Examining the Impact of Community Engagement Projects as Incentives for Teacher Professional Development

Abstract

The need for continual teacher PD is crucial as educational systems adapt to the changing world. Incentives are essential for all professions, including teaching, to motivate employees and ensure long-term retention. Therefore, the main agenda of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of community engagement projects as incentives for teachers’ professional development. For this purpose, a qualitative research design has been employed using a semi-structured interview. Sixteen in-service secondary school teachers were chosen using the purposive and snowball sampling methods. The results of this in-depth study indicate that the majority of the teachers perceive community engagement projects positively as part of their professional development. Autonomy, motivation, and the transformation of teaching philosophies are found to be major contributing factors in terms of incentives for teachers’ professional development. The findings of the study might be helpful for policymakers to include mandatory community engagement projects in teacher education courses.