Investigating the linkage between professional development and mathematics instructors’ use of teaching practices using the theory of planned behavior

Abstract

Professional development has been identified as an effective way to increase college STEM instructors’ use of research-based instructional strategies (RBIS) known to benefit student learning and persistence in STEM. Yet only a few studies relate professional development experiences to later teaching behaviors of higher education instructors. This study of 361 undergraduate mathematics instructors, all of whom participated in multi-day, discipline-based workshops on teaching held in 2010–2019, examined the relationship between such participation and later use of RBIS. We found that instructors’ RBIS attitudes, knowledge, and skills strengthened after participating in professional development, and their self-reported use of RBIS became more frequent in the first year after the workshop. Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior as a conceptual framework, we used a structural equation model to test whether this theory could explain the roles of workshop participation and other personal, professional and contextual factors in fostering RBIS use. Findings indicated that, along with workshop participation, prior RBIS experience, class size, and course coordination affected RBIS use. That is, both targeted professional development and elements of the local context for implementation were important in supporting instructors’ uptake of RBIS—but, remarkably, both immediate and longer-term outcomes of professional development did not depend on other individual or institutional characteristics. In this study, the large sample size, longitudinal measurement approach, and consistency of the form and quality of professional development make it possible to distinguish the importance of multiple possible influences on instructors’ uptake of RBIS. We discuss implications for professional development and for institutional structures that support instructors as they apply what they learned, and we offer suggestions for the use of theory in future research on this topic.

Change as a Scientific Enterprise: Practical Suggestions about Using Change Theory

“…In addition to the examples summarized above, these papers provide examples of ways that researchers draw on change theory in STEM higher education change: Andrews and Lemons, 2015 ; Marbach-Ad and Hunt Rietschel, 2016 ; Reinholz et al. , 2019 ; Hill, 2020 ; Kezar and Holcombe, 2021 ; Archie et al. , 2022 ; Viskupic et al.…”

“…This also enables researchers to speak back to change theory from their results, by showing how their findings support, refute, or extend existing theories. Here are two examples: Hill, 2020 ; Archie et al. , 2022 .…”

“…Scholars in the specific context of STEM education can use formal change theories from other disciplines to guide and study change efforts (e.g., Reinholz et al. , 2019 ; Hill, 2020 ; Archie et al. , 2022 ; DeMarais et al.…”

Preparing future STEM faculty through flexible teaching professional development

“…Our report of gains in familiarity with course topics is based on 520 people whose pre-and post-course survey responses could be paired, which is a relatively large sample, but is nonetheless a subset of course learners who may not be fully representative. Future projects should consider a longitudinal research effort to examine learning and application to classroom practices, as some have begun to do [8], and should consider multiple measures of such outcomes [50][51][52]. We acknowledge the substantial complexity, effort and cost of such studies.…”

“…There is recognition that evidence-based, student-centered instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) generally increases undergraduate student learning and success in STEM [1,2] and reduces the disparities in outcomes between marginalized students who are historically underrepresented in STEM and majority students in STEM [3][4][5][6]. There is also evidence that current [7,8] and future [9] faculty who engage in effective teaching professional development go on to implement evidence-based pedagogies in their classes. These findings motivate pedagogical professional development programs offered by university teaching centers, graduate schools, and postdoctoral training initiatives [10].…”