Teachers as team players? Exploring the relationship between collaborative practice, professional development, and work-related stress using diary data

Teacher collaboration is of great significance to improve the professional ability and development of teachers. This study shows that the traditional path of teachers' professional development has gradually lagged behind the pace of the development of the times, and the new path of teachers' professional development with teachers' collaboration as the core is attracting much attention. This study examines and reflects on the hot topics in the concept and practice of teacher collaboration from the aspects of the theoretical implication, manifestation and implementation dilemma of teacher collaboration. In fact, under the development concept of teacher collaboration, there are many implementation difficulties. Providing time guarantee for teacher collaboration, guiding teachers to correctly understand teacher collaboration and balancing the limits of teacher autonomy and collaboration are very important to promote teacher collaboration.

Background The quality of pupils in terms of competence, knowledge, and overall achievements is dependent on teacher commitment. Yet, teacher commitment in Universal Primary schools in Kasaanda District has been subpar. This study aimed to assess the relationship between teacher collaboration and teacher commitment in Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools in Kasanda District. Methodology A descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational survey was utilized, integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches for data collection and analysis. Ten U.P.E. schools in Kasanda district, involving a sample of 108 participants (comprising teachers and head teachers), were selected through purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Data was analyzed using SPSS software and content analysis techniques. Results The findings observed a higher response rate, 100% from head teachers compared to 91.8% from teachers. Teacher collaborations were recognized for providing support, sharing successful teaching strategies, and fostering camaraderie among educators. Correlational analysis revealed a moderate positive relationship between teacher collaborations and commitment (R-value of 0.796). Regression analysis further supported the significant impact of teacher collaborations on teacher commitment (Beta) of 0.14, emphasizing the importance of investing in teacher collaboration opportunities and collaborative practices. Conclusion Promoting teacher collaborations is crucial for enhancing teacher commitment in UPE schools. This factor plays a complementary role in influencing teacher commitment and should be considered in developing strategies to improve the overall teacher collaboration and commitment of teachers in the Kasanda district. Recommendation The government should facilitate opportunities for teachers to collaborate, share experiences, and learn from one another through collaborative projects, workshops, and peer mentoring programs.

Teacher collaboration, and teacher professional development within this context, has become an area of interest in recent years. In particular, teacher education has seen the rise of collaboration as an effective school-based professional development activity, where in-service teachers plan, observe and reflect on lessons together. The most common form of teacher collaboration is between teachers within one school or department; however, in England networks do exist that involve teachers from different schools (cross-school). Of the small number of collaborations that do extend beyond a single school, few involve teachers from different age phases (cross-phase), and only a very small number of these involve teachers planning lessons together, observing and jointly reflecting on teaching practice. This article analyses and discusses the experiences of two primary school teachers in a cross-school and cross-phase collaborative year-long innovative initiative to speculate about the implications of this type of professional development. Specifically, the article examines whether cross-phase and cross-school collaboration affords primary school mathematics teachers opportunities to develop and addresses what hinders their participation. Implications for future research on primary school teacher collaborative professional development are discussed.

Background Healthcare is provided by a variety of different professionals, including pharmacists who are integral members of the team, and all are expected to work collaboratively to provide quality care. Little is known about the perceptions of pharmacists in Qatar towards interprofessional collaboration. Positive attitudes towards interprofessional education are essential to successful implementation of interprofessional collaboration. Therefore, to develop effective collaboration strategies in practice settings, it was essential to survey the attitudes of practising pharmacists towards collaboration. Objective To explore the awareness, views, attitudes and perceptions of practising pharmacists in Qatar towards interprofessional education and collaborative practice. Setting Community, hospital and primary healthcare settings in Qatar. Methods This was a two-staged sequential explanatory mixed method design. It utilised a quantitative survey (Stage 1), based on a modified version of the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale. This was followed by a qualitative stage, utilising focus groups (Stage 2). Main outcome measures (1) Qatar pharmacists' attitudes towards interprofessional education and collaborative practice; (2) Practising pharmacists' perspectives in relation to enablers, barriers and recommendations regarding interprofessional education and collaborative practice. Results 63% of the practising pharmacists (n = 178) responded to the survey. Three focus groups followed (total n = 14). High scores indicating readiness and positive attitudes towards interprofessional education were reported for pharmacists working in hospital, community and primary healthcare settings. Qualitative analysis identified three overarching themes in relation to the enablers, barriers and recommendations for practising pharmacists working collaboratively. The enabling themes were: professional and patient related benefits, and current positive influences in Qatar; the barriers were patients' negative perceptions; the status of the pharmacy profession and current working practices and processes; the recommendations related to improving patients' perceptions about pharmacists and enhancing the status of pharmacy profession in Qatar. The findings from this study highlighted two major observations: the lack of existence of collaborative practice and hierarchy and power play. Conclusion Pharmacists demonstrated willingness and readiness to develop interprofessional learning and collaborative practice with significant steps already taken towards improving collaborative working practices in different care settings.

Collaborative practice between health and education professionals is considered central to the implementation of inclusion policies and best practice to support children with special educational needs (SEN). However, in Ireland, barriers to collaborative practice between occupational therapists and teachers include limited contact in practice settings and lack of interagency collaboration structures. This paper investigates the process of collaborative practice using findings of a study involving 46 children with Down Syndrome (DS), their teachers and an occupational therapist in the collaborative application of a handwriting teaching method. While teachers reported finding the collaborative approach useful, conflict arose regarding how to differentiate the curriculum to meet complex individual needs. Findings are discussed in the light of current resource constraints, the agenda for inclusive practice, and amalgamating differing professional perspectives to ensure appropriate curriculum differentiation. This paper concludes that ongoing occupational therapy (OT)–teacher collaboration is essential in developing appropriate educational goals and curriculum differentiation strategies for children with DS. Joint collaboration in educational policy development is advised. OT involvement in initial teacher education and continuing professional development, and joint pre-/post-qualification education opportunities are recommended to enhance shared professional understandings. Government commitment to resourcing and developing structures to facilitate interagency collaboration is crucial.

Parental involvement is widely recognized as vital to students' success, yet many primary schools in Migori County, Kenya, continue to experience low sustained parental engagement. This study examined how head teachers' collaborative leadership strategies influence parental engagement in teaching and learning. Guided by Epstein's theory of parental involvement, the research adopted a concurrent triangulation mixed-method design. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions involving 88 head teachers, 96 class teachers, I 00 parents, and 12 education officers. Quantitative findings indicate that collaborative practices such as a clearly shared school vision, including parents in decision­ making, two-way home-school communication, and regular academic clinics are associated with higher levels of parental engagement. A moderate positive correlation (approximately r=O.66) was found between the head teachers' collaborative strategies and parental engagement levels. Qualitative insights further illustrated improved home-school partnerships where such collaborative leadership was present. The study concludes that head teachers' collaborative leadership strategies significantly enhance parental involvement in learning. The study recommended that to strengthen collaborative efforts, it is essential to foster a closer partnership between teachers and parents. In a leadership role, head teachers need to take the initiative in educating both teachers and parents about the critical role of parent-teacher collaboration for students' academic success. Furthermore, teachers and Ministry of Education officials in the county should organize meetings with parents and teachers to promote awareness about the need for collaboration and the various strategies needed to improve students' learning outcomes. It also suggests that the Ministry of Education incorporate these strategies into school management policies to promote effective parent- teacher collaboration.

This study examined the effects of collaboration between teachers on professional capital, focusing on collaborative activities being conducted in and out of school centered on the professional learning community. In particular, this study divided the collaborative activities of teachers into three types: class observation, class openness and participation in voluntary research activities inside and outside the school. The study examined the effects of each type of collaboration on teachers' professional capital specifically. For this purpose, this study conducted a survey of elementary school teachers in Gyeongnam, and a total of 1,340 surveys were collected and used for analysis. The main results of this study are as follows. First, it was found that both happy schools and general schools had a high level of professional capital (human capital, social capital, and decision-making capital) of teachers who participated in collaborative activities regardless of the types of teacher collaboration. Second, even after controlling the variables on teachers' professional capital, collaboration activities positively influenced teachers' professional capita, and participation in voluntary research activities inside and outside the school had a greater influence on teachers' professional capital than class openness and observation. Finally, factors such as gender, teaching career, teacher efficacy, and the climate of collaboration between teachers had a significant influence on teachers' professional capital. Based on the results of this study, we suggested on the implications for operating a professional learning community based on teacher collaboration and enhancing teachers’ professional development.

Policy-makers in Ireland advocate teacher collaboration as being a vital component of educational reform and school improvement in inclusive and participatory communities of practice. The objective of this research study was to attempt to achieve a depth of understanding of the role played by principals in the reification of the Department of Education and Skills (DES) policy around collaborative practice in their schools. This paper attempts to capture a snapshot of the current culture around teacher collaborative practice and the extent to which such practice is enabled and/or encouraged by senior management. A qualitative approach was used to gather the necessary data which were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Some key findings include: principals have an astute awareness of how collaborative practice is conceptualised and contextualised within the Irish education system; there exists a broad range of formal and informal practices already at play; principals believe that clear structures and strategies will herald the creation of a new pedagogical landscape propagated by meaningful and highly effective collaborative practice; school leaders actively encourage and endorse collaborative practice; principals are positively seeking to re-culture schools and mediate the traditional norms that many teachers are essentially fearful to forsake.

Introduction: One of the concepts that emerged following the COVID-19 pandemic is coronavirus anxiety. Additionally, the concept of work-related stress has become one of the prominent issues due to the restrictions imposed during the pandemic. This study aims to investigate the potential impact of coronavirus anxiety on work-related stress among employees in the forest products industry, a sector that requires high levels of attention. Methods: The study follows a quantitative research design and is cross-sectional in nature. The population of the study consists of employees working in three different businesses operating in Karaman province. No sample calculation was performed; instead, all individuals who volunteered and were eligible to participate were included in the research. A total of 121 valid questionnaires were collected using the survey technique. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, difference tests, and regression analysis in IBM SPSS software. For reliability, the Cronbach’s Alpha test was used, while confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS AMOS software for validity. Results: According to the findings of the frequency analysis, it was determined that the participants' perceptions of coronavirus anxiety and work-related stress were below average. The results of the correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant, moderate positive relationship between coronavirus anxiety and work-related stress. The difference tests indicated that individuals in the 41-50 age group had higher levels of coronavirus anxiety and work-related stress. It was also found that individuals with a primary school education had higher levels of coronavirus anxiety compared to those with a high school education. No significant differences were found between the other groups. According to the results of the regression analysis, it was determined that coronavirus anxiety has a statistically significant and positive effect on work-related stress. Conclusion: It was concluded that as coronavirus anxiety increases among employees in the forest products manufacturing sector, work-related stress also increases. The findings of the study are limited by the small sample size.

PurposeThere is little research into how teachers think about and teach creative writing and its redrafting and how this might differ depending upon the age of the pupils being taught. This paper aims to compare the creative writing conceptualisations and practices of primary school teachers (5–11-year olds) and secondary school teachers (11–18-year-olds) in England through a qualitative survey. This comparison enables to think about the influence of policy on creative writing in primary and secondary schools as well as what professional development could look like for these teachers to improve the teaching of creative writing.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative survey exploring the creative writing and redrafting pedagogies and conceptualisations was responded to by primary school teachers (n = 18) and secondary school teachers (n = 19). Taking an ecological view of creative writing and teacher identity, the authors undertake a comparative analysis of the survey data using the 5A’s theory of creativity (Glaveanu, 2013) and a view of professional identity existing within “landscapes of practice” (Wenger-Trayner, Wenger-Trayner, 2015). This enables to illuminate how and why creative writing is contextually afforded, or otherwise, in primary and secondary landscapes of practice.FindingsThis analysis demonstrates how the redrafting of creative writing is marginalised in both landscapes of practice and how redrafting is largely conceptualised as a technical rather than critical or creative action. The authors show how teachers, particularly in primary school, aim for their pupils to produce “products” rather than engaging in the “process” of creative writing. This analysis also shows that whilst creative writing is overall more marginalised in the secondary school landscape, it is often taught through process approaches. In both landscapes of practice, the re-drafting of creative writing is largely taught through product approaches.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is potentially skewed by the fact that we recruited our participants through networks relating the teaching of English, including creative writing. What is worrying about this limitation, however, is that the picture of creative writing in schools in England probably leans more to a product approach than the picture this research has uncovered.Practical implicationsProfessional development for teachers in both landscapes is needed in relation to pedagogical actions for creative writing and its redrafting. Some of the key differences we have outlined in conceptualisations and practices between primary and secondary schools landscapes, notably the overuse of product-based teaching actions in primary landscapes, and some of the differences we have outlined within discrete landscapes of practice, notably how some primary school teachers feel more confident to challenge the product-based approach, with one conceptualising redrafting as “creative”, indicate that professional development should involve teachers working across schools.Social implicationsPolicy needs to be reformed to move away from the technicist view of creative writing held in both landscapes of practice. Linked to this, the way creative writing is assessed as a product in secondary schools needs to change – the re-introduction of portfolio-based coursework (Bishop, 1990) would provide the affordance of redrafting as an action central to creative writing processes.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a rare piece of research which compares primary and secondary school teachers’ approaches to teaching creative writing. It shows that primary school teachers can be formulaic in the way they teach creative writing, using product approaches. However, in secondary schools the picture is different: teachers, particularly those, who are writers themselves, give students more agency in redrafting and shaping their writing. This indicates how professional development should involve primary and secondary school teachers in dialogue with one another to cross boundaries of practice.

The present study investigates the perspectives of General and Special Education teachers regarding their collaborative practices within the framework of “Parallel Support” in Greek primary schools. It is a quantitative pilot study with a sample of 90 educators, demonstrating high instrument reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.864). The findings indicate strong mutual respect and professional trust, but limited implementation of meaningful collaboration. The “One Teach, One Assist” model predominates, while the lack of institutionalized shared planning time constitutes a major barrier. The preliminary findings suggest that professional development should focus on practical co-teaching strategies to enhance the sustainability of inclusive education.

Esta pesquisa objetivou avaliar a perspectiva dos estudantes da saúde sobre educação interprofissional em uma universidade pública do estado do Maranhão. Foi aplicado um questionário com variáveis sociodemográficas e de perfil dos acadêmicos e o instrumento RIPLS (Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale) adaptado, de forma online, com 254 acadêmicos dos cursos da saúde. Para a análise da diferença estatística significante foi calculado o teste t de Student e Anova para a diferença de médias e Qui-quadrado para a concordância das assertivas isoladamente, considerando o nível de significância de 5%, sendo analisado no programa Stata versão 14. Os resultados identificaram que há uma alta disponibilidade dos estudantes dos cursos da saúde para a aprendizagem interprofissional, sendo mais aceita nos períodos clínicos/fase intermediária dos cursos, onde se sugere que as práticas colaborativas serão mais exigidas. Destaca-se que a maioria dos pesquisados se encontram em Zona de Conforto em relação a Educação Interprofissional e Práticas Colaborativas no ambiente acadêmico. O estudo destaca que atividades extracurriculares são ferramentas indispensáveis no processo de ensino-aprendizagem da educação interprofissional e práticas colaborativas. Conclui-se a importância da criação e manutenção de ambientes que abordem a discussão dessa temática, para que a prática interprofissional colaborativa ocorra de forma abrangente entre todos os acadêmicos dos cursos da saúde.

This article will present a reflection on the benefits of a collaborative approach in the field of social work practice education and learning. It will specifically outline how collaborative practice, centered around a practice teacher and their student, was developed in a hospital neurorehabilitation setting. This will be demonstrated via the innovations which took place in establishing a peer support group for a cohort of patients under the age of 65. We will discuss with the reader, our framework which was developed with the intention of promoting an investment by practice teachers, students, field agencies and college educators in taking part in collaborative practice within the education environment. We will outline and reflect on the 3 main principles of our framework for collaborative practice within the realm of social work. These include: 1) Individual Traits, 2) Reflective Practice and 3) Learning and Professional Development. This article will highlight the benefits of embracing a collaborative approach in practice education by focusing on the principles above, within an interdisciplinary work setting.

This chapter seeks to analyze the success factors, challenges, and renewal of Finnish education in the context of learning twenty-first century competency. We analyze the good performance and low variation in performance of Finnish students and suggest Finnish teachers and teacher education as well as the Finnish approaches to curriculum, assessment and quality assurance as possible factors for the excellent results. In addition, we analyze possible reasons for the recent decline in assessment results. Challenges for Finnish education in the classroom, school, municipality, and national level as well as challenges in teacher education are considered. Finally, we introduce the new Finnish national curriculum and how it aims to develop the twenty-first century competencies of students as a solution to overcoming the challenges. The creation of teacher collaboration networks is suggested as a way to support teachers’ continuous professional development, particularly with respect to their teaching of twenty-first century competency. We show how such networks could facilitate the creation and sharing of educational innovations related to teaching and learning through teachers’ collaboration, inquiry, and problem-solving activities as well as through a close connection to classroom practice.

Interprofessional education for collaborative patient-centered practice has been identified as a key mechanism to address health care needs and priorities. Faculty development can play a unique role in promoting interprofessional education (IPE) by addressing some of the barriers to teaching and learning that exist at both the individual and the organizational level, and by providing individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to design and facilitate IPE. This article highlights a number of approaches and strategies that can facilitate IPE. In particular, it is recommended that faculty development initiatives aim to bring about change at the individual and the organizational level; target diverse stakeholders; address three main content areas, notably interprofessional education and collaborative patient-centred practice, teaching and learning, and leadership and organizational change; take place in a variety of settings, using diverse formats and educational strategies; model the principles and premises of interprofessional education and collaborative practice; incorporate principles of effective educational design; and consider the adoption of a dissemination model to implementation. Clearly, faculty members play a critical role in the teaching and learning of IPE and they must be prepared to meet this challenge.