What makes continuous teacher education efficient?: Factors that assffect its influence

Abstract

This article examines the incidence of the structural and process related characteristics of the impact of Postgraduate Programs (PP) on the knowledge, practice, student learning and effectiveness, according to the report obtaineds from the teachers belonging to the cohort 2007. Methodologically speaking, the study includes 568 teachers who attended classes (600 hours) and group seminars (275 hrs), in which the teachers updated their subject-pedagogical knowledge and designed teaching intervention projects, while they continued working at their schools.

The results suggest that Postgraduate courses fulfil their aim to optimize content knowledge. In addition, results also showed that teacher peers and leaders from the involved schools had an incisive and crucial influence on factors that affect self confidence, teaching practice, and possible transference into the classroom to satisfy students' learning needs and, therefore, improving the quality of education.