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Redefining professional teacher development programs: Insights from high school teachers in UMkhanyakude district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Halalisani Mngomezulu

Department of Mathematics, Natural Science and Technology Education, Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, Qwaqwa Campus, Phuthaditjhaba , Free State, South Africa.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6902-6223

Siphelele Mbatha

Department of Languages in Education, Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, Qwaqwa campus, Phuthaditjhaba, Free State, South Africa.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7163-3305

Luthando Molefe

Department of Teacher Development Studies, School of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood Campus, Pinetwon, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8980-0984

Zamokuhle Magubane

Maurice Web Race Relations Unit, School of Social Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3721-0242

Abstract

This study explores high school teachers´ perspectives in the UMkhanyakude District within the province of KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa, with redefining Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) occupying the central focus. Twelve Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) teachers were selected to participate in this qualitative research using a maximum variation sampling method guided by Wenger´s (1998) social theory of learning as a conceptual framework. Underpinned by interpretivism and rooted in specific ontological and epistemological assumptions, the findings reveal that most CPTD initiatives whose focus was on developing STEAM teachers inadequately address their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and are predominantly led by trainers or officials disconnected from classroom realities. The results underscore the need for a redefined CPTD approach that actively enhances teachers’ instructional skills and PCK. The study proposes a framework that can be used to redefine CPTD, under which the association between trainers and classroom realities is ascertained.

Keywords: Continuing Professional Teacher Development, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Teachers’ Perspectives

How to cite this article: Mngomezulu, H., Mbatha, S., Molefe, L., & Magubane, Z. (2025). Redefining professional teacher development programs: Insights from high school teachers in UMkhanyakude district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning, 9 (1), 111-123.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.70875/v9i1article9