Coherence and the positioning of teachers in professional development programs. A systematic review

Abstract

Lately, scholars have argued that there is a consensus on a number of critical features of effective teacher professional development (PD). This study presents the results of a systematic review of one of these features: coherence. The analysis and synthesis of 95 papers show that coherence in PD is conceptualized in various ways, and thus that the aforementioned consensus can be questioned. For example, should PD (1) be coherent with external factors, such as standards and assessments; (2) be internally coherent, for example that activities within PD programs should be aligned; or (3) create coherence between goals that are either predetermined or negotiated together with teachers? The different conceptualizations of coherence all implicate how teachers are positioned in relation to PD programs and, in the light of our results, we argue that teachers are primarily seen as implementers expected to align their instruction with external and predetermined goals and practices.