Teacher professional learning through lesson study: teachers' reflections

PurposeThis study examines the experiences of five teachers working in two English secondary school subject departments after being given the opportunity to engage with Lesson Study (LS) to increase student performance in their subject areas. This study aimed to reveal the drivers for the teachers' engagement in LS, and how this experience of Joint Professional Development (JPD) might be contributing to their learning as teachers.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies an analytic approach to evidencing teacher learning, based on the work of Knud Illeris, offering this as a methodological contribution to the field of professional development literature.FindingsFindings reveal that, despite all the teachers developing a passion for learning through LS, there are constraints on its sustainability and impact which can be attributed to the teachers' broader contexts and which affected them differently. The constraints centre on tensions between priorities and agendas within and beyond the school, related largely to budgets and visions of staff development.Research limitations/implicationsThis focused study on two subject departments engaging in LS limits its generalisability in terms of findings. However, the study offers a practical research application of a model of learning for analysis of teacher reflections on collaborative learning experiences.Originality/valueUnderstanding individual teacher reflections on LS experiences is under-represented in the literature, in particular studies providing insights into conditions conducive and constraining to JPD.

Key Performance Indicators of Knowledge Competency of Technical Teachers in Thailand: The 21st Century

The objectives of this research are to develop key performance indicators for measuring the knowledge competency of technical teachers in Thailand and to analyze it by subject department. The research samples are 360 vocational teachers from 6 subject departments: machine tool technology, mechanical power technology, electrical power, electronic technology, welding, and civil construction, all affiliated with the Office of the Vocational Education Commission. Stratified random sampling technique is used to select the sample out of a population of 782. The research instrument used is a 5-rating scale questionnaire with reliability of 0.94. Data analysis is done using confirmatory factor analysis, mean, standard deviation, and analysis of variance (One-way ANOVA). The research results found that (1) there are 18 key performance indicators for measuring the knowledge competency of technical teachers, with the goodness of fit index passed all good criteria: Chi-square = 72.490, df = 56, p-value = 0.068, GFI = 0.987, AGFI = 0.965, and RMSEA = 0.022, and (2) technical teachers affiliated with the Office of the Vocational Education Commission in different subject departments, when analyzed, show no differences in teaching competency.