The presentation is based on (a selection of) the results of a doctoral research study that explored the professional development and learning of teachers working in Hungarian VET schools and the related individual and organisational factors (Bükki, 2022). The importance of teacher continuous professional development is confirmed by research that showed an important link between student achievement and the quality of teaching (Barber & Mourshed, 2007, Scheerens, 2010, Chetty et al, 2014). While there is a rich literature on this topic regarding teachers working in general education, we still know relatively little about those who work in vocational education and training (VET, Orr, 2019, Broad, 2019), and there was particularly little previous research on this topic in Hungary. 

The doctoral research studied teacher professional development as participation in professional learning activities (PLAs). The theoretical framework was built on situational learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991, Wenger, 1998) and Billett’s (2002) “synthesising” interpretation, which defined workplace learning as participation in any activity that is work-related and potentially leads to cognitive and/or behavioural change, regardless of its form (formal, non-formal or informal). The categorisation of PLAs and the selection of individual and organisational factors to be studied were based on the literature of workplace learning in general (Tynjälä, 2008, 2013, Fuller & Unwin, 2004) and of (informal) teacher learning in particular (Kwakman, 2003; Hoekstra et al., 2007, 2009a, 2009b; Meirink et al., 2007, 2009a, 2009b; Kyndt et al., 2016, Opfer et al., 2010, 2011, Louws et al., 2017). This framework was supplemented by incorporating the special, unique features of vocational teachers’ professional development and learning identified in prior research. Most importantly, it built on the concept of dual identity and dual professionalism. In many countries, vocational teachers typically come from the industry but even after they start teaching, they often retain and value their original vocational identity as it provides them with the expertise and credibility needed to teach and socialise students into professional norms and practices (Robson, 1998), and this also shapes their understanding and practice of professional development (Orr, 2019). Furthermore, studies suggest that only continuous boundary crossing between the communities of practice of VET and of the vocation taught can guarantee vocational teachers’ up-to-date professional knowledge and the appropriate quality of vocational pedagogical practice (Broad, 2019, Andersson & Köpsén, 2015, 2019). However, it is not easy to maintain this dual identity and practice dual professionalism, and, depending on local policy measures as well as organisational conditions,  maintaining industrial currency or developing pedagogical-methodological competences may be prioritised by VET teachers themselves or primarily expected and supported by their school or the state (Robson, 1998, Fejes & Köpsén, 2014, Broad, 2016, Schmidt, 2019, Tyler & Dymock, 2019).

The doctoral research study aimed to explore the practice and views of Hungarian VET teachers’ professional development and learning and the related unique, VET-specific individual and organisational factors, trying also to find the similarities and differences compared to findings of previous research conducted in other countries, in often very different national contexts. The current presentation is based on an analysis that aims to answer the following three research questions:

Q1: What types of professional learning activities (PLAs) do vocational teachers and trainers working in Hungarian VET schools participate in and which PLAs do they value most? Are participation and value-beliefs influenced by the length of vocational work and of teaching experience?

Q2: How do they understand the concept of teacher continuous professional development and does this reflect dual identities?

Q3: What do they perceive as the most significant barriers to their professional development?

The study followed a mixed-methods convergent parallel research design, combining a questionnaire survey and an interview study in a vocational centre (VC) selected based on convenience (Creswell & Clark, 2018). The survey was conducted at the end of the 2018/19 academic year among all teachers in all member schools of the VC, using the online Qualtrics software. The questionnaire consisted of five blocks: demography and other background data; professional development and learning; characteristics of the organisation; identity; career motivation and career trajectory. It adapted instruments from previous international and national research (TALIS 2018 Teacher Questionnaire, OECD, 2018; Sági, 2015a; Geijsel et al., 2009, Opfer et al., 2011a). 394 teachers participated in the survey, the final database contains responses from 303 teachers, including 138 vocational teachers and trainers and 165 teachers of general subjects. The response rate was 46.4% for all teachers at the VC and 54.2% for full-time staff. Data were analysed by IBM SPSS 28.0 software using descriptive statistics, creation of composite variables (indicators of professional learning) and principal component analysis, cross-tabulation analysis (chi-squared test), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), post-hoc tests, correlation analysis and the calculation of effect size. The qualitative data was collected in two schools of this VC in November 2019, with one week of fieldwork in each. The schools were average in terms of training programme level, size, and effectiveness. One (S1) offered training in several vocations in different areas (mostly arts and light industry), and the other (S2) in only two related vocations in the same occupational group. In both schools, 40-70 minutes semi-structured interviews were conducted with the principal and 3-3 teachers from each profile. The sampling procedure followed the principle of maximum variance (Creswell, 2013), teachers differed as much as possible in terms of training programme type, work function and intensity of learning activity. In addition to exploring the topics covered in the survey, the interviews aimed to provide a deeper look into teachers’ understanding of teacher continuous professional development, the nature of VET teacher collaboration, and the organisational (school and centre level) support and incentives. The interview transcripts were coded using a multi-round procedure and primarily deductive coding (Creswell, 2013), applying the software atlas.ti. Based on the main themes and sub-themes identified, similarities and differences according to teacher profile and school were looked for, similar to the constant comparative analysis method (Glaser and Strauss 1967). 

The most frequent professional learning activities of the respondents were reading, reflection and collaboration, followed by vocation-specific conferences/fairs, staff training, workplace visits and vocation-specific further training. They perceived reading vocation-specific literature and informal discussions with colleagues as having the most impact on their professional development. Nearly all the learning activities to maintain industry currency identified in prior research in other countries were present, but their availability was highly dependent on the vocation, the activity of manufacturers and the “proactivity” of the school leadership. The interviewed teachers/trainers perceived visiting colleagues' classes as having the greatest impact on their methodological development, which is encouraged for new teachers but often becomes a rare opportunity later, due to high workload and scheduling problems. Only a minority of the respondents participated in teacher in-service courses. They believed most such courses had little impact on changing their teaching practice, either because they did not meet individual needs or because they were often of low quality. Similar to English and Australian VET teachers, the respondents considered it essential to continuously follow the technological and other changes in the vocational field for high-quality VET teaching and to be "credible" in the eyes of their students. Vocation-specific professional development emerged as a primary focus in their understanding of ‘teacher continuous professional development’, although some emphasised the duality of professional development and the importance of methodological-pedagogical development as well. This may reflect the dual identity the majority of respondents identified with in the survey, but the type of identity did not correlate with any of the indicators of professional learning, and in the interviews teachers who saw themselves as both a teacher and a practitioner of the vocation did not necessarily consider pedagogical-methodological knowledge and learning as important as vocational knowledge and learning.

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