The Impact of a Two-Year In-service Teacher Training Programme on the Use of the Laboratory and Self-Efficacy Beliefs

In 2018 we started COLLABORA, an in-service teacher training programme based on the learning community approach, aimed at improving the use of the laboratory in the teaching of physics. Starting from the findings of the first year and from the emerging learning needs, in the second year the efforts of the community focussed on the design of teaching–learning sequences and their experimentation in the classroom. Micro-teaching and peer-observation activities were also introduced. In this contribution, we describe the programme and its impact on teachers’ practice and on their self-efficacy in using practical work in their teaching. We also discuss the activities that were most effective in improving the teachers’ self-efficacy. Finally, we discuss the strategy used for the programme and the elements that were more effective in supporting teachers’ professional development.