ENHANCING TEACHING QUALITY THROUGH CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

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1 European Journal of Educational Studies 5(2), 2013 European Journal of Educational Studies 5(2), Ozean Publication ENHANCING TEACHING QUALITY THROUGH CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION P.I. EMEME*, MRS. O.O AITOKHUEHI, SUPO JEGEDE & J.O. OJO-AJIBARE Department of Adult Education, University of Lagos Akoka, Lagos * address for correspondence: Abstract: The paper reiterates the importance of education to development and the crucial role teachers play in inculcating the necessary knowledge and values into the learners to make them partake in the development process. This, according to the paper calls for a well-structured, coordinated and detailed continuing professional development programme that will enhance the development of quality teachers that can meet the demands of the ever changing global village. A study was conducted to ascertain if the teachers undergo continuous professional development programme and whether such programmes are adequate? Four research questions were formulated and tested using a 27-item questionnaire. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select a total of 480 teachers from 48 schools. The result shows that the teachers undertake continuing professional development, but mostly in the traditional mode of workshops and seminars that had been found to be inadequate for the development of effective and qualitative teachers. Suggestions were made for the establishment of an autonomous professional body, as in other professions which should coordinate and evaluate a mandatory continuing professional development programmes for teachers in the form of distance learning. Keywords: professional development, qualitative teachers, distance learning INTRODUCTION Education is a fundamental element of change and the pivot of development and the teacher is a major determinant of success or otherwise in the education sector. The teacher plays a crucial role in the type of products that come out of the school, and what comes out of the school determines the future of the society as argued by Sanders (1998) and Sanders and Rivers (1996) in Rice (2003), that the single most important factor affecting students achievement is teachers, and the effects of teachers on students achievement are both additive and cumulative. As development is not static, and change is a continuous phenomenon, then, the knowledge needed to bring about change, or adapt to the change, in order to bring about the desired development cannot be static. Knowledge changes with time and there will always be emergence of new concepts, ideas and issues in the process of development. 277

2 It is believed that no change can take place without the involvement of teachers because it is the teachers who inculcate these emerging concepts, ideas and issues into the learners to make them fit into the development process, through continuous skill development programme that helps to acquaint him or her, not only to new developments in his or her area, but also other areas that may be required in the process of moulding the lives of the young ones. The need for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme for teachers is even becoming more pertinent, especially in Nigeria, because of the dwindling standard of education and high rate of failure in external examinations. For instance, the result of the recently concluded West African Examination Council (WAEC) shows that 250,487 candidates representing 80.78% had two credits and above, 217,161 candidates (70.03%) have three credits and above; while 180,480 candidates (58.20%), had four credits and above (Uwadiae, 2010). Furthermore, 141,167 candidates (45.52%) obtained five credits and above, while 99,750 candidates (32.16%) obtained six credits and above. The result shows a quality gap in the educational system. There is therefore the need to bridge this gap in the quality of education through the continuing professional development for teachers. This is more so because no country s educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers. Of all the ingredients that are needed to improve the quality of teachers, continuing professional development has been observed to be a major factor (Clarke, 2005; Clotfelter and Ladd, 2004; Lewis, Parsad, Carey, Bartfai and Westat, 1999). Continuing professional development does not only expose the teachers to all the needed knowledge and skills that will make them to become highly effective as well as cope with modern day challenges of the teaching profession, it also helps them to update already acquired knowledge. The importance of continuing professional development of teachers is made more profound, because teachers do not enter the classroom as a finished product (Clotfelter and Ladd, 2004: 2). That is, when new teachers first enter the classroom, they do not possess all the knowledge and skills they will need to become highly effective. It is with experience, practice, assistance and training that novice can learn and improve to become better teachers. Therefore, through continuing professional development, teachers acquire new concepts, ideas and knowledge to enhance their professional skill and competence which in turn improves the general quality of educational service delivery. The question that may arise therefore is not whether continuing professional development is necessary or not, but how are they provided in terms of approaches adopted in order to ensure their effectiveness in enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the teachers in the classroom? Most teachers may have been exposed to one form of continuing professional development programme or the other, the effectiveness of such programmes has been severally questioned. For instance, Clotfelter and Ladd, 2004; Lewis et al, 1999 criticize traditional approaches to professional development (e.g. workshop, conferences) for being relatively ineffective. According to the authors, traditional approaches are usually short termed; they lack continuity through adequate follow-up and ongoing feedback from experts; they are typically isolated from participants classroom and school contexts; and they take a passive approach to training teachers, allowing little opportunity to learn by doing and reflecting with colleagues Effective continuing professional development programmes for teachers should therefore be a well-structured, wellcoordinated and detailed programme that will focus on specific areas of need of the practicing teacher, The content of the programme should include methods of teaching, student assessment, use of educational technology for instruction, co-operative learning in the classroom and in-depth study of the subject area among others. Problem of the Study Education is the bedrock of development, and the teacher plays a crucial role in the product and outcome of the education sector. Development involves change that has to be inculcated by the teacher. The teacher therefore needs to understand and accept the change so as to function effectively as well as meet up with the present and future challenges of his or her profession. One major way of doing this effectively is through continuing professional development. It has also been observed that not all types of continuing professional programmes are effective. The problem of this study therefore is to find out, if Nigerian teachers undertake continuing professional development, what type do they undertake and whether they are effective in producing the required quality teachers that are highly effective in the classroom. 278

3 Purpose of the Study The research purposed to: 1. determine whether the teachers are undergoing regular/periodic continuing professional development training; 2. ascertain the type of continuing professional development training they are undergoing; 3. determine the organizers of continuing professional development training; and 4. assess to what extent do the continuing professional development training have the potential to impact on the teacher s service delivery; Research Questions 1. Are teachers undergoing regular continuing professional development training? 2. What are the types of continuing professional development training programmes attended by the teachers? 3. Who were the organizers of these continuing professional teacher s development trainings in Nigeria? 4. To what extent do the continuing professional development training programmes have the potential to enhance teacher s service delivery? Significance of the Study: This study will reveal the nature of the continuing professional development programmes being undertaken by both primary and secondary school teachers. This will make it possible to understand whether these continuing professional development programmes have the capacity to produce the type of quality and effective teachers that can lead to the realization of desired national development and if not, to be able to make suggestions for improvement. METHODOLOGY Population: All the teachers in both public and private primary and secondary schools in Lagos State constitute the population for the study. Sample and Sampling Technique For the study, a total number of 480 teachers, consisting of ten teachers from each of 24 primary (public and private) and 24 secondary (public and private) schools were selected randomly for the study through stratified random sampling technique. The administrative structure of Lagos State Schools consists of five districts; each district is made up of a number of local governments. Three districts namely District Two, District Three and District Four, were randomly selected forming the first stratum. Two local governments were randomly selected from each district, constituting the second stratum. In each local government, Eight Schools, consisting of four primary schools 279

4 (two public and two private), and four secondary schools (two public and two private), were randomly selected. In all there were 48 schools. In each school, ten teachers were randomly selected, giving a total of 480 subjects for the study. In summary, 3 districts 2 local Governments 8 Schools 10 Teachers = 480 Research Instrument The instrument used was a questionnaire comprising 27 items which was developed, validated and found to be reliable for the study. The instrument was administered to the respondents and data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results of the Analysis Four research questions were raised and tested in the study and the analysis was based on these research questions. The analysis of the demographic characteristics of the respondents shows that, 39 percent were males while 61 percent were females and majority, 66 percent of them fell between years age range. Research Question One: Are teachers undergoing regular professional development training? I have attended training in the last one year I have attended training in the last 2 Years I have attended training in the last 5 Years Table 1: Percentage Response of Teachers that Attended CPD Programme in the last one, two and five years Response (%) Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don t Know Missing

5 Figure 1: Last CPD Program Attended Figure 1 shows that majority, 71 percent of the teachers, had attended one CPD Programme or the other in the last one year, 62 percent in the last two years and 51 percent in the last five years Figure 2: Last CPD Programmes Attended by Primary School Teachers 281

6 Figure 3: Last CPD Programmes Attended by Secondary School Teachers Comparing figures 2 and 3, 37% of primary school teachers and 39% of secondary school teachers attended one CPD programme or the other in the last one year, 34% of primary school teachers and 33% of secondary school teachers in the last two years and 29% of primary school teachers and 28% of secondary school teachers in the last five years. The results show comparable attendance of CPD programmes by both primary and secondary school teachers. Figure 4: Last CPD Programmes Attended by Public Schools Teachers 282

7 Figure 5: Last CPD Programmes Attended by Private Schools Teachers A comparative analysis of figures 4 and 5 shows that, 36% of public school teachers and 40% of private school teachers attended CPD programme in the last one year, 36% of public and 31% of private attended in the last two year and 28% and 29% respectively attended in the last five years. There is a greater consistency in the attendance by public school teachers than the private school teachers. Research Question Two: What are the Types of CPD Programmes Attended by the Teachers? Figure 6: Types of CPD Program Attended 283

8 Information from the figure 6 shows that 39 percent of the respondents claimed to have attended seminars, 31 percent workshops and 8 percent conferences. Other programmes attended by the respondents were, degree programmes 13 percent, postgraduate diploma in Education seven percent, and Montessori courses, two percent Figure 7: Types of CPD Programmes Attended by Primary School Teachers Figure 8: Types of CPD Programmes Attended by Secondary School Teachers A comparative analysis of figures 7 and 8 shows that 45% of primary school teachers and 39% of secondary school teachers claimed to have attended seminars, 29% of primary and 31% of secondary attended workshops, 11% of primary and 13% of secondary attended degree programmes, eight percent each of both groups attended 284

9 conferences, two percent of primary and seven percent of secondary attended PGDE programmes while five percent of primary and two percent of secondary attended Montessori courses. Apart from seminars that show a difference of six percent between the two groups, fairly significant differences are found in PGDE and Montessori attendance. This is understandable because each of these programmes is specific for each group; PGDE is inclined towards secondary school while Montessori is specifically designed for primary school teachers Figure 9: Types of CPD Programmes Attended by Public School Teachers 285

10 Figure 10: Types of CPD Programmes Attended by Private School Teachers When figures 9 and 10 are compared, 44% of the public school teachers and 38% of private attended seminars, 29% and 32% attended workshop respectively, nine percent of public attended conferences while nine of private attended same. Seven percent of public and nine of private school teachers claimed to have attended conferences, 12% of each group attended degree programmes, six percent and four percent respectively attended PGDE programmes and two percent and five percent respectively attended montessori courses. These results show no significant difference in the types of programmes attended by both public and private schools teachers. Research Question Three: Who were the Organizers of the CPD Programmes Attended? Figure 11: The Organizers of the CPD Programmes Attended 286

11 Figure 11 shows that 37 percent of the respondents attended CPD Organized by various government establishments, 33 percent by private individuals, 14 percent by teacher training institutions, 11 percent by NGOs and five percent by Teachers Registration Council. Figure 12: The organizers of CPD Programmes Attended by Primary School Teachers Figure 13: The Organizers of CPD Programmes Attended by Secondary School Teachers Comparing figures 12 and 13, 35% of CPD programmes attended by primary school teachers were organized by government while, in the case of secondary school, it was 37%, 31% for primary school teachers and 33% for secondary school teachers were organized by private individuals, 18% of that of primary school teachers and 14% of the secondary school teachers were organized by teacher training institutions. 12% of that of primary school teachers 287

12 and 11% of secondary were organized by international organizations/ngos, while four percent of that of primary and five percent of that of secondary were organized by Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria. There is a similarity in the organizers of CPD programmes for both primary and secondary schools teachers. Figure 14: The Organizers of CPD Programmes Attended by Public School Teachers Figure 15: The Organizers of CPD Programmes Attended by Private School Teachers Comparing figures 14 and 15, 55% of the programmes attended by public schools teachers were organized by government while in the case of private schools teacher was 16%. In the case of programmes organized by private organization and individuals for public school teachers, it was 10% while that of private was 55%; for those by teachers training institutes, for public it was 19% and for private 12%, for international organizations and NGOs, public was 10% while private was 13% while for TRCN, public was 6% and private 4%. 288

13 Research question Four: To what extent has CPD Programmes enhanced teachers service delivery? Figure 16: Impact of CPD Programmes The impact of the various CPD programmes as informed by the respondents showed that 22 percent each claimed that there was impact on preparation and use of lesson notes and lesson delivery respectively. 21 percent claimed impact on how to help students with special needs, 19 percent claimed enhanced examination marking competence and 16 percent learnt how to set multiple choice questions. DISCUSSION The research question one was formulated to ascertain whether teachers in the state undertake CPD programmes regularly. The results show regular attendance of CPD programmes by the teachers, with greater intensity in the last one year. The result of the study also shows a comparable attendance of CPD programmes by both the primary and secondary school teachers, while a greater consistency is seen in the attendance by public school teachers than private school teachers. The upsurge of programmes attendance by public school teachers may be attributed to the ongoing World Bank, EKO project in the state. However, it is a good development and in line with prevailing circumstance. As highlighted by Lewis, Parsad, Carey, Bartfai &Westat (1999), at the core of educational reforms to raise standards, reshape curricula and restructure the way schools operate is the call to re-conceptualize the practice of teaching. The call for teachers to learn new methods of teaching and cope with the greater challenges of rapidly increasing technological changes and greater diversity in the classroom is to resort to continuous learning. But, whether these training are well structured enough to make the required impact is another thing. The outcome of research question two revealed that most of the CPD programmes were workshops, seminars and conferences. Even when primary school teachers and secondary school teachers as well as public and private school teachers are compared, the same trend still exists. This result shows that, even though the teachers undertake CPD programmes, the programmes may not be the well-structured ones and may be based mainly on the traditional modes. It has been established that traditional approaches to professional development through workshops and conferences may not have the capacity to make the necessary and required impact because they are usually short 289

14 term, they lack continuity, and commonly isolated from the participants classroom and school contexts among others (Lewis et al, 1999). This fact is still valid, even though the respondents claim different impacts on their professional capabilities. It is the position of this paper therefore that these methods are deficient because they are often impromptu, haphazardly organized and their duration not long enough for any meaningful impact. To these end, therefore, we advocate that continuing professional development programmes for teachers should be through well-structured distance learning which should be on the job to enable all the teachers take advantage of it. This position is buttressed by Silva-Fletcher (2011) in a study to identify preferred method of CPD course delivery among Veterinary surgeons in United Kingdom. He found out that distance learning paper-based and distance learning internet were mostly preferred by majority of the respondents. Effective CPDs should also be mandatory with clear cut curricula and objectives. It should be examination oriented and should be regulated by a professional body that should be charged with responsibility of regulating professional development for teachers. Such a body should control the quality of development programmes in terms of the contents of such programmes and new entrants into the teaching profession. Presently, this doesn t seem to be the case as shown from the result of research question 3. Responses from this research question show that most of the CPDs attended by the respondents were mostly organized by government establishment and private individuals. This result therefore has obvious implications because for such programmes quality may be compromised because the emphasis may be on profit for private/individuals rather than standards. The quality and effectiveness of a programme organized by renowned professional bodies such as Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM) etc. will obviously be higher. In addition such bodies will also ensure that members undergo regular continuing professional development programme thereby ensuring that professionalism is maintained within the teaching profession. In Nigeria however, there has been an attempt in the above direction with the establishment of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). The TRCN was established by a decree and the president and commanderin-chief of the armed forces of Nigeria appointed all the key functionaries of the establishment (Teacher s Registration Council of Nigeria, 2005). This therefore makes the TRCN more of a government agency than a professional regulatory body. This council is supposed to be responsible for regulating the quality of teaching profession in Nigeria but because it was established and controlled by the government, it lacks the necessary autonomy which empowers it to regulate and control what goes in and out of the teaching profession. This paper therefore advocates that teaching, especially in the area of professionalization, should be accorded the same status and privileges as in other professions. The professional body should be autonomous, controlled and regulated by professionals as in accounting, medicine, banking and other professions. With this in place, the teachers professional body should then put in place, machinery that will regulate and conduct evaluation activities in the area of mandatory continuing professional development of its members. This mandatory continuing professional development programmes should also be delivered through non-formal approach and in the form of distance learning. This is necessary because, the teachers cannot be asked to leave the school in order to attend development programmes. Also, the holiday periods may not be enough for a thorough delivery. If the programme is run through distance approach, the evaluation period can then be slated for the holidays. CONCLUSION This paper reiterates the importance of education to the development process and the role teachers have to play. It also emphasizes the need for a well-structured, well-coordinated and detailed continuing professional development for teachers in order to be able to meet the ever changing demands of their profession. The study conducted on the basis of the above shows that, though the teachers studied undertake CPD programmes, these programmes are mainly traditional approaches of workshops, seminars and conferences. That these may not be adequate for the required competence that will transform the quality of the teachers, it was also observed that the existing professional body that can serve as the platform for organizing properly coordinated CPD for teachers is 290

15 government established, and controlled, therefore lacks the necessary autonomy to do quality job. It is therefore suggested that the professional body for teachers should be accorded the same recognition, status and privileges, as in other professions, such as accounting, medicine, banking, journalism and others. Also the professional body should be autonomous, controlled and regulated by professionals outside the direct control of the government. Lastly, the professional body should put in place the machinery to regulate and conduct evaluation activities in the area of mandatory continuing professional development of its members which should be delivered through nonformal approach, in the form of distance learning. REFERENCES Clarke, R.H. and Robson, D. (2005). Enhancing Standards through Continuing Professional Development. Edinburgh: British Educational Research Association. Clotfelter, C.T. and Ladd, H.F. (2004). Where We Stand on Teacher Quality: An Issue Paper ETS Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 23 (2), Lewis, L., Parsad, B., Carey, N. and Bartfai, E. T. (1999). Teacher Quality: A Report on the Preparation and Qualifications of Public School Teachers. Washington, D.C. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Rice, J.K. (2003). Understanding of the Effectiveness of Teacher Attributes. Journal of Economic Policy Institute Research 10(37), Silva-Fletcher, A. (2011). Developing short courses for continuous Professional Development- Novel Modes of Teaching and Delivery. London Royal Veterinary, College University of London. Teacher s Registration Council of Nigeria (2005). Teacher s Handbook, Abuja, Makjif (Nig.) Enterprises. Uwadiae, I. (2010). Release of the Result of the November/December 2010 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) Mimeograph, Yaba WAEC. 291