Middle school teachers' judgment of attributes and processes used in professional development

Most people would agree that education is imperative to the development of young people. However, the education that students need, and are receiving, is in a constant state of shift due to an ever-changing society. Some of the developmental needs of today’s students are not the same as those in the past. As a result of these changes, as well as concerns regarding the education some students are receiving, the requirements and expectations for the education students receive are changing. Research has indicated that the role the teacher plays in the development of young is important. Teachers need to stay well informed of the developmental needs of current students along with new expectations and requirements. Professional development will be important to a teacher’s ability to keep up with students’ current needs as well as changes in requirements and expectations. Research indicated that effective professional development can lead to changes in instruction. Guskey (2000) suggested that research shows very few, if any, significant advances in education take place without professional development. However, there are concerns regarding the professional development teachers are receiving. Reeves (2006) mentioned a gap exists between certain examples of professional development and the impact these activities have on classroom practices. This mixed methods grounded research study was a three-phase investigation that included a meta-analysis, teacher focus group data analysis, and survey. Ten attributes emerged from the meta-analysis and focus group data analysis. These attributes included context of learning, collaboration of teachers, adult learning, active learning, time for professional development, school focus, time to implement, teachers observing other teachers, school based professional development, and professional development for planning. Middle school teachers agreed with the meta-analysis and focus group findings when given an opportunity to agree or disagree when responding to a survey. This study was completed on the premise that if school leaders consider what teachers believe to be important when planning and implementing professional development, teachers will be more likely to implement newly learned activities into their classroom practice.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Walter, Harry R., III

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rausch, David W.
• Miller, Ted L.; Crawford, Elizabeth K.; Challener, Dan D.
• College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies

• Teachers -- Training of
• Teachers -- In-service training

Licence

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/621

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1781