Intensive Professional Development Research Articles

Global competency for teacher educators: exploring the needs of teacher education faculty in a professional development project

ABSTRACT Global competencies are one of the most important skills of the twenty-first century. All teachers have the responsibility to prepare their students for this global world. However, research on teachers and global competencies reveals that teachers finish their degrees with a lack of global competencies. This research aims to explore the needs of teacher education faculty in incorporating global competencies into their curriculums by exploring the reasons for teacher education faculty to attend a year-long intensive professional development project to increase their knowledge in global competencies. Results have shown that the teacher education faculty knew the importance of global competencies but did not know how to incorporate them into their courses. In fact, several teacher education faculties had a deficit and incomplete understanding of the term global competencies. Some of the best practices for developing professional development projects for teacher education faculty to increase their global competencies are also provided.

Transcending attitudes: teacher responses to professional development in trauma-informed education

The adoption of trauma-informed practices in schools is a significant and growing area of school reform efforts. It has been assumed that professional development aimed at influencing teacher attitudes toward trauma-informed care in schools is an important first step in adopting trauma-informed practices and improving student and school outcomes. However, there are gaps in the literature assessing the impact of trauma-informed professional development on teacher attitudes toward trauma-informed care, and there is little evidence linking changes in teacher attitudes to changes in practices. This exploratory study assessed teacher responses to a year-long pilot program providing intensive professional development and consultation on trauma-informed practices in one urban elementary school in the U.S. Southwest. Findings raise questions about the impact of professional development on teacher attitudes and subsequent changes to practice.

The Readiness of Teachers of Gifted Female Students toward the Application of Differentiated Education

The current study aims to identify the readiness of teachers of gifted female students toward the application of differentiation education and its methods by unveiling the perceptions of teachers` needs for the gifted in the study area of Saudi Arabia. As such, the study adopted qualitative approach using semi-structured individual interviews as a tool. Open-ended questions were initially designed for this purpose. Twelve teachers from schools in the eastern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) were interviewed. Qualitative data were analyzed via coding and classification processes. The results revealed two major categories and subcategories of teachers` perceptions of the issue. The primary perceptions included attitudes and awareness of educational practices that support differentiation. The subcategories also had similar perceptions of those domains. The results also revealed that the needs were divided into three major categories: training, educational environment, and organizational. In light of the analysis of the results, the researchers presented several recommendations that might be used to upgrade teachers` readiness to apply differentiation. The foremost of these recommendations is the need for continuous and intensive professional development directed to all workers in the field of gifted caring and to support scientific research conducted in the domain of education.

Bringing utopian visioning to educational leadership: participatory action research as professional learning

ABSTRACT This article describes the Future Creating Workshop (FCW) and explores how it can create learning forums for participatory leadership. We investigate how FCW can be an effective form of professional development for educational leaders and explore what leaders learn from implementing FCWs in their settings. The FCW, a three-phase participatory process, invites community members to identify a pressing problem, critique reality, dream about possible futures, and take steps toward realizing new futures. This research was a shared process between leaders and four participants at the Mandel Teacher Educator Institute, an intensive professional development program for pedagogical leaders. Using a participatory narrative inquiry methodology, the participants wrote detailed narratives about their implementations of FCW and subsequent reflections. Through thematic data analysis processes, we identified three thematic strands: ‘changing my narrative’ about self as leader, listening as leadership, and the complexity of participatory leadership. First, by describing ways that their leadership narratives change – from less confident to more, from resigned to more optimistic – they noticed shifts in their relationship to self. Second, by engaging in a process that required attuned listening to stakeholders, they described shifts in their relationship with people they lead. Third, by enacting a form of participatory leadership, they saw how the burden of action could be shared with stakeholders. By inviting collaboration, democratic exchange of ideas, negotiating disagreement, and shared dreams of a better future, the FCW models a form of participatory leadership that can strengthen the fabric of communities and relationships between communities and leaders.

Professional Development among Secondary Teachers in Spain: Key Associated Factors as of PISA 2018.

Professional development for teachers is fundamental in the configuration and functioning of smart schools. This paper aims to characterize professional development with the participation of compulsory secondary teachers in Spain and to detect key factors in the functioning and organization of schools associated with higher levels of ongoing teacher training. A cross-cutting non-experimental design was used to conduct a secondary analysis of data from PISA 2018 tests, including over 20,000 teachers and more than 1000 schools in Spain. Descriptive results show great variability in teachers' commitment to their professional development; this variability is not associated with the grouping of teachers by school. The decision tree model completed with data mining tools shows that intensive professional teacher development in schools is associated with a better school climate and higher levels of innovation, cooperation, taking on shared goals and responsibilities, and leadership distributed among the education community. The conclusions highlight the importance of ongoing teacher training and how this improves educational quality in schools.

Can an intensive professional development on play change child care providers’ perspectives and practice on play?

ABSTRACT Early childhood teachers need knowledge and skills to support play and learning. However, the child care workforce often has limited or no preservice training on play, relying instead on in-service training. With policy shifts towards a standards-driven curriculum in the U.S., there is limited in-service play training available, creating a need for high quality in-service training on play. This study introduces a model of intensive professional development (PD) on play – a group workshop coupled with a group coaching model – implemented in the Mid-Atlantic area in the U.S. The play training focused on three areas: self-active play experience, the knowledge and skills needed to support children's learning through play. The group coaching component included feedback on self-recorded video practice and an opportunity for participants to share reflections on supporting play with each other and the coaches. We conducted an interview study with the participants about their perspectives on play and practice after the intensive PD. Qualitative data analysis revealed that: (1) all participants changed their perspectives on play after the play PD; (2) participants implemented strategies from the training and supported more play in practice; and (3) despite increased knowledge and skills, participants continued to experience challenges when implementing play strategies.

Redefining engineering for early childhood educators through professional development

This study examined the impact of an intensive professional development series on early childhood educators’ content knowledge of engineering and their self-efficacy towards teaching engineering. Seventeen early childhood teachers participated and responded to questionnaires, surveys, and focus-group interviews before and after the professional development. The results show that these early childhood educators significantly (1) increased their knowledge of engineering; (2) improved their engineering teaching self-efficacy; and (3) enhanced their confidence level towards teaching engineering for young children. This study is important because it provides an example of an effective approach to enhance early childhood teachers’ preparation in teaching engineering activities for young children. It also sheds light on the urgency to improve overall teacher preparation and continuous education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for young children.

INVESTIGATING INDONESIAN EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS ON THEIR SELF-EFFICACY

To fully arm Indonesian EFL educationalists with a higher degree of professionalism, tenacity, and optimism in confronting ever-changing ELT landscapes, self-efficacy is one of the pivotal psychological streams that should be strong-inherited within them before plunging into real-time language learning contexts. This present study attempted to investigate the specific perceptions upholding by Indonesian EFL teachers toward their self-efficacy growth amid varied language learning dynamics they constantly endure. This study was run in the fashion of qualitative method to obtain more comprehensive data out of the particular phenomenon experienced by research participants. To fulfill this major research objectivity, the researcher capitalized on 5 open-ended written narrative inquiries to gain some renewable insights from the invited research participants. 2 Indonesian EFL teachers possessing a distinctive length of teaching experiences were invited to take part in answering the aforesaid 5 open-ended written narrative inquiry questions through WhatsApp application. More specifically, these 2 invited Indonesian EFL teachers enrolling in the English Education Master Program of Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta. The obtained research results uncovered that the robust establishment of self-efficacy was strongly affected by varied external factors such as a higher degree of learners’ learning endeavor and intensive professional development training addressed by educational institutions, which in turn transforming them into more professional educators. As a suggestive point, all educational parties in this archipelago were strongly advocated to design continual professional development programs heeding more profound attention in corroborating our EFL teachers’ self-efficacy levels for the advancement of ELT venture thoroughly.
 
 Keywords: EFL teachers’ perceptions, self-efficacy, narrative inquiry

Higher-Order Executive Function in Middle School: Training Teachers to Enhance Cognition in Young Adolescents.

The epoch of adolescent brain development is an ideal time to train complex thinking skills, and middle schools provide an ideal environment to train and foster this acquisition. Unfortunately, few teachers are equipped with enough knowledge of the science of learning and evidence-based methodology, to ensure all students are given sufficient opportunity to develop their cognitive capacity to the fullest. Using our evidenced-based higher-order executive function training program, we trained current teachers to provide cognitive training to their students. The results of this study demonstrate the efficacy of teacher-implemented intervention for immediate improvement in high-level executive function capacities such as gist-reasoning and interpretive statement production. More importantly, we found evidence of far transfer via students’ improved academic performance in all standardized test content areas (Reading, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies) when compared to their untrained peers. Our findings support the importance of providing intensive professional development that afford educators with a greater understanding of the brain, how we learn, and the importance of evidence-based programs to advance and instill high-level executive function in all students.

Nudging Early Educators’ Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices: An Embedded Randomized Controlled Trial of Text Message Supports

ABSTRACT Research Findings: Several barriers can impede the use and effectiveness of intensive professional development programs, such as courses and coaching, for educators across today’s mixed delivery early education system. The present study introduces and tests a light-touch text message-based approach to encourage educators’ use of two high-quality practices with children: (a) making transitions more efficient and (b) promoting children’s language through open-ended questioning. As part of a six-week intervention, 116 educators participating in a statewide study of early education were randomized to a treatment group receiving three text messages per week about the targeted practices or to a control group receiving no messages. At the end of the intervention, teachers in the treatment group, as compared to those in the control group, spoke more to children in their settings, although they listened less. No statistically significant impacts were observed on transition-related outcomes. Moderated impacts by provider type were observed, with educators in family child care programs experiencing the largest changes in language practices. Practice & Policy. Text message supports can influence educators’ practices with young children, though not always in expected ways or for all educators, suggesting that individualized light-touch approaches could respond to early educators’ unique strengths and needs.

Assessment strategies for work related learning in industrial clothing design and construction. A case of two polytechnic colleges in Zimbabwe.

Industrial Clothing Design and Construction (ICDC) is a practical course that requires students to acquire work experience during their training in preparation for the world of work. The purpose of this study was to explore the assessment procedures for Work Related Learning (WRL) used in ICDC in the Polytechnic Colleges in Zimbabwe. A qualitative research approach utilising a case study research design was used. Research sites and participants were purposively sampled. Two Polytechnic Colleges and three Host Industries were selected. Eight lecturers, three industrial supervisors, two external assessors, two policy makers and ten students were purposively selected for this study. Data were collected through interviews with lecturers, industrial supervisors, external assessors and policy makers. Focus group discussions with students and review of documents used for assessment during WRL were also used for data collection. Data were analysed using thematic data analysis technique. The findings revealed that there are no clearly defined policies on WRL for ICDC. The processes involved in assessment during WRL were considered as haphazard and inadequate. This study therefore recommends intensive professional development workshops aimed at improving the way assessment is realised in Polytechnic Colleges in Zimbabwe. Similar workshops can also be extended to other stakeholders who are in the assessment matrix. This will have an impact on policy formulation for WRL and the realisation of education 5.0 through research and innovation.

Adoption of National Language for Teaching and Learning Vocational Education for Sustainable Devlopment In Nigeria

Naturally, language is the human vocal sounds or the arbitrary graphic representation of these sounds in writing used systematically and conventionally bya speech community for the purposes of communication, Osinsanyo (2007). On the other hand, education is seen as the overall round development of individuals, their economic, cultural and spiritual being. The process of molding and shaping personality is facilitated through the use of language as a vehicle; language plays vital roles in most known formal educational systems. This paper among other things discuss the concept of language education, proficiency, vocational achievement, vocational trainning, multilingualism and its challences, language skills in vocational education and sustainable national development. It features as a subject in the school curriculum and is used to serve as the medium of instruction in all the subjects globally. Thus, this paper seeks to consider ‘adoption of national language education for sustainable development in Nigeria’ and made the following recommendations: There is the need to develop a good language education programme for vocational school level in Nigeria ,Teachers should jointly help the pupils to develop competence in the use of their language and that of the immediate environment of schooling, and the government should make adequate funds available for the provision of regular and intensive professional capacity development for classroom teachers in the Universal Basic Education.

Urban Secondary School Administrators and Faculty Perceptions of Multitiered System of Supports/Response to Intervention

MTSS promises a school-wide early warning system, high-quality instruction, and evidence-based interventions. However, research has focused mainly on the elementary level. This study examined the beliefs and perceptions of over 300 administrators and teachers currently implementing MTSS in secondary schools using survey research. Results showed that special education teachers and administrators had significantly higher MTSS/RtI beliefs and perceptions of their own academic and behavioral MTSS/RtI instructional and intervention skills. Recommendations include the need for extensive and intensive professional development, delineation of role clarity, increased fidelity of implementation, and staff accountability.

Intensive Teacher Education for an EMI Context: Facilitating the Professional Development of University Teachers

In this paper we report on an intensive professional development intervention (PDI) delivered in a UK higher education setting for university teachers from different countries. These teachers were either teaching, or preparing to teach, English Medium Instruction (EMI) courses in a range of disciplines. Few previous studies have focussed on the impact of intensive training interventions on teacher participants, particularly for interventions conducted outside teachers’ local contexts. To address this, qualitative research was conducted that explores the influence of the PDI on participant teachers’ beliefs and self-reported teaching practices in their own institutional contexts. The findings suggest that the PDI resulted in significant changes in many of the participants’ beliefs about teaching pedagogy for an EMI context. The PDI also appeared to increase teachers’ self-efficacy, and to facilitate innovation in their classroom practices. As a result, the study highlights the pedagogical elements of the PDI which emerged as being significant in bringing about these changes and discusses the implications for PDI design. Overall, the study suggests the potential role that intensive PDIs delivered outside teachers’ home and national contexts can play in facilitating teacher development.

Environmental influences and individual characteristics that affect learner-centered teaching practices.

Research-based teaching practices can improve student learning outcomes in a variety of complex educational environments. The implementation of learner-centered teaching practices in STEM can both benefit from or be constrained by different factors related to individual instructors and the teaching environment. Additionally, we know little of how the instructional climate varies across institutions and how this climate affects teaching practices. Our study sought to examine the relative importance of environmental influences and individual characteristics on learner-centered teaching practices across institutions. We also assessed differences in our study population and departmental climate for 35 US higher education institutions across the country. We found that self-efficacy in teaching and professional development exert a strong influence on faculty teaching practices in biology. While departmental climate did not emerge as a significant predictor of teaching practices, there was consistently low support for teaching, and institution size was negatively correlated with leadership and evaluation of effective teaching. We also found that intensive professional development programs, such as the Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching IV program, may prepare instructors to teach learner-centered courses in different collegial teaching climates. Our results suggest that through cultivating self-efficacy and participating in iterative professional development, instructors can implement effective teaching practices in a variety of institutional environments.

An intensive professional development in family child care: a promising approach

ABSTRACT The quality of early care and education affects a wide range of children’s experiences and developmental outcomes. Family Child Care (FCC) is no exception, and attention to increasing the quality of Family Child Care is needed. The purpose of the current study was to examine an experimental case of intensive Professional Development (PD) in FCC programmes focusing on domain-specific quality (language and literacy) and global quality. Forty-nine FCC providers in two states participated in the study. Thirty-eight FCC providers received intensive PD support, including five three-hour training workshops on early language and literacy, weekly onsite technical assistance, and monthly Community of Practice meetings. Eleven FCC providers served as a comparison group. The Child/Home Environmental Language and Literacy Observation (CHELLO) and Family Child Care Environmental Rating Scale (FCCERS-R) were used to measure the quality of FCC. Results showed significant improvement in the high-intensity PD group on both measures. The study presents a promising model of PD that may be an appropriate approach to embed within Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) in early child care and education.

Programas de indução que mantêm os novos professores ensinando e melhorando

Tradução do original WONG, Harry K. “Induction Programs That Keep New Teachers Teaching and Improving”. NASSP Bulletin – Vol. 88 No 638 March 2004. © Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc. por Adriana Teixeira Reis. Este artigo apresenta escolas e distritos escolares com programas bem sucedidos de indução, todos facilmente replicáveis. Cada vez mais, a pesquisa confirma que o professor e a qualidade do ensino são os mais poderosos preditores do sucesso do aluno. Em suma, os diretores garantem maior desempenho dos alunos, garantindo melhor ensino. Para fazer isso, os administradores eficazes têm um novo programa de indução de professores disponível para todos os professores recém-contratados, que então se torna parte do programa de desenvolvimento profissional sustentado ao longo da vida para o distrito ou escola. O que mantém um bom professor são programas estruturados, constantes e intensivos de desenvolvimento profissional que permitem que os novos professores observem outros, sejam observados por outros e façam parte de redes ou grupos de estudo onde todos os professores compartilham juntos, crescem juntos e aprendem a respeitar o trabalho um do outro.

تأثير توظيف الذكاء الاصطناعي على تطوير العمل الإداري في ضوء مبادئ الحوكمة (دراسة ميدانية على الوزارات الفلسطينية في محافظات غزة) (The Effect of Employing Artificial Intelligence on Developing Administrative Work Under the Principles of Governance: A Field Study on the Palestinian Ministries in the Governorates of Gaza)

Arabic Abstract: هدفت الدراسة إلى الكشف عن تأثير توظيف الذكاء الاصطناعي على تطوير العمل الإداري في ضوء مبادئ الحوكمة في الوزارات الفلسطينية في محافظات غزة، واستخدمت الدراسة المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، وتكونت عينة الدراسة من (112) موظف ممن هم مكلفين بأعمال إدارية في الوزارات الفلسطينية في محافظات غزة، تم اختيارهم بالطريقة العشوائية البسيطة، طبقت عليهم أداة (الاستبانة). كشفت النتائج أن الدرجة الكلية لمتوسطات درجات تقدير العاملين في الوزارات الفلسطينية لتوظيف الذكاء الاصطناعي جاءت بدرجة منخفضة بوزن نسبي (62.2%)، وجاءت الدرجة الكلية لمتوسطات درجات تقدير العاملين لواقع تطبيق مبادئ الحوكمة بدرجة مرتفعة بوزن نسبي (80.56%)، وجاء مجال المشاركة بالمرتبة الأولى بوزن نسبي (85.4%) بدرجة مرتفعة، وفي المرتبة الثانية مجال التميز بوزن نسبي (80.2%) بدرجة مرتفعة، وفي المرتبة الثالثة جاء مجال رشادة صناعة القرار بوزن نسبي (79.4%) بدرجة مرتفعة، وفي المرتبة الرابعة جاء مجال الشفافية بوزن نسبي (79.0%) بدرجة مرتفعة وفي المرتبة الأخيرة جاء مجال الفاعلية والكفاءة بوزن نسبي (778.8%) بدرجة مرتفعة وأظهرت النتائج عدم وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية بين متوسطات تقديرات أفراد عينة الدراسة حول توظيف الذكاء الاصطناعي على تحقيق تطوير العمل الإداري في ضوء مبادئ الحوكمة في الوزارات الفلسطينية من وجهة نظر العاملين تعزى للمتغيرات (المؤهل العلمي، الفئة العمرية، سنوات الخدمة). وقد قدمت الدراسة عدد من التوصيات والمقترحات، أبرزها: ضرورة التوسع في توظيف تطبيقات الذكاء الاصطناعي لتطوير العمل الإداري والنهوض بواقع الوزارة إلى مستوى أفضل في تقديم الخدمات، تطوير تعزيز اتجاهات العاملين نحو توظيف تطبيقات الذكاء الاصطناعي من خلال دورات وبرامج تنمية مهنية مكثفة، توفير الموارد المالية والإمكانيات اللوجستية والدعم الخاص بتطوير تطبيقات الذكاء الاصطناعي، التأكيد على تطبيق أبعاد الحوكمة في الوزارة بكافة مراحل وخطوات العمل الإداري. English Abstract: The study aimed to reveal the impact of employing artificial intelligence on developing administrative work under the principles of governance in the Palestinian ministries in the governorates of Gaza, and the study used the descriptive analytical approach, and the study sample consisted of (112) employees who work in the Palestinian ministries in the governorates of Gaza, were chosen in the way Simple stochastic, applied to them (questionnaire). The results revealed that the total score for the average degrees of workers ’estimation in the Palestinian ministries for the employment of artificial intelligence came at a low degree with relative weight (62.2%), and the total score for the average degrees of workers’ appreciation for the reality of applying the principles of governance with a high degree of relative weight (80.56%), and the field of participation came first With a relative weight (85.4%) with a high degree, and in the second place the field of excellence with relative weight (80.2%) with a high degree, and in the third place came the field of decision-making leadership with relative weight (79.4%) with a high degree, and in the fourth place came to the field of transparency with relative weight (79.0) %) With a high degree and in the last place came the field of effectiveness and efficiency with relative weight (778.8%) with a high degree. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the averages of the individuals of the study sample on the employment of artificial intelligence to achieve the development of administrative work in the light of the principles of governance in the Palestinian ministries from the workers' point of view due to the variables (educational qualification, age group, years of service). The study presented a number of recommendations and proposals, the most prominent of which are: the need to expand the use of artificial intelligence applications to develop administrative work and advance the Ministry’s reality to a better level in providing services, developing the strengthening of workers ’attitudes towards employing artificial intelligence applications through intensive professional development courses and programs, providing financial resources And the logistical capabilities and support for developing artificial intelligence applications, emphasizing the application of governance dimensions in the ministry in all stages and steps of administrative work.

Data-based individualization in mathematics to support middleschool teachers and their students with mathematics learning difficulty

Project STAIR (Supporting Teaching of Algebra: Individual Readiness) aims to develop and iteratively refine a framework for using data-based individualization (DBI) to support the readiness for algebra of middle-school students with mathematics learning difficulty. Project STAIR was tested in four middle schools in the United States to assess the impact of intensive professional development, ongoing coaching, and frequent student progress monitoring on teachers’ DBI practices, school-level culture and climate, and students’ algebra readiness. Findings from this exploratory research point to the promise of Project STAIR for improving teacher perceptions of school culture and climate related to support of students experiencing mathematics learning difficulty as well as increasing specific DBI practices, including teachers’ ratings of importance, understanding, and confidence with assessment practices. Students’ mathematics outcomes improved on several algebra-readiness progress monitoring measures, along with a diagnostic measure, but not on a more distal measure of mathematics performance.

Professional development for transformational change: findings from the lilead fellows program

ABSTRACT The Lilead Fellows Program is an intensive professional development opportunity designed to support district-level library supervisors in the United States as they planned for transformational change in their districts. Throughout the programme, Fellows developed a project to implement in their districts. We conducted a qualitative content analysis (QCA) to systematically describe how the Fellows planned for and promoted transformational change within their districts through these projects. We collected the Fellows’ initial application essays and final project presentation scripts to show how the projects evolved over the 18-month programme. Through an iterative open coding process, we developed and revised a coding frame to include the initial and final themes represented in the projects. Findings revealed that throughout the programme, participants made significant shifts in their projects’ foci. These shifts were a result of realising that a different, but related, aspect of their proposed project needed to be addressed before they could tackle their initial goal. The participants’ final projects addressed three main themes: district affairs, professional development, and/or advocacy. In this paper, we describe how the projects evolved over the course of the programme, the final projects’ themes and subthemes, and how the Fellows promoted transformational change in their districts through their projects.