Second-Stage Music Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Professional Development

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 qualitative investigation followed a narrative inquiry research approach to determine how 5 teachers, identified as efficacious and committed to life-long learning, perceived the experiences of their professional development. In-depth interviews were conducted to answer two research questions: 1) how do efficacious teachers perceive professional development experiences? 2) which professional development experiences do efficacious teachers consider the most and least important in terms of improving instruction? Data analyses included transcribing, coding, and constructing five narratives. Findings indicated that teachers value professional development experiences that offer relevant knowledge, time for reflective thinking, practical knowledge, and empowerment to make better choices regarding instruction. It was also highlighted that the lack of time, and lack of discussing ideas or problems with colleagues was barriers teachers confronted when applying new learning. On these bases some suggestions were made to be given due consideration.

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.

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.

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.

This study describes preservice teachers' beliefs about teaching mathematics for social justice (TMSJ) after experiencing a two‐part professional development (PD) workshop on the subject. The research question is: To what degree does a PD experience, designed by a preservice teacher, influence preservice teachers' beliefs about TMSJ? The lead author is a preservice teacher who designed and enacted two workshops for education majors at Midwest University. Results indicated that preservice teachers' beliefs were statistically significantly different, with their beliefs trending toward “more strongly agree” about TMSJ after the two‐part PD. There was also less variance in their responses to the survey after the PD compared to before it. This research offers (a) a narrative of preservice teacher‐driven PD and (b) a rich description of a PD for preservice teachers, thus adding to prior literature about in‐service teachers' outcomes.

An electronic survey was used to conduct a needs and capacity assessment of health education faculty to determine the extent to which advocacy instruction is present in undergraduate and graduate curricula in health education and to identify faculty members' needs and capacity to provide professional preparation and development experiences related to advocacy. An analysis of the results reveals that most undergraduate and graduate health education programs include advocacy instruction. Although faculty believe advocacy and instruction related to advocacy are important, many lack advocacy-related professional preparation and development experiences and do not participate in advocacy-related training initiatives and advocacy activities. There is wide variability in faculty confidence in their competence to provide advocacy instruction. Partnerships among professional organizations, health education practitioners, university faculty, individuals engaged in policy advocacy initiatives, and policy makers are needed to enhance the capacity of university faculty to provide professional preparation and development experiences related to advocacy.

In a political climate in which intellectual freedom, particularly regarding Critical Race Theory (CRT) and other diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) concepts are under attack, courses with DEI content are especially relevant. Examining Library and Information Studies (LIS) curriculum within the United States, scholars have repeatedly found DEI content, despite being foundational to the LIS profession, is insufficient in preparing future LIS professionals. Scholars, throughout decades of research within LIS education, have explored various lines of inquiry, including multicultural LIS education (Carter, 1978), recruitment challenges that contribute to a lack of diversity (Childers and Adams, 1972), trainings, and professional development opportunities to better serve diverse populations (Simsova, 1980), and LIS curricula at institutions across the United States (Cohen, 1980). More recent scholarship has provided innovative efforts and approaches regarding recruitment, curriculum, and pedagogy, while also presenting the necessity to expand conceptions of diversity within LIS education (Adkins, Virden, & Yier, 2015; Jaeger et al., 2015; Roy, 2015). Despite extant literature and professional attention to DEI issues, the LIS education, and the profession at large, remains largely White (Bajjaly & Drulia, 2021) and can improve (Chancellor, 2019; DuMont, 1986; Jaeger et al., 2011; Mestre, 2010; Ndumu & Chancellor, 2021). The focus on these issues within LIS education is significant for the training of future LIS professionals as, once employed, opportunities for additional training are limited given the one-shot nature of many professional development opportunities.
 This presentation describes one attempt to effectively incorporate DEI content, specifically cultural competence, into a 4-week continuing education course in which participants can incorporate material into their professional activities via the critical incident technique and reflective journaling. After discussing existing scholarship regarding LIS education to establish the need for concerted efforts to implement useful and actionable approaches to DEI concepts, the presentation describes a continuing education course in which the critical incident technique and reflective journaling are offered as tools to effectively translate coursework into professional practice. A common, although not universal, approach to DEI and cultural competence training within LIS is one-off workshops, with many professional development opportunities limited by nature of their delivery. The present course’s emphasis on continual reflection via journaling and the critical incident technique addresses the limitations of many professional development opportunities.
 The presentation discusses a variety of topics pertinent to LIS curriculum. Instructional modality offers both opportunities and challenges, both of which this presentation addresses. As an online course, striking a balance between asynchronous content with synchronous meetings presents possibilities to check understanding and promote student engagement. As a continuing education course – a form of professional development – necessitates an understanding of educators that students’ schedules are full and, as working professionals, they have demands on their time that affect engagement. includes suggestions for professionals and educators to keep up to date with emerging research (e.g., the move from cultural competence to cultural humility within recent scholarship), incorporating course content into required LIS curriculum, and outlines avenues for future research.

As with many districtwide reform efforts, the San Diego reform sought to improve classroom instruction by focusing on building the capacity of teachers. This article examines practices of teacher professional development in the district and their impact on literacy instruction. Through examination of the literature on effective professional development, school staff's conceptions of what makes professional development effective, and detailed data on professional development experiences from 100 elementary teachers, we explore the extent to which characteristics of effective professional learning align with what is actually taking place in schools. We also examine relationships between professional development characteristics and teachers' use of instructional practices that have been shown to predict student growth in reading comprehension. We find that professional development characterized by an emphasis on content and curriculum and that incorporates coaching is related to a higher frequency of this type of instruction.

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

Research Findings: This article presents a naturalistic investigation of the patterns of formal education, early childhood education training, and mentoring of a diverse group of urban early childhood educators participating in the Los Angeles: Exploring Children's Early Learning Settings (LA ExCELS) study. A total of 103 preschool teachers and family child care providers serving primarily low-income 3- and 4-year-old children in Los Angeles County provided data on their education, training, and beliefs about teaching. This sample worked in public center-based preschool programs including Head Start classrooms and state preschool classrooms (n = 42), private nonprofit preschools including community-based organizations and faith-based preschools (n = 42), and licensed family child care homes (n = 19). This study used a person-centered approach to explore patterns of teacher preparation, sources of support, supervision, and mentoring across these 3 types of education settings and how these patterns are associated with early childhood educators' beliefs and practices. Findings suggest a set of linkages between type of early education setting, professional development, and supervision of teaching. Public preschools have the strongest mandates for formal professional development and typically less variation in levels of monitoring, whereas family child care providers on average have less formal education and more variability in their access to and use of other forms of training and mentorship. Four distinct patterns of formal education, child development training, and ongoing mentoring or support were identified among the educators in this study. Associations between professional development experiences and teachers' beliefs and practices suggest the importance of higher levels of formal training for enhancing the quality of teacher–child interactions. Practice or Policy: Implications of the findings for changing teacher behaviors are discussed with respect to the setting context.

In Malaysia, the work of music studio teachers outside of schools and in private settings is unregulated and teachers have limited access to professional development opportunities. Globally, research on the professional development of music teachers has mostly focused on classroom music teachers, where professional development is often mandated and official support provided. However, little is known about how music studio teachers view professionalism and how they access professional development in this context, nor what this development means for them. For this interpretative phenomenological analysis, we interviewed 12 piano teachers who work in Malaysia to understand the meanings of professionalism and professional development for them. Individual themes that arose from within-case analysis were conceptually combined to form eight superordinate themes. The first four superordinate themes relate to understandings of professionalism. Participants described a professional pride which involves not only a love and enjoyment of music and of teaching, but also manifests flexibility and responsiveness; it entails both teacher and student performing and understanding music, and demonstrates relationality, communication skills, and a positive character. The remaining four superordinate themes relate to understandings of professional development, including the ideas that professional development requires proactivity, that professional development opportunities are affected by environmental and material factors, that professional connections affect development, and finally that training, experience, and mentorship support professional development. In this article, we posit that the lack of formal structures in Malaysia means that professionalism is self-determined by the teacher, while professional development relies on the individual commitment and motivation of teachers. Teachers need greater access to support systems or learning opportunities, and the move to online teacher support sessions due to the COVID disruptions offers some opportunities for supporting professional development more effectively.

One process for retaining experienced, qualified teachers is to provide them with opportunities to grow professionally (Blasé & Blasé, 2001). The intent of this paper is to provide information about meeting the needs of experienced, qualified rural teachers, especially in the area of professional development. A story line of one rural science teacher’s journey with professional development opportunities and experiences is shared. Her principal’s role is also described. Also included is a comparison between the teacher’s experiences and research about professional development. The paper concludes with recommendations for those involved in rural schools, especially in administrative positions will be shared. The recommendations focus on strengthening professional development opportunities and experiences for teachers.

Social emotional well-being has a direct effect on school performance. Students who engage in prosocial peer interactions and feel a connectedness to school are more likely to experience growth in their social emotional competence and academic performance. Often, students who live in high stress environments come to school with inadequate skills in this area, affecting their ability to self-regulate, attend, and interact with others. However, these skills can be directly taught to students and improved through regular instruction and practice. Mindfulness practices serve as a gateway skill for developing social emotional well-being and are becoming more commonly used in the school setting. Using the perspectives of elementary teachers in Pennsylvania who have attended professional development and thus implemented mindfulness practices into their classrooms, an instrumental case study was conducted. The study explored how teachers describe the effects of mindfulness practices on their students' social emotional well-being, classroom climate, and overall academic performance. Nine elementary teachers in public schools in Pennsylvania participated in the study, which included a semi-structured interview and completion of a participant journal. All teachers had participated in at least eight hours of district-provided professional development series and had implemented mindfulness practices into their classrooms at least three times per week. The interviews were analyzed to gain insight into the participants' perspectives of their professional development, their personal and professional experiences with mindfulness practices, and the perceived effects of mindfulness practices on the students in their classrooms. Four thematic findings emerged: (a) opportunities for professional development, (b) personal mindfulness practices of teachers, (c) social emotional learning and mindfulness practices in the classroom, and (d) the effects of mindfulness practices on students in the classroom setting. From the findings, four results were drawn regarding the implications of implementing mindfulness in school settings. First, teachers expressed the need and desire for ongoing, supported professional development. Secondly, the teacher serves as a model in the classroom, establishing an environment in which desired, prosocial behaviors and social emotional competence are modeled for students. Thirdly, the data analysis showed that the implementation of mindfulness practices can serve as a means to develop social emotional competence in students. Finally, the analysis of participant responses indicated that mindfulness practices had a positive effect on student learning and classroom interactions. The study concluded and recommended implementing mindfulness practices into school settings with potential benefits for administrators and teachers as well as students. This recommendation begins with recognizing the importance of social emotional learning for students and supporting both pre-service and practicing teachers in the development of their own social emotional well-being. Given the impact of social emotional learning on all facets of education, administrators and educational leaders should advocate for support and funding for programs that would support social emotional development in school settings. Recommendations for future research include expanding the study to additional sites or extended years of implementation, an in-depth examination of professional development opportunities and structure, consideration of the educational leader's role in encouraging social emotional learning and self-care for educators, analysis of mindfulness programs implemented with fidelity, and the addition of student and family perceptions of mindfulness practices into the current research base. Keywords: social emotional learning, mindfulness practices, prosocial classroom, emotional intelligence, professional development