Understanding professional development: Insights from Foundation Phase Teachers in Gauteng West, South Africa

This qualitative study examined Foundation Phase teachers’ understanding of professional development (PD) activities in District Circuit 5, Cluster 2, Gauteng West, South Africa. Anchored in an interpretivist paradigm and Adult Learning Theory, the research employed an exploratory design using semi-structured interviews with purposively selected teachers and Departmental Heads. The elicited findings were thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis framework. The findings indicate that teachers view PD as essential for enhancing teaching competencies, updating pedagogical knowledge, and addressing diverse learner needs. However, participants reported that existing PD initiatives are often generic, misaligned with the realities of the Foundation Phase, and lacking practical applicability. The key challenge was a gap between PD content and classroom demands. The study highlights the need for context-sensitive, teacher-driven, and practice-embedded PD models. The recommendations include sustained, phase-specific interventions, such as mentoring, professional learning communities, and reflective practices, to improve instructional relevance, teaching quality, and learner outcomes. This research emphasises the importance of aligning PD with teachers’ classroom realities. The study contributes to existing knowledge by providing context-specific insights into how Foundation Phase teachers interpret and experience professional development, highlighting gaps between policy intentions and classroom realities, and offering evidence to inform the design of more responsive and practice-grounded PD models.