Online Teacher Professional Development Research Articles

Exploring teacher characteristics and participation in TPACK-related online teacher professional development in Assam, India

Recent years have seen a significant increase in professional development opportunities to support teachers in enhancing their digital skills in India. However, to date, there is little evidence that teachers are confidently harnessing digital technologies within their classrooms. We suggest that this may be explained by insufficient attention on how teachers’ participation in TPACK-focused teacher professional development (TPD) programmes is mediated by their values, prior experiences and positioning within society. To explore this, we examined government upper primary and secondary school teachers’ experiences of participating in a course entitled ‘Constructivist teaching and learning with technology within the TPACK framework’ (CTLT), which was offered to over 500 teachers in 23 districts in the Indian state of Assam. Based on the survey responses of 209 (pre-course) and 109 (post-course) teachers, the findings of the study indicated that, contrary to expectations and much current scholarship, the female teachers significantly outperformed the male teachers in terms of course completion. However, the teachers who undertook the survey in English performed better than those who did so in Assamese. This paper explores possible reasons for these outcomes while recommending the need to take teacher characteristics into account when designing and implementing inclusive large-scale TPD programmes for TPACK.

Educators’ Perceptions and Experiences of Online Teacher Professional Development

Educators’ Perceptions and Experiences of Online Teacher Professional Development

Learners Engagement in Online Teacher Professional Development: Scale Development and Validation

Research has shown that effective online teacher professional development (OTPD) requires teachers to learn and engage professionally to become high-quality teachers. Understanding teachers' engagement as learners in OTPD is crucial as such engagement indicates active learning, interaction, and collaboration with other teachers. Nevertheless, there has not been any instrument measuring how teachers behave (behavioral), feel (emotional), think (cognitive), and socialize (social). Therefore, the goal of the present study was to create a context-specific survey instrument to measure the engagement of EFL teachers in OTPD. This study, using the research and development (R&D) method, involved 385 Indonesian in-service EFL teachers in nine universities conducting OTPD in Indonesia. The statistical results of explanatory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) confirmed the four-dimensional construct in the OTPD Learner Engagement Instrument, mainly behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and social dimensions of engagement. The study's policy and practical implications addressing the policymakers, institutions, and future research were also presented.

Authentic caring in online professional development for early childhood teachers in South Africa

Background: The professional development (PD) of early childhood teachers is of strategic importance in higher education and the profession given the need to improve responsiveness and progress towards millennium goals.Aim: The purpose was to analyse classroom practices and teachers’ experiences of PD programmes, through the theoretical lens of the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers to construct an authentic data-based model, which can be used to understand PD challenges and guide decisions about the improvement of education quality.Setting: The study was conducted in Gauteng with teachers from a selection of early childhood centres.Methods: A phenomenological inquiry explored the settings and practices of 23 selected teachers in Gauteng province. Interview and observation data were analysed for content categories and grounded theory articulations.Results: The main finding is that teachers facing everyday educational challenges benefit from school-based support and available media but need additional learning to advance their professional aspirations. The grounded theory analyses of the data highlighted that early childhood practices and articulated development needs are best explained as authentic caring. This was conceptualised metaphorically as garden spaces where careful tending, deliberate planning and various elements of nurturing knowledge may harmoniously be blended. The model extends prevailing theories of PD and the flipped ICT Competency Framework for Teachers.Conclusion: The model of authentic caring is a grounded theory articulation based upon beliefs of practising EC teachers.Contribution: The article provides a comprehensive online teacher professional development framework for EC teachers, emphasising authenticity, care and alignment with global educational standards.

Designing for effective online Teacher Professional Development (oTPD) in building education by supporting beliefs, communities, collaboration, and development

This article reports the initial research findings from a large project on online professional development and upskilling of in-service building teachers’ digital competencies. Based on the results from a preceding literature review and the pilot delivery of the course, three key factors for the design of effective online teacher professional development in building education — beliefs, communities and collaboration, and teaching development — are exemplified and discussed. The article concludes that the pilot was successful in developing the participants’ technical skills and competencies to introduce technology in building education; however, the pilot did not significantly influence the participants’ beliefs nor made them change practice within the duration of the course.

Implementation of Online Teacher Professional Development Programs: Physical Education Teacher Perspectives

One current focus in education is the importance of developing professionalism among physical education teachers to meet the demands and challenges of physical education in the 21st century. Several challenges faced by physical education teachers in implementing online professional development programs include limited access to technology, reduced social interaction, and difficulties in assessing and providing immediate feedback. Additional challenges that require further investigation include the relevance of content and its adaptation specifically to the physical education curriculum and practical contexts. The relevance of physical education teachers' understanding of online professional development programs involves program design and improvement, professional growth and efficacy, implementation and adoption, policy, and advocacy. This study aims to explore the perspectives of physical education teachers on participating in online professional development programs. The method used is quantitative research with a descriptive quantitative design. The sampling technique employed is census sampling, involving all members of the population in the survey, thus including 245 teachers from across Indonesia who are participating in the online development program. The results show that over 80% of participants were able to receive and assimilate the material provided by instructors through a Learning Management System (LMS) during the specified duration of the online teacher development program. Indeed, more than 75% of participants were able to not be disturbed by network issues in their area. Significant differences were reported beyond these percentages, including differences in age groups, teaching experience, and geographical location. Other findings from this study reveal that more than 50% of participants were not interested in the online teacher development program. Factors causing this lack of interest include limited social interaction, digital fatigue, mistrust in effectiveness, and limitations in technology and internet access. The practical implications of these findings are to enhance interactivity, address digital fatigue, improve content relevance, and provide technological support. Future research directions on this topic include longitudinal studies to evaluate the long-term impact of online learning programs on teaching practices and learning outcomes, aiming to identify ongoing changes and improvements in teaching practices. Key Words: Implementation, Perception, Physical Education, Teacher Professional Development

Teachers’ Facebook rebellion groups: sites for professional collegial deliberation?

ABSTRACT This study examines conversations in a Swedish teachers’ School Rebellion (SR) group on Facebook, a group that attracts members who wish to engage in activism for a different and better Swedish school system and improved conditions for teachers. The phenomenon of teachers’ Rebellion Facebook groups is relatively new. It has emerged in several countries over the past decade and clearly differs from traditional online teacher collaboration and professional development groups. Placing the Swedish SR initiative in the context of discussions on changing teacher professionalism over the last decade, the aim of this study is to examine what content is given presence in SR posts and how it is discussed by members, and to determine the extent to which the communication between the participating teachers has the potential to strengthen collective professionalism. To this end, curriculum theory and the concept of deliberative communication are combined to address questions of content and various relations between actors and levels, such as power and responsibility issues. The analysis shows that many topics related to teaching and education appear in the conversations, deliberative approaches vary from what is termed pre-deliberative to deliberative and even counter-deliberative. Although all participants have a voice, the administrators’ role is shown to be of special interest. Based on these findings, the administrators’ responsibility to maintain professional collegial deliberation is discussed as a complex mission of deliberation over political, pedagogical, and practical issues.

Comparing quality and engagement in face‐to‐face and online teacher professional development

AbstractIn order for teachers to successfully gain new knowledge during professional development (PD), courses must be of high quality and stimulate active involvement from participants. More and more PD courses are taking place online, without clear evidence of whether face‐to‐face and online courses differ in terms of their quality or level of participants' engagement. The present study investigates differences between face‐to‐face and online PD with respect to certain quality characteristics: clarity and structure, cognitive activation, collaboration and practical relevance, as well as participants' behavioural, cognitive and affective engagement. The study is based on 2210 teachers from Germany who participated in 1 of 137 face‐to‐face or 54 online PD courses. Although participants rated face‐to‐face and online courses very positively regarding all quality characteristics and engagement dimensions, they evaluated online courses slightly less favourably compared to face‐to‐face courses. Implications for practice and research are derived to help ensure high‐quality PD offerings in the future. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Face‐to‐face and online PD have the potential to be similarly effective. PD quality and participants' engagement can be assumed to be predictors of PD effectiveness. PD quality contains clarity and structure, cognitive activation, collaboration and practical relevance. Engagement is a three‐dimensional construct composed of behavioural, cognitive and affective components. What this paper adds PD quality was rated very positively for online and face‐to‐face courses. Participants rated the quality of online PD lower compared to face‐to‐face PD. Participants rated their engagement in online PD lower compared to face‐to‐face PD. Implications for practice and/or policy PD format should always be chosen with which a higher benefit can be achieved. Quality assurance should take place before PD is conducted.

Teachers’ engagement in online professional development—The interplay of online professional development quality and teacher motivation

Effective online teacher professional development (OPD) is crucial to support teachers. The effectiveness of OPD depends on teachers’ engagement. According to offer-use models, teachers’ engagement in OPD relates to the OPD quality and teachers’ motivation to learn. However, whereas OPD activities have increased in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, findings on the importance of OPD quality and teachers’ motivation to learn for teachers’ engagement in OPD are scarce. We analyzed data from N = 593 teachers participating in 61 OPD courses. The predictive power of perceived OPD quality (i.e., clarity and structure, practical relevance, cognitive activation, and collaboration) and teachers’ motivation to learn for their behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement during OPD were examined using structural equation modeling. We used latent moderated structural equations to gain insights into the interaction effects between OPD quality and teachers’ motivation. Our findings indicate that OPD quality positively predicted teachers’ OPD engagement. When controlling for OPD quality, teachers’ motivation to learn also predicted teachers’ behavioral and cognitive engagement but not their affective engagement. The findings on the interactions between OPD quality and teachers’ motivation demonstrated that for the different facets of teachers’ OPD engagement, different OPD quality characteristics could compensate for low teacher motivation to learn. For instance, for behavioral engagement, opportunities for collaboration can compensate for low motivation. Implications for practice (e.g., ensuring high-quality OPD) and future directions in research (e.g., conducting longitudinal studies) in the field of OPD are discussed.

Examining the social validity of the Double Check Online Program: Helping to scale-up professional development for culturally responsive practices

This paper presents social validity findings from a mixed methods study of educators who used a recently adapted online version of the research-based Double Check culturallyresponsive practices and student engagement program. Results from 41 participants indicated that the program was easy to use, prompted them to reflect on their own culture, and that they would continue using the website. Although most users reported they would recommend the program, participants indicated they would like a wider variety of examples and more guidance for novice teachers. Additional conclusions and recommendations for improving Double Check and other online teacher professional development programs are discussed.

Online Teacher Professional Development (oTPD) for Digital Competencies in Higher Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature

The need for professional development for digital, subject-specific competencies is increasing among educators in higher education. With online teacher professional development (oTPD), this demand can be accommodated flexibly. The article presents a systematic review of the literature and evidence on oTPD for digital competencies in higher education. The purpose of the review is to identify factors that influence the effect of an oTPD programme. A total of 661 peer-reviewed articles that included empirical studies and literature reviews related to oTPD from 2010 and onwards were identified using the EBSCO and ERIC databases and screened. 57 of these were coded and included in the analysis, and 604 articles were excluded due to wrong focus, educational level, publication type, or year. The analysis identifies sixteen underlying factors that influence the effect of oTPD related to either the institutional aspect, the design of the programme, and/or the delivery of the programme. Furthermore, the review identifies political implications for research on oTPD—the institutional context including technical solutions, the general pedagogical approach, and educator support—and methodological limitations related to the ambiguity of the oTPD concepts and the transferability of case studies, which call for more research.

Understanding Collaborative Design Practice Through Self-Study

Designing online teacher professional development (oTPD) grounded in participatory practices is complex. An intense interdisciplinary collaboration of teacher educators, online learning experts, and instructional designers is needed. Achieving shared understanding is essential for successful collaboration, yet varied perspectives of interdisciplinary experts can cause tensions. Under the right conditions, conflict can be positive and productive. This study of collaborative design practice examined the process of aligning technology and pedagogy when designing participatory oTPD using the self-study methodology. Data analysis revealed relevant interrelationships and uncovered a consistent pattern related to purposeful use of technology. While self-study was an effective inquiry method and provided valuable insights into our practice, it also fostered an environment of trust and collaborative knowledge exchange necessary for successful joint problem solving, cognitive synchronization, and innovation in interdisciplinary design teams.

Culturally- and Linguistically-Responsive Online Teacher Learning Professional Development

This literature review explores the landscape of online teacher learning and professional development (PD) that is responsive to cultural and linguistic differences. The researchers, a diverse group of doctoral students, instructors, and teacher educators, are motivated by the need to address racial inequities and disparities exacerbated by the recent pandemic. The review aims to understand the theories and conceptual models used in responsive online teacher preparation and PD, the utilization of technology and its affordances, and the intentional targeting of specific groups for responsive teacher preparation and PD. The study followed a systematic approach, resulting in the selection of 27 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The findings highlighted the significance of socioculturally inspired theories, frameworks, and practical models in addressing inclusivity. They, in turn, influenced various tools used to reduce barriers, create online communities, enhance accessibility, and promote engagement. Accordingly, the review also revealed that to foster inclusivity, intentional efforts were required to involve teachers from minority, majority, and international communities. The implications emphasized the importance of teacher preparation and PD in establishing responsiveness, refuting deficit thinking, and capitalizing on cultural and linguistic assets. They also underscored the need for equity in the design of online teacher training and professional development. Finally, the review concluded with the various ways AI could be looped into the process.

Analysis of key roles in large‐scale online learning: Interactive participation characteristics and knowledge construction behaviour patterns

AbstractOnline teacher professional development is a branch of online learning, which offers educators opportunities to refine their pedagogical skills and collaboratively construct knowledge within professional learning communities. During these interactions, teachers often engage in knowledge construction while exhibiting diverse role characteristics. Investigating these role characteristics and knowledge construction patterns can enhance the comprehension of the interaction process and contribute to online teacher professional development design, addressing challenges such as weak activity and low collaboration. This study examined the key roles that actively interact or contribute to the online community in online teacher professional development, analysing interactive participation characteristics and knowledge construction behaviour patterns. Data were collected from an online teacher professional development activity in China. Statistical, content and lag sequence analysis methods were employed. Results showed that the three key roles had weak interaction persistence and different content quality in interactive participation characteristics. Knowledge construction behaviours of key roles were generally at a high level, with different patterns observed. Finally, the study proposed practical implications based on key roles' interactive participation characteristics and knowledge construction behaviour patterns. These implications may inspire the learning designs that promote online interaction and deep learning based on role characteristics in online teacher professional development.Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Online teacher professional development is an evolving and increasingly recognized field within education, positioned as a subset of online learning. Within professional learning communities, teachers engage in knowledge construction and display varied role characteristics. In large‐scale online teacher professional development, only a few consistently maintained knowledge sharing and interaction. These active participants, or ‘key roles’, account for the majority of interactions. The interactive characteristics of the key roles are rarely discussed. What this paper adds Key roles, while actively participating in the online community, do not necessarily maintain consistent activity throughout the learning process. The interactive participation behaviour of key roles tends to learn more towards ‘following’ rather than ‘initiating’. The quality of interactive content from key roles varies widely. While they are responsible for a significant portion of interactions, it is not guaranteed that these interactions will always be of high quality. Knowledge construction behaviour patterns vary among key roles. Overall, their knowledge construction behaviours are generally at a high level and primarily transit among high stages of knowledge construction. Implications for practice Maintain continuous interaction and posting high‐quality content prove to be challenging even for key roles. Course administrators should monitor and strategically enhance their engagement to prevent them from becoming lurkers. Understanding the behaviour patterns of key roles offers insights for increasing interaction enthusiasm among active participants. It is necessary to develop role‐specific scripts in professional learning communities, to tailor content for opinion leaders, contributors and boundary spanners.

Scaling up a Technology-Based Literacy Innovation: Evolution of the Teacher Professional Development Course

Good teachers are a major predictor of students’ success in school and beyond it. Finding ways to increase the quality of teaching has been a concern for educational systems across various income contexts and, particularly, in the Global South. This paper discusses the iterative design of an online teacher professional development program geared to improving teachers’ English language instruction by means of implementing early literacy software. The program was implemented in various modes (face-to-face, blended and online) with early primary teachers scattered throughout Kenya during the pandemic school closures and after reopening. Relying on the blended learning approach, a potentially effective technology-driven TPD offers multifaceted content, has adaptive and flexible design, and is ongoing until mastery of core concepts is achieved. Further, such solution develops motivational dispositions of teachers about teaching with early literacy software so that its perceived value and the likelihood of success are high, and the benefits outweigh the costs of implementation. The next step of this research is to learn about the specific outcomes of the blended TPD, including changes in literacy instruction and subsequent improvements in student literacy skills.

ÇEVRİMİÇİ ÖĞRETMEN MESLEKİ GELİŞİMİ: ALANYAZIN TARAMA

Globally, education systems now place a high premium on the development of teachers (Misra, 2018). Professional development courses have also been impacted by technological advancements in learning (Wasserman & Migdal, 2019). Teacher professional development has shifted away from traditional face-to-face, single-location training and toward developmental activities in advanced web-based environments in the age of Internet technology. As a result, web-based professional development courses can not only enhance instructors' professional knowledge and experience, but also assist them in breaking school boundaries (Kao et al., 2014). Online teacher professional development for teachers (oTPD) is still a rapidly expanding topic of research in teacher education. (Dille & Røkenes, 2021).Therefore, the purpose of this study is to review related literature on oTPD so that it hopes to provide a large lens through oTPD. It will eloborate on communities of practice, online communities of practice for teachers and perspectives of online teacher professional development.

FACTORS AFFECTING TEACHERS’ ONLINE LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING

There is a sudden transition in education during this pandemic era of COVID-19. Students’ learning which is previously conducted in an offline face-to-face meeting should shift to online learning. This sudden change surely affects students’ learning experience. In the attempt to create a better online learning, this study investigates the interplay of the factors affecting participants’ online learning experience namely selfdirected learning and TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge). A quantitative study using Partial Least Square- Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) model analysis was employed to explore this issue. A total of 434 in-service teachers joining an online Teacher Professional Development program participated in this study. The results show that Self-directed learning and TPACK are positively and significantly associated with online learning experience. It indicates that students with high self-directed learning skills and TPACK are predicted to have a positive and satisfying online learning experience. Further implication for pedagogy and future research recommendation is discussed.

İngilizce Öğretmen Adaylarının COVID-19 Salgını Sırasında ve Sonrasında Web Semineri Deneyimlerine İlişkin Keşifsel Bir Çalışma

Online teacher professional development has become a critical component of the evolving educational landscape, which has been further impacted by the proliferation of digital learning technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research reports on a study that aimed to explore the experiences of pre-service EFL teachers who attended online professional development webinars during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 15 EFL teacher candidates who participated in professional development webinars offered by a variety of global and local institutions. Data were collected through individual and focus group semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The study found that webinars had a positive impact on the professional growth of English language teacher candidates, providing additional support to their formal education. However, attending webinars also presented several challenges and issues for teacher candidates. The findings of this study provide insights into the use of webinars as a potential platform to address the professional development needs of EFL teacher candidates, with implications and recommendations for teacher education programs.

Development of Online Professional Development for Teachers: Understanding, Recognizing and Responding to Bullying for Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities (SWDs) are disproportionately at-risk for bullying victimization and perpetration, yet there is a lack of educator-focused professional development targeting prevention for these students. This project sought to address gaps in training through the creation of four online professional development modules: (1) understanding bullying among SWDs, (2) examining risk characteristics, (3) establishing school and classroom prevention strategies, and (4) individual prevention. These modules were iteratively developed with feedback from teachers and staff, incorporating the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework to focus on interventions rooted in social emotional learning (SEL), and emphasizing the importance of prevention for SWDs.

Teaching K-8 English Learners Literacy and Academic Content: Educator Beliefs and Discursive Engagement in an Online Teacher Professional Development Course

ABSTRACT This mixed methods designed-based research (DBR) study explored one iteration of an online teacher professional development (oTPD) course about K-8 English language pedagogy. The study examined 85 educators’ beliefs pre- and post-course about teaching academic and literacy content to English Language Learners (ELLs) and analyzed their discursive engagement. Quantitative findings indicated that the course positively impacted participants’ beliefs no matter their professional characteristics (i.e. educator type, grade levels taught, and years of experience in education). A thematic analysis of forum posts revealed competing patterns of unsituated pedagogical discourse, in which participants wrote about course content in isolation, and situated pedagogical discourse, wherein participants contextualized and extended course content within their unique professional contexts. The discussion describes study findings in relation to existing DBR and socio-constructivist theory and includes design recommendations to increase participant use of situated pedagogical discourse. Implications for future research and oTPD course design are included.