AN ANALYSIS OF TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCES WITH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPING LEARNERS 21ST CENTURY SKILLS

Jacqueline Peters-Richardson FINAL Thesis
Jacqueline-Peters-Richardson-FINAL-Thesis.pdf

All levels of the school system promote and practice teachers’ continuous professional development to ensure they meet the diverse needs of students in Antigua and Barbuda. Using a qualitative approach, this study sought to determine which approach suits the individual needs of educators in Antigua and Barbuda and examined participants’ perspectives on conventional and bespoke teacher professional development. In the research context, there is an issue of teachers’ inability to integrate ICT tools and lack the ability to incorporate strategies, skills, and knowledge acquired during teacher professional development into their practices. Transformational learning theory provides the theoretical framework for this educational intervention promoting the enhancement and development of 21st-century skills among teachers through individualised and institutional professional development. Mezirow’s theory of transformational learning centres on adult learners and their perception of their world and frame of reference, which allows for inclusion, open differentiation, integration, and transformation. The conceptual framework was built around the notion of best practices and principles for a bespoke approach to teacher professional development and teachers’ perception of professional development and ICT integration. This interpretive phenomenological qualitative study engaged a total of 38 participants, comprising 24 teachers currently employed in the public education system in Antigua

and Barbuda, 10 teacher professional development facilitators and four Ministry of Education Officials. The data were thematically analysed based on the a priori themes derived from the research questions and the inductive themes that emerged from the data. The research concluded that compared to the conventional approach, the bespoke teacher professional development approach was more effective in transferring learning to the environment and engaging their students in 21st-century skills development strategies. Future research should build on the findings focusing on the support mechanism and its importance, how students benefit from teacher professional development, and how students engage with technology and assess their 21st-century skills development. The study added to the body of research by examining teachers’ experiences with professional development and developing learners’ 21st-century skills. The outcome of this study was a teacher with a professional development model to guide the planning and implementation of these sessions.


Item Type: 
Doctoral
Subjects: 
Education
Divisions: 
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, teachers
Depositing User: 
Jacqueline Y. Peters-Richardson
Date Deposited: 
29 September 2023 15:47