Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Maureen Ellis

Abstract

Despite increased district-provided professional development (PD) opportunities for teachers to improve classroom instruction, there has been a steady decline of academic achievement at an intermediate school in a large urban school district in the southwestern United States. One of the factors campus administrators attributed the lack of student success to was that the district does not provide PD that is effective in changing in intermediate schoolteachers’ instructional practices. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore intermediate schoolteachers’ perceptions of the impact PD provided by the district has on their classroom instruction, as well as the impact these trainings have on teacher self-efficacy. The constructivist theory of learning, Knowles’ theory of andragogy, and Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy were the conceptual framework for this basic qualitative study. Using a purposeful sample, data were collected via semistructured, face-to-face interviews with 10 intermediate schoolteachers and a focus group interview with an additional seven teachers. Data were analyzed using an inductive comparative process in which four themes emerged supporting the research question: (a) limited content-specific PD opportunities, (b) time/date conflict to attend PD, (c) repetitive PD topics, and (d) lack of differentiated PD for novice and veteran teachers. Findings from this study indicate that district-provided PD had no impact on the participants’ classroom instruction or self-efficacy. A policy recommendation was developed based upon the results of the study; it is intended to help district leaders create a new policy for PD specific to new teachers. This study can promote positive social change by explaining the benefits of providing new teachers with the ongoing support and training they need as transition into their new roles in the classroom.

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