Administrators’ and Teachers’ Perceived Importance of the Holistic Framework for Professional Development Elements: Survey Research

Abstract

This study researched the six elements of the Holistic Framework for Professional Development (HFPD) to understand administrators’ and teachers’ perceived importance and how demographic variables impacted those perceptions. This was done to contribute to the current gap in the literature regarding how to design and carry out effective professional development. The quantitative survey research utilized exponential, non-discriminative snowball sampling to recruit participants. Fifteen administrators, 64 teachers, and six participants working in ‘other’ roles in their school participated. These participants were citizens of fifteen different countries and worked across eleven countries worldwide. Even given this diverse sample, the results of this research served as evidence that the HFPD elements were perceived to be important aspects of professional development regardless of the early childhood, primary, or secondary system in which participants worked. Element indicators were used to measure the perceived importance of the elements on a five-point Likert scale; element scores were then used to determine a framework composite for the various groups. Administrators perceived the framework composite as more than ‘very important’ while teachers perceived it as more than ‘important.’ The findings also suggested that the HFPD would support participants’ PD needs and be a helpful tool, further validating the HFPD. The researcher believes the reason for this consensus is that, despite the differences across educational contexts, the collective experience of effective professional development practices transcends borders. Therefore, these findings indicate schools should consider utilizing the HFPD to create a culture where everyone is a student, and everyone is a teacher