What Factors Matter for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers? Analysis from Four Countries

Abstract

In the 21st century, teachers’ learning is viewed through the lens of sustainable development as a holistic, transformative and collaborative learning process. Acknowledging that teacher professional development is a prerequisite for educational quality, it becomes necessary to look for professional development factors that could be relevant to sustainable professional development. The article explores factors of sustainable professional development of teachers based on data of TALIS 2018 from four Baltic countries (Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania). The study also discusses distinct characteristics of teacher professional development in the analyzed countries. Although traditional forms and methods of professional development still prevail in all countries, teachers also learn through active cooperation. Finnish teachers, more often than teachers in the other countries, worked in teams and shared material, knowledge, etc. with each other; Estonian teachers, more so than teachers in the other countries, took part in long-term training; Latvian teachers were more likely than teachers in the other countries to observe other teachers’ classes and provide feedback. Lithuanian teachers were perhaps the most active in terms of learning, but young teachers with fewer years of service were more likely to engage in long-term and collaborative activities. Finally, the implications for further research are discussed.

Student Teachers' Change Agency in Education for Sustainable Development

“…Teacher training has been identified as a crucial element of making education systems more responsive to sustainability challenges (Rickinson, 2001;UNESCO, 2016;Brandisauskiene, Cesnaviciene, Miciuliene, & Kaminskiene, 2020). However, there are many challenges in implementing ESD in teacher education.…”

What Does Education for Sustainable Development Offer in Initial Teacher Training? A Systematic Review

“…Working on these challenges and deepen the importance-necessity of ESD, higher education is defined as a key space to offer an effective response, especially when future teachers, key agents in social transformation and progress, are trained at this institution. Following the editorial line of the Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability (JTES) entitled ìDo JTES Help us to Create Deeper Personal Meanings for Sustainable Education?î (SalÓte et al, 2021), this research work has as a reference the study by Murillo-Vargas et al (2021) that maps the scientific production and contents associated with sustainable development goals and their integration in universities and the research by Brandisauskiene et al (2021) that analyzes the key factors in teacher sustainable development. The importance of incorporating sustainability ëcontentí into curricula by adopting methodologies that encourage values education and the development of critical thinking skills in teacher education is a key and deepens the development of ideas on the phenomenon of sustainability, sustainable education and sustainable development (SalÓte et al, 2021).…”

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“…Aiming to understanding of outcomes and effectiveness of SPD, a critical literature review was conducted to identify the key criteria/ indicators for the construction of an evaluative framework for SPD. In Brandisauskiene et al's (2020) Ash & Clayton (2009), Griffiths & Tann (1992), Schön (1994), Moon (2005) Inquiry and Research-based Learning Brandisauskiene et al (2020), Kerkham & Hutchison (2004), Wells (2014) Ongoing and Long-term Learning Alkhawaldeh (2017), Brandisauskiene et al (2020), Ilgan et al (2022), Wells (2014) Collaborative Learning…”

“…Collaborative learning happens when teachers share ideas, participate in study groups, co-teach courses, observe peers' teaching, exchange best practices, mentor new professionals, and many other cooperative opportunities (Brandisauskiene et al, 2020;Wells, 2014). Most prior studies strongly recommended that collaborative learning is the most critical element of sustainable and effective professional development for teachers (Brandisauskiene et al, 2020;Ilgan et al, 2022;Wells, 2014;Sumaryanta et al, 2019).…”

“…Collaborative learning happens when teachers share ideas, participate in study groups, co-teach courses, observe peers' teaching, exchange best practices, mentor new professionals, and many other cooperative opportunities (Brandisauskiene et al, 2020;Wells, 2014). Most prior studies strongly recommended that collaborative learning is the most critical element of sustainable and effective professional development for teachers (Brandisauskiene et al, 2020;Ilgan et al, 2022;Wells, 2014;Sumaryanta et al, 2019). Although teachers formulated their teaching philosophy mostly from their individual teaching experiences and reflective practices (Brandisauskiene et al, 2020), the construct of teaching philosophy will be narrowly scoped without absorptions of the best practice of other educational professionals.…”