What Factors Affect Teachers in Taiwan in Becoming More Involved in Professional Development? A Hierarchical Linear Analysis

• Author: Meiyu Fang,Hsiao‐Wen Liu,Jihn‐Chang J. Jehng,Chun‐Hsi V. Chen
• Published date: 01 September 2014
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21195
• Date: 01 September 2014

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, vol. 25, no. 3, Fall 2014 © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.21195 381

ARTICLES

What Factors Affect Teachers

in Taiwan in Becoming More

Involved in Professional

Development? A Hierarchical

Linear Analysis

Hsiao-Wen Liu, Jihn-Chang J. Jehng, Chun-Hsi V. Chen,

Meiyu Fang

Effective professional development enhances teachers’ instructional skills

and in turn improves students’ learning. This study adopts a multilevel

perspective to investigate the interplay of self-directed learning (SDL),

professional self-awareness, and the supportive organizational climate

in terms of their effects on the professional development of high school

teachers in Taiwan. The study confi rms that individual SDL and a

supportive organizational climate positively affect teachers’ professional

development. Specifi cally, professional self-awareness mediates the

relationship between SDL and professional development at the individual

level. The cross-level moderation of the supportive organizational climate is

confi rmed on the relationship between SDL and professional development.

It is concluded that teachers with a greater degree of individual SDL and

professional self-awareness, combined with a supportive organizational

climate, will be more involved in professional development. Implications

and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Key Words: self-directed learning, professional development, multilevel

analysis, supportive organizational climate, human resource development

382 Liu, Jehng, Chen, Fang

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY • DOI: 10.1002/hrdq

Introduction

Education is an important indicator for assessing a nation’s competitive

advantage. Educational reform has been viewed by developed countries as

essential for ensuring continuous improvement of educational quality and

thus maintaining the nation’s competitive advantage through education

(Ministry of Education, 2011). Teachers thus play a critical role in cultivat-

ing talent for the nation. In recent years, apart from a signifi cant drop in the

birth rate in Taiwan, the imbalance in the supply and demand of teachers

has become a pressing issue for Taiwan’s government. The government has

actively promoted the importance of professional development for teachers,

aiming to enhance overall teaching quality and to establish criteria for get-

ting rid of unqualifi ed teachers. In addition, the K–12 education was listed as

one of the signifi cant reforms implemented by Taiwan’s government in 2013

and professional development of teachers has been proposed among the 29

relevant action plans implemented in this reform program. The Ministry of

Education in Taiwan encourages teachers to participate in various kinds of

professional development programs in order to increase their professional

knowledge, skills, and abilities. In the past, high school teachers in Taiwan

were not generally mandated to take part in professional development, and

the percentage of teachers’ voluntary participation in professional develop-

ment was relatively low, about only 29% of the total high school teacher pop-

ulation in 2012 (Teacher Evaluation for Professional Development, 2012).

Thus, an investigation of factors affecting teachers’ voluntary involvement in

professional development will greatly help ensure the success of educational

reform in Taiwan.

In Taiwan’s current educational system, there is no regulation that stipu-

lates the obligation of teachers to participate in professional development.

In addition, teachers who are willing to participate in professional develop-

ment activities have to get offi cial approval from the school administration in

advance. It was found that teachers with a higher level of self-directed learn-

ing (SDL) and self-awareness tend to participate in professional development

activities with greater enthusiasm (Brigley, Young, Littlejohns, & McEwen,

1997; Choi & Jacobs, 2011; Mushayikwa & Lubben, 2009). Their motivation

to participate will be greatly strengthened given perceived support from the

school administration (Mushayikwa & Lubben, 2009). In fact, teachers’ char-

acteristics and organizational variables (e.g., SDL, professional self-awareness,

and a supportive organizational climate) are pivotal to encouraging teachers

to participate in professional development. Mushayikwa and Lubben (2009)

indicate that the process of professional development is contingent on the

interaction among individuals, the organizations they work for, and relevant

contextual factors. Therefore, the interplay of SDL, professional self-aware-

ness, and the supportive organizational climate in terms of their effects on the

professional development caught our attention.