Professional development framework for new teachers: The Emirati context as a case study

Ezzat, Mahinour (2021) Professional development framework for new teachers: The Emirati context as a case study. Doctor of Education thesis, University of Liverpool.

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Abstract

To support United Arab Emirates (UAE) government initiatives in increasing Emirati representation in higher education, my institution recruited Emirati graduates interested in teaching into the Faculty Emiratisation Initiative (FEI) programme. FEI participants are early career teachers who have minimal experience delivering learning experiences in higher education; this study refers to them as ‘teachers in training’. The Teaching Skills Enhancement Programme (TSEP) was developed to help teachers in training develop effective teaching and learning practices in higher education. They receive teacher training and mentoring for one year to prepare them to become fully-fledged academic members. This study examined to what extent the TSEP helped teachers in training achieve Advance HE Associate Fellowship. The study involved a single group of Emirati teachers in training over several months, using mixed methods instruments. A mixed responses questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and written Accounts of Professional Practice (APP) of teachers in training were analysed. A hybrid approach was adopted, combining different qualitative methods of thematic analysis. This included incorporating a data-driven inductive approach from the mixed responses questionnaire, interviews and the APP, and a deductive approach using a pre-set of codes (Schon’s reflective model). The essential finding is that TSEP and associated experiential learning opportunities, including coaching and microteaching, appeared to help teachers in training develop their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in their discipline and achieve Associate Fellowship. The study’s findings highlighted some crucial factors that other institutions in the UAE and Gulf region might consider in developing an Associate Fellowship scheme, developing teacher training programmes in general, and providing support to novice teachers to achieve Advance HE Associate Fellowship. Keywords: teacher training, pedagogical knowledge, higher education, UAE, professional teaching, reflective practice, experiential learning

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctor of Education)
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	08 Feb 2022 16:21
Last Modified:	18 Jan 2023 21:15
DOI:	10.17638/03147119
Supervisors:	Guzman, Carolina
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3147119