Teachers’ professional development in the discourse of international organizations

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the concepts and trends in Teachers’ Professional Development (TPD) contained in the discourse of International Organizations (IO). The methodology employed was discourse analysis. An analysis has been made of 39 texts published by: UNESCO, OCD, OEI and PREAL, which correspond to all the texts in relation to TPD published by these bodies between 2005 and 2012. The analysis has been performed establishing eight categories following a deductive-inductive-deductive logic. The results show that, in general terms, discourse is usually characterized by addressing defined aspects of TPD. As a conclusion it must be highlighted that TPD, in the mentioned discourses, has not successfully established a truly systemic and dynamic conceptualization of the subject matter. Likewise, it must also be pointed out that some conceptual interpretations may demean or undermine the very concept of Teachers’ Professional Development.