The professors in the interviews all agreed that the separation of research and practice derived from the criteria most universities adopted to meet the requirements of the government-mandated evaluation, specifically the emphasis on professorial publication volume over classroom proficiency or even publication quality. The interviewees said that the impact of research in relation to CPD is largely evaluated by the number of published articles or books, not by to what extent or how research influences or improves teacher educators’ teaching. Concerning how research or publication as the criterion for promotion or reappointment affect professors’ motivation to pursue their own development, some professors expressed their opinion that research or publication is very closely related to effective professionalism. Professor Choi remarked that research or publication is at the heart of professional development and the criterion can provide instrumental motivation to foster professors’ CPD. However, all the interviewees agreed that it could also be a burden if the evaluation results are among criteria for promotion or reappointment. Professor Lee shared his experience: It becomes obviously a severe burden, particularly when one is a candidate for promotion or reappointment. Then it becomes something one should do, an obligation … I am sceptical about how obligation can encourage professors to be more actively involved in CPD. Table 6 shows professors’ responses to the question: ‘What kind of activities are you involved in for each form of CPD?’ Table 6: Activities for professors’ main forms of CPD Main form of CPD
Activities
Frequency (%)
Teaching improvement activities
Keeping a teaching diary
45 (70)
Self-observation
43 (67)
Peer observation
36 (56)
Getting consulting from experts
36 (56)
Feedback from student evaluation of teaching
60 (94)
Attending workshops for teaching improvement
52 (81)
Joining a learning community with teachers
46 (72)
Participating in mentoring
37 (58)
University-supported research
61 (95)
Outside organisation-supported research
56 (70)
Research in collaboration with outside organisations
58 (91)
Domestic peer-review journals
64 (100)
International journals
54 (84)
Book publication
59 (92)
Attending conferences
63 (98)
Presenting research
60 (94)
Review articles
63 (98)
Doing research
Publication
Joining academic associations
Investigating continuing professional development for teacher educators in South Korea |
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