Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Development Experiences

This research explored classroom teachers' perceptions concerning their professional development experiences by replicating Lowden's (2003) professional development evaluation questionnaire based on Guskey's (2000, 2002) previous work in this area. Guskey's (2000, 2002) instruments were structured by three major categories and further divided into six levels of professional development evaluation. Teachers from a large western school district in the United States participated in this study. Teachers responded to the Professional Development Questionnaire, as well as three demographic questions pertaining to the individual. The questionnaire included teacher's' total number of years teaching experience, Title 1 status, and teachers' current grade level. Three research questions were used to guide this study to determine if there were any significant differences between the three demographic groups. The findings indicated that there were no significant differences between groups. The data revealed low means and total scores indicating that teachers disagreed or strongly disagreed with statements. Teachers' perceptions of professional development also suggested that professional development topics were irrelevant. Teachers affirmed that they received professional development but believed there was not enough time to implement into practice