Educator Perceptions of Effective Professional Development: Insights for Design

• In Event: Teacher Perspectives on Professional Learning Experiences

Abstract

Many empirical studies have led researchers to identify key characteristics that indicate effective professional development (PD). However, few studies have attended to educators’ perceptions of PD characteristics across international contexts. Investigating educators’ perceptions of agreed-upon characteristics of effective PD would inform better design of PD within increasingly complex education systems around the globe. This article reported on an exploratory study utilizing latent class analysis (LCA) to identify similarities and distinctions in educator perceptions of characteristics of effective PD. Specifically, this study aimed to identify latent classes of educators whose perceptions of effective PD shared similar patterns across the global education systems. Results from these analyses provided insights into the design of PD that supports personalized professional learning experiences.

Authors

• Ling Zhang, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Richard Allen Carter, University of Wyoming

• Jihong Zhang, The University of Iowa

• Tiffany Hunt, University of Wyoming

• Christopher R Emerling, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Sohyun Yang, Fort Hays State University

• Fangjie Xu, Beijing Normal University