Perception of secondary school science and mathematics teachers on Professional development participation in Zamfara State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study adopted a descriptive survey design to examine the perception of secondary school science and mathematics teachers on professional development in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The population of the study consisted of all Science and Mathematics teachers in public secondary schools in Zamfara State. A sample of 217 respondents were drawn through purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Four research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. Analysis of data was done using descriptive statistics and z-test. The study revealed that science and mathematics teachers in Zamfara State have low level of awareness on the various types of professional development programmes and have not been participating in the programmes. They ascribed these to the lack of incentives, lack of employer support, too expensive/unaffordable and poor publicity. They also identified content knowledge and pedagogy of teaching as the two major areas they needed professional development. The two groups of teachers have no significant difference on the areas they needed professional development as well as on the barriers impeding their participation. The study recommended among others that, government should regularly sponsor teachers to attend professional development programmes and that teachers should explore and take advantage of numerous free professional development opportunities.

Secondary School Principals' Perceptions and Support of Professional Development for Science and Mathematics Teachers in Zamfara State, Nigeria

“…Therefore, every science "and mathematics teacher", both new and experienced, requires training at some point in order to improve their performance (Eboka & Mbanefo, 2022). This buttressed the assertion of Sodangi et al, (2022) that, to effectively manage the dynamic demands of students, science and mathematics teachers require rigorous and continuous re-training through various forms of professional development not only outside but also within school level.…”

“…However, despite the fact that discussions and interactions between principals and teachers about school-related issues are common in the school system (Kotirde & Yunos, 2014), yet, research findings have revealed that there is a significant gap between what teachers receive in the form of professional development and what they hope to receive (Sodangi et al, 2022;Westberry & Horner, 2022). For instance, Sodangi et al, (2022) reported lack of principals" support for science and mathematics teachers" professional development in Zamfara State. Hence suggested the need for principals to keep encouraging teachers under their leadership to keep abreast of new knowledge and skills through collaboration, mentoring, coaching etc.…”

“…In recent literature, the term professional development is frequently used interchangeably with terms like staff development, in-service or skills training, and continuing education (Sodangi et al, 2022). Similarly, Eboka and Mbanefo (2022) also expressed that, professional development for teachers is described in different ways such as; human capacity development, human capacity building, human resource development and human empowerment.…”

“…Similarly, Eboka and Mbanefo (2022) also expressed that, professional development for teachers is described in different ways such as; human capacity development, human capacity building, human resource development and human empowerment. Sodangi et al, (2022) defined professional development as provision of learning, development and training opportunities for teachers in order to improve their organizational performance. According to Acuña and Ancho (2022), the relevance of teachers" professional development has been widely recognized and contributed successfully to educational processes.…”

“…It is a learning opportunity that engages teachers" creative and reflective capacities to strengthen their practice. Sodangi et al, (2022) stated that, "the main aim of professional development is to impact teachers" knowledge, skills, and beliefs, making their practice become more useful to their students" (p. 38). It provides teachers with the opportunity to gain additional competencies and qualifications in order to successfully perform their teaching duties (Egboka, 2018).…”