| Title: |
Effective Teacher Professional Development: New Theory and a Meta-Analytic Test |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Sam Sims (ORCID 0000-0002-5585-8202); Harry Fletcher-Wood; Alison O'Mara-Eves (ORCID 0000-0002-0359-6423); Sarah Cottingham; Claire Stansfield; Josh Goodrich; Jo Van Herwegen; Jake Anders (ORCID 0000-0003-0930-2884) |
| Source: |
Review of Educational Research. 2025 95(2):213-254. |
| Availability: |
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
42 |
| Publication Date: |
2025 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Information Analyses |
| Descriptors: |
Faculty Development; Theories; Educational Change; Teacher Motivation; Educational Practices; Intervention; Program Effectiveness; Educational Research; Academic Achievement; Student Improvement |
| DOI: |
10.3102/00346543231217480 |
| ISSN: |
0034-6543; 1935-1046 |
| Abstract: |
Multiple meta-analyses have now documented small positive effects of teacher professional development (PD) on pupil test scores. However, the field lacks any validated explanatory account of what differentiates more from less effective in-service training. As a result, researchers have little in the way of advice for those tasked with designing or commissioning better PD. We set out to remedy this by developing a new theory of effective PD based on combinations of causally active components targeted at developing teachers' insights, motivating change, developing teaching techniques, and then embedding these changes in teachers' practice. We test two important implications of the theory using data identified through a systematic review and meta-analysis of 104 randomized controlled trials, finding qualified empirical support for the theory. The main contribution of the article is to provide a testable theory of what makes PD more effective, which can be used to guide future empirical research on this topic. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2025 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1470831 |
| Database: |
ERIC |