Bibliography: #BIB30005

web link	bahai-library.com/bibliography/BIB30005
reference type	Thesis
title	Teacher Professional Development in Rural Colombia and Honduras : An Accompaniment Approach for Everyday Teacher Agency
author	Correa, Bita
year	2023
place published	Toronto
abstract	This dissertation studies how an on-site mentoring approach to in-service teacher professional development called 'accompaniment' was used, in rural areas of Colombia and Honduras, to build teachers' sense of agency, linked to a locally relevant knowledge base. In multiple local sites in each country, the case study organizations implemented an innovative alternative education system known as the Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial (Tutorial Learning System or SAT in Spanish) or the related Preparation for Social Action (PSA) program. This qualitative research looked at how these organizations conceptualized and practiced teacher accompaniment in each setting, emphasizing the relationships between mentors and teachers, to understand whether and how these rural teachers developed a sense of agency regarding their teaching decisions. The study is based on over 100 interviews with teachers, mentors, and support or leadership staff in the Colombian and Honduran organizations, complemented by analysis of program documentation provided by the organizations. These case studies, whose data collection took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, also examine how the organizations' approaches to accompaniment responded and endured in the face of the escalated risks and uncertainty of this pandemic situation. This research provides insights into the value of a supportive relationship between teacher and mentor as part of teachers' professional development. It also shows the possibility of collective forms of teacher accompaniment mentorship. It also shows ways in which reflection, both individual and collective, can be encouraged through the use of accompaniment mentoring and tools (for example reflection notebooks) to assist teachers in thinking through ways to improve their teaching practices. The importance of supportive, teacher-centered and learning-driven environments, including elements of organizational culture, in fostering agency in rural teachers is also examined. Teacher accompaniment environments were explored in connection to the aims of the educational programs themselves, in particular their purpose of rural development and that students become “promoters of community well-being.” This research contributes to the understanding of reflective, formative mentoring (accompaniment) practices for paving the path of teacher professional development.
language	English
keywords	TEACHERS; COLOMBIA; HONDURAS; SISTEMA DE APRENDIZAJE TUTORIAL; PREPARATION FOR SOCIAL ACTION; COVID-19
number of pages	xi, 233
thesis type	Doctorate
academic department	Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
university	University of Toronto
degree	Ph.D.

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