Hours Of Professional Development Research Articles

Critical friendship and collegial conversations

In this reflective article, a case study, we draw upon scholarship on a critical friendship (Schuck & Russell, 2005; Silva, 2003) that grew in 2020 as we worked to assist one another in creating NWP writing programs for teachers and youth. At the heart of our professional collaboration was our desire to maintain and cultivate community engagement (Deans, Roswell, & Wurr, 2010; Preece, 2017), while advancing racial literacies in digital spaces (Price-Dennis & Sealey-Ruiz, 2021) and as we worked with a framework for instructional equity (Muhammad, 2020). Weekly meetings led us to using Padlet for 189 hours of professional development, 9 programs with 511 youth, and 7 courses with 320 students. Padlet became a location for curation, especially as we worked to promote diverse, inclusive children’s and young adult texts as models for classroom teacher and student writers.

The Status of STEM Education in Schools: A Case of Samtse Dzongkhag

This study examined the current state of STEM education in schools under Samtse Dzongkhag. Specifically, the study explored the competency of STEM teachers, the infrastructure and resources available to support STEM education, the proficiency of teachers in the use of ICT in education, and the performance of students in STEM subjects. A mixed-method approach was used, including survey questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis. The survey sample comprised 50 teachers from six schools currently teaching STEM subjects in grades IX to XII, while qualitative data was obtained from four participants, including a Lead teacher, an Academic head, a School administrator, and a District Education Officer. The study found that STEM teachers have at least a first degree from a recognised university and a majority have taught STEM subjects for more than a decade. The study also reveals that the professional development (PD) programmes attended by the STEM teachers is far below what is envisioned by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development. The study recommends revisiting the policy of professional development (PD) and providing the mandated hours of PD to teachers, upgrading laboratory equipment and apparatus, encouraging scientific research to promote innovation, and allowing students to bring mobiles to school to increase access to technology and enhance learning.

Closing Reading Achievement Gaps for Middle School Students

This research examined how self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and professional development compared between core content and special education middle school teachers working with middle school students in reading comprehension and fluency. Accordingly, no statistically significant difference in teacher self-efficacy between core content and special education teachers was discovered based on the ANOVA analysis results. An analysis of professional development and collective teacher efficacy showed mixed results with a negative relationship predicted between increased professional development hours for core content teachers. A predicted positive relationship existed with the number of professional development hours increasing for special education teachers. There was no statistically significant difference between core content and special education teachers’ numbers of professional development hours identified as low, medium, or high. The chi statistic showed that both populations of teachers had insufficient training.

Exploring the impact of teacher quality on student academic achievement in primary schools

There has been debate among scholars, policymakers, and practitioners regarding the effects of teacher quality on students' academic performance. This quantitative descriptive study seeks to determine the impact of teacher quality on students' performance and the relationship between teacher quality and student performance. Student performance was measured using regional assessments in mathematics and language arts. A survey was conducted to collect primary data from teachers, and both sets of data were analyzed using the t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) to test for performance differences and relationships between student performance and teacher quality. The findings revealed no significant differences in the academic performances among students taught by trained and untrained teachers, degree and non-degree teachers, and teachers with varying years of experience and hours of professional development. The interactions of the teacher quality variables had no practical effect on student performance, and there were no significant relationships between student performance and the teacher quality variables of experience and professional development. There are implications for reorganizing or advancing teacher professional development, training, certification and licensing. The study adds to the scarce literature in the region and can guide policy development in teacher workforce planning, retention, and hiring.

Teacher Professional Development in Hong Kong: Describing the Current Infrastructure

Abstract This article describes the current teacher professional development (PD) infrastructure of Hong Kong, one of the world’s top performers in education. Drawing on contemporary policy frameworks, institutional websites, and research literature, we outline how teachers from primary and secondary local schools are supported to enhance their professional capacity. After introducing the structure of the Hong Kong education system, we describe pre-service teacher education and the Professional Ladder framework, designed by the Education Bureau (EDB) to regulate in-service PD. We then describe the work done by the leading PD providers and the PD-related obstacles, difficulties, and constraints reported in the literature. The article shows that Hong Kong has developed a solid PD infrastructure with hybrid characteristics. While the system is based on compliance and external accountability mechanisms, teachers are encouraged to design their PD journeys based on their interests, needs, and career aspirations. Every three years, teachers are required to complete 90 to 150 hours of PD (depending on seniority), including core and elective training (approximately 1/3 and 2/3 of the PD allotment, respectively). Structured, on-the-job, project-based, whole-school, and individual PD activities are available. The article also describes the strategies recently adopted to tackle the challenges of COVID-19. We conclude that Hong Kong has made great efforts to design a high-quality PD infrastructure within a hierarchical educational system, in which quantity of provision and content coverage have been prioritized over teacher agency and autonomy. More research is required to investigate the actual impact of PD on teachers’ practices and students’ learning. Keywords: Teacher Professional Development, continuing education, system analysis, educational policy, effective professional development, Hong Kong

Teachers’ Characteristics and their Effect on Students’ Mathematical Achievement in the 4th grade: A Comparative Study between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America according to (TIMSS 2019)

The study aims to investigate some characteristics of fourth-grade mathematics teachers in Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, which may affect students’ mathematical achievement. Thus, the research utilized fourth-grade students’ data, as the average score of students was (398) compared to (535) in the Unites States. Post fact design was used with a sample of (4174) students and (170) teachers in Saudi Arabia, and (8353) students and (451) teachers in the United States. Result indicated that teacher’s gender, age, educational level, and qualification are significant variables that impact mathematical achievement in Saudi Arabia. Results also showed that teachers’ years of experience, hours of professional development spent by the teacher during the past two years, and teacher gender are significant variable which impact students’ mathematical achievement in America. As for the teachers’ gender, findings showed significant differences were in favor of students taught by female teachers in both countries.

Designing Effective Online Courses: Exploring the Relationships Amongst Online Teaching Self-efficacy, Professional Development, Online Teaching Experience, and Reported Implementation of Effective Higher Education Online Course Design Practices

How best to prepare and support higher education faculty to design and teach effective online courses is a topic of great significance to higher education institutional leaders and faculty developers. This study explored how hours of professional development along with online teaching and learning experiences were related to online teaching self-efficacy and the extent to which participants reported implementation of effective online course design practices. Using a non-experimental quantitative correlational explanatory research study design, data were collected using a questionnaire. Participants included 104 online faculty from a large public higher education system located in the upper Midwest that includes both community colleges and universities. The findings suggested that both online teaching self-efficacy and self-reported ratings of implementation of effective online course design practices were higher when individuals have completed at least 20 hours of professional development meant to prepare them to teach online, have experience as an online instructor and/or online learner, and have participated in a peer review of their online course. The findings offer insights into how those with varying levels of online teaching self-efficacy rate their online course design practices and suggest that faculty may not accurately self-assess their course design abilities. The results and implications for those who are planning for and providing professional development meant to prepare faculty to teach online are discussed.

Improving Questioning–Answering Strategies in Learning from Multiple Complementary Texts: An Intervention Study

AbstractStudies have shown that inferential questions encourage a more in‐depth understanding of texts and that students need to learn appropriate strategies for answering them, particularly when they deal with multiple texts. In this experimental study, the authors aimed to improve eighth‐grade students’ (13‐ to 14‐years old) ability to answer intra‐ and intertextual inferential questions when they read one or multiple complementary texts. The intervention was implemented by a group of middle‐school history teachers. Teachers in both the intervention and control groups (IG and CG, respectively) taught the same teaching unit using the same reading materials. However, teachers in the IG participated in 12 hours of professional development seminars on analysis of their classroom practice and how to improve their questioning strategies. Post‐intervention results revealed that students in the IG were significantly better than those in the CG at answering intra‐ and intertextual inferential questions. This difference was maintained at follow‐up (2 months after finishing the intervention). Students in the IG also performed better than those in the CG at a learning test. These results confirm the value of teaching students how to answer complex questions, especially when they refer to more than one text. The findings also support the value of the professional development program that enables teachers to reflect on their practice.

How Professional Development in Co-teaching Impacts Self-Efficacy Among Rural High School Teachers

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of professional development in co-teaching on teacher self-efficacy among general and special education rural high school teachers. A causal-comparative research design was used to survey 256 rural high school teachers from the South and Midwest regions of the U.S. to measure their self-efficacy in student engagement, instructional practices, and classroom management. One-way analysis and independent samples t-test was used to analyze these data using SPSS statistical software. The results indicated a significant difference between teachers with and without experience in a co-teaching classroom regarding their efficacy in using instructional practices. Furthermore, ANOVA results indicated a significant difference in the number of hours of professional development a teacher received in co-teaching as it relates to their efficacy in student engagement, instructional practices, and classroom management. Further discussion and recommendations are also included.

The Magic in the Classroom: A Twenty-Year Sustained Scientist in the Classroom Partnership Program

The National Science Foundation GK-12 program, started in 1999, partnered university STEM graduate students with K-12 classroom teachers to co-teach inquiry science “to boost the content of elementary and secondary education and the quality of graduate and undergraduate education at the same time” (Colwell, 1999). In the current study we describe the adaptations to the original Vanderbilt GK-12 program – now called the Scientist in the Classroom Partnership (SCP) – that have allowed the program to continue for over 20 years while maintaining the essential components. The SCP has been integrated into the STEM program of the partner school district, and is now in its 21st year. All of the participants in the SCP program have benefited from the experience: fellows have gained important teaching, communication, and mentoring skills; teachers have gained science content knowledge and confidence in teaching science; and students have exhibited increased excitement about science and interest in science careers. The SCP has provided professional training for 184 fellows; has provided over 200 professional development hours per teacher for 138 middle and high school teachers in 35 schools; and has positively impacted the STEM learning of over 30,000 students.

The impact of online death literacy education on psychology students to have better end‐of‐life conversations

ObjectiveThe role of psychologists is relatively invisible at end‐of‐life (EOL) and lack of training has been cited as one important reason for this. Contrasting the medicalisation of death, a new term Death Literacy references communities regaining knowledge and familiarity with the dying process. The aim of this study is to assess the impact on postgraduate students participating in a voluntary Online Death Literacy Education Module (ODELM).MethodsUsing a mixed methods, quasi‐experimental, repeated measure design, the current research paper measures the self‐reported Death Literacy of 86 post‐graduate psychology students.ResultsThe results found that psychology students' overall Death Literacy increased significantly, in addition, to the specific dimensions of knowledge and comfort in having EOL conversations. Further, exposure to Death Literacy training significantly increased participants' interest in EOL concerns and enhanced their perceptions of its relevance to the role of psychologists. Qualitative findings support a high level of engagement and interest in this sensitive and emotionally challenging topic for students, particularly in having EOL conversations with children.DiscussionThis study shows that online delivery is an effective way to deliver Death Literacy content, particularly for fifth‐year psychology students, who benefited most from gaining professional development hours towards provisional psychologist registration. Case studies and videos stimulated reflections on both the personal and professional dimensions of EOL supporting increased Death Literacy of participants.ConclusionThe strong interest and positive engagement in EOL expressed by emerging psychologists augurs well for their increased involvement in EOL care across the lifespan.

P47 EFNEP and SNAP-Ed Programs in the Early Child Care and Education Setting: Opportunities to Impact Both Adults and Youth

ObjectiveDescribe opportunities to strengthen behavioral outcomes in EFNEP and SNAP-Ed direct education through engagement in policy, systems and environment outreach projects in early childcare settings.Use of Theory or ResearchEducators in childcare settings are well-positioned to positively influence the nutritional habits of young children, however they may lack opportunities to learn about the nutritional care and feeding of this audience. This presents opportunities for EFNEP/SNAP-Ed programs to continue the shift in focus to instilling healthy habits earlier in the lifecycle. They can engage childcare employees in education related to best practices for infant and toddler feeding, the need for healthy mealtime environments and the importance of role-modeling healthy behaviors.Target AudienceEmployees of early childcare and education centers participating in WVU FNP Programs in 2018.Program DescriptionWVU FNP partnered with WVSTARS to offer 6.0 hours of professional development to employees in exchange for participation in a modified version of the Nutrition Education Aimed at Toddlers curriculum (Michigan State University). Marketing materials were created for front-line staff to recruit participants and programs launched in 2018.Evaluation MethodsOutcomes were evaluated using both the EFNEP Food & Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Web-based Nutrition Education and Evaluation Reporting System (WebNEERS) software.ResultsSixty-five people participated across 5 counties and 90% received continuing education credit. Graduation rates and behavioral outcomes in core EFNEP areas were similar or better than both overall West Virginia and national EFNEP levels, however improvements in fruit and vegetable intake and consumption of sugar sweetened beverages were lower than expected.ConclusionsBehavioral outcomes for child care center employees indicate a greater need for engagement around sugar sweetened beverage and fruit and vegetable consumption. Integrating existing FNP PSE support programs such as Rethink Your Drink, Kids Farmers Markets, gardening and Food of the Month at child care centers offers an opportunity to strengthen behavioral outcomes of childcare center staff as well as influencing health behaviors of children and families. Describe opportunities to strengthen behavioral outcomes in EFNEP and SNAP-Ed direct education through engagement in policy, systems and environment outreach projects in early childcare settings. Educators in childcare settings are well-positioned to positively influence the nutritional habits of young children, however they may lack opportunities to learn about the nutritional care and feeding of this audience. This presents opportunities for EFNEP/SNAP-Ed programs to continue the shift in focus to instilling healthy habits earlier in the lifecycle. They can engage childcare employees in education related to best practices for infant and toddler feeding, the need for healthy mealtime environments and the importance of role-modeling healthy behaviors. Employees of early childcare and education centers participating in WVU FNP Programs in 2018. WVU FNP partnered with WVSTARS to offer 6.0 hours of professional development to employees in exchange for participation in a modified version of the Nutrition Education Aimed at Toddlers curriculum (Michigan State University). Marketing materials were created for front-line staff to recruit participants and programs launched in 2018. Outcomes were evaluated using both the EFNEP Food & Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Web-based Nutrition Education and Evaluation Reporting System (WebNEERS) software. Sixty-five people participated across 5 counties and 90% received continuing education credit. Graduation rates and behavioral outcomes in core EFNEP areas were similar or better than both overall West Virginia and national EFNEP levels, however improvements in fruit and vegetable intake and consumption of sugar sweetened beverages were lower than expected. Behavioral outcomes for child care center employees indicate a greater need for engagement around sugar sweetened beverage and fruit and vegetable consumption. Integrating existing FNP PSE support programs such as Rethink Your Drink, Kids Farmers Markets, gardening and Food of the Month at child care centers offers an opportunity to strengthen behavioral outcomes of childcare center staff as well as influencing health behaviors of children and families.

Priming the Leadership Pipeline: School Performance and Climate Under an Urban School Leadership Residency Program

Purpose: This study examines school climate and student achievement trends under an ambitious school leadership residency program in an urban school district. The 2-year leadership residencies were intensive, combining at least 370 hours of professional development with on-the-job training, in which aspiring school principals held either assistant-level administrative or teacher leadership roles. Research Design: Using a difference-in-differences framework with school fixed effects, we estimate the relationship between schools’ cumulative exposure to program residents and measures of school climate and student performance. We measure school climate using school-by-semester teacher survey composites. Student performance is captured using school-by-year data on language arts and math scale scores, chronic absence rates, suspension rates, and graduation rates. Findings: In models that allow average time trends to vary between the state and the treatment city, an additional resident-by-year in an administrative role in high schools is linked to an additional 15% of a school-level standard deviation in math scale scores and an additional 3.6 percentage points in graduation rates, but also to an additional 10 percentage points in suspension rates. Results are sensitive to model specification, school level, and to residents’ placement in administrative or teacher leader roles. Implications: Due to the contracting nature of the district, only one of 30 entering residents became a school principal within 3 years of program inception. In some models, the estimates suggest potential for aspiring leaders to effect change from nonprincipal administrative roles. Potential for teacher leadership roles is less clear.

Writing Is Revising: Improving Student Persuasive Writing through Individualized Asynchronous Audio Feedback

Students with and without behavioral challenges struggle to improve writing, and teachers often lack capacity to provide individualized feedback to support revising. In this concurrent multiple probe across participants study, researchers examined effects of asynchronous audio feedback on eight fifth grade struggling writers’ persuasive essays. After ten hours of professional development, an inclusive special education teacher taught the intervention using self-regulated strategy development. Students received personalized audiovisual writing conferences using iPads and the Notability app. Essays were analyzed for substantive revisions. Students demonstrated a 164% mean increase in persuasive elements and 87% in holistic quality between final versions in baseline and post-intervention. Fidelity of implementation was 85%. Additionally, the teacher reported fewer incidences of behavioral interruptions. Based on results, we posit the intervention can augment classroom writing conferences by increasing teacher capacity to provide individualized feedback and allowing students to listen and respond to feedback effectively at their own pace.

TEACHER DISPOSITIONS AS PREDICTORS OF TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION: A CHANGING TIDE

Technology initiatives are becoming commonplace in the U.S. Although technology is widespread, its use by teachers is not always clear. This study addressed teacher dispositions to predict classroom technology integration for a public district in the Southwest United States. A modification of the Teacher Attribute Survey was given to 250 pre-k through 12th-grade teachers, examining teacher self-efficacy, teacher philosophy, openness to change, and classroom technology use. Results showed technology use was significantly related to hours of professional development and willingness to continue graduate courses with no incentive. Implications suggest a shift from teachers learning the technology toward needing resources for implementation.

Social media and critical care

Social media has transformed the way we communicate with each other in the last decade or so. Out of 4 billion internet users, more than 3 billion are on social media. The medical community has also been transformed in terms of how we approach this vast medium of information. Microblogging sites like Twitter are beneficial in the way we share and disseminate professional knowledge. The critical care community has recently gained a lot of pace on the social media platform and are showing their presence in numbers.1 Although use of social media in critical care has great potential to benefit its users, it comes with its own challenges. This includes inaccurate information and slow adaptation. So the question arises: How can the critical care community make the best use of social media resources while ensuring the right knowledge is shared and practiced, and patient confidentiality is always respected?Twitter has been used as a medium to not only spread information but also as a platform to teach critical care physicians and nurses. There are elements which affect the usability, efficiency, effectiveness, and widespread acceptance of Twitter as a teaching aid.2 FOAM, free open access medical education, is an online movement taking place across social media, blogs, and podcasts that is challenging traditional methods of medical education.3 FOAM provides a free platform for learners to not only receive information but also share it with other users. It gives the learner a chance to tailor their resources according to their individual needs. In addition, learners can reach out for assistance from the source much more easily as compared to traditional ways. But concern has been raised on how to best approach these resources as they do not undergo vigorous checks like peer reviewed articles. Check and balance of the validity of the provided information is often left up to the learners discretion. It can leave educational gaps at times and may not be applicable worldwide. Similarly, declaration of conflict of interest is not mandatory on these platforms hence it is often impossible to identify commercial bias.It can be quite difficult to keep track of all the continuing professional development hours spent on social media but new applications are being developed, which can help. While on social media, all the norms and etiquette of healthcare professionalism should be maintained such as patient confidentiality and appropriate interprofessional relationships. There are evolving tools to evaluate the quality of various resources like SMi (Social Media Index)4 and HONcode (Health on the Net Code of Conduct).5Social media, when used correctly, can be effective for self-directed learning, holding discussions with other critical care and healthcare professionals while reflecting on newly-acquired knowledge. Although the information must be used with due care, as the peer review is mostly inexistent in social media as people can post what they want, it is one of the most exciting and evolving areas in critical care practice.

The effect of the ‘teacher-led PD for teachers’ professional development program on students’ achievement: an experimental study

ABSTRACT Teacher professional development, in particular, has been at the center of efforts designed to increase teaching practice and the learning of students. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the ‘teacher-led PD for teachers’ program, developed by the researchers, on students’ achievements. The study was conducted with six high school physics teachers and 306 students in Turkey. The professional development intervention lasted for seven weeks, and teachers had 21 hours of professional development regarding modern physics at high school level. The results of ANCOVA showed that there was a significant effect of the teacher-led PD for teachers program on students’ achievements. The successful implementation indicated that the teacher-led PD for teachers program possesses effective characteristics of professional development and can improve student achievement.

Improving the uptake of medical device training to promote patient safety.

To explore the potential benefits of introducing a ward time out training day to improve staff competency in the use of medical devices. A training programme was introduced for the urology ward staff, which involved ward time out training days that covered medical device and mandatory training, alongside evidence to support nurses' revalidation and a forum for peer support. Since the ward time out training days were introduced in 2015, medical device training competency among the urology ward staff has risen from 65% to 97% across all staff groups, including nurses and healthcare assistants. The ward time out training days were beneficial for the urology ward staff, and increased their medical device training competency. Additional benefits of the ward time out training days included team integration, improved knowledge and competency among staff, and nurses undertaking continuing professional development hours that contributed towards their revalidation.

Metastatic Breast Care E-Learning Modules

Background and context: The McGrath Foundation has created an e-Learning course to upskill breast care nurses in current metastatic breast cancer practice. The e-Learning course has supported better specialist knowledge and helped close the gap in metastatic cancer support services across Australia. Aim: The project aimed to deliver specialist training to breast care nurses on current trends in care and treatment of individuals with metastatic breast cancer, via an e-Learning platform to enable a cost effective delivery across Australia to 119 nurses. Strategy/Tactics: Key learning outcomes were developed to ensure specific information could be delivered via an online platform. Industry experts, clinicians and experienced breast care nurses/nurse practitioners were consulted to develop the content and an outline of what would be delivered. An experienced online content development company was also engaged to ensure that the content would be presented in an engaging way. Program/Policy process: The metastatic e-Learning course was available for McGrath Breast Care Nurses in June 2017 and accredited for professional development hours by the Australian College of Nursing to contribute to registration under the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Certificates of completion are given to all participants who successfully complete the course once they achieve competency in all areas of assessment. Outcomes: The e-Learning course has had reach across all areas of the country and allowed easy dissemination of information on current trends in metastatic breast cancer to nurses. This is seen to have great reach with almost all McGrath Breast Care Nurses also caring for a proportion of patients with metastatic disease. Additional qualitative and quantitative analysis will be available during the presentation after analysis is completed. What was learned: Some key learnings from this project have been the scalability of e-Learning as a technology enabled professional development solution. The need for good design to enable engagement with content was consistent theme during feedback sessions. As well as using competency based testing to enable participants to gain professional development in a technology enabled platform has reduced nurse down time.

Eight-hour versus 12-h shifts in an ICU: Comparison of nursing responses and patient outcomes

IntroductionControversy remains about the impact of 12-h shift patterns on staff satisfaction and health and on patient outcomes. Consequently, the objective of the study was to investigate the effect on nurses and patients of 8-h rostering compared with 12-h rostering. MethodsWe conducted a two-phase survey. Intensive care nurses completed a purposefully designed 49-item questionnaire, which included open- and closed-ended questions. Phase 1 was conducted during 2015, while the 8-h shift pattern was in place. Data for phase 2 were collected in 2017, approximately 6 months after the trial of 12-h shifts began. We extracted data from the hospital's adverse event register to compare patient outcomes between the two phases. ResultsA total of 152/193 (78.8%) surveys were returned in phase 1. In phase 2, the response rate was 114/188 (60.6%). The proportion of nurses satisfied with the roster increased 3-fold after the introduction of 12-h shifts; risk ratios 3.36 (95% confidence intervals 2.62 to 4.28). Communication with all levels of senior staff improved, and the number of hours of professional development leave increased with the 12-h roster phase 1, 358 h versus 538 h in phase 2 (p = <0.0001). Most respondents believed that 12-h shifts would be beneficial for their health, and this belief was validated by official leave records; there was a reduction of 69 days for sick leave and 216 days for family leave. Adverse outcomes for patients were similar in the two periods. ConclusionTwelve-hour shifts are popular with ICU nurses, days lost to sick and family leave are reduced, and patient outcomes are not compromised.