This study investigates in-service teacher training as a key driver of professional development for teachers in today’s educational environment. In this context of rapid social and cultural change, teachers are increasingly expected to possess a wid...
This study investigates in-service teacher training as a key driver of professional development for teachers in today’s educational environment. In this context of rapid social and cultural change, teachers are increasingly expected to possess a wide range of skills and competencies. The study draws on the concept of professional capital proposed by Hargreaves and Fullan(2012) as its theoretical foundation. Teachers are human resources who play a pivotal role in school education by interacting directly with students on the front lines of classrooms. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore how teachers accumulate professional expertise through in-service training programs that are directly related to classroom practice, particularly in areas such as instruction, student guidance, and digital competence. Prior studies have primarily recruited participants from digital innovation schools and professional learning communities These studies mostly targeted teacher training programs such as the Touch or AIEDAP. In addition, their recommendations were often limited to specific subjects, mainly English and mathematics, and emphasized the development of training programs and online learning.
In contrast, this study examines a recent in-service training program titled “2024 Lead Teachers for Classroom Innovation.” It analyzes how this teacher training is linked to changes in the educational landscape. The study explores their training experiences and the ways in which these experiences contributed to the development of their professional capital. This study analyzes changes in three key areas using the framework of professional capital: human, social, and decisional capital. It examines how each form of capital evolved before, during, and after the training. Based on this analysis, the study provides foundational insights that can suggest practical and sustainable design of future teacher education and training programs.
A qualitative case study methodology was adopted for this research. The study is classified as an evaluative case study, based on Merriam’s(1998) framework. It offers a comprehensive and detailed account of a single educational program while incorporating the researcher’s evaluative perspective. Ten elementary school teachers who completed the training were selected as study participants. To ensure triangulation of the data, additional interviews were conducted with three instructors who led sessions in the same training program. Participants were purposefully selected with attention to gender, age, teaching experience, and prior professional development history. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, both in person and online. The interview data were analyzed using the constant comparison method as outlined by Merriam (1998).
Findings indicate that teachers were motivated to participate by both intrinsic factors such as professional growth and digital competency development and extrinsic factors as future leadership roles and district-level initiatives. Through the training, teachers deepened their instructional technology skills, expanded their human capital, built collegial networks that fostered social capital. Moreover, they were actively engaged in critical reflection and decision-making regarding the pedagogical use of technology tools which strengthened their decisional capital. However, several structural limitations were also identified, including technical issues with enrollment systems, limited classroom applicability of some content, challenges with prototype-based activities, the absence of pilot schools for practicum, and time constraints due to excessive administrative workloads.
Based on these, this study offers practical recommendations: implementing region-based application systems to improve access and equity, institutionalizing the sharing of subject-specific case studies, fostering sustainable peer collaboration networks post-training, aligning training conditions with actual school infrastructure, and reinforcing teacher reflection as a key element of ongoing professional learning. Ultimately, this study offers valuable insights into how digital competency training can be structured to ensure greater contextual relevance and long-term sustainability. It also serves as a foundational resource for the future development of teacher professional development systems and training policy frameworks.