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Degree

Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, ED Teaching and Learning (Columbus campus), 2008.

Abstract

This study investigated potential links between student achievement gains as measured by standardized test scores and teacher participation in an independent professional development episode. Science teachers in a large urban Midwestern public school district voluntarily participated in year-long classroom action research projects. Data from three school years were combined for this investigation. Twenty-eight cases were included from high school teachers, 12 cases were from middle school teachers and 27 cases were from elementary teachers for a total sample of 67 cases. Multiple data sources were analyzed in the descriptive and interpretive analysis of the data. For example, program participation records included variation in student achievement by school level. Effect sizes were calculated for each school level. Results indicated that elementary teacher projects had an effect size of .76, middle school teacher projects had an effect size of.82, and high school teacher projects had an effect size of .24. Interpretive document analysis of teacher research summary reports, school district professional development records, and program guideline documents revealed three areas of teaching practice linked to student achievement. The first area involved variations in the overall research focus implemented by the teachers. Teachers whose research clearly explicated a science focus including use of the NSES content areas, student inquiry, and teaching for conceptual understanding, had high student achievement outcomes. The second area concerned teacher identification of research questions. Teachers whose research question involved improving student subject knowledge accounted for 52% of the cases successful in generating high student achievement. The third area, linking teaching practice to high student achievement, was the selection of instructional strategy. Teachers who included the strategies summarizing and note-taking, nonlinguistic representation, or setting objectives and providing feedback in their action research had the greatest success in generating high student achievement scores on standardized tests.

Subject Headings

Education; Elementary education; Inservice training; Science education; Secondary education; Teacher education; Teaching

Keywords

teacher professional development; classroom action research; science education; student achievement

Committee / Advisors

Kathy Cabe Trundle, PhD (Advisor)
Donna L Farland-Smith, EdD (Committee Member)
Douglas T Owens, EdD (Committee Member)

Pages

250p.

Document number: osu1216068101
Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1216068101

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