Effective Teacher Professional Development Research Articles

Understanding K–12 teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge readiness and attitudes toward artificial intelligence education

AbstractArtificial intelligence (AI) education is increasingly being recognized as essential at the K–12 level. For better understanding teachers’ preparedness for AI education and effectively developing relevant teacher training programs, teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) readiness and attitudes toward AI teaching must be determined. However, limited research has been conducted on this topic. To address this research gap, we recruited 1,664 K–12 teachers to obtain a comprehensive view of teachers’ readiness for and attitudes toward teaching AI in K–12 classrooms. These teachers differed in terms of their gender, teaching subject, teaching grade, teaching experience, and experience in teaching AI. The findings of this study indicated that a substantial gap exists in the AI-related content and technological knowledge of the recruited teachers. Moreover, intriguing relationships were found between the teachers’ pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, and attitudes toward teaching AI. The effects of demographic factors on the teachers’ TPACK and attitudes were also examined. On the basis of the findings of this study, recommendations were formulated for developing effective teacher professional development programs in the field of AI education.

Teacher Professional Development: A Systematic Literature Review on Strategies for Effective Continuous Learning

Developing teacher professionalism is a crucial element in improving the quality of education. In this study, we conducted a systematic literature review to identify effective sustainable learning strategies for teachers. Based on our analysis, we found that collaboration between teachers, experience-based learning approaches, use of technology in learning, skills-based learning approaches, institutional support, teacher knowledge and skills, quality teaching, and improved student learning outcomes play an important role in increasing the effectiveness of sustainable learning . These findings provide valuable insights for educational practitioners in developing effective and sustainable teacher professional development programs

Challenges Impeding the Implementation of Effective Continuous Teacher Professional Development Programs in Eastern Cape Department of Education

Training opportunities are essential for introducing teachers to effective instructional strategies and pedagogical approaches. Teachers need access to professional development programs that promote knowledge and skills acquisition to improve learner performance. Due to a lack of training, school administrators frequently misinterpreted key elements of the teaching and learning process and failed to understand the objectives and requirements of the new curriculum. To increase the ability and competency of educators in the province, it is the goal of this article to identify obstacles preventing the Eastern Cape Department of Education from implementing training programs effectively. This study utilises a descriptive and explanatory qualitative case study. Data was collected using interviews with five (5) (n-5) key informant participants. The findings indicate that Human Resource Development lacked competitive and practical skills development programs, resources (finance), capacity, low participation from educators, effective human resource strategy and training opportunities for educators, leading to poor learner results throughout the province. ECDoE is recommended to implement well-designed professional development programs which align with the curriculum and educational objectives of the National Department of Basic Education. By focusing on specific areas of need, such as literacy, numeracy, or inclusive education, these programs can address critical challenges faced by teachers and students in the province. The study suggests that ECDoE can implement competitive training programs, develop a comprehensive human resource development strategy, hires well-skilled trainees and training opportunities should be given to all educators in the province.

Effect of principal's instructional leadership practices on teachers' professional development: A cross sectional study of secondary school level from selected areas of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

This study investigates the intricate relationship between principal instructional leadership practices and their effects on teacher professional development, school culture, and the broader educational environment. The research was conducted in selected areas of Lahore, involving 260 participants from both private and public secondary schools. Data was collected through a Likert scale questionnaire containing 25 items measuring seven dimensions of instructional leadership and 11 items for teacher professional development. Statistical analysis, including Cronbach's Alpha, KMO and Bartlett's tests, factor analysis, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis, were employed to examine the data. The research revealed significant associations between principal instructional leadership practices and teacher professional development, highlighting the influence of instructional leadership behaviors such as providing feedback, setting clear educational objectives, and fostering collaborative learning environments. This study identified a substantial impact of principal instructional leadership on school culture and organizational environment, with instructional leadership practices positively correlating with welcoming environments and a culture of continuous improvement. The findings of this study have practical implications for educational officials and practitioners. Educational leadership development initiatives that focus on enhancing instructional leadership skills among administrators can create conditions conducive to effective teacher professional development. These initiatives should prioritize fostering cooperation, providing constructive feedback, and establishing clear instructional objectives. This research underscores the vital role of instructional leadership in shaping school culture and student outcomes. Effective educational leadership is an ongoing process that encourages trust, collaboration, and adaptability in a rapidly evolving educational landscape. While acknowledging the study's limitations, this research contributes to the ongoing dialogue on educational leadership, emphasizing its significance in promoting successful school communities.

Effective Teacher Professional Development: New Theory and a Meta-Analytic Test

Multiple meta-analyses have now documented small positive effects of teacher professional development (PD) on pupil test scores. However, the field lacks any validated explanatory account of what differentiates more from less effective in-service training. As a result, researchers have little in the way of advice for those tasked with designing or commissioning better PD. We set out to remedy this by developing a new theory of effective PD based on combinations of causally active components targeted at developing teachers’ insights, motivating change, developing teaching techniques, and then embedding these changes in teachers’ practice. We test two important implications of the theory using data identified through a systematic review and meta-analysis of 104 randomized controlled trials, finding qualified empirical support for the theory. The main contribution of the article is to provide a testable theory of what makes PD more effective, which can be used to guide future empirical research on this topic.

The search for evidence-based features of effective teacher professional development: a critical analysis of the literature

ABSTRACT Scholarly efforts to identify core design features for effective teacher professional development have grown rapidly in the last 25 years. Many concise lists of design principles have emerged, most of which converge on a consensus of 5–7 presumably ‘effective’ features (e.g. collaborative tasks, active learning, focus on content). The proliferation and convergence of reviews create the impression that this consensus is based on strong evidence from large-scale, replicated, and rigorously controlled research studies. We critique the empirical foundation on which conclusions about evidence-based design features for teacher professional development have been based, by the same evidential standards that have been adopted within this field of scholarly work. We conclude that the empirical foundations for these lists are problematic and that claims to methodological rigour are misleading as they are based on flawed inferences. We further argue that the ambition to identify general features of effective professional development is also problematic, and reflect on why, despite its weaknesses and potentially adverse consequences for research and practice, we as a field continue to herald this consensus. We call for greater focus on the development, testing, and refinement of theories about teacher professional learning in order to advance understanding, policy, and practice in the field.

Exploring the Alignment of Professional Development and Classroom Practices in African Contexts: A Discursive Investigation

Professional development plays a pivotal role in ensuring high-quality education. Well-designed activities empower teachers and improve instructional delivery. Therefore, this study examines the alignment of teacher professional development with classroom practices to meet learner needs. The study conducted a systematic literature review using the PRISM approach, focusing on research from 2003 to 2023 in EBSCO, Google Scholar, and other repositories. Only open-sourced and peer-reviewed English literature was considered. The findings emphasize that teacher professional development aims to equip educators with contemporary knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes that enhance teaching and learning excellence. When structured effectively, these activities boost pedagogical prowess and improve academic outcomes. The study highlights the significance of tailored, learner-centered pedagogical approaches and ongoing professional development opportunities to enhance academic performance. To facilitate effective teacher professional development, the study introduces the Learner-Centered Teacher Professional Development Model (LCTPD). It recommends integrating quality-driven, suitable professional development activities to enhance teaching practices and advance learners' performance.

School-Based Teacher Professional Development Framework (SBTPDF): A Blueprint for School Principals in Nigeria

There is a growing body of knowledge on effective Teacher Professional Development (TPD), with a consensus that skews in favour of decentralised, school-based and teacher-centred approach to TPD as opposed to the centralised, traditional and top-down approach. On the contrary, developing countries such as Nigeria still practise a centralised education system where traditional top-down TPD remains the norm, with the attendant consequence of professionally deficient teachers in the classroom. This situation has left a deficiency in centralised district/cluster-based teacher development. This study explored teachers’ and school administrators’ perceptions on the existing effectiveness TPD, with a view to developing a school-based TPD framework that caters for teachers’ professional needs. The study was a qualitative multiple-case study informed by the interpretivist paradigm. The study used, as its lenses, two complementary theories: Distributed Leadership Theory (DLT) and Adult Learning Theory (ALT). Three schools were selected using the purposive sampling technique. Four participants were selected from each school using a combination of purposive and snowball techniques. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using the Thematic Analysis (TA) procedure. The findings revealed that one-size-fit-all centralised schools cluster TPD no longer meet the professional needs of teachers. The result also showed that participants preferred school-based teachers’ professional development to centralised approach. Hence, the study proposed a data-informed and theory-driven model known as School-Based Teacher Professional Development Framework (SBTPDF) as a blue-print for the implementation of school-based TPD for school administrators.

Teacher Professional Development for STEM Integration in Elementary/Primary Schools: A Systematic Review

There has been a recent increase in studies devoted to integrated science, technology, and engineering mathematics (STEM) education. However, as the field is emerging, there has not been a large amount of scholarship on how to best provide teacher professional development (PD) on integrated STEM education. On the other hand, well-grounded research is available in the field of effective teacher professional development. Therefore, in this study, a systematic review of empirical studies on training elementary/primary school teachers in integrated STEM education was undertaken. Using an adapted version of Lawless and Pellegrino's analytical framework (2007), the emerging commonalities among eleven studies in conjunction with the literature on effective teacher professional development were analyzed and discussed. This study aims at connecting current STEM-integrated PD activities with the literature on effective PD and laying the groundwork for future professional development programs and evaluations in integrating STEM subject areas in elementary or primary schools.

How Ready Can You Be? Profiling Indonesian Teacher’s Preparedness for an Online Teacher Professional Development Program

Online teacher professional development has shown benefits in enhancing and improving teacher competences in providing classroom experiences which eventually may improve student academic achievements (de Kramer et. al, 2012). In designing an effective online teacher professional development, a need analysis needs to be conducted to successfully meet the teachers’ needs and design a program that is based on the teachers’ contexts and the complexities of teachers’ teaching practices. The article reports on the results of the need analysis conducted via survey and focus group discussions to 1544 teachers across Indonesia with the aim to design an online teacher professional development delivered via a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC). The results of the need analysis show that the MOOC needs to be designed carefully in terms of the technical requirements, content, and delivery of the MOOC.

The Crucial Role of Education and Teachers in Sustainable Development and Societal Progress

The purpose of the research article is to examine the primary teacher preparation programme in the context of sustainable development education. The article opens by emphasizing the importance of education for a country's growth and how excellent education necessitates skilled instructors. Unimaginable blessings have come from the development process that has been pursued up to this point, but it has also brought forth significant obstacles for both emerging countries and human civilization as a whole. The idea of sustainable development is thought to contribute to the preservation of the priceless human species on Earth, and it could only be accomplished if education on sustainable development is given to future generations. The article highlights the value of education for society and quotes Nelson Mandela as saying that education is the most potent tool for bringing about global change. The article goes on to highlight several committees and commissions that have made comments and reports expressing the value of education. These committees advise that an effective teacher professional development programme is necessary for the advancement of the quality of education, that investing in teacher education may pay off handsomely, and that teacher education is a continual process. The National Education Policy of 2016 has also made the point that inadequate teacher preparation and education directly contribute to the low quality of school education. The report emphasizes the necessity for well-prepared and educated teachers while highlighting the state of elementary teacher training institutes. In order to relieve children's stress, the paper's conclusion states that the curriculum for elementary teacher education must be created in a way that supports education for sustainable development, is child-centered, encourages universal enrollment and retention, and is centered on joyful learning experiences.

Mobile Technology as an Alternative Teaching Strategy Amidst COVID-19 Hiatus: Exploring Pedagogical Possibilities and Implications for Teacher Development

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the education sector worldwide had to adapt rapidly from in-person to virtual modes of teaching and learning to mitigate the spread of the virus. In a short period of time, teachers were forced to find new and innovative ways of delivering education to their students to ensure the continuation of education. In this context, this paper investigates how teachers in Pakistan leveraged mobile technology as an alternative teaching strategy to provide access to and to ensure the continuation of education. Through in-depth interviews with 13 selected teachers, this study explores the potential of mobile technology to offer alternative teaching and learning arenas. The findings underscore the importance of embracing new pedagogical possibilities offered by mobile technology and the significance of effective teacher professional development in the post-pandemic era. This study provides valuable insights into the utilization of mobile technology in the education sector, even in the most challenging circumstances, and highlights the potential for mobile learning to contribute to education reform.

Unpacking the Role of Instructional Leadership in Teacher Professional Development

This qualitative study aimed to unpack the role of instructional leadership in teacher professional development. Ten teachers and three coordinators from PAU Excellencia Global Academy Foundation, Inc. participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed three main themes. First, instructional leadership practices were found to be critical in promoting teacher learning and development. The participants emphasized the importance of leaders modeling effective teaching practices, providing feedback, and facilitating collaboration and learning opportunities. Second, the study showed that the quality of teacher-administrator relationships was essential in promoting teacher professional growth. The participants highlighted the significance of trust, open communication, and mutual respect in building positive relationships. Lastly, the study revealed that teacher professional development is a continuous and ongoing process that requires sustained support from school leaders. The participants emphasized the need for ongoing professional development opportunities, such as workshops, mentoring, and coaching. These findings have important implications for educational leaders and policy-makers in promoting effective teacher professional development. School leaders should prioritize instructional leadership practices that model effective teaching practices and facilitate collaborative learning opportunities. They should also foster positive teacher-administrator relationships and provide ongoing professional development opportunities to support teachers in their professional growth. By doing so, they can promote a culture of continuous learning and development in their schools, ultimately leading to improved student learning outcomes.

Action Research-based Online Teaching in Oman: Teachers’ Voices and Perspectives

The COVID-19-forced switch to online teaching has proven the traditional teaching models and practices unsuitable. Classroom-related issues require teachers to reflect and embrace innovative and practical approaches to cope with the challenges of online teaching. The current study examines the affordances and challenges of action research in online teaching. The study analyzed the responses of (N=31) university teachers in Oman regarding their experience and practice of action research-based online teaching. The study identified several factors that support or hinder action research-driven teaching and teachers’ views on the efficacy of the teaching-research nexus. The study also drew on several implications for research-based effective teaching and teacher professional development.

The Effects of a Modeling and Computational Thinking Professional Development Program on STEM Educators’ Perceptions toward Teaching Science and Engineering Practices

Teachers’ integration of the Next Generation Science Standards and corresponding Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) illustrate current science education reform in the United States. Effective teacher professional development (PD) on SEPs is essential for reform success. In this study, we evaluated the Nebraska STEM Education Conference, a PD program for middle school, high school, and first- and second-year post-secondary STEM teachers. This SEP-oriented PD program focused predominantly on the SEPs ‘developing and using models’ and ‘using mathematics and computational thinking.’ An electronic survey was used to measure participants’ (n = 45) prior integration of SEPs, influential factors and barriers to using SEPs, and changes to interest and confidence in using SEPs as a result of attending the PD program. Our results showed that teachers had limited prior use of SEPs in their teaching. Student interest and learning outcomes were the factors found to be most influential to teachers’ use of SEPs, while limited knowledge, confidence, and resources were the most commonly identified barriers. As a result of attending the PD program, participants significantly improved their confidence and interest to incorporate SEPs. We recommend continued SEP-oriented PD to foster successful NGSS integration and to advance reforms in science education.

The Construction and Application of E-Learning Curricula Evaluation Metrics for Competency-Based Teacher Professional Development

Today, students at universities in advanced countries typically enroll in colleges, such as the College of Education, which offer interdisciplinary programs for undergraduates in their first and second years, allowing them to explore personal interests, experience educational research fields, complete their integrated curricula, and then choose a major in their third year. To cooperate with the government’s epidemic prevention policies and measures in the post-COVID-19 era, the trend of e-learning and distance teaching has accelerated the establishment of integrated online curricula with interdisciplinary programs for undergraduates in the College of Education to facilitate effective future teacher professional development (TPD). Therefore, it is very important to construct e-learning curricula evaluation metrics for competency-based teacher professional development (CB-TPD) and to implement them in teaching practice. This research used social network analysis (SNA) methods, approaches, and theoretical concepts, such as affiliation networks and bipartite graphs comprised of educational occupational titles and common professional competencies (i.e., Element Name and ID), as well as knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs), from the U.S. occupational information network (O*NET) 26.1 OnLine database, to collect data on the occupations of educational professionals. This study also used Gephi network analysis and visualization software to carry out descriptive statistics of keyword co-occurrences to measure their centrality metrics, including weighted degree centrality, degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and closeness centrality, and to verify their importance and ranking in professional competency in eight categories of educational professionals (i.e., three categories of special education teachers and five categories of teachers, except special education). The analysis of the centrality metrics identified the educational common professional competency (ECPC) keyword co-occurrences, which were then used to design, develop, and apply e-learning curricula evaluation metrics for CB-TPD. The results of this study can be used as a reference for conducting related academic research and cultivating educational professionals’ online curricula, including ECPC keywords, integrated curricula design and the development of transdisciplinary programs, and teacher education, as well as to facilitate the construction and application of future e-learning curricula evaluation metrics for CB-TPD.

UNDERSTANDING CRITERIA OF EFFECTIVE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: PERSPECTIVES OF ISLAMIC HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS IN ACEH

This cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted to understand teachers’ expectations of their professional development that will inform the policy and practice of effective teacher professional development programs. The participants of the study were in-service English teachers who were alumni of professional development programs held at a training centre in Banda Aceh-Indonesia under the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA). Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and data collected were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show that teachers had high expectations when attending a professional development program. Another significant findings were teachers expected qualified trainers both instructional and interactional; the provision of good quality training facilities, resources, and infrastructure; adequate and equal teachers’ access to professional development that meets their professional development’s needs, career and learning journey. These elements were perceived by teacher participants as important criteria for effective teacher professional development, especially in Aceh’s context. Keywords: teachers’ expectation; teacher professional development; trainer’s quality; learning environment

Training teachers to teach PISA-like reading: A case in Indonesia

This paper presents partial results of the first year of a multi-year joint study, involving three universities in Indonesia, aiming to develop a program to train English and Indonesian teachers to teach PISA-like reading (24 teachers in junior and senior high schools in West Java, Indonesia). The study aimed to identify whether the program can help the teachers enhance their PISA-like reading ability, create PISA-like reading materials for reading practices, and teach them to their students. The program drew on principles of effective teacher professional development (Ajani, 2018; Borko, 2004; Borko et al., 2010; Darling-Hammond et al., 2017), PISA reading (OECD, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021), text-based instruction (Macken-Horarik et al., 2017), Reading to Learn Program (Rose, 2020a,b), and online teaching (Ragan, 2015). The study uses a program evaluation with the data collected from four sources, including a phase of training, pre- and post-tests, collection of PISA-like reading materials, and questionnaires distributed before and after the training program. The focus of the first year was on enhancement of teachers’ understanding and skills in different PISA-related aspects. Enhancement of their teaching capacity has not been explored, except for that prior to the training program, and this has been reported in Rahmadina and Emilia (2022). The first-year results reveal that the training program could help enhance the teachers’ ability to read, to use appropriate texts, and to construct PISA-like reading tasks. This was confirmed by the teachers’ positive responses to the program, in accordance with previous research on effective teacher professional development (TPD). It is recommended that the training program be conducted in different contexts, involving more teachers to help students learn to read and succeed in PISA reading.

The Roles of Transformational Leadership and Growth Mindset in Teacher Professional Development: The Mediation of Teacher Self-Efficacy

This study investigated the effects of school-related factors (i.e., transformational leadership) and teacher-related factors (i.e., teachers’ growth mindset and self-efficacy) in teachers’ sustainable professional development, as indicated by their reported desirable professional attitudes and their adoption of teaching strategies using the method of structural equation modelling. Based on a questionnaire survey of 1297 teachers in China, the results of this study showed that, compared with teachers’ growth mindset, transformational leadership had a stronger effect on teacher self-efficacy; transformational leadership, rather than teachers’ growth mindset, was significantly and directly related to teachers’ professional attitudes towards classroom teaching and their adoption of desirable teaching strategies. Moreover, teacher self-efficacy significantly mediated the effects of transformational leadership and growth mindset on teachers’ professional attitudes and the adoption of desirable teaching strategies. These findings highlight the importance of teachers’ affective attributes (e.g., growth mindset, self-efficacy, and professional attitudes) in teacher professional development, and provide implications for school leaders and teachers to sustain effective teacher professional development.

Common ground is not enough: The situated and dynamic process of collaboration in a multiagency teacher professional development project

This paper uses Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to examine the boundary zone of teacher professional development within a multi-agency collaborative project. It highlights different goals, histories, and commitments that collided and intermingled to create tensions, contradictions, and opportunities for expansive learning. Although a policy mandate, use of the English Language Arts-Common Core State Standards created a common goal, however, interagency participants acted under strikingly different conceptions of effective teacher professional development. In an era of increased collaboration among agencies, this paper reconceptualizes interagency teacher professional development, serving as both a cautionary tale and a vision for the future.