Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Abstract
The study investigated the impact of professional development (PD) in Indigenous teaching on teachers’ psychological and behavioural aspects, and Indigenous students’ learning engagement. Adopting a multiple-indicator-multiple-indicator-cause model, frequency of PD was found to have positive paths to teachers’ self-concept in Indigenous teaching and all the teaching strategies, but had a non-significant path to students’ learning, suggesting the more frequently teachers are involved in PD in Indigenous teaching, the higher self-concept they had in teaching Indigenous children and the more frequently they adopted Indigenous teaching strategies. The availability of Aboriginal Education Officers (AEOs), however, had a significant and negative path on learning engagement. That is, Indigenous students’ were perceived to be less engaged in learning with AEOs present in the school. An interaction effect was also found between PD and AEOs, indicating that the effectiveness of AEOs in Indigenous students’ learning may depend on whether teachers actively attend PD programs.
Recommended Citation
Craven, R. G., Yeung, A. S., & Han, F. (2014). The Impact of Professional Development and Indigenous Education Officers on Australian Teachers’ Indigenous Teaching and Learning. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(8). https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n8.6