Teachers’ experiences and understanding of continuous professional development (CPD) in Uganda

Globally, and in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa countries, there is a concerted focus on teacher continuous professional development to enhance quality in education. However, Uganda has limited research about how continuous professional development aligns to classroom practices. This research examines the contribution of continuous professional development to teachers' classroom practices, addressing this main question: "What are teachers' understanding and use of the continuous professional development training that they have attended in Uganda?" The study addresses two research sub-questions. The first research question is, "What are teachers' understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of the training they have attended?" The second research question is, "How do teachers use their CPD training in their Grade 6 mathematics classrooms?" The study uses an interpretive research approach comprising a case study of nine teachers in Uganda, with in-depth interviews of the teachers as the primary data collection tool. The data were transcribed, coded and analysed using critical discourse analysis. The findings of research question 1 indicate that continuous professional development training benefits teachers by improving classroom lesson preparation, equipping teachers with pedagogical content knowledge and assessment practices as well as supporting teacher-teacher collaboration. The drawbacks of the training, however, included a weak training policy framework, limited opportunities for professional development, limited career progression and inadequate school instructional support. Furthermore, the findings suggest that adequate teacher participation in continuous professional development beneficially affects classroom practices. The central aspect of teacher professional development is the relevance of training, the content and focus of such training as well as adequate participation. The study concludes with implications for policy and practice in continuous professional development, and its re-design of provision, training modalities and opportunities. The study contributes to a new understanding of how teachers’ continuous professional development in Uganda influences change in classroom practices. It adds to the knowledge of the efficacy of continuous professional development and the effect of such provision as key to teacher professional knowledge and practice