Systematic literature review on aspects of teachers’ personalized continuing professional learning as a new approach to realizing their professionalism

Abstract

Traditional, top-down, and standardised professional development (PD) models often fail to foster genuine teacher professionalism, resulting in low instructional impact and compliance-driven engagement due to their neglect of educators’ unique career stages, personal narratives, and motivations. While Personalised Continuing Professional Learning (PCPL) has emerged as a critical alternative, current research remains fragmented, lacking a holistic, evidence-based synthesis of how its diverse dimensions interact. Addressing this gap, this systematic literature review synthesises 66 empirical studies published between 2014 and 2024 (utilising Kitchenham’s framework and PRISMA guidelines) to analyse five core dimensions of PCPL: theoretical foundations, motivational factors, career-stage characteristics, life stories, and empowerment/leadership pathways. The synthesised findings demonstrate that PCPL serves as a paradigm-shifting vehicle that redefines teacher professionalism by transitioning educators from passive recipients of training to active agents of change. Furthermore, the review outlines critical systemic tensions, such as the friction between teacher autonomy and top-down school accountability frameworks. Ultimately, we propose an Integrated Conceptual Framework and outline pragmatic, resource-real locative implications for policy and practice to implement sustainable personalised learning within real-world constraints.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Professional Development in Education, 2026 · DOI ↗