When Change Is Incremental: Using a Piecewise Model to Capture Growth

• In Event: 49.061 - Advanced Modeling Strategies for Longitudinal, Multilevel, and/or Survey Data

Abstract

Expecting teachers to grow dramatically as a result of professional development is not usually reasonable. Teachers change incrementally and their growth isn’t always linear. Piecewise models provide a way of dividing time into meaningful sections that make the different features of change at each phase visible. The purpose of this study was to compare the growth in literacy beliefs of early educators participating in a professional development program using a multilevel linear growth model vs. a piecewise growth model. The piecewise model provided more information about the patterns of teachers’ growth than did the linear model. Examining a piecewise model of growth can be useful in determining the effects of professional development on teacher growth and aid in planning.

Authors

• Susan Anderson Mauck, The Ohio State University - Columbus

• Jennifer Riggie, The Ohio State University - Columbus

• Ann A. O'Connell, The Ohio State University

• Shayne B. Piasta, The Ohio State University

• Laura M. Justice, The Ohio State University