Psychometric properties of the design-based professional learning for teachers survey

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article describes the development process and provides psychometric properties of the Design-Based Professional Learning (DBPL) for Teachers Survey to measure teacher leaders’ ratings of collaborative design and evidence-based work in their schools. Although there are other instruments that researchers could use to measure professional learning, most focus on professional learning as episodic events and on individual learning. Instruments do not consider the processes of design that occur during the professional learning session and in the time interval between sessions. Since a key component of DBPL is that teachers are continually designing learning tasks and analysing evidence-based work with peers during and in between sessions and researchers are continually gathering and analysing data to inform the ongoing design of the professional learning, many of the surveys designed for professional learning are not suitable for measuring DBPL. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to support the claim of a three-factor structure underlying the survey items. As investment is made to provide educators with a way to engage with each other, along with researchers and mentors through an iterative process of design, enactment, evaluation, and redesign, this instrument may be useful in monitoring the progress of professional learning.