Associating Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness With Teacher Change and Student Achievement in Mathematics Professional Development

• In Event: 61.086 - Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: 61.086-19 - Democratized Knowledge: Mathematics Teachers' and Researchers' Reciprocal Learning

Abstract

Summary
Professional development research has focused more on effective techniques and less on underlying causes of teacher change. Utilizing self-determination theory’s concept of internalization, we conjectured that teachers change when professional development offers prospects for autonomy, competence and relatedness. To explore this proposition, we conducted a concurrent mixed methods case study of a three-year mathematics professional development initiative in a low-performing urban high school. The professional development consisted of annual, 40-hour intensive content institutes during teachers’ off-track time, monthly 6-hour workshops during the school day, classroom coaching, and collaborative lesson planning.

Theoretical Framework
Influenced by both Guskey (1986) and Desimone (2009), we formulated the logic model underlying PD as follows: PD activities affect teacher knowledge and skills. Increased knowledge, when self-determined, manifests as modified instructional behavior. Modified instruction should then lead to improved student learning. Importantly, this formulation posits that a change in attitudes and beliefs is not necessary for teachers to change their instructional practices. If teachers’ needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness are met, they will be motivated to ‘test drive’ new techniques. Then, changes in belief occur as the result of teachers’ witnessing for themselves the effects of their behavior on students (see Figure 1).

FIGURE 1: Desimone Conceptual Framework for studying the effects of professional development on teachers and students

This model provides a way to break down professional development programs into components that can be measured. The arrows between the boxes represent the processes in this model. Between increased knowledge and a change in instruction, for example, teachers make a choice to change their practice.

Methods and Data Sources
The mixed-methods design found improved student achievement associated with teacher participation in professional development. Data sources included 1) pre-post teacher content knowledge assessment, 2) pre-post school culture survey, 3) classroom observations and 4) focus groups. Result found mixed evidence for increased teacher knowledge and changed instructional practice. Also, the evidence suggests that the professional development supported teachers’ needs for competence and relatedness, but not necessarily autonomy.

In this Working Group Roundtable session proposed to AERA Division K, Section 1, alongside the other participants I seek to explore:
1) While there were several external school factors during the three-year study (including layoffs, reconstitution, transitions from a multi-track, year round school to a single-track traditional school), how could the professional development intervention be designed in order to increase teachers’ autonomy?
2) Based on what was learned within this mixed-methods study, what are the conjectures about how increasing teachers’ autonomy could lead to increased students’ mathematics achievement in low-performing urban schools?

References
Desimone, L.S. (2009). Improving impact studies of teachers' professional development: Toward better conceptualizations and measures. Educational Researcher, 38(3),181-199, doi: 10.3102/0013189X08331140.

Guskey, T.R. (1986). Staff development and the process of teacher change. Educational Researcher, 15(5), 5-12. doi: 10.3102/0013189X015005005

Author

• Kyndall Allen Brown, University of California - Los Angeles