Poster #15 - The Impact of Virtual Professional Development on Teachers' ESL Pedagogical and Content Knowledge

• In Event: 63.088 - MTCC Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: 63.088-3 - Division K Section 10: Teacher Educator Learning and Practice

Abstract

Teachers and school districts are increasingly turning to teacher virtual professional development (VPD; Author, 2015) to stay current and learn new pedagogical knowledge and skills. This study examined the improvement of in-service teachers’ English as a second language (ESL) pedagogical and content knowledge after participating in a VPD program designed for ESL and bilingual education teachers. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and t-tests were conducted with participant pre- and post-survey data (n=61). Results indicated a significant improvement in teachers’ ESL pedagogical and content knowledge after completing the program. There were also differences in teachers’ knowledge gains based on their location (i.e., rural, suburban, and urban).

Authors

• David Daniel Jimenez, Texas A&M University

• Shifang Tang, East Texas A&M University

• Kara Sutton-Jones, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Elsa Villarreal, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Rafael Lara-Alecio, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Beverly J. Irby, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Fuhui Tong, Texas A&M University - College Station