| This study was to determine the potential for self-directed professional development by means of teacher examination of their perceptions of their own professional growth and development, and analysis of their translation of practices to personal theories. This study built on existing literature related to adult development and learning to teach.;Participants were twenty classroom teachers placed in groups of five, nine, thirteen, seventeen, or twenty/twenty-one years experience. Based on the global question What are teachers' perceptions of their professional growth and development? this study was an examination of how selected teachers have been learning to teach, what they have been learning, and how this learning has translated into practice. The starting point for eliciting teachers' responses in this naturalistic, inductive analysis study was to consider the questions: What knowledge do you have that a well educated non-teacher would not have? and What in your history causes you to think about teaching as you do?;Teacher views were obtained through written responses to open-ended questions followed with either a focus group or an individual interview. Three opportunities were created for self-professional development to occur: participants' responses to their written answers and researcher comments, examination of a researcher created developmental checklist and written vignette, and a researcher listing of personal practical theories.;Teachers revealed little differentiation among training/inservice, staff development and professional development concepts. Most important was a need for more individual choice in creating these developmental experiences especially the opportunity to work with others who were considered to be master teachers. Participants also felt strongly about connections between their development as persons and their development as teachers notably in the way they were raised by their parents. Participants with children would often compare their own children with the students in their classroom. Participants also revealed how stressed they became when trying to introduce new instructional philosophies in their buildings, and not knowing how to deal with changing attitudes of students and parents. These areas were coupled with various political, economic decisions that they felt inhibited their ability to teach. |
