Professional development for Indonesian elementary school teachers: Increased competency and sustainable teacher development programs

Teacher professional development in various countries

TPD at the elementary school level refers to teacher development throughout their formal career by increasing knowledge, skills and competencies to create effective learning in the classroom. This professional development is the best practice in learning, such as handling students with various characteristics, involving parents and the community, including understanding legislation regarding the roles and responsibilities of teachers, and increasing teacher professionalism in the latest learning practices, including utilization of technology in learning. Through the development of teacher professionalism, it is hoped that there will be changes in the quality of learning, by: 1) changes in learning for the better, by implementing learning strategies effectively and efficiently; 2) support from all school members so that teachers continue to develop teacher potential, interests and talents so that they can achieve all school goals in the future; 3) teachers can develop themselves by understanding the characteristics of students from all cultural, economic and social backgrounds so that learning becomes better and of better quality; 4) teachers are given the opportunity to develop by applying an ever-evolving mindset, being able to face changes in classroom situations, so that they can train themselves in decision making and problem solving; 5) give opportunities for teachers to collaborate with other people, colleagues in developing critical ideas in solving problems in learning so that teachers have power creativity and innovation which continues to increase (Tam 2015).

The TPD program has significantly provided benefits for improving the quality of learning through improving learning content to improve teachers’ teaching abilities in the classroom (Gore and Rosser 2022; Richter et al. 2021). In addition, TPD has succeeded in developing a new framework for teachers by emphasizing collaborative learning and in-depth reflection on continuous learning that is real to class needs so that it can improve teaching practices for teachers in the classroom (Sims et al. 2025). These changes and developments have an impact on student learning outcomes. For the TPD program to be successful and have a positive impact on teachers and students, training materials need to be emphasized on learning practices that are by class needs so that there needs to be innovation in learning that is responsive to the learning context and student needs, including adjusting learning with the use of learning technology that supports successful learning in the classroom (Coppe et al. 2024; Ventista and Brown 2023).

Several TPD programs in elementary schools in several countries have resulted in several views. In China, curriculum reform places TPD as an integral part of teacher practice as formulated in policy and its implementation. TPD programs in elementary schools in China are directed at 21st-century skills with a focus on increasing competence through inquiry-based learning (Kayange and Msiska 2016), one of which is research-oriented (Wang 2018). The Chinese government has issued various policies related to elementary school teacher professional programs, including collaboration between schools and universities, lesson planning collaboration, sharing about teaching practices, exchange programs, coaching colleagues, and research activities such as action research and reflection. Even though this program has received criticism from various parties, such as the focus on assessment and student learning outcomes, the TPD program in China is by 21st-century learning conditions because it prioritizes inquiry-based, critical, self-motivated learning and collaboration between school teachers. This condition is oriented towards the teacher’s work environment and development technology (Guo and Yong 2013).

Meanwhile, the experience of TPD programs in the Philippines states that there is a need for professional elementary school teacher programs because teachers are seen as implementers of the curriculum, and the lack of teacher training has resulted in the development of leadership in schools (Alegado 2018). Another problem is the occurrence of emotional and work stress due to their work. This has implications on the spectrum of personal and professional development (Bongo and Casta 2017), so there is a need for TPD. Through TPD, teachers in the Philippines can develop TPD activities, whether carried out by schools or other parties, which can be done by attending seminars and continuing education at a higher level to develop their personal and professional competencies. Teachers want to gain new knowledge and skills according to student development through seminar activities or training on topics with relevant issues such as pedagogy, classroom management, technology, and assessment. In Malaysia, to improve the quality of education and human resources, TPD was started in 1995 by a committee specifically in the Ministry of Education. A few recommendations include encouraging teachers to take courses, continue their education, and study abroad to gain knowledge and education, in addition to pre-service training and in-service training for primary and secondary school teachers (Kabilan and Veratharaju 2013).

The European Commission’s policy emphasizes that TPD, including in elementary schools, consists of a 3-phase model: initial teacher education, induction (for new teachers, 3-5 years after graduation), and in-service teacher education to support teachers’ long-term career development. With this policy, European member states agree to continuous teacher education to ensure that initial teacher education, early career support, and further professional development are organized, regular, and highly quality (Commission of the European Communities 2007). Specifically in Finland, TPD programs are based on goal-oriented teacher leadership, school development, and quality teaching through collaboration and colleague interaction. TPD can be done through training and research. For example, in-service training in Finland is based on training time and short courses offered to teachers in a holistic and integrated manner so that teachers can design school-based projects and their development related to school development. Successful professional development of teachers in Finland also exists in collaboration with parents as external parties who provide full support, especially at the beginning of their career as teachers (Niemi 2015).

Meanwhile, in the United States, most states require professional development and continuing education. Locally, schools provide opportunities for teachers to continue their education through professional development activities hosted by the school district (Wei, Darling-Hammond, and Adamson 2010). However, no national policy determines the content and methods of professional development programs. Development program activities can be carried out using short-term workshops, training, and master teacher programs that provide special training and financial incentives to participating teachers.

Teacher professional development in Indonesia

Elementary school teachers are educational personnel who will provide students with basic skills that will continue at the next level of education. For this reason, students’ best achievements will be significantly influenced by the professionalism of elementary school teachers in implementing all the skills they have. The Indonesian government pays special attention to the development of teacher professionalism, including elementary school teachers. This development commitment was issued by Law number 14 of 2005 in Article 1 Paragraph 1 concerning teachers and lecturers, which states:

This law explains that the duties of teachers, including elementary school teachers, are very complex and focused on improving the quality of education in Indonesia. However, until now, the quality of education in Indonesia still needs to improve, and some of the problems are due to the low professionalism of teachers. This low level of professionalism is demonstrated, among other things, by the low level of teacher competence, such as pedagogical competence (World Bank 2015), even though the government has implemented various policies and increased educational investment to improve education quality. These results continue to be the basis for the government to create professional development programs for elementary school teachers continuously. The TPD program at elementary school began in 1980 with a teacher work consolidation program in the form of in-service training, which aimed to train teachers to practice student-centred instructional methods. In 1993, the Indonesian government created a similar program for elementary school teachers through teacher working groups. With the Teacher and Lecturer Law in 2005, the government developed a teacher certification program with a teacher professionalism program in teacher education and professional training. Some of these programs still need to improve classroom learning quality (Revina et al. 2020).

The government of Indonesia, through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, continues to develop professional teachers in the form of TPEP for elementary school teachers aimed at being designed systematically and by applying quality principles from the selection, learning, and assessment processes to competency tests, the aim is to develop future teachers who are professional and able to produce outstanding graduates. These graduates should be competitive, have strong character, and possess a love for their country. Additionally, the hope is that they will be able to address the educational challenges that the Indonesian nation is facing. The TPEP program is held after an undergraduate or applied undergraduate program, which demands different competency standards for graduates from an applied bachelor’s or bachelor’s program. TPEP graduate competency standards, which include attitudes, knowledge, and skills, are stated in learning outcomes. The TPEP is divided into two types, namely pre-service and in-service. Pre-service is an educational initiative held after completing an undergraduate or applied undergraduate program, open to Bachelor graduates from various backgrounds, both educational and non-educational, who are interested in becoming teachers (Ministry of Education and Culture 2020).

This program aims to obtain a special educator certificate in early childhood, primary, and secondary education. The benefits of pre-service are: 1) obtain an educator certificate; 2) improve pedagogical, social, professional and personality competencies to start a career as a professional teacher; 3) obtain recognition as a professional teacher. Meanwhile, in-service programs target elementary teachers currently active in educational institutions’ teaching profession. This program’s main focus is to improve teachers’ qualifications and abilities, aiming to become professional and superior educators in quality. Through this program, teachers can apply innovative teaching methods, encourage creativity, and improve student learning outcomes in elementary schools. This program also aims to increase teacher professionalism and provide a better understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a teacher.

In this research, we specifically explain in-service TPEP for elementary school teachers who have various materials and competencies related to the field of education, including pedagogy, educational psychology, educational management, and teacher professionalism. TPEP activities in this position are carried out over almost two months and take the form of 5 learning activities: 1) deepening the material in the field of expertise and pedagogy that will be taught; 2) development of learning tools; 3) practical field experience. The total credits taken in this program are 12 credits. In deepening the material, teachers will learn online for 5 credits. Learning activities aim to help teachers strengthen their understanding of professionalism, pedagogy, and subject matter by utilizing information and communication technology in online and independent learning through learning management systems (LMS) and other sources (Ministry of Education and Culture 2020).

To ensure teachers’ professionalism, it’s crucial for them to have an in-depth understanding of learning theories, educational psychology, sociocultural influences, social construction, and diversity. Expanding pedagogical expertise involves the careful planning, execution, and assessment of educational activities. The development of learning tools encompasses a 3-credit program aimed at assisting elementary school educators in creating effective learning tools through workshops that leverage their deep professional knowledge, pedagogical skills, and relevant areas of study. This includes curriculum analysis, designing educational activities, and crafting learning assessments using the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) approach within the framework of Industry 4.0. The objective is to design educational activities and assessments that integrate critical thinking, creative thinking, reflective thinking, and decision-making skills through inquiry-based learning activities. Field experience practice activities with a credit load of 4 facilitate teachers to develop professional skills as teachers whose main task is to educate, teach, guide, direct, train, assess and evaluate students which is carried out as teaching practice.

This activity also facilitates teachers in carrying out non-teaching tasks in class and school administration, developing co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, and participating in other school activities. After implementing the three main activities, teachers will carry out performance exams and knowledge exams to measure and determine teacher performance achievements in planning, implementing and evaluating learning, as well as measuring and determining the level of teacher mastery of the field of study and pedagogy and deserving of educator certification.

Context and participants

This research uses a purposive sampling strategy. The research location consists of 24 elementary schools in 3 provinces in Indonesia, namely Jakarta, West Java and East Java. The selection of elementary schools was based on the criteria of public and private schools with teachers who had completed a TPEP for almost two months. These schools are also for teachers who participate in the TPEP, where we are as tutors (TPEP’s educators). Meanwhile, teacher selection is based on the following criteria: 1) teachers with at least two years of teaching experience; 2) teachers who have participated in the in-service TPEP for almost two months. The research participants comprised 24 people (21 women and three men). They have teaching experience ranging from 2-30 years in elementary schools. They all had formal degrees (bachelor’s) before entering teaching careers. These teachers have been included in the criteria to see the impact of the TPEP that they have implemented, and are related to their teaching experience over a sufficient period of time, so that they can be used as participants in the research.

Data collection and analysis

Data was collected in 2 ways; the first was using a survey with the help of Google Forms, which contained open questions consisting of 5 questions related to the implementation of the TPEP. Data collection was carried out over five days by providing a Google Form link to 24 teachers, and we monitored all teachers to ensure that they had filled in the link. The second way is to collect article documents that are relevant and specific to the results of professional teacher education programs using Google Scholar in Indonesia. We found 8 articles from national journals accredited by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (Sinta) and DOAJ, Copernicus, Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science. The topics we collected from journal articles are related to TPD through TPEP, including the program’s impact, influence and effects. After data was collected from both data types, we began processing the data for data analysis. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. We identify, evaluate and make the main themes revealed by researchers. In this analysis, we used an inductive method, coding both types of data, and to make it easier to create categorization and themes. The specific steps in data analysis that we carried out were: 1) familiarizing ourselves with the data; we thoroughly reviewed the interview transcripts we gathered, allowing us to gain valuable insights. The researcher then effectively coded and categorized the data using the NVivo 12 program, enhancing our understanding of the findings. The researcher engaged in a detailed analysis and discussion of all codes, which facilitated effective categorization and integration. This process ultimately streamlined the coding system, enhancing clarity and organization; 2) generate initial code: we organize the data into concise, relevant segments based on our defined initial code. By carefully coding each participant’s response with precise keywords, we eliminate overlap and enhance our analysis. This approach enriches our insights and drives impactful findings; 3) search for themes: we analyze relevant codes associated with the research topic to effectively establish a strong initial theme; 4) theme review: we actively refine and enhance the preliminary themes we have identified, taking the time to thoughtfully reconsider any relevant data we encounter; 5) determine the theme: we focus on refining the themes we have identified and explored the connections between them. By clearly describing these relationships, we can present our findings in a structured and insightful manner through detailed reports.

Ethical consideration

The research and community service department of Universitas Djuanda has approved this research with the certificate number: 341/LPPM/K-X/X/2024 on February 8^th 2024. The researcher gave a letter of approval has also been given by the researcher to all respondents. Written consent to participate from the respondent was obtained in accordance with document 01/K-X/IX/2024 on January 24^th 2024. Respondents gave their consent without force from anyone. Subsequently, in order to protect the rights and privacy of the respondents, all forms of data acquired will remain confidential.

Increased competency

Increasing competency is related to increasing teacher ability and competency standards by objectives, job demands, and science and technology. The results of data analysis using interviews and journal articles on the theme of increasing competence consist of the sub-themes of social competence, pedagogical competence and professional competence. According to the findings regarding social competence, the teacher’s perspective consists of communication and adding colleagues. Communication between teachers and program participants increases motivation to carry out the program more enthusiastically at each stage, such as getting input using learning models, media, and assessments. With a grouping system consisting of 10-12 teachers from different schools, the teachers provide input and opinions to improve teacher competence during the program. The pattern of the program implemented by teachers increases bounding and cooperation so that they have friends who generally have the same problems, indicating that this program adds colleagues who support each other in improving competence. Several teachers explain this opinion:

For the sub-theme of pedagogical competence, the teachers’ opinions stated that with this program, they gained an understanding of meaningful learning, the use of learning tools, and the selection of learning strategies. According to teachers, understanding meaningful learning is achieved by mapping problems in the classroom. They can design learning according to student’s needs and choose methods and learning media that suit the characteristics of their students so that students get meaningful learning. One teacher explained this:

The use of learning tools is also one of the findings that teachers benefit. Teachers think that during the training program, making learning tools such as lesson plans that are appropriate to learning outcomes, learning reflections and examples of good practices that can be implemented in the classroom has a positive impact on teachers in improving learning designs in their classes, as well as understanding shortcomings when teaching. This opinion was explained by one of the teachers:

The following finding regarding the selection of learning strategies according to teachers is how they determine learning strategies, such as using learning methods, using learning media that they can make manually or using technology. These learning steps are appropriate to their learning methods, to assessments that do not only use cognitive aspects but can assess all aspects (cognitive, affective, psychomotor). Choosing a learning strategy, according to the teacher, provides an opportunity for teachers to explore several varied learning methods that they have not only used so far, but by looking at their other colleagues, it becomes input for them in choosing an effective learning method for their class. This opinion was expressed by one of the teachers:

In the sub-theme of professional competence, findings consist of professional teachers, knowledge, understanding of technology, experience, and problem-solving solutions. Findings about professional teachers: Teachers hope they become more professional by better understanding education’s meaning through improving learning after the program. Meanwhile, science is related to additional new knowledge and broader thinking. Teachers get many benefits, especially expanding knowledge, such as the latest instructional methods from tutors and problem-solving methods that are always connected to effective thinking skills so that teachers gain broader insight into learning. One teacher stated:

Findings regarding understanding technology are related to the use of technology, such as online meeting applications and operating applications for instruction, which aim to help teachers carry out tasks given by tutors and academic and non-academic tasks, such as online meeting applications. Because the teachers in this program are teachers in the senior category (mostly over 50 years old), this is a good achievement, especially in operating the internet and computer programs, which can support the smooth running of the program, as well as solving learning problems by using technology-based instructional media. The results of the article used in this research also showed that using technology in learning is one of the benefits of this professional teacher program. Meanwhile, the opinion of one teacher:

From the experience findings, the teacher believes that through professional development, teachers have added significant experiences for teachers. For example, teachers gain experience in designing instruction according to the characteristics of their students, which they have yet to do using initial stages such as mapping learning styles, class problems, especially subjects faced by students, and the real needs of students by predetermined learning outcomes. So far, they have always used instructional methods according to the teacher’s wishes, not the student’s (teacher-centred). Meanwhile, the findings regarding problem-solving in this subtheme are the methods teachers use related to learning difficulties, not achieving learning goals, and handling students with many characteristics. Through this program, teachers get many ways and choices in solving learning problems in the classroom, especially students’ learning difficulties. Teachers are starting to be able to design and choose instructional methods and media in the form of lesson plans for a limited duration or learning time, but with continuous practice, getting feedback from tutors, and revising them again so that they get maximum lesson plans have provided an in-depth experience that teachers can use when teaching in their classes. One teacher’s opinion:

Sustainable teacher development program

The theme of the sustainable teacher development program is related to the two sub-themes of guaranteeing the instructional quality of post-program and multi-sectoral collaboration. The sub-theme guarantee of the instructional quality of post-program is related to monitoring the quality of learning and special teacher programs. Findings regarding monitoring the quality of learning are after the TPEP. In several articles analyzed, monitoring the quality of instruction after the program is necessary because it affects the overall quality of education. The teacher’s opinion states that there must be a special program after the program so that the teacher’s enthusiasm and motivation to improve the quality of instruction is higher. Teachers also think that the government should be able to provide scheduled special programs, for example, teacher meetings in certain periods on certain topics that can maintain the quality of teacher learning, information on instructional methods, and the latest learning applications. One teacher stated:

Meanwhile, the findings of the multi-sectoral collaboration subtheme relate to the need for collaboration between the government, educational institutions (universities), schools, and the community in supporting professional teacher education programs, especially post-program. The government must be able to embrace all parties to be involved in improving the quality of education. Support from all sectors can improve educational services because the quality of instruction will improve due to the implementation of professional teacher programs in elementary schools. With the involvement of all sectors and all parties, for example, parents can evaluate the quality of instruction through the school committee regarding the learning outcomes students achieve each semester.