The Mediating Role of School-Based Professional Communities in Professional Development and Effective Instruction

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: Working Together to Support Teacher Learning: Co-Teaching, Design Thinking, and Professional Learning Communities

Abstract

Despite their recognized importance of teachers’ professional learning, there is still a clear paucity of research on the field of professional development (PD) and instruction. This study addressed an important gap in the literature by taking a broad perspective in defining professional learning. Using a large-scale data set (TALIS), the interrelationships between the quality of PD experience, school-based professional communities (SBPC), and effective instruction were investigated using structural equation modeling. This theory-building study showed that PD quality, SBPC, and contextual factors were all statistically significant predictors of effective instruction. Unique to this study, the mediating role of SBPC has been underlined and future research directions were provided.

Authors

• Selcuk Dogan, Georgia Southern University

• Alyson J. Adams, University of Florida