations are common to most professions including teaching. CPD in teaching profession should be seen as a structured approach to learning that helps to ensure competence to practice of the lecturers, acquiring information, taking in knowledge, skills and application of practical experience. CPD can involve any relevant learning activity, whether formal and structured or informal and self-directed. In today’s world, the teaching profession has been relegated with many factors contributing to job dissatisfaction of teachers which did not allow them to be fulfilled as a professional. To them CPD is a fiction rather than veracity. They show little or no concern (Oluniyi 2013). The management policy does not help matter. Teaching profession becomes a stepping stone to some it is a mirage. This has necessitated the researchers to channel a study on the factors inhibiting and promoting CPD. The lifelong education has been highly emphasized in the global world (Steyn 2010; Singh 2011). Literature attribute this recognition to the wider education policy agenda, of a lifelong learning as well as on continuing professional development (CPD) being placed at the heart of the schooling system in many countries (Hustle et al. 2003; Samuel 2008; Steyn 2008). In Botswana the drive towards CPD has been emphasised in the new education policy given various complex and dynamic changes as well as the challenges confronting various categories in the country (Herrity and Morales 2004). Numerous studies, such as those of Kennedy (2005); Dadds (2006); Wan and Lam (2010) suggest that lecturers require continuing support in the form of continuing professional development activities that will enhance their beliefs in their power to make a difference to their pupils’ learning. More research, for instance, Barter (2008); Burton and Johnson (2010); Steyn (2011) allude to the above argument. These authors unanimously argue that highly skilled lecturers can make a difference not only to the quality of teaching, but also to that of students’ learning in order to sustain the schooling system. Although there seem not to be uniformity in literature about the definition of the term, however, CPD has been widely used to refer to ongoing education and training for the professions (Earley and Bubb 2004), and for the teaching 272 E. O. ADU AND C. I. O. OKEKE profession in particular. There are some other associated concepts, such as teacher development, staff development and professional development, related to continuing professional development. Day (1999) has clarified the distinction between these terms and continuing professional development. He states that most of the definitions of professional development stress the acquisition of subject or content knowledge and teaching skills as its main purpose. Much emphasis has to be put on the nature of CPD as a “continuing” process for improvement in addition to the knowledge and skills gained. As an ongoing process of any kind of education, training, learning and support activities engaged in by lecturers alone or with others (Bolam 1993; Day 1999), CPD enhances lecturers’ knowledge and skills and enables them to consider their attitudes and approaches to the education of children, attempting to improve the quality of learning and teaching. In short, CPD focuses on fostering individual competence to enhance practice and facilitate dynamic changes in education (Blandford 2000). Lecturers’ CPD in a general term, means teacher learning in an ongoing approach. CPD implies the improvement of the school as well as the professional advancement of individuals. In other words, CPD can embrace personal development (individualized learning) and staff development (the collegiality of group learning/colearning) (Bell 1991). On this point, Day (1999) gives a similar but useful definition about professional development, stating that it “consists of all natural learning experiences and those conscious and planned activities, which are intended to be of direct or indirect benefit to the individual, group or school and which contribute to the quality of education in the classroom” (Day 1999: 4). Thus professional development encompasses all activities that cater for both the individual needs of lecturers and for the institutional needs of the whole school (Bell 1991). The lecturers, the school and the pupils thus benefit from such a process of professional development (Bell 1991). Although many research literature on educational and schooling effectiveness, for instance, Kriek and Grayson (2009); Ono and Ferreira (2010); Steyn (2010), have clearly identified a relationship between quality lecturers and effective professional development of lecturers, yet, in Botswana teacher professional development appear not to have been fully embraced. Notwithstanding this scenario, as noted by Steyn (2010: 539) in Botswana, “there is widespread agreement that [continuing] professional development is the best possible answer to meet complex challenges and benefit the individual and the school system”. Despite numerous studies on CPD, it would appear little attention has been given to the examination of the lecturers’ perspectives on factors affecting their active participation and how these should be addressed by policy. It was therefore necessary to investigate college lecturers’ perceptions on factors affecting lecturers’ participation in continuing professional development (CPD) in Botswana. Approaches to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Steyn (2009) contends that three fundamental shifts in belief about CPD have impacted various calls on teacher-facilitated, school-based approaches and models to CPD. First, the relationship between teaching and students’ learning; such relationship requires that lecturers both the experienced and the novice, be involved in a lifelong learning. A second shift is the quality of the teacher’ pedagogical content knowledge that has been the focus of many experts on CPD and the achievement gaps among learners (Hirsh 2005). Third, emphasizes the need for “increased responsibility for professional development programmes to more effectively equip lecturers to teach challenging content and to ensure that all learners are able to meet the required standards” (Steyn 2009: 258). Given these changing demands on the new roles of lecturers in the 21st Century, traditional approaches to CPD are therefore variously criticized for their shortcomings of being unable to get lecturers prepared for their new role of knowledge facilitator rather than knowledge transmitter (see for instance, Darling-Hammond 1998; Hirsh 2005; Lieberman 1996; Steyn 2009; Singh 2011). In general, it has been contended that traditional approaches to CPD are less likely to result in any development because, “regardless of their purposes are delivered in the form of workshops, seminar, conferences and courses” (Ono and Ferreira 2010: 60). The principles on which the traditional approaches to CPD are laid appear to LECTURERS’ PARTICIPATION IN CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 273 suggest that “lecturers are trained to follow patterns, result in passive learning, expert driven with little inclusion of teacher knowledge and realities of the classroom” (Ono and Ferreira 2010: 62). Pitsoe and Maila (2012) also commented on the weaknesses of the traditional approaches to CPD when they contended that these approaches were inadequate preparation given current reforms taking place within the education sector of many countries. As a result, traditional approaches became less favoured. Many studies (Mestry et al. 2009; Ono and Ferreira 2010; Pitsoe and Maila 2012) suggest that an alternative approach to CPD must have the teacher as its focus. Two theoretical perspectives lead the alternative approaches to CPD which support teacher learning more effectively (Kwakman 2003). These two perspectives include cognitive psychological and professional development perspectives that are briefly dis-