Professional development in Georgian regional secondary schools: Insights from teachers’ perspective

Abstract

This research explores teachers' perceptions of professional development (PD) in Georgia, focusing on their specific needs, the alignment of PD programs with those needs, the challenges faced, and potential solutions. It particularly examines the impact of Georgia’s teacher PD scheme on regional secondary schools. The paper adopts Desimone's model as its conceptual framework, as it effectively identifies key qualities and influencing factors that shape teachers’ learning. Using a qualitative research design, the study employs semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions based on Desimone's framework. The findings indicate that teachers strongly affirm the positive influence of PD on student learning outcomes. However, they also highlight that student motivation and interest significantly affect the effectiveness of PD initiatives. While well-structured PD enhances teaching practices, unmotivated students may not fully benefit from these improvements. Additionally, the article reveals that internal school practices play a critical role in the success of PD, whereas Desimone’s framework primarily emphasizes coherence and group engagement. Furthermore, Desimone’s model does not explicitly account for the subjective nature of assessments, complicating the relationship between PD and student learning outcomes. By emphasizing the importance of customization, balanced approaches, hands-on activities, internal school dynamics, and the subjective nature of evaluations, this paper extends Desimone’s conceptual framework. It contributes to the ongoing discourse on teacher PD by offering a more nuanced perspective on what constitutes effective PD, ultimately informing the design of more impactful PD programs in educational settings.