This article reports on a qualitative study conducted at primary schools in Hong Kong exploring the use of microlearning to support the self-directed continuing professional development (CPD) of English language teachers. Microlearning refers to short, concise, and easily consumable segments of learning about a knowledge point or skill. These activities tend to be multimodal and delivered through digital platforms, making them accessible anytime and anywhere. Currently, little is known about teachers’ perceptions of microlearning. To address this gap, we developed and delivered a mobile course that followed a microlearning approach and covered various aspects of digital technologies and English language teaching. Eight primary school English teachers engaged in the course and shared their perceptions of the experience in semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that they found microlearning to be more enriching and conducive to developing their digital competence than traditional CPD. It allowed them to address their immediate needs, develop practical skills, and integrate technology into their practices. The study provides important insights into the use of microlearning to support self-directed CPD. Copyright © 2024 The Open University.

The disruptive effects of this pandemic are predicted to redefine the priorities of continuing professional development (CPD) in the educational sector and reconstruct the identity and role of educators in future educational systems. Accordingly, the primary aim of the proposed research is to critically assess the factors shaping post-COVID-19 identity formation amongst secondary school teachers in Hong Kong to determine the influence of CPD and systemic needs on teacher role perceptions and goal-setting. This study will apply a mixed-methods approach to the collection of quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interview) data from a sample of Hong Kong educators. Through a critical, comparative analysis of these findings and triangulation of the evidence with prior academic theories, a model of educator development and identity formation will be proposed to improve and target developmental support throughout normalisation and post-COVID-19 recovery. Copyright © 2023 Taylor & Francis.

Physical education continuous professional development (PE-CPD) has been vaunted as a powerful influence on teachers' professional competence and subsequent student learning. Despite this proposition, there remains limited empirical evidence for the effect of teacher participation in CPD on student learning outcomes. In light of this void, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of an eight-month PE-CPD program on students' perceived physical literacy, motivation and enjoyment of physical education. A randomized control trial design was used to assign a sample of 65 physical education teachers from Hong Kong to the CPD and control intervention groups. Students' (n = 1,485) perceived physical literacy, motivation and enjoyment of physical education measures were collected across three phases of the program (post-program, eight-month follow-up, and 14-month follow-up). Repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to analyze changes in student learning outcomes across the three phases of the intervention. Results revealed low significant interaction effects of perceived physical literacy, motivation, and enjoyment across time depending on the participation level in CPD. The findings of this study provide an important addition to the extant literature on CPD, by revealing that teachers' commitment to participation in professional development may have a sustained influence on student affective learning outcomes. Copyright © 2022 Elsevier.

The purpose of this article is to explore the influence of a customized continuing professional development (PE-CPD) programme on PE teachers’ perceived physical literacy and efficacy beliefs in Hong Kong. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of the participants’ CPD experiences and to explore the programme’s influence on their perceived physical literacy and efficacy beliefs. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data. Results revealed that all participants underwent certain immediate and intermediate changes in relation to their self-perceptions of physical literacy and teaching efficacy while completing the customised PE-CPD programme. It was concluded that stakeholders should address the importance of developing teachers’ physical literacy and self-efficacy through similar programmes, in order to provide quality physical education (QPE) in school curricula and in turn enhance students’ physical literacy. Copyright © 2021 Springer Nature B.V.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a model to assist school leaders in managing the professional development activities of teachers. The model illustrates the important role of principals in promoting continuing professional development (CPD), chiefly by cultivating a collaborative learning culture and formulating policy. Design/methodology/approach: This study tested a framework based on the input of 103 CPD coordinators in Hong Kong, who participated in a quasi-experimental design questionnaire survey. Factor analysis and reliability tests were applied to verify the constructed validity and reliability of a self-developed instrument. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was then applied to confirm the model. Findings: The result of the SEM shows that principal support has a predictive effect on CPD policy and a collaborative learning culture, while the effectiveness of a CPD plan is predicted by collaborative culture and management strategy. Originality/value: This study contributes theoretically to existing literature and practically to school leaders, by supplying a model for managing teacher CPD.
[Copyright © 2017 Emerald Publishing Limited.]

This paper examines teachers' experiences of autonomy as they undertook Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the form of Teacher Learning Communities (TLCs) to develop Assessment for Learning (AfL). Participant teacher interview data were used from two parallel TLC projects, one in Hong Kong and one in London, UK. Autonomy was defined in terms of taking initiatives, acting independently and making critical inquiries. Links between autonomy and effective CPD were argued and the findings indicated that some teachers in both the projects experienced limited autonomy in terms of taking initiatives and being critical, although several described a new sense of professional independence as they attended TLCs. Their limited autonomy looked likely to inhibit the long-lasting impact of the projects, although one TLC in London seemed likely to shape teachers' AfL principles and practices more profoundly because attendance was voluntary and egalitarian.
[Copyright of Teacher Development is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2012.748686]

This article attempts to unpack the complexity of teachers' professional knowledge construction in Assessment for Learning (hereafter, AfL). It presents a qualitative study of a school-based AfL Project which took place in a secondary school in Hong Kong. Thirty lessons video-recorded in the AfL Project and nine teacher interviews conducted after the Project were analyzed. The findings enrich our understanding of professional knowledge construction in four aspects: (1) personal nature of teachers' practical knowledge construction in contrived situations; (2) confined integration of AfL into pedagogical content knowledge in terms of 'skill progression that accompanies experience'; (3) more sophisticated integration of AfL into pedagogical content knowledge as 'practicalizing theoretical knowledge'; and (4) reflection, conscious deliberation, and 'theorizing practical knowledge' associated with more sophisticated professional knowledge integration. Implications for enhancing teachers' professional learning are discussed.
[Copyright of Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2010.517683]

This paper presents a qualitative study about how teachers entering the profession at different times over the last five decades made sense of their professional lives and continuing professional development (CPD) experiences against the backdrop of the CPD policy infrastructure and wider educational context in Hong Kong. The life history method was used. The findings of the study show that teachers' self-directed professional development was driven by a commitment to the moral purposes of teaching, characterized by their active agency in professional knowledge construction, and supported by facilitating organizational conditions in schools. The study also reveals that fierce competition among individuals and schools, intensification of work, stress, uncertainty and alienation on the part of teachers evidenced the de-humanizing effects of an increasingly managerialist and market-oriented approach to school education. Implications for educational leaders at policy and school levels and teachers will be discussed.
[Copyright of Educational Review is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00131910802684748]