Abstract/Summary

This study examined the perceptions of Kuwaiti middle school classroom teachers and technical supervisors regarding INSET programmes. In doing so it provided insights into the nature and quality of INSET programmes designed by Kuwait’s Ministry of Education (MoE), potentially informing strategies and initiatives to enhance the effectiveness of teachers’ professional development in the Kuwaiti context. The study employed a mixed methods case study approach comprising questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to investigate perceptions of the effectiveness of these programmes, the support provided to teachers, teachers’ motivation and engagement, and challenges hindering programme effectiveness. Its sample was drawn from middle school mathematics and science teachers and from technical supervisors from multiple schools in one school district in Kuwait. A total of 139 teachers responded to the questionnaires, while 15 teachers and 10 technical supervisors participated in the semi-structured interviews. The data revealed that participants’ perceptions of the effectiveness of INSET programme content were based on content focus, active learning, coherence, duration, and collective participation. Study findings also highlighted that while several forms of support – namely administrative support, resource accessibility, follow-up, and the soliciting of feedback and evaluation – are provided for middle school teachers' professional development in Kuwait, the amount of support given and its contribution to teachers' learning and practice is often variable. The findings further indicated that the main factors affecting middle school teachers’ motivation to engage in INSET were personal factors, and environmental/contextual factors (including, school factors, relevance and impact, and learning environment). The most prominent challenges that participants perceived to the effectiveness of INSET programmes related to programme design and delivery, motivation and engagement, and post-training follow-up. Additionally, the study findings indicated a clear failure on the part of the MoE to prioritise teachers’ professional development and the need for it to create standardised frameworks for conducting and evaluating INSET and other professional development initiatives for teachers. Addressing these problematic areas could render INSET programmes more responsive to teachers’ needs, thereby improving teachers’ professional development in Kuwaiti middle schools and enhancing overall teaching and learning outcomes.