Innovative behavior can be described as a process in which new ideas are generated, created, developed, applied, promoted, realized, and

After graduation it is essential for teachers to continue working on their professional development since they need to be prepared for the requirements of tomorrow's knowledge-and technology-based society, a more varied student and pupil population creating new responsibilities, and higher social expectations from schools and the society as a whole. Although attention for teachers' professional development at work is increasing, the availability of valid survey instruments that measure their participation in professional development at work is still limited. Based on a literature review, such an instrument was designed. This 21-item selfreport measure, using a 4-point rating scale, makes an inventory of teachers' participation in activities contributing to professional development. The purpose of the instrument is to make teachers, school leaders and other stakeholders aware of whether, and to what degree, teachers engage in learning at work. This is important because ultimately the quality of education depends on it. A survey was administered in 9 Dutch primary schools and 15 Dutch secondary schools. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed a six-factor structure, and augments earlier findings in the field. The reliabilities of the six subscales were sufficient to good.

Currently, many countries, including the Netherlands, are 'plagued' by severe, both quantitative and qualitative, teacher shortages that are even expected to increase in the years to come. Teachers' occupational development, therefore, has become an important issue on the research agenda of the respective countries. It is essential to develop more thorough insights that enable Human Resource Management (HRM) and Human Resource Development (HRD) professionals in schools to take strategic decisions in developing Teachers' Professional Development (TPD) and Occupational Expertise (OE). The aim of these strategic decisions is to cope effectively with shortages in this occupational sector. In this contribution, we propose a model that focuses on the influence of organizational and task factors on TPD which, in turn, is assumed to enhance OE. We will thoroughly discuss the so-called TPD & occupational expertise-model, and its implications for research and HRD practice.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate organisational (cultural and relational) and task factors which potentially enhance teachers’ professional development at work (TPD at Work). The development of lifelong learning competencies and, consequently, the careers of teachers, has become a permanent issue on the agenda of schools worldwide. The workplace is also increasingly regarded as the place to develop these competencies. Design/methodology/approach – A model incorporating the relationships between organisational and task factors as predictor variables and TPD at Work as the dependent variable, is presented and empirically tested by a quantitative (survey research) method. Findings – The study results indicated that learning climate, social support from one’s immediate supervisor, social support from close colleagues and learning value of the function can act as important job resources for TPD at Work. Work pressure and emotional demands, on the other hand, appeared to act as job demands for TPD at Work, but also have the potential to enhance TPD at Work. Research limitations/implications – The most important limitations of the study were the cross-sectional nature of the study and the use of self-ratings only, which may imply common method bias. Practical implications – To enhance TPD at Work, it is vital for actors inside and outside schools to focus on the right working conditions (as mentioned under findings) in schools, so that teachers can learn from their job. Originality/value – Knowledge in schools and empirical research about which factors at the organisational and task level are important to enhance TPD at Work seems scarce. This research contributes to this knowledge gap.

In recent years policy makers' interest in the professional development of school leaders has grown considerably. Although we know some aspect of formal educational programs for school leaders, little is known about school leaders' incidental and non-formal learning in the workplace. This study aims to grasp what workplace learning activities school leaders value most, what work-related questions incite them to learn, what outcomes they achieve through workplace learning and what conditions support workplace learning of school leaders. In order to generate answers to the research questions, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 Dutch school leaders in secondary education, which also served as a form of reflection for the respondents. Results show that school leaders mostly value workplace learning through working on improvement and innovation and through reflection. In addition to outcomes for the school leader, working on improvement and innovation also leads to learning outcomes for teachers, and seems to provide opportunities for teachers to influence changes in the school. On the other hand, teachers take little or no part in reflection. Here, school leaders find peace and stability to reflect with fellow school leaders. If adjusted to a specific context, the methods used in this study might be transferred to other contexts, to study workplace learning of all kinds of leaders.