Contribution of continuous professional development in enhancing teachers’ pedagogical knowledge of teaching mathematics and science in Rwandan lower secondary schools

Teachers’ professional knowledge is crucial for quality education. Despite efforts in Rwanda to train teachers in mathematics and science under the competence-based curriculum, little is known on how Continuous Professional Development content is translated into classroom practices. This study aimed to evaluate the extent to which continuous professional development (CPD) training enhances lower secondary mathematics and science teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and its application in classroom practices. The study adopted a sequential explanatory research design to evaluate the effects of CPD training on the pedagogical knowledge of lower secondary school teachers of mathematics and science. The data were collected from 32 randomly selected teachers through classroom observations and semi-structure interview and from 208 teachers via online surveys. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics specifically one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) while qualitative data were thematically analyzed. Quantitative results indicated that CPD trainings improved teachers’ pedagogical knowledge, with an overall score of 79.4% (SD = 6.0). The ANOVA results revealed significant differences by gender (F(1,206) = 4.67, P = 0.032) and teaching experience (F(4,203) = 7.02, P < 0.001), while subject taught was not significant (F(3,204) = 3.11, P = 0.067). Despite these gains, observation data showed that over 65% of teachers struggled to design learner-centered lessons and apply inquiry-based strategies. Qualitative findings highlighted improvements in collaboration, assessment practices, and ICT use, but also revealed persistent barriers such as limited teaching resources, large class sizes, and insufficient follow-up support for students. The study recommends continuous support, monitoring, and evaluation of CPD initiatives, alongside targeted strategies to address teachers’ perceptions and practical barriers to applying the inquiry-based teaching and learning (IBTL) in the classroom.