Demand for and participation rate of professional development courses for teachers: effects of structural and content-related characteristics of the courses

Continuing education plays an important role in the professionalization of teachers. Whereas past studies have focused on the effectiveness of professional development programs, little attention has been paid to the structure and content of the programs themselves. In this study structural and content-related features of professional development courses are described, and empirical correlations with demand and participation rate are established. The analyses are based on a dataset with descriptions of N = 6240 professional development courses offered for all teachers during the course of one year under the responsibility of the ministry of education and cultural affairs in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Based on a content analysis of the course descriptions, a regression analysis shows that a higher demand and participation rate can not only be explained by the duration of the courses, but also by the subjects and the topics they address. Lastly, possible implications for the planning of professional development courses and for further research are discussed.