High Participation, Low Impact: The Challenge for Teacher Professional Development in Indonesia

The present study investigated TPD experiences from three different schools in regional Indonesia to see the current nature of TPD activities and their perceived impacts on teachers’ quality teaching.  A case study design was adopted employing a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview to collect data about professional development experiences of teachers, highlighting teachers’ participation and perceived impacts of TPD on their instructional practices. The collected data are quantitatively and qualitatively analysed to see trends and patterns of teachers’ TPD practices. The study found that levels of TPD participation are generally high but differ greatly among teachers and schools which create an unequally distributed TPD participation. Teachers generally have participated in numerous TPD activities but what teachers learned from those TPD is not evident in their practices. In conclusion, a high TPD participation cannot always be seen as a successful indicator for TPD programs. Ideas from TPD are likely to be implemented in teachers’ day-to-day practices, if teachers perceive the structure, process and content of TPD activities as effective. Some practical recommendations that are likely to help teachers translate TPD ideas into their day-to-day practices are discussed and put forward.