Agriscience teachers beliefs about STEM illumination after an immersive professional development experience: A Q Sort study

In the last twenty years in US science education, professional development has emphasized the need to change science instruction from a direct instruction model to a more participatory and constructivist learning model. The result of these reform efforts has seen an increase in science education professional development that is focused on providing teaching strategies that promote inquiry learning to learn science content. Given these reform efforts and teacher responses to professional development, research seems to indicate that whether teachers actually change their practice may depend on the teachers' basic epistemological beliefs about the nature of science. The person who builds the bridge between teacher beliefs and teacher practice is the designer and facilitator of science teacher professional development. Even though these designers and facilitators of professional development are critical to science teacher change, few have studied how these professionals approach their work and what influence their beliefs have on their professional development activities. Eight developers and designers of science education professional development participated in this study through interviews and the completion of an online questionnaire. To examine the relationship between professional development providers' science beliefs and their design, development, and implementation of professional development experiences for science teachers, this study used the Views on Science Education Questionnaire (VOSE), and interview transcripts as well as analysis of the documents from teacher professional development experiences. Through a basic interpretive qualitative analysis, the predominant themes that emerged from this study suggest that the nature of science is often equated with the practice of science, personal beliefs about the nature of science have a minimal impact on the design of professional development experiences, current reform efforts in science education have a strong influence on the design of professional development, and those providing science education professional development have diverse views about epistemology and the nature of science. The results and conclusions from this study lead to a discussion of implications and recommendations for the planning and design of professional development for science teachers, including the need to making equity and social justice issues an integral part of inquiry and scientific practice.

This article explores two beginning Canadian teachers’ experiences of professional development in literacy education. Differences and parallel tensions between the Canadian teachers’ and my own experiences as a teacher and teacher educator in Pakistan were identified through narrative inquiry. The significance of this article is found in the expression of seven necessary conditions for successful professional development: appreciation and awareness of teachers’ internal quest for learning; teachers’ involvement in their own professional development; promotion of active, critical reflection; sharing multiple perspectives in collective conversation; providing time for internal reflection; a democratic context for professional development; and supporting teachers’ efforts to develop their professional knowledge base.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this phenomenological case study was to study how secondary school science teachers describe their lived experiences of professional development (PD) in Punjab (Pakistan). The study included 15 secondary public school science teachers using purposive sampling from Punjab. Semistructured, in-depth phenomenological interviews were used as the primary source of data. The data were analyzed using 3-stage coding methods and thematic analysis. The results indicate that science teachers are the major stakeholders in their PD and they should be taken on board before designing any PD program for their professional growth. The findings strongly suggest that PD efforts for science teachers in Punjab need to be reformed. The barrier to PD learning in this study existed in different forms and mostly related to institutional and administrative procedures of selecting trainers and teachers, discipline-specific content, participant selection, and access. The study draws the attention of policymakers and PD providers to the fact that science teachers cannot act as expected unless their needs and voices are included in the PD efforts.

With new directives from the New Zealand government (2022) to increase the use of critical thinking (CT) within curriculum, this study set out to find out New Zealand high school teachers current beliefs about the teaching and learning of critical thinking (CT), in what ways these beliefs aligned or misaligned with international high school teachers beliefs about CT and if there are any beliefs that are surprising or concerning. The study used a mixed methods designs with an anonymous online Qualtrics questionnaire posted on teachers curriculum webpages that contained both quantitative and qualitative questions. The quantitative results were analysed in Qualtrics. 353 teachers completed the entire survey, with 141 males and 212 females. The results of the quantitative and qualitative Qualtrics questionnaire demonstrated that most teachers agreed critical thinking (CT) should be taught within curriculum; that the biggest barriers to the teaching and learning of critical thinking (CT) were the lack of training in CT and time. The teachers recognised that to achieve the highest grades in the national current assessments in New Zealand students required CT. The teachers held low expectations of students’ abilities to use dialogue online to incorporate CT and believed students were most likely to use CT in whole class discussions, suggesting a teacher-led approach was preferable. The teachers held diverse views of the relevance of the teachers and students cultural background to CT. The implication of this study is that there needs to be much greater emphasis on CT within teacher education programmes and professional development with teachers, with a focus on culturally diverse definitions of CT, addressing teacher beliefs about the importance of cultural backgrounds of both teachers and students, and instruction in student-led discussions to foster CT.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between reform practices, student engagement in mathematics class, college readiness in mathematics for high school students, and mathematics teacher Professional Development (PD). Quasi-experimental mixed methodology addressed the research question(s) in a parallel design. Treatment teachers participated in PD where reformed teaching practices were presented, observed, discussed, and analyzed using a Cognitive Apprenticeship (CA) framework. Student’s mathematics readiness was measured distantly and proximally. Student engagement in mathematics class and reform practice implementation were observed, using Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP), and compared across groups to assess treatment effects pre and post PD. Analysis of treatment using teacher interviews and posts from an online community blog suggested significant treatment effects. Positive changes in student engagement and teacher reform implementation were observed. Teacher beliefs and perceptions of PD impacted reform implementation as well. Implications from the study have the potential to influence policy decisions and professional development related to reform instructional practices in secondary mathematics classrooms throughout the state.

The knowledge and pedagogies needed for immersion classrooms are unique and complex. Although there is a growing body of research on immersion pedagogy, there is a dearth of research on professional development (PD) experiences that positively impact immersion teacher practices. This chapter focuses on exploring immersion teacher perceptions of PD experiences in the area of language-focused content instruction that have a positive impact on their teaching. The theoretical framework guiding the study is “communities of practice” (CoP) (Wenger, 1998), and survey and focus group data were analyzed in relation to Wenger’s four realms of CoP (community, practice, meaning, and identity). Findings revealed specific features of high impact assignments and PD experiences. The chapter concludes with implications for designing meaningful and effective PD experiences for immersion educators and others who teach in CBI settings.

Professional development is an important tool for supporting early childhood teachers in implementing developmentally appropriate practices and child-guided instruction in the classroom. This phenomenological study explored five U.S. novice early childhood education teachers’ experiences with professional development. Specifically, we explored how these teachers’ perceptions of their professional development experiences were interwoven with individual-level characteristics and organizational-level features. Findings suggest that participating teachers’ self-efficacy and perceptions of school climate strongly influenced their perceptions of professional development. Participants described valuing hands-on learning opportunities and social support. All reported feeling unprepared for certain aspects of their role as an early educator; however, participants responded to these feelings differently. Findings have implications for improving induction and professional development for novice early childhood educators.

The purpose of this study was to better understand teacher tensions in professional development. The population under study was practicing mathematics teachers engaged in a week-long professional development institute. Data sources included observations, interviews, and teacher products (such as registration forms, surveys, journals, and notebooks). The data were analyzed to determine what tensions were evident in the institute and how those tensions arose. In this paper, we examine participants’ tensions in a professional development situation when their expectations did not match reality. We have done so by presenting a theoretical model of professional development based on an instructional rhombus that illuminates the actual and applicatory aspects of teachers’ professional development experiences. The main tensions expressed by the teachers were related to the content and pedagogy of the institute. This study points toward the importance of teachers’ expectations in professional development.

Transition to Practice: Onboarding Components for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments.

Women in Anesthesiology Leadership: The Time is Now

Fostering teacher beliefs (TB) and self-efficacy (TSE) towards multilingualism in class is key for the successful implementation of linguistically responsive teaching (LRT) aiming to support multilingual students, who are often disadvantaged in class. However, TB and TSE towards multilingualism have not been examined together within a longitudinal LRT intervention. Therefore, 44 teachers were trained in a professional development (PD) workshop about LRT, which they then implemented in their regular German classes. TB and TSE were measured longitudinally (TB pre-PD, post-PD and post-implementation, TSE post-PD and post-implementation). TB significantly improved through PD and remained stable during implementation, while TSE significantly decreased, probably due to unexpected challenges to motivate multilingual students to use their family languages. TB and TSE were moderately correlated when measured at the same time. Longitudinally, post-PD TSE had a positive effect on post-implementation TB when controlling for post-PD TM, but post-PD TB had no effect on post-implementation TSE when controlling for post-PD TSE. Overall, TB remained positive during the implementation of LRT without decreasing along with TSE. Hence, this study makes optimistic for improving TB through PD, but also emphasises that TSE needs further support during implementation.

In recent years, professional development has become a topic of an increasing amount of research. However, studies are often general in nature or focused on beginning teachers specifically. Recently, researchers have begun to explore professional development over the course of a teacher’s entire career. The purpose of this study was to investigate the professional development needs of a particular population of experienced teachers: those known as second-stage teachers, commonly defined as teachers who have experience of 4 to 10 years and have passed the “survival years.” Research questions were as follows: (a) How do second-stage music teachers describe their professional development experiences? and (b) How do second-stage music teachers perceive their professional development needs? Findings are organized into the following themes: forms of professional development, professional development needs at different times, obstacles to professional development, and concerns about a lack of professional development.

Narrating professional development trajectories in the context of the Statecraft X game-based learning curriculum

Both local and international research converge on the finding that correctional educators (CEs) are key in the rehabilitation of incarcerated students. Nevertheless, a gap remains in understanding how CEs’ experiences affect their pedagogy and professional identity within the correctional environment. To address this gap, this study investigated the experiences of CEs and how teaching at a South African correctional facility influenced their pedagogy and professional identity. A phenomenological research design, embedded in the qualitative research approach and grounded in the Professional Identity Formation (PIF) framework, was adopted using an interpretivist approach. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit 11 participants, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. The findings revealed an ageing workforce with substantial teaching experience, often transitioning from mainstream to correctional education, suggesting a strong emotional connection to the teaching profession. Despite numerous challenges, including a shortage of CEs and teaching resources, and a lack of sustainable professional development opportunities, CEs expressed a strong desire for continuous professional learning and institutional support in pursuit of their professional growth and empowerment. This study contributes to the scholarship of prison education by identifying challenges affecting the professional development of CEs while also offering recommendations to enhance their professional effectiveness and the responsiveness of the institutional support they yearn for, such as the allocation of adequate resources and investment in ongoing professional development.

Studies of teacher professional development (PD) have found that PD is more effective when it coheres with teacher beliefs and local policy contexts. Recently, however, many states and districts have experienced sudden policy shifts that pose a challenge to PD alignment. Legislation and other efforts to ban critical race theory and so-called divisive concepts have created a hostile environment for teachers to engage in equity-oriented work. How should PD respond to the growing possibility that school and district policy contexts may not align with teachers’ commitments to serve all students and the public good? In this essay, we describe how our recent PD experience prompted us to rethink traditional conceptualizations of PD−context alignment, using insights from complexity theory. We offer a revised PD theory of change that recognizes contexts, not as external influences, but rather as central to PD design, malleable, and able to be influenced by teachers themselves.