Designing TPD programs to overcome motivational barriers: 10 strategies

Finding the motivation to change is hard. It is particularly daunting in a workplace, where individuals may be used to the same routine day in and out, or where they may be poorly supported to innovate or try something new. In the case of teachers, finding the motivation to apply new professional skills, even after they have gained these skills through teacher professional development (TPD), can be difficult.

In part, this can be because teachers are often overworked, under supported, or recognized, and now more than ever are overwhelmed by increasing challenges in day-to-day work. COVID-19 has increased the burden on teachers as they manage challenges such as remote learning, remedial education, while attending to psychosocial needs of students, and their own health and well-being. These challenges and low motivation levels are especially true of teachers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this context, teachers need TPD that helps them mitigate learning losses and addresses the differentiated learning needs of their students.

Effective TPD programs should take into consideration human behaviors and motivators when designing and implementing programs. This entails identifying and mitigating motivational barriers teachers may face with participation, acquisition, or application of new skills. Here are ten strategies, outlined in 3 phases, for addressing motivational barriers that draw from empirical evidence and country practices from Kenya, Peru, Yemen, and Zambia, among others.

Phase 1: TPD Participation

• Strategy 1. Diagnose and tailor TPD to professional needs and classroom contexts so that teachers find meaning. Use data from classroom observations and teacher surveys to identify and prioritize learning needs for teachers so that it is more meaningful to their needs. Research shows that adults are better able to master new skills that are relevant to their needs and contexts.
• Strategy 2. Clearly communicate TPD goals, details, and utility so that teachers can make informed decisions to participate. Leverage communication channels that are preferred by teachers in your context to bridge information barriers that may limit or influence teachers’ willingness to participate. Lack of information or inaccurate information about TPD programs’ goals, relevance, logistics, and incentives can negatively influence teachers’ decision and ultimate motivation to participate.  
• Strategy 3. Allow choices so that teachers can feel stronger ownership for their learning. Offering flexibility to choose not just the content (what) but also the mode (how) and time (when) can enhance teachers’ sense of ownership and drive for learning.

Phase 2: Acquisition of New Skills and Knowledge 

• Strategy 4. Provide practical opportunities that engage teachers. Incorporate practical and active learning strategies, which involve modelling of effective practices and creating opportunities for hands-on application, deliberate practice, reflection, and inquiry to improve teacher learning and retention. Active learning opportunities – a hallmark of adult learning theory – allow teachers to transform their teaching and not simply layer new strategies on top of the old.
• Strategy 5. Provide focused opportunities so that teachers can enhance their competence. As with the tailored approach, using existing data to identify a specific skill or set of problems for the TPD to focus on can help drive motivation. Evidence suggests that targeted learning and practice is better than learning several things at the same time.
• Strategy 6. Meet social and emotional learning (SEL) needs of teachers so that teachers can build positive emotions and beliefs. Adopt practices that meet teachers' SEL needs and use existing data to diagnose and design TPD that addresses teachers’ misplaced beliefs. Teachers can experience negative emotions (stress) and beliefs (biases) that can hinder their motivation, desire, or even ability to learn and adopt new skills.

Phase 3: Application of TPD Learnings 

• Strategy 7. Provide regular feedback during implementation so that teachers can feel supported and encouraged to persevere. Approaches can take the form of providing teachers with in-person, virtual, or blended access to mentors or coaches who can provide structured feedback to them. Research shows that obtaining feedback from a knowledgeable observer can help teachers with implementation.
• Strategy 8. Provide opportunities to collaborate so that teachers can build relationships. Create one-on-one or small-group; formal or informal; school-based or virtual communities of practice for teachers to learn and grow together. Teachers need to see visible results to believe in new programs and sustain changes in teaching practices. By engaging with a learning community, teachers are in a better position to maintain their excitement for applying new practices.
• Strategy 9. Provide ongoing opportunities so that teachers can remain engaged. Ongoing support can include recurring workshops, coaching sessions, or engagement on online platforms. To extend engagement, consider also providing access to support materials such as teacher guides and lesson plans. TPD that translates into changes in practice requires time, that is why it is necessary to design continuous support with follow-ups into the TPD opportunity.
• Strategy 10. Recognize and promote teachers for successful application of TPD learnings so that teachers can feel a sense of accomplishment. Align TPD with career paths and teacher standards; provide certification; and celebrate achievements. Teachers often are not motivated to apply what they learn in TPD because neither their efforts are recognized as much nor are their career advancement opportunities dependent on their increased effort.

To learn more about implementing these strategies and their contextual considerations, review the Motivating Changes in Teaching Practices technical guidance note. The note presents evidence-based strategies that can help teachers overcome motivational barriers to behavioral change in the TPD journey.

As the Coach team prepares a final version of the note for publication, we are seeking feedback to ensure that the guidance is comprehensive, clear, and useful for practitioners and other stakeholders in a range of contexts. How can we make this guidance more useful for practitioners around the world? And are there other motivational barriers and/or enablers we should include? Please reach out to us at coach@worldbank.org to share your feedback by April 30th 2022 and stay tuned for more opportunities to engage with our work!

This guidance note is part of a package of tools for countries and stakeholders to support teacher professional development. Please visit this link to learn more about Coach, the World Bank’s flagship initiative on teacher in-service professional development.

Further reading:

• For more on the Coach program, “What can education systems learn from football?” and browse the Coach website.
• For more on how to structure the delivery of ongoing support to teachers, “8 Tips to Structure Effective One-to-One Support Systems for Teachers.”
• For more on how to use Teachers’ Guides to facilitate high-quality instruction, “Raising the foundation without lowering the ceiling.”
• For more on how to change teaching practice when change is hard, “Breaking old habits and adopting new ones.”
• For more on how the Coach program fits within the World Bank’s teachers’ strategy, “Realizing the promise of effective teachers for every child – a global platform for successful teachers.”
• For more on the World Bank’s teachers’ strategy, “Successful Teachers, Successful Students: Recruiting and Supporting Society’s Most Crucial Profession.”