Influence of Professional Development on Teachers Effectiveness in Selected Public Secondary Schools in Geita District, Geita-Tanzania

Abstract

The study explored the influence of professional development on teachers’ effectiveness in selected public secondary schools in Geita district council, Geita-Tanzania. It specifically, aimed to find out how professional development activities influences teachers effectiveness. Herzberg’s two factor theory of motivation was employed. The study adopted a mixed research method under convergent parallel design. A sample size of participants was obtained through both probability and non-probability sampling. These included 102 teachers, 6 heads of schools, 2 WEO, and 1 DEO out of a total population of 1,416 respondents. Data was collected through questionnaire and interview guides. Correlation coefficient of 0.7 demonstrated that the instruments were reliable for data collection. Quantitative data collected were coded using descriptive statistics with the help of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 16 then presented in Tables, frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented in narratives. The study revealed that seminars improve teaching style, workshop improve job commitment, collaboration motivates interaction with students, mentoring improve time management, action research improve teaching assessment, conferences improve previous knowledge of teachers while peer observation improve teaching activities that enable teachers to be effectiveness. The study recommended that the government should strengthen professional development to ensure teachers effectiveness in schools. Policy makers need to establish clear guidelines for recognizing teachers’ contributions to education, and teachers should be encouraged to voice their concerns regarding professional development through appropriate channels to highlight the impact of professional development activities on their effectiveness.