Teacher Professional Development - A Sociological Study of Senior Educators’ PD Priorities in Ontario

Oct 15, 2026

Teacher professional development (PD) is examined as a contested sociological practice within senior education leadership in Ontario during a period of major reform. The study uses Bourdieu’s theory of practice to interpret viewpoints shaped by participants’ prior and current experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 senior Ministry officials, principals, and academics in southern Ontario. Findings indicate support for both profession-driven PD and system accountability-oriented PD. Policy implications recommend PD directives that start from teachers’ existing knowledge, address particular school circumstances, and reflect broader conceptions of students’ needs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

BOURDIEU’S APPROACH

Social practices, power relations, and logics

Fields of practice and competition

Habitus and capital in shaping practices

Teacher Professional Development: A Sociological Study of Senior Educators’ PD Priorities in Ontario Ian Hardy Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga New South Wales, Australia This study investigated senior educators’ viewpoints on teacher professional development (PD) . To examine the nature and source of participants’perspectives, the study employed Bourdieu’s notion of practice as socially constituted and contested. Interviews were conducted in southern Ontario with 24 senior Ministry officials, principals, and academics. Participants’ current and prior experiences predisposed them to support profession‐driven PD, as well as PD for systemic‐ accountability purposes. The study suggests PD policy directives for provincial foci should (a) incorporate approaches that begin with teachers’ existing knowledge and understanding, (b) address specific school circumstances, and (c) be cognizant of broader conceptions of students’needs. Keywords: educational practice, educational reform, Bourdieu, Ontario education Cette étude porte sur les points de vue de représentants chevronnés du monde de l’éducation sur le perfectionnement professionnel (PP) . Afin d’examiner la nature et l’origine des opinions des participants, l’auteur a eu recours à la notion de pratique de Bourdieu, à savoir la pratique struc‐ turée par la société et contestée par la société . Vingt‐quatre hauts fonctionnaires, directeurs et directrices d’école et universitaires du sud de l’Ontario ont été interviewés. Les expériences actuelles et antérieures des participants les prédisposaient à appuyer le PP en soi et pour des raisons systémiques (dont l’imputabilité) . L’étude semble indiquer que les orientations des poli‐ tiques provinciales en matière de perfectionnement professionnel devraient : (a) incorporer des approches qui prennent pour point de départ les connaissances et la compréhension actuelles desenseignants, (b) tenir compte du contexte particulier des écoles et (c) prendre en considération des conceptions élargies des besoins des élèves. Mots clés : perfectionnement professionnel des enseignants, pratique pédagogique, réforme del’enseignement, Bourdieu, éducation en Ontario. _____________________________ CANADIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 32, 3 (2009): 509‐532 ©2009 Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation/ Canadian Society for the Study of Education Professional development (PD), an integral part of the life of schools and teachers, is an important mechanism to ensure educational reform and improvement in school settings. However, different viewpoints and perspectives on PD occur, with considerable tension between advocates of PD for broad, systemic (especially accountability oriented) purposes and PD for more localized, profession oriented purposes (Day & Sachs, 2004) . Different perspectives on PD, and tensions between these perspec‐ tives, are important because they influence the nature of the education promoted in school settings (Bolam & McMahon, 2004) . In this study, I investigated the viewpoints on PD of a group of se‐ nior educators in Ontario during a period of significant educational reform. I drew upon interviews with a variety of senior educators during a period of intense interest in improving, inter alia, students’ literacy and numeracy outcomes. These educators with considerable experience of PD in Ontario included provincial educational administrators, princip‐ als, and academics. I used Bourdieu’s (1990a, 1998) theory of practice to interpret the viewpoints of these educators and to make sense of their viewpoints in light of current understanding of the different perspectiveson PD. BOURDIEU’S APPROACH For Bourdieu (1990a), social practices are a product of power relations between individuals and groups who compete with one another over specific, valued resources. As a result of these struggles, practices exhibit their own peculiar characteristics, or “logics.” These practices, never static, are the product of a const

FAQs

What theoretical framework guides the study of senior educators’ PD priorities in Ontario?

The study employs Bourdieu’s notion of practice as socially constituted and contested to interpret participants’ perspectives on PD.

Who participated in the interviews and where were they conducted?

Interviews were conducted in southern Ontario with 24 senior Ministry officials, principals, and academics.

What policy implications does the study suggest for provincial PD directives?

Provincial PD directives should begin with teachers’ existing knowledge and understanding, address specific school circumstances, and consider broader conceptions of students’ needs.

Oct 15, 2026

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