Participation In Professional Development Program Research Articles

Enhancing educational excellence: An analysis of teacher capacity building and its impact on instructional delivery in public secondary Schools in Kenya

This study investigates the relationship between teacher capacity building, instructional delivery, and effectiveness in public secondary schools. Utilizing the descriptive survey methodology, data were collected from 400 teachers in Embu and Tharaka-Nithi Counties, Kenya. A survey questionnaire was used for data collection, whereby the efficacy of instructional delivery was assessed through a Likert-scale survey consisting of 17 items. Demographic information highlighted the diverse composition of the teaching workforce, with varying age groups, educational qualifications, and work experience. The study explored teachers' participation in professional development programs, revealing substantial engagement in subject-specific training among other capacity building programs. Findings indicated high agreement among teachers on statements related to syllabus completion, assignment design aligned with objectives, and regular collaboration with colleagues. Some areas for potential improvement were identified, including the incorporation of student questions to guide lessons, ensuring adequate instructional materials, and integrating higher-order thinking strategies. Capacity building was found to have a significant influence on the effectiveness of teachers in instructional delivery, whereby teachers who had attended more courses obtained higher means scores in instructional delivery than those who had attended fewer or no courses. The study contributes to the understanding of teacher capacity development's impact on instructional practices and effectiveness. The findings underscore the importance of ongoing professional development tailored to teachers' needs, emphasizing collaborative strategies and resource provision. Policymakers, educational administrators, and teachers can leverage these insights to inform targeted interventions that enhance the overall quality of instruction in Kenyan public secondary schools.

From Becoming to Being: how STEM teachers develop leadership identities

ABSTRACT The development of STEM teacher leadership identity empowers K–12 teachers to make changes to improve teaching and learning. Identity development might not be productively supported in all school settings, however. Hence, external professional development programs should offer opportunities to supplement this identity development. We construct and propose a Can’t-to-Becoming-to-Being model to describe STEM teacher leadership identity development as a progression of stages from weak to strong identity. Using interview data over two points in time with 127 STEM teacher leaders, we illustrate four stages of development: Can’t, Can, Should, and Being. We also elucidate the conditions that teachers identify as catalyzing or inhibiting identity development, with attention to the impacts of teacher leaders’ participation in professional development programs. Our findings indicate that the Can’t-to-Becoming-to-Being model is useful for describing how teachers may develop STEM teacher leadership identity and may provide researchers a tool for exploring this process. Professional developers might consider the catalysts (and inhibitors) we identify as a means of strengthening teacher leadership identities in the design and implementation of professional learning. External spaces separate from school communities may offer teacher leaders opportunities to try out provisional selves and provide additional motivation to propel participants to Being teacher leaders.

The Effect of EFL Teachers’ Participation in Professional Development Program on The Change of Their Teaching Behaviour

The Effect of EFL Teachers’ Participation in Professional Development Program on The Change of Their Teaching Behaviour

Student Teachers’ Motivation toward Participation in the Professional Development Programs

The twenty-first century is witnessing an increasing and clear interest in studying the relationship between student teachers’ motivation and their participation in professional development programs. This study was designed to find out the student teachers’ motivation toward participation in professional development programs and to identify the role of motivation in influencing the ambition, perseverance, and desire of student teachers to be effective and active in carrying out activities and tasks. The descriptive survey design was employed, 75 student teachers were chosen to participate, and data were collected using a developed instrument after ensuring its validity and reliability. The results of the study showed that the level of student teachers’ motivation toward participation in professional development programs was very high and that they are aware of the fact that professional development programs are the most effective means for developing their ambition, perseverance, and desire to participate in activities and tasks. Based on these findings, a set of conclusions and recommendations were drawn. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-SIED2-06 Full Text: PDF

EDUCATIONAL OR SCIENTIFIC CAREER?

One problem with teaching higher educational institutions by university professors is that the educator spends most of the time on their own scientific activities to the detriment of the pedagogical orientation of the learning process and methodology. In addition, the requirements for research and publication activity are constantly increasing, and we often encounter the concentration of teachers' attention on a scientific orientation. As a result these teachers sometimes neglect the very process of teaching students, which leads to the loss of the importance of the pedagogical component of the educational process. The overall nature of the problem lies in the importance of teaching in universities, where teaching is considered a priority activity comparable to science and research. Therefore, in our environment, we can observe a gradually increasing offer of programs to strengthen the pedagogical competencies of teachers. In this article, we decided to focus on the pedagogical component of the educational process of teachers of higher educational institutions of the Chuvash Republic and their participation in the educational program. Purpose of the study: analyze how university teachers perceive and evaluate their pedagogical competencies, that is, how university teachers perceive themselves as a teacher and at the same time how they evaluate professional development programs that are focused on systematic improvement of the level of pedagogical competencies. The research problem lies in the dilemma between the pedagogical development of university teachers (participation in professional development programs) and the concentration on the research component of teaching. The central point of this entire study is the perception of their own pedagogical development by the university teachers themselves and the assessment of the quality of professional development programs. We chose to conduct detailed interviews with 25 teachers from the Chuvash State University of the Chuvash Republic as the central method for data collection. The respondents perceive other university professors not only as scientific experts in their discipline, but also as teachers capable of providing high-quality teaching. At the same time, none of the respondents called themselves a scientific expert in their field. All respondents would like to reduce the scientific component in their pedagogical work, leaving it for some specialized scientific centers. Also, all respondents would like to pay more attention to the very pedagogical process of teaching students - transferring knowledge, communicating with students or teaching students logical thinking, and forming high-quality professional competencies in their pupils. They also pointed out that attempting to save time in the learning process of students forms a "time bomb”, which will further negatively affect the socio-cultural development of society. Most of the respondents believe that the best way to develop their pedagogical competencies is to regularly communicate with their mentors - more professionally competent people. They do not believe that the use of advanced training programs is so important.

Exploring Advocacy Self-efficacy Among K-12 STEM Teacher Leaders

Advocacy is an emergent dimension of teacher leadership, given its growing importance in shaping policy and facilitating reform efforts in American K-12 education. In 2014, the National Academies called for advancing advocacy-based activities and leadership among K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers, who are presently understudied. The purpose of this embedded single-case case study was to explore STEM teachers’ development of self-efficacy in advocacy for STEM education. Contextualizing the case, participants consisted of 11 STEM teacher leaders who were part of the STEM Teacher Ambassadors (STA) program, a year-long advocacy-focused leadership development fellowship program, jointly sponsored by the National Science Teaching Association and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Employing case study research methodology, primary data were collected using semi-structured interviews, while secondary data were sourced via focus group interview and documents to triangulate interview data. Utterances (i.e., participant statements, groups of statements, or segments of statements) from transcribed data were coded a priori and analyzed via four constructs of self-efficacy theory: enactive master experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and emotional arousal. Results revealed 157 utterances coded to self-efficacy building within STEM education advocacy. Findings suggest that STEM teacher leaders’ participation in professional development programs that specifically focus on development of policy knowledge and advocacy activities help to develop and sustain STEM teacher leaders’ advocacy self-efficacy, given that participating teachers have numerous opportunities to fully engage in mastery experiences in STEM education advocacy. Implications and recommendations for policy and suggestions for further studies are discussed.

The Impact of Professional Development, Modern Technologies on Lecturers’ Self-Efficacy: Implication for Sustainable Science Education in Developing Nations

This study evaluated the impact of a professional development program (PDP) on science lecturers' level of knowledge/understanding and the extent of use of modern technologies for improving their self-efficacy in teaching in the areas of students' engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management, in some selected universities in Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The sample was 269 lecturers. The researchers adapted the teacher sense of efficacy scale (TSES) developed by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2001) for the study. The TSES has two parts (1) and (2) that contained 12 questions each. It was a validated instrument, with overall reliability indices of 0.92 and 0.95 respectively determined using Cronbach’s Alpha. The data obtained were analyzed with mean, standard deviation, and paired sample t-test. The study found that the PDP improved the lecturers' understanding of modern technologies and self-efficacy in teaching (t (268) = 30.959, p = 0.000 ˂ 0.05). Also, the PDP improved the lecturers’ extent of utilisation of modern technologies and self-efficacy in teaching (t (268) = 28.510, p = .000 ˂ .05). The study also found that the lecturers’ understanding of modern technologies after the PDP was high, but their use of modern technologies in teaching was still low. The researchers recommended that science lecturers' participation in PDPs should be regular to improve their understanding and use of modern technologies in teaching for enhanced self-efficacy and sustainable science education in developing nations.

Investigating teachers’ perception on the importance of teachers’ certification and of professional development program in Indonesia: An empirical study from Bali

This study aimed at describing: (a) the perceptions held by a group of teachers in Bali Province on the importance of teachers’ certification program; and (b) the perceptions held by a group of teachers in Bali Province on the importance of their professional development program. Two research statements guided this study are: (a) what are teachers’ perception of the importance of teachers’ certification program? and (b) what are teachers’ perception of the importance of their professional development program? This study employed a quantitative approach using survey research design. A purposive sampling was used to obtain 26 respondents drawn from amongst teachers in three selected districts of Bali Province, namely Buleleng District (8 teachers), Jembrana District (9 teachers) and Denpasar City (9 teachers). Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively. This study finds that: (a) 77.78 % of teachers percept negatively on the importance of teachers’ certification program; and (b) 81.81 % of teachers percept negatively on the importance of their professional development program. These findings might be worthwhile for the Indonesian government to evaluate to what extent the teachers’ certification program had a positive impact on teachers’ professionalism in teaching practices. These findings might be also worthwhile for the Education Office at Bali Province to creating some innovative program of enhancing teachers’ participation in professional development program in order that students’ right to be taught by professional teachers are met adequately.

Analyzing Changes in Four Teachers’ Knowledge and Practice of Inquiry-Based Mathematics Teaching

Teachers’ inquiry-based mathematics teaching (IBMT) competence is often acquired and developed through participation in professional development programs (PDPs), but researchers have not established an effective method of assessing teachers’ performance in this area. Moreover, the definition of IBMT, and the relationship between teachers’ mathematics inquiry knowledge and practice, both remain unclear. Therefore, this study first proposes a sophisticated definition of mathematics inquiry-based teaching, and goes on to use this definition as the basis of a systematic, integrated method for assessing teachers’ knowledge and practice of such teaching. Changes in four case teachers’ knowledge and practice of IBMT during their participation in a 1-year PDP in Taiwan are reported and analyzed. The data sources included classroom observations as well as interviews and teachers’ concept maps. Data were analyzed using an analytic framework of concept-map structure; essential constructs of knowledge regarding mathematics inquiry; and an analytic framework of inquiry-based teaching practice. The research revealed (1) that all four case teachers made positive progress in both their knowledge of mathematics inquiry and their related teaching practices; (2) that the two sets of gains described in point (1) above did not appear to have any causal relationship; and (3) that although all four teachers’ knowledge and practices were found to have changed, radical changes in their teaching practices were still rare in the short term.

Un Estudio Sobre la Calidad Docente en Chile: El Rol del Contexto en Donde Enseña el Profesor y Medidas de Valor Agregado

This paper aims to contribute to the discussion about teacher quality in Chile through two approaches: (a) one based on estimates of the value added by teachers or teacher effect on students’ learning, gauged by exploring the role of teachers’ characteristics and the context in which they work (school and municipality); and (b) another which seeks to predict student performance using context variables and teacher characteristics. Hierarchical linear models were used in both analyses. The data came from Chile’s National Teacher Evaluation System, from the Education Quality Measurement System and the National System of Municipal Information. The sample includes a higher proportion of the poorest and richest schools compared to the total population. The results show instability in the estimation of the teacher effect, adjusting different models that incorporate control variables gradually. The analysis of students’ scores shows that, among contextual variables, the school is more important than the municipality for the prediction and that, at the teacher level, only participation in professional development programs is statistically significant, with no evidence supporting the value of experience and initial education.

Un Estudio Sobre la Calidad Docente en Chile: El Rol del Contexto en Donde Enseña el Profesor y Medidas de Valor Agregado

This paper aims to contribute to the discussion about teacher quality in Chile through two approaches: (a) one based on estimates of the value added by teachers or teacher effect on students´ learning, gauged by exploring the role of teachers’ characteristics and the context in which they work (school and municipality); and (b) another which seeks to predict student performance using context variables and teacher characteristics. Hierarchical linear models were used in both analyses. The data came from Chile’s National Teacher Evaluation System, from the Education Quality Measurement System and the National System of Municipal Information. The sample includes a higher proportion of the poorest and richest schools compared to the total population. The results show instability in the estimation of the teacher effect, adjusting different models that incorporate control variables gradually. The analysis of students’ scores shows that, among contextual variables, the school is more important than the municipality for the prediction and that, at the teacher level, only participation in professional development programs is statistically significant, with no evidence supporting the value of experience and initial education.

School Leaders as Participants in Teachers’ Professional Development: The Impact on Teachers’ and School Leaders’ Professional Growth

Over a two-year period, approximately 70 teachers from 18 schools participated in an on-going professional development program as part of a study to promote the teaching and learning of numeracy. Principals and other school leaders were invited to participate in the professional development program alongside their teachers, which 20 leaders from 11 schools chose to do. Throughout the project, data were collected from teachers and participating school leaders using surveys, interviews, and workshop discussions to investigate teachers’ and leaders’ professional growth. The findings showed that school leaders’ participation in teacher professional development programs has a positive influence on the capacity for teachers to enact and reflect on new knowledge and practices. They also revealed a positive influence on the professional growth of the leaders themselves. This study has implications for the design of professional development and for school leaders and teacher educators.

과학교사들의 2009 개정 교육과정 융합형 '과학' 수용에 관한 인과 모델 연구

이 연구는 혁신 수용 모델을 바탕으로 융합형 '과학'교과가 현장교사들에 의하여 어떻게 수용되는지에 관한 연구이다. 이 연구를 위해서 선행연구를 바탕으로 필요성 인식, 지원에 대한 인식, 개인의 혁신성, 인지된 유용성, 교수 효능감, 수용의도의 6가지 요인을 추출하였고, 관련 검사 문항을 개발하였다. 혁신 수용에 관한 선행 연구를 바탕으로 6가지 요인의 가설적 모델 역시 제안되었다. 전국 349명의 과학교사들이 설문조사에 참여하였다. 연구 결과 '과학' 교과에 대한 혁신 수용에 관련된 인식의 수준은 교사의 연수 유무, 교사 경력, 전공과 유의미한 상관관계가 없는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 혁신 수용에 관한 선행연구를 통해 제안된 모델은 과학교사들의 '과학'교과를 수용하는 과정을 설명하는데 타당한 모델로 확인되었다. 지원에 대한 인식, 인지된 유용성, 교수 효능감은 다른 변인간 관계에서 높은 수준의 매개 효과를 보였다. 이와 같은 새롭게 개발된 교육과정, 교과서, 교육 정책이 학교 현장에서 성공적으로 뿌리내리기 위해서는 교사들의 수용 의도를 향상시킬 필요가 있다. 이 연구 결과는 교사들의 수용 태도를 향상시키는 프로그램 개발에 유용하게 활용될 수 있을 것이다. This study aims to explore how in-service science teachers adopt newly developed 'Science' focusing on the fusion of science based on 'the diffusion of innovation' model. For this study, we have explored five variables (i.e., perception of need, perception of support, innovativeness, perceived usefulness, self-efficacy of teaching, and intention to adopt) based on literature review and developed survey items to measure the level of five variables that in-service science teachers perceive. In addition, the path model of six variables explaining how in-service science teachers adopt an innovation was hypothesized by the literature review. A total of 349 in-service science teachers have participated in this survey study. First of all, results have illustrated that the levels of six variables have not significantly associated with in-service science teachers' teaching experiences, participation in professional development programs on 'Science' curriculum, and majors. In addition, the statistically acceptable model fit indices have illustrated that path model has been statistically valid to explain how in-service science teachers adopt newly developed 'Science' focusing on the fusion of science. The results have also illustrated that 'perception of support', 'perceived usefulness', and 'self-efficacy of teaching' exhibited strong mediating effects between other variables. For the successful establishment of newly developed curricula, textbook, or policies in science education in school, the level of teachers' intention to adopt innovations should be enhanced. This study will be useful for the development of new science teacher professional development programs to promote the level of teachers' intention to adopt innovations.

How Principals Facilitate Teachers’ Learning Under Accountability Systems

Under the different states’ accountability contexts, it may be meaningful to find the relationship among the strength of their accountability policies, principals’ facilitation of teachers’ learning, and teachers’ participation in professional development programs. The analysis of two-level hierarchical linear modeling found that high school graduation exit exams negatively affected principals’ support of professional days before and during the school year, although the annual measurable objective strength and the proficiency performance standards may not have had any relationship with principals’ facilitating teacher learning. The findings of three-level hierarchical linear modeling showed that principals were an essential factor for teachers’ participation in professional development. The proficiency performance standards increased teachers’ spending time for content professional development programs, although annual measurable objectives strength decreased them. However, professional development programs related to instruction and classroom management were not influenced by states’ accountability systems.

WHAT NOS TEACHING PRACTICES TELL US: A CASE OF TWO SCIENCE TEACHERS

Translation of nature of science (NOS) views into teaching practice and the development of teachers’ NOS teaching are still open to investigation. Therefore, how teachers’ translation of NOS understanding into practice occurs and what extend science teachers are able to transform their understanding into explicit reflective NOS instruction have been issues still need to be further exploration. This study explored the impact of intensive nature of science summer workshop on science teachers’ views of NOS and their instructional practices. The current study was a case study of two middle school science teachers documenting their NOS views and instructional practice on NOS in the classrooms. Data resources included the VNOS-C; interviews and classroom observations. Participants made substantial improvements in their understandings of the targeted aspects of NOS as a result of their participation in professional development program. The study also showed that two of teachers translated their understanding of NOS in a certain degree into instructional practice. Keywords: in-service teachers, nature of science, professional development program, science education.

Consultation for Teachers and Children's Language and Literacy Development during Pre-Kindergarten

MyTeachingPartner (MTP) is a teacher professional development program designed to improve the quality of teacher-child interactions in pre-kindergarten classrooms and children's language and literacy development. The program includes language/literacy activities and two Web-based resources—video exemplars of effective interactions and individualized consultation—designed to support teachers' high quality implementation of these activities. This study examined the impacts of the MTP Web-based resources on the language and literacy development of 1,165 children during pre-kindergarten. Children whose teachers were randomly assigned to receive access to both the video exemplars and participated in consultation (MTP Consultancy n = 65) made greater gains in receptive language skills during pre-kindergarten compared to children whose teachers were randomly assigned to receive access to the video exemplars only (MTP Video Library n = 69). Further, among MTP Consultancy teachers, more hours of participating in the consultation process was positively associated with children's receptive language development, and more hours implementing the language/literacy activities was positively associated with children's language and literacy development. Implications for improving children's school readiness and promoting teachers' participation in professional development programs are discussed.