Translating Knowledge to Rural Middle School Classrooms: Does a Teacher's Continuing Education and Self-Perception Matter?

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Fourteen
  In Roundtable Session: Praxis Turns: From Knowledge to Equitable Teaching (Table 7)

Abstract

With professional development opportunities readily available, educators are experiencing power over their own education and classroom skills, creating an interplay between new knowledge, self-competency, and quality of teaching. Using Motivation Systems Theory and logistical regression, 123 middle school teachers reported self-competency scores, which combined with observations scores, found that continuing education through graduate courses was a valid predictor of quality practices in the classroom. Further analysis indicated that the location, and thus access to resources, matter as teachers pursue these opportunities. These results strongly support the idea of continuing education in the form of graduate credits for teachers, however further research is needed to demonstrate how these acquired practices are integrated into the classroom.

Authors

• Virginia Clark, Clemson University
  Presenting Author

• Devan Jones, Clemson University
  Presenting Author