Research on Teacher Professional Development Programs in Science

The Interconnected Model of Teacher Professional Growth provides a model of teacher change that reflects the dynamic relationships between four domains: personal domain of the teacher, practice domain, consequence domain, and external domain. Marshall and Alston used a quasi-experimental design to demonstrate the impact of an inquiry-focused Teacher Professional Development (TPD) for middle school teachers in diverse schools on improving student learning for all students and a narrowing of the achievement gap for minority students relative to White students. All TPD studies reviewed included some aspect of collaborative learning; however, what varied across TPD programs was the amount of time spent on individual learning vs. collaborative learning. For example, Research Experience for Teachers programs were individually placed within a research setting and developed their own independent work; however, opportunities existed throughout the TPD where teachers came together to share and learn together collectively.