Abstract
The purpose of this study is to shed light on the effectiveness of the University of South Africa (Unisa)’s professional development strategies employed to empower teachers (as adult learners) to improve learner performance in Life Sciences. The context of this study was a partnership between the Department of Education and institutions of higher learning. Premised on the notion that well-planned professional development stimulates teacher participation; this study is an exploration of factors that encourage (or discourage) teacher compliance with new initiatives. A qualitative research design with purposefully selected sample was used. Data were collected by individual interviews and focus group discussion. The findings of this study indicated that the Unisa project emphasized “care” and “learner-centeredness”, and a “bottom-up” approach, which strategically preserved a conducive environment for professional development of teachers. It is recommended that the retraining of teachers through partnerships using this strategy be accepted as the new normal.
Presenters
Florah TeaneAssociate Professor, Adult Community and Continuing Education, University of South Africa, Gauteng, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Adult, Community, and Professional Learning
KEYWORDS
Adults; Life sciences; Partnership; Professional development; Teachers
