Teachers’ Awareness and Participation in the School-Based Teacher Development Programme in Mathugama Education Zone
- November 30, 2021
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: Education, IJRISS
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue XI, November 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186
Sandamali Tennakoon1, F. M. Nawastheen*2
1Bilingual Education Branch, Ministry of Education, Isurupaya, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka
2*Department of Secondary & Tertiary Education, Faculty of Education, The Open University of Sri Lanka.
*Corresponding author
Abstract: Teacher professional development is directly related to student educational achievements. School-based teacher development programmes in Sri Lanka have been implemented at the school level recently. The study aimed to find out the status of awareness about SBTD and the participation of teachers in the SBTD programme. In addition, it also aimed to identify the nature of activities done in schools under the SBTD programme. The study employed a survey research design and the collected data from a sample of 48 teachers selected randomly from Mathugama Education Zone in Sri Lanka. Frequency and percentage used for analysis for data. Data analysis showed that teachers in the zone were aware of the school-based development and its various activities implemented at their schools. However, there was a lack of teacher participation in some activities where teachers might get hands-on experiences related to their profession. Therefore, the researchers recommended that school principals ensure teachers’ involvement in the SBTD activities by finding out the reasons behind the lack of participation.
Keywords: Professional Development, School-Based Teacher Development; Teacher awareness; Teacher participation
1. INTRODUCTION
The current socio-economic system we live in today is highly complex than ever before. In such context, ‘Education” has become a phenomenon of optimum public interest. The avenues for education and higher education are increasing rapidly, making the concept very complex to understand. At the same time, the rapid changes in science and technology significantly impact education, especially on teaching professionals. Therefore, the teachers should constantly train, assuring that they possess adequate professional competencies, which is the crucial mechanism of classroom teaching and learning and overall student achievement leading to the student’s holistic development. Due to these rapid worldly changes, different educational transactions took place in the education system, challenging the teacher’s role in different aspects. In this sense, the need to revisit the aims and objectives of the teaching-learning process and procedures of teacher development was apparent. The belief in delivering quality education through quality teachers led to new dimensions to improve teacher development programmes.
