Exploring teacher change in response to a professional development program

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This study examined the process of change for a group of teachers who took part in the Schools Attuned (SA) Program: a professional development program designed to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to address the diverse learning needs of students. According to the literature on teacher change, the relationships between teacher professional development programs and changes in teachers’ beliefs and practices are quite complex. In order to shed light on the change processes triggered by the SA Program, this study drew on techniques of qualitative inquiry to gain an in-depth understanding of how individual teachers changed their behaviors and thinking during their first year of involvement with the program. The research questions driving this study focused on understanding how participants implemented the SA Program and how the program impacted participants’ thinking about their students and how students learn. These research questions dealt primarily with process as opposed to outcomes, making a qualitative approach the most appropriate mode of inquiry. The unit of analysis was the teachers themselves, although the contextual factors that impacted program use were also examined. Findings suggest two paths by which teacher change occurs, referred to as “selfsustained change” and “generative change,” and offers a number of implications for teacher professional development programs and future research in the area of teacher change.

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	Exploring teacher change in response to a professional development program	2019-04-10	Public	Download