Briana Ghan

Date of Award

Summer 2021

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

William Morris

Second Advisor

Hengtao Tang

Abstract

The purpose of this action research was to explore how a blended collaborative approach to professional development can influence teachers’ efficacy, collective efficacy, and collaboration in high school teachers. Three questions guided this study: (a) How and to what extent does teacher efficacy change with participation in a blended collaborative form of professional development?, (b) How and to what extent does collective teacher efficacy change with participation in a blended and collaborative form of professional development?, and (c) How does participation in a blended collaborative form of professional development affect sharing amongst participants?

Bandura’s sources of efficacy and the characteristics of effective PD guided the development of a 6-week blended collaborative professional development. Participants (n = 15) were purposively selected based on three criteria, years of experience, content taught, and grade level. This study utilized a mixed-methods approach, wherein qualitative data helped support quantitative data. The quantitative data were collected through instruments on teachers’ self and collective efficacy. The qualitative data through exit interviews, online discussion posts, and participant reflections. Quantitative data were analyzed using a paired t-test, the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks tests, and other descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed inductively through multiple rounds of coding analysis. The results revealed a significant increase in both teacher efficacy and collective teacher efficacy after participation in the blended collaborative PD.

By participating in active learning opportunities teachers were able to share, implement, and reflect on their learning. Implications for this study include effective educational PD provider such as, instructional leadership teams, site, and district administration. Limitations of this study were the study design, study population, and proximity to the researcher.

Rights

© 2021, Briana Ghan

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