NSF-Teacher Professional Continuum - Texas Regional Collaboratives (TRC)

Funded

Project I.D.:  Instrument Development for Exploring the Professional Growth Continuum
The purpose of this research is to identify those pivotal experiences of career science teachers that have promoted their advancement along the teacher professional continuum.  The research uses behavior over time (BOT) graphing to capture the empowering professional growth opportunities teachers recall experiencing over the entire course of their careers and looks for patterns in those teacher experiences.  The study proposes that the professional development offered to teachers should recognize and address their needs and increase their sense of empowerment and is specifically focused on the TPC goals of encouraging research on effective professional development models and on advancing the knowledge base on enhancement and retention of STEM teachers.

The primary outcome of this exploratory study will be the development and pilot testing of a quantitative instrument that can be used to identify pivotal experiences that contribute to long-term teacher retention in a larger teacher sample.  Implications for use of the data include the identification and implementation of effective professional development models and experiences that enhance science teachers' retention and effectiveness at the appropriate career intervals.