Date of Award
2018
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies
Specialization
Developmental Science
Department
Human Development and Family Studies
First Advisor
Karen McCurdy
Abstract
Effects of professional development, moderated by teacher characteristics, on classroom quality in early childhood settings were evaluated using secondary data from the Teacher Professional Development Study (funded by the NCRECE), as accessed through Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). 210 teachers in early childhood settings received different forms of professional development and were randomly assigned to treatment groups. The goal of the professional development was to increase classroom quality as measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). At the completion of the study, four groups existed: Course and Consultancy, Course only, Consultancy only, and Control. Initial results showed that teacher characteristics play an important role in the effectiveness of the intervention. Specifically the consultancy component proved to be the most beneficial for teachers who have a bachelor’s degree or higher. The course component did not impact CLASS scores. Teacher age had a small influence on the effectiveness of this professional development treatment. The number of years that a teacher has worked in their current program had no effect on classroom quality.
Recommended Citation
Connelly, Jillian, "PRESCHOOL TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CLASSROOM QUALITY" (2018). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 1291.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/1291
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