How Are Teachers' Professional Development Activities and Professionalism Different in Korea and the United States?

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Cross-National Studies of Teacher Learning and Contextualized Experiences

Abstract

This study examines how teachers’ professional development activities and professionalism are different in Korea and the U.S. by focusing on teachers’ administrative workload ratio and their openness to change, and how these variables mutually impact teachers’ professionalism. To achieve this research objective, TALIS 2018 data are utilized, and descriptive and path analysis are employed. The results were as follows: First, Korean teachers have a higher administrative workload ratio and a greater openness to change than American teachers. Second, the variables affect teachers’ professional activities and professionalism, but the direct effect of the administrative workload ratio is not significant. Third, compared with the U.S., in Korea, the administrative workload ratio negatively impacts teachers’ professionalism, but openness to change affects it positively.

Authors

• Youngeun An, Seoul Educational research & Information Institute

• Soon Young Oh, Michigan State University