Professional Development: Content
From APEC HRDWG Wiki
Teacher quality is an important aspect of any education system and although debate exists as to what exactly constitutes a teacher quality indicator, most observers agree that teacher professional development is one element that relates to the quality or effectiveness of the teacher. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is administered to 4th and 8th grade students across various APEC economies to test student curriculum-based knowledge. The TIMSS also administers a teacher questionnaire to the teachers of the students surveyed. This questionnaire includes many items related to teacher quality, such as teacher professional development. Although not all APEC economies participate in the TIMSS, the data that is available allows for a comparison of various factors across participating APEC economies. The rest of this page contains information on teacher professional development in Mathematics content of those teachers surveyed during the 2007 TIMSS in the selected participating APEC economies.
For other information on teacher quality, please visit the Teacher Quality Portal page.
Summary
According to the international average, less than half of the 4th grade Mathematics teachers participate in Professional Development in Mathematics content. On average for the selected APEC economies, however, 66% of 4th grade Math teachers participate in this type of Professional Development. In fact, in all of the selected economies with the exception of Japan, more than half of the 4th grade teachers participate in Professional Development in content.
Furthermore, in all of the selected APEC economies (with the exception of the Republic of Korea) as well as the international average, more than half of the 8th grade Math teachers participate in Professional Development in Math content. Also, in all of the selected economies that appear on both graphs except for Australia, the percent of teacher participation beween 4th and 8th grade has increased.
(Not all of the APEC economies appear on both graphs because of data availability).
Chart 1. Percentage of 4th Grade Math Teachers Participation in Professional Development in Mathematics Content
Chart 2. Percentage of 8th Grade Math Teachers Participation in Professional Development in Mathematics Content
Chart 3. Percentage of 4th Grade Science Teachers Participation in Professional Development in Science Content
Chart 4. Percentage of 8th Grade Science Teachers Participation in Professional Development in Science Content
