The Impact of Local Versus Nonlocal Professional Development Programs for Teachers: Evidence From China's National Teacher Training Project

Based on qualitative and quantitative data collected from an investigation of the flagship National Teacher Training Project (NTTP) in China, this study compares the impacts of teacher professional development (PD) programs located at different distances from the participants' workplaces. The study argues that local and nonlocal programs play different roles in teacher PD. While local programs are conducive to teachers' mastery of context-specific knowledge and skills that are directly connected to subject teaching, nonlocal programs are crucial for teachers' continuous professional development in the long term. The two types of programs are supplementary to each other, and teachers need access to both types of programs.

Automated summary

This study compares the impacts of teacher professional development (PD) programs located at different distances from the participants' workplaces, based on qualitative and quantitative data collected from the flagship National Teacher Training Project (NTTP) in China. It argues that local and nonlocal programs play different roles in teacher PD. Local programs facilitate teachers' mastery of context-specific knowledge and skills directly connected to subject teaching, while nonlocal programs are crucial for their long-term continuous professional development. Both types of programs are supplementary and teachers need access to both.