Transformative teacher professional development: A qualitative case study of a metacognitive approach to teacher training in Uganda

This qualitative case study examines a novel approach to teacher professional development (PD), the Learning to Learn program in Uganda, which a randomized evaluation places in the top five percent of cost-effective educational interventions. Using Clarke and Hollingsworth’s (2002) Interconnected Model of Teacher Professional Growth, we analyze interviews with teachers to examine how this approach to PD supported teacher change: 1) through first-hand experiences with learner-centered pedagogy, 2) exposure to ideas about educational theory and the purpose of education; and 3) engagement in reflection exercises to develop metacognitive thinking. When woven together, these components lead to change in teacher beliefs and practice in the form of applied pedagogical knowledge, without imposing any one model or approach. The study contributes to scholarship on teacher PD and agency by elaborating the external domain in teacher growth and demonstrating the value of purpose-driven, metacognitive approaches for fostering learning in under-resourced contexts. • Extends Clarke & Hollingsworth's model to illuminate teacher change in Uganda. • Links metacognitive professional development to teachers' reflective growth. • Positions metacognition as a bridge between reflection, enactment, and agency. • Contributes to theory on teacher learning and agency in under-resourced settings. • Offers insights for scaling coherent, context-sensitive teacher learning models.