Page 138 - Innovative Professional Development Methods and Strategies for STEM Education

Teachers’ Professional Development in the Digitized World

The face to face sessions and the digitized section of the course went smoothly. The teachers seemed
engaged in the activities they were doing and doing their tasks on time. They were also working in groups
and sharing their projects in the classroom with the other teachers. However, the researchers thought
an investigation about the teachers’ perspectives on the integration of technology throughout a blended
learning program was necessary. They wanted to find out how the teachers felt after the process of train-
ing. The researchers also aimed to find out the transfer of learning into their professional contexts and
changing practices in using educational technology and its effect on their teaching. This experiential and
hands-on training course would provide critical insights into the dimensions of development and teacher
change. The study will also focus on the reflections, feelings and experiences of teachers after the course.

METHODOLOGY

Research Questions

1. What are the expectations of the teachers from the digitized technology training course?
2. How did the participating teachers feel after the digitized training course (ETUSP)?
3. What was the impact of the digitized technology training course on the participating teachers?

Participants

Participant demographic information presented in Table 1.

Data Collection Tools

Data to evidence impact of the training n the teachers were collected three times in the following order
to triangulate the data sources.

1. Pre-course data
◦ Background information survey to reveal about the context
◦ Written report from the participating teachers in order to reveal the impact of the course on
their development

Table 1. Demographic information about the participants

Area of Teaching N Experience Gender
History 1 4-7 Male
Homeroom Teacher 4 3 - 17 4 Female
Mathematics 6 4-22 1 Female
5 Male
English 2 8-17 2 Female
Science and Technology 3 0-12 2 Female
1 Male
Turkish 1 8-12 Male
German 4 8-17 4 Female

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