Howard, N.-J. (2021) Barriers and drivers in online micro-course professional development : Navigating issues of teacher identity and agency. Teaching and Teacher Education, 105: 103397. ISSN 0742-051X
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Abstract
This article reports on the barriers and drivers of online micro-course (oMC) professional development in a Middle East college. Semi-structured interviews with teachers yield a rich description of their learning experiences. The findings demonstrate the significance of identity and agency in online professional development: course accessibility advantages, valuable reflexive opportunities and successful practice shifts act as drivers to engagement and bolster identities. Meanwhile, impediments to oMC acceptance are evidenced in constrained peer collaboration, misaligned faculty and organisational interests and forced compliance which restrict agency and marginalise teacher identities. An original, inductive model to guide future research is also presented.