Abstract:
The Continuing Professional Development Framework trainings is an important aspect of quality education programs. This is so because through these training programs, teachers acquire new knowledge and teaching skills which help to improve their classroom practices. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the implementation of the Continuing Professional Development framework trainings in the secondary schools in Malawi. This study had the following four specific objectives: firstly, to investigate the nature of the continuing professional development framework trainings for teachers. Secondly, to analyze the influence of the Continuing Professional Development framework trainings on teachers’ classroom practices in the secondary schools in Malawi. Thirdly, to assess the challenges faced by the Continuing Professional Development framework trainings in the secondary schools in Malawi. Finally, to explore the strategies for improving the Continuing Professional Development framework trainings in Malawi.
This study adopted a qualitative research approach which employed a case study design. It was conducted in the four mainstream Community Day Secondary Schools in Lilongwe Rural East. This study targeted twenty three participants which included three National trainers of CPD Framework trainings, four secondary school headteachers and sixteen teachers of Lilongwe rural east in the Central Western Education Division (CWED). Snowballing sampling was used to select the National trainers of CPD framework trainings. Head teachers were purposively while teachers were randomly sampled. Data was collected through semi-structured face to face interviews and documents analysis to provide methodological triangulation. The data collection tools or instruments that were used in this study were semi-structured interview guide, CPD implementation record files and CPD framework documents. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Overall, the results showed that both the headteachers and teachers received the CPD framework trainings. The study also found that the CPD framework trainings influenced teachers’ classroom practices in the secondary schools in Malawi through many ways. However, the study also found that there were a lot of challenges faced by the CPD framework trainings in the secondary schools in Malawi. Therefore, recommendation for improvement to the Ministry of Education, Headteachers and teachers have been made.
Key Words:
Continuing Professional Development Framework, training, implementation, Directorate of Teacher Education and Development, Andragogy, Models of CPDs
