The Story of my Action Research Project
Currently, this action research project is still in the implementation stage and is scheduled to be completed Spring, 2019. There are several analyses that can be offered to show that this action research project has been implemented as intended. This process evaluation will help improve future activities as we track and compare program information over the next year.
First, we can see several interesting data points from the MCISD Attendance Trends in Wisdomwhere in 2017 (Appendix C). To start, it's important to point out that fourteen of the professional development events took place during the school day, between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm. Thirteen events took place outside of the school day, between 7:00 am - 8:00 am, or 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm.
First, we can see several interesting data points from the MCISD Attendance Trends in Wisdomwhere in 2017 (Appendix C). To start, it's important to point out that fourteen of the professional development events took place during the school day, between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm. Thirteen events took place outside of the school day, between 7:00 am - 8:00 am, or 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm.
Attendance at events that were offered during the school day averaged 38% compared to 19% attendance rates outside of school hours. This shows a clear need for professional development during school hours.
The results of the MCISD Job-Embedded PD Pre-Survey from Fall 2017 (Appendix A), showcased the detailed responses from seventeen job-embedded professional development participants. While the survey was optional, the responses we received were informational and insightful. We found that eight participants had not attended any professional development at MCISD in 2017, and 7 attended between 1 - 4 times. Only two members attended PD at MCISD 5 or more times in 2017.
Interestingly, more than half of respondents reported that they felt they used technology at an intermediate level, with five respondents selecting beginner and three selecting that they were advanced and/or willing to teach others. From the seventeen respondents, all participants except one reported that they mostly used technology with students to work individually in the classroom. It is a common, research-based practice to utilize group work in the classroom, and using technology to do so is no exception. This data will help focus our attention moving forward in this study and our implementation with job-embedded professional development topics.
It is important to establish a baseline for measuring the impact of job-embedded PD participation to teacher perceptions of the ISD. The question was asked, "When you have an instructional technology question, who do you ask for assistance?" The respondents could select as many answers as possible including, "Co-workers, students, MCISD Teacher Tech Coaches, District Tech Director," and, "The Internet". Of the responses, only four responded that they would ask an MCISD Teacher Tech Coach. When asked why they chose the answer, 14 responded that they knew the person they asked would have the answer and that it was convenient to ask them. To me, these responses indicate that we are asking the correct question about whether building relationships with teachers will increase contact and affect ISD perceptions.
When asked about why the participants chose to participate in job-embedded professional development, responses ranged from camaraderie among peers, to easy to attend, and to gain knowledge. Since job-embedded PD is offered during the school day, 30% of respondents said that it is easy to attend. This aligns closely with MCISD Attendance Trends in Wisdomwhere in 2017 (Appendix C) findings that PD attendance during the day was almost double that outside of school hours.
The findings from the free-response questions of PD attendance influences through ISD offerings showed that roughly 64% of respondents felt PD needed to be relevant. In addition, one can inference that the PD at MCISD may not be as relevant to these teachers and thus, they attend job-embedded PD because it is personalized and relevant. Finally, 21.4% do not have the time to attend PD at MCISD, and 14.3% do not attend because of the location of the ISD.
The findings from the free-response questions of PD attendance influences through ISD offerings showed that roughly 64% of respondents felt PD needed to be relevant. In addition, one can inference that the PD at MCISD may not be as relevant to these teachers and thus, they attend job-embedded PD because it is personalized and relevant. Finally, 21.4% do not have the time to attend PD at MCISD, and 14.3% do not attend because of the location of the ISD.
Overall, the critical questions we are seeking to answer will be answered by the data sets from which we are implementing and receiving data. The two programs we are running have been implemented with fidelity and are appropriate indicators on whether job-embedded professional development will impact teacher technology use, teacher perceptions of the ISD, and teacher relationships with ISD teacher technology coaches.