<p>The purpose of this study was to explore teacher experiences, attitudes, feelings, and beliefs regarding professional development in order to plan professional development in the future. Eighteen teachers, the elementary school improvement coordinator, and elementary principal were interviewed or participated in a focus group, in a semi-structured environment using a set of questions to gather data. Financial records for professional development expenditures, teacher credentials, agendas from professional development activities, school calendars, and grants were reviewed to get a better understanding of past professional development in the district. This research indicates that teachers: (a) are unsure whether professional development improves teacher quality and/or student achievement (b) have had a lot of diverse professional development experiences; (c) like professional development that is interactive, easily implemented, and applicable; (d) feel more time needs to be allocated for professional development; (e) do not feel they are involved in the planning process of professional development; and, (f) that there's a lack accountability, sustainability, and focus related to professional development. Implications can be generalized for all teachers, but more specifically, from this research for this individual district. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3572656 |
| Date | 02 October 2013 |
| Creators | Brown, Julie Miller |
| Publisher | Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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