It has been established that effective professional learning does not exclusively rely on intentional and planned development opportunities.  In fact, formal and traditional kinds of training, such as courses, workshops and conferences are well represented in almost all education systems, however, other forms of continuing professional development are “emerging with activities that are more peer-based, collaborative, less structured, and focused on grass roots involvement” (Eurydice, 2015: 12). According to Evans (2019), professional development is not limited to intentional initiatives and opportunities, but rather occur as part of everyday working life, within normal working environments and contexts.

Professional development empowers teachers to take ownership of their learning and professional growth, fostering a sense of agency and efficacy in their roles as educators. Effective approaches to professional development, which may be defined as what happens when teachers attempt new practices and processes in their work (Saunders, 2014), implies teachers’ professional commitment to learning, professional autonomy, with an active and reflective attitude, in which they are both learners and teachers (Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1995; Čepić et al., 2015). Reflection and research on teachers’ own teaching practice seem to be key aspects leading to continuous improvement in their professional practice.

A reflective teacher is someone who is able to reflect on their practice, question their assumptions and make informed decisions based on this. This reflection can take place during practice (reflection in action) or after practice (reflection on action) (Schön, 1992). Research seems to be closely connected with reflection, a concept that can be tied to the notion of teachers as researchers (Schön, 2000; Zeichner, 1993). Zeichner (2003) suggests that teachers should engage in research regarding their own practices as a means of professional development. By doing so, teachers enhance their skills and effectiveness, leading to an improved quality of learning for their students.

Nonetheless, the way teachers perceive research may be complex due to the different meanings and interpretations (Sousa et al., 2019). For example, there can be conceptions of research with an orientation toward external products where the intention is to produce an outcome and conceptions that are holistic and analytical with an orientation towards internal processes where the intention is to understand (Brew, 2003). Cain (2016) also delved into how teachers engage with research and identified two primary motives: intrinsic, driven by practical and professional needs like seeking solutions to teaching challenges, self-reflection, and knowledge enhancement; and extrinsic, including aspirations for career advancement, prompted by school leadership, or pursuit of further qualifications. According to Lopes et al. (2023, p.11) “research is related to knowledge about the practice and problem solving, but also with the empowerment of teachers’ ability to identify problems and interpret situations in the light of shared knowledge with the community of educational researchers. It corresponds to a ‘mature professionalism’, which is based on continuous professional development based on learning”.  

Also, a distinctive feature of teachers' professional development is the fact that we refer to an occupational group whose professional status and working conditions vary from country to country, from context to context (Caena, 2014; Darling-Hammond, 2017). National specificity with regard to professional development and career regulation becomes an important variable when delving into studies related to the professional development of teachers.

Considering this background, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the professional development journey of Portuguese teachers in the last 50 years and to inform on the factors enabling or constraining this process, namely personal, social, political, and institutional contexts. 

In Portugal, where the research study is carried out, the generation of teachers that is now retiring has lived through one of the most important periods in the development of the educational system. As such, it is important to capture the accumulated experiential knowledge these teachers detain. According to Rabin and Smith, “it is common for long-time teachers to retire or leave the profession without sharing their stories” (2012, p. 382). However, life stories related to the time span of a professional life provide information about the personal variables of career development and about the social, political, curricular and pedagogical conditions that generate and are generators of different “periods of practice” (Goodson & Ümarik, 2019, p. 592) throughout that time span. This inside knowledge allows one to identify “how teachers create educational theories within the possibilities and constraints of their circumstances - biographical, historical and political, geographical, cultural and discursive” (Middleton, 1996 p. 543). This paper is related to the funded project project "Fifty years of teaching: factors of change and intergenerational dialogue - FYT-ID” (PTDC/CED-EDG/1039/2021), and is based on the collection and analysis of life stories of teachers whose professional careers began between 1973 and 1983, and its primary goal is to study the progression of the educational system in Portugal through the lens of teachers' experiences. This paper intends to identify the various factors that either enable or constrain the professional development of teachers over the last five decades, considering personal, social, political, and institutional contexts. To achieve this goal, we focused on the life stories of 100 Portuguese teachers spanning various educational levels, subject domains, and geographic regions. The professional ethos guiding this study is rooted in the archetype of a teacher who is dedicated and adaptable, epitomizing the concept of teacher agency. To this end, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews designed to elicit detailed accounts of the participants' professional journeys. Subsequently, a paradigmatic analysis was conducted.

From the preliminary data analysis, it is possible to trace the professional development journey of Portuguese teachers through the last 50 years, pinpointing the various factors that either enabled or constrained this process throughout the years. Reflection and training are very much present in these teachers’ professional lives, with them being involved in continuous training, either to improve their knowledge, skills, and teaching and pedagogical practice or to increase their qualifications and move up the career ladder. Reflection, either on an institutional level - involving the whole school – or personal level - inflection of their practice resulting from reflection – is a significative aspect of these teachers’ professional lives. In this sense, it is also possible to identify incidents of different natures - personal, social, political, and institutional levels - that impacted teachers' career paths and that, consequently, impacted their professional ideals and professional development. These moments are, for instance, linked with factors directly related to their educational practice with students, factors based on institutional relations, namely school management and organization, relations with the community, and ongoing teacher training activities, and factors based on educational and social policies and the general social context. By shedding light on the multifaceted nature of teachers' professional development, the paper may provide valuable insights for policymakers, educational leaders, and practitioners to enhance teacher education programmes, support systems, and professional development opportunities.

Brew, A. (2003). Teaching and research: New relationships and their implications for inquiry-based teaching and learning in higher education. Higher Education Research and Development, 22(1), 3–18. Caena, Francesca (2014). Comparative glocal perspectives on European teacher education. European Journal of Teacher Education, 37(1), 106-122. Čepić, R., Vorkapić, S. T., Lončarić, D., Anđić, D. & Mihić, S. S. (2015). Considering Transversal Competences, Personality and Reputation in the Context of the Teachers’ Professional Development. International Education Studies, 8(2), 8-20. Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher education around the world: What can we learn from international practice? European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(3), 291-309. Darling-Hammond, L., & McLaughlin, M. W. (1995). Policies that support professional development in an era of reform. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(8), 597–604. Eurydice. (2015). The teaching profession in Europe: Practices, perceptions, and policies. Eurydice report. Publications Office of the European Union. https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/teaching-profession-europe-practices-perceptions-and-policies_en Evans, L. (2019). Implicit and informal professional development: what it ‘looks like’, how it occurs, and why we need to research it , Professional Development in Education, 45(1), 3-16. Goodson, I. F., & Ümarik, M. (2019). Changing policy contexts and teachers´ work-life narratives: the case of Estonian vocational teachers. Teachers and Teaching, 25(5), 589-602. doi:10.1080/13540602.2019.1664300 Lopes, A., Folque, A., Marta, M. & Sousa, R. T. (2023). Teacher professionalism towards transformative education: insights from a literature review. Professional Development in Education. Middleton, S. (1996). Towards an oral history of educational ideas in New Zealand as a resource for teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 12(5), 543-560. Rabin, C., & Smith, G. (2012). Stories from Five Decades: How One Teacher's Theatricality, Courage, and Creativity Shaped a Life's Work. Action in Teacher Education, 34(4), 381-391. Saunders, R. (2014). Effectiveness of research-based teacher professional development. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(4), 166–184. Schön, A. D. (2000). Educando o profissional reflexivo: Um novo design para o ensino e a aprendizagem. ArtMed. Schön, D. (1992). The Reflective Practitioner. London: Routledge. Sousa, R. T., Lopes, A., & Boyd, P. (2019). Research: An insight on how it is valued by Portuguese and English teacher educators. Teaching Education, 30(4), 393–414. Zeichner, K. (1993). A formação reflexiva de professores: Ideias e práticas. Educa. Zeichner, K. (2003). Teacher research as professional development for P–12 educators in the USA. Educational Action Research, 11(2), 301–326.