Teacher change from a short-term certification programme and its comparison with that of a comparable long-term programme

PurposeUsing teacher certification to induce educational change is a common practice in many countries. However, teacher change from these certification programmes, in particular, from the widely used “short-term” programmes, is not given due attention. Do teachers change on short-term programmes? Is teacher development (TD) on short-term programmes qualitatively different from that of long-term programmes? Answering these questions, the purpose of this paper is to address the identified research gap and contribute to the ongoing discussion on an effective teacher education provision.Design/methodology/approachThis comparative, qualitative study mainly draws on a case study of an in-service certification programme in South Korea. It also draws on publications which report on TD on a comparable, long-term certification programme in the USA. In both contexts, semi-structured interviews, lesson observations, and document research were conducted and the data were analysed through thematic content analysis.FindingsParticipants experienced three major, interrelated patterns of cognitive change: capturing and repositioning their assumptions, gaining and seeking pedagogical implications, and inner conflicts and reconciliation in both programmes. The participants also found their learning an emotional process. TD on the short-term programme was not qualitatively different from that of a comparable long-term programme.Originality/valueThis is the first paper which systematically investigates TD from a short-term training, as compared to a comparable long-term programme. This research has significance as it has implications for effective design and management of TD programmes.