What Should We Consider in Teachers’ Professional Development Impact Studies? Based on the Conceptual Framework of Desimone

Abstract

Teacher professional development has long been of interest since it affects teachers’ learning, the practice of teaching, and student learning. In reality, as substantial resources have been spent on professional development, policy makers increase their search for evidence-based research about its effects on teachers’ and students’ outcomes. Therefore, it is imperative to use a solid framework evaluating professional development. Specifically, Desimone (2009) provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the effect of professional development. Specifically, she represents that: 1) core features of effective professional development are content focused, active learning, coherence, duration, and collective participation; 2) the way this effective professional development affect teachers’ knowledge, their practice, and finally students’ learning; and 3) contextual factors such as student characteristics, teacher characteristics, and school characteristics are related to the effectiveness of professional development. Through this study, Desimone’s framework has been supported by both theoretical literature and empirical studies. Furthermore, some implications were provided for policy makers and school leaders as well as for teachers in Korea.

Share and Cite:

Kang, H. , Cha, J. and Ha, B. (2013) What Should We Consider in Teachers’ Professional Development Impact Studies? Based on the Conceptual Framework of Desimone. Creative Education, 4, 11-18. doi: 10.4236/ce.2013.44A003.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] Banilower, E. R., Heck, D. J., & Weiss, I. R. (2007). Can professional development make the vision of the standards a reality? The impact of the national science foundation’s local systemic change through teacher enhancement initiative. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44, 375-395. doi:10.1002/tea.20145
[2] Blank, R. K., de las Alas, N., & & Smith, C. (2007). Analysis of the quality of professional development programs for mathematics and science teachers: Findings from across-state study. Washington DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.
[3] Blank, R. K., de las Alas, N., & Smith, C. (2008). Does teacher professional development have effects on teaching and learning? Analysis of evaluation findings from programs for mathematics and science teachers in 14 states. Washington DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.
[4] Borman, G. D., & Rachuba, L. T. (1999). Qualifications and professional growth opportunities of teachers in high-and low-poverty elementary schools. The Journal of Negro Education, 68, 366-381. doi:10.2307/2668108
[5] Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18, 32-42. doi:10.3102/0013189X018001032
[6] Carpenter, T. P., Fennema, E., Peterson, P. L., Chiang, C. P., & Loef, M. (1989). Using knowledge of children’s mathematics thinking in classroom teaching: An experimental study. American Educational Research Journal, 26, 499-531. doi:10.3102/00028312026004499
[7] Cohen, D. K., & Hill, H. (2000). Instructional policy and classroom performance: The mathematics reform in California. The Teachers College Record, 102, 294-343. doi:10.1111/0161-4681.00057
[8] Corcoran, T. B. (2007). Teaching matters: How state and local policy makers can improve the quality of teachers and teaching. CPRE Research Brief No. RB-48. Philadelphia, PA: Consortium for Policy Research in Education.
[9] Desimone, L. M. (2009). Improving impact studies of teachers’ professional development: Toward better conceptualizations and measures. Educational Researcher, 38, 181-200. doi:10.3102/0013189X08331140
[10] Desimone, L. M. (2011). A primer on effective professional development. Phi Delta Kappan, 92, 68-71.
[11] Desimone, L. M., Porter, A. C., Garet, M. S., Yoon, K. S., & Birman, B. F. (2002). Effects of professional development on teachers’ instruction: Results from a three-year longitudinal study. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 24, 81-112. doi:10.3102/01623737024002081
[12] Desimone, L. M., Smith, T. M., & Ueno, K. (2006). Are teachers who need sustained, content-focused professional development getting it? An administrator’s dilemma. Educational Administration Quarterly, 42, 179-216. doi:10.1177/0013161X04273848
[13] Garet, M. S., Porter, A. C., Desimone, L., Birman, B. F., & Yoon, K. S. (2001). What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 38, 915-945. doi:10.3102/00028312038004915
[14] Greeno, J. G. (1998). The situativity of knowing, learning, and research. American Psychologist, 53, 5-26. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.53.1.5
[15] Guskey, T. R. (2000). Evaluating professional development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
[16] Guskey, T. R., & Sparks, D. (2002). Linking professional development to improvements in student learning. Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.
[17] Hawley, W., & Valli, L. (1999). The essentials of effective professional development: A new consensus. In L. Darling-Hammond, & G. Sykes (Eds.), Teaching as the learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice (pp. 127-150). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
[18] Heck, D. J., Banilower, E. R., Weiss, I. R., & Rosenberg, S. L. (2008). Studying the effects of professional development. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 39, 113-152.
[19] Hochberg, E. D., & Desimone, L. M. (2010). Professional development in the accountability context: Building capacity to achieve standards. Educational Psychologist, 45, 89-106. doi:10.1080/00461521003703052
[20] Ingvarson, L., Meiers, M., & Beavis, A. (2005). Factors affecting the impact of professional development programs on teachers’ knowledge, practice, student outcomes and efficacy. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 13.
[21] Kennedy, M. M. (1998). Form and substance in inservice teacher education. Research Monograph No. 13. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation.
[22] Little, J. W. (1993). Teachers’ professional development in a climate of educational reform. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 15, 129-151.
[23] Loucks-Horsley, S., & Matsumoto, C. (1999). Research on professional development for teachers of mathematics and science: The state of the scene. School Science and Mathematics, 99, 258-271. doi:10.1111/j.1949-8594.1999.tb17484.x
[24] Loucks-Horsley, S., Love, N., Stiles, K. E., Mundry, S. E., & Hewson, P. (2003). Designing professional development for teachers of science and mathematics (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
[25] Penuel, W. R., Fishman, B. J., Yamaguchi, R., & Gallagher, L. P. (2007). What makes professional development effective? Strategies that foster curriculum implementation. American Educational Research Journal, 44, 921-958. doi:10.3102/0002831207308221
[26] Phillips, K. J. R. (2010). What does “Highly qualified” mean for student achievement? Evaluating the relationships between teacher quality indicators and at-risk students’ mathematics and reading achievement gains in first grade. The Elementary School Journal, 110, 464-493. doi:10.1086/651192
[27] Putnam, R. T., & Borko, H. (2000). What do new views of knowledge and thinking have to say about research on teacher learning? Educational Researcher, 29, 4-15. doi:10.3102/0013189X029001004
[28] Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15, 4-14. doi:10.3102/0013189X015002004
[29] Smith, T. M., Desimone, L. M., & Ueno, K. (2005). “Highly qualified” to do what? The relationship between NCLB teacher quality mandates and the use of reform-oriented instruction in middle school mathematics. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 27, 75-109. doi:10.3102/01623737027001075
[30] Stein, M. K., Smith, M. S., & Silver, E. A. (1999). The development of professional developers: Learning to assist teachers in new settings in new ways. Harvard Educational Review, 69, 237-270.
[31] Supovitz, J. A. (2001). Translating teaching practice into improved student performance. In S. Fuhrman (Ed.), From the capitol to the classroom: Standards-based reform in the states (pp. 81-98). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
[32] Supovitz, J. A., & Turner, H. M. (2000). The effects of professional development on science teaching practices and classroom culture. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37, 963-980. doi:10.1002/1098-2736(200011)37:9<963::AID-TEA6>3.0.CO;2-0
[33] Wayne, A. J., Yoon, K. S., Zhu, P., Cronen, S., & Garet, M. S. (2008). Experimenting with teacher professional development: Motives and methods. Educational Researcher, 37, 469-479. doi:10.3102/0013189X08327154
[34] Wei, R. C., Darling-Hammond, L., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the United States and abroad. Dallas, TX: National Staff Development Council.
[35] Yoon, K. S., Duncan, T., Lee, S. W. Y., Scarloss, B., & Shapley, K. (2007). Reviewing the evidence on how teacher professional development affects student achievement. Issues and Answers Report, REL2007-No.033. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest.

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.