Challenges influencing teachers' involvement in continuous professional development: A South African perspective

•Investigate the challenges that influencing teachers' participation in CPD.•Inadequate input by school leadership in the teachers' CPD.•Teachers' reluctance to participate in CPD activities.•Detrimental factors influencing the effective implementation of CPD.•Insufficient update of teachers' professional knowledge through CPD.

This article focuses on the challenges that impact on teachers' involvement in continuous professional development (CPD), as seen from a South African perspective. In this qualitative interpretive study, data from primary school teachers was collected by means of questionnaires and interviews. The four themes that emerged were: insufficient contribution of the school management to teachers' CPD; teachers' reluctance to participate in CPD activities; factors obstructing teachers to partake effectively in CPD events; and inadequate knowledge presented by CPD programmes. Productive teacher development occurs when teachers participate in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of CPD programmes offered.