1. Introduction
The issue of sustainability and access to high-quality education has been a worldwide concern. In all educational institutes, teachers play a crucial role in the teaching and learning process. Properly designed professional development programs are the key to the success of the teaching process and imparting quality education. However, the learning outcomes of most of the institutes (especially in under-developed countries) are below the mark due to the dependency on ineffective conventional continuous professional development (CPD) programs which miss the integration of the latest teaching and learning trends. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has further escalated the situation and has badly affected the motivation, interest, and engagement of teachers and students in their subject matters. According to various studies, professional development deserves more attention than any other requirement [
1,
2]. Continuous professional development (CPD) training programs include a variety of topics that are relevant to all instructors, including teaching techniques, classroom management, interactive teaching, and specific courses and material. It is a lifelong process that continues throughout the professional careers of teachers to provide them equal professional development opportunities regardless of their gender to retain their teaching competence, expand knowledge, skills, and abilities to improve learning outcomes. However, many educational institutes (especially in under-developed countries) fall short of meeting sustainable development goals due to the lack of proper teachers’ professional development programs. A review of continuous professional development (CPD) in Pakistan reveals several inconsistent policy decisions for establishing educational institutes at different levels [
2,
3]. The lack of trained resource personnel and subject specialists in Pakistan makes any CPD system difficult to execute. Moreover, the shortage of staff, lack of cadre jobs, and financial constraints are also major reasons for the failures of current CPD paradigms [
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9]. In [
3], Chaudhary et al. state that CPD for teachers is uncommon in Pakistan, and when it exists, it is conventional and fails to satisfy the requirements of teachers.
In the province of Sindh, conventional CPD models such as the cascade model or the top-down training technique are used for years, which has major limitations due to the lack of the integration of technology, no follow-up assistance, and transmission loss or the dilution of information [
1,
10]. Provincial assessment surveys report highlights, in metrics such as the 2017 SAT (Standardized Achievement Test), that teachers in government schools, both at primary and secondary levels, are mostly under-qualified and insufficiently trained. They lack the minimum level of competency in basic subjects such as languages, mathematics, and science, without notable success [
11]. According to the National Education Policy Framework 2017, teachers in Pakistan have inadequate subject knowledge and pedagogical abilities. Existing teacher development programs are not standardized and do not provide enough support for teachers’ quality improvement [
12].
Since 2010, provincial policies and practices have increasingly emphasized the use of ICT in the teaching and learning process, typically as a method of improving the quality of education [
13,
14,
15]. Technology-supported learning has enormous potential to support teacher development [
14,
15]. UNESCO implemented mobile learning projects for teacher development in Nigeria, Senegal, Pakistan, and Mexico to enhance teaching effectiveness worldwide [
15,
16]. The major development areas under these projects were ECCE (Early Childhood and Care Education), mathematics, Spanish, and English. For this, a local teacher-training institute was involved in each project to ensure local buy-in and educational relevance for the participants [
17,
18]. However, the present modalities of CPD being used in Pakistan and Sindh by various CPD-imparting institutions do not consider the use of the technology and modern teaching (or learning) trends for the professional development of teachers. In the modern world, the use of technology (such as the use of mobile learning apps) for teachers’ professional development as an innovative teaching approach has been highly recommended [
15].
The market value for mobile learning applications and services has grown from
$5 to
$70 billion [
19]. By delivering low-cost and easy-to-implement solutions, mobile technologies have improved access to education and provided extensive opportunities for the teaching and learning process anywhere and at any time [
4]. Recently, mobile technologies have been widely utilized by several advanced nations for the ongoing professional development of teachers in their ministries [
5]. Many studies suggest that ongoing professional development techniques for teachers’ education can make the best use of mobile learning pedagogies to increase teacher collaboration and peer feedback, allow for reflection on teaching, assist in sharing classroom practice, and assess performance [
18]. The portability feature of a mobile platform has also enabled the teachers to receive and share material from a variety of locations rather than just a single professional development location [
20]. The portability and mobility feature of mobile technology helps to meet the sustainable development goals of SDG-4 Education 2030 by producing an increasing number of qualified teachers without the constraints of time, space, and finance [
21]. Another important aspect of mobile is social interactivity, support for teachers’ collaboration, and creating a network by connecting them with experts, mentors, peers, and their students [
18].
Though the use of mobile technology for teachers’ education is increasing, most of the apps have focused on individual learning, leaving gaps for activities that require collaboration in the context of the CPD of teachers. Collaborative learning allows multiple participants to share ideas, knowledge, experience, and resources to enhance professional and pedagogical competence [
22,
23]. Numerous studies have highlighted the social, psychological, and academic benefits of collaborative learning [
23,
24]. With its feature on a social support system, collaborative learning promotes learner-centered instruction, a positive attitude, critical thinking, and an active learning environment [
24]. In a recent study, Nisar et al. conducted a review of newly commissioned research papers from the year 2010 to 2018 on technology-assisted collaborative learning. Some major results showed that the most common collaborative learning environments are based in the Web, computers, and mobile phones. However, these learning environments are still in their infancy. Due to its increasing importance, collaborative learning is being offered using platforms such as Skype, Facebook, Google applications, and other digital means to extend collaborative learning outside of the classroom [
4]. However, none of the platforms have specifically focused on training for teachers’ professional development.
2. Mobile Collaborative Learning Framework for the CPD of Teachers
The current CPD model for the continuous professional development of teachers misses the important aspect of the involvement of technology and support for collaborative learning and ongoing assistance. Based on the benefits of the use of technology, this study extends the existing CPD model for the professional development of schoolteachers in the province of Sindh.
Figure 1a shows the conventional CPD model currently being used for the CPD of teachers. The CPD process begins with the students’ needs identified using large-scale assessment reports (SAT, PEACe) based on provincial/national curriculum standards. In the next step, teachers’ professional needs are identified through various methods such as a teachers’ need analysis (TNA) using national professional standards for teachers in Pakistan, students’ progress reports, classroom assessments, and so on. The third step is based on steps one and two in which CPD activities are identified according to targeted subject areas and the needs that emerged in steps one and two. The fourth step is the development and implementation of CPD activities/materials. The next phase provides ongoing (face-to-face) support through mentoring and peer coaching with the help of experts and field visits. Finally, the evaluation of the CPD program is carried out to measure the impact and outcome of the CPD interventions [
10,
25].
Figure 1b proposes extensions to the existing CPD model teachers’ education.
Under the MCL-based approach, course activities are designed to provide support for online training sessions, the sharing of content (using audio, video, text, images, support material, etc.), group work and peer discussion, and assessment (using MCQs, quizzes, CRQs, and ERQs). Besides that, the teachers are provided ongoing support to discuss content and pedagogical issues that they encounter while teaching in the schools. The implementation of the MCL-based CPD is very cost-effective and efficient, as it reduces the implications of budget, time, and management encountered in face-to-face training delivery.
Under this extended CPD model, initially, the clusters of targeted schools are formed at the Taluka level with each cluster consisting of 15–20 schools. From each cluster, guide teachers (GTs) are selected for the training and mentoring of teachers. First, the GTs will attend a training program at the Taluka level using the MCL app. The TEI (Teacher Education Institute) experts will lead the training of GTs, then the trained GTs will provide training and assist teachers in their respective clusters. The school teachers will receive all types of training from time to time such as CPD training, mandatory training (induction and promotion training), and academic or professional progression courses. Afterward, GTs will work as subject mentors for providing mentoring support to teachers. Each GT will hold at least one meeting with the teachers to discuss the problem(s) the teachers have come across to find out the solution(s). The problem may be in the content area and/or pedagogy of the subject.
The GTs of the same Taluka will meet online with designated TEI experts of their clusters to discuss the issues and their solutions. Moreover, the GTs will post the problems of the teachers from time to time on the expert’s forum for their resolution.
All the GTs will have a day-long conference with TEI experts to discuss important problems and issues that occurred during the quarter. In the meeting, sample work of students including answer sheets of quarterly assessments will also be analyzed to monitor student progress and to identify misconception(s), if any.
The TEI experts’ responsibilities are to conduct the training of GTs, share recent developments in the teaching, provide time-to-time support for GTs, and discuss content and pedagogical problems faced by the teachers in their respective schools. All these activities will jointly be supervised by the school administration (primary and elementary) and the head of the TEI in the district to monitor the overall progress of CPD activities.
3. The MCL App
To conduct the CPD of teachers in designated clusters and schools, a mobile app has been developed. The app gives support to teachers, GTs, and TEIs to meet, discuss and share context information anywhere and anytime to improve teaching and learning performance efficiently and cost-effectively.
The app gives support to teachers, GTs, and TEIs experts to create their profiles for the designated schools and clusters.
The teachers’ profile allows them to register for activities such as CPD training (workshops, CPD courses, promotion linked training, etc.) supported using text, video/audio content, polls, quizzes, group assignments, discussion forums, announcements, progress levels, and pre and post-tests.
The ongoing support feature of the app provides support for direct collaboration between teachers and experts (GTs, TEIs experts) to meet, discuss, and share problems and their solutions. Additional mentoring support is also available to the teachers using the support forum, where they can obtain feedback from peers, GTs, and TEI experts. The app also includes features such as:
the activity calendar for CPD activities,
live interactive sessions (in built-in live sessions by experts with teachers),
collaborative tools (where teachers collaboratively work on any assignment/task),
discussion forums & chat rooms (to share resources and information in any form with peers, GTs, and experts),
resources (all types of resources required for teachers at the school levels including textbooks, Training Guides, Teachers’ guides, Curriculum, Lesson plans, worksheets, Handouts, Videos, and so on),
progress indicator (teachers can monitor their progress through a dashboard that includes graphs, timelines, percentages, a progress bar, and graphs) and rewards (teachers’ ratings, course certifications, career progression, and achievements),
help & FAQs (help manual and ICT experts available anytime for technical assistance and FAQs for teachers’ ease).
Besides the many benefits of the mobile app, the factors that influence users’ intentions to accept mobile technology in the context of professional development, particularly in developing countries, have not been adequately investigated. Mobile applications are becoming increasingly popular around the world, so as a result, it is necessary to investigate the factors that influence teachers’ intentions regarding the use of mobile-based professional development.
4. Theoretical Model and Hypotheses Development
Literature studies suggest that many theories and models exist to analyze users’ intention to adopt and utilize the new technologies [
26,
27]. For example, Davis et al. [
27] invented TAM (Technology Acceptance Model), which was expanded to TAM2 by Venkatesh et al. [
28]. Fishbein et al. [
29] produced the TRA (Theory of Reasoned Action), which was extended to the TBP (Theory of Planned Behavior) by Icek Ajzen [
30]. Other researchers adopted, modified, and verified existing models and theories to provide insight and forecast technological adoption and usage [
28,
30]. Many academics have compared these models to determine which are the most relevant models and theories for forecasting technological acceptance [
28]. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) [
26] is the well-defined and resilient paradigm for the use of technology. The UTAUT framework’s fundamental components are performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, motivation, and social influence. However, in 2012, Venkatesh et al. [
31] produced UTAUT2 (an expanded version of UTAUT) that includes three new constructs: hedonic motivation, habit, and price value. This study uses the UTAUT2 framework because of its excellent explanatory power and empirical replications [
31]. The primary goal of this study is to identify the most significant influencing factors for the acceptance of MCL-based continuing professional development for teachers. To meet the requirements, our enhanced CPD model extends the UTAUT2 model by incorporating new features including CPD (knowledge acquisition (KA), content and information quality (CIQ), support (S), and reward (R), mobile technology (Mobility (M), and collaborative learning (collaborative learning (CL)) interactivity with peers, experts (INT), engagement (ENG), and self-management (SM)) in addition to its own constructs including performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), facilitation condition (FC), hedonic motivation (HM), and behavioral intention (BI). Moreover, constructs such as price value and habit have been excluded from the proposed CPD model as our CPD app is free of charge and is used only when it is demanded. The significant factors from the educational and training point of view are derived from an elaborated literature review for a better understanding of mobile usage and collaborative learning constructs and the relationship between them.
Figure 2 shows the theoretical research model and hypothesis considered for this study. The details of each of the constructs and hypotheses are provided in
Table 1 below.
Hypothesis 1 (H1). Performance Expectancy (PE) significantly influences the behavioral intention (BI) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 2 (H2). Effort expectancy (EE) has a positive effect on behavioral intention (BI) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 3 (H3). Facilitating conditions (FC) significantly influences behavioral intention (BI) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 4 (H4). Hedonic motivation (HM) significantly influences behavioral intention (BI) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 5 (H5). Mobility (M) significantly influences behavioral intention (BI) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 6 (H6). Knowledge Acquisition (KA) significantly influences behavioral intention (BI) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 7 (H7). Content and information Quality (CIQ) significantly influences behavioral intention (BI) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 8 (H8). Support (S) significantly influences behavioral intention (BI) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 9 (H9). Reward (R) significantly influences behavioral intention (BI) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 10 (H10). Collaborative learning (CL) significantly influences behavioral intention (BI) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 11 (H11). Interactivity with peers, GTs, TEIs Experts (INT) significantly influences the Collaborative learning (CL) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 12 (H12). Engagement (ENG) significantly influences Collaborative learning (CL) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
Hypothesis 13 (H13). Self-management (SM) significantly influences Collaborative learning (CL) to use MCL for CPD purpose.
7. Discussion and Conclusions
Teachers’ professional development plays a key role in the sustainable development of teachers’ careers and imparting quality education. Many institutions at the government and non-government level are striving hard to devise new policies enriched with state-of-the-art tools and techniques to strengthen professional development programs. However, the teaching and learning process is on the verge of devastation, where educational systems are weak and lack the availability of basic facilities such as trained and skilled teachers and lack of the integration of the latest teaching (and learning) trends. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has further escalated the situation and has badly affected the motivation, interest, and engagement of teachers and students. This study extends the existing CPD model used for the professional development of in-service teachers in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The extensions are based on the integration of mobile technology for collaborative learning and providing on-the-job support to teacher educators. To achieve the goals, an online mobile app has been designed to provide support to teachers, GTs, and TEIs to meet, discuss, and share context information anywhere and anytime to improve teaching and learning performances efficiently and cost-effectively. Though the use of mobile technology in various fields has received much attention, its usage and implementation have been challenging issues in the context of the CPD of teachers. To the best of our knowledge, none of the previous studies have focused on the acceptance of the use of mobile technology for the professional development of teachers, particularly in Sindh, Pakistan.
To assess and analyze the use and acceptance of mobile technology for teachers’ education, this study extends UTAUT2 model by incorporating new constructs including CPD (Knowledge Acquisition, Content and Information Quality, Support, and Reward), mobile technology (Mobility), and collaborative learning (Collaborative learning and Interactivity with Peers, Experts, Engagement, and Self-Management). The significant factors from the educational and training point of view are derived from an elaborated literature review for a better understanding of mobile usage and collaborative learning constructs and the relationship between them.
For the experimental results, data was analyzed using IBM SPSS and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM–AMOS). The validity of the measures, the convergent validity of the measurements, and the discriminant validity of the computations are all examined.
The population of this research study included elementary school teachers in the division of Shaheed Benazirabad (SBA), Sindh, Pakistan. Out of 521 JEST participants, 494 teachers participated in a two-week training session using the MCL-based CPD app. Based on this, we distributed the questionnaire to teachers using WhatsApp groups during the academic year 2021–22. Following the screening of the completed questionnaires, a total of 472 correctly completed questionnaires were selected for analysis.
In total 14 constructs have been adopted, and 13 hypotheses with 55 measuring items have been created. According to the findings, the Performance Expectancy (PE) has a statistically significant effect on teachers’ behavioral intention (β = 0.124, p < 0.05), and thus supports the hypothesis (H1, PE→BI). This result concludes that teachers have positive intentions towards the utilization of the MCL-based CPD system. The MCL system is more likely to be used by teachers if they believe that the mobile collaborative learning interface is user-friendly, straightforward, and easy to use. The Effort Expectancy (EE) and Facilitating Conditions (FC) have a statistically significant effect on teachers’ behavioral intention with values of (β = 0.255, p < 0.001) and (β = 2.326, p < 0.001), respectively. The obtained results support the hypotheses (H2, EE→BI) and (H3, FC→BI), respectively. The experimental results also indicate that the hedonic motivation (HM) and Mobility (M) have a significant impact on teachers’ behavioral intention with (β = −0.134, p < 0.05) and (β = −0.11, p < 0.05), respectively, and thus satisfy the hypotheses (H4, HM→BI) and (H5, M→BI). These results prove that teachers find the MCL app entertaining, which may encourage them to participate in mobile-based collaborative learning activities. When creating learning applications for the professional development of teachers, app developers and designers should keep in mind excellent design concepts, as the apps are intended to be entertaining to use. The mobility construct is considered to be the most important factor in teachers’ behavioral intentions toward MCL-based CPD acceptance when compared to other constructs. The results indicate that the ability to access MCL-based CPD from any location and at any time greatly encouraged the teachers to utilize it to provide teachers real-time support at the classroom level. Knowledge acquisition (KA) and Content and Information Quality (CIQ) constructs also proved to have a statistically significant impact on behavioral intention with (β = 0.109, p < 0.05), and (β = 0.357, p < 0.001), respectively, and as a result, hypotheses (H6, KA→BI) and (H7, CIQ→BI) are supported. These findings relate to the enhancements of the overall performance of teachers in terms of knowledge acquisition (i.e., propose innovative ideas, acquire novel skills and knowledge) and encouragement. The teachers have shown a significant interest in mobile technology for their professional development, as it improved their learning outcomes, learning new things regarding teaching methods, assessments techniques, and instructional planning. The MCL system helped the teacher in acquiring new knowledge through training and on-the-job support. Apart from this, content and information quality is a key factor of this research. The quality of content and information has a significant impact on behavioral intention, while instructors’ views about the quality of content and information have a more dominating influence on users’ satisfaction in terms of the system providing up-to-date, relevant, comprehensive, easy to understand, and well-organized content and information. As a result, CPD-providing authorities should devote many resources to improve the content and information quality of mobile-based CPD systems.
The impact of the ongoing support has also been analyzed. The ongoing support helps to resolve on-job issues related to pedagogy, assessment, and content. The teachers think the support and facilitation provided by the system were very helpful to solve classroom-level issues and to easily share and obtain feedback from experts. To assess the impact of the system on the motivation of teachers in learning activities, the reward construct was analyzed. It was found that CPD rewards motivated the teachers and have a statistically significant impact on the behavioral intention in terms of performance. Experimental results show that on-job support (S) and Reward (R) constructs have a statistically significant impact on the behavioral intention with (β = 0.137, p < 0.05) and (β = 0.128, p < 0.05), respectively, and as a result (H8, S→BI) and (H9, R→BI) are supported. The reward construct has improved the motivation and engagement of teacher educators affected in the post COVID-19 pandemic.
The relationship between the interactivity with peers and experts (INT), engagement (ENG), and Self-Management (SM) in conjunction with collaborative learning (CL) has been investigated. Based on the findings, the connection between collaborative learning and interactivity with peers, interactivity with the instructors, engagement, and self-management of learning has been favorably and substantially correlated with collaborative learning. These are significantly associated with collaborative learning (CL). Interactivity with peers, TEIs experts (INT) (β = 0.235, p < 0.001), engagement (ENG) (β = 0.3.991, p < 0.001), and self-management (SM) (β = 0.08, p < 0.05) support the hypotheses (H11, INT→CL), (H12, ENG→CL), and (H13, SM→CL), respectively.
The findings show that the MCL-based CPD app enhances the professional learning experience with the vast majority of participants. The system helps teachers to be interactive and engaged with peers, their TEIs experts, and guides teachers to exchange information within cluster groups. The experimental results show that the system helps the teachers to be self-disciplined for their professional development and manage, organize and complete all CPD activities in a timely manner. In the end, the impact of collaborative learning (CL) on behavioral intention was assessed and it was found that CL has a significant effect on the behavioral intention (β = 0.205, p < 0.001) and supports the hypothesis (H10, CL→BI).
The findings of this research support the interaction and involvement of teachers and experts in mobile collaborative learning environments, which, in turn, has an impact on their professional achievement in the long run. The findings also revealed that PE, EE, HM, M, CL, ENG, INT, SM, S, R, CIQ, and KA all have significantly contributed to the acceptance of mobile collaborative learning. The findings may be helpful for teachers’ training institutions and other CPD providing agencies as they strive to adopt a mobile collaborative learning system.
Limitations: One of the limitations is the sample size, which is limited to public sector elementary school teachers only, while other cadre teachers such as primary school teachers, secondary school teachers, and subject specialists were not included. For future research, data from additional public and private schools might be acquired to validate and replicate current findings and to improve the generalizability of the research.
In addition, there is no data triangulation with the questionnaire. Teachers’ perceptions are all that is considered. To include this, it is necessary to incorporate the perspectives of experts, peers, and guide teachers, among others. Furthermore, we have not included any moderators such as age, gender, experience, or qualifications in the framework for studying their effect on the proposed constructs, which may be useful in the future as well.