"Differentiating for Teacher Learners: An Examination of Research in Pr" by Paula M. Uriarte

Publication Date

12-2023

Date of Final Oral Examination (Defense)

August 2023

Type of Culminating Activity

Dissertation

Degree Title

Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction

Department Filter

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies

Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies

Supervisory Committee Chair

Katherine L. Wright, Ph.D.

Supervisory Committee Member

Gena Nelson, Ph.D.

Supervisory Committee Member

Amber Warrington, Ph.D.

Supervisory Committee Member

Jim Fredricksen, Ph.D.

Abstract

Teachers need access to quality professional development (PD) to navigate the complexities of the teaching profession. An important aspect of this PD is that it is differentiated to meet the needs of teacher-learners with varying ability levels, teaching experiences, content knowledge, and teaching contexts. Stakeholders need access to high-quality research to attend to these diverse needs in PD. My dissertation consists of three connected Systematic Literature Review studies that examine the current quality of PD research at the secondary level, to determine what research says about differentiating for teacher-learners to provide guidance for education practitioners who make PD decisions. The first study is a systematic literature review to determine the current quality of PD research. Study II identified high-quality PD research and to what extent it supports differentiation practices. Study III is a review of three practitioner journals to determine to what extent the recommendations made in these journals are consistent with what the high-quality research supports. I concluded that while differentiation practices are beginning to make their way into PD research and conversations, more high-quality research is needed to identify effective ways PD can be tailored to meet the needs of individual teachers to ultimately improve student learning outcomes.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18122/td.2200.boisestate

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