Theory to practice in professional development: illustrating and testing an essentialist or...

Theory to practice in professional development:illustrating and testing an essentialist or quidditative model through practical examples

paper presented at ECER 2009, University of Vienna, within the symposium:

Examining Teachers’ Professional Development: perspectives from the UK, Switzerland and Belgium Wednesday 30th September

Dr Linda EvansSchool of Education, University of Leeds, [email protected]

Teachers talking:which of these represents professional development?

Anne: ‘It was a brilliant course! The tutors were

really good and gave us some excellent ideas for different ways of using the maths equipment … and I’ve tried some of them out already and the children have loved them. Also, we learned a lot just through exchanging ideas with the other teachers on the course.’


Mark: ‘I used to want to leave teaching to

become a HE lecturer. Now I’ve changed my mind and want to be a headteacher. I used to think being a headteacher would be too stressful for me – with all the interpersonal conflict that it brings. Now I believe I could cope with that aspect of it.’


Hilary: ‘Since our new boss was appointed, there’s

now, for me, more job satisfaction in what I’m doing. I feel I’ve got more direction and purpose than I had before, when I wasn’t sure what I was doing. And that’s quite fulfilling … plus the fact that my new boss has got direction, and that helps as well … I do feel, at times, more constructively used than I did.’

Professional development:Linda Evans’s definition

‘Umbrella’ definition: Professional development is the process

whereby people’s professionalism, or professionality, or professional practice may be considered to be enhanced, with a degree of permanence that exceeds transitoriness.

Professionality orientation: teachers

‘Restricted’ professionality

Skills derived from experience

Perspective limited to the immediate in time and place

Introspective with regard to methods

Value placed on autonomy

Infrequent reading of professional literature

Teaching seen as an intuitive activity

‘Extended’ professionality

Skills derived from a mediation between experience & theory

Perspective embracing the broader social context of education

Methods compared with those of colleagues and reports of practice

Value placed on professional collaboration

Regular reading of professional literature

Teaching seen as a rational activity

Eric Hoyle, Eric Hoyle, 19751975

The ‘restricted’-’extended’ teacher professionality continuum

Professional development:an essentialist or quidditative model

(Evans, 2009, work in progress)

professional development

functionaldevelopment

intellectualdevelopment

attitudinaldevelopment

proceduralchange

productivechange

processualchange

evaluativechange

motivationalchange

perceptualchange

epistemologicalchange

rationalisticchange

comprehensivechange

Definitions of the components: functional, attitudinal and intellectual development

Functional development is the process whereby people’s professional performance is modified with the result that her/his professionalism, professionality or professional practice may be considered to be enhanced, with a degree of permanence that exceeds transitoriness.

Attitudinal development is the process whereby people’s work-

related attitudes are modified with the result that her/his professionalism, professionality or professional practice may be considered to be enhanced, with a degree of permanence that exceeds transitoriness.

Intellectual development is the process whereby people’s professional-related knowledge, understanding or reflective or comprehensive capacity or competence are modified with the result that her/his professionalism, professionality or professional practice may be considered to be enhanced, with a degree of permanence that exceeds transitoriness.

The hierarchy of the definitions

Each of the three componential definitions: functional development attitudinal development intellectual development

lies within the over-arching definition of professional development: professional development is the process whereby people’s professionalism,

or professionality, or professional practice may be considered to be enhanced, with a degree of permanence that exceeds transitoriness.

The ‘change’ referred to is, therefore, change for the better.

I define professional practice as: all professional- or work- or work context-related physical or mental activity.

Dissecting professional development:

the change dimensions Comprehensive change - change in relation to what people know or

understand Epistemological change - change in relation to the knowledge base

upon which people draw and which they apply to their practice Rationalistic change - change relating to the extent of and the nature

of the reasoning that people apply to their practice Perceptual change - change in relation to people’s perceptions and

beliefs Evaluative change - change to people’s professional- or practice-

related values, including the minutiae of what they consider important Motivational change - change to people’s motivation and levels of job

satisfaction and morale Processual change - change in relation to the processes that

constitute people’s practice – how they ‘do’ or ‘go about’ things Procedural change - changes to procedures that people utilise or

apply within their practice Productive change - changes to what people achieve, produce or ‘do’

Evaluating my model:Three key questions

How sound is the componential structure within the model?

How sound is the classification and classificatory terminology?

How useful is the model as an analytical framework?

Testing the model

Evidential sources:

Transcripts of research interviews with 21 English primary school teachers

The research focus was not professional development limited dataset

My own experiences as a schoolteacher and as an academic

Amanda Teacher at Rockville County Primary School At her job interview she asked about remedial teaching support –

she was told that the deputy head, Margaret, came into classrooms to do small group remedial teaching.

This didn’t happen. Amanda questioned the headteacher, Geoff, about it. He referred Amanda to Margaret. Amanda spoke to Margaret about it. Nothing happened. Amanda told Geoff of this. Geoff said he would mention it to Margaret. Margaret came and did small group work on one occasion. She

promised to return the next day to continue with it. Margaret failed to return ever again. Amanda told Geoff of this. Nothing was done about the problem

Amanda’s comments

‘I didn’t know how to go about broaching this and so I did it, sort of … generally, in conversation with Geoff Collins, and he said I’d only to mention it [to Margaret] and it would be attended to. Now, I mentioned it and nothing was done about it. … Nothing was done about it and so, as time went on, I became more and more open in what I was saying to him [Geoff] and less subtle, I suppose.’

‘I began to realise then that … er … it was [just] me and the children.’

Amanda’s comments

‘Perhaps I was expecting too much of the system … and yet, in my heart of hearts, I knew that that’s how it could be … particularly when, in a school like that, there was so much back-up available. The children could have been helped more … the staff could’ve been helped more … and it was more about administrative expediency – not offending those who were easily offended.… What I should’ve done … I should’ve asked for an adviser [to come] in school, and I should’ve done it through the adviser. Because I understand the advisory service now, that’s what I should’ve done. I should’ve asked to see my general adviser, discussed with the general adviser what the situation was, and told the general adviser that I was also writing to the senior adviser.’

Amanda’s comments:what evidence of professional development?

Functional development: processual change – the processes that she adopted

in collegial communication and interaction:• ‘I became more and more open in what I was saying to him

[Geoff] and less subtle, I suppose’

procedural change – the procedures that she adopted for dealing with a problem:

• going through the hierarchy in order to express her dissatisfaction

• accepting self-sufficiency as the best course of action:• ‘I began to realise then that … er … it was [just] me and the

children.’


Intellectual development: comprehensive change – she increased her

understanding of the micro-politically-determined power structure and operational norms that prevailed in her school:

• ‘The children could have been helped more … the staff could’ve been helped more … and it was more about administrative expediency – not offending those who were easily offended.’

comprehensive change – she increased her understanding of systemic procedures and processes that she could have used to her advantage, if she had been aware of them earlier:

• ‘I should’ve asked for an adviser [to come] in school, and I should’ve done it through the adviser. … Because I understand the advisory service now, that’s what I should’ve done. I should’ve asked to see my general adviser, discussed with the general adviser what the situation was, and told the general adviser that I was also writing to the senior adviser.’


Attitudinal development:perceptual change - perception of her own

agential capacity and potential for applying her increased knowledge and understanding of procedures, and designated roles and responsibilities, to initiate change that would impact upon her professional practice:

• ‘Because I understand the advisory service now, that’s what I should’ve done.’

The change dimensions:which ones are unaccounted for?

Comprehensive change Epistemological change Rationalistic change Perceptual change Evaluative change Motivational change Processual change Procedural change Productive change

Hilary’s comments:what evidence of professional development?

‘Personally, for me, there’s now more job satisfaction in what I’m doing … in direction and purpose I feel I’ve got more than I had at the beginning, when I wasn’t sure what I was doing. And that’s quite fulfilling … plus the fact that my boss has got direction, and that helps as well … y’know what I mean? … I do feel, at times, more constructively used than I did.’

Hilary’s comments:what evidence of professional development?

Attitudinal development:motivational change – her job satisfaction

and motivation have increased as a result of her feeling that she is being given more direction:

• ‘there’s now more job satisfaction in what I’m doing … in direction and purpose I feel I’ve got more than I had at the beginning, when I wasn’t sure what I was doing. And that’s quite fulfilling.’

Mark’s comments:what evidence of professional development?

‘I’m back in the groove of wanting to get on, as a deputy head, and become a headmaster, which I didn’t want to do when I spoke to you. The trouble was, I didn’t fancy the social problems and the nastiness involved … and parental conflict. But now I feel I’ve got the personality … that won’t be a problem – I can easily get over that. The thing that I feel now … I feel that it’s always been there, but I have the confidence to know better now.’


Attitudinal development: motivational change – he is re-motivated to

become a headteacher:• ‘I’m back in the groove of wanting to get on … as a

deputy head, and become a headmaster.’ perceptual change - changes to his perception of

his own potential agential influence on his interaction with other adults, including parents and teachers:

• ‘I didn’t fancy the social problems and the nastiness involved … and parental conflict. But now I feel I’ve got the personality … that won’t be a problem’

evaluative change – his values have changed in relation to his ideal job; headship has increased in value to him


Intellectual development: rationalistic change – he has examined the

rationale underpinning his earlier disinclination toward becoming a headteacher, has found it wanting, and has re-rationalised his future career plans:

• ‘The trouble was, I didn’t fancy the social problems and the nastiness involved … and parental conflict. But now I feel I’ve got the personality … that won’t be a problem – I can easily get over that. The thing that I feel now … I feel that it’s always been there, but I have the confidence to know better now.’

Linda Evans’s professional development experiences

Functional development:productive change - becoming computer-

literate and using ICT as a central resource in my work:

• greater productivity and efficiency

Intellectual development:epistemological change – transformation from

a ‘restricted’ to an ‘extended’ professional:• acceptance of educational research/ scholarship as

a valid basis for practice and professional knowledge

Addressing the three key questions





Have I omitted any components?All 9 are supported by evidence.Impossible to know if any are omitted

• Any theory represents propositional knowledge.

Have I included any components that should not be there? It is possible that overlap occurs.

• The issue of potential overlap relates to the soundness of the classification and classificatory terminology.


Change dimensions that are currently missing will always be identifiable.

The key issue is whether or not these share the same classificatory level as those already identified.

Potentially missing are, for example: beliefs self-efficacy self-esteem

I consider these to be subsidiary elements of - and therefore to represent a different classificatory level from - perceptual change.

Ensuring the equivalence of the classificatory levels represented by the components is challenging.

I am uncertain of having got it right at this stage. Can some of my components be conflated? Can each be justified in its own right? Is epistemological change, for example, a sub-component of

comprehensive change or of perceptual change?

Professional development:an alternative essentialist or quidditative model





proceduralchange

productivechange

processualchange

evaluativechange

motivationalchange

perceptualchange

rationalisticchange

comprehensivechange

Professional development:an alternative essentialist or quidditative model



comprehensivedevelopment


proceduralchange

productivechange

processualchange

evaluativechange

motivationalchange

perceptualchange

rationalisticchange


Professional development:an essentialist or quidditative model

(Evans, 2009, work in progress)


behaviouraldevelopment



proceduralchange

productivechange

processualchange

evaluativechange

motivationalchange

perceptualchange


rationalisticchange

analyticalchange

competentialchange


I have demonstrated the model’s potential and capacity for: ‘dissecting’ empirical evidence of professional

development ‘episodes’ that have occurred; illuminating the nature and foci of such ‘episodes’.

The model may also potentially be used for examining and scrutinising:

the comparative impact of specific ‘kinds’ (i.e. dimensions) of professional development;

the comparative prevalence of specific ‘kinds’ (i.e. dimensions) of professional development within designated provision of professional development opportunities;

the componential composition of effective (and ineffective) professional development initiatives.

Linda Evans

School of Education, University of Leeds,

[email protected]

Theory to practice in professional development: illustrating and testing an essentialist or...

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