Design Of Professional Development Research Articles

Affective Pedagogy and Emotional Intelligence in Online Learning: Enhancing Teacher-Student Relationships

Emotional intelligence (EI) significantly influences teacher-student relationships and learning outcomes in online educational settings. This study examines the role of EI in shaping interactions, engagement, and performance through a review of literature and a quantitative approach. Data collection involved surveys and interviews with online educators (N = 200) and students (N = 300). Quantitative analysis utilized Pearson correlation and multiple regression to explore the relationships between EI, teaching effectiveness, and student engagement. Findings revealed a strong positive correlation between teacher EI and teaching effectiveness (r = 0.72, p < 0.001), suggesting that emotionally intelligent teachers are better equipped to foster engagement and satisfaction among students. Similarly, student EI strongly correlated with engagement (r = 0.80, p < 0.01), indicating that emotionally intelligent students are more active in online learning. Regression analysis showed that teacher EI accounted for 52% of the variance in teaching effectiveness (β = 0.45, p < 0.01), while student EI explained 42% of the variance in engagement (β = 0.38, p < 0.01). Qualitative interviews underscored these findings, emphasizing the importance of empathy, emotional support, and self-regulation in creating positive learning environments. The study concludes that integrating EI training into teacher professional development and online curriculum design is crucial for improving relationships and learning outcomes. These strategies aim to cultivate empathy, self-awareness, and emotional support among educators and learners, enhancing engagement and educational success in online environments.

Integrating Constructivist and Inquiry Based Learning in Chemistry Education: A Systematic Review

This study systematically examines the integration of constructivist and inquirybased learning (IBL) strategies in chemistry education, emphasizing their transformative potential for enhancing student engagement, conceptual understanding, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. Utilizing a systematic review methodology, 30 peer reviewed articles from credible databases such as Scopus and Web of Science were analyzed. The findings reveal that gamification, virtual reality (VR), molecular visualization, and guided inquiry significantly improve learning outcomes by contextualizing abstract concepts and fostering active participation. Gamification and VR were particularly effective at the high school and tertiary education levels, respectively, while inquiry based laboratory activities enhanced higher-order thinking skills. The analysis highlights the theoretical alignment of these strategies with constructivist principles and their practical application in modern pedagogy. Despite their benefits, challenges such as resource limitations and insufficient teacher training persist, hindering wider adoption. Addressing these barriers through professional development, resource investment, and innovative curriculum design is essential for maximizing the impact of constructivist and IBL approaches. This study provides actionable recommendations for educators, policymakers, and researchers, advocating for systemic changes to advance chemistry education in diverse learning contexts. By combining theoretical insights with practical applications, this research underscores the importance of active, inquiry driven learning environments for preparing students to excel in STEM fields.

“We Will Just Have to Take It Underground”: A Black Studies Approach to Teacher Education and Critical Professional Development

In the context of contemporary attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and curricula that critically interrogate race and power, as well as the Eurocentric nature of traditional teacher education, out-of-school spaces for the critical development of teachers seeking to bring Black studies into their classrooms are necessary. Informed by the historical approaches of Black educators, the authors of this essay partnered with high school and university educators of color to engage in a collaborative process of teacher education, professional development, and curriculum design. The collaboration highlights the importance of curriculum codesign as a teaching method for developing educators’ content and pedagogical knowledge.

Empowering through feedback: Economics teachers' motivations for assessment practices in public schools

Research on assessment feedback practices in economics education within South African public schools has been limited, particularly in terms of teachers' motivations and approaches. This study addresses this gap by exploring the reasons and motivations behind Grade 10-12 Economics teachers' use of assessment feedback in three public schools in South Africa. A qualitative case study design was employed, involving three teachers at different career stages. Data was collected through semi-structured individual interviews and document analysis of feedback samples. Thematic analysis, informed by the concept of feedback literacy, was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed two primary motivations: using assessment feedback for academic growth and providing feedback for real-world application. Teachers viewed feedback as a crucial tool for enhancing students' understanding of economic concepts and preparing them for future academic and professional challenges. The study concludes that teachers' feedback practices align with contemporary educational theories and demonstrate a commitment to contextualising economics education within the South African environment. Recommendations include implementing targeted professional development programs to enhance feedback literacy, revising curricula to incorporate opportunities for meaningful feedback, and conducting further research across diverse educational contexts. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of assessment practices in Economics education and has implications for teacher professional development and curriculum design in South African public schools, ultimately aiming to develop economically literate and critically engaged citizens.

Understanding the Complexities: Exploring Secondary School Contextual Challenges Teachers Face in Addressing Indiscipline

Indiscipline is a cause for worry in schools as it obstructs fulfilling its intended mission of delivering high-quality education. In the face of rampant indiscipline, teachers must possess the aptitude to proficiently manage all the challenges that arise from school disciplinary matters. This research explored teachers’ challenges while dealing with disciplinary matters in schools. The study employed an interpretative paradigm and a qualitative approach with a case study design. The data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with six school management team members and a focus group interview with seven teachers from four specifically selected quintile three secondary schools. The findings indicated limited leadership capabilities from the school leaders, as evidenced by problems such as ineffective establishment of disciplinary committees, insufficient facilities, inadequate communication between parents and the school, young and inexperienced teachers’ challenges, and teacher resistance. The study suggests that continuous training for school leaders is necessary to enhance their ability to inspire admiration and trust among teachers, cultivate a sense of purpose, encourage innovative problem-solving, and foster their and others’ professional development in managing school disciplinary issues. The study introduced a paradigm shift in the design and provision of professional development for schools, expanding beyond curriculum implementation to include disciplinary matters in schools.

Does Teacher Professional Development Improve Student Learning? Evidence from Leading Educators’ Fellowship Model

Teachers are the most important school-specific factor in student learning. Yet, little evidence exists linking teacher professional development programs and the strategies or activities that comprise them to student achievement. In this paper, we examine a fellowship model for professional development designed and implemented by Leading Educators, a national nonprofit organization that aims to bridge research and practice to improve instructional quality and accelerate learning across school systems. During the 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 school years, Leading Educators conducted its fellowship program for two cohorts of instructional leaders, such as department chairs, mentor teachers, instructional coaches, and assistant principals, to provide these educators ongoing, collaborative, job-embedded professional development and to improve student achievement. Relying on quasi-experimental methods, we find that a school’s participation in the fellowship program significantly increased student proficiency rates in English language arts and math on state achievement exams. The positive impact was concentrated in the first cohort and in just one of three regions, and approximately 80% of treated schools were charters. Student achievement benefited from a more sustained duration of participation in the fellowship program, varied depending on the share of a school’s educators who participated in the fellowship and differed based on whether fellows independently selected into the program or were appointed to participate by their school leaders. Taken together, findings from this paper should inform professional learning organizations, schools, and policymakers on the design, implementation, and impact of educator professional development.

What makes professional teacher development in universities effective? Lessons from an international systematised review

ABSTRACT The professional development landscape for university teachers has shifted from focusing solely on self-development, to maximising engagement with activities that are developmental, on-going and systematic. A systematised literature review reveals the composition, design and purpose of professional development for teachers within university settings is diverse. Drawing on literature from an international context, this review offers a broader perspective on what makes professional development effective, widening our understanding to include what teaching professionals themselves value and prioritise. Using 16 peer-reviewed articles between 2012 and 2022, the diversity of professional development is explored across 13 different international perspectives. The findings show that pedagogical collaboration, in the form of peer review teaching and the development of communities, is valued amongst university teachers due to their intimate dialogic nature. Factors such as relevance, structure and voluntary participation were themes discussed influencing the engagement and motivation for university teachers to self-develop and attend professional development. Finally, we acknowledge the variability between international universities, such as resources and cultural differences, and how this might influence the perception of professional development amongst university teachers.

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.

Designing to support equity-as-transformation perspectives for multilingual science learners

In this paper, we examine how researchers and teachers in a multi-year professional development program shifted their conceptualizations of equity. Following (Grapin et al (2023) Sci Educ 107:999–1032), we ground our analysis in two conceptualizations of equity that exist across fields: equity-as-access (learners should have access to disciplinary knowledge, practices, and career paths) and equity-as-transformation (learners should transform what it means to learn and participate in disciplines). In this study, we describe a professional development (PD) design initially intended to support equitable science teaching and learning by focusing on representations. This initial framing did not distinguish between conceptions of equity-as-access versus equity-as-transformation. As a result, the PD did not provide facilitators or teachers with resources for ideological sensemaking towards equity-as-transformation. Catalyzed by teachers’ request for PD focused on multilingual learners (MLs), we noticed aspects of our design that offered only images of equity-as-access. In response, we designed activities for teachers that offered space and resources for considering equity-as-transformation. As a case study (Yin (2014) Case study research: design and methods, SAGE) using interaction analysis (Jordan and Henderson (1995) J Learn Sci 4:39–103) of PD videos, we describe how we PD activities and facilitation strategies to integrate transformative conceptualizations of equity. These findings have implications for both research and practice. In terms of research, they demonstrate the importance of using multiple lenses to consider equity in science classrooms. In terms of practice, they underscore the importance of providing teachers with opportunities to explicitly connect new perspectives of equity with day-to-day experiences of classroom teaching.

Perceived Impact of Lecturers’ Digital Literacy Skills in Higher Education Institutions

This research investigates the impact of lecturers’ digital literacy skills on higher education institutions. It explores how technology integration influences teaching, learning, and research while proposing strategies to enhance educational outcomes. The central issue is how lecturers’ digital literacy skills directly affect higher education institutions’ teaching, learning, research, and overall educational experience. Many lecturers need to improve using technology tools, resources, and platforms, which can hinder tertiary institutions’ educational experience and academic outcomes. Employing a mixed-method approach and utilizing t-test analysis and two-way ANOVA, this study aligns with the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, emphasizing the integration of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge for effective technology use in education. The research highlights the importance of equipping lecturers with robust digital literacy skills, enabling them to integrate technology effectively into higher education. It underscores the significance of digital literacy in reshaping the educational landscape. This study contributes to advancing knowledge, information practices, and the sustainable evolution of higher education institutions in the digital age. The findings also have practical implications for tailored professional development and curriculum design. It is important to note that this study acknowledges limitations related to sample size and qualitative focus. Future longitudinal studies can enhance our understanding of the evolving landscape of digital literacy in higher education.

A CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR DESIGNING TEACHER-CENTERED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Educators often experience significant levels of stress in the workplace that impact their enthusiasm about the profession and longevity in the field of education. Some personal impacts of stress on educators may include emotional numbing, feeling shut down, loss of energy, and increased illness or fatigue. Recently, some schools and districts have begun investing in programming to support educator well-being; however, these initiatives are rarely developed and co-led by educators themselves, and they do not address systemic issues within schools that may serve as barriers to teachers’ well-being. In this paper we draw upon existing theories and research, Critical Professional Engagement, Healing-Centered Engagement, and Critical Love Praxis, to explore the development and use of a conceptual framework to support the design of teacher-centered and justice-oriented professional development.

Uncovering the emotional dimension of developing teaching practice through uncertainty: a multimodal methodology

ABSTRACT This study explored how academics perceived the development of their practice during emergency remote teaching. It investigated how they approached the rapid upskilling required and what they found helpful and challenging. Interview findings are discussed in relation to a conceptual framework of professional development to reveal shifts in academics’ conceptions when faced with a highly disruptive environment. Findings highlight the importance of capturing non-verbal data to uncover the emotional dimension of teaching development through uncertainty. In addition to assisting reflection on the design of professional development during crises, the study underscores the value of multimodal methodologies in understanding academics’ professional development needs.

Collaborative Professional Development on Authentic Science May Reduce Barriers to Implementation in High School Classrooms

Teachers face challenges implementing authentic high school science lessons, particularly around inquiry practices and contemporary context. We created a collaborative curriculum design workshop to integrate authentic science activities on local invasive species into their classrooms while supplementing content knowledge via field trips to research sites and invasive species infestations. 36 teachers attended then implemented lessons they revised at the workshop in their classrooms. After implementation, we interviewed participants about barriers to lesson implementation. Teachers reported barriers of standardized testing, district mandates, time, and collaboration with other educators, all identified in previous literature. We also identified physical proximity as a barrier. Following professional development, several of the barriers were reduced or expected to be reduced for implementation of authentic science lessons, including collaboration, time, and physical proximity. We demonstrate the power of authentic science practice-based teacher professional development workshops that emphasize collaborative planning time for teachers while incorporating content presentations, in line with recommendations for teacher professional development writ large. We recommend collaborative professional development designs bringing together personnel from the same job site or district as well as from different districts while partnering with universities to retain university campus features such as access to active, authentic research sites.

Teachers in the Loop: Integrating Computational Thinking and Mathematics to Build Early Place Value Understanding

With increasing attention on the potential overlap between computational thinking (CT) and mathematical reasoning, STEM education researchers seek to understand how integrating CT and mathematics can deepen student learning across disciplines. Although there are various professional development programs that introduce teachers to CT concepts and strategies for curriculum integration, limited research exists on how teachers might apply this knowledge to create math + CT activities for use with their students. Additionally, the majority of research on CT integration through programming has focused on upper elementary grades, leaving the early grades (K-2) relatively unexplored. This qualitative exploratory study aims to examine how teachers in a graduate STEM education program collaborated with university STEM faculty to explore and critique a set of integrated math + CT block-based programming activities designed to build place value conceptual understanding. In-service elementary teachers enrolled in an online graduate CT course for educators (n = 13) explored these activities as learners and drew on their experiences as classroom teachers to offer feedback for program redesign. A sequence of deductive pattern coding and inductive holistic coding of course transcripts, collaborative problem-solving slides, and individual teacher reflections provided insights into how teachers were able to establish connections between their mathematical knowledge related to teaching place value and their emerging understanding of CT concepts, such as abstraction, algorithms, decomposition, and debugging. Implications for the design of professional development for elementary teachers on integrating CT and mathematics are offered.

‘It’s like Freire is haunting me’: the value of study groups for critical teacher professional development

ABSTRACT As part of a larger critical discourse study, I share how engaging with critical texts and discussion was personally and professionally meaningful for participants, despite perceived limitations. To understand how critical pedagogy overlaps and conflicts with contexts of teaching in public schools, I facilitated discussion with teachers in response to Paulo Freire’s text, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Subsequently, I critically analysed teachers’ discourse in study groups, interviews and reflective writing to uncover how ideology functions to support or refute the possibility of critical pedagogy in teachers’ contexts. Implications of the study inform the intersections of critical pedagogy, teacher professional development and Whiteness Studies. While this research validates existing knowledge about professional development design and delivery, it challenges an assertion within professional development studies about the role of teachers as experts. I assert that when it comes to equity-based professional development programmes, groups of predominantly White teachers benefit from an informed facilitator and or colleagues and texts from various ideological stances. I recommend schools of education and professional development organisations doing critical work with teachers consider how teachers’ unexamined beliefs impede the realisation of critical pedagogy, and how these beliefs can be challenged in a professional space framed by institutional norms.

Learning to Struggle: Supporting Middle-grade Teachers' Understanding of Productive Struggle in STEM Teaching and Learning.

This qualitative study examines the influence of a 3-year professional development project for middle school mathematics, science, and special education teachers focused on integrating science, mathematics, and engineering in classroom instruction on participants' understandings of productive struggle in learning. Multi-disciplinary teams of teachers engaged as learners to use engineering design as a framework for integrating significant mathematics and science content supported by effective teaching practices. In this paper, we describe how the components of our professional development design supported teacher-participants to make sense of productive struggle in learning. In particular, participants noted that being able to experience design-based activities as learners and working through solutions with their colleagues supported their understanding of what it means to productively struggle, resulting in their growth as individuals and as teachers. The significance in this work lies in understanding how to effectively support teachers to buy-in to the meaning and value of productive struggle and how engaging in integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), design-based professional learning experiences facilitated that effort.

Practices, Challenges, and Perceived Impact of Professional Development Activities among Senior High School Teachers

Professional development is a critical aspect of education for teachers in the Philippines, who encounter various challenges in addressing the evolving needs of their students and the education system. Using the descriptive cross-sectional technique, the study aimed to identify the practices, challenges, and perceived impact of professional development activities among senior high school teachers. While there are similar studies on the subject, there are few to none which present the specific situation of senior high school teachers in the Philippines. The results showed that the respondents utilized professional development practices in terms of graduate/post-graduate studies to a great extent; FGDs, LACs, and other trainings to a very great extent; research and publication to a very great extent; education innovations to a very great extent; membership in professional organizations to a very great extent; and community service involvement to a very great extent. Of these practices, those in terms of community service involvement were utilized the most while those in terms of graduate/post-graduate studies were utilized the least. In addition, the respondents experienced professional development challenges in terms of teacher-related factors to a great extent; professional development availability, cost, and design to a great extent; and instructional supervision and assistance to a moderate extent. Of these challenges, those in terms of professional development availability, cost, and design were experienced the most while those in terms of instructional supervision and assistance were experienced the least. Furthermore, the respondents perceived the impact of professional development activities to a very great extent. The results also imply the need to underscore involvement in graduate/post-graduate studies in the proposed action plan and to improve the job satisfaction of teachers after engaging in professional development activities. Future researchers may conduct a similar study with the inclusion of the views and experiences of administrators and students as a means of validating the supposed impact of professional development activities as perceived by senior high school teachers.

The importance of building teachers’ intrinsic control into the design of professional development (PD) programmes

ABSTRACT Professional development (PD) programmes take a wide variety of forms. Lloyd and Davis (2018) present a model to map the diversity of PD programmes based on the extent to which intrinsic control of learning was afforded to the teachers by the PD. In this study, Lloyd and Davis’s model was applied to map two different PD programmes. Both programmes aimed to achieve similar outcomes, they ran over a similar timeframe of 2 years, and both were targeted at early career teachers (ECTs). Yet, despite these similarities, the ECTs mapped the programmes differently onto the model, and the extent to which the programme outcomes were achieved also varied. The degree to which ECTs considered that the PD afforded them a sense of control and an influence over the direction of their learning was found to be associated with the extent to which the intended programme outcomes were met. Building in an optimal balance of autonomy supportive opportunities into PD programmes is likely to be an important feature of their success.

Core Requirements, Structured Flexibility, and Local Judgment: Balancing Adherence and Adaptation in the Design and Implementation of District-Wide Professional Development

Professional development (PD) for teachers is a ubiquitous feature of the American educational landscape. Yet we know little about how districts navigate the variation in teacher learning needs when designing and implementing district-wide PD programs. In this paper, we describe how the District of Columbia Public Schools implemented an ambitious PD program called LEAP (LEarning together to Advance our Practice). Aligned with best practices, LEAP consisted of weekly group learning in content-specific teams, followed by individualized coaching support, all guided by a district-provided professional learning curriculum. We capitalize on both quantitative and qualitative data to understand how the program was implemented and how the district’s implementation efforts shaped what happened on the ground. Finally, we highlight implications for other districts interested in implementing complex PD.

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.