Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Teacher Education and Professional Development'

The purpose of this qualitative study was to look at how teachers use micro-blogging, in this case Twitter (www.twitter.com), for their own personalized professional learning and how effective Twitter is as a professional development (PD) tool. In order to measure the effectiveness of the tool, the researcher first gleaned nine essential characteristics of effective PD from the literature. This list was validated by experts in the PD community. The significance of this study was to reveal how participants actually used Twitter for PD, what their perspectives on the tool were, and how effective their experiences were with Twitter as a PD tool. Results of this study can be used to improve current practice, and provide a low cost, accessible, and available mechanism to foster an on-going, learner-centered, approach to PD, thus allowing teachers to become more involved in their own professional growth. For the 4 participants in this study, Twitter use for PD and its effectiveness varied greatly. The effectiveness of the tool depended on the participant’s fluency with the technology and attitude towards social media. For the most fluent participant, Twitter met most of the requirements for effectiveness; however, Twitter use did not automatically provide a mechanism for reflection or self-assessment; nor did Twitter use provide an evaluation of the experience, both requirements of effective PD. With added evaluation and self-assessment processes, and with a fluent practitioner, Twitter does have the potential to be a very effective PD tool with its low cost, accessibility, and availability.

ABSTRACT DEVELOPING COLLECTIVE TEACHER EFFICACY THROUGH JOB-EMBEDDED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN ELEMENTARY TEACHERS Michele Schluntz, Ed.D. Department of Curriculum and Instruction Northern Illinois University, 2018 Elizabeth Wilkins, Director The purpose of this mixed-method study was to explore the outcomes of a Job-Embedded Professional Development (JEPD) approach on Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE). Teachers volunteered to participate in one of three literacy teams designed for the study. At the opening of the study, teachers completed the Collective Teacher Efficacy Belief Scale (CTEBS) to determine the level of CTE present prior to engaging in the JEPD sessions. During the three JEPD sessions, teachers engaged in meaningful conversations about situated problems of practice and potential changes to address such concerns. At the conclusion of each JEPD session, teachers completed individual reflection journals documenting their experiences. Upon completion of the final JEPD session, teachers again completed the CTEBS. The study concluded with the completion of one-on-one interviews to provide a deeper understanding to the responses provided through the individual reflection journals. Three major findings were identified in this study. First, it was concluded that a JEPD approach to the professional development of teachers may play a role in influencing CTE. Second, this study supported the Social Cognitive Theory framework of human agency and Triadic Reciprocal Causation. And third, meaningful conversations about situated learning in authentic problems of practice contributed to the development of CTE. As a result of these findings, this study supports a sociocultural approach to the professional development of teachers. Embedded in Vygotsky?s (1978) Socio-cultural Theory, there are five principles that encompass a sociocultural approach to teacher professional development. Teachers in this study experience four out of the five: teacher agency, situational appropriate, dialogical practice, and systemic in view. Utilizing these findings, recommendations for professional development and future research are also discussed.

This study focused on the motivation of K-12 teachers to participate in district online professional development and to sustain the knowledge or skills learned. This study identified how teachers in a suburban school district, located in the Hudson Valley region of New York state, evaluated the online professional development they received and the extent to which their learning continued beyond the initial training. Through a phenomenological study, data indicated several factors motivated teachers to participate in online professional development; the primary motivator was the relevance of the topic. The online survey and interviews indicated teachers were interested and willing to participate in online professional development when they could choose the topic and the setting in which the learning takes place. An additional motivator was the benefit of collaboration and support provided by the facilitator, both during and after the training. Teachers shared their ability to make connections and to reflect on their own experiences increased when they had the opportunity to work collaboratively with the facilitator to develop and implement a lesson using the new knowledge or skill. Teachers who identified taking relevant district online professional development with collaborative facilitators also reported specific examples of how they implemented skills in their classrooms. Teachers described how the district online professional development helped to improve their students’ learning.

The purpose of this study was to explore teacher experiences, attitudes, feelings, and beliefs regarding professional development in order to plan professional development in the future. Eighteen teachers, the elementary school improvement coordinator, and elementary principal were interviewed or participated in a focus group, in a semi-structured environment using a set of questions to gather data. Financial records for professional development expenditures, teacher credentials, agendas from professional development activities, school calendars, and grants were reviewed to get a better understanding of past professional development in the district. This research indicates that teachers: (a) are unsure whether professional development improves teacher quality and/or student achievement (b) have had a lot of diverse professional development experiences; (c) like professional development that is interactive, easily implemented, and applicable; (d) feel more time needs to be allocated for professional development; (e) do not feel they are involved in the planning process of professional development; and, (f) that there's a lack accountability, sustainability, and focus related to professional development. Implications can be generalized for all teachers, but more specifically, from this research for this individual district.

With increasing demands on student achievement as set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (2001), teachers are the catalyst for improving their students' performance (Marzano, 2000). Existing studies on the use of formative assessment as a process by which teachers elicit information of their students' progress and use that information to inform their instruction have shown promising results in student achievement gains (Wiliam & Thompson, 2007). Extensive teacher professional development is needed, however, to instill a change in teacher practice needed to successfully employ formative assessment resulting in improved student achievement (Trumbull & Lash, 2013; Wiley & Heritage, 2010).

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between Linking Learning and Assessment professional development (including online training modules and communities of practice) as well as other forms of professional development on formative assessment and resulting self-perceived teacher practice, and what aspects of the professional development teachers found meaningful in improving their practice.

This study utilized a mixed-methods design. A questionnaire was administered to middle level educators (N=82) throughout the state followed by a focus group interview (N=5). Quantitative data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, correlations, Anova, and t-tests. Qualitative data were obtained through open-ended questions and the focus group. Content analysis was conducted to analyze the qualitative data obtained through the focus group interview and the open-ended questions on the questionnaire.

A major finding of this study is that most teachers are in the early stages of implementing the formative assessment process and have begun to realize the power of formative assessment. Those who have had ongoing and intensive training have begun to see meaningful changes in their practice. Professional development found to be most meaningful to teachers includes: collaboration, active learning opportunities and coherence. In addition, teachers expressed the need for professional development to be differentiated to meet their individual needs.

The results of this study may serve to inform teachers, administrators, districts and state departments of education when developing and implementing professional development in general as well as professional development on formative assessment.

Over several decades, school reform efforts have been mounted in order to improve student learning and to prepare students for a global community. In 2010, governors from the fifty states met and supported the establishment of national standards, the Common Core State Standards, to prepare students for college and careers. Georgia adopted the Common Core State Standards, and as with any new curriculum adoption, professional development is usually provided. During the 2011–2012 school year, school systems across Georgia provided various professional development opportunities for teachers to learn about the Common Core State Standards. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ perceptions of their Common Core professional development and utilized a survey consisting of multiple choice and open-ended questions. Three hundred seventy-two educators from sixteen school districts across the state of Georgia participated in this study. Three main themes emerged: Teachers prefer working in smaller, collaborative groups in professional development; teachers were satisfied with their school and school district’s training but did not receive consistent follow-up, modeling, or coaching afterwards; teachers utilized websites developed to support the Common Core State Standards and relied on their colleagues in order to learn more about the curriculum and to implement the standards.

Since the statement of then -Secretary of Education Paige on the "soft bigotry of low expectations," the necessity of holding "high expectations" appears to be generally accepted as an important factor in student achievement. Secretary Paige asserted that not all teachers hold high expectations of their students, yet the possibility of such thinking is not typically acknowledged among educators. Instead there appears to be a presumption that all teachers do hold high expectations for their students and there is no evidence that this assumption is ever questioned. The assumption that high expectations are universally held negates belief that expectations should be part of the professional conversations in which educators engage and precludes the topic from being included in the professional development programs in which school staffs are engaged.

My review of literature includes learning from the other social sciences on beliefs, cultural assumptions, and expectations. This dissertation examines the development of negative stereotypes and manifestations of those stereotypes in the educational experiences, past and present of African Americans, as representatives of those segments of the population who have historically been under-served by education.

The results of the survey conducted as part of this study indicate that expectations are rarely included in professional development programs. Additionally, the results demonstrate a lack of consistency among districts in approaching similar challenges. Finally, a model developed to increase the effectiveness of professional development is proposed.

Educators in a low socioeconomic urban school district have been concerned with the quality of professional development (PD) training provided by the district. This issue affects students, parents, and teachers. Guided by the educational philosophy of inquiry and community, which hold that empowering teachers with validated PD could improve teacher pedagogy and perhaps academic outcomes, this project study examined (a) what benefits a standardized professional development content validation program for the 21st century can provide and, (b) what standardized professional development content validation for the 21st century looks like. A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was used on a purposive sample of 8 teachers, who participated in semistructured, open-ended interviews. A quantitative questionnaire collected perceptions of teachers at the school. Interview data were analyzed via an inductive analysis approach, and survey data were analyzed via descriptive statistics. The findings of this sequential mixed methods research revealed that the content of PD activities often lacked structured validation for teachers to master important skills in their content area, new skills were undiscovered, and their pedagogy was underdeveloped. The outcome was a 3-day workshop designed to provide PD content validation for educators in 1 district in Washington State. Positive social change implications include teachers who can engage students in an informed, confident, professional manner, and increased teacher satisfaction at the research site as well as in other rural schools. Implementing this workshop will provide useful knowledge for policymakers, educators, and other researchers who are looking for a clearer definition of PD content for the 21st century.

The purpose of the research was to explore the experiences of a group of 3 ELA teachers as they participated in online professional development using a social learning network. Utilizing case study methodology, the researcher examined how an online social learning network could be used to impact instructional practices amongst ELA teachers participating in hybrid professional development during implementation of a writing curriculum. Employing social constructivism as the dominant framework for analysis, the researcher explored the extent to which professional development delivered online combined with face-to-face supports impacted teacher instructional practices in the classroom.

The researcher examined teachers’ actual online behaviors by using data captured by the online social network and compared this to teachers’ self reports of impact and use, concluding that online professional development, delivered through a social learning network was effective in impacting teachers’ classroom instruction.

Findings indicate that in order to be effective, professional learning should emphasize the learning of content and pedagogy and how technology can enhance instructional practices. Features of the online social learning network utilized more frequently were those that enhanced teachers’ goals around writing instruction. The online social learning network was also found to include several aspects of Community of Practice, resulting in the sustained use and integration of the online social learning network for instructional purposes. Factors such as convenience, flexibility and ubiquitous access to resources and peers were cited as benefits to participating in hybrid professional development models.

Many school districts are utilizing instructional coaches to support teachers as they implement their professional learning in the classroom. This study examined teachers’ perceptions of effective instructional coaching practices to gain insight about which aspects of instructional coaching teachers find most supportive in implementing change in the classroom. Adult learning theory, andragogy, was used as the theoretical framework guiding this study. Survey data from the Perceptions of Coaching Survey (PCS) was collected from 116 teachers across six states. These teachers were engaged in professional development on supporting English learners and were receiving follow-up coaching support from their district. Five participants were interviewed to further investigate teachers’ perceptions of coaching practices. Two maintained a month-long journal to reflect on any coaching interactions that occurred. The findings of this study revealed that teachers perceive coaching to have a positive impact in supporting the implementation of change in the classroom, and a primary theme emerged that coaching aims to improve instruction. The aspects of coaching that teachers were most satisfied with focused on implementing classroom strategies including having a coach modeling strategies in the classroom, being observed and receiving feedback from a coach, and watching fellow colleagues teaching the same things. Teachers also identified desirable qualities of coaches, including knowledge, trustworthiness, confidence, positivity, and flexibility from a supportive and consistent, non-administrative presence in the classroom. Teachers reported that what they learn from coaching applies to their current teaching situation and that coaching motivates them to try new things in the classroom.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the educator’s perception of the optimal professional development experience. Research studies have concluded that the biggest indicator to predict student achievement is teacher effectiveness (Aaronson, Barrow, & Sander, 2007; Marzano, 2003; Sanders & Horn, 1998; Wong 2001). Guskey (2000) stated, “Never before in the history of education has greater importance been attached to the professional development of educators” (p. 3). School districts continue to face reduced budgets and continue to expend resources on professional development. In addition, states such as Indiana have recently changed their evaluation system to encourage more professional development at the school and district level. A survey was created to analyze educator perceptions of professional development in five Midwest states: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. The survey collected basic teacher demographic data: gender (male/female), licensure (elementary K–5, secondary 6–12), years of experience (0–5, 6–10, 11–15, 16–20, and 20 or more), and position type (teacher/principal). The survey consisted of 35 questions that focused on educator perceptions of professional development. In all, 396 educators from 18 school districts across five Midwest states responded to the survey instrument. A statistical analysis of the responses provided composite mean scores and standard deviations. A factorial ANOVA was used to test the first hypothesis. An independent samples t-test was used to test the second, fourth, and fifth hypotheses. A one-way ANOVA was used to test the third hypothesis. There was a significant difference between position type (teacher/principal) and licensure (elementary K–5, secondary 6–12) on their perceptions of professional development. Principals responded with a higher perception of professional development than teachers. Elementary licensure, K–5th grade teachers, also responded with a higher perception of professional development. There was no significant difference between gender (male/female) and years of experience (0–5, 6–10, 11–15, 16–20, and 20 or more). Educators responded that their perception of the most effective forms of professional development were having more time to work with colleagues (86.6%), using a professional learning community model (85.7%), and attending conferences and workshops (84.9%). In addition, educators had a higher perception of the effectiveness of professional development at the school level versus the district level.

The topic of this study is teacher support and professional development offered at urban Title 1 schools. This study compares the teacher support and professional development provided at an urban Title 1 traditional public school to the support and professional development provided at an urban Title 1 charter school. The purpose is to compare the schools and find out from a teachers’ perspective which school supports its teachers better. Teachers were interviewed in order to receive the data necessary to determine which school is more effective at supporting its teachers. The other significant purpose of this study was to suggest improvements that ether or both schools can implement. The results indicate that the traditional school teachers felt better supported and satisfied with their professional development, than the charter school teachers. The findings also present knowledge that can help improve both schools and other schools similar to them.

Job-embedded professional development is fairly new to education. Various forms of job-embedded professional development have become popular in the last ten years. One form of job-embedded professional development is instructional coaching. Instructional coaching is rather new to education, but has become a popular form of professional development in school districts. The current study reviewed various forms of job-embedded professional development, defined job-embedded professional development and instructional coaching, and then concentrated on teacher perspectives of instructional coaching as a form of professional development, the impact of instructional coaching on classroom instruction, and the impact of instructional coaching on implementing district initiatives. In this qualitative study, 12 teachers in their first year of teaching, who completed a yearlong partnership with an instructional coach, were interviewed. The data from the interviews was collected and then analyzed to identify themes and patterns using NVivo 11 Pro, a software program for analyzing qualitative data. The researcher analyzed and coded the data as trends and patterns were revealed in the teachers’ perspectives on instructional coaching as a form of professional development, on the impact of instructional coaching on their instructional practices, and on the impact of instructional coaching on their implementation of district expectations. The data indicated that the participants considered instructional coaching to be personalized professional development that supported the ability to implement instructional practices in the classroom as well as implement district expectations.

What are the most effective coaching practices in the context of school-wide professional development? Teacher coaching is onsite professional development aimed at working with teachers with what they need most. Although coaching holds much promise, there is little agreement surrounding the role of the coach and what the coach should be doing in the context of school-wide professional development to make the greatest impact on teacher practices. The purpose of this study is to explore practices that contribute to a change in teacher instructional practices relating to four major components: (1) Leadership Team; (2) Whole School Coaching; (3) Group Coaching; (4) Teacher Coaching; to determine the relationship between these four components; to offer a comprehensive teacher coaching model. Due to the complex nature of change, this research is seated in the context of change variables such as environment, management, coaching styles, and change theory.

PLCs have been shown to be a promising professional development model in increasing overall student achievement. As a result, schools have turned to implementing Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) as a way to help teachers to collaborate, identify the needs of students, and formulate a plan to address the needs. However, little research has been done on how effective PLCs can contribute to both teacher development and student learning. Examining the experiences of teachers within PLCs is critical because, as a form of professional development, it can be used to help teachers feel supported within school sites which may, in turn, encourage retention rates.

The purpose of this study is to investigate teacher experiences and perspectives about the characteristics of effective PLCs that support their professional growth and commitment at a single urban high school site in Southern California. By examining effective PLC characteristics in this case study site, administrators and secondary school site leaders can benefit from implementing PLCs that focus not only on student learning but also with teacher development. This information can support the effective implementation of PLCs in K-12 districts that also contribute to teacher development and success. Creating effective PLCs can positively affect teacher development that may help deepen their commitment to the school and in return, create sustainable student achievement and teacher growth.