Abstract
Evaluating professional development can assist with designing better programs in the future, yet survey instruments may not always capture the nuances of participant’s experiences. Therefore, in order to develop better survey instruments, the Out-of-School Time Resource Center conducted a series of five focus groups. Questions pertained to participants’ job-related needs, preferred types of professional development, characteristics of both “good” and “bad” workshops, reasons why new information is not utilized, and recommendations for policymakers/funders. Findings from the focus groups have been used to revise OSTRC pilot surveys, which will be standardized and published as an Evaluation Toolkit that can be used to design and evaluate OST conferences.
Highlights
The success of out-of-school time (OST) programs depends on having skilled, knowledgeable, and effective staff working with youth (e.g. Lauver, 2004)
The Out-of-School Time Resource Center (OSTRC) at the University of Pennsylvania is conducting a mixed method pilot study to design survey instruments that can assess the effectiveness of out-of-school time professional development in workshop and conference settings
Preferred Method of Meeting These Job-Related Needs Participants were given a list of various types of professional development opportunities compiled by the OSTRC that was developed based on previous meetings and discussions with professionals in the field
Summary
The success of out-of-school time (OST) programs depends on having skilled, knowledgeable, and effective staff working with youth (e.g. Lauver, 2004). The Out-of-School Time Resource Center (OSTRC) at the University of Pennsylvania is conducting a mixed method pilot study to design survey instruments that can assess the effectiveness of out-of-school time professional development in workshop and conference settings. These instruments include Post-Workshop Surveys, Follow-Up Surveys (completed one month later), Presenter Self-Assessments, and Overall Conference Surveys. The OSTRC conducted a series of five focus groups with local OST program staff. The focus groups were designed to inform the development of the survey instruments by obtaining more detailed data regarding program needs, professional needs, and participants’ experiences with professional development in a variety of settings
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