The effectiveness of current teachers' continuous professional development : perceptions by supervisors, senior teachers and teachers in Muscat, Oman

Al-Shammakhi, Khalid Nasser

Abstract

Researchers in Oman have criticised the teachers’ professional development system, blaming the Ministry of education (MOE) for the mismatch between what has been provided as continuous professional development (CPD) training courses and what are teachers’ needs and desired topics. Therefore, this thesis explores perceived effectiveness of current CPD for teachers in Oman especially for those teaching in Post-basic (11-12) and basic (10-12) schools from the perception of supervisors, senior teachers and teachers.

A mixed method, two-phase research design was adopted. In phase one (quantitative), all of the 22 Post basic and Basic schools in Muscat were surveyed. 153 responses (a 30.6% response rate) were received 93 (60.8%) were female and 60 (39.2%) were male. 104 (67.9%) were teachers, 31 (20.2%) were senior teachers and 18 (11.7%) were supervisors. In phase two (qualitative), most of the respondents had answered the two open-ended questions from the survey regarding how they perceived the meaning of the term CPD and its importance to teachers’ professional development. Interviews were conducted with 1 supervisor, 2 senior teachers and 8 teachers along with 4 supervisors who agreed to answer the interview questions by email and WhatsApp.

The quantitative and qualitative data results showed that respondents from the three groups believe that the current CPD for teachers is still not effective. However, some issues emerged needing further consideration such as the obstacles that hinder teachers from promoting their professional development such as the teaching loads, covering the extra periods caused by absent teachers and the lack of job satisfaction. Other obstacles emerged from the interviews for example; teachers had not been involved in determining their professional development needs, the lack of professional materials and the lack of financial support. These obstacles should encourage the Ministry officials to examine the problem closely and find solutions to enhance the effectiveness of teachers’ CPD.

Citation

Al-Shammakhi, K. N. (2020). The effectiveness of current teachers' continuous professional development : perceptions by supervisors, senior teachers and teachers in Muscat, Oman. (Thesis). University of Hull. Retrieved from https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4222425

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jun 11, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 23, 2023
• Keywords: Education
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4222425
• Additional Information: Department of Education Studies, The University of Hull
• Award Date: Jun 1, 2020