Bringing School Leadership to a HALT: A Design-based Intervention to Support the Development of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers in NSW Schools

Abstract

Professional development is fundamental to the advancement of the teaching profession. It can be used as a tool to drive improvement in line with professional standards, neoliberalist policies or system improvement initiatives. However, this thesis contends that professional development that listens to research and the views of participants can also foster broader, praxeological teacher growth, or the means to act in a way that contributes positively and meaningfully to wider society. This thesis was conducted in New South Wales, Australia and reports on a DesignBased Research study that responds to the overarching research question: What are the design principles for an effective professional development program targeting professional accreditation? It also aims to address the current dearth of certified Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers under the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The study produced, refined and contextualised a set of design principles for effective professional development. It also constructed a professional development program that can be used by researchers and professional developers to support future Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher applicants. The study consisted of four phases. A systematic literature review was conducted to produce a set of initial design principles for effective professional development, reflecting current literature. A stakeholder analysis was then undertaken to refine the design principles by incorporating the views of teachers. These revised design principles were then used to construct a professional development program. However, the program was unable to be implemented and tested due to limited participant availability. An additional stakeholder analysis was then conducted to further contextualise the design principles for Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher applicants. It also enabled the answering of an additional research question: What factors affect teacher engagement with Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher certification under the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers? These factors are presented in this thesis and can be used by future researchers and policy makers to strengthen teacher certification processes in Australia and beyond. The design principles produced in this study are unique in their synthesis of research and practitioner expertise. Each iteration of the design principles makes a purposeful contribution to knowledge in the field of professional development. The initial design principles contribute a synthesis of peer-reviewed research that is both rigorous and systematic. They can be used by researchers and professional developers to design and deliver effective professional development within and beyond the teaching profession. The revised design principles build upon the initial design principles by incorporating the voice of teachers. They contribute to wider understanding of the professional development needs of teachers, as articulated by teachers. They can also be used in the production of effective professional development that is teacher-specific. The final design principles were contextualised for teachers undertaking Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher certification but may also have applicability in the fields of broader teacher certification, middle leadership, and high-performing teachers. The overall findings of this study contribute to wider understanding of effective professional development by demonstrating a praxisfocussed solution to a teaching standards problem within current educational policy.