Article Gold Open Access 2018

Explicating development of personal professional theories from higher vocational education to beginning a professional career through computer-supported drawing of concept maps

VD
van den Bogaart, Antoine C.M.
 HH
Hummel, Hans G.K.
 KP
Kirschner, Paul A.
Professional Development in Education
Journal · Vol. 44 · Issue 2 · pp. 287-301
Abstract

This article explores how personal professional theories (PPTs) develop. PPT development of nine junior accountants and nine novice teachers was monitored by repeated measurements over a period of 1.5 years, from the last year of vocational education until the second year of their professional careers. Computer-supported construction of PPT concept maps was used at three moments to test hypotheses derived from theories on expertise development. It could be concluded that on average PPTs became more complex. The PPTs of teachers also became richer, but the generality of PPTs did not significantly increase. Appearance and disappearance of concepts and changes in their importance were observed and appeared dependent on the professional environment of the participants. The findings indicate that: PPT development is an important manifestation of expertise development which could be used to support the professional development of students and beginning workers; and the concept map method can be used to reveal this development. © 2017 International Professional Development Association (IPDA).

Keywords

Author Keywords

teaching expertise development Concept Maps accountancy Personal professional theories

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Open Universiteit, Heerlen, Limburg, Netherlands
NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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