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Effectiveness of Online Professional Development for Teachers: A Meta-Analysis
Thu, April 21, 11:30am to 1:00pm PDT (11:30am to 1:00pm PDT), San Diego Convention Center, Floor: Upper Level, Room 11AAbstract
Purpose. This study reports on a meta-analysis examining associations of teacher online professional development (OPD) participation with teacher, classroom, and student level outcomes.
Perspective. In the last decades, online PD (OPD) programs have become more popular as they provide teachers with more flexible, cheaper, and easier access to personalized information (e.g., Dede et al., 2016). Studies that investigate the effectiveness of teacher OPD participation often find positive associations with outcomes at the teacher, classroom, and student level (Fisher et al., 2010; Frumin et al., 2018; Marquez et al., 2016). Even though there are many published OPD studies, including some systematic reviews focusing on specific features of OPD programs or subjects-related content (e.g., Bragg et al. 2021, Guàrdia-Olmos, 2013; Macià & García, 2016), no research has yet been conducted to systematically quantify effect sizes through a meta-analysis.
Methods and Data. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis was conducted by following the PRISMA statement for meta-analyses (Page et al., 2021), utilizing Google Scholar, ERIC, PsycINFO, and Web of Science as well as a systematic manual search through educational journals with high impact factor.
We identified 7,515 original articles, dissertations, and conference articles. This literature was (pre)-screened based on the following inclusion criteria: (a) the study was published in English; (b) the study was published between 2005 and 2020; (c) the sample involved in-service teachers; (d) teachers participated exclusively in an OPD program (e) the OPD program targeted improvements on at least one of three levels of impact: teacher level (e.g., teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, skills, beliefs), classroom level (e.g., classroom practice), and student level (e.g. students achievement, knowledge, self-efficacy); and (f) studies used experimental or quasi-experimental research designs. Currently, 100 studies were found to be eligible for the final sample, not including recent studies from the year 2020 and studies we will obtain by contacting the authors. The studies are coded independently by trained coders (interrater reliability: 0.6≤Fleiss Kappa≤0.8).
Results. Several mediator, moderator and covariate variables were considered for the analysis including OPD objectives, platform of delivery (e.g., online courses, multimedia websites, online communities) and specific OPD activities (e.g., video watching, networking, journaling, emotional support), among others. Currently, over 200 effect sizes across the teacher/classroom and student levels could be obtained. Pre-final analyses indicate positive effects of OPD participation on outcomes on the teacher, classroom, and student level.
Scholarly Significance. This study is the first to give a comprehensive overview on the effectiveness on OPD participation. In the presentation we will provide a detailed report on the effects that have shown up. It can be viewed as an encouragement for policymakers and educational stakeholders to design and offer more OPD opportunities. Similarly, teachers may also be encouraged to incorporate participation in OPD in their suite of PD activities.