Researching Professional Development: Just How Complex is It?

Conclusion

In this chapter we have argued that although there are chaotic relationships which intervene between input variables and outcome variables in the study of the professional development of teachers which preclude the possibility of a high level of determinacy, it is still possible to establish some reliable relationships. We have looked at a wide variety of methods which have been used in parallel with one another, from the quantitative establishment of a causal link between cognitive acceleration and desirable student-level outcomes, through to an entirely qualitative ethnographic study which tells us a lot about the nature of what goes on along that chain from PD to student outcomes. We are fortunate that the envelope of cognitive acceleration activities is large enough to permit many different methods of investigation to be used and to complement one another in building an overall picture of the effectiveness of its professional development programmes. The conclusion to this chapter is neither more nor less than reinforcement of the quotation from Miles and Huberman with which we started the section on methods of researching professional development (p. 143): it is that no singular method of investigation will ever be sufficient. A multi-method approach to research into anything as complex as the professional development of teachers is the only one which will confine the chaos factor to a limited area in the research space, and allow apparent relationships to be revealed with a number of different spotlights.

In the next chapter we will consider each of those relationships which are highlighted in our work, and draw on the work of others to reinforce or challenge our conclusions and help us to establish validity.