Does education policy affect teachers' learning needs? An international comparison of trends in teachers' continuing professional learning needs in secondary schools in Australia, England, Japan and the Netherlands

Abstract Education policy changes are believed to influence teachers' continuing professional learning (CPL) needs, but there is limited empirical evidence to support these claims. This lack of deep understanding has significant practical implications. This study used a new circular conceptual framework to analyse teachers' CPL needs. Leveraging public administration theory, the study distinguished four countries' governance styles and the predicted impact of these on teachers' perceptions of professionalism. By conducting secondary analyses of TALIS ICSEI‐2 data from Australia, England, Japan and the Netherlands (2013–2018), we investigate whether the results align with theoretical predictions. Our analysis revealed three key trends in teachers' CPL needs that support these predictions: (1) CPL needs in Australia and England diverged between 2013 and 2018, coinciding with an emerging difference in governance style that manifests itself in divergent governance of curriculum revisions and teacher education policies; (2) Japanese teachers perceive knowledge about the curriculum as more central to CPL in 2018 than they did in 2013, coinciding with successive curriculum revisions and (3) the Netherlands exhibited no trends or changes; coinciding with reports describing Dutch Educational policy as ad hoc and unpredictable. These findings highlight key trends in teachers' CPL needs, in contrast with the TALIS 2018 report's conclusion that there are no substantial trends. We concluded that this circular model offers a valuable tool for improving our understanding of how education policy affects teachers' CPL needs.