Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies: Home

Abstract:
This paper examines teacher continuous professional development in junior secondary schools in Botswana. Teachers are central to the teaching and learning process, hence, their continuous professional development should be constantly nurtured to meet their ever demanding changes in school�s physical and social environment, curriculum and educational policy. Teachers need to adapt to such changes to be effective to such a dynamic environment. The purpose of this discussion is to reflect on the importance of continuous professional development of teachers as a critical phenomenon to enable them to deal with the gaps in training due to time and changes. The paper is an extract of the main study that investigated the availability of structures or programmes that facilitate continuing professional development of teachers and factors that impede teacher development in seven (7) randomly selected Junior Secondary Schools in northern region of Botswana. The study was quantitative and qualitative in nature. Data were gathered using survey questionnaires and interviews. A computer aided statistical analysis (SPSS version 20) was used to analyse the quantitatively derived data. The analysis engaged both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. The findings indicated lack of structures or programmes in junior secondary schools to facilitate teacher development and growth. In conclusion, it is vital for the Ministry of Education and Skills Development to continuously develop teachers professionally to cope with the changes in their teaching and learning environment.

Keywords: teacher, continuous professional development; positive school culture, curriculum, teacher quality

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