External Factors Predicting the Perceived Usefulness of an Online Teacher Professional Learning Platform

• In Event: Teaching Practices and the Learning Sciences

Abstract

It is important to engage teachers in meaningful professional learning (PL) experiences that support their instruction. However, little is known about how external factors shape teachers’ perceptions of PL, particularly in online settings. This survey study examined how self-efficacy for teaching, prior experiences, and social context predict elementary teachers’ perceptions of the usefulness of an online teacher professional learning platform (TPLP) designed to support mathematics instruction. Logistic mixed-effects modeling revealed that teachers in lower-paying schools and those who visited the TPLP with colleagues were approximately twice as likely to find the platform useful for their learning and growth. This research advances theory surrounding technology acceptance in PL and offers implications for the design of TPLPs sensitive to teachers’ social environments.

Authors

• Amos Jeng, University of Michigan

• HaeJin Lee, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Hana Kearfott, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Sarah Burns, University of Chicago

• Cheryl Moran, University of Chicago

• George Vythoulkas, University of Chicago

• Joseph R. Cimpian, New York University

• Meg Bates, University of Illinois System

• Nigel Bosch, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Michelle Perry, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign