Year-long Professional Development Research Articles

Narrative explorations into the professional development of lecturers teaching higher education in English further education colleges

The diversification of settings in which higher education is delivered has resulted in a growing proportion of lecturers entering teaching from professional backgrounds. This is a challenging transition as lecturers are rarely given the space to consider the implications of this move on their identities and practice styles. Writing is recognised as a powerful methodology through which individuals can make sense of experiences and conceptualise them in light of historical, theoretical and social perspectives. In this paper we consider the experiences of 10 college lecturers who used writing to explore this transition as part of a professional development initiative to promote their writing skills. They were providing higher education in further education colleges across South West England. This project ran over two years, involving a year-long professional development intervention and a subsequent evaluation. Over this time the lecturers produced a number of written pieces. We present the different styles and forms of writing used, and how these engaged with their emergent voices and growing sense of legitimacy. We highlight how writing can provide a reflexive medium and assist in the identification of developmental goals, something particularly valuable during professional transitions.

Teachers fostering the co-development of science literacy and language literacy with English language learners

Thirty-five elementary teachers participated in a yearlong professional development (PD) program that was designed to foster a culture of on-going teacher learning to promote the co-development of science and language literacy for English language learners (ELL). An explanatory design methodology was used to determine the degree to which science and language literacy co-developed. The research question guiding this study was: In what ways did the yearlong PD science program support teachers at 10 elementary schools to become more knowledgeable about fostering science literacy and its role in co-developing language literacy (e.g. reading, writing, listening, and speaking) for ELL? The measurable and significant gains on the quantitative mandated state science and reading tests and the analysis of qualitative teaching episodes led to the conclusion that demonstrated the synergy between science learning and language learning – as one increased, so did the other.

A High‐Quality Professional Development for Teachers of Grades 3–6 for Implementing Engineering into Classrooms

With the increasing emphasis on integrating engineering into K‐12 classrooms to help meet the needs of our complex and multidisciplinary society, there is an urgent need to investigate teachers' engineering‐focused professional development experiences as they relate to teacher learning, implementation, and student achievement. This study addresses this need by examining the effects of a professional development program focused on engineering integration, and how teachers chose to implement engineering in their classrooms as a result of the professional development. 198 teachers in grades 3–6 from 43 schools in 17 districts participated in a yearlong professional development program designed to help integrate the new state science standards, with a focus on engineering, into their teaching. Posters including lesson plans and student artifacts were used to assess teachers' engineering practices and the implementation in their classrooms. Results indicated that the majority of the teachers who participated in the professional development were able to effectively implement engineering design lessons in their classrooms suggesting that the teachers' success in implementing engineering lessons in their classroom was closely related to the structure of the professional development program.

Head Start classroom teachers’ and assistant teachers’ perceptions of professional development using a LEARN framework

This study investigates early childhood education teachers’ and assistant teachers’ views about a year-long professional development model that focuses on developing intentional teaching. The study shares the results of interviews conducted with the teachers at the end of the implementation of a one-year experimental professional model in Head Start settings in a large metropolitan area. The purpose was to gather feedback on the model, which included large-group, on-site and one-on-one interactions. Teachers and assistant teachers were asked about the various components of the model and the influence the professional development opportunities had on their practice and classroom interactions. The results of this study support the importance of providing networking opportunities across sites and sharing usable knowledge and strategies that can be applied directly to their work with young children.

Supporting Kindergarten Teachers’ Mathematics Instruction and Student Achievement Through a Curriculum-Based Professional Development Program

This study investigates the impacts of a year-long professional development program on Kindergarten teachers’ beliefs and practices and the association of these changes with student achievement in mathematics measured by curriculum-based instruments. Although teacher content knowledge was not statistically significantly different before and after participation in the program, changes in teachers’ beliefs and practices were both noticed: a trend towards discovery/connectionist orientation and student-centered practices. Teachers’ gain scores on a measure of mathematics content knowledge was positively related to the linear growth rate of student achievement.

Identifying the Priorities and Practices of Virtual School Educators Using Action Research

This study examined the nature of thirty virtual educators' action research questions during a yearlong action research professional development experience within a large, state-funded virtual school. Virtual educators included instructional personnel (i.e., individuals responsible for teaching virtual courses) and noninstructional personnel (i.e., individuals responsible for other roles in the virtual school such as administration or course design.) Action research questions emerge from the intersection of educators' professional contexts and their real-world challenges or passions and analyzing the nature of these questions provided a glimpse into the priorities and practices of the participating instructional and noninstructional virtual educators. Studying completion rates and personalizing the curriculum were trends within questions posed by instructional personnel whereas noninstructional personnel primarily focused on macrolevel issues within the virtual schools, such as communication. Future research directions and implications for action research professional development within virtual schools are discussed.

Teachers’ Transformation to Inquiry-Based Instructional Practice

This collective case study examines secondary science teachers’ responses to a professional development program designed to assist in the transformation of inquiry belief structures and inquiry instructional practices. These teachers were participants in a year-long professional development institute that focused on increasing the quantity and quality of inquiry in secondary science classrooms. This multi-case design examines multiple data sources in order to answer the following research question: How do the beliefs and practices of teachers regarding inquiry-based instruction evolve over the year of intervention? Participants were selected using the data from an inquiry observational protocol to represent a variety of abilities and beliefs regarding inquiry instructional practice. The results provide insights into teachers’ belief structures and classroom structure related to inquiry instruction. Further, we detail the role of the professional development experience in facilitating transformation of classroom practice. Implications for how professional development programs are developed and led are provided.

Teacher Learning and Perceptions Across the Professional Continuum

Learning occurs throughout a teacher's career and as the result of engagement with a multitude of experiences, both within and outside of formal teacher education venues. This volume of Journal of Education contains seven articles that inform the teacher education community about teacher learning across the professional continuum. Within these pages, readers will consider three studies about effective professional development for inservice teachers (Slavit, Nelson, & Deuel; Wager & Foote; Shultz & Ravitch), one study about alternative field placements for preservice teachers (Brayko), two studies about teacher perceptions of their preparation for teaching (Smith, Corkery, Buckley, & Calvert; Eckert), and one study about teacher learning whose participants span the professional continuum (Kleickmann, Richter, Kunter, Elsner, Besser, Krauss, & Baumert). Also of note with regard to this collection of studies is the inclusion of two studies conducted outside the United States--one conducted in Germany and the other in New Engaging teacher teams in the process of collecting, analyzing, and acting on the interpretation of student data has become a widespread professional development activity in American schools; however, to date, very little empirical research has focused on that domain. In their article titled Teacher Groups' Conceptions and Uses of Student-Learning Data, David Slavit, Tamara Holmlund Nelson, and Angie Deuel make an important contribution to the literature by examining how teacher groups spend time when working with student data as well as the types of inquiry activities in which they engage. The conceptual underpinnings for the study come from a two-dimensional framework that depicts the inquiry orientation of the group as a whole as well as the dialogic interactions that occur among group members. In the second article, Locating Praxis for Equity in Mathematics: Lessons from and for Professional Development, Anita Wager and Mary Foote contribute to an emerging line of inquiry in mathematics education that considers the role of teacher education and professional development in equitable mathematics pedagogy. Using the constructs of figured worlds and praxis, the authors analyzed teachers' participation in professional development focused on both mathematics and issues of equity and diversity. The article offers compelling case studies of three teachers, selected from a larger set of teachers in the year-long professional development, to illustrate a variety of experiences and how these teachers developed identities within the figured worlds of standards-based mathematics, multicultural education, and equitable mathematics pedagogy. Particularly noteworthy is how the teachers located praxis--potential sites for transformative action--in different spaces: their own classrooms, their schools or districts, and the society at large. Investigations of preservice teachers' perceptions continue to enhance our understandings of the types of experiences that impact their learning. In the third article, Lisa Smith, Gaynor Corkery, Judy Buckley, and Amanda Calvert present findings from a study of the relationship between preservice teachers' concerns and teaching efficacy in Changes in Secondary School Preservice Concerns About Teaching in New Zealand. Through analyzing data from two survey instruments and follow-up focus group interviews, these authors contribute to the teacher education community's understandings of preservice teachers' perceptions of themselves as teachers--useful information that has implications for teacher education programs around the world. Although content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) have been linked with teachers' instructional practice and student outcomes in previous studies, little is known about the impact of teacher education on CK and PCK. The article by Thilo Kleichmann, Dirk Richter, Mareike Kunter, Jurgen Eisner, Michael Besser, Stefan Kraus, and Jurgen Baumont, Teachers' Content Knowledge and Pedagogical Content Knowledge: The Role of Structural Differences in Education, contributes to our understanding of how differences in three phases of teacher education (university studies, induction, and inservice) impact these two aspects of teacher knowledge in mathematics. …

Unraveling the Threads of White Teachers’ Conceptions of Caring

This study explored two White inservice teachers’ understandings of Whiteness in relation to privilege and caring. A yearlong professional development set of courses used a multimodal construction of three significant course experiences designed to reposition Whiteness and illuminate White teachers’ predisposition to care for their students in ways aligned with their own conceptions of caring.

School-based teacher professional development to transform the teaching of reading comprehension: an Irish case study

Despite recent research indicating that students require explicit teaching in the key reading skill of comprehension in order to become successful readers, a significant gap in the research relates to teacher professional development (PD) in the area. A recent Irish study used gathered survey data to create a year-long PD programme for teachers in reading comprehension strategy instruction (CSI) in one case-study school. This paper will analyse and discuss the PD programme, its impact on the participating teachers’ pedagogy, the teachers’ assessment of the overall in-school continuing professional development (CPD) experience, as well as the overall lessons to be gleaned from the year-long innovative initiative. It is envisioned that the experience of designing, implementing, participating in and reflecting on the CPD initiative on CSI may have some contribution to make to the Irish and international debate on effective models of CPD for teachers, school and education systems.

Is Adding the E Enough? Investigating the Impact of K‐12 Engineering Standards on the Implementation of STEM Integration

The problems that we face in our ever‐changing, increasingly global society are multidisciplinary, and many require the integration of multiple science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts to solve them. National calls for improvement of STEM education in the United States are driving changes in policy, particularly in academic standards. Research on STEM integration in K‐12 classrooms has not kept pace with the sweeping policy changes in STEM education. This study addresses the need for research to explore the translation of broad, national‐level policy statements regarding STEM education and integration to state‐level policies and implementation in K‐12 classrooms. An interpretive multicase study design was employed to conduct an in‐depth investigation of secondary STEM teachers' implementation of STEM integration in their classrooms during a yearlong professional development program. The interpretive approach was used because it provides holistic descriptions and explanations for the particular phenomenon, in this case STEM integration. The results of this study demonstrate the possibilities of policies that use state standards documents as a mechanism to integrate engineering into science standards. Our cases suggest that STEM integration can be implemented most successfully when mathematics and science teachers work together both in a single classroom (co‐teaching) and in multiple classrooms (content teaching—common theme).

Increasing pupil physical activity: a comprehensive professional development effort

Increasing pupil physical activity: a comprehensive professional development effort Study aim: To determine if pupil physical activity and Body Mass Index classifications maintained or improved after a one-year professional development program involving both classroom and physical education teachers. Guskey's model of teacher change guided this study. Material and methods: Indigenous children from ten schools (N = 320) in grades 3-12 from one community participated in this year-long comprehensive school change effort. Classroom (n = 31) and physical education teachers (n = 7) participated in this study as intervention (n = 27) or comparison (n = 11) teachers. Intervention teachers participated in a year-long professional development program to increase physical activity and healthy behaviour knowledge of pupils. Results: ANOVA results for pupil physical activity (measured using pedometry) indicated that both groups of pupils (intervention and comparison) became significantly more active over time. The intervention groups' behaviour was less stable (α = 0.71) over time versus the comparison group (α = 0.86), suggesting positive behaviour changes. No significant Body Mass Index changes were found. Conclusions: Although the intervention resulted in physical activity increases for both intervention and comparison pupils at the schools, change takes time and these initial findings show progress in increasing physical activity behaviours at school in an understudied and disadvantaged population of indigenous USA youth.

Facilitating teachers’ development of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology content knowledge

AbstractAs nanoscale science, engineering, and technology (NSET) becomes more integrated into precollege science curricula, it is crucial for teachers to develop coherent understandings of science principles (e.g., the structure of matter, size and scale, forces and interactions, and size-dependent properties) that allow them to coordinate these understandings from the macro- to the nanoscale. Furthermore, as teachers acquire new NSET content knowledge through professional learning opportunities, it is incumbent upon NSET educators to understand their developing content knowledge. To this end, we report results from a study in which we used a pre-/post-/delayed-posttest design to examine the change in 24 secondary (grades 7–12) science teachers’ NSET content knowledge as a result of their participation in a year-long professional development program that consisted of a 2-week intensive course and academic year follow-up activities. Participants showed significant gains from pretest to posttest and significant gains on the delayed test compared to the pretest. We also present trends that emerged in teachers’ open-ended responses that provided deeper insight into teachers’ NSET content knowledge. Finally, we discuss issues related to the assessment of teachers’ NSET content knowledge as well as the design of NSET professional development for teachers.

Teachers’ Willingness to Adopt Nature of Science Activities Following a Physical Science Professional Development

The major science education reform documents emphasize the need for K-12 students to have a robust understanding of nature of science (NOS), and inservice teachers consequently need to develop their NOS teaching repertoires. This study investigated the extent to which science teachers were willing to adopt new strategies and activities for teaching NOS in their classrooms. The participants were 36 elementary, middle, and high school teachers who were completing a year-long physical science professional development (PD) that included NOS instruction. Data sources consisted of surveys (teachers’ NOS views, teaching practices), collected work, and responses to post-PD follow-up questions. The professional development course was successful in that teachers incorporated many of these strategies and activities into their own practice. This study also endeavored to identify factors that facilitated the adoption of these new approaches to teaching NOS. While personal characteristics such as pre- or post-PD NOS understandings, NOS gains, and grade level taught were not related to the number of NOS activities incorporated, teachers from suburban and rural schools were significantly more likely to implement NOS activities.

Motivating Mathematics Learning

The authors investigated patterns of change in three middle grade teachers’ beliefs and practices about motivation in mathematics during a yearlong professional development project with a university researcher. Four principles of motivation (and corresponding instructional strategies) were introduced in this sequence: supporting students’ competence, belongingness, autonomy, and making learning meaningful. Teachers enacted strategies in their classrooms, were observed and interviewed, and discussed and reflected on results during monthly meetings. Enactment of motivation strategies was related to changes in mathematics instruction for some teachers. Results reflect the importance of situating motivation strategies in content area instruction and providing adequate support for teacher conceptual change. The authors examine both personal and contextual explanations for changing instructional practices and the obstacles to such changes.

Chemistry Teachers’ Emerging Expertise in Inquiry Teaching: The Effect of a Professional Development Model on Beliefs and Practice

This study investigates the beliefs and practices of seven high school chemistry teachers as a result of their participation in a year-long inquiry professional development (PD) project. An analysis of oral interviews, written reflections, and in-class observations were used to determine the extent to which the PD affected the teachers’ beliefs and practice. The data indicated that the teachers developed more complete conceptions of classroom inquiry, valued a “phenomena first” approach to scientific investigations, and viewed inquiry approaches as helpful for facilitating improved student thinking. Analysis of classroom observations with the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol indicated that features of the PD were observed in the teachers’ practice during the academic year follow-up. Implications for effective science teacher professional development models are discussed.

Examining How Learner-Centered Professional Development Influences Teachers’ Espoused and Enacted Practices

ABSTRACT Prior professional development studies have identified discrepancies between what teachers’ report (espoused practices) and demonstrate (enacted practices) during classroom teaching. This has proven particularly evident in studies examining classroom implementation of standards-based practices such as learner-centered instruction. The authors examined the enacted and espoused practices of 2 elementary school teachers during a yearlong professional development project focusing on supporting implementation of learner-centered pedagogies in their classrooms. The convergence of video analysis of classroom teaching evidence and teacher interviews confirm little alignment between participants’ espoused and enacted practices. However, enacted teaching practices became increasingly consistent with learner-centered professional development practices when adopting a project activity or coplanning the lesson with an experienced professional developer. Implications for the design and research of learner-centered professional development are provided.

Motivation, Work Satisfaction, and Teacher Change Among Early Childhood Teachers

This study tests the explanatory power of Deci and Ryan's (1985) self-determination theory as a framework for describing how interactions between early childhood teachers and the systems within which their work is embedded influence motivation for professional growth and change in teaching practice. Fifty-four early childhood teachers and teacher assistants participated in a yearlong professional development program comprising monthly workshops and on-site support visits. Quantitative analysis of motivation and work attitude surveys, coupled with qualitative analysis of teacher interviews, addressed two major research questions: (1) What factors within the social context of early childhood teachers' workplaces are related to their motivation for professional growth? and (2) What is the relationship between early childhood teachers' motivation for professional growth and change in teaching practice? Results indicate that three facets of work satisfaction were significant predictors of intrinsic interest in professional development: supervisor support, the nature of the work itself, and co-worker relations. The qualitative analysis reveals ways in which interactions between motivation, professional development activities, and work environment support or undermine change.

Foreign Language Teachers’ Struggle to Learn Content-Based Instruction

Research has shown content-based instruction (CBI) to be effective in various language settings, yet this promising curricular approach remains rarely implemented in mainstream foreign language educational contexts. While the existing body of research has identified important barriers to the implementation of CBI, it has neglected the problem of meaning which is essential to understanding educational reforms. This phenomenological study explores the meaning that the experience of learning CBI had for in-service foreign language teachers in traditional teaching contexts who were once enrolled in a year-long professional development program specifically designed to help them become familiar with CBI core principles and create CBI curricular materials. Findings suggest that teachers struggle mainly with the idea of teaching language through content, a concept they have difficulty grasping or even accepting as a possibility. Professional development programs must be designed to respond to this specific challenge if they are to help teachers explore new instructional possibilities.

Preparing the Next Generation of Nursing Leaders: The AONE Nurse Manager Fellowship

A long with 29 other managers from all over the United States, I was invited to join an inaugural group to complete the 2008 AONE Nurse Manager Fellowship, a year-long professional development program that provided a rich environment of learning. The content in the fellowship is based on the Nurse Manager Learning Domain Framework (modeled from the Essentials of Nurse Manager Orientation). 1 Faculty for the program included prominent nurse leaders and experts in nursing leadership and management.