Continuing Professional Development Provision in Physical Education for Primary School Teachers in Cyprus: Contextualised Challenges and New Opportunities

Author(s):

Anastasia Hadjimatheou(presenting / submitting)Kathleen Armour

Conference:

ECER 2015

Network:

Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

ERG SES D 07, Professional Development and Education

Paper Session

Time:

2015-09-07

13:30-15:00

Room:

324. [Main]

Chair:

Janinka Greenwood

Contribution

The purpose of this study was to examine Physical Education (PE) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) provision for primary school teachers in Cyprus. Grounded in the existing effective and, ineffective CPD literature, the aim was to understand and analyse the experiences of Cypriot primary school teachers, taking into account unique contextual factors, and to contribute to the international literature on supporting teachers’ learning. The study was conducted from an interpretive perspective drawing on multi-layered theories of situated learning (Borko, 2004) and ecological understanding of agency (Biesta & Tedder, 2007) to ensure that the views of teachers and CPD providers inform future policy and practice. In addition to addressing a gap in knowledge about PE-CPD in the Cypriot context, this research also offers new insights into the nature of effective and ineffective CPD.

On a global level, much attention has been focused on teachers’ CPD in research (De Vries et al., 2014) and at the policy level on organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Commission (OECD, 2014) and national governments. It is widely accepted that the quality of teachers, including CPD, is central to improving the quality of students’ learning in schools (Darling-Hammond & Lieberman, 2012). Despite this recognition, however, there are persistent concerns about the quality of CPD provision (Schleicher, 2011).

In the context of PE, similar questions remain about the quality of CPD provision (Armour & Makopoulou, 2012). Indeed, a wealth of research evidence suggest that primary school teachers are concerned about teaching PE, with a number of challenges reported around initial training, personal competence and CPD (Tsangaridou, 2014). It is somewhat obvious to state that PE-CPD provision should meet teachers’ learning needs, but evidence suggests that often, it does not (Jess et al., 2014; Patton & Parker, 2014).

In the Cypriot context, the importance of CPD for teachers has been recognised (Karagiorgi, 2012). Throughout the conduct of this research study, the Cypriot educational system was in a dynamic reform phase, including a new emphasis on understanding the ‘important role of physical education and giving it the attention it deserves in terms of effective development and support of their staff’ (MOEC, 2013, p.412). It is also important to note that the global financial crisis impacted Cyprus strongly during the research period, and this contextual factor is reflected in the data. Additionally, although policy documents state the importance of PE, little evidence exists on the ways in which PE-CPD could be designed to meet teachers’ learning needs. It must also be highlighted that in Cyprus, PE in primary schools is taught by generalist teachers who are responsible for all areas of the curriculum. There is scant literature dedicated to the field of PE in Cyprus, leading Tsangaridou (2012) to argue for further research on this topic.

The research question addressed in this research was: Does PE-CPD meets the career-long learning needs of primary school teachers in Cyprus?

The sub-questions were:

What can be learnt from the research literature about 'effective' and 'ineffective' models of CPD for professionals, teachers and PE teachers?

What learning theories underpin different models of CPD?

What is the CPD opportunities’ nature offered to PE teachers in Cyprus throughout their careers?

What evidence is there to suggest that the current model of CPD offered to PE teachers in Cyprus is either 'effective' or 'ineffective', and why?

What would an 'effective' model of CPD look like for PE teachers in Cyprus and how could it be implemented?

What are the implications of this research for PE teachers in Cyprus and in other comparable international contexts? How can this research inform CPD policy?

Method

A qualitative research design was chosen as the most appropriate to address the research questions and to align with the study’s theoretical framework. The study aimed to conduct research with teachers and PE-CPD providers in order to understand their experiences and to co-construct new knowledge on what might constitute effective PE-CPD in the Cypriot context. Even though the study examined both teachers’ and PE-CPD providers’ perspectives, the study’s main focus was teachers. The research was carried out in four phases: (i) an open-ended survey for teachers who teach PE (n=260) distributed to all primary schools (n=340) in Cyprus (183 completed surveys); (ii) fifteen individual teacher case studies (45 interview sessions); (iii) semi-structured interviews with three PE-CPD providers (6 interview sessions); and (iv) focus group with three PE-CPD providers and three primary school teachers. Data were collected between September 2012 and June 2013. The sample for the open-ended survey included all generalist primary school teachers who have a specific responsibility for PE. A purposive sampling strategy was employed to recruit fifteen teachers as case studies for the main phase of the research, with the aim to illustrate comprehensively teachers’ learning experiences. This sample included five newly qualified teachers; five ‘intermediate’ teachers and five experienced teachers. Three key PE-CPD providers were interviewed in order to gain comprehensive picture of the Cypriot CPD system. In the final phase of the research, three PE-CPD providers and three of the case study teachers participated in a focus group to generate discussion on the main issues raised in the research. Data analysis was undertaken using constructivist grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2006) including thematic analysis (Boyatzis, 1998). After each phase, data were transcribed and a qualitative data management tool (Nvivo 10) was used to organise the data and facilitate analysis. Multiple readings of the raw format of the data included coding and memo writing processes, where sample codes occurred. Initially, data from the different data collection tools surveys, teacher case studies, interviews and focus group were analysed vertically. In the second phase, horizontal analysis across data sets was undertaken to identify areas of agreement and difference in the different participant groups. This paper reports data from the case study teachers about their PE-CPD experiences and frustrations but, at the same time their passion for learning and the positive impact of one key PE-CPD provider. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Birmingham Research Ethics Committee.

Expected Outcomes

Data reveal considerable reinforcement of existing research findings on the nature of effective and ineffective CPD and PE-CPD. For example, teachers reported that formal PE-CPD provision failed to align with their views about their learning needs; they expressed concerns that the PE-CPD provision’s quality and quantity were limited and, moreover, they reported that they lack the confidence to deliver all that is expected of them in PE. This is, however, highly problematic given the Cypriot government ambition for major educational reform, ‘modernization’ and a new great emphasis on PE subject in primary school. The main finding to be reported and illustrated in this paper, however, was that although there was some evidence of a lack of enthusiasm and confidence for teaching PE, and strong evidence of teacher frustration and disappointment due to working conditions and the economic crisis, there was also clear evidence of positive impacts on teachers’ passion for learning generated by one of the two key PE-CPD providers. In other words, within the fifteen case study teachers, two different groups formed, each one presenting different attitudes towards professional learning and PE-CPD. One group is demonstrating strong feelings of motivation and commitment and the other group is illustrating lack of enthusiasm and feelings of dissatisfaction. Despite a largely negative context, therefore, this PE-CPD provider was able to spark in teachers a renewed passion and motivation for professional learning. This finding will be reported and illustrated from the data, and implications theorised and discussed.

References

Armour, K. & Makopoulou, K. (2012) Great expectations: Teacher learning in a national professional development programme. Teaching and Teacher Education. 28: 336-346. Biesta, G. & Tedder, M. (2007) Agency and learning in the lifecourse: towards an ecological perspective. Studies in Education of Adults. 39(2): 132-149 Borko, H. (2004) Professional development and teacher learning: mapping the terrain. Educational Researcher. 33 (8): 3-15. Boyatzis, R.E. (1998) Thematic Analysis and Code Development: Transforming Qualitative Information. London: Sage Publications. Charmaz, K. (2006) Constructing Grounded Theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. London: Sage Publications. Darling-Hammond, L. & Lieberman, A. (2012) “Teacher education around the world: what can we learn from international practice?” In Darling-Hammond, L. & Lieberman, A. (eds.) Teacher education around the world: changing policies and practices. New York: Routledge. pp. 151-169. De Vries, S., Van de Grift, W.J.C.M. & Jansen, E.P.W.A. (2014) How teachers’ beliefs about learning and teaching relate to their continuing professional development. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice. 20(3): 338-357. Jess, M., Keay, J. & Carse, N. (2014) Primary physical education: a complex learning journey for children and teachers. Sport, Education and Society. pp.1-18. Karagiorgi, Y. (2012) Peer observation of teaching: perceptions and experiences of teachers in a primary school in Cyprus. Teacher Development: An international journal of teachers’ professional development. 16(4): 443-461. Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC) (2013) Annual Report 2013. Nicosia: MOEC [online] Available from: http://www.moec.gov.cy/etisia-ekthesi/ [Accessed 19 January 2015]. OECD (2014), Talis 2013 Results: An International Perspective on Teaching and Learning, OECD Publishing. Patton, K. & Parker, M. (2014) Moving from ‘thing to do on Monday’ to student learning: physical education professional development facilitators’ views of success. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. 19 (1): 60-75. Schleicher, A. (2011) Lessons from the World on effective teaching and learning environments, Journal of Teacher Education. 62 (2): 202-221. Tsangaridou, N. (2014) Moving towards effective physical education teacher education for generalist primary teachers: a view from Cyprus, Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years education. pp.1-16. Tsangaridou, N. (2012). Educating primary teachers to teach physical education. European Physical Education Review, 18 (3): 275-286.

Author Information

Anastasia Hadjimatheou (presenting / submitting)

University of Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM

Kathleen Armour

University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

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