Creating Conditions for Teacher Flow: Supporting Student-Centered Learning through Design of Optimal P-12 Professional Development

摘要

This study applies a combination of learning, motivational, organizational, and change theories and the utilization of the Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework to understand support for schools implementing a student-centered learning paradigm. The purpose of this project was to identify the resources necessary in the design of a comprehensive P-12 professional development program that ensures implementation of student-centered teaching and learning strategies into daily activities, while also best supporting deep teacher engagement, defined here through the lens of the phenomenon of Teacher Flow. With an embedded mixed methods design, this study layers quantitative and qualitative data within a larger phenomenological research design. The data includes surveys from 89 faculty members and three focus groups from an American-International school in Latin America. This project finds notable areas to address in teacher professional development, especially in the domains of conceptual knowledge of student-centered learning, collective efficacy, value, and organizational influences. Based on the findings in conjunction with a literature review, this project recommends an educational model to systematically provide a framework for student-centered learning.