Effects of Teacher Professional Development on Young Students' Literacy Outcomes: A Literature Review

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: Poster 18: Literacy

Abstract

Professional development (PD) is thought to improve teachers’ instruction, howeverfew studies of PD in early literacy examine the impact of the PD on child outcomes (Markussen-Brown et al., 2017). We examined studies of PD in early literacy that included teacher and child outcomes to determine how PD is studied, PD characteristics that lead to positive results and any barriers to PD’s effectiveness. Twenty-eight articles were coded to identify trends in PD research. We found that research is focusing on teacher practice and student’s foundational skills. PD seems to have a positive effect on teacher practice but has inconsistent effects on student learning. Time (both how long PD lasts and follow-up measurements) could be a barrier to improved student achievement.

Authors

• Tracy Johnson, University of Indianapolis

• Somin Park, The Ohio State University

• Emily M. Rodgers, The Ohio State University