Study Of Teachers' Professional Development Incentives

Teacher professional development (TPD) has been the focus in education nowadays. Promoting TPD is one of the important approaches to improve teachers' quality. However, the administrators in elementary schools and middle schools are confronted with the problem, that is, how to stimulate the teachers to participate their professional development actively. As a result the research on the motivation mechanisms for TPD is of great importance and of practical significance.The thesis aims at perfecting the motivation mechanisms to promote professional development of teachers. The motivation mechanisms of TPD is a process in which the motivating subjects exert various motivating approaches flexibly and accordingly with the change of time, space and motivating objects; also inspire the motivating subjects and objects to coordinate and cooperate to promote the teachers in their professional development.The thesis studies the problems which exist in the motivation mechanisms for TPD at three levels—our nation, schools and teachers—respectively. In order to improve education quality and the teachers' quality, since liberation our nation has promulgated motivating policies for teachers. However, our nation is still deficient in motivating policies so as to promote TPD. And each school in our country has spared no effort to undertake school reform to arouse the teachers' enthusiasm in their professional development, but the questionnaire findings indicate that there still exist some problems for the motivation mechanisms for TPD, for example, TPD programs cannot give full play to inspiring teachers; schools lack in the stimulating circumstance featured as service and cooperation, and so on. At last some teachers are found deficient in the consciousness of developing on their own and lack in self- motivation.In view of the above problems, the writer offers a proposal that while establishing effective motivation mechanisms for TPD, we should adhere to the principles which are teacher-based, best service, systematic and overall, dynamic and multi-dimensional. At the same time, the following strategies should be adopted. Firstly, the policy which urges schools to promote teachers in professional development should be formulated. Secondly, the TPD programs held in schools should arouse the teachers' enthusiasm; initiate schools to stimulate the teachers with excellent service, construct the cooperative atmosphere served the professional development, and attach great importance to spiritual motivation. Thirdly, schools should expand the cooperative areas with universities or colleges, and professors in universities should offer consultation and guide in how to stimulate the teachers' in their professional development. Last but the most important, guide the teachers to stimulate themselves, and create favorable conditions for teachers' self- motivation.