Assessing Teachers: ESL Pedagogical and Content Knowledge After Participation in a Virtual Professional Development Program

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Division K Roundtable Session 4

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 virtual professional development (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=100). 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

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

• Shifang Tang, East Texas A&M University

• 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

• Valerie Choron, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Mayra Danielle Vargas, Texas A&M University - College Station