A case study: Teacher professional development and its impact on the improvement of practice in one Ontario secondary school

This doctoral thesis focused on teacher professional development in one high school in Ontario, Canada, and explored how teachers perceived their emerging experiences as impacting on their practices. Administrators' perspectives on teacher professional development also were sought. Using a framework of adult learning, self-efficacy, collective efficacy and supervision for renewal, the study addressed the following questions: (1) How does a sample of high school teachers understand the definition and function of professional development? (2) How does the existing design and implementation of professional development contribute to teachers' respective practices? (3) What goals and aspirations do teachers have for professional development and how might those goals and aspirations contribute to their practices? (4) Are the school board's goals and aspirations for the design and implementation of professional development in conflict with or congruent with the goals and aspirations held by the teachers in the study? Key findings from in-depth interviews, validation surveys and observations revealed that the literacy initiative and mentoring for leadership programs were successful in promoting professional development of teachers. The present institutional teacher professional development programs, however, did not meet teachers' individual learning needs and had little or no sustained impact on their practices. Findings indicated that beginning teachers needed subject content and instructional strategies consistent with their assignments, mentoring, and skills in mapping the curriculum; mid-career teachers needed training on inclusive classrooms, opportunities for collaborative work, and career counseling; and experienced teachers needed challenges for renewal, mentoring in communications technology and student assessment, and opportunities for promotions. The study's findings contribute to a better understanding of what constitutes effective professional development for teachers, present evidence of the effects that professional development had on teachers' practices and student achievement, and suggest ways of connecting research, policy and practice. Keywords: adult learning, coherency, collective efficacy, learning community, self-efficacy, student achievement, supervision, and teacher professional development