Given the spread of the implementation of Online Communities of Practice (OCoP) as a new approach to organisational learning in the context of continuing professional development (CPD) programmes in some countries such as the UK, USA and Australia, this study conducts a trial in which the OCoP is introduced for this purpose in Saudi Arabia. The aim of the study is to establish the potential of the OCoP to function as an approach to CPD, and how such a mechanism can be adopted in the Saudi context to have an impact upon teachers’ professional performance and development. I designed the OCoP and the sample was composed of 14 male teachers of ICT in secondary schools located in five different cities in Saudi Arabia. The teachers interacted with each other in the OCoP, discussing eight subjects that they chose for themselves. In order to explore the operation and outcomes of the OCoP, I used qualitative methods, in particular semi-structured interviews, classroom observation of a sample of teachers, and observation and monitoring of teachers’ interaction within the OCoP over a three-month period. The overall findings show the positive impact of adopting an OCoP in CPD programmes. They reveal that some teachers change their practice and improve their levels of reflection. Additionally, the findings show significant differences between the levels of contribution made by teachers in the OCoP compared with their participation and engagement in other general online communities and in training courses attended in the country’s Training Centres. Furthermore, the study points to the importance of commitment and internal motivation among teachers in the context of the OCoP since without this, the overall aims of the Community cannot be achieved. The study also raises critical issues concerning the psychological aspects of teachers’ professional development, specifically the need to allow teachers more autonomy in determining their professional needs, and the requirement for trust to be built among teachers since the presence of such autonomy and trust promotes greater engagement in the CPD process. As a result of the trial OCoP, several avenues for further research are suggested in order to gain a deeper understanding of the potential of OCoPs in the educational field.

The aim of the research reported in this thesis is to examine the factors that Irish post-primary teachers report as influencing their decision making regarding engagement in continuing professional development (CPD) and to present a conceptualisation of what I call engagement. The study examines the current research and theorising about CPD and from this develops an analysis and argument about how there is a need, within the context of CPD, to examine the relationship between the agency of the professional and the structuring context in which they are located. The study offers, through case study work with teachers in six post-primary schools in Ireland, new understandings of teachers' personal views, opinions and reflections with regard to the factors that influence their decision making regarding engagement in CPD. The analysis of the data leads to a number of outcomes, firstly, it offers a conceptualisation of these factors as a contribution towards a refinement of understanding of a model of engagement in CPD, secondly, consideration is given to what engagement means for professionalism and professionality and the implications that arise for both the policy makers and for post-primary teachers in Ireland. In pursuit of these aims the following research questions are addressed:1. What are the factors that influence teacher decision making regarding engagement in CPD?2. What does this mean for CPD and professional practice?The findings presented in this study are twofold. Firstly, in general, Irish post-primary teachers recognise the need for, and appreciate the potential value and benefit of professional learning in developing their understanding of the learning processes and its potential to improve the student experience and learning outcomes. Secondly, within the current Irish context individual teachers’ decision making with regard to engagement in CPD is influenced by a variety of factors but none more so than that of the impact of their decision to engage on their own personal lives. Consequently, it shows that there are emerging tensions between teachers and the Government in light of recent Government policy to locate more and more CPD events in an after school-time elective context. These issues combine to an examination of how teachers are being positioned and are positioning themselves for the reform process and what this means for the professionalism and professionality of Irish post-primary teachers.

Background Continuing professional development (CPD) provides timely clinical information in the current age of rapid knowledge creation. The exigent COVID-19 pandemic created a scenario that required healthcare educators to adopt alternate CPD delivery models to ensure training continuity. These experiences can shape healthcare professionals’ (HCPs’) preferences and needs, impacting their choice of CPD activities. Methods A cross-sectional, Q-methodology study investigating the preferences and needs of 47 individuals from a range of healthcare professions (physicians, nurses, allied health professionals etc.) was conducted. Three phases of Q-methodology were administered: Q-sample generation, Q-sort exercise and by-person factor analysis. Demographic characteristics like age, geographical location, healthcare discipline, and years of practice were also recorded. Results A Q-sample containing 40 statements related to HCPs’ CPD preferences and needs was derived from the comprehensive literature review and analysis of program evaluation data. The study participants’ demographic characteristics were diverse but evenly distributed (age, occupation), with a large majority practising in Ontario, Canada. Following the Q-sort exercise, an analysis of the respective factor loadings, distinguishing statements and available narrative survey data led to the identification of four factors. These factors represent different types of CPD participants and their training needs. Sixteen participants loaded onto Factor 1 (Value and productivity-focused clinicians), ten participants loaded onto Factor 2 (Application and competency-based learners), ten participants loaded onto Factor 3 (Respite seekers), and three participants loaded onto Factor 4 (Growth-oriented professionals). A single consensus statement that highlighted neutral viewpoints towards the need for CPD activities to have “appropriate difficulty and volume of content” was also identified. Conclusion This study uniquely leveraged on Q-methodology’s ability to study subjectivity using a limited sample, applying it to a diverse interprofessional population. Based on this study’s findings about HCPs’ CPD priorities, CPD providers should adapt their current CPD offerings to better meet contemporary needs. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc) / Background: Continuing professional development (CPD) provides timely clinical information in the current age of rapid knowledge creation. Accelerated by pandemic-related restrictions, healthcare CPD activities have pivoted to alternate delivery formats like online or blended models. Experiences with CPD participation during the COVID-19 pandemic can shape healthcare professionals’ preferences and needs, impacting their CPD choice. Methods: A cross-sectional, Q-methodology study investigating the preferences and needs of 47 individuals from a range of healthcare professions (physician, nurses, allied health professionals etc.) was conducted. Results: This study uncovered four factors, representing different types of CPD participants and their training needs. These groups were namely: “Value and productivity-focused clinicians”, “Application and competency-based learners”, “Respite seekers”, and “Growth-oriented professionals”. Conclusion: This study uniquely leveraged on Q-methodology’s ability to study subjectivity using a limited sample, applying it to a diverse interprofessional population. The identified factors may also help CPD providers to better cater resources and support for the enhancement of CPD quality and participation rates.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka och kartlägga hur medarbetarna på ett företag som arbetar med kompetensutveckling resonerar kring sin egen kompetensutveckling, detta i relation till företagets kompetensutvecklingskultur. De två formulerade frågorna är; Hur ser företagets kompetensutvecklingskultur ut ur medarbetarnas perspektiv samt Hur ser medarbetarnas individuella kompetensutvecklingskultur ut ur medarbetarnas perspektiv. Studien gjordes i samverkan med ett företag och studiens empiri bygger på en enkätundersökning med 69 konsulter som arbetar på olika enheter inom företaget. Den teoretiska referensramen består av Bryk och Schneiders teori om relationell tillit och Wermkes teori om kompetensutvecklingskultur. Studien utgår från tidigare forskning som behandlar kompetensutvecklingskultur ur ett kontextuellt sammanhang samt hur lärande kan beskrivas som en dynamisk process som oavbrutet förändrar individers sätt att tänka, deras uppfattningar och intellektuella förmågor utifrån deras kulturella och sociala kontext. Tidigare forskning berör även hur avgörande förståelsen för såväl den historiska som den konceptuella kontexten är för att skapa tillit inför olika val av källor för kompetensutveckling hos lärare samt forskning som visar på ett starkt statistiskt samband mellan ökad akademisk produktivitet och tillit. Ur resultatet kan utläsas att medarbetarna upplevde att de i hög utsträckning själva tog initiativ till sin kompetensutveckling och att beslutet om kompetensutveckling i hög utsträckning fattades tillsammans med en överordnad. Vidare framkommer det ur resultatet att tilliten på företaget generellt är hög. Dessutom tyder resultaten med några få undantag på att det finns en stark kompetensutvecklingskultur på företaget som grundar sig på idén att det finns en gemensam professionell kultur bland de anställda och att de har gemensamma uppfattningar om hur kompetensutveckling äger rum på företaget.

Language practices around the world have experienced a significant shift in the last number of years (McDermott, 2011; Walsh, 2005). Communities that continue to speak minority or heritage languages, such as Irish Gaelic, have felt the effects of the various social, political and economic pressures that have gone hand in hand with globalization, resulting in a breakdown in intergenerational transmission (Anderson, 2011; Hornberger, 1998; Norris, 2004). In the Republic of Ireland, the education system has been set as the corner stone of Irish language revitalization efforts since the 1920s, thereby assigning much responsibility to Irish language teachers. Yet, there is a dearth of existing research that gives voice to Irish teachers, and their experiences and motivations to teach a language that just 1.8% of the population speak on a daily basis remain unclear (National Census of Ireland, 2011). In this study, I engage with teachers from both Gaeltacht (where Irish is spoken as a first language) and primarily English speaking parts of Ireland, in order to give a broader account of Irish teachers’ experiences in different educational settings. In addition, I look to identify what implications a better understanding of teacher motivation could have for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs offered to Irish teachers, and situate these recommendations within the current educational policies that exist within the Irish education system. / February 2017

I den här studien undersöktes hur Skolverkets stödmaterial kan påverka lärares autonomi. I studiens teoretiavsnitt presenteras begreppet continuing professional development  (CPD) som handlar om den fortbildning lärare förväntas genomgå under sitt yrkesliv och hur CPD kan ses som ett sätt att styra lärares arbete. Skolverket anses vara en betrodd källa vid val av fortbildning. I avsnittet behandlas även vad autonomi innebär för lärare. Studiens empiriska material bestod av fyra av Skolverkets stödmaterial i undervisningen. Det analytiska verktyg som användes för att kunna undersöka stödmaterialens påverkan på autonomin baserades på LaCoes (2008, s. 39) sex dimensioner av den individuella autonomin. I studiens forskningsöversikt presenteras ett urval av den forskning som genomförts rörande styrningen och olika faktorer som kan påverka styrningen av den svenska skolan. I bakgrunden presenteras den Tillitsdelegation som Regeringen tillsatte år 2016 för att undersöka hur styrningen av bland annat skolan kan förbättras och hur reformerna påverkat hur styrningen av skolan sett ut. Studiens resultat visade att lärares autonomi kan påverkas av innehållet i stödmaterialen och att stödmaterialen kan anses styrande. Analysen av empirin visar även att det finns detaljstyrning i materialens innehåll som liknar en regelstyrning.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme for football coaches working in Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) time in schools. PPA time was introduced for all teachers in 2005 as part of a seven stage response to the 2003 workload remodelling act and aimed to support the dual aims of addressing teacher workload and raising educational standards (DfES, 2003). To do this coaches’ were required to work against the definition of specified work. Specified work is defined as specified by Baalpe (2005: 4) as: “Planning and preparing lessons and courses for pupils. Delivering lessons to pupils – including distance learning or computer-aided techniques. Assessing the development, progress and attainment of pupils. Reporting on the development, progress and attainment of pupils.” The evaluation adopts a realist case study methodology which aims to understand the relationship between the initial context, mechanism for change and the initial outcomes of the CPD programme (Pawson and Tiley, 1997; Pawson, 2003; Pawson, 2006). The delivery of the CPD programme was underpinned by constructed and situated theories of learning (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Kirk and Macdonald; 1998, Wenger, 1998) that emphasised the synergy of new and old knowledge encouraging the coaches to develop both practical and ontological knowledge, skill and understanding. These intended outcomes were supported by the CPD programme being delivered through a critical pedagogical perspective (Kirk, 2000) that challenged the coaches to consider knowledge, either accepting or rejecting the knowledge being presented by the programme. The initial context findings showed that the coaches did not have the necessary knowledge, skill and understanding to work against the definition of specified work in PPA time. The initial mechanism for change highlighted that there were positive relationships between initial context and the mechanisms used in the CPD programme, which included practical coaching sessions, DVD analysis and working with other coaches. The initial outcomes further supported the mechanism of change and showed that for some of the coaches knowledge, skill and understanding had developed but also identified some mechanistic blocks that prevented the coaches from developing their knowledge, skill and understanding in relation to working in PPA time and operating against the definition of specified work; these included the coaches’ relationship with schools and the support the Community Sports Trust managers provided the coaches. The study concludes that future CPD should concentrate on how schools and Community Sports Trusts can raise the standards of Physical Education lessons covered by external coaches and how this can be developed, as opposed to focussing more narrowly on what knowledge sports coaches require to deliver specified work and how can this best be developed. The thesis proposes that the CPD should be multi-agency and multi-structure and include schools, teachers, Community Sports Trust managers and coaches and aim to develop an ontological perspective which develops and refines the practical skills that will allow coaches to work against the definition of specified work.

Surgeons regularly make changes in their practice to ensure they are providing high quality patient care. This includes the process of learning and safely integrating new skills, techniques and technologies into practice. When faced with the challenge of integrating a new surgical procedure into practice, surgeons must determine when they are ready to overcome the associated risks. This study sought to understand how surgeons experience risk when learning and integrating a new procedure into practice. A modified constructivist, grounded theory approach was utilized. Eighteen surgeons were purposively sampled from two Canadian academic medical institutions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and interpreted through constant comparative analysis. Emergent themes were identified and a conceptual framework was developed for understanding the surgeon experience associated with adopting and integrating a new procedure into practice. Regardless of personal risk tolerance, surgeons described a similar approach to learning and implementing new skills. The experience of risk was one of several factors that affected their adoption of new techniques. They also described being influenced by individual, personality-driven factors, logistical considerations and the culture inherent to their departmental, institutional, professional and societal contexts. A framework for understanding the surgeon experience when adopting and integrating new skills was constructed. The complex, nuanced multifactorial interplay between a surgeon’s individual willingness to engage risk, his/her motivations and the systemic and cultural factors that serve to facilitate or hinder the implementation of a new surgical skill is at the core of this experience. An increased awareness of these factors highlights the challenges that surgeon face in adopting new procedures and may lead to the development of policies which support surgeons learning and implementing new skills, techniques and technologies while maximizing patient safety.

Introduction: In the rapidly growing and evolving healthcare systems, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) has become essential for nurses to update their knowledge and skills, achieve and maintain their competencies, and elevate their clinical functioning with the aim of providing a high standard quality of healthcare to the public as the ultimate goal. Moreover, CPD has been mandated as a licensure renewal requirement for nurses in the UAE. However, despite its importance, there is a lack of empirical studies about the effectiveness of CPD programmes in the UAE. Aim: This study explores and investigates the perspective of registered nurses (RNs), regarding the effectiveness of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the UAE in order to develop CPD strategies. Research design: Advanced Multiphase Mixed Method. Methods: The study constitutes three phases: • Phase one is qualitative; data was collected through four exploratory focus group interviews with RNs from all geographical areas in Abu Dhabi. They were selected through expert purposive sampling strategy from the same selected facilities as per the sampling of phase two. Data was analysed by “Thematic Analysis Style” using QSR NVivo software. • Phase two is quantitative descriptive; a modified questionnaire Q-PDN (Questionnaire-Professional Development for Nurses) was used to collect data from RNs. The sample was selected from a population of 18,910 RNs through probability stratified sampling, utilising the probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling due to the unequal size of the units. The sample size was 400 with a 655 response rate. Data was analysed by using the SPSS software yielding descriptive and inferential statistics. • Phase three is qualitative Appreciative Inquiry where meeting(s) were conducted with nursing “key players” in the Abu Dhabi, adopting the 5-D Cycle. The nursing ‘key players” represent the role of the nursing leaders in Abu Dhabi. Data was analysed using simultaneous targeted participatory thematic analysis. Results and conclusion: The CPD strategic recommendations were developed based on the RNs’ needs and perceptions and aligned with the benchmarked international CPD practices. The main consideration was the evidence of an existing relationship between the perceived influencing factors and the RNs’ participation in CPD. The study has numerous implications towards developing CPD strategies and policies, contribution to body of knowledge, and benefiting the nurses. Keywords: Continuing Professional Development, Strategy Development, Nursing / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Nursing Science / PhD (Nursing) / Unrestricted

No / Aim. To determine the adequacy of initial nurse independent prescribingeducation and identify continuing professional development and clinicalgovernance strategies in place for non-medical prescribing.Background. In 2006, new legislation in England enabled nurses with anindependent prescribing qualification to prescribe, within their competence. In 2006,non-medical prescribing policies released by the Department of Health outlinedthe recommendations for education, continuing professional development andgovernance of non-medical prescribing; however, there was no evidence on a nationalscale about the exte nt of implementation and effectiveness of these strategies.Design. National surveys of: (i) nurse independent prescribers; and (ii) non-medical prescribing leaders in England.Methods. Questionnaire surveys (August 2008–February 2009) coveringeducational preparation, prescribing practice (nurse independent prescribers) andstructures/processes for support and governance (non-medical prescribing leaders).Results. Response rates were 65% (976 prescribers) and 52% (87 leaders). Mostnurses felt their prescribing course met their learning needs and stated courseoutcomes and that they had adequate development and support for prescribing tomaintain patient safety. Some types of community nurse prescribers had less accessto support and development. The prescribing leaders reported lacking systems toensure continuity of non-medical prescribing and monitoring patient experience.Conclusion. Educational programmes of preparation for nurse prescribing werereported to be operating satisfactorily and providing fit-for-purpose preparationfor the expansion to the scope of nurse independent prescribing. Most clinicalgovernance and risk management strategies for prescribing were in place inprimary and secondary care. / Department of Health (UK)