EXPLORING TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT QUALITY PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES IN THE CONTEXT OF LESSON STUDY: A SOUTH AFRICAN CASE-STUDY

Abstract

Effective continuing professional development (CPD) should acknowledge teachers’ beliefs about quality teaching and create collaborative opportunities to refine practice. This qualitative case study explored secondary teachers’ beliefs about quality pedagogical practices in the context of a lesson study (LS) program in Gauteng, South Africa. Sixteen teachers (Economic and Management Sciences, Physical Sciences, Geography and First Language) participated in semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and reflective journals. Findings indicate that teachers initially associated quality with academic achievement, differentiation, collaboration, reflective practice, effective communication, problem-solving and morality positions largely compatible with social constructivism. Participation in LS, organized around planning, teaching, observing, and reflecting on research lessons, strengthened a community of practice and shaped beliefs through collaboration, shared reflection, and the development of teacher identity, agency, and self-efficacy. The study recommends institutionalizing LS within professional learning communities to sustain CPD and to deepen learner-centered pedagogical content knowledge (PCK).

Keywords: Lesson study, quality pedagogical practices, teacher beliefs; teacher identity, professional learning communities.