The use of massive open online courses (MOOCs) for teacher professional development (TDP) has increased in the past decades. This study explored the key factors that influenced teachers’ online course completion as a significant indicator of their success in a TPD MOOC. Six key influencing factors (self-efficacy, interaction with curriculum content and peers, satisfaction, overall course score, and TPACK self-assessment) were identified from the perspectives of general influencing factors and teacher specific influencing factors. Employing a learning model that was constructed as a hypothesis path model based on literature review, we analysed these influencing factors’ effects on participants’ online learning completion. Results showed that participants’ TPACK self-assessment and overall course score had a strong direct effect on their course completion, while their interaction with course content and peers had a significant indirect effect on their course completion. This study also discussed the features of teachers’ learning in TPD MOOCs based on the results. Suggestions to promote the success of TPD MOOCs from the aspects of curriculum, learners, and community were put forward. Implications and prospects for research and practice are discussed. 

A learning model for improving in-service teachers’ course completion in MOOCs

While there is now extensive research on feedback in the context of higher education, including pre-service teacher education, little has been reported regarding the use of feedback from teachers to other teachers. Moreover, literature on the potential advantages that the use of technology, for example electronic portfolios and learning analytics, has in improving feedback in the in-service workplace practices, is also sparse. Therefore, the aim of this exploratory case study was to explore how in-service teachers perceived the peer feedback they received and provided through a web-based electronic portfolio during a professional development course carried out in their workplace. Questionnaire and interview data were collected from 38 teachers who received feedback through a learning analytics enhanced electronic portfolio and from 23 teachers who received feedback only by the electronic portfolio. Additionally, one individual and four focus group interviews were conducted with 15 teachers who were the feedback providers. Several common topics were identified in the interviews with the feedback receivers and providers, involving the benefits and challenges of human interaction and the flexibility of the feedback process that the electronic portfolio offered. The results also revealed better feedback experience within the group of teachers who received extra feedback by means of learning analytics. It is concluded that although an electronic portfolio provides a useful tool in terms of flexibility in the provision and receipt of feedback, the need for human interaction was acknowledged.

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Automated Feedback Is Nice and Human Presence Makes It Better: Teachers’ Perceptions of Feedback by Means of an E-Portfolio Enhanced with Learning Analytics

This study aimed at identifying the interplay between individual and organizational factors and predictors of work motivation, job satisfaction, and burnout. This was a cross-sectional study, conducted with 460 early education teachers in Kosovo. Based on the results, job satisfaction and professional development are significant positive predictors whereas burnout is a significant negative predictor of work motivation. Conversely, burnout is a significant negative predictor of job satisfaction, whereas work motivation, job satisfaction, and professional development are significant negative predictors of burnout. The findings provide useful insights which can help policy makers take necessary action to ensure improving early education quality.

The Interplay of Individual and Organizational Factors With Early Childhood Teachers’ Level of Work Motivation, job Satisfaction, and Burnout

This study addressed teachers’ perceptions of the effect of online teacher professional development programs (OTPDPs) on their professional development. This five-month study focused on four aspects of OTPDPs: (1) Teachers' perceptions on OTPDPs, (2) the impact of OTPDPs on lesson planning, (3) the impact of OTPDPs on STEM teaching, and (4) the impact of OTPDPs in STEM education on teacher employment. The sample consisted of 36 teachers. An OTPDP tailored to STEM education was designed to help participants develop professional skills. This study adopted a qualitative type of research, which was a single case study.” Data were collected through interviews, videotapes, and lesson plans. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Participants had positive perceptions about OTPDPs. They stated that the OTPDP helped them plan and teach STEM better and gain pedagogical and content knowledge. It also allowed them to acquire technological self-efficacy. They also noted that OTPDPs helped teachers develop the skills that would make them more likely to be employed in the future. The results indicate that technological self-efficacy and Internet access are of paramount importance for effective OTPDPs.
Keywords: online professional development, STEM education, teacher perception

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Teachers’ perceptions and stem teaching activities: online teacher professional development and employment

This research attempted to explore the role of self-assessment (SA) as a professional development (PD) strategy to bring about continuous professional development of English language teachers in job-embedded environment. The crux of this research lies in the fact that teachers’ professional development is usually influenced by many external factors, but its desire gusts from inner self. If a teacher does not have a keen desire for self-development, he/she cannot grow professionally, no matter how perfect and supportive the external environment and supervising measures are. In this sense, self-development is the basic motive which brings about professional development, and self-assessment paves the way towards it. The researchers adopted a pragmatic paradigm and explanatory sequential design. To collect data, the Self-assessment Instrument of Teaching Practice (SAITP) was designed to make English language teachers (ELTs) self-assess their teaching practice. After that, ELTs were made to express their views regarding this self-assessment practice on an ELTs’ attitude survey designed by the researchers. In the next stage, a semistructured interview session was conducted with the selected ELTs who have already given their responses on SAITP and attitude survey, to get a detailed picture of their mind. For analyses of quantitative data, descriptive and inferential statistics were applied; for qualitative data, a content analysis technique was used. At the end, both quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated to draw conclusions. Findings showed that self-assessment plays an important role in the professional development of English language teachers. It is more effective than traditional professional development programs. This study paves the way for self-assessment and self-development culture in teacher community.

The Role of Self-Assessment in English Language Teachers’ Professional Development in Pakistan

A new framework for teachers’ professional development

Bu arastirmada, ogretmen adaylarinin kendi sinif-ici ogretim deneyimleriyle kurguladiklari video-durumlarin akranlari ile yuzyuze tartisilmasini iceren video-duruma dayali ogretim surecinin ayrintili olarak incelenmesi amaclanmistir. Bu amacla arastirma, nitel arastirma yaklasimi benimsenerek durum calismasi (case study) olarak yurutulmustur. Arastirmanin calisma grubunda, 2016-2017 ogretim yilinda Ankara Universitesi Egitim Bilimleri Fakultesi BOTE Bolumunde Ogretmenlik Uygulamasi dersini ilk kez alan ve derse devam eden 16 (9 kadin, 7 erkek) ogretmen adayi yer almaktadir. Arastirma sureci, ogretmen adaylarinin sinif-ici ogretim deneyimlerinin kaydedilmesini ve deneyimlerin ogretmen adaylari tarafindan kurgulanmasini, kurgulanmis video-durumlarin yuzyuze ortamda tartisilmasini icermektedir. Arastirmanin verileri surec sonunda ogretmen adaylariyla yari yapilandirilmis gorusme formu kullanilarak yapilan surec degerlendirme gorusmelerinden elde edilmistir. Arastirmada video-duruma dayali ogretim surecinde, ogretmen adaylarinin kendilerini izleme olanagi bulmalarinin, hem kendilerinde hem de arkadaslarindaki degisimi fark etmelerinin, elestirme ve elestirilme konusunda gelisim gostermelerinin, akranlari tarafindan begenilmelerinin ve surecte dusuncelerinin onemsenmesinin degerli ve onemli goruldugu belirlenmistir. Ayrica surecin, ogretmen adaylarina deneyim biriktirme, tartisabilme ve elestiri kabul edebilmenin yani sira, okul rehber ogretmenlerinden alinamayan geribildirimleri edinebilme konularinda yarar sagladigi saptanmistir. Surecte katilimcilarin sayica yogunlugu, deneyimlerin cesitliligine katki saglarken ozellikle zaman acisindan uygulama surecinin maliyetini arttirmaktadir. Bu durumun en uygun bicimde duzenlenmesinin ya da tartisma oturumlarinin sinirlarinin surecin baslangicinda ayrintili belirlenmesinin, uygulama surecini gorece daha uygulanabilir kilacagi ve surecten elde edilecek yarara katki saglayacagi dusunulmektedir.

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Video-Duruma Dayalı Öğretimde Bir Yöntem: Öğretmen Adaylarının Kendi Deneyimlerinin Kurgulanması ve Tartışılması

This study investigates the influence of reusing previous online discussion postings on the students’ participation rate and the quality of students’ online discussion postings. Participants were 80 pre-service ICT teachers from a large Turkish university. Of the participants, 44 (55%) were male, 36 (45%) were female. The participants enrolled in an undergraduate course entitled ‘ICT Teaching Methods I” and participated in a 14-week blended course which consisted of face-to-face lectures with video-case presentations, and asynchronous online discussions. Participants were assigned to one of the following two groups: (1) online discussion only group (control) and (2) reuse group (reading previous online discussion postings + online discussion). The Moodle is an open-source learning management system (LMS) used in the study to provide an online discussion environment to the students. According to the results, the participants of control group (online discussion only group) were contributed much more than the participants of reuse group (online discussion + reading previous discussion postings). This result can be interpreted as the reuse of all previous online discussion postings may cause lurking behaviors. Online and/or blended learning designers should take into account of this possibility. The quality of students’ online discussion postings and implications for future implementations are discussed.

Reuse of Online Discussions: Presenting All Previous Postings May Cause Lurking

Bu calisma ile Bilgisayar ve Ogretim teknolojileri Egitimi (BOTE) bolumunden mezun olan ve ozel okullarda Bilisim Teknolojileri (BT) Ogretmeni olarak gorev yapan ogretmenlerin calistiklari kurumlarda gorev ve sorumluluklarini, kurumlarin onlardan beklentilerini ve soz konusu bu calisma ortaminda ogretmenlerin mesleki anlamda kendilerini nasil anlamlandirdiklarini belirlemek amaclanmaktadir. Arastirmada nitel arastirma yaklasimi benimsenmis olup; farkli kurumlarda benzer on kosullara sahip ogretmenler ve onlarin ortak deneyimlerinin calisilmasi durum calismasi olarak desenlenmistir. Ozel okulda gorev yapan 18’i kadin (%72), 7’si erkek (%28) olmak uzere toplam 25 BT ogretmeninden, arastirmacilar tarafindan hazirlanan yapilandirilmis acik uclu sorulardan olusan anket formu ile veriler toplanmistir. Yapilan arastirmada elde edilen veriler betimsel cozumleme ile cozumlenmistir. Arastirmadan elde edilen verilere gore; ozel okulda calisan BT ogretmenleri okullarinda Bilisim Teknolojileri ve Yazilim dersinden Teknoloji Tasarim derslerine kadar cok farkli derslere girmekte, hizmet ici egitimler duzenlemekten, okulda etkinlik, yarisma ve proje yurutmeye kadar cok cesitli gorev ve sorumluluklar ustlenmektedirler. Yasadiklari is yogunlugu nedeni ile BT ogretmenleri oldukca yiprandiklarini ve yorulduklarini vurgulamistir. Arastirma sonunda, gorev disi sorumluluklar, kurumsal yapidaki sorunlar, yonetimin ve ailelerin beklentileri, teknik olanaklar ve dusuk maas odemeleri nedeni ile yasadiklari sorunlari dile getiren ogretmenlerin beklentileri ve mezun ya da mezuniyet asamasinda olan ogretmen adaylarina gelecege yonelik onerileri tartisilmaktadir.

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Raziye Sancar

Papers

A new framework for teachers’ professional development

Video-Duruma Dayalı Öğretimde Bir Yöntem: Öğretmen Adaylarının Kendi Deneyimlerinin Kurgulanması ve Tartışılması

Reuse of Online Discussions: Presenting All Previous Postings May Cause Lurking

Özel Okullarda Bilişim Teknolojileri (BT) Öğretmeni Olmak