An Investigation of the Effects of Using a LISTSERV Discussion Group After Traditional Workshops to Sustain Staff Development: Training K-12 Teachers to Use Internet Resources

Three staff development workshops were conducted with 25 teachers in a rural school district in the Southeast. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group and asked to complete a pre-survey measuring their Internet usage, confidence, and self-efficacy. Participants in the experimental group kept in daily contact with the researcher/workshop trainer via the LISTSERV. During the last workshop, a post-survey was administered to determine if changes in teachers ’ behavior, confidence, or self-efficacy occurred. In addition, interviews were conducted with six of the participants from the experimental group. Results of the statistical analysis indicated that, although there were significant gains in Internet usage for both groups, there was no statistical difference between the experimental and control group on the post-survey with regard to Internet usage, confidence, or self-efficacy. However, teachers in the control group reported in qualitative interviews that they benefited from the sustained interaction, convenience, and teacher collaboration and they reported higher levels of confidence as a result of participating in the LISTSERV. In addition, teacher create