Artículos 21 y 32 del Texto Refundido de la Ley de Impuesto de Sociedades

This study identified that the TPU is a unique environment—one that occasions a complex set of characteristics: students requiring a holistic approach to learning, part- time nature of staff, and geographical and professional isolation from mainstream staff. Professional learning in this context, like mainstream schools, is a complex system. However, a major influence, in the teen parent context, is educators

perceptions that they are different, their context is different, and therefore, their professional learning is different.

7.4.1 Implications for practice

While it is acknowledged that no one single model can be determined to fit the complex system of professional learning (Cochran-Smith et al., 2014; Opfer & Pedder, 2011), an exploration of the professional learning landscape through the lens of subsystems and their interactions has highlighted five implications for professional learning practice in TPUs;

1. TPU organisational systems need to take into consideration of the part-time nature of staff and address the potential isolation barriers, whether they are geographical or professional. In particular, the leadership of the unit and governing school need to support teacher professional learning. Providing

organisational systems which support staff to be a community of learners has the potential to not only sustain effective teacher learning but also minimise the perception of isolation (Stoll et al., 2006).

2. A related implication is the need to explore the use of digital networks to connect educators, who are likely to be the sole teacher of a discipline, to

minimise both geographical and professional isolation (Stoll et al., 2006; Watson, 2014). In addition, consideration should be given to how current networks such as subject associations and existing online communities might be used to better support teacher learning. In particular, there appears to be opportunities to strengthen collaborative arrangements between teen parent and governing school.

3. The need for alignment of governing school and unit professional learning policy. Case findings indicated weak policy alignment with practice and vice-versa. Leadership has a role to play in strengthening alignment through the

communication, implementation, and evaluation of the policy in practice. Some specific areas identified in this study concern:

• How is policy communicated and implemented currently? What are the gaps and how will they be addressed?

• Could an induction/orientation process for new staff aid understanding of professional learning opportunities and practice?

• Does the current appraisal process support or hinder teacher professional learning?

4. There is a need to develop a better understanding of the purpose of teaching as inquiry as proposed by The New Zealand Curriculum (Minstry of Education, 2007) and how it might be used to support teacher learning. As appraisal was seen as a tool (in all cases) to ensure teacher inquiry was implemented, it may be that leaders need to consider either adapting or implementing organisational systems to meet the identified learning needs of staff. Additionally, a review of the purposes of teaching as inquiry has the potential for identifying strategies to strengthen feedback loops for practitioners.

5. The final implication for practice relates to TPU leadership. To ensure that professional learning practices, experiences, and opportunities meet the emerging professional learning needs of their staff, leaders are encouraged to review current practice and seek the voice of teachers by listening to the nuances which enable and/or constrain teacher learning in their context. In doing so, leaders will be better positioned to adapt professional learning practices to meet not just the individual staff needs but also collective needs of the unit as a whole.

7.4.2 Contribution to knowledge

With little educational research of TPU, both internationally and in New Zealand, this study, through the collation of case studies, provides a snapshot of the professional learning landscape for teen parent educators in New Zealand. Importantly, in terms of knowledge generation, this study focused on teacher perceptions of their professional learning opportunities, experiences, and practices; a focus that has not necessarily been listened to until now, in order to understand the conditions which enable and/or constrain teacher learning in a specific context (P. Taylor, 2015).

This study has found that it is not just the teacher, context, and activity subsystems which influence professional learning in TPUs, but a fourth student subsystem tends to have considerable influence in this context. A student subsystem, challenges teachers in a TPU to learn about and focus on both the academic and pastoral needs of the learner. Furthermore, a student subsystem allows student voice to be heard, ensuring that the student is at the heart of all teacher learning. Therefore, the combination of the four subsystems and the influences/drivers within each, will shape the TPU professional learning landscape.

Given the strong contextual influences on professional learning expressed by

participants in the TPUs, the findings of this study and subsequent conclusions drawn from them are not intended to be generalised for teacher professional learning. Rather, the common threads can be used as a starting point for considering further professional learning opportunities in the TPU context.

7.4.3 Limitations of the research

As noted in the methodology chapter, case study as a research design is not intended to provide generalisable findings. However, from the rich descriptions provided by participants of their professional learning practices one can interpret what is happening in a particular context (Cochran-Smith et al., 2014).

The number of staff within each setting was limited. Despite this limitation, the findings when combined with data from other cases provides a snapshot of the professional learning landscape in this context.

Two limitations were highlighted during the data gathering phase. Firstly, there was limited documentary evidence of teacher professional learning records. Furthermore, while most participants shared a record of their participation in professional learning opportunities, the record more often provided evidence of participation rather than teacher learning. The second area of limitation was that data gathering included limited observations of professional learning in practice, potentially valuable for triangulation of teacher perceptions.

Lastly, it is possible that the researcher’s background and experience as a facilitator of teacher professional learning could be a limiting factor in this study, with personal knowledge and perceptions influencing data analysis. Actions to minimise the impact of this limitation were presented in the methodology chapter.

7.4.4 Future research

This exploratory research has provided an initial insight into teen parent educator perceptions of their professional learning experiences, opportunities, and practices. Further research, which could build on the findings of the study, include:

• A study which examines the learning dispositions and orientations of teachers-in- charge and the influence these have on professional learning in an alternative learning environment. This study might include the identification of the

professional learning support teachers-in-charge need to be a leader of learning in their context.

• A study to examine the characteristics of an effective professional learning

community in this space. This could compare the benefits of a digital professional learning community to more traditional networks, including how each can

minimise the barrier of geographical and professional isolation.

• A study to explore the criteria that support effective teacher professional

learning practices focused on the pastoral and educational needs of the learner. • An exploration of informal professional learning practices in the teen parent

context or other alternative environments and how these practices impact on student outcomes.

• A study to assess the effectiveness of the performance management system to support teacher learning in an alternative environment.

• A comparative study to identify the drivers within a student subsystem which influence teacher professional learning including, comparisons of student

subsystem variables in the teen parent context, and a more traditional secondary school environment.

• An in-depth case study which explores the nature of the interactions between the subsystems and the consequent impact on the emergent professional learning landscape.