In what ways does studying at M-level contribute to teachers' professional learning? Research set in an English university

In a climate where government funding to support a master's-level teaching profession is in jeopardy, it is timely to explore the contribution of research and scholarship to the practice of teaching. This paper reports on an interview study in which the graduates of a professional master's course articulated their learning through reflection on the construction of a professional development portfolio, a compulsory core module that draws on other components of the master's course. The focus is on change in practice, knowledge and beliefs. Outcomes show that all teachers had changed and that for two-thirds of them this involved major changes in practice. A significant outcome of the study is the increased confidence and strong sense of professional identity that resulted from increased knowledge of theory and research and the confidence to experiment in the classroom. The portfolio acted as a mediating object that enabled students to write critically about the professional learning they achieved through their M-level study, and the interview functioned as a meta-reflection on that learning.