Abstract:
Teachers face ongoing challenges in their practice, such as educational reforms, new policies, and implementing digital tools. They often feel overwhelmed when addressing these challenges on their own. Therefore, participating in professional development (PD) is vital in supporting teachers and helping them access the necessary knowledge and resources. Effective PD changes teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and skills, improves classroom practices and student achievement. However, the landscape of PD is evolving due to technological advances and disruptive global events. These changes are shifting how PD is delivered and expanding what activities are considered PD. While there is substantial research on the effectiveness of traditional in-person PD, research on newer forms of PD, such as online PD (OPD), is limited.
Formal OPD, delivered through websites and online courses, has gained popularity due to its advantages over in-person PD, such as time flexibility, faster access to personalized information, and lower participation costs. Informal OPD via social media and online communities also shows potential for immediate answers and easy access to information. Despite promising results on OPD’s effectiveness on teachers, comprehensive literature on its impact on classroom practice and student achievement remains scarce. Consequently, OPD still faces challenges establishing itself as a credible alternative to in-person PD.
I propose a model that describes PD across two dimensions: modality (in-person or online) and formality (formal or informal). These dimensions provide a framework for understanding the diverse impacts of OPD, which this dissertation explores through two key research questions and three empirical studies. Firstly, it answered through a meta-analysis whether participation in OPD leads to changes and improved outcomes at the teacher, classroom practice, and student levels (Study 1). After assessing the general effectiveness of OPD, it explores how participation in informal OPD, particularly within online communities, impacts and shapes teachers’ classroom practices by analyzing longitudinal data in the context of a nationwide reform (Study 2) and by investigating teacher online communities (Study 3).
This dissertation provides a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of OPD participation. It reveals that formal and informal OPD can directly influence teacher-level outcomes (Study 1), classroom-level outcomes (Studies 1, 2, and 3), and student achievement (Study 1). Investigating the effectiveness of OPD participation is crucial for establishing its role as an important opportunity for teacher PD and ensuring it receives the same level of credibility as traditional in-person PD. Based on the findings of this dissertation, I advocate for the widespread adoption of OPD, as these insights could significantly enhance the future of teacher PD.
teacher professional development