Challenges Associated with Teachers' Professional Development through Research-based
Activities
Yadu Prasad Gyawali
Assistant Professor
Mid-Western University, Surkhet, Nepal
Abstract
This article aims to find out the use of research and research-based activities for the
professional development of teachers. The study also aimed to bring out the types of research conducted
by the teachers and the use of teachers' research in the classroom. Similarly, this study tries to explore
school support for enhancing research activities. For the survey, focus group discussion was conducted
in Birendranagar valley. The critical discourse approach of interpretivism was applied to cater to the
finding of the study. Teachers researching behavior was reflected in the action research, and they
intended to carry out other types of investigations in their field. Still, they had been getting several
challenges like resource-based, lack of time, lack of knowledge in research. The administration also
found supporting, but they have minimal sources and not clear policy to teachers.
Key Words: researching behavior, knowledge, resources, teacher development, social ethics
Background
This study talks about the use of teacher's research for classroom purposes. Teachers' research is
an intellectual process based on action research to develop their professional skills related to teaching-
learning (Mangal, 2010). Mainly it explores how research contributes to productive professional
development activities and their impact on teachers' professional learning and outcomes for students. It
starts with a review of how teachers engage in and with research as part of Teachers' Professional
Development, how teachers and researchers shape professional learning activities, and identify critical
processes linked to positive outcomes.
Teacher development has emerged over the last decade as an identifiable area of study, and much
has been written on the subject. The teacher development literature has served to disseminate information
on and ideas for improving teachers' and, by extension, schools' performance. It has provided the forum
for discussion about the future of the teaching profession and the nature of teaching as a job. However, as
an area of study, teacher development tends, for the most part, to be dominated by issues. In contrast, the
concept itself and the methods that may affect teacher development remain comparatively neglected.
The study focuses on developing researching behaviors for professional development; similarly, it
tries to explore the various kinds of researches that have been practiced by teachers. The crucial part of
the study is related to the supports providing by the school administration to carry out research activities
in the school.
Problem Statement
Teaching is associated with collecting relevant content and context inside of the classroom and
outside as well. In the journey of education, teachers have been involved in fulfilling diverse
responsibilities in the various nature and concerning fields. Our tradition, social framework, cultural
influences, personal, as well as social ethics are some of the socio-political issues involved with the
teaching-learning practices. The present study is about the teacher's researching considerations for their
professional development. As we know that teachers are the prime factor in teaching the sociocultural
phenomena in day-to-day practices. The primary concern is towards the developmental approaches from
which we can be responsible for creating researching culture in the school.
Literature Review
These are the changing time in the education system around the world, and the investigations
were done on Professional development along with research activities for quality education. Fullan (1987)
showed that the role of leadership redefinition of staff development, organizational culture, and external
agency role, especially at the local and regional level, make the study more authentic and relevant.
Teacher and Research
Most of the researches focused on the efforts for the enhancement of teachers' professional
development and have also been well thought out as its efforts on enhanced teacher practices.
Professional practices can relate to what teachers do in their classrooms (behaviors), as well as their
professional knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values (Evans, 2010). Professional development as an
essential part of professional life (Barak et al., 2010) and may help address the 'vagueness around the
concept of professionalism in Ireland' (O'Sullivan, 2011). While this outline may be seen as a positive,
providing prerogative and improved position for teachers, it may also give more control to the
government (Purdon, 2004).
Research Challenges for Teachers
The challenge with Professional development is to transfer teachers' professional practices into
enhanced student outcomes (Rhodes et al., 2004), a procedure which is not instinctive (Cumming, 2002)
and necessitates care for teachers (Joyce & Showers, 1988). Whether this provision is continuing or has
any impression is not clear. Nevertheless, the literature does a demonstration that a focused collective
learning approach to Professional development can enable and support enhanced pupils' consequences
and school development (Bubb & Earley, 2009). However, it is extensively acknowledged that a
significant quantity of teacher learning happens through a collaborative relationship with others (English,
2008).
Research and Teachers' Professional Development
Teachers' teaching, learning, and research program are closely related. Through research,
teachers explore new ways of teaching that help in enhancing their professionalism. Teachers cannot
improve their professional career in the absence of research activities. Nunan (2010, p. 3) summaries
research is an inquiry that has two components: process and product. It is done to explore problems
through systematic ways and get a solution to the issues objectively. Cohen (2011,p. 345) argued that
action research is called practical research that combines action and research. Cohen also suggests that
action research can be used in various areas. For example, it can be used in teaching methods to replace a
traditional manner by finding a new approach; it explores new strategies of learning, develops ways to
cultivate positive attitudes, and makes teachers more professional for teamwork with a focus on
collaboration.
King (2012) said that there is massive practice regarding managerial professionalism in
teaching to improve the teacher's profession through research. Of course, research is the soul for making
teaching more effective and result-oriented. (Sari, 2012) explains that research has shown that the
pedagogical transformation of a teacher can be facilitated through Teacher Professional Development
(TPD). TPD allows teachers to reflect on their practice through interactions with other practitioners,
which can improve their professional practice. (p.18)
Masters programs that develop these skills and capacities could usefully make the connection more
explicit between research literacy and improving teachers' professional practice. New initiatives like
Teaching Schools and the promotion of randomized controlled trials should be seized as an opportunity
for modeling research-rich TPD for teachers, leaders, and researchers.
In the first part of the 21st Century, an intense exploration of the evidence about effective Teachers'
Professional Development (TPD) is very challenging. At the same time, the effects of strictness and
radical changes in the educational landscape in Nepal are focusing attention on how to direct scarce
resources. Many approaches to education are quite good. What the education system needs is to
understand those that make the most difference.
King (2012) accomplished a case study to explore the impact of a collaborative professional development
initiative on teachers' professional practice in five urban disadvantaged primary schools in Ireland. The
study was explored through a qualitative approach to dig out short-term and long-term impact, along with
factors that helped or hindered the development and sustainability of the professional development
practice. It was found that professional development is beneficial in order to adopt the changes on larger
scales in school. In the study, it was found that teachers' professional development and expertise in and
with the changes enhance pupil outcomes and foster school improvement.
Sari (2012) studied an online learning community for teachers' professional development in Indonesia. A
feasibility study was conducted to examine how this new model could facilitate ongoing professional
development and promote social learning interaction for educators in Indonesia. This study aimed at
finding the teachers' perspective towards the teaching pedagogy, which they use inside the classroom for
their teaching activities and pupil learning. From the study, it was found that the teachers who have raised
and educated conventionally and have the pedagogy of poverty are likely to change and place them in a
prominent position, as an information provider, task giver, or an assessor. It was also found that the TPD
helps for the development of student skills for the 21st Century, such as critical thinking, collaboration,
and cross-cultural thinking skills.
Research Questions
a) How can teachers develop researching behavior for professional development?
b) What kinds of researches can teachers do in school?
c) How can school administration support teachers in doing researches?
Study Design, Methods, Tools
The study design was based on the qualitative approach focusing on phenomenology. For the
study, the researcher conducted a focus group discussion. For the focus group, discussion two
Headteachers and three teachers were selected from the three different schools of Birendranagar valley,
Surkhet. The researcher developed the three themes (Researching behaviors of teachers, Types of
researches teachers doing and support from the School administration) in the discussion and were more
than thirty students and other stakeholders. The ideas or perspectives of teachers and headteachers were
analyzed and interpreted logically.
Findings and Discussions
The teachers were found involved in action research, nevertheless they were fond of doing other
types of researchers in their professional careers. Regarding researching the behavior of teachers, they
were found risky for the researching behaviors, but there was found the problem in support from
administration due to lack of budget and proper policies and training motives.
The teachers came up to known about research and were found investing in daily research for the
classroom. Some of the teachers were found doing action research mostly, i.e., for their job security
purposes. The key points, which are given in the responses of teachers, are given below.
• In responses of teachers, action research is conducted. Action research is mostly done for the
professional development of them. Some of the respondents carry out experimental and
participatory research.
• Teachers' role is to be an instructor, participator, motivator, guide, counselor, practitioner,
coordinator, researcher, analyzer, and controller for conducting research activities at the school
level.
• Research findings should be used effectively and appropriately by the teachers to minimize the
related problems. Research findings need to be applied accordingly to improve teaching-learning
activities.
The researcher stated that the majority of teachers were favor with the use of research for TPD due to
the following reasons.
• It provides the opportunity for learning by doing.
• It enables individuals to realize the value of teaching.
• It makes teachers active and responsible for the teaching-learning process.
• It develops the teachers' creativity skills and self-confidence.
• It improves the whole teaching and learning activities.
• It helps to develop ability, knowledge, and skills in teaching.
• It makes the teaching-learning activities productive, successful and continues.
• It has improved teaching and learning strategies.
• It has brought conveniences and advancements in the teaching-learning process.
Challenges
From the discussion with the teachers and headteachers, the resource-based challenges, training based
challenges, knowledge-based challenges, practice-based challenges, policy-based challenges, political
challenges, economical challenges, technological challenges, socio-psychological challenges were found
associated for the research-based activities.
The teachers were found interested in being involved in research activities, but they have several
responsibilities beyond teaching. As mentioned, they did not care about researching is also one of the
significant responsibilities in their professional career. Here it is worth to mention the view of one of the
teachers.
As being a teacher, I need to teach five and sometimes six periods in a day. I need to teach more
than 60 students in a class. I also have the responsibility of checking assignments and giving
feedback. How could I manage my class, homework, other activities--- then research… I hear
now? If we need to research for our professional development, I think we can do nothing as...
Notably, we have been doing several new activities in our classroom, but we do not have
documented them. I realized that we do not need to do any different activities for research; it will
be if we keep documented and share with others...
(Teacher, Focus group discussion)
The headteachers also had similar kinds of Challenges, as them, political pressure and
unhealthy socio-psychological obstacles were the leading causes of the practicality of researching
behaviors. One of the headteachers rigidly urges the political cause as one of the most challenging
issues for creating, developing, and sustaining the professional environment in the schools. Here I
would like to quote the view given by one of the headteachers.
I am the Headteacher of a school; I spent my professional time there in the school, but, only
physically; I have been entangled to the political pressure while we need new teacher in the
school---I need to highly sensitive to treat the teacher; if I suggest to teachers who have been
somehow deviated to the professional nature, there was blame to me that I had been blaming
him/her as s/he is beyond to the ideology that I belonged to; such a situation develop researching
culture or any other? I am surprised myself that we roar for a quality product, quality
environment. The policy needs to be reformed from which we can professionally work on in
professional culture, and then we can do...
(Headteacher, focus group discussion)
The novelty concern of the study was that the teachers at the school level are also interested in
research funds and well-defined policies; however, they need to research for their promotional purposes.
They intended to investigate for professional development. Similarly, the school administration also
found curious about developing research policies as per the university level. Another aspect of teacher
development is the goals or aims that make educational institutions or individual teachers engage in
professional development activities. The concern is on the purpose or aim of continuing professional
development and learning of teachers is the improvement of the education and learning opportunities for
students.
Conclusion
Based on findings and discussion of the study, this research would be fruitful and beneficial for
the curriculum designers, textbook writers, teachers, policymakers, researchers, and all the stakeholders
of education as research is the need of the present context. In addition to improving students' learning,
professional development for teachers aims at changing and improving the current practices, notions,
knowledge, and opinions to make them reach the required standards Guskey,(2002 p.41) Johnson
&Golombek, (2002 p.27). Tsui (2005 p.88), talks about developing expertise in teaching. Therefore, It is
pointed out that teachers need to continue following knowledge and growth to attain their goal of being
experts in their field and research. As we know that research is a continuous process that promotes
teachers' skills, knowledge, master new proficiency, which in turn helps improve students' learning level.
So, it can be managed by concern authorities and stakeholders to minimize challenges that may appear in
conducting researches on several practices. The teachers should be aware of creating new trends in
teaching-learning activities. Curriculum designers, book writers, trainers, subject experts should develop
awareness or update to transform teachers effective in teaching-learning activities accordingly to the
changing scope of the teaching-learning process.
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