Abstract:
As part of teacher
retraining, CPD has been
embraced as a tool to improve education
reforms, on teachers’ quality and which
translates into quality education. This study
examined how tutors in Teachers Training
Colleges socially construct knowledge
acquired through CPD. The
study was
conducted in Murang’a and Kamwenja
Teachers’ of Central Kenya. The study
sought to explore tutors’ perception of
knowledge acquired through CPD. The study
utilized a qualitative approach using an
exploratory research design. Research
instruments
used were in
-
depth interview
schedule for tutors and principals, key
informant interviews and focus group
discussions for tutors.
The study sample consisted of
38
participants, who included two principals,
30 tutors and six key informants from the
Ministr
y of Education. Tutors were selected
through a proportionate random sampling
while the principals and key informants were
purposively sampled. Piloting was done at
one teachers’ college. Qualitative data was
analyzed and the reporting was done in
narrati
ve form.
The study found that tutors perceive CPD
trainings as platforms for further learning,
where they participate in
workshops,
conferences,
seminars,
and
in
-
service
programs in a bid to improve their masterly
of the content, pedagogical skills, and
st
udent outcomes.
Additionally, it showed
that the tutors who are the direct consumers
and users of the content of CPD are hardly
involved in the process of designing the CPD
models thus making institutional ownership
a challenge.
The findings also indicated
many of the
tutors complained of been accorded
inadequate time, hence proving a challenge
in their learning.
The study concluded that
tutors were trained through Cascade Models
of CPD, of which most of them reported that
they were not effective enough in
facilitating
their social construction of knowledge. The
study recommends the need to develop a
more inclusive and tutor friendly CPD model
driven by a user needs analysis
.