DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2018.v06i02.020

Pages: 417-423

This study sought to explore teachers views on the significance of their professional development in two selected primary schools of Hwange district in Matabeleland North province, Zimbabwe. The study was conducted within the qualitative methodology and a case study design in the form of multiple cases was adopted. Purposive sampling was used draw a sample of twenty (n=20) participants who comprised of 2 head teachers and 18 teachers in equal proportion. Interviews were used (with head teachers) while Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were used (with teachers) as the research techniques to generate data. Verbatim findings generated from the participants were presented as text data and interpretive phenomenological data analysis (IPDA) was used. The major findings of the study were that most teachers indicated that staff development was important to them in that it helped them gain knowledge and skills related to their work. For them, it was essential in that it enabled them to become better teachers which were also beneficial to learners of different needs. Head teachers concurred with teachers in their view by saying that the bottom-line for conducting staff development for teachers was help them become effective practictioners. They also avered that staff development was necessary for all teachers in the light of the dynamic nature of education in general and the demands of the teaching profession in particular.