This study explored elementary school teachers' perceived factors fostering and inhibiting
professional development for instruction by using concept mapping methods. 23 elementary
school teachers were interviewed. And through the process of synthesizing and editing, the
final statements were reduced to 46 fostering factors and 47 inhibiting factors. 23 participants
classified and rated the final statement lists. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis
were employed to estimate dimensions in the previous extracted factors. As a result, concept
maps were formed that consisted of each 2 dimensions and 4 clusters of both factors.
The results of this study are as follows: First, elementary school teachers perceived by
two dimensions of ‘education’ and ‘school’. Second, both fostering and inhibiting factors that
elementary school teachers perceived to professional development for instruction were 4
clusters. The fostering factors were ‘attention to students and instruction’, ‘culture of respect
for teachers and demand for improved class’, ‘support for policies and systems of
instruction’, and ‘participation in class research and consultation activities’. The inhibiting
factors were ‘lack of class-related support policies’, ‘neglect of teaching research and
consultation activities’, ‘the lack of willingness to improve teaching’, and ‘poor classroom
environments and conditions’. And last, the cluster of ‘attention to students and instruction
and demand for improved class’ in the fostering factors were highly evaluated; Instead of,
the cluster of ‘lack of instruction-related support policies’ in the inhibiting factors were
highly appreciated.
The conclusions of this study were as follows: First, this study identified that elementary
school teachers’ perceived factors fostering and inhibiting professional development for
instruction were related with various factors by the two dimensions of education and school.
Second, this study found that for the professional development of instructions it needs to
reflect the requirements of instructional improvement as fostering factors as well as there is
a need to strongly support the class-related polices as impeding factors. And last, this study
will provide appropriate basic data to identify the conceptual structures about fostering and
inhibiting factors to develop the professionalism of teaching.