Correlation between lecturers’ professional development activities and their competencies in Maldives higher education institutes

Aishath, Zuha and Omar, Intan Marfarrina and Aishath, Waheeda (2021) Correlation between lecturers’ professional development activities and their competencies in Maldives higher education institutes. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 20 (9). pp. 18-37. ISSN 1694-2116, DOI https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.9.2.

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Abstract

The quality of higher education (HE) is one of the key areas the higher education system of the Maldives focuses on to develop and expand the sector. Two of the factors that contribute to and influence the quality of HE are professional development (PD) and lecturers’ competency. However, in the context of Maldives, although efforts are made in the area of PD, little to no research has been conducted in this area. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between lecturer PD activities and their competencies in Maldives’ higher education institutes. A quantitative research design was adopted, which conducted a cross-sectional survey by administering a structured online questionnaire. A total of 171 lecturers participated, which included both full-time and part-time lecturers from two public and two private institutions. Data analysis revealed that there is a weak positive correlation between PD activities and lecturers’ competency; rs(129)=0.232, p=0.008. It is also possible that PD activities conducted do not cater for the needs of lecturers, and a culture where structured and individual PD activities are supported and encouraged is not efficiently established. In light of these findings, it is important to strengthen and expand the existing PD policies and focus on providing effective PD sessions on topics and areas that are most needed for lecturers, rather than on generic topics. This study contributes to the empirical literature on PD in the context of Maldives and to the overall development of the HE sector. © Authors This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Item Type: Article
Funders: None
Uncontrolled Keywords: Higher education; Lecturers’ competency; Professional development activities
Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
Divisions: Faculty of Education
Depositing User: Ms Zaharah Ramly
Date Deposited: 13 Oct 2023 05:12
Last Modified: 13 Oct 2023 05:12
URI: http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/35542

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