Identifying the professional development needs of early career teachers in Scotland using nominal group technique

This paper reports on phase 1 of a project commissioned by Learning and Teaching Scotland (the lead organisation for curriculum development in Scotland) to explore the continuing professional development needs of teachers in Scotland in years 2-6 of their careers. Nominal group technique (NGT) was employed to identify the CPD needs of year 2-6 teachers and to identify the relative priority of these needs. The NGT data were subsequently used, together with findings from a review of literature, to inform a national survey. The paper outlines key issues arising from the NGT phase. Conclusions consider some of the potential drawbacks of NGT as a method but focus on the added value which the NGT process contributed to the overall project design.