Exploring professional development perceptions among health and social care educators: A cross-sectional study with cluster analysis

Abstract

Abstract

Aim This study aimed to evaluate Finnish educators’ perceptions of their current level of continuing professional development and to identify distinct profiles in their competence development.

Background The current health and social care system faces multiple challenges, including aging populations, cultural diversity and increasingly complex client needs. To implement new digital and interprofessional working methods, professionals must be highly competent and innovative. Educators’ professional development is crucial for delivering high-quality education.

Desing The study used secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey.

Methods The initial study developed the EduProDe scale and the study sample comprised 422 educators in health and social education. IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.0 was used for secondary statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics were calculated and the different groups among educators were based on the subdimensions of the EduProDe scale. The continuing professional development profiles were described using groups identified by K-means clustering.

Results Based on educators´ responses to the EduProDe scale, they were clustered into three significantly different profiles: Experiencing Support for Continuous Learning (A), Needing Support for Continuous Learning (B) and Self-Directed Learners (C).

Conclusion The results show that health and social care educators are diverse learners. It’s important to consider their individual characteristics, like education and work field, when planning professional development. In addition, the findings enhance the support for continuous learning from educators’ superiors. Through this knowledge, organizations can consider factors beyond learning needs when planning professional development.