Engaging in Professional Development: Teachers’ Perspective on what is Needed to Engage

This thesis explores what Canadian elementary and secondary school teachers need to meaningfully engage in professional development (PD) related to supporting student mental health. Mental health distress is on the rise among school-aged children. With mental health support shortages in schools, the responsibility to support these students is falling to teachers. As teachers are not receiving the clinical training they need to act as step-in social workers and counsellors, there is a disconnection between existing PD and classroom realities. This study explores the question: What elements of PD do teachers identify as necessary for meaningful engagement? Using reflexive thematic analysis, this qualitative study draws on semi-structured interviews with twelve certified Ontario teachers affiliated with a large Southwestern university’s Bachelor of Education program. Grounded in Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, the findings reveal three key themes: barriers to engaging with PD, teachers’ preferred elements of effective PD, and the role of PD in facilitating teacher self-efficacy and wellbeing. Participants emphasized the need for flexible, collaborative, and teacher-informed PD. The study concludes that consideration of teachers’ lived experiences in the development of PD is crucial for engagement and teacher wellbeing.