Publication Date

5-2019

Date of Final Oral Examination (Defense)

2-28-2019

Type of Culminating Activity

Dissertation

Degree Title

Doctor of Education in Educational Technology

Department

Educational Technology

Supervisory Committee Chair

Jesús Trespalacios, Ph.D.

Supervisory Committee Member

Lida J. Uribe-Flórez, Ph.D.

Supervisory Committee Member

Kerry Lynn Rice, Ph.D.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The studies in this dissertation were designed to develop an understanding of the impact of personalized professional learning experiences for K-12 teachers. These studies took place in a large, preK-12, public school district in the Southwest region of the United States. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodology, these studies measured the growth of teachers’ perceptions of their ability to work with technology tools and their self-efficacy towards integrating technology purposefully to improve the learning experiences of their students, as well as delving into the personal experiences of select teachers in the program. The Core Conceptual Framework for teacher professional development (Desimone, 2009), theories of personalized learning (Pane, Steiner, Baird, & Hamilton, 2015), and self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1997) served as the theoretical framework for examining these experiences.

The quantitative results of both studies showed a significant improvement in teachers’ technology skills and self-efficacy toward integrating technology in the classroom after the personalized professional learning program. The interview findings of the second study revealed that the elements of personalization that produced the most positive learning experiences for the teachers interviewed were choice, coherence, and support. The challenges that were revealed in the interview process were an increased need for content specific courses demonstrating technology integration, a desire for increased community of practice among teachers in the program, and the overarching struggles of teaching as a practice. Based on the findings of these studies, recommendations were developed to support increased personalization and improved teacher learning experience.

DOI

10.18122/td/1525/boisestate

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