Abstract:

The aim of the EU-co-funded Erasmus+ project, “FOOTT PRINTTS – Focus on Teacher Training – Practical Guidelines for In-Service Teacher Trainers,” is to close the gap in guidelines on quality factors in international continuous professional development (CPD) for teacher. To achieve this goal, a literature review was conducted in all project partner countries. This was followed by a quantitative survey with over 5,000 participants and qualitative interviews in six European partner countries. Public organizations and private institutions from seven partner countries of the European Union that specialize in the continuous professional development of teachers are participating in this research project. These are the Arnsberg District Government (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), the University College of Teacher Education Vienna (Austria), 21Knowledge (Portugal), the University of Rzeszów (Poland), European Institute for Education and Social Policy - EIESP (France), Educom+ (Greece) and Børn og Unge Aalborg (Denmark).

Using the sequential mixed methods approach, six success factors for continuous professional development for teachers were identified. These six factors are: Professional Identity, CPD Satisfaction, Professional Support, School Development & Participation, Organisation & Delivery and CPD Design Elements. All six factors are equally important and not not ranked.

Professional identity refers to the extent to which CPD is meaningful and relevant for the sense of professional self. This includes views on motivation, role clarity, and how CPD supports career development, as perceived by teachers, teacher-trainers and decision makers.

CPD satisfaction refers to the perceived value and effectiveness of CPD in supporting professional growth, meeting individual needs, and enhancing satisfaction with the teaching profession, as perceived by teachers, teacher-trainers and decision makers.

Professional support refers to forms of support provided through mentoring, coaching, peer collaboration, and professional networks that are perceived as beneficial to professional learning by teachers, teacher-trainers and decision makers.

School Development and participation refer to the ability to influence CPD decisions, including the balance between top-down mandates and bottom-up participation, and the availability of material resources, as perceived by teachers, trainers and decision makers.

Organization and delivery refer to how CPD formats (e.g. in-person, online, blended) are organized and scheduled and the extend to which these align with (teachers’) work schedules and learning preferences, as perceived by teachers, trainers and decision makers.

CPD design elements refer to successful methods of delivery such as practical application, peer interaction and opportunities for active and collaborative learning, as perceived by teachers, teacher-trainers and decision makers.

The six CPD success factors are described on an interactive website by Key Dimensions of Effective Practice, Observable aspects for trainers and Good Practice/Hands on.

Keywords:

Continuous Professional Development, European Research Project, Life-long Learning, Quality of Further Education, Key Dimensions of Effective Practice.