An Exploration of Professional Development Needs and Opportunities Across Nine Counties Using the 2013 TALIS Teacher Questionnaire

Author(s):

Karen SealyKaren M. Sealy(presenting)S Marshall Perry Thomas C. DeNicola Hector X. Ramirez-Perez

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

01. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations

Format:

Paper

Session Information

01 SES 05 C, Micro, Meso and Macro Perspectives on Professional Development

Paper Session

Time:

2016-08-24

13:30-15:00

Room:

OB-H2.12

Chair:

Karen Sealy

Contribution

The proposed paper explores the connections between the professional development of teachers and the socioeconomic status of their students across nine countries, including Australia, Finland, Latvia, Mexico, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Romania, and the United States of America. Recent research (e.g., Chudgar & Luschei, 2009) provides strong support that the relative influence of student socioeconomic status upon student achievement varies markedly by economic context, including overall levels of poverty and inequality, across many countries. For the present study, researchers wished to examine the extent to which endogenous school resources, such as teacher professional development, varies by student socioecomic status. Researchers analyzed the data from 2013 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), teacher questionnaire in this quantitative study.

The objective of this paper is to respond to the following research questions:

How do teachers describe their need for professional development, in terms of subject matter, pedagogy, and teaching for diversity?
How do teachers describe their opportunities for professional collaboration and co-operation?
How do teachers of students with higher and lower socioeconomic status compare in their needs and opportunities for professional development?

Professional development for teachers provides ongoing opportunities for improved subject matter skills, as well as pedagogical improvements in teacher practice. According to the conceptual framework of the TALIS (2013), “Teachers’ professional development activities might be thought of as having two levels of effect: an effect on teaching practices and an effect on teachers’ levels of self-efficacy and job satisfaction” (p. 24). The findings of numerous research studies have indicated that participation in professional development specifically tailored to teachers’ needs and that is aligned with identified school improvement needs, enhances student achievement (Desimone, Porter, Birman, Garet, & Yoon, 2002; Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001).

Research studies have indicated that the quality of teaching has a great influence on the academic achievement of children (Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, & Wilkinson, 1985). Teacher capacity-building focusing on evidence-based instructional strategies has been found to be the most productive investment for schools and far exceeds the results of teacher experience or class size (Duffy-Hester, 1999; Greenwald, Hedges, & Laine, 1996). There has been an increase in the funding of professional development in high-poverty schools due to an apparent need; and research studies have explored the necessity for high-quality professional development in all academic settings (Williamson, Morrow, & Chou, 2008).

Creating a culture of collaboration in learning institutions has been described as the single most important factor for successful school improvement initiatives and the first order of business for educators seeking to enhance the effectiveness of their school (Eastwood & Louis, 1992). According to DuFour and Eaker (1998), educational institutions have a greater chance of transforming a school into a successful professional learning community and sustaining this success when teachers jointly develop curriculum and assessment practices, work together to develop and implement new programs and instructional methodologies, and collectively engage in continuous improvement practices.

Hargreaves and Fullan (2012) describe three kinds of capital that exist in schools and form what the authors call professional capital: human capital (the talent of individuals), social capital (the collaborative power of the group), and decisional capital (the wisdom and expertise to make sound judgments about learners that are cultivated over many years). According to Hargreaves and Fullan (2012) human and social capital are both important, but human capital is not as influential as social capital as a lead strategy. T When discussing the importance of social capital in schools, Hargreaves and Fullan (2012) stated, the best way leaders can support and motivate teachers is to create the conditions where they can be effective day after day, together.

Method

To answer the research questions, the researchers analyzed data from the 2013 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) teacher questionnaire. This paper employed stratified random sampling, descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests to address the objectives of the study. Researchers used Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 21 to conduct statistical analyses. In Australia, Finland, Latvia, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, and Romania, a small proportion of classes have 31% or more of students identified as being from socioeconomically disadvantaged homes. To create a comparative sample of less disadvantaged homes, researchers randomly sampled the valid cases with 30% or less within each country. The United States sample was already balanced, with the number of classes in each category differing by only 26. The resultant dataset included 24, 890 classes from the countries of Australia, Finland, Latvia, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Romania, and the United States. Approximately half of the classes were described by teachers as having 31% or more students from socioeconomically disadvantaged households; the remainder of classes had 30% or fewer students from socioeconomically disadvantaged households. Using this variable as the grouping variable, researchers conducted independent-samples t-tests within each country using the following variables: 2013 TALIS Teacher Questionnaire: • Effective Professional Development • Need for Professional Development in Subject Matter and Pedagogy • Need for Professional Development for Teaching Diversity • Exchange and Coordination Teaching • Professional Collaboration • Teacher Co-Operation

Expected Outcomes

Preliminary findings have informed the expected outcomes and results of this study. Researchers noted that Need for Professional Development was significantly different based upon student disadvantage in several countries, with teachers of classes with more disadvantaged students stating that they need more Professional Development in subject matter and pedagogy and for teaching diversity. This is particularly interesting in that responses regarding previous hours of previous effective professional development did not tend to differ significantly based on the proportion of disadvantaged students. Teachers of classes with higher proportions of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged homes tended to have higher levels of coordination, collaboration, and cooperation with their peers than teachers of classes with lower proportions of disadvantaged students. Many of these differences were statistically significant. While there were some variations in degree, the findings were also striking in that the responses across the nine countries were consistent overall. An expected outcome of this study includes significant need for professional development, as expressed by teachers, and greater need will be identified when considering the increased number of socioeconomically disadvantaged students in a classroom. Additional results are expected to include an increased amount of collaboration reported by teachers of students with greater socioeconomic needs. The initial findings are aligned with the literature on the importance of professional development as an important method of improving instruction. Additionally, these findings are aligned with the literature around the importance of professional teacher collaboration and improved student outcomes.

References

Anderson, R.C., Hiebert, E.F., Scott, J.A., & Wilkinson, I.A.G. (1985). Becoming a nation of readers: The report of the commission on reading. Washington, D.C: The National Institute of Education. Chudgar, A., & Luschei, T. F. (2009). National income, income inequality, and the importance of schools: A hierarchical cross-national comparison. American Educational Research Journal, 46(3), 626-658. Denson, K. (2001). Final Report: Reading and language arts grades K-6: 2000-01. Dallas, TX: Dallas Independent School District Assessment and Information Systems. Desimone, L. M., Porter, A. C., Birman, B. F., Garet, M. S., & Yoon, K. S. (2002). Effects of professional development on teachers' instruction: Results from a three-year longitudinal study. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 24 (2), 81-112. Duffy-Hester, A.M. (1999). Teaching struggling readers in elementary school classrooms: A review of classroom reading programs and principles for instruction. The Reading Teacher, 52(5), 480–495. DuFour, R., & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. Eastwood, K., & Louis, K. (1992). Restructuring that lasts: Managing the performance dip. Journal of School Leadership, 2(2), 213-224. Garet, M. S., Porter, A. C., Desimone, L. M., Birman, B. F., & Yoon, K. S. (2001). What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 38(4), 915-945. Greenwald, R., Hedges, L.V., & Laine, R.D. (1996) The effect of school resources on student achievement: Review of educational research. American Educational Research Association, 66(33), 361-396. Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional capital: Transforming teaching in every school. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Storch, S.A., & Whitehurst, G. J. (2002). Oral language and code-related precursors to reading: Evidence from a longitudinal structural model. Developmental Psychology, 38(6), 934-947 Wilkinson, L.C., Morrow, L.M., & Chou, V (Eds.). (2008). Improving literacy achievement in urban schools: Critical elements in teacher preparation. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Author Information

Karen Sealy

Dowling College

Islip Terrace

Karen M. Sealy (presenting)

Dowling College, United States of America

S Marshall Perry

Saint Mary's College of California

Bay Shore

Thomas C. DeNicola

Dowling College, United States of America

Hector X. Ramirez-Perez

College of Business en Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City Campus

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