Running Head: PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: EMPOWERING
TEACHERS THROUGH CHOICE AND OWNERSHIP OF LEARNING
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONAL GROWTH

A Doctoral Capstone Project
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Research
Department of Secondary Education and Administrative Leadership

In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Education

Maura Kay Hobson
California University of Pennsylvania
July 2020

PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

@Copyright by
Maura K. Hobson
All Rights Reserved
July 2020

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PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

California University of Pennsylvania
School of Graduate Studies and Research
Department of Secondary Education and Administrative Leadership

We hereby approve the capstone of
Maura Kay Hobson
Candidate for the Degree of Doctor of Education

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Dedication

I dedicate this work to my wonderful husband Ken, who spent countless hours,
including nights and weekends, without me being present so I could pursue my
professional goals. I also dedicate this work to my talented daughter, Britnee, who spent
many hours reading this paper to fix all of my grammatical and writing errors instead of
working on her own writing. Thank you to my stepson, Andrew, for keeping your dad
company while I was tucked away occupied in the office trying to stay focused on the
task at hand. I appreciate all of the support and love I was given by my friends and family
over this process, as I don’t know if I could have finished it without your constant
encouragement. Without all of you, I know that I would not have reached this point in my
career and achieved this goal. Thank you!

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Acknowledgements

This capstone project would not have become a reality without the support,
guidance, and encouragement of many people. I would like to send my sincere gratitude
to all of those that have provided me with moral and professional support.

● Dr. Todd Keruskin, Advisor and Capstone Chair: Thank you for all of your
support and guidance throughout this entire Capstone process at California
University of Pennsylvania. I am grateful that I have been able to learn and grow
under your leadership over this past year.
● Dr. Michele Balliet, External Committee Member: A very special thank you,
Michele! You have been an amazing support to me throughout this entire journey
and have encouraged me from the very beginning that I could make it to the end.
I appreciate your mentorship and being available to answer all of my questions
and give me continual guidance. Thank you for being a great leader and allowing
me to learn from you.
● To the wonderful teachers that participated in this research study, I sincerely
thank you for your time. Your participation and willingness to be open and honest
provided me with valuable insights and data necessary to conduct this study to
better your professional development opportunities to truly personalize them to
meet your needs.

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Table of Contents
DEDICATION .......................................................................................................................................... IV
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................V
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................. VIII
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................... IX
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................X
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM ......................................................................................................................... 1
PROBLEM STATEMENT ............................................................................................................................................. 3
RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................................................. 3
SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................................... 4
DEFINITION OF TERMS ............................................................................................................................................. 6
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................. 9
PURPOSE OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................ 9
SHIFT FROM INDUSTRIAL TO INFORMATIONAL AGE IN EDUCATION ............................................................... 9
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS......................................................................... 12
Traditional versus nontraditional professional development. ...................................................... 13
Characteristics of effective professional development.. .................................................................... 14
Impact of teacher's learnng styles on effective professional development............................... 17
Actively engaged learners in professional development. ................................................................. 19
Teacher empowerment in professional development. ....................................................................... 21
Effective professional development through teachers' perspectives........................................... 23
Professional development and student achievement. ........................................................................ 25
Impact of teacher led professional development. ................................................................................ 26
District and building leaders roles in professional development. ................................................. 27
PERSONALIZING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODELS AND FORMATS ................................................. 30
Professional learning communities............................................................................................................ 31
Community of practice. ................................................................................................................................... 33
Instructional coaches. ...................................................................................................................................... 34
Personalized learning in professional development........................................................................... 35
LEAP learning framework approach. ....................................................................................................... 36
Personalized learning networks .................................................................................................................. 37
Student-centered personalizing learning................................................................................................ 39
Utilizing technology to personalize professional development ..................................................... 40
Gamification in professional development. ............................................................................................ 41
Micro-credentialing .......................................................................................................................................... 43
SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................................. 45
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................................ 46

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 48
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 48
PURPOSE ................................................................................................................................................................... 50
PARTICIPANT DESCRIPTIONS ............................................................................................................................... 52
SETTING DESCRIPTION .......................................................................................................................................... 54
RESEARCH DESIGN AND RATIONALE .................................................................................................................. 55
DESCRIPTION OF METHODS .................................................................................................................................. 59
Questionnaire. ..................................................................................................................................................... 59
Interviews. ............................................................................................................................................................. 61
FINANCIAL IMPACT................................................................................................................................................. 63
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................................................................................. 64
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................................ 67
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ........................................................................................................................ 69
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 69
PRESENTATION OF DATA ...................................................................................................................................... 70
RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................................... 81
Structured Interview ........................................................................................................................................ 81
Research question one ........................................................................................................................ 81
Research question two........................................................................................................................ 84
Research question three .................................................................................................................... 88
SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................................. 92
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................... 95
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 95
CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................................................... 97
FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................. 103
Recommendation for practices ................................................................................................................. 104
Suggestions for further research.............................................................................................................. 106
SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................................................. 107
REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................111
APPENDIX A: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TEACHER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ..............118
APPENDIX B: INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN STUDY ......................................................119
APPENDIX C: PERSONALIZING LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ...........121
APPENDIX D: INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN PERSONALIZING LEARING IN
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SURVEY ..................................................................................127
APPENDIX E: INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL…………………...……………....128

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List of Tables
Table 1. Participants’ Responses to What Extent is Personalized Learning
used to Support Own Learning and Master Content

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Table 2. Demographics of the Interview Participants

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List of Figures
Figure 1. Education Elements

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Figure 2. Control of Choice in Topics for Professional Development

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Figure 3. Choice of Personalized Professional Development
Activities at Building Level

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Figure 4. Impact of Professional Development on Daily Instruction

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Abstract
In today’s educational world, teachers have been asked to acquire skills that support
students with a variety of learning needs with little to no professional development to
help them be effective. Personalized professional learning is a shift in how educator’s
traditionally have been provided new learning, from sit-and-get, to a nontraditional
format of giving teacher’s as much ownership in their learning pathway, which would
allow them to be engaged in their own learning process. Professional development plans
continue to not meet the diverse needs of all teachers and are not always conscious of
financial challenges within the organization. Personalizing professional development for
teachers will be a paradigm shift that will positively impact student learning and
achievement, as well as teachers’ personal growth. Allowing teachers to create a
personalized learning pathway through choice in topics and format of learning,
presentation of information, and empowering teacher leaders among their colleagues are
key characteristics of effective professional development. Through a mixed-method
research study, this researcher interviewed and surveyed secondary teachers about their
perceptions and experiences with professional development and found that teacher’s want
to have their learning more personalized and tailored to meet their interests and content
taught. Today’s administrators should be planning professional development that is
personalized to meet each teacher’s individual needs to support student achievement and
daily instruction.

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Introduction to the Problem
Typical “old school” traditional professional development sessions have not
provided teachers the opportunity to practice and refine new skills or concepts on a
consistent basis. Many of these sessions have little chance for implementation of
information or collaboration among colleagues (Stacy, 2013). Traditionally, little choice
is given to teachers in topic or format of presenting the information during professional
development sessions. These days consist of teachers participating in workshop-style
training sessions during a school year. Darling-Hammond, Hyler, and Gardner (2017)
note that most teachers only experience workshop-based professional development even
though research shows it is ineffective. Despite its overall ineffectiveness, research states
that the traditional format of professional development is utilized for the majority of all
professional learning in schools. These types of sessions often do not change teacher
practice and have no effect on student achievement (Darling-Hammond, Hyler, &
Gardner, 2017).
As a building administrator in a suburban school district in south central
Pennsylvania with an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students and 400 professionals,
this researcher has recently noticed a decrease in teacher attendance on professional
development days across the district. Teacher absenteeism on professional development
days has continued to reach the 5% capacity as stated in the Collective Bargaining
Agreement, which is about 20 teachers throughout the district, over the past few years.
When closely analyzing the data of what professional learning is being offered each of

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these days, it can be broken down to which days of professional development have the
largest amount of teachers not attending. When specifically looking at the data of the
secondary building’s least attended days, the breakdown correlates to days that are in
conjunction with outside vendors or district-wide administration workshop presentations.
Due to the information gained from this data, the researcher decided to begin research
and implement different ways to provide teachers with professional development that
created more engagement and motivation to attend. Through this exploration and working
with instructional coaches, a professional development plan utilizing differentiated
personalized learning opportunities was created for the high school to shift from
traditional to nontraditional formats.
As the plan was created and implemented, teachers were given multiple chances
to provide topics and content that they would like to learn more about or increase their
own knowledge or skill, as well as formats of how the information was presented. When
teachers became an integral part in the development of the professional learning plan for
the high school focusing on building-level initiatives or district goals, teacher
engagement and attendance began to increase at the high school. Teachers were able to
offer topics and be allowed to personalize their learning by choosing sessions that met
their needs or lead sessions to share their own learning with their colleagues. With each
professional development day, teachers gave ideas of topics or submitted sessions that
they would be willing to lead. The engagement, collaboration, and motivation of the high
school teachers became evident in what was happening in classrooms to increase student
achievement.

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Problem Statement
As the professional development plan continued to grow with more and more
personalized learning opportunities, the attendance of teachers increased at the high
school on these days. However, attendance in the other buildings within the district that
use traditional formats on professional development days continued to be low. The data
showed that teachers at the high school attended at a higher rate when their professional
development days consisted of personalized learning opportunities that allowed teachers
choice in attending sessions that correlated with building-level development. This data
made this researcher want to do more research and analysis on utilizing this model to
become the norm for all professional learning in the district moving forward. These
personalized learning days focused on specific topics associated with teachers’ own
personal growth and interest. On days that allow teachers little choice in topic or
presentation of information through traditional professional development formats,
teachers continue to be disengaged in their own professional growth and are not
implementing strategies to support student learning.
Research Questions
The researcher created three research questions to begin to narrow down and
determine the needs of the teachers within the district for professional development.
These three questions have helped to guide the researcher in the focus of what effective
professional development entails from the perception of teachers, through other studies,
and data collection and analysis. The following three questions are as follows:
1.

Does teacher engagement increase during professional development when

given choice?

PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
2.

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How does giving teachers choice in professional development impact

daily instruction?
3.

What are the perceptions of traditional professional development versus

nontraditional personalized learning professional development opportunities for
secondary teachers (grades 7-12)?
Summary
The district recognizes the need to examine their professional development plan
to ensure that teachers’ needs are met through what is being offered. The move from
traditional professional learning to personalized learning and differentiated instruction
models, and the utilization of teacher leaders to help develop and present content
implementing the core elements of personalized learning continuum, is a must to witness
change in teacher attitudes and skills. Teachers need to have opportunities to understand
the new content, work with peers to collaborate, and find methods of learning that make
sense for them individually. Since less than 5% of the school's 65 million dollar district
budget is spent on staff development. With the limited amount of budget set aside for
professional development, it is important that the district creates a plan that is focused on
personalized learning for teachers. This personalized learning model needs to allow
teachers the ability to choose topics, create a pathway of learning, and allows a plethora
of opportunities that support student learning goals, as well as their own personal growth.
The creation and implementation of a district-wide professional development plan that
involves teachers and administration, which moves away from any traditional format and
toward a personalized learning format, allows teachers to feel empowered in their
learning, and in return, increases student achievement. When teachers are given choices,

PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
engaged in their learning, and offered a voice in what they learn and how they learn it,
attendance increases and implementation of content is prevalent in all classrooms.

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Definition of Terms
Active Learning –any approach to instruction in which all students are asked to engage in
the learning process (Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, and
Yoon (2001).
Active Participants – the consistent and simultaneous engagement of the minds of all the
learners with the content of the lesson (George, 2011).
Authentic Learning – a wide variety of educational and instructional techniques focused
on connecting what students are taught in school to real-world issues, problems,
and applications (Guskey, 2014).
Collaboration – a systematic process in which people work together, interdependently, to
analyze and impact professional practice in order to improve individual and
collective results (Tschannen-Moran, 2001).
Community of Practice –a group of people who share a common concern or passion of a
topic they want to deepen their knowledge and expertise in the educational arena
from ongoing interactions with others (Wenger, McDermott, and Synder, 2002).
Digital Badging –a tool that supports the needs of personalized learning using technology
to help increase knowledge in an individualized path. Badges act like portfolios
for teachers to document workplace learning and artifacts that can be shared with
colleagues and supervisors (Gamrat, Toomey, Zimmerman, Dudek, and Peck,
2014).
Gamification of Learning – an educational approach to motivate students to learn by
using video game design and game elements in learning environments (Jennings
& Roome, 2017).

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Job-Embedded Professional Learning - a professional development model that identifies
individual performance objectives for each teacher and structures subsequent
professional development sessions to address those objectives is the most
beneficial model for teacher learning. It serves as a way to differentiate
instruction for teachers seeking professional development (Rock, 2002).
Micro-Credentialing - provides teachers with the opportunity to learn and demonstrate
competency in new skills receiving feedback from an outside evaluator to earn
credentials (Demonte, 2017).
Non-Traditional Professional Development – a format that supports educators in
becoming makers of their own learning, as well as creating and implementing
their own plan (Jones-Carey, 2017)
Online Personalized Learning - opportunities for teachers to have flexible learning
environments, have easy access to experts around the world, choose their learning
modules, and work at their own pace (Terrel, 2017).
Peer Observations –a formative process where two peers work together and observe each
other’s teaching. The observer offers feedback to the colleague who is doing the
teaching (Desimone, 2009)
Personalized Learning – tailoring learning for each student’s strengths, needs and
interests – including enabling student voice and choice in what, how, when, and
where they learn – to provide flexibility and support to ensure mastery of the
highest standards possible (Gross, Tuchman, & Patrick, 2018).
Personalized Learning Networks – a way to explore topics and issues of interest to an

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individual by giving them tools and assistance to problem-solve complex issues
(Hirschy, 2016).
Professional Development - any type of continuing education effort for educators that can
improve their skills and in turn, boost student achievement (Kampen, 2019).
Professional Learning Communities – an ongoing process in which educators work
collaboratively in collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results
for the students they serve (DuFour, 2014)
Shared Leadership – the practice of governing a school by expanding the number of
people involved in making important decisions related to the school’s
organization, operation, and academics, which entails the creation of leadership
roles or decision-making opportunities for teachers, staff members, students,
parents, and community members (Guskey, 2014).
Teacher Empowerment –investing teachers with the right to participate in the
determination of school goals and policies and to exercise professional judgment
about what and how to teach (O’Sullivan, 2018).
Traditional Professional Development – generic in nature with a one-size-fits-all
implementation of material in workshops or sessions (Jones-Carey, 2017)
Voice of Learner - involvement and engagement in what and the how of learning
early in the learning process (Rodman, 2018).

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Chapter 2: Literature Review
Purpose of the Literature Review
The purpose of this literature review is to investigate related articles about
professional development, personalized learning, and empowering teachers to take
ownership in their own learning experiences. This researcher will investigate the key
elements that make professional development effective for educators and what educators
determine are the characteristics that make professional development effective. Through
this investigation, this researcher will determine the components of effective professional
development in research and teachers’ perspectives. Traditional formats and
nontraditional formats of professional development will be analyzed, such as
personalized learning formats, professional learning communities, and the power of
teachers choosing and leading their own professional development pathways. To that end,
the researcher will primarily talk about teachers’ perceptions of key components of
effective professional development, how personalized learning offers teachers choice in
their own learning, and allowing teachers to become leaders among their colleagues to
create professional learning that impacts student learning and achievement. In addition,
the researcher will review how personalized learning is changing the way educators learn
to truly meet their individual needs.
Shift from Industrial to Informational Age in Education
The traditional education system was designed in the Industrial Age of the early
1900s. American schools used a one-size-fits all model for students to ensure everyone
developed the foundational skills in numeracy and literacy. In addition, the one-size fits

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all model also incorporated very basic professional development for educators, believing
that their learning happened on their time. What the educational system was responsible
for was ensuring that teachers understood the expectations of them in the classroom and
what was needed to teach students basic history, math, writing, and reading. Beyond that,
schools ranked and sorted students to determine which students would be able to move on
to higher education and which would move directly into jobs in factories and farms. The
one-size-fits-all approaches don’t work as well as approaches that recognize that students
bring different knowledge, skills and experiences into the classroom, as well as
understanding that each teacher also had their own strengths and weaknesses to bring to
their instructional practices to support students (Sturgis & Casey, 2018).
Rucker (2018) notes that traditional education was bureaucratic. This created a
top down approach that allowed for little opportunity for teachers to have a voice or
choice in anything happening within the district or building. Also, traditional education
focused on covering standardized content, with no variation from curricular expectations.
This created a narrow set of academic outcomes focusing only on math and reading. In
addition, traditional education assumed that peoples’ intelligence was carved in stone.
When a student was placed in a “track,” he had little chance to move out of that track
during his time in school (Rucker, 2018).
Elliott (2017) reported that teachers had limited amounts of time in the industrial
age for professional development, so administrators often dictated what was going to be
presented or studied. In addition to being told what they needed to learn, professional
development was given in a sit-and-get format where lecturing was the norm, which
made them very passive learners. Also, there was no differentiation of information so

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teachers received the same content no matter their experiences. Sessions were usually
disconnected from each other and from what was happening in teachers’ classrooms.
This disconnection prevented teachers from actually placing it into their instructional
repertoire. The sessions were given periodically and covered many topics that were not
cohesive and usually not supported by anyone once they were given (Elliott, 2017).
We need to change the paradigm where a teacher is the key and the main player in
carrying out the educational process in the field. We need to move from Industrial Age
“factory model schools” to accommodate and reflect Information Age needs and realities
(Elliott, 2017). The traditional model of education, born in the industrial age with a onesize-fits-all approach, is not meeting the needs of our Information Age society. We can
do much more to personalize educational experiences that equips teachers and students
with the skills, values, characteristics and knowledge they need to thrive in our modern
society (Sturgis & Casey, 2018).
The social movements of the 1960s and continuing today changed our
expectations about the most pressing needs in education (Rucker, 2018). The changes in
thought stemmed from efforts by the government to address shortcomings in American
education, whether those affected welcomed the changes or not. The issue of ineffective
professional development that did not incorporate sound learning theory has existed
throughout the history of professional development. Professional development has gone
through many evolutions since its beginnings (Elliott, 2017). Teachers need to be
engaged in learning to apply academic knowledge and skills to challenging real-life
problems. Sitting at a desk, listening to a presenter and taking notes simply won’t do the
trick any longer (Sturgis & Casey, 2018). It is important that today’s educational leaders

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understand the needs of our teachers, and change from traditional types of professional
development where teachers are passive learners to a nontraditional professional
development model that allows teachers to have voice and choice in how, what, and when
they are provided the opportunity for learning.

Professional Development in Educational Settings
The importance of effective professional development for improving teacher
preparedness, as well as impacting student achievement, has become an important topic
worldwide among educators. Professional development opportunities for teachers come
in a variety of shapes and sizes, varying greatly in design to meet the needs of the
teachers as well as the school district’s goals and vision (Bayar, 2014). Kampen (2019)
defines professional development as any type of continuing education effort for educators
that can improve their skills and in turn, boost student achievement. The very existence of
professional development can represent a threat to a teacher’s autonomy, independence,
and sense of effectiveness if the result feels like it will not have a positive impact on their
own learning. However, if the professional development sessions are offered in a variety
of formats, prioritize engagement and teacher choice, they can be the most effective
experiences to motivate teachers to be better today than they were yesterday (Jones,
2018). Research shows that successful professional development programs typically
target specific skills and knowledge that support educators for an average of 49 hours
over a course of six months to a year (Pasatta, Hamilton, & DeDoes, 2017).

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Traditional versus nontraditional professional development. Professional
development activities play a key role in teacher preparation and improvement. These
activities include both traditional and non-traditional professional development
opportunities, as stated by both Bayar (2014) and Guskey (2014). Traditional
professional development activities consist of short workshops, conferences, seminars,
study groups, mentoring, coaching, and so on, but non-traditional professional
development activities consist of peer observations; face-to-face or online professional
learning communities; teacher exchanges; bug in the ear coaching; data teams;
individualized improvement plans; and "unconferences" where teachers come together to
discuss a similar topic that was chosen by them in an unstructured format (Bayar, 2014;
Guskey, 2014). Bayar (2014) emphasizes the duration of a professional development
program is a key determinant for deciding if the activity is traditional or non-traditional.
Researchers have stated that traditional formats of professional development are shorter
in length and time commitment, which makes them less effective in reaching the end goal
of their desired outcome. In addition, traditional professional development activities often
lack efficiency regarding specific teaching and learning opportunities. These activities are
less effective in impacting the skill of the teacher. On the other hand, non-traditional
professional development activities tend to be more effective due to the utilization of
time on task, which in turn helps teachers acquire the necessary skills of the desired goals
of the activity. When teachers have the time to practice the skill, this will influence or
change instructional practice (Bayar, 2014).
Teacher professional development is essential in improving our schools and
student achievement. Student achievement should be the ultimate goal of any

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professional development activity, and when teachers have access to continuous learning
opportunities and professional development resources, they are better equipped to
become more effective teachers. Professional development can enhance the skills of new
and experienced teachers, which can increase their confidence in their instructional
abilities, and in turn, boost student academic outcomes and growth. When teachers are
active participants in their own learning and are eager to learn, professional development
can help teachers shape career-long learning (Kampen, 2019).
Characteristics of effective professional development. Effective professional
development is important for any educational system to remain competitive in a global
arena. With structured professional learning resulting in changes in teacher practices and
enhanced quality of teaching, student learning outcomes and achievement will be
impacted positively, resulting in increased success. (Darling-Hammond, et al, 2017;
Bayar, 2014).
Darling-Hammond, et al., (2017) have identified seven widely shared characteristics
of effective professional development (p. 4).
1. Is content focused
2. Incorporates active learning utilizing adult learning theory
3. Supports collaboration, typically in job-embedded contexts
4. Uses models and modeling of effective practice
5. Provides coaching and expert support
6. Offers opportunities for feedback and reflection
7. Is of sustained duration

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Content focused professional development is job-embedded and matches existing needs
of the teacher (6). The overview of the literature states that it is not only about the content
that is being taught, but understanding how teachers are learning the content is essential
in achieving growth in student successes and understanding the diverse needs of each
student. Incorporating active learning enhances engagement of the learners and focuses
on using a variety of different ways to learn and respond for both the teacher and student
(Kampen, 2019; Bayer, 2014). Darling-Hammond, et al., (2017) state “Collaboration can
span a host of configurations—from one-on-one or small-group interactions to whole
group collaboration to exchanges with other professionals beyond the school.” (p. 9) All
collaboration should be set with a purpose and have clear goals (Guskey, 2003).
In addition, when professional development utilizes effective collaborative
structures for teachers to problem-solve and learn together, it can positively contribute to
student achievement. When professional development utilizes models of effective
practice promoting teacher learning and supporting student achievement, professional
development has proven successful. Curricular and instructional models and modeling of
instruction help teachers to have a vision of practice on which to anchor their own
learning and growth. Examples of effective modeling would include peer observation,
demonstration lessons, or videos of teaching. Further, using coaches and role experts can
help to guide and facilitate teachers’ learning in the context of their practice. In their
work with educators, experts—educators themselves—often play this critical role by
employing types of professional learning strategies such as modeling strong instructional
practices or supporting group discussion and collaborative analysis of student work. Such

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coaches may also share expertise about content and evidence-based practices (Bayar,
2014; Guskey, 2014; Darling-Hammond et al., 2017).
Feedback and reflection are powerful tools within effective professional
development. Student gains are associated within professional development when it has
built-in time for teachers to think about, receive input on, and make changes to their
practice by providing intentional time for feedback and/or reflection (Jones, 2018).
Finally, the seventh characteristic associated with effective professional development is
that it is sustained over time. Professional learning that is developed and revisited over a
longer time frame has seen greater changes in practices compared to professional
development that is accomplished in short, one-time workshops with no follow-up or
implementation. Offering multiple opportunities for teachers to engage in learning around
a single set of concepts or practices has a greater chance of transforming teaching
practices and student learning (Bayar, 2014; Darling-Hammond et al., 2017). Guskey
(2003) states that all effective professional development needs to be well organized,
carefully structured, and purposefully directed so that it has longevity in its development
and learning for educators (p. 750).
Professional development needs to be accessible to be effective. This means that
we must move away from traditional formats such as after school sessions or all day
presentations on one topic (Jacob & McGovern, 2014; Jones, 2018). Traditional
professional development does not always allow teachers to increase their knowledge in
content of interest to increase their growth; they are often created as a one size fits all
with no choice given in topics or presentation. Professional development can take place
during planning, in the classroom, during lunch and even virtually. When flexible formats

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match the intended objectives, teachers are able to often complete these sessions at their
own time or even at their own pace. Time is not an issue when discussing effective
professional development. When teachers are able to personalize their professional
learning, they can find options that work best for their own learning styles and are able to
access the content in a way that works for them. Through online sessions, face-to-face
sessions, book studies, or simply exploring topics in a collaborative setting, teachers are
able to participate and feel empowered to learn in a format that makes sense to them,
which allows for a more successful learning experience (DuFour, 2014; Jones, 2018).
Impact of teacher’s learning styles on effective professional development. An
important part of designing professional development is to understand how teachers
learn, as well as what teachers learn during the sessions. Darling-Hammond, et al.,
(2017), through research, developed and identified themes that are important when
designing professional development. As teachers come to the table they need to be
recognized for their experiences and should be utilized as resources. Teachers need to be
able to choose their own learning opportunities based on their interests and their own
classroom experiences. Educators need to be involved in sessions where they are actively
learning, so professional development needs to move away from traditional learning
models that are generic, a “sit-and-get” format, to one that allows for personalized
learning opportunities. These types of experiences use authentic learning practices,
interactive activities, and are job-embedded into teachers’ daily classroom activities.
Active learning incorporates collaboration, coaching, feedback, and reflection, which are
all part of allowing teachers to create a personalized learning opportunity (p. 7).

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Another key to understanding what effective professional development entails is
the importance of understanding how teachers learn best. Patricia Scott, principal of St.
Edmond’s Academy, has had success with a flipped professional development model that
embraces the key characteristics of effective professional development. Scott flipped the
traditional structure of learning sessions, and allowed teachers to do much of their
learning individually at their own pace, and then meet as a group to strengthen the
learning and understanding of the session topic. Teachers review sources about a topic on
their own time to be able to understand the new content, leaving the face-to-face time to
focus on collaboration, discussions, and analysis of the content. This type of flipped
professional learning allowed teachers to take learning into their own hands, giving them
time to focus on understanding the content prior to discussing and
implementation. Using this form of professional development has allowed teachers to
feel empowered in their learning because it meets their individual needs of growth and
has positively impacted student improvement (Scott, 2014).
Research around learning tells us that one-size-fits-all professional development
does not work to change instructional practices. Adult learners want to have professional
development that works for their own learning styles, that is differentiated to their skill
set and level of understanding, delivered in a timely manner, and done at a pace that
allows them to move at the rate of their own mastery (Jones-Carey, 2017). Bray and
McClaskey (2013) noted that “differentiation is a kind of personalized instruction, where
leaders adjust process, & product, according to a learner’s readiness, interest, & learning
style.” Planning of the learning starts with the content, and the content remains the same
for all students. “This personalized learning approach attempts to match the needs,

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strengths, and general readiness of the learner to content that is being delivered or
discussed.” Personalized learning starts with the learner and asks the question, “What
does this student need to understand, and how best can that happen?” When learners have
a voice and a choice in how they learn, they are more motivated to learn (Bray &
McClaskey, 2013).
Actively engaged learners in professional development. Garet, Porter,
Desimone, Birman, and Yoon (2001) state that effective professional development is a
major factor in the success of teachers when they are actively engaged in their
learning. The four dimensions of active learning are areas that are essential to successful
learning. Teachers should be given the opportunity to observe other teachers and be
observed by other teachers. Through these observations, teachers can engage in reflective
discussions about the goals of the lesson, teaching strategies, and student learning.
Planning classroom implementation through modeling or simulations during these
sessions can help teachers with the implementation of new strategies. Another active
learning dimension is to review student work. Allowing teachers to review student work
gives them the chance to understand student assumptions, reasoning, and solution
strategies. In addition, teachers will have the opportunity to collaborate in developing
lessons that meet the needs of all students. Also, teachers need to be given the
opportunity to lead presentations, discussions, or modeling a strategy (pp. 925-926).
Finally, teachers need to be given opportunities to personalize their learning by having a
voice in sessions presented, presenting the sessions, and how it is being delivered to
them.

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Jones (2018) states that you cannot underestimate the importance of engagement
in professional learning. Adult learners have different needs in their learning, such as
needing more convincing that the learning objective needs immediate application. In
addition, adult learners understand and are good judges of how much support they will
need to learn something new. Because of this, teachers need to be presented with
differentiated learning options to support their level of learning, as well as their needs to
learn the new information. When engaging adult learners, it is essential to create an
environment that respects the differences among the teachers’ levels of experience and
that values learning collaboratively. Teachers need to feel engaged in the learning so it
needs to be challenging, but not so challenging to discourage them from wanting to
participate or make them feel it is a waste of time to be attending (Jones, 2018).
Increasing teacher motivation and engagement in professional development lends
itself to personalized learning experiences for each learner. Educators need to feel that
each learning session is designed with their interests and needs in mind, and that they
have a voice in what material they learn and how they learn it. This type of personalized
learning session creates an opportunity for teachers to feel that the session is designed for
their growth in mind rather than a senseless chore (Beus, 2016). Teachers taking
ownership of their learning is a critical component of personal mastery of the content or
strategy that is being developed. Utilizing peer-to-peer learning can be a game changer
for teachers, as this creates an environment of collaboration and sharing of resources and
activities that can help teachers differentiate their own choice of learning to create a
personalized learning pathway (Kuhlmann, 2018). When teachers are engaged in their
learning and teaching and focused on making the best decisions for their instruction,

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having a positive attitude will have a tremendous impact on student achievement (Stacy,
2013).
Teacher empowerment in professional development. Bolin (O’Sullivan, 2018;
Stacy, 2013) has defined teacher empowerment as “investing teachers with the right to
participate in the determination of school goals and policies and to exercise professional
judgment about what and how to teach.” An empowered teacher has access to material
and information, and is free to use resources that meet student needs and targets. In
addition, teachers are given the encouragement by leaders to take risks and engage in
continuous professional learning by collaborating with colleagues and trying new
strategies. This is an essential part of growing as an educational leader. Empowered
teachers show an increase in motivation, problem solving, and teaching students to
become empowered in their own learning choices. Understanding what it means to be an
empowered teacher will allow them to take the first step towards improving their own
professional and personal growth goals as an educator (O’Sullivan, 2018).
Professional development can lead teachers to feel empowered; to have the
opportunity to influence those around them, and have a professional voice in creating and
directing their own professional development (Stacy, 2013; Murray,
2010). Empowerment is the process in which teachers are able to take control of and
influence events and learning that affect their own growth. Teachers have the ability to
empower themselves if they keep the following traits at the forefront of their career:
•

Be proactive, not reactive

•

Believe in what you are doing and in yourself

•

Be positive

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22

Be assertive, not aggressive

When teachers feel that they are empowered, they manifest leadership skills. When this
happens, their empowerment leads to improvement in student performance, skills, and
attitudes. Teachers who encompass some of the traits are able to empower themselves to
determine their own needs in professional development and in leading their own course
of learning (Murray, 2010).
Empowered teachers are able to make significant input into many of the key areas
in educational issues within the school and district. Desimone (Stacy, 2013) states that
teachers who are empowered have the ability to create curricula, direct their own
professional development, claim ownership in their own work and invest in it
accordingly. When teachers are engaged in their learning and teaching and focused on
making the best decisions for their instruction, having a positive attitude will have a
tremendous impact on student achievement (Stacy, 2013). When school leaders begin to
look at professional development, empowered teachers have an impact on understanding
the needs of the teachers and working together to create professional learning that
impacts teachers’ knowledge (p. 41). When educators are empowered to feel engaged in
their own learning, they can build creative environments, and learning can go beyond the
classroom (Tani & Keane, 2016).
As teachers continue to be more empowered in taking leadership roles, more
opportunities for leading professional development arise. Teacher-led professional
development creates opportunities to enhance professional autonomy and validates
teacher voices in understanding the needs of themselves and their colleagues. When
teachers create teacher-led professional development, they recognize the importance of

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collaboration and have found ways, working with administration, to create those
activities to improve student learning (Stacy, 2013). Educators must begin to design and
build professional development that is sustainable and job-embedded. Utilizing teachers
as experts in creating learning sessions, these experiences need to be created and viewed
as maker spaces, hands-on learning or active learning, rather than a lecture by an outside
expert. Teachers should play an important part in designing the sessions, which need to
include skillful, learner-centered facilitation with constructed action steps
following. Professional development should be created to match sessions with expert
teachers and empower them to brainstorm approaches and strategies, and to trust in the
abilities of these expert teachers to facilitate high-quality learning that will impact the
instruction of teachers and student learning (Rodman, 2018).
Effective professional development through teachers’ perspectives. Although
researchers have been able to identify effective characteristics of professional
development, teachers continue to have their own views and perspectives on what makes
professional development worthwhile for their own learning. The K-12 Education Team
(2015), from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, contracted with the Boston
Consulting Group in 2014 to gain insights about roadblocks that teachers may face in
professional development, as well as their needs for professional development. Through
this research, teachers value professional development opportunities that help them plan
and improve instruction. Ideal professional learning for teachers consists of some key
characteristics that are similar to what research has also revealed. Teachers state that
professional learning should be relevant and personalized to their content, and be
interactive involving hands-on activities that teachers actually participate in during the

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session. It should be delivered by someone who understands what being a teacher entails,
and has actually used the strategy within his/her own classroom—or better yet, are still in
the classroom currently using it to enhance instruction. As with the previous research,
teachers also want professional learning to be sustained over time. Professional
development needs to be something that you work on over a year’s time, not just a onetime workshop activity. Teachers want to be treated like professionals, and during these
sessions, teachers should be treated like adults, rather than students that would be sitting
in their own classroom. Teachers are adult learners and need to be treated like adult
learners during all professional development. Finally, teachers suggest that ideal
professional development experience should focus less on lectures and presentations and
more on opportunities to apply the learning through modeling or demonstrations (p. 4).
The K-12 Education Team (2015) from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
also reported that many teachers view professional development as a compliance rather
than a learning opportunity. Teachers appreciate being given choice in their learning and
find that they have a higher level of satisfaction with professional development when this
is the case. Teachers who are able to choose their professional development are twice as
satisfied with their learning as those who don’t get a choice (p. 10). Teachers also
recognize the importance of collaboration within an effective professional learning
environment. When teachers are placed in an ideal collaborative learning environment
they are energized, feel supported by colleagues and administrators, and it is hands-on or
scenario based. Having a structured agenda and objectives, accountability for those in the
group, all members being invested in the learning, and feedback that helps them grow
instructionally are essential in collaborative sessions (p. 7).

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Through the research done by the Boston Consulting Group, a clear consensus of
the elements needed for effective professional development were established through
teacher input. Teachers want professional development that is relevant, hands-on, and
sustained over time. Some of the key focus areas that teachers want to see developed
within professional learning sessions are times for collaboration and personalized
learning opportunities. Also, the use of technology needs to be continued to be
incorporated into professional development models to help support any of the barriers
that teachers feel potentially could negatively impact personalized learning for their own
growth (p. 16).
Professional development and student achievement. Teacher professional
development is essential in improving our schools and student achievement. Student
achievement should be the ultimate goal of any professional development activity, and
when teachers have access to continuous learning opportunities and professional
development resources, they are better equipped to become more effective
teachers. Professional development can enhance the skills of new and experienced
teachers, which can increase their confidence in their instructional abilities, and in turn,
boost student academic outcomes and growth. When teachers are active participants in
their own learning and are eager to learn, professional development can help teachers
shape career-long learning (Kampen, 2019).
Designing effective professional development for teachers creates an environment
that has a larger impact on student achievement. Job-embedded professional
development allows for teachers to think about how to adapt and apply the learning to fit
into their own classroom, and compare outcomes with fellow teachers. Teachers feel

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empowered when they are able to direct their own professional growth, and instructional
practices will change to meet the needs of their growth by asking specific questions and
addressing challenges they face in their classrooms. Professional development that is
generic in nature and given to the entire staff does not personalize learning, and often
leads teachers dissatisfied with the outcome of the content presented and how it can
impact their own career.
Impact of teacher led professional development. Professional development can
provide teachers an avenue to network with colleagues inside and outside of their
buildings. When teachers lead the learning, it can enhance collaboration, encourage selfreflection on instructional practices, and empower teachers to work together to improve
their skills. In the end, teachers who have a role in developing their own professional
learning are more compelled to be actively involved in that learning. Also, teachers will
be able to identify their own needs and the needs of their students as they continue to
collaborate with their peers and are empowered to be part of the decision-making for
what is going to be presented, how it is going to be presented, and in what format it will
be presented. Through teacher-led professional development, teachers feel empowered
and reinvigorated as a professional that is in charge of his/her own learning (Kuhlmann,
2018; Stacy, 2013).
When teachers are able to have collaborative meetings that support their
personalized learning goals, it creates opportunities that empower teachers to take on
leadership roles by facilitating meetings, creating agendas for professional development,
visiting classrooms, and providing feedback. Overall, it is more effective for teachers to
learn new strategies or revisit their own instruction with a visit from an expert team

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member, who can provide feedback and reflection from the point of view of someone
who has been in that exact learning moment, and can then give expert advice in a nonevaluative way. Professional development sessions should be where empowered teachers
feel comfortable in sharing resources, activities, and feedback knowing their voice will be
heard, and in contributing to the continued learning happening among the entire staff
(Baum & Krulwich, 2017).
District and building leaders roles in professional development. As school
leadership teams analyze the needs of teachers through surveys and needs assessments, a
professional development plan is created to focus on school-wide or district-wide
priorities. The information gained will be used to create the core of a professional
development plan (Guskey, 2014). Although a plan is made with an overarching umbrella
of topics, teachers need to be presented with many choices so they can participate in the
sessions they are interested in and be the most beneficial for their own learning and
classrooms. Offering a variety of options that are teacher-led on appealing topics, or
offering work time towards teacher collaboration to personalize learning earning badges
or micro credentialing, increases time to focus on best practices. Sessions need to be
developed based on need, and choices must be given to create the best sessions that meet
the needs of all learners (Jones, 2018).
Not only do teachers need to feel empowered, administrators need to continue to
find ways to empower teachers to become leaders among their peers, as well as take on
lead roles in professional development opportunities. Administrators need to find ways
to continue to grow as teachers, and empowering teachers is essential for allowing this to
occur. Gardner-Webb University states, “in schools where teachers are empowered to be

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leaders, the focus of control changes from the principal to the teachers.” In addition,
teachers need to have more time to collaborate where they can learn together. When
teachers are empowered by leaders in the building, they find ways to improve together as
a staff, and there is usually an increase in productivity and reflective practice. As
administrators empower teachers to take leadership roles, it shows trust in the ability of
teachers to be part of essential decision-making over issues that will directly affect their
learning. When designing professional learning, administrators need to understand that
true learning for teachers does not happen in a workshop, but actually back in their
classrooms where they can refine and apply strategies in authentic experiences and
activities. Ultimately, the goal is to support teachers to be able to internalize the process
of identifying a problem of practice, theorizing or developing solutions, and expanding
their list of strategies and collaborating with expert teachers (Goodwin, Hall, & Simeral,
2019).
Incorporating teacher voice is essential in effective professional development and
personalized learning opportunities. Voice of a learner is defined as, “involvement and
engagement in the what and the how of learning early in the learning process (Rodman,
2018). Leaders need to listen to their teachers’ voices early in the professional learning
design process. In addition, leaders need to survey teachers on their needs assessment to
help begin the conversation to co-design professional learning that creates personalized
learning sessions to impact individual teachers. Teachers need to be able to identify the
challenges they are facing with instruction or new skills, and be a part of the process in
developing and implementing professional development opportunities. The co-designed
experiences need to ensure that teachers are able to reflect on their face-to-face, online, or

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collaborative sessions. One way to get teachers to co-design is to match teacher leaders
with sessions they facilitate that showcase their strengths for other colleagues. Rodman
agrees with other researchers that in order to move professional development from
traditional sit-and-get formats to more personalized learning, teachers need to be given
more choice and voice in the development of these experiences. Leaders need to
understand that personalized learning does not happen only during school hours, but goes
beyond the vacuum of the school day. Teachers want to be part of the journey of creating
professional development, and as we continue to move away from traditional to
nontraditional experiences, leaders need to empower them to do just that (Rodman,
2018).
Shared leadership is a powerful path to school improvement because it generates
ownership among teachers and administrators. Administrators need to ensure that
teachers’ voices and their expertise are being heard, because they are essential to
improving teaching and learning (Wilhelm, 2013). Beaton (2017) recognizes that teachers
can choose to be leaders by sharing their own wealth to refine instruction, their own and
others. This professional development can begin in a nontraditional space: the
classroom. The learning in the classroom is richer than anything that a teacher can get
just sitting and listening to adults in a professional development session (Beaton, 2017).
Creating opportunities for teachers to participate in instructional rounds, or visit another
teacher and vice versa creates authentic professional learning in a nontraditional format
(Stacy, 2013; Beaton, 2017). Allowing teachers to visit other classrooms to witness
different procedures, policies, classroom environments, and different instructional
activities creates real learning experiences that teachers can take back and reflect upon.

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This type of professional development empowers teachers to personalize their own
learning and find ways to collaborate with other colleagues on how to learn from that
experience. Using these visits to experience activities or strategies supports teacher
learning and allows for teachers to own their own learning, as well as find support by
collaborating with others (experts) inside and outside of the building (Beaton, 2017).
Personalizing Professional Development Models and Formats
Personalized professional development opportunities for teachers are sweeping
into schools and becoming more prevalent among administrators’ comprehensive
learning plans. Personalized learning formats and models will support teachers to find
ways to engage with colleagues in their own building, as well as networking globally
with other educators. In addition, personalized professional development will help
teachers learn how to support their own learning to implement new strategies or
instructional tools that will in turn increase student achievement that can be measured.
To allow teachers the chance to create professional learning that supports their needs and
goals, school districts are beginning to create opportunities that include a variety of
formats and methods that promote choice in learning pathways, pace of the learning, and
topics of interest. Teachers’ paths of personalized learning might involve in-person
coaching, online courses, social network of badging, social media, and professional
learning communities and networks. Empowered teachers are engaged teachers, and
engaged teachers are motivated teachers. When teachers are empowered, engaged, and
motivated student achievement increases and the culture of learning is prevalent (Terrell,
2017; Baum & Krulwich, 2017).

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Professional learning communities. A Professional Learning Community (PLC)
is an example of a professional development model that incorporates several of these
effective elements and supports student-learning gains in a non-traditional format. This
collaborative and job-embedded professional development can be a source of usefulness
and confidence for teachers, and can result in widespread improvement within and
beyond the school level. DuFour (2014) states, “ The best professional development
builds staff capacity to function as members of a high-performing PLC.” A Professional
Learning Community is an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in
collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve.
Professional Learning Communities operate under the assumption that the key to
improved learning for students is continuous job-embedded learning for educators
(DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2006). The elements of a Professional Learning
Community correspond with the seven characteristics of effective professional
development. DuFour et al. (2006), stated that a “PLC focuses on committing to
understanding how each student learns, as well as the educator. It has a clear
understanding of the purpose or vision of what the goal is for the PLC.” In addition, it is
collaborative in nature, action-oriented, and has shared goals of collective inquiry as well
as teachers modeling learning. There is continuous learning and improvement of teaching
and they analyze and reflect on their teaching and feedback given. Finally, the success of
the Professional Learning Community is assessed through results that are gained over a
long time frame of implementation and learning. All of these characteristics correspond
with effective professional development for continuous personal growth (p. 3).

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In Stacy’s (2013) research, she found that embedding professional learning into
informal learning communities would also lead to teacher empowerment. This type of
learning would involve teachers in book studies, group discussions, co-teaching, or
working with teachers to continually reflect on student learning. Empowering teachers to
create these groups allows teachers to develop communities that reflect on similar topics
that are of interest to them and create professional development that supports their
specific learning needs. In addition, teacher-led professional development provides
teachers with a voice in the decision-making process regarding topics such as curricula
development, assessing student achievement, classroom management, blended learning
activities, and numerous others. When teachers embed their professional learning, it can
help to alleviate the pressures of a meeting time set within the school day, and empowers
them to find a way that best supports them in their learning. This could look very
different from online learning platforms, to face-to-face discussions, to social media
outlets (Stacy, 2013).
Overall, the research on professional learning communities in the educational
realm focuses solely on enhancing personal knowledge to positively impact student
achievement. DuFour (2014) noted an authentic professional learning community has a
concentrated focus on learning rather than on teaching, and it emphasizes collaboration
and accountability as keys to successful PLCs. In the research of Caine and Caine (2010),
professional learning communities were further defined as a “group of committed
educators working collaboratively in an ongoing process resulting in better student
achievement.” When collaboration among teachers is strong, professional learning
communities are effective. Teachers are borrowing and generating ideas from each other,

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developing new ways to see things, and acquiring new skills when collaboration is
present. Teachers that are able to have these collaborative experiences often end up
changing their attitudes and beliefs in being willing to take risks and try new ideas or
concepts. Seeing teachers take risks means that this type of professional learning has
been effective (DuFour, 2014).
Community of practice. Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder (2002) define a
community of practice as “a group of people who share a common concern or passion of
a topic they want to deepen their knowledge and expertise in the educational arena from
ongoing interactions with others.” Effective professional learning opportunities include
the importance of teachers collaborating with each other on a topic of their choice and
interest. A community of practice is a form of professional learning that allows teachers
to foster relationships that are based on mutual trust and respect, based around a common
ground and a sense of common identity. Within the community of practice, a framework
is set using tools, information, language, stories, activities, and documents that are shared
by members (Wenger, McDermott, and Snyder, 2002). Skalicky and West (2008) have
studied the use of community of practice in the educational field and have determined
that this application of professional development provides teachers and administrators
access to multiple colleagues in a way that is relevant to their educational content. Using
this approach changes the way learning is achieved and creates opportunities for deeper
transformation within the educational setting by allowing authentic collaboration and
sharing of knowledge.
Wenger et al.’s (2002) concept of community of practice and professional
development includes teachers’ diverse backgrounds, expertise and experiences, and

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offers teachers the ability to create their own learning through choice in common
topics. Learning communities place participants in situations to learn together in a
collaborative environment. This environment allows for expert teachers to support
novice teachers and novice teachers to share new fresh ideas with expert teachers. In
addition, this form of collaborative professional development allows teachers to be able
to share their commonalities within their teaching practices and create authentic tasks
together that are linked to student achievement.
Instructional coaches. Instructional coaches have been instrumental in making
the shift to personalized learning in professional development. Using instructional
coaches as leaders in a nontraditional format for professional development is a shift for
teachers to cultivate a growth mindset in personalizing learning to meet their specific
needs (Kuhlmann, 2018). Instructional coaches encompass some of the key elements for
effective professional development in that they keep sessions content-focused, create
active learning opportunities, work with teachers over a long period of time with constant
feedback and reflection, are collaborative in nature, and are coherent (Kampen, 2019).
Coaches often work together with teachers on lesson planning and assessing students’
activities where the focus is on the content being taught and assessed. Coaches help
teachers navigate the tricky world of aligning the design of their lessons and performance
tasks with academic standards while also helping them base their instructional decisions
on student diagnostic information (Desimone, 2009). Although there are certainly times
when modeling, encouragement, and explicit direction are necessary practices, coaches
should build multiple opportunities for active engagement and teacher leadership in their
own professional development (Desimone, 2009; Garet et al., 2001). Using instructional

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coaches to help teachers personalize learning is a form of active learning, which is a key
element that increases the effectiveness of professional development. The expectation for
active learning is built into instructional coaching as a form of PD (Jones-Carey, 2017).
Unlike sitting in a classroom and listening to a lecture, teachers engage with their coach
in a variety of ways. The most common type of coaching involves face-to-face, one-onone interactions, or group or team coaching. This professional development allows
teachers to receive real-time, ongoing feedback of their newly attempted teaching
practice, which is embedded into their daily instruction. Instructional coaches can support
teachers observing expert teachers or being observed, followed by interactive feedback
and discussion; reviewing student work in the topic areas being covered; and leading
discussions ((Desimone, 2009). Coaching is usually an activity that is ongoing
throughout the school year, and involves continuous cycles of reflection and action to
foster teacher growth. The research clearly shows that when professional development is
integrated explicitly into teachers’ daily instructional routines, it is more likely to be
effective. Overall, the literature states that using instructional coaching personalizes
teachers’ goals that are directly generated from their needs, and is an effective form of
professional development.
Personalized learning in professional development. iNOCAL defines
personalized learning as, “tailoring learning for each student’s strengths, needs and
interests – including enabling student voice and choice in what, how, when, and where
they learn – to provide flexibility and support to ensure mastery of the highest standards
possible” (Gross, Tuchman, & Patrick, 2018). The National Center of Learning
Disabilities recognizes that personalized learning is valuable because it allows learners to

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customize their own learning experiences. In addition, it allows teachers to learn at their
own pace with built-in support and structure through colleagues, expert teachers, or
outside resources. The key to what makes personalized learning such a powerful tool for
professional development is that it aligns learning with the interests, needs, and skills of
each learner. This form of learning, personalized and meaningful to each individual, takes
place in an engaging environment that allows for better understanding of each learner’s
strengths and areas of growth. These environments are created by the learner and for the
learner. Many of these environments consist of collaborative spaces where teachers are
able to get one-on-one support or small group workspaces (Johns & Wolking, 2018).
Using a personalized learning approach for professional development for teachers,
just as teachers would use in their classroom for students, can optimize the learning,
motivation, and engagement in their learning opportunities. Gross et al (2018) call on
teachers to be choice-makers in how and what they learn, co-creating their learning
pathways and experiences that allow them to progress through content at their own pace,
showing competencies along the way in the content. Personalized learning allows
administrators and teachers to differentiate their learning to meet the needs of each
individual on each topic.
LEAP learning framework approach. Closely tied to the iNACOL’s definition
of personalized learning, the LEAP Learning Framework was developed utilizing
information gained by leading experts, school leaders, and teachers to help provide
educators with a clear definition of personalized learning and strategies to put into
practice. Gross et al (2018) shared that the LEAP Learning Framework features the
following principles:

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37

Learner Centered – Learning transcends location and relevant and valued
ways, connected to families, educators, communities, and networks.

•

Learner Focused- Empower learners to understand their needs, strengths,
interests, and approaches in learning.

•

Learner Demonstrated – Enable learners to progress at their own pace
based on demonstrated competencies.

•

Learner Led – Entrust learners to take ownership of their learning so that it
can dynamically adjust to their skills, curiosity, and goals

These principles are woven into many personalized learning models and are used to
enhance professional development opportunities that support the needs of
learners. Personalized learning empowers educators to determine the best format for
them to learn the content, how long they need to master the content, where they want to
get the content from, and the choice of the content that meets their goals of learning. All
of these principles are the key to having teachers use personalized learning as
professional learning to support student improvement and achievement.
Personalized learning is reshaping professional development for
educators. Terrell (2017) interviewed districts all over the United States that now
incorporate personalized learning within professional development plans. She found
districts that design trainings, which allow teachers to decide what they want to learn,
when they want to learn it, and how they learn it. These trainings have made significant
changes in teacher instruction and student achievement.
Personalized learning networks. Creating a Personalized Learning Network
(PLN) allows teachers to find ways to embed their own learning through resources,

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information, and groups of people. Hirschy (2016) defines a Personalized Learning
Network as a way to explore topics and issues of interest to an individual by giving them
tools and assistance to problem-solve complex issues. A Personalized Learning Network
provides professional development the way an educator needs it to be done to fulfill their
specific requirements. An educator can develop a network of people through social media
resources and professional resources. A Personalized Learning Network lets the educator
explore and decide upon the topic he/she wants to learn more about and the depth of how
much he/she wants to learn. In addition, a Personalized Learning Network allows for
networking though multiple avenues that include social media platforms, web resources,
blogs, and professional communities extend beyond your school. A Personalized
Learning Network creates an opportunity for educators to build a platform that
individually fits their needs, and finds the resources that will allow them to explore in
formats that provide information to expand their knowledge to support their own
instruction and student achievement (Hirschy, 2016).
Creating a Personalized Learning Network (PLN) allows teachers to find ways to
embed their own learning through resources, information, and groups of people. Hirschy
(2016) defines a Personalized Learning Network as a way to explore topics and issues of
interest to an individual by giving them tools and assistance to problem-solve complex
issues. A Personalized Learning Network provides professional development the way an
educator needs it to be done. An educator can develop a network of people through social
media resources and professional resources. A Personalized Learning Network lets the
educator explore and decide upon the topic he/she wants to learn more about and the
depth of how much he/she wants to learn. In addition, a Personalized Learning Network

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39

allows for networking through multiple avenues that include social media platforms, web
resources, blogs, and professional communities extending far beyond one’s school. A
Personalized Learning Network creates an opportunity for educators to build a platform
that individually fits their needs, and finds the resources that will allow them to explore in
formats that provide information to expand their knowledge to support their own
instruction and student achievement (Hirschy, 2016).
Student-centered personalized learning. Education Elements, a company that is
focused on creating student-centered personalized learning models, has worked with
more than 750 schools and 140 districts on implementing personalized learning
successfully to support individualized learning opportunities for students. The founders
of this company have developed the Core Four Elements of Personalized Learning to
assist administrators and teachers in creating specific ways that instruction will change in
a personalized learning environment. As districts create professional development using a
personalized learning format, some key elements need to be incorporated to support the
growth of teachers, which then impacts student achievement. The four core elements are
(1) flexible content and tools; (2) targeted instruction; (3) reflection and ownership; and
(4) data driven decisions. Teachers need to be able to utilize material that allows for
differentiated paths, pace, and performance of tasks based on their own needs and
interests. The content within professional learning is aligned to specific needs and
learning goals of the teachers in support of district initiatives. Throughout this process,
teachers need to be able to reflect to promote ownership in their learning to create
authentic choices to improve their own learning outcomes and student
achievement. Finally, opportunities must be given to allow for review of data and make

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learning decisions based on that information to better enhance instructional practices and
student achievement (Johns & Wolking, 2018). Teachers can continually improve in their
expertise through the elements of personalized learning as they hone skills through their
own differentiated path for learning and collaborating with colleagues.

Figure 1
Education Elements (Johns & Wolking, 2018)

Utilizing technology to personalize professional development. Many districts have
new technology platforms that are helping to begin the implementation of online
personalized learning. Online personalized learning creates opportunities for teachers to
have flexible learning environments, have easy access to experts around the world,

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choose their learning modules, and work at their own pace. Terrell states, “Research is
showing that utilizing technology platforms are increasing teachers’ skills” (p. 40). In
addition, it is important that as districts transform professional development, they
recognize the importance of identifying the different skills that each teacher needs to
improve instruction. Beginning teachers need different skills than veteran teachers, and
teachers in rural areas need different skills than teachers in urban areas. Terrell found that
some districts have teachers using resources like #EdCamp, Twitter Math Camps, Google
Play Learning Communities, Pinterest, and Facebook groups. Teachers want to have
hands-on opportunities to experience new apps, and classroom technology to help to
increase their own professional learning, so they can grow as instructors. Teachers need
to carefully select topics and/or courses that align to the larger district goals as they begin
to create their own personalized learning pathway to meet their specific needs to support
student achievement (Terrell, 2017). Most personalized professional development will
consist of teacher observations and feedback, professional learning communities, and
increased use of online digital learning.
Gamification in professional development. Educators know that students don’t
learn in a sit-and-get environment, so why would administrators give teachers that same
type of professional development? Personalization of professional development
opportunities for educators is becoming more popular in districts. One type of
personalized learning is an individually paced gamified personalized development
(Powell, 2016). A form of gamifying professional development is using digital
badging. Badging has arrived on the scene as a leading contender to help provide
teachers with a clear path to professional growth, and giving them the micro-credentials

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to prove it (Jennings & Roome, 2017). Jennings and Roome (2017) recognize that
badges help teachers focus on relevant professional development opportunities because
they support personalized learning. Rather than the traditional model in which
professional development is offered in a seminar or lecture setting, teachers can choose
the learning they want to pursue based on what will be most relevant to them and their
students. Teachers earn badges by displaying competencies throughout their careers.
Badges are earned by what they learned, not the amount of seat time. Teachers are able to
track their own learning and create their own pathways of personalized learning by
earning badges showcasing mastery on the topic they choose due their interest and need
(p. 1).
Gamrat, Toomey, Zimmerman, Dudek, and Peck (2014) researched the use of
digital badging in personalized professional development for educators. Badges act like
portfolios for teachers to document workplace learning and artifacts that can be shared
with colleagues and supervisors. Digital badging is a tool that supports the needs of
personalized learning using technology to help increase knowledge in an individualized
path. Gamrat et al. (2014) specifically looked at the Teacher Learning Journeys (TLJ)
badging system, which was designed collaboratively by three partners—Penn State
University, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National
Science Teachers Association (NSTA). TLJ is dedicated to supporting implementation of
personalized PD through micro-credentialing and digital badging. The key to this
program is that teachers can receive expert feedback as they complete the activities and
activity logs from a local mentor. In the logs, teachers reflected on what they learned and
had to articulate their understanding of the content learned. Through their research,

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Gamrat et al. (2014) found that personalized learning, through digital badging, had to
consist of flexible online professional development to be effective. The districts that used
this type of learning needed to be able to allow for flexible goal-setting, the delivery of
content and forms of assessments, and how to share artifacts for future learning. In this
format of learning, the authors found that there is value in utilizing digital badging if the
organization is willing to create professional development opportunities that are
nontraditional, and give teachers choice in topics and content based on their interests and
needs.
Micro-credentialing. Micro-credentials were developed as a way to support
professional learning that provides teachers with the opportunity to learn and demonstrate
competency in new skills receiving feedback from an outside evaluator to earn
credentials. Micro-credentialing began after the introduction of digital badging for
personalizing professional learning for teachers, and it allows teachers to expand and
validate their learning and to receive recognition as they achieve milestones in their
professional learning trajectories. One reason micro-credentials are appealing is that they
break down complex instructional skills into fundamental parts. Teachers are able to have
choices in their own learning pathway to then be able to demonstrate their competencies
by providing evidence through the program. Demonte (2017) noted that a 2016 report by
Teaching Matters stated that teachers like using micro-credentials because they felt their
learning through this format would lead to greater student achievement.
“Teachers earning micro-credentials use what they have learned in their teaching,
and the design and online platform have an effect on the experience of users. The
report included examples of the artifacts provided by teachers as evidence of their

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competency related to the instructional skill laid out in the micro-credential” (p.
8).
As school districts begin to use micro-credentials for professional development, leaders
must do the following: (1) decide on the intended use and goals, (2) articulate the
purpose, (3) collect and interpret information from use of micro-credentialing, (4) give
voice and choice to teachers (Demonte, 2017). When districts use these, the
implementation of micro-credentialing has a much better chance of finding success
among teachers to have an impact in their own learning and the achievement of their
students.
Bloomboard is one of the leading platforms that are providing districts with
meaningful professional development experiences through micro-credentialing.
Bloomboard can provide a place for educators to build new competencies and earn
certifications through micro-credentialing. All micro-credentialing offered on
Bloomboard have the purpose to improve educator’s instructional practice to support
student achievement and grow and advance their careers. Bloomboard states that microcredentials are:
•

Competency-based

•

Personalized and Self-directed

•

Demonstration of New or Existing Expertise

•

Available On-demand

•

Job Embedded

•

Learning By Doing

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In addition, Bloomboard’s current research shows that traditional seat-time based
professional development has very little impact on change in instructional practice or
student outcomes. Micro-credentials focus on the application of professional learning in
the classroom, and implementing micro-credentials as an organization is a scalable way
to improve instructional practice that is aligned to educators’ content and needs
(Bloomboard, 2019).
Summary
In summary, Baum and Krulwich (2017) recognize that research states that
professional development has to look different in today’s learning environment. Teachers
need to be empowered to be integral in developing these experiences and giving feedback
on what is working and what is not working. Education leaders need to begin to eliminate
traditional professional development and use that time for teachers to collaborate daily in
teams that empower their own learning needs. Within that team, a teacher needs to be an
expert in the content being discussed, so that others within their collaborative group can
have an apprenticeship experience and learn from the expert in the group (p. 64). This
creates teacher-led professional development opportunities among many different
collaborative groups within a school or district. With this philosophy in place,
personalized learning becomes the model that continues to empower teachers in choice
and voice in their own learning and learning path (Powell, 2019).
Cordingley, Bell, Rundell, and Evans (2003), through a systematic review of
literature on collaborative, continuing professional development and its effect on teaching
and learning, concluded that teacher collaboration improves learners’ achievement.
Research shows that teacher-learning communities that are the most productive and

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sustainable are those not mandated by someone outside the group or formed around
imposed tasks. The communities that are formed organically, motivated by both social
and professional forces, are the ones that truly improve student achievement and teacher
instructional practices (National Councils of Teachers of English, 2010).
Finally, research supports the need to provide personalized learning opportunities
for teachers to increase their motivation, engagement, attitudes, and bring about a change
in their classroom practices (Guskey, 2003). Changing the traditional professional format
of sit-and-get to a more nontraditional personalized learning format supports educators in
becoming makers of their own learning, as well as creating and implementing their own
plan. Allowing teachers the choice to determine what topic they want to learn, the format
that works for their learning style, and at a pace that allows them the time needed to fully
understand the content is what personalized professional development comprises. In
addition, this learning format allows for collaboration with coaches, expert teachers, or
outside networks to increase a teacher’s reach for their own professional development.
When teachers create a blueprint for their learning, that navigates and empowers them to
have ownership and choice in personalizing learning experiences, engagement becomes
evident and student achievement increases. This blueprint implements learning in a
gradual fashion, and a hierarchy of learning to support each educator’s change in mindset
from traditional to nontraditional professional development (Jones-Carey, 2017).
Conclusion
Across the country, districts and schools face many challenges in creating and
delivering high quality personalized professional development learning opportunities for
their staff. Guskey (2003) noted the major goals of effective professional development

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are: “change in classroom practices of teachers, change in their attitude and beliefs, and
change in their learning outcomes of students.” Teachers need to be involved in the
planning and design of professional learning sessions, utilizing data from needs surveys
to ensure that new practices or strategies are aligned with what teachers want. When
creating experiences that are personalized to an educator's own learning styles, teachers
become more engaged and invested in their learning that in turn impacts student
achievement. Teachers need to feel empowered in being able to have a voice in what they
are learning, how they are learning it, and when they are learning it. Using online
platforms; creating micro-credentialing opportunities to earn badges; capitalizing a
personalized learning network; and leveraging social media networking are all examples
of experiences that teachers can use to create opportunities for professional development
that makes sense for them. Allowing teachers to pave their own learning path is a
paradigm shift in district leadership that is changing the landscape of professional
development from the traditional format of seminars, workshops, and outside presenters
to one that creates personalized learning experiences impacting student learning. Using
personalized learning to enhance professional development increases the motivation and
engagement of teachers, which empowers them to brainstorm approaches and strategies,
and be involved in high-quality learning experiences that impact their instruction and
student learning. In all, teachers need to be empowered to personalize their professional
development experiences to meet their interests and needs, not be told what they should
be learning from leaders (Powell, 2019; Guskey, 2003; Stacy, 2013; Terrell, 2017;
Rodman, 2018; Dallas, 2018).

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Chapter 3: Research Methodology

Introduction
With the implementation of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in the United
States, teachers have been tasked with additional responsibilities that incorporate
techniques that support student academics and behavioral needs. The Every Student
Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires that teachers implement new learning standards, use
student data to inform instruction, improve student literacy and increase rigorous and
relevant coursework, and create a positive and inclusive learning environment. As a result
of this Act, teachers have been asked to acquire skills that support students with little to
no professional development to help them be effective in this task (ESSA, 2015). When
creating professional development to meet the diverse needs of all teachers and continue
to be conscious of financial challenges within the organization, districts are looking at
ways to create new meaningful and cost-effective methods of professional
development. With credit courses, workshops, and online options ranging from $300 to
$500 per person and one day coaching sessions ranging from $3,500 to $5,000
professional development can become very expensive for a district, and not necessarily
effective learning for educators (Powell, 2016). Nontraditional cost-effective methods
need to be created to support teacher growth in preparing them to continue finding best
practices to incorporate in their instruction to meet the needs of all students. Teachers
need to have multiple avenues as a way to enhance their learning through professional

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development that allow choice of topics and interests, formats, pace, and use of a wide
variety of resources.
Recently, there has been an increasing interest in teacher learning, opportunities
available for professional development of teachers, and teachers' beliefs regarding
effective professional learning. To ensure a coherent professional development plan is
designed and implemented, it is essential that professional learning should link teachers’
experiences, knowledge, skills, and competencies as part of the program
structure. Teachers need to have a voice in the creation and development of the types of
professional development being offered to them and for them. In addition, it should also
allow teachers to take on leadership opportunities that ensure a comprehensive system is
developed focused on the growth and development of their peers, as well as their own
learning (Darling-Hammond, Hyler, & Gardner, 2017). Continuous effective professional
development is a process that requires teachers to perform activities that aim to increase
their quality of teaching and allows active learning opportunities that support their growth
and student achievement. Teachers personalizing their own professional learning allows
them to find the best pathways to support their own growth and enhance student
achievement. They are truly engaged in learning the content and are able to see how it
impacts daily instruction immediately and long term. Personalizing professional
development encourages educators to customize their learning paths that encompass their
individual learning styles, delivered in a timely fashion, and fully supported in the
implementation of learning. Teachers do not want professional learning that is a “oneshot” approach and is driven as a compliance of learning, but rather meeting their own
personalized learning needs. It is hard to change the paradigm of the traditional sit and

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get professional learning to a personalized learning approach, but educators actively want
this type of professional development and research shows it is the most effective way to
increase teacher engagement, motivation, and continuous growth (Jones-Carey, 2017;
Beus, 2016).
Purpose
Classroom teachers currently struggle to balance their work schedule, personal
life, and extensive teaching obligations, making it challenging for them to regularly
engage in long-term, effective professional development. Guskey (2002) notes that
professional development plans fail when teachers are not motivated by what they are
learning and do not see how it connects to their own need for growth to support student
achievement outcomes. In addition, teachers need to be able to create a blueprint for their
learning, allowing them to navigate and empower ownership and choice in personalizing
learning experiences, at which point engagement becomes evident and student
achievement increases (Jones-Carey, 2017). Garet et al. (2001) has stated through
research that to improve professional development it is important to focus on content,
active learning, and coherence rather than the type.
The purpose of the study was for the researcher to investigate how a set of
secondary teachers feel about the effectiveness of their current professional development
plan in the district, specifically at the building level. Through the review of literature, it is
clear to the researcher that personalizing learning for teachers is an effective way to
ensure that teachers have the best resources to enhance their own growth and create a
pathway that supports how they learn best, what content they need to know to support
student growth, and the pace at which they are able to complete the tasks. All the

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information the researcher studied stated that teachers want to have ownership in the
professional learning opportunities that they need to complete yearly. Although the
research showed teachers often do not feel they have the voice to create the professional
learning content, teachers are asking for that very thing—voice, choice, and format of
learning. This study aims to review how teachers perceive the effectiveness of what they
learn through the professional learning opportunities presented to them that contribute to
the implementation of changes and improvements to their classroom practice. In addition,
the study will review how much voice and choice teachers feel they have in creating the
learning experiences presented to them and in the format that works for their adultlearning styles. Finally, the study will analyze the secondary teachers’ beliefs within one
district about the learning experiences they are involved in currently within the district,
and the overall effectiveness of impacting teachers’ growth and meeting their needs.
Using an inquiry data method to collect information from participants allowed the
researcher to gather information through an anonymous survey and a structured
interview. Using this form of inquiry data collection allowed the researcher to ensure that
the research questions could be answered with little bias in the interpretation of the
responses (Hendricks, 2017). The researcher will answer the following research questions
to be able to support the belief that personalizing learning and giving teachers choice will
create a better professional development plan that engages teachers in their own growth
and learning blueprint. The researcher created questions that support the study in
determining what teachers feel effective professional development entails by looking at
the engagement within the activities, impact of instruction and lesson development, and

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perception of what traditional and nontraditional personalized learning looks like at the
secondary level.
1.

Does teacher engagement increase during professional development when

given choice?
2.

How does giving teachers choice in professional development impact

daily instruction?
3.

What are the perceptions of traditional professional development versus

nontraditional personalized learning professional development opportunities for
secondary teachers (grades 7-12)?
Through this study, the researcher desired to understand how a nontraditional format of
professional development, focusing on personalization for each teacher, creates a culture
of strong engagement and interest in their own learning. This researcher documented the
attitudes, skills, and beliefs of the participants and noted the changes they would like to
see moving forward in the development of professional learning through personalization
of content.
Participant Descriptions
Through purposeful sampling, the researcher focused this study on secondary
teachers as part of a learning group representing two secondary schools within a suburban
district in south central Pennsylvania. These professional staff members work in the
district’s middle and high schools. Within the last three years, the high school staff has
been part of a pilot group that has been allowed to create some personalized learning
opportunities for building-level professional development, while the teachers in the
middle school have been exposed to mostly traditional professional development. The

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high school staff, grades nine through twelve, has approximately 90 teachers that range
from first year educators to those that have been at the high school for over 40 years. The
middle school staff, grades seven and eight, comprises approximately 45 teachers that
range from first year teachers to teachers that have been at that school for 30 plus years.
This part of the research was conducted within an inquiry data analysis using an
anonymous survey, which focused on answering or finding themes within the first two
research questions about teacher engagement and having choice in their learning content
and format of learning environment. The anonymous survey was to allow the researcher
to collect data from the 135 secondary teachers working at the middle and high schools
during the spring of 2020 through a Google form prepared by the researcher and
disseminated over email. These participants were selected to be part of a quantitative case
study utilizing an anonymous survey that will provide the researcher an opportunity to
gain an overall understanding of teachers' perceptions regarding the current
implementation of the professional development plan; the impact to their own
engagement during professional development; and the impact on their daily instruction.
From the 135 teachers at the secondary level, six teachers were selected to be part
of a smaller qualitative case study focusing on specific structured interview questions
about their own personal experiences, perceptions, and assumptions of current
professional development plans and how professional learning has impacted their
classroom instruction and student achievement. The six participants will consist of two
secondary teachers that have only been teaching one to five years and are new to the
district; two have taught in the district between six to fifteen years; and two have taught
in the district over 20 years. The interview questions were focused on helping the

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researcher to analyze data to support the third research question focusing on the
effectiveness of the current trends in the implementation of professional learning
opportunities. These participants will allow the researcher to focus on their personal
perspective and views of the effectiveness of the professional development opportunities
currently offered to them at this time. In addition, this research will document the
effectiveness of traditional versus nontraditional professional learning and focus on the
similarities and differences of the perspectives from the newest to most veteran teachers
in the current format presented within the district.
Setting Description
This study took place in the middle and high schools in a suburban district located
in south central Pennsylvania where the researcher was employed. This district housed
one middle school, grades seven and eight, and one high school, grades nine through
twelve. Although the middle and high school is one complex separated by double doors,
they run as two separate buildings. The middle school had two administrators, both new
to the building for the 2019/2020 school year, and the high school had four
administrators, all having been in their roles for three or more years. The middle school
had approximately 410 students and 45 teachers, while the high school had
approximately 1250 students with 90 teachers. Out of the 140 teachers in the secondary
complex, a total of 10 teachers were shared between the two buildings, but were normally
associated with the high school staff. Even though the buildings were connected, the
professional development plan for both buildings had been very different in format with
the previous administration at the middle school.

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The high school administration has piloted, for the last two years, a more
nontraditional personalized learning professional development approach, while the
middle school has had a more traditional professional development of sit and get with
little to no choice or voice in what the teachers were learning. The high school
administration created opportunities, within the professional development plan, allowing
teachers to have a voice in the topics that were being offered for learning. The
professional learning sessions were developed from these topics and teachers were then
given choices on what sessions they wanted to attend, as well as times within the day to
create or rework current instruction to support what they had just learned. In addition,
teacher leaders created the sessions off of content or activities they had created within
their own classrooms that met the needs of topic requests from teachers. Some teachers
chose to utilize the independent learning opportunities created by teachers through howto videos and step-by-step instructions for implementation or creation of content. With a
new administration at the middle school, a more uniformed approach to the secondary
level for professional development has been discussed and has begun to be developed
specifically looking at what the researcher has found through this study and teachers’
perceptions of what has been working and/or needs to be changed for better engagement
or implementation of content. A double door should not be a barrier to collaboration and
should allow all secondary teachers to use personalized learning as the format for
professional development that supports their needs and growth of students.
Research Design and Rationale
Hendricks wrote that Lyons states that “…inquiry is the heart of action research,
can professionalize the work of educators by encouraging them to collaborate, by finding

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a voice to those who engage in the practice, and by providing educators with
opportunities to examine the professional purposes and possibilities of their work”
(Hendricks, 2017). This researcher realized the importance of allowing teachers to have a
voice in designing a professional development plan that meets their individual needs and
interests to create opportunities that give purpose in what they are learning. To allow this
to occur, this research study primarily utilized a quantitative methods approach with a
qualitative inquiry as a small, secondary focus to create the ability to get a larger overall
understanding using numerical data to create an analysis of the effectiveness of current
practices.
This researcher chose to use Mixed Methods Research (MMR), which integrates
quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative data is gathered in a numerical
form, which can be put into categories, or in rank of order, or measured in units of
measurement. Questionnaires can be used to collect quantitative data and the use of
statistics can help turn this data into useful information to help with decisions that could
impact interventions to support the needs of the district. Qualitative data involves an
interpretive, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. The researcher was able to allow
participants to feel comfortable or study things in their natural settings, which allowed for
a more honest observation or interpretation of what the information means to the
participant. The information gained from qualitative data suggested possible
relationships, causes, effects, and perceptions from the participants. This research used a
descriptive and narrative style (McLeod, 2019). Using both of these methods created an
opportunity for the researcher to have a more credible and dependable way to disseminate

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the information through the triangulation of data where multiple forms of data can be
collected and analyzed (Hendricks, 2017).
The researcher implemented the mixed-method research study utilizing both
quantitative and qualitative data collected from two data collection instruments, survey
and interview. The participants who were identified in this study were all professional
secondary level staff members who worked in the district and were assigned in either the
middle or high schools. Following the IRB approval (see Appendix E), the research was
conducted in March 2020 and continued through April 2020. The researcher sent an
electronic invitation to the participants, formally requesting their participation in this
research study. The email introduced the researcher, explained the study, clarified the
expectations of the study and provided the necessary safeguards for the potential
participants. Within this email, a link to the survey was given to the participants to
complete if they agreed to be part of the research study. The participants agreed to
participate in the study by completing the anonymous survey through the link
provided. In addition, the researcher also sent out an electronic to six participants to
complete the structured interview questions. Within that email, the researcher was
introduced, the study explained, clarification of expectations of the interview and the
necessary safeguards were explained. The participants responded to the email that they
would be willing to participate in the interview and a date was set up to meet to complete
the interview.
The researcher implemented the mixed-method research study utilizing both
quantitative and qualitative data collected from two data collection instruments, survey
and interview. The participants who were identified in this study are all professional

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58

secondary level staff members who work in the district and are assigned in either the
middle or high schools. Following the IRB approval (see Appendix E), the research was
conducted in March 2020 and continued through April 2020. The researcher sent an
electronic invitation to the participants, formally requesting their participation in this
research study. The email introduced the researcher, explained the study, clarified the
expectations of the study and provided the necessary safeguards for the potential
participants. Within this email, a link to the survey was given to the participants to
complete if they agreed to be part of the research study. The participants agreed to
participate in the study by completing the anonymous survey through the link
provided. In addition, the researcher also sent out an electronic to six participants to
complete the structured interview questions. Within that email, the researcher was
introduced, the study explained, clarification of expectations of the interview and the
necessary safeguards were explained. The participants responded to the email that they
would be willing to participate in the interview and a date was set up to meet to complete
the interview.
Since the researcher was the administrator of the high school, additional
permission was obtained for the study from the district’s Superintendent through a formal
letter of request. Upon receipt of permissions from the Superintendent and participants,
the entire study was conducted at the participants’ work site as well as in an online
environment. The research methods included a Google form survey and structured
interviews. The participants were interviewed to determine their perceptions and beliefs
about the current professional development plan and opportunities that were currently
offered within the district. Also, the participants were surveyed to determine the amount

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of engagement they experienced during our current professional learning opportunities
and how much choice they felt they had in creating these opportunities and topics. In
collecting and analyzing the data, the goal of this research was to effectively answer the
three research questions of the study. All of the information gathered was coded,
triangulated, and analyzed to ensure validity of the content.
Description of Methods
The researcher elected to use a mixed-method data collection to gain greater
insights from the participants about the professional development opportunities currently
offered at the secondary level in the district. Using inquiry data to gather the information
from the participants allowed the researcher to acquire a larger amount of details about
their knowledge, beliefs, feelings, and opinions about their participation in professional
learning. In addition, this data collection also allows the researcher to understand more
about the participants opinions, attitudes, and perceptions about their past experience
with the professional development sessions offered from the district. Having that
information will establish an overall understanding of how impactful and effective the
current professional learning is for our teachers. It will also allow the researcher to
utilize the study to find effective interventions to support the teachers’ needs for better
engagement and instructional outcomes from their professional learning.
Questionnaire. One method used by the researcher was to send out an electronic link
to an online questionnaire to each participant through an email address. Although the link
was sent out to the participants’ work email addresses, the electronic link was to a Google
Form, which allowed for anonymity due to the fact that no email addresses were
collected or names given on the form. When participants clicked on the link, they were

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taken to the form where they received a message from the researcher that indicated the
purpose of the survey, as well as the length of time it would take to complete. In addition,
the message also mentioned the risks and benefits, if any, of taking the survey and how
confidentiality would be maintained. Finally, the message stated the participation to
complete the survey was voluntary and that a participant could withdraw his response at
any time, or to not participate. The last part of the message was the contact information
for the researcher if there were any questions. The questionnaire, consisting of 13
questions, took approximately 10 minutes to complete (see Appendix C). The
information that was requested about professional development was categorized into four
main areas relating to personalizing professional learning opportunities: choice in
personalizing topics, engagement in learning, collaboration among colleagues, and
impact of instruction. Based upon their responses from the questionnaire, participants
answered most of the questions on a four point Likert Scale reflecting their level of
agreement with the statement: never implemented, occasionally implemented, frequently
implemented, regularly implemented. A few of the questions participants answered on a
10-point Likert Scale from no collaboration/implementation to complete satisfaction with
collaboration/implementation. The last question afforded the participants an opportunity
to provide further insight through an open-ended question to elaborate on what effective
professional development consists of for their own learning. The survey was constructed
using a forced-choice model to eliminate neutral responses. Additionally, the survey
collected basic demographic data to allow for the identification of trends or gaps among
the participants. Utilizing this form of data research allowed for honest answers from
participants due to their anonymity and aligned with the research questions

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established. The scales, within the questionnaire, were created to focus on how
participants feel about certain characteristics within professional development,
specifically measuring attitudes and perceptions of each participant.
Interviews. The second method utilized in this study was the use of structured
interviews. “Interviewing is a common means of collecting qualitative data. It is a person
to person encounter in which one person elicits information from another” (Merriam,
2009). The nine interview questions were prepared ahead of time by the researcher and
designed to gain more insight and understanding of the perceptions, beliefs, opinions, and
attitudes about the professional development currently offered at the district (see
Appendix C). Three of the nine questions focused specifically on the use of Community
of Practice (CoP) utilized at the district as part of the comprehensive professional
development plan at the secondary level. Wenger, McDermott & Snyder (2002) defines a
community of practice as “a group of people who share a common concern or passion of
a topic they want to deepen their knowledge and expertise in the educational arena from
ongoing interactions with others.” A community of practice is a form of professional
learning that allows teachers to foster relationships based on mutual trust and respect,
based around a common ground and a sense of common identity. The questions allowed
the participants to share their understanding of how the Community of Practice impacted
their learning and collaboration opportunities with their colleagues (Skalicky & West,
2008).
The interviews were conducted around the participants’ schedules and given
flexibility to complete the questions at a time that was convenient to them so they had
ample time to answer the questions. Participants were sent an email to set up a time for

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the interview that was conducive to their schedules and allowed them to not feel rushed
to answer the questions. The interview took approximately 30-40 minutes to
complete. In addition to note taking, the researcher also had some of the participants
answer the interview questions in writing with a follow up phone call due to a time
restraint of having the Federal and State Educational System school shut down because of
the COVID-19 pandemic. The researcher was not able to meet with all participants prior
to school closures, so participants were asked to answer the interview questions in writing
with a follow up call to review their answers. The researcher placed all notes into
HyperBundle software (ResearchWARE, Inc., 2019) for coding of the interview
process. The software allowed the researcher to code, retrieve data, build theories, and
provide analysis of the data collected.
The feedback gained from the research questions allowed for participants to share
both positive and negative aspects of the current professional development offerings at
the secondary level schools. The interviews enabled the researcher to reveal attitudes and
perceptions about the ongoing professional development and analyze the data to provide
overall themes and build theories on how to provide interventions to continue to make the
professional learning more personalized and meaningful. In addition, using interviews to
collect data adds richness to the study to investigate why the professional development
plan is successful or not, and what the participants perceive would enhance their
engagement in the entire process. During the interview, it is essential that the researcher
kept the interviewees on topic and remained focused on the question, listened carefully to
each answer, and did not ask leading questions. Although conducting interviews reveals
many aspects about the participant’s feelings on the topic, it can be time consuming and

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at times hard for the researcher to feel personally offended. This researcher had to ensure
that each participant felt at ease to be honest with his or her answers and perceptions, and
understood their answers were helping to build a professional development program that
truly met the needs of all the teachers through personalization. Through this structured
interview, the researcher was able to speak to six participants and reiterate the
confidentiality of their answers for this study (Hendricks, 2017). The purpose of the
interview questions was to gain a much deeper understanding and insight to the
questionnaire responses by the researcher from the participants’ knowledge and needs of
professional development opportunities offered. The researcher will be able to use this
knowledge to recommend changes or ways to enhance more personalization within our
professional development program and have teachers become more engaged in the
development of sessions/topics and in the format and pace needed for their adult-learning
style.
Financial Impact
Through this study, the researcher was able to continue to discuss how powerful it
is to utilize teacher leaders to help create and deliver content to colleagues. When
teachers lead the learning, it can enhance collaboration, encourage self-reflection on
instructional practices, and empower teachers to work together to improve their skills. In
the end, teachers who have a role in developing their own professional learning are more
compelled to be actively involved in that learning (Kuhlmann, 2018). Allowing teachers
to have a voice in what they learn is empowering for teachers. Voice of a learner is
defined as, “involvement and engagement in the what and the how of learning early in the
learning process (Rodman, 2018). Utilizing teachers within the district to present

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professional learning will not only increase engagement, but also decrease the financial
impact associated with professional development. Having teacher leaders be the experts
and create the learning sessions for their colleagues does not cost the district anything
financially; it allows the district to inspire those from within to shine among their
peers. Killeen, Monk, and Plecki (2002) findings reveal that districts devote
approximately three percent of total general expenditures to professional development
activities, which equates to approximately $200 per pupil, and would equate to $800,000
a year for this district.
Oftentimes a district will spend $3500-$5000 for an outside vendor to come in for
professional development, however using teachers, instructional coaches, and technology
teachers to support the needs of the staff can reduce the financial impact professional
development can have on a district substantially (Guskey, 2014) and build internal
capacity for systemic change. Saving hundreds of thousands of dollars of personalizing
learning for professional development through in-house sessions and training is a bonus
to the positive impact it has on teacher instruction and engagement in learning.
Ethical Considerations
Validity in action research is described as the trustworthiness of the
study. Lincoln and Guba’s trustworthiness criterion consists of credibility,
transferability, dependability, and conformability. Credibility refers to the plausibility of
the research findings and transferability refers to the extent in which results of the study
are applicable to other individuals. Dependability is the degree to which the results could
be replicated with the same or similar participants and conformability are the results that
actually occurred and not the results of the researcher’s bias, motivation, or interests

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(Hendricks, 2017). The researcher designed the study to minimize and anticipate risks to
all participants involved. Accuracy of facts and findings were kept, interpretations were
made, and correct conclusions were reached. Confidentiality of all participants’ responses
from the questionnaire and interviews were maintained throughout the entire research and
reporting process. Coding was specific to the interviewee and will be identified as
Participant 1, Participant 2, Participant 3, etc. as well as referencing the years of
experience within the educational field. Understanding the limitations and assumptions
associated with this research, the researcher noted that all participants were public school
employees and not private school educators, as well as the participants may have been
impacted by the quality and quantity of professional learning experiences they have
participated in in the past. In addition, the researcher assumed the 76 participants that
responded to the questionnaire were honest in their ratings of perceptions of effective
professional development and were able to differentiate between their own personal
preferences versus the true impact of the professional development experiences.
To ensure validity in this study, the researcher also considered any biases that
may need to be considered. Bias is defined as any preconceived ideas about participants,
setting, interventions, or the research process itself (Merriam, 2009). Although bias can
have a negative connotation, bias can be part of the research process if the researcher
believes that the intervention or plan that comes out of the research will be
successful. This researcher believes strongly that providing personalized learning
opportunities for teachers will have a bigger impact on their own growth and student
achievement, so as data is collected and analyzed the researcher will need to keep the
biases in check. Also, to ensure validity the researcher needs to ensure the data is

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recorded accurately and to utilize all data sources to corroborate findings. Finally, the
researcher needs to continue to reflect on the planning for data collection and make sure
all participants feel at ease. Using these steps has created trustworthiness within the
study to increase the validity of the study (Hendricks, 2017).
Given the researcher was the principal of the high school of some of the
participants; the researcher obtained the appropriate permission to conduct the study at
the middle and high schools by the superintendent of the district. This allowed for
transparency of the intent of the study and what the researcher was asking of the
participants and understanding that everything they said in their answers would be
confidential and not be held against them in any negative way. The information gathered
could impact positive changes to our professional development program and support the
opportunities created or developed to meet the needs of each teacher. The first part of the
questionnaire and interview had part of the following statement to ensure participants
new that all ethical considerations were taken:
You are being invited to participate in a research study about using
personalized learning opportunities for professional development. The objective
of this research project is to attempt to understand if teachers are more engaged
with personalized learning opportunities for professional development than
“traditional” opportunities. This is a chance for you to tell your story about your
experiences concerning effective professional development that impacts your own
personal growth. It is being conducted in the secondary schools in the district. The
survey is being given to current teachers in the district.

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There are no known risks if you decide to participate in this research
study, nor are there any costs for participating in the study. The information you
provide will help the researcher understand how best to satisfy the needs of the
district for professional development. The information collected may benefit you
directly, and what the researcher learns from this study should provide general
benefits to the entire district.
This survey is anonymous. If you choose to participate, do not put your
name on the survey. No one will be able to identify you, nor will anyone be able
to determine which school building you work in. No one will know whether you
participated in this study. Nothing you say on the survey will in any way
influence your present or future employment with the district.
Your participation in this study is voluntary. If you choose to participate,
please submit your responses electronically. No one will have access to your
responses other than the researcher. By returning the survey you are giving
consent to the researcher to use the data as part of her research.
By conducting a mixed-method research study, the research is able to tell the story of the
secondary teachers’ perceptions about the impact of personalizing professional
development and making the “mindshift” from traditional to non-traditional professional
development opportunities.
Conclusion
As districts continue to revisit the effectiveness of their professional development
programs or plans, it is noteworthy to recognize that approximately three percent of their
annual budget is set aside for professional development activities. Most of that budgeted

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money comes from local tax dollars, and taxpayers want to see the teachers continue to
grow academically to support the growth of their children in all areas. Setting that
amount of money in the budget ensures that teachers have opportunities to learn, but is
the money being used to effectively impact teacher instruction and student
achievement? Finally, research supports the need to provide personalized learning
opportunities for teachers to increase their motivation, engagement, attitudes, and bring
about a change in their classroom practices (Guskey, 2003).
Changing the traditional professional development format from a sit-and-get to a
more nontraditional personalized learning format supports educators in becoming makers
of their own learning, as well as creating and implementing their own plan. A traditional
professional development format utilizes many outside vendors to provide learning
opportunities through training or online software that cost money. However, looking
within the district and finding those teacher leaders and/or instructional coaches that can
provide on-hand learning of true and tried activities could be the cost savings that many
districts are looking to find. These activities do not cost the district, but highlight the
excellence happening already within the buildings and align with the overwhelming need
for personalized learning opportunities from the research study.

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Chapter 4: Results

Introduction
The previous chapter presented the convergent parallel mixed-method research
design, methodology, and sampling procedures used in this research study. The
researcher is using this form of research design to converge the results of both the
qualitative and quantitative data to allow for themes to emerge or comparisons to be
made among the data analyzed. The data was collected at the same time, but analyzed
separately to allow for all information to be analyzed and then interpreted into one overall
analysis of results. This chapter provides an analysis of the survey data and interview
data. It also provides answers to the three research questions posed at the beginning of
this study. The analysis of the research questions sought to identify the impact of utilizing
personalized learning choices for professional development, and which type of learning
had the largest impact on teachers’ daily instruction. It also looked to identify which type
of personalized learning better engaged them in learning to have the greatest impact on
their own growth. A researcher-designed survey instrument featuring questions with
Likert scale choices was used to measure the perceptions of 76 secondary education
professionals working in public school settings located in south central Pennsylvania.
Through the investigation of effective professional development and
personalizing professional development for educators, the researcher documented how
participants engaged in professional development opportunities that were both
personalized and traditional formats. The participants had opportunities to share their

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knowledge, perspectives, and understanding of what effective professional development
looked like, sounded like, and consisted of for their own personal learning. Through
purposeful sampling, the researcher focused the survey on the secondary teachers (grades
7-12) within the public school in south central Pennsylvania to gather data to answer the
three research questions. In addition, the researcher interviewed six secondary teachers,
ranging from first year to 28th year in the school district. These six teachers, who were
the focus of the interviews, were among the 76 teachers who answered the survey
questions.
Presentation of Data
The central question addressed in this study was focused on using personalized
learning formats for professional development to increase teacher engagement and
instruction allowing for positive impact in student achievement. This chapter presents
findings based upon data gathered from an online survey and structured interviews. All of
the participants were selected due to currently working in the public secondary schools,
high and middle school, in the south central Pennsylvania school district. To commence
the study, the researcher created and used a Personalized Learning in Professional
Development survey that was sent out to all 135 teachers in grades 7-12. The researcher
had 76 teachers complete the survey, which is about 57% participation. The online
questionnaire assessed participants’ perceptions about how well the secondary level is
achieving their goal of implementing effective professional development using
personalized learning options. Teachers were also asked to assess the amount of choice in
topics, collaboration time with colleagues, time for professional learning, engagement in

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the learning, impact on daily instruction, and change in their own professional growth by
meeting their needs as a learner.
The data was categorized into four main sections relating to the key elements of
personalizing learning in professional development: choice in topics in professional
development sessions, control of choosing the topics to present in professional
development sessions, meeting the needs of each learner, and the impact of a teacher’s
daily instruction through content. Based upon the statements in the questionnaire,
participants chose their responses on a 10-point Likert scale reflecting their level of
agreement, satisfaction, or control: no control/satisfaction/agreement (0) to complete
control/satisfaction/agreement (10). In addition, participants chose their responses to a 4point Likert scale reflecting their agreement with the statement: never implemented (1),
occasionally implemented (2), frequently implemented (3), regularly implemented (4).
At the end of the survey, participants were afforded an opportunity to provide
further insight through an open-ended comment section. All information was collected
through Google Form and the data was collected and saved in a tab-delimited format.
Because of the nature of the data gathered, the researcher employed quantitative methods
to analyze the data. Information from the survey was used to compare the participants’
beliefs both individually and within the group of secondary teachers.
In analyzing the results of the questionnaire, it was clear to the researcher that the
majority of teachers in the survey felt that they were given choice in the topics for their
professional development shown in Figure 1. 53 out of the 76 teachers who responded
marked that they were satisfied to completely satisfied with the level of control they were
given in choosing the professional development topic sessions for the building.

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However, there were 23 out of 76 teachers who did not feel that they had control, and one
teacher marked they felt they had no control over the topics provided for professional
development sessions.

Figure 2
Control of Choice in Topics for Professional Development

30%

70%

Teacher Level
of Choice
(0-10 scale)
0-4 Control
5-10 control

Note. The secondary teachers surveyed totaled 76.

As indicated in the chart above, participant responses ranged from no control to almost
complete control, with zero participants stating they felt they had complete control of
choices in topic of session. This data implies that most of the teachers are satisfied with
the amount of choices they have to help to personalize their learning that will then
support their needs for growth.
In the open-ended response section of the survey, many participants wrote
additional comments specifically about the control of choice given to teachers for their

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own personalized learning. One teacher wrote, “Being able to choose from topics that
you feel will assist you in your instruction is why I like personalized learning. Using this
method allows me the opportunity to work with what suits my abilities, but also having
the opportunity to try something new has value.” Another participant commented, “I like
the freedom to choose what works best for me and my classroom. If I already know how
to do something or a topic, I do not want to sit through training about it. I like to explore
new options that can better my instruction and also what strategies would fit my content
best.” Finally, one teacher stated, “I am able to select topics of the highest interest and
relevance to my classroom. I am also able to bring those ideas back to my classroom and
have control over the pace of implementation.” In summary, teachers feel that having
access to choice and pace for their own learning allows for the opportunity to experiment
and take risks in the classroom more easily than a sit-and-get traditional format where
you are not always getting content that meets your individual needs.
Reviewing the data collected in the questionnaire, the researcher could see that it
clearly reflected the importance of ensuring that teachers feel they are given voice and
choice in what they are learning during professional development days to continue to
support their own needs. The data also shows that teachers feel that the building-level
professional development has listened to their voice and created choices that met their
individual needs to support their instruction and student achievement. When participants
were asked to reflect on how satisfied they were with the extent of choice in topics
provided to them for professional learning, 80% (n=61/76) stated they were satisfied to
completely satisfied with what topics the building level is providing them.

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Figure 3 reflects that 5% (n=4/76) felt that they were completely satisfied with the choice
in topics while 1% (n=1/76) felt that they were completely unsatisfied with the choice of
topics provided.

Figure 3
Choice of Personalized Professional Development Activities at Building Level
16

Number of Teachers

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Satisfaction Scale of PD Choice
Note. The number of participants surveyed totaled 76

Many participants commented in the open-ended section of the questionnaire with
their opinions about the choices offered. One participant stated, “Personalized learning
where new practices and tools are demonstrated and used as part of the presentation for
me to experience coupled with freedom to choose, play and try the practices & tools that
best fit my subject matter, lesson content, and current students.” Another teacher
commented, “CoP (Community of Practice) because I am granted an opportunity to work
and interact with teachers in different disciplines. This “forced” choice allows for many
personalized learning opportunities.” CoP has continued to be a focus of a personalized

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learning format where the building has allowed for multiple choices in the topic of choice
to research and delve into the process and in what format: group, face-to-face, or
independently. Another teacher noted, “Our CoP training and collaboration with
instructional coaches on things we directly use in our classroom,” as an example of the
satisfaction of choice in topics that are provided to teachers at the secondary buildinglevel.
When considering the data in Table 1, the researcher focused on some of the main
strategies used within personalizing learning for instruction: choice, delivery, pace,
customized, and independent practice. Analyzing the data, the results show that although
participants feel that they are given choice in topics and that, at the building level, the
choices given are relevant to their needs, it is evident that the teachers feel that most of
the strategies used within personalizing learning only occasionally support their own
learning and mastering the content of the session. While some participants marked that
they frequently feel that the professional development has supported their own learning,
few marked that they regularly feel they can implement the strategy. One area the
researcher noted as an area that would need to be reviewed is the amount of time given,
lack of or too much, for professional development. 49% (n=37/76) of the participants
marked that they occasionally felt this is implemented into the practice of the
professional development opportunities. Looking at offering different pacing or time
restraints on finishing professional learning modules or sessions would be an area that
would be reviewed at the building level and/or district level. Knowing that teachers feel
this is an area that they do not believe supports their own learning or content mastery is a
concern that is noted by the researcher. Personalized learning supports differentiating

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pacing as a key strategy that makes teachers feel more engaged and empowered in their
own learning. Noting that teachers are not feeling that this is happening consistently
shows at the building level, and supports the notion that true personalized learning
opportunities are not happening effectively within the format.

Table 1
Participants’ Responses to What Extent is Personalized Learning used to Support Own
Learning and Master Content
Never
Implemented
this Practice
Customize
Needs of
Learner
Differentiate
Delivery of
Instruction
Differentiate
the Pacing for
Groups
Use of Selfpacing and
Targeted
Independent
Practice
Use Choice of
Professional
Development
to Meet Needs
of Learners

Occasionally
Implemented
this Practice

Frequently
Implemented
this Practice

Regularly
Implemented
this Practice

4% (3)

37% (28)

42% (32)

17% (13)

4% (3)

34% (26)

49% (37)

13% (10)

2% (2)

49% (37)

33% (25)

16% (12)

4% (3)

42% (32)

32% (24)

22% (17)

0% (0)

32% (24)

39% (30)

29% (22)

Note. 76 participants completed this questionnaire.
Reviewing the open-ended responses allowed the researcher to reflect further on
the participants’ responses in Table 1. One participant stated, “On-line videos and
discipline-specific forums devoted to sharing research, teaching strategies, solving

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classroom problems, and sharing successes and roadblocks are ways that delivery was
differentiated.” A few participants noted that time to collaborate with colleagues who
teach similar or the same content would be very beneficial in allowing teachers time to
meet to address specific needs relevant to what they teach. Another participant noted that
allowing more independent research would create more choices to meet specific needs
and allow for differentiation of delivery and pace in learning. Finally, one participant
commented, “I believe we should have time where we actually look at examples within
our own content areas as well, as we are not given too much time with mixing together
COP and content.” Although some of these reflections show that the participants are not
100% satisfied with what the building level is offering as personalized learning, the
overall results show that the building is heading in the right direction to continue to
support the needs of the teachers and find ways to ensure the learning is differentiated to
their content specific goals as well as the overall goal of the district.
Professional development plays an essential and significant part in creating
learning opportunities for teachers to be learners. When teachers are learners, they are
better teachers for their students. It is imperative that the professional development that is
provided to teachers is impacting their daily instruction to increase student achievement.
Professional learning opportunities are intended to support change in a teacher’s practice
and subsequently improve the learning of students. From the results of the questionnaire,
Figure 4 shows 76% (n= 57/75) of participants feel that the professional development
they received at the building level has impacted to significantly impacted their daily
instruction, while 24% (n=18/75) marked that they saw little to no impact in their daily
instruction. Personalizing professional development has made a significant impact on the

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majority of the teachers; however, there are some teachers who may need to continue to
delve deeper into what their needs are to be able to support more individualized learning
plans for them to support their growth in the classroom and increase student achievement.

Figure 4
Impact of Professional Development on Daily Instruction

15%
(11)

13%
(10)
11%
(8)

0-10 Impact
Scale
0-2 impact

Percent
of
Teachers

36%
(27)

25%
(19)

3-4 impact
5-6 impact
7-8 impact
9-10 impact

Note. Chart reflects 75 participants answers on impact of personalized
learning and instruction.

Three participants responded in the open-ended portion of the questionnaire that if
the learning is not related to my subject area, it is not very useful. They noted that if the
professional learning were related to my content area, it then would match and/or address
my current level of skill, proficiency, or needs. One participant noted, “Content specific
strategies are good and they positively impact my instruction. However, the most
important topic that impacts my instruction is professional development that is specific to
my content area.” The overall perception of these participants, noted by the researcher,

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was that the only professional learning that impacts their instruction is directly related to
their content. Personalizing professional development by providing different modes,
delivery and pacing may allow for those teachers to have more access to their content, but
at the same time continue to embrace some of the new teaching strategies that best
support student learning.
On the other end of the spectrum, the researcher noted that one participant stated,
“Personalized professional learning impacts my daily instruction. I have learned about
many new tools during professional learning sessions that I am able to incorporate in my
classroom. Having choice allows me to choose the sessions that would be most useful for
me.” Another participant stated, “Professional learning provides me with tangible things
to take back to the classroom, which impacts how I present materials to my students that
is more engaging. I enjoy learning about new tech tools and ways to differentiate and
personalize learning for my students.”

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Table 2
Demographics of the Interview Participants
Participant

Gender

No. Years
Teaching

1

F

3

No. Years
Teaching in
District
2

2

F

1

1

3

M

14

12

4

M

16

16

5

F

28

28

6

F

29

29

Note. Shows the demographics of the participants in the study

In addition to the data collected from the questionnaires and open-ended
responses, Table 2 shows the demographics of the six participants that provided
information through a structured interview. The researcher continued to focus on the
central question addressed in this study with the remainder of the data collected. The
structured interviews took place over a Zoom call due to the Covid-19 pandemic and not
being able to meet in person. The researcher believed having a Zoom call versus just
sending them the questions would allow them time to better reflect and react to the
structured interview questions. The interview questions were sent prior to the Zoom call
so that the participants were able to be prepared for the call and have an idea of what the
researcher would be asking. The researcher wanted to get a wide range of background
experience with the district to get a broader understanding of the current professional

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development practices and allow for more data to be collected and additional insight
gained.
Results
Structured Interview
The goal of this study was to determine how creating personalized learning
opportunities for professional development would empower teachers to take ownership of
their learning through choice and enhance their own growth to support student
achievement. Given that the interview questions aligned with specific questions from the
study, the remainder of the data will be categorized in that manner.
Research Question One
Does teacher engagement increase during professional development when given choice?
The first research question focused on the ability for teachers to have a voice in
the content they choose to attend for professional development. In addition, the question
focused on how engaged are the teachers in their professional learning when choice is
given to them that is created through their input and time to collaborate with other
colleagues. Questions one, three, four, and six in the structured interviews specifically
addressed this concept. Total responses in the remainder of the data sources related to
coding of choice, engagement in learning, and positive learning environment were found
in 34% of the overall data. Participants noted criteria such as:
“choice between a myriad of useful sessions”;
“choice to pursue what we need as educators”;
“a lot of freedom to make fitting choices and customize”;
“supported”;

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“happily overwhelmed, really beneficial”;
“more specific individual learning—rotating through stations that we think we
need help with; the individual attention we can get if we are struggling”;
“choice allows for engaged learning and for teachers to take something
meaningful away and use it in their classroom”;
“range of things to choose from that I feel meet my needs”;
“opportunities that match my learning style”;
“it makes teaching more enjoyable and allows me to appropriately challenge
myself”;
“excited about things we are learning”;
“go for it attitude” and
“spark both personal and professional interest.”
Participant Two stated, “ We are given a variety of choices when it comes to CoP
and professional development. I enjoy having the freedom to choose, because I feel that I
am able to take what I need to my subject and make it work within my classroom. When
it comes to professional development, we are allowed to use our voice and ask for
department and school-wide desires. I have been able to advocate for the learning I want
as a teacher in order to be the best I can possibly be for my students.”
Participants in this study valued the ability to collaborate. A belief that there is a
supportive environment from colleagues, coaches and administrators was mentioned by
all six of the interviewees. Other responses included:
“mentorship of other teachers, coaches, and administrators”;
“eager to learn in each session and from other colleagues”;

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“collaborate with and learn from other teachers”;
“freedom to visit other’s classrooms and inspired by those interactions”;
“capitalizing on each other’s abilities” and
“more like we are all in this together, so let’s help each other. I have been able to
build more personal relationships.”
Participant Six stated, “These past 2 years I have talked with and shared with my
peers like I never did before! I’m an introvert and haven’t socialized in the faculty room
ever…. BUT now, I can stop and have conversations with my peers. I feel more like I
“belong” to this faculty and that we are working together to educate children. I feel that
more teachers are willing and open to share and “have each other’s back” when working
together.”
While all the participants felt that the professional development currently offered
at the secondary building-level was significantly impactful to personalize their own
learning needs, they would love to see this model as a district-wide initiative. This would
allow all of the district’s teachers to experience the same opportunities to have time to
really interact and grow with their peers, as well as have a voice in what they want to
learn. The ability to create a learning opportunity that is individualized for each teacher’s
needs, in addition to being able to share what you have learned through job-embedded
learning, has allowed the culture of the building to become stronger and teachers more
willing to take risks and be vulnerable. Participant five stated, “I think my whole
department is more open to sharing ideas (and failures) because we are all trying different
things.”

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In summary, participants in this study valued being given the opportunity to have
a voice in creating choices in what they would be learning for their professional
development. Throughout the interviews and survey results, it was evident that when
teachers were given choices that met their personal needs as educators, they felt more
engaged in their learning and were able to utilize what they were taught immediately.
They also felt more engaged in their learning because it focused on their needs and
interests, and was not just “shoved down their throats.” The participants also felt very
supported by their colleagues, coaches, and administrators and enjoyed the ability to have
a culture that allowed teachers to feel comfortable in taking risks and trying new
strategies in their instruction. The collaborative culture discussed throughout the
interviews allowed the researcher to understand the importance of creating personalized
learning opportunities that open doors for colleagues to ask questions without feeling
vulnerable or that they will look like they are in the unknown. This culture has allowed
an open door mentality among the staff that invites other teachers into classrooms to see
what is happening and to gather feedback that supports each other’s growth. Knowing
that teachers were able to focus on their needs by giving them choice in what they were
learning has allowed for a culture of true collaboration where teachers continuously learn
from one another.
Research Question Two
How does giving teachers choice in professional development impact daily instruction?
The second research question focused on how personalizing learning in
professional development impacted daily instruction for teachers. This research question

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directly corresponds to questions five and seven. Data showed that when teachers were
able to choose the focus of their professional development based on their needs, they felt
like it made a positive impact on their daily instruction and improving student
achievement. The data also showed that some teachers felt more content-specific
personalized learning opportunities needed to be part of the professional development
choices to support their growth in instructional changes.
Participant Four stated,
“Our instructional coach has been a critical tool in helping me implement
quality teaching strategies in my classroom through our monthly CoP
meetings. She shows us various tools that not only make learning more fun, but
also help us engage our students in a more meaningful way. This really has
positively impacted my daily instruction. When I implement these strategies, I see
student engagement rise. I believe that it is the best thing I have to help me in
becoming a better teacher.”
All participants mentioned that the professional development offered within the
building has allowed them to choose the sessions that best fit their needs as a teacher and
given them the opportunity to learn new strategies that support instruction. One
participant expressed that it allowed for diversification in learning, which in turn allowed
for reworking and tightening up curriculum to continue to hit essential content but in a
differentiated, engaging manner. Other participants noted criteria such as:
“time to develop and implement into my classroom”;
“always learning new ideas for my own room to try with students”;
“as a math teacher, if I am able to break it down into numbers, I would

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honestly say it impacts 70% of my instruction”; and
“my professional development opportunities impact my instruction every day.”
Another subject noted, “Overall, our professional development opportunities in
the district impact my daily instruction constantly. I may not use a specific application or
tool with every single lesson, but the professional development we have in our district
provides me with tools and ideas which get my mind thinking continually on how I can
make a learning experience better for both my students and me.”
Participant Six noted in the data, “My professional development opportunities
impact my instruction every day. Having monthly meetings and numerous
discussions/interactions with colleagues about things they are trying keeps my goals fresh
in my mind. Since our science department is working so closely this year, my daily
instruction involves many items that were the result of personalized learning for
professional development.”
Participant Two shared, “From my first day of professional development back in
August, I was changing and innovating what I was already anticipating as my pacing and
design for the 7th grade math course. From COP, I will always try as many resources as
possible to see how they can be successful in math, plus I believe students enjoy getting
different types of teaching/learning styles. Plus the more successful they are (e.g. choice
boards), I will adapt and redesign again and again to continuously implement them in my
classroom.”
Although the overall comments by the participants stated that personalizing
learning provided does impact instruction, one participant noted, “Professional learning
that is related to my content area, that matches or addresses my current level of skill,

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proficiency, or needs will impact. Only some professional learning is differentiated by
proficiency, and if I already know it, it won't impact my teaching any more than it
already has. I would like to be able to have sessions specific to my subject
area.” Throughout the data collection, this was a concern that some participants stated
within the professional development opportunities and one that is key to supporting
personalizing learning for each teacher.
In summary, this researcher continued to see the theme of choice in learning
allows for continual growth in daily instruction strategies and tools to support student
success. Allowing teachers to focus on areas that meet their individual needs to support
their own learning has created more innovation within the classroom, which in turn, met
the needs of all of their learners. Although some teachers felt that more opportunities
within their own content area were needed, it was clear to the researcher that many of the
tools given within the sessions offered did allow choice of tools and resources that
supported all areas. Teachers needed to continue to find ways to incorporate their new
learning in a nontraditional way that allowed for their own students to have choice in
learning and finding success in their needs. In addition, the ability to continually
collaborate with colleagues on lessons, no matter if they went well or not has manifested
a culture that allowed risk taking and vulnerability to create engaging lessons that
increased student achievement. When teachers were given the opportunity to focus on
their needs for professional learning, there was a direct correlation to an increase in
student engagement in lessons and impact on achievement.

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Research Question Three
What are the perceptions of traditional professional development versus nontraditional
personalized learning professional development opportunities for secondary teachers
(grades 7-12)?
The third research question focused on the teacher’s perceptions of traditional
professional development versus nontraditional personalized learning professional
development opportunities. Questions two, eight, and nine were all designed to uncover
the participants’ perceptions and share what they felt about the personalized learning that
is happening within the building currently. Several key factors emerged from the
participants’ responses. Overall, nontraditional personalized learning was favored by all
six participants, specifically noting that the traditional format of sit and get presentations
did not work for most teachers to support their own personal goals and needs.
The data clearly shows that teachers feel more engaged in personalized learning
opportunities and more often take back to the classroom what they learned to try with
students. Having choice allows for more meaningful learning, which allows for teachers
to be more inclined to try incorporating the learned strategy into their own instruction.
Participant Two stated,
“Traditional can be nice in the sense of you do not have to make decisions and
you have clear expectations about the learning that is going to come out of it.
Having choice though includes that and so much more. You are able to align your
professional development to your personal goals personally and professionally.
As a first-year teacher, these goals will be vastly different from a 30-year career
high school teacher. I am able to grow where I feel is necessary to be a better

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teacher and I am able to collaborate more with others. I already have something in
common with the teacher who decided to pick the same session as me and that
opens up room for new conversation and professional relationships, that you just
are not able to get out of “traditional” professional development. “
Participant Five remarked,
“The professional development opportunities happening in our district are
awesome! We have great instructional support from instructional
coaches, fellow colleagues and from administration. As stated before,
being encouraged to take risks and try something new is a great
environment to work in and a great environment for our students to learn
in. It shows students that we as teachers are willing to take risks and are
willing to challenge ourselves outside of our comfort zone. We ask of this
of our students all the time. If we ask this of our students then we must
be willing to do it as well. Our professional development is progressive
and rewarding.”
Another participant reinforced that personalized learning has more impact on their
learning during their interview:
“Traditional” professional development was a lot of sitting in a room and having
someone tell us about ways to make our teaching better or more
improved. Now we actually get the opportunity to try it out and
implement it which is far better than what it was before. How it is now is
exactly how it should be all the time. If we don’t have the time to try
something, toy around with it, attempt to implement it so we can see if it

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works, then I don’t know how we are to learn. I look forward to our
professional development time and am always eager to see what I can
learn in each session and from other colleagues. I enjoy being able to
choose what to learn as it makes teaching much more enjoyable and
allows me the opportunity to appropriately challenge myself while also
being pushed beyond where I feel I may be at any moment in my career.
Many of the participants noted that traditional professional development usually
consists of sitting through presentations and taking notes or being forced to attend
sessions that may have no personal meaning to you. In contrast, having choice allows for
engaged learning and for teachers to take something meaningful away and use it in their
classroom. Participant Five stated, “In my opinion, “traditional” professional
development tried to teach us all how to do a certain technique in every curriculum no
matter what you taught. We all followed the same steps and you had to do it right.”
Participant Five followed up by stating,
“I like what is happening. I think the timing was excellent with our
starting the blended learning and teaching for the 21st century. One thing
that I didn’t mention was the more specific individual learning—rotating
through stations that we think we need help with; the individual attention
we can get if we are struggling. Everyone is not expected to be at the same
step at the same time. We have to make adjustments due to our experience,
curriculum and technology capabilities. This is all good!”
Participant Six reinforced this belief when they stated, “I feel very good about the
opportunities in the district right now. I feel that the people leading us really care about

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helping the teachers. It is a feeling of true support. I feel that the professional
development presented is not a waste of time.” Overall, all the participants felt that
allowing choice to teachers creates time to truly learn about strategies and areas that
impact their own learning and daily instruction. The ability to be empowered and
entrusted to know what is best for their personal growth is refreshing for teachers and, in
turn, seen in what they are doing with students in their classroom. Teachers are
supporting teachers, which is a fantastic way to allow for true job-embedded learning.
Participant Three commented on the very essence of what personalized learning
can do for engaging teachers in learning:
“My first few years of teaching seemed to consistently be sit and get PD. We
listened to a “professional” talk to us about what we should be doing in our
classrooms via a PowerPoint presentation. This style of PD seemed hypocritical,
as they would use a PowerPoint to tell us that we should be using new learning
techniques to engage students… Enter the CoP model. Having choice
automatically invites engagement because we are making the conscious choice to
be in whatever session we want to be in.“
In summary, the data indicated that the participants felt that the majority of the
professional development was personalized to their needs and modeled what they should
be doing in their classroom for students. Participants indicated they felt “empowered” in
their learning and were able to be challenged to be a better teacher through peer
collaboration. Personalizing learning during professional development sessions has
allowed for teachers to begin understanding the importance of being able to reflect on
their own personal needs and find topics or sessions that will impact their own growth.

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The one size fits all type of professional development does not work for today’s
educators, or for students. Teachers need to live and breathe differentiation among their
own learning opportunities to be able to truly impact their own instruction to create that
same type of learning environment for their students. Engaged students learn better and
are more successful, so creating opportunities that allow students to feel like they have a
voice in how and what they learn is incredibly powerful. Teachers need to have the same
chance to feel empowered in their learning, and through personalizing their learning with
nontraditional formats, districts are allowing for that to happen.
Summary
The researcher looked at the data to determine if personalized learning through
more job-embedded and real life issues that teachers face within their classrooms would
increase their learning and engagement in these professional learning opportunities.
Through the convergent parallel mixed-method research design, the researcher used the
research results of both the qualitative and quantitative data to allow for themes to
emerge or comparisons to be made among the data analyzed. Three research questions
were examined to determine professional teachers’ perceptions concerning personalizing
learning opportunities during professional development, and the change from the
traditional format to a nontraditional format. The questions specifically looked at the
impact of giving choice to teachers on topics that support their goals and interests, and a
direct correlation of personalizing learning to impact their daily instruction. The results of
the research were gleaned from questionnaire responses and structured interviews. The
data was reported in both chart and narrative form.

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It was clear to the researcher that the majority of the participants felt that
personalizing professional development to meet individual needs had a major impact on
teacher engagement and that the implementation of strategies learned within their daily
instruction was evident. Allowing teachers to have the freedom to choose what they want
to learn, in the manner they want to have it delivered, and in a format that leans toward
their own learning style has created a culture of ownership of learning and collaboration
among the staff. Teachers felt that they were more open to try new innovative strategies
and work with colleagues that they would not normally work with to find the best tools or
resources to meet the needs of their students. When teachers were able to focus on
professional development areas that were personalized to their own needs, it was evident
that they were more likely to feel engaged in their learning and find ways to ensure that it
impacted their instruction.
Other areas of the data that the researcher found were important to note was the
use of instructional coaches and the Community of Practice happening within the
secondary complex. Throughout the interviews and survey results, teachers continually
mentioned how being involved in the Community of Practice group, which focused
specifically on their interests and needs for professional learning has created a culture of
true collaboration and sharing of resources among all staff members. This form, or
personalizing learning for professional development, has allowed teachers to choose the
topic that they felt most matched their own learning needs, placed them with a similar
group of peers that had the same interests, and allowed for an opportunity to share ideas,
discuss what has worked or didn’t work, and visit each other’s classroom to allow for true
job-embedded learning. At the same time, utilizing instructional coaches as resources in

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learning has allowed teachers another choice to have someone help find ways to support
their professional learning. Instructional coaches have worked side-by-side with teachers
helping to create engaging lessons for the students using choice, and allowing for
teachers to feel like they can take risks and not feel judged. These opportunities have
been personalized to meet the needs of each teacher and through a digital or in person
format that allows for the comfort level of every teacher to be met. Personalizing learning
has become part of everyday life for teachers, and it shows in each innovative and
dynamic lesson that is impacting student achievement positively.
This researcher would like to see a continuation of personalizing learning for all
levels within the district as a way to support teacher learning and empowerment over
their learning. Although this study has shown that personalizing learning has allowed for
teacher choice and growth in their own learning, there are still some changes that could
be made to increase the effectiveness for all teachers, no matter the content area they
teach. A further summary of the results as well as future recommendations can be found
in Chapter 5.

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Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations
Introduction
This chapter presents findings from the convergent parallel mixed-method study
that was conducted using data collected from the results of an anonymous online survey
sent to a group of secondary teachers, as well as a structured interview with six specific
teachers. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of personalizing
learning in professional development for secondary teachers in a suburban school district
in south central Pennsylvania when given choice in topics that support their own growth
and needs as an educator. The researcher was interested in understanding the
characteristics that encompass how to effectively personalize professional development
for teachers and the impact on teachers’ daily instruction if done with fidelity. In
addition, the researcher was interested in understanding the impact of using
nontraditional approaches for professional development and the effectiveness of these
approaches through teachers’ perceptions. Through this investigation of choice in topics,
collaborative relationships, impact of daily instruction, and understanding the needs of
adult learners, the researcher documented how participants felt about their engagement in
different professional development opportunities that were personalized for their own
learning needs. The researcher also documented how participants utilized these
personalized learning opportunities to cultivate a true collaborative culture that enhanced
risk-taking and innovation among colleagues. This learning format allows for

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collaboration with coaches, expert teachers, or outside networks to increase a teacher’s
reach for their own professional development.
Through a purposeful sampling, the researcher focused this study on secondary
teachers in grades 7 – 12 that have been involved with the beginning phases of
personalizing learning opportunities for professional development at their specific
building level. These teachers were chosen to be part of the study to allow the researcher
to better understand their perceptions, as educators, of the effectiveness of the
“traditional” professional development that had been previously presented (prior to three
years ago) to them in a one size fits all model, to what has been offered recently:
transforming professional development to be more personalized for teachers’ specific
needs to support daily instruction. Due to the changes in the format of professional
development at the secondary level, the researcher not only looked at the data collected in
this study and the change in teachers’ perceptions over these last few years, but also the
financial impact to the district when utilizing internal experts versus outside presenters
and the attendance patterns of teachers on these designated professional development
days.
The participants that completed the online questionnaire did so voluntarily and
anonymously, while the six participants for the structured interview were selected due to
their years of service at this specific school district in south central Pennsylvania. Two of
the six participants had been teachers within the district between one and five years and
are considered non-tenured. Two of six teachers had been with the district between 10 –
16 years and only taught in this specific building level. The final two participants had
been teachers in the district for their entire career, which is at least 20 years or more. In

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addition, each of these two participants had only taught at the secondary level in this
district. Although these teachers do not all work at the same building, they are all part of
the secondary complex and receive the same format of professional development created
at the building level. Through this study, the researcher was able to use the findings to
determine that personalized learning had changed the perceptions of teachers when
thinking about professional development within the buildings. Personalizing learning
opportunities allowed teachers to feel more connected to their learning and ownership of
their growth, professionally and personally.
Conclusions
Jones-Carey (2017) states that changing from the traditional professional format
of sit-and-get to a more nontraditional personalized learning format supports educators in
becoming makers of their own learning, as well as creating and implementing their own
plan. Allowing teachers the choice to determine what topic they want to learn, the format
that works for their learning style, and to work at a pace that gives them ample time to
fully understand the content is what personalized professional development comprises.
Ann Lieberman, one of the leading school reformers on professional development, notes
that schools need to radically rethink the traditional approach to professional
development to one that has a wide array of learning opportunities that engage teachers in
their own learning (Sparks & Hirsh, 1997). Lieberman continues to state,
“People learn best through active involvement and through thinking about
and becoming articulate about what they have learned. Processes,
practices, and policies built on this view of learning are at the heart of a
more expanded view of teacher development that encourages teachers to

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involve themselves as learners – in much the same way as they wish their
students would (p. 2).
Understanding the need for teachers to be actively involved in their learning is essential
in creating personalized professional development. Learners need to create their own
knowledge structure, which can create the pathway that truly opens up the best avenue
that meets their individualized needs.
This researcher was able to recognize, through the data analyzed, that teachers
want to feel empowered in creating a blueprint for personalizing their learning. Out of all
the statements from the participants focusing on choice and engagement, it was evident
that teachers felt that the amount of choices given for professional development has been
improving and that they were more engaged in the learning happening due to these
options. Having the ability to be part of the process to vocalize needs for the building, as
well as individually, ensured that topics offered were essential for the growth of those in
attendance. In addition, using internal experts to present key information, resources, or
tools has also created a culture among colleagues that allows them to share with each
other what has worked and what hasn’t worked in a non-threatening environment.
Through this study, teachers commented numerous times that they felt more
engaged in their own learning and that they were able to implement what they learned
immediately into their instruction. Teachers felt that being able to personalize what they
are learning, the level in which they needed support, and the amount of time allowed to
complete the tasks allowed them to be successful in their own needs. Many teachers
noted that they appreciated the ability to work at their own pace and over a longer amount
of time to be able to effectively implement and master the content that was introduced

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during the professional learning opportunities. Being able to offer multiple job-embedded
learning opportunities within the building allows teachers to have continuous coaching
with the internal experts, coaches, and administrators, rather than have to “go and get”
the information to bring back and never have any follow-up support. Although the district
has a strategic plan for the overall needs of its teachers, the ability to create building-level
specific goals set for shared objectives creates many different ways that teachers can
personalize their own learning. Teachers are able to choose the sessions that meet their
individual needs, work independently or in a group setting, use online learning or face-toface setting format, and research areas that interest them to find ways to increase their
own understanding of a topic they would like to learn more about. Personalizing learning
for teachers has continued to build better results for teacher engagement, empowerment,
and leadership opportunities.
Over the past three years, the secondary level at this suburban south central school
district in Pennsylvania has slowly been changing its traditional professional
development format to one that allows teachers to personalize their learning to support
current needs for their growth. It is important to note that over the past three years, the
percent of secondary teachers absent on professional development days built into the
school calendar has seen a significant decline. During the 2017-2018 school year, there
was an average of 19% of the secondary teachers who called off sick or took a personal
day on these designated professional development days. This was the first year that the
secondary level began to transition away from the traditional “sit and get” type of format
to allowing teachers to have more of a say in what and how they are learning. The
following school year, 2018-2019, the average decreased to 12% of secondary teachers

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taking off on these designated days of adult learning. At the end of the third year of
changing to a more personalized learning environment, the secondary level is averaging a
7% call off rate, which is a 63% decrease of absenteeism over a 2-year period. In
comparison, the elementary buildings, which consist of 147 teachers, had approximately
15% of the teachers call off during professional development days during the 2019/2020
school-year. Personalizing learning for professional development made a significant
impact on engaging the secondary teachers, which was shown by the increased number of
teachers in attendance. Taking this personalized approach for professional learning, the
goal of this researcher would be to see the same increase in engagement happening across
the district and an increase of teacher attendance at all levels.
The decrease in absenteeism is significant and powerful in understanding that
teachers want to know they are empowered in creating their own pathways for learning
and are able have their voices heard and needs met. Through the results of the
questionnaire and interview questions, teachers clearly articulated that they actually enjoy
these professional development days because sessions offered and the variety of choices
within those sessions provide real-life problem solving opportunities that will impact
their daily instruction. In addition, teachers noted that they appreciate being able to
collaborate and work with other teachers outside of their department who share their
same interests in learning more about a topic. Breaking down these barriers has increased
resource sharing, cross-curricular lesson planning, and literally opened up doors for
teachers to visit other teachers’ classrooms at any time. It is evident that when teachers
are able to create their own pathway of learning, they are more inclined to be in
attendance and engaged in their learning. Given this data, this researcher believes that

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school leaders need to continue to utilize the different models and formats of
personalizing learning, including teacher leaders, to support other teachers and create the
roadmap that allows teachers to grow in the areas that they have determined as essential
learning.
The data collected led the researcher to conclude that when participants are able
to personalize their own learning pathways, it impacts many areas of the school building
and district. The impacts range from a shift in “silo” mentality at the secondary level to
one of collaboration and sharing, to an increase in engagement and attendance during
professional development days. In addition, student achievement and engagement has
been impacted by the different types of instructional activities that are happening within
the classrooms that support the needs of learners. Finally, the financial impact on the
district has decreased with the ability to allow teachers to become leaders and experts
within their content and fields. Since the district has traditionally spent about 5% - 8% of
its budget on professional development, utilizing internal experts will decrease the
amount of financial need to the district to hire outside presenters that have had little to no
impact on supporting teacher change or growth. Allowing the district to shift some of that
line item budget to another area creates additional revenue to other areas that may need
the funds.
When participants were asked to comment about how they learn best, many noted
that they felt being able to personalize their learning to support their goals was essential
for their own success. Others noted that they would like to have more opportunities to
delve deeper into their own content area to determine how they can continue to grow in
the background, and were not able to totally connect some of the opportunities presented

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to them and how it could tie in with their own content. Other teachers wrote that they
would like to have more time to research independently and complete tasks on their own
without the need to be “hand-held” through a new concept. The researcher was able to
take this information and feedback to continue to look at ways to refine how the
secondary level is offering personalized professional learning to ensure that all the
teachers feel they are being given the best learning style, format, and model that meets
their specific topic of choice. However, the researcher also noted that the majority of the
participants stated that they appreciate the changes in professional development offerings
that have happened over the past three years and hope to see them continue in that same
direction. The belief that all the participants and teachers in the building want to continue
to grow professionally and their desire to find ways to support students should be at the
forefront of all decisions as it relates to personalizing learning.
According to Sparks and Loucks-Horsley, models of teacher development
consists of training, individually guided observation and feedback, involvement in an
improvement process, and inquiry. Teachers can also learn through action research,
participating in-group studies, observing peers, planning lesions with colleagues, and
reflective journaling (Sparks & Hirsh, 1997). The researcher believes that the
professional learning opportunities that were recognized by the participants were focused
on these models that support the personalization of learning for each adult
learner. Participants made note that more times than not, they were able to go back into
their classrooms and implement what they had learned or the tool they were introduced to
by the teacher expert to varying degrees of success. In addition, the researcher was able
to continue to note themes throughout the research findings, which supported other

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103

research work in understanding that all teachers have different strengths and areas of
growth that need to be addressed through differentiated professional development that
meets their personalized goals. These pathways of learning are based on where teachers
are professionally and will allow them to designate their road of learning to support
student learning in the end. Teachers are being recognized as instructional leaders within
the building and they are opening themselves up to colleagues, which shows trust among
the staff. Continuing to build upon this model is essential at the secondary level to ensure
teachers feel empowered and valued professionally and personally.
This researcher recommends that this suburban south central Pennsylvania school
district expand this format of personalizing professional development to involve all levels
of buildings, not just the secondary. This study has allowed the researcher to collect data
that supports personalizing professional development. This nontraditional format creates
a true collaborative environment that allows teachers to feel they have ownership of their
learning by having a voice in the process and product. It has increased attendance and
engagement among the teachers, and supports a sense of belonging among them. It also
allows teachers to work at their own pace, dive deep into a topic of a potential growth
area, and utilize the model that will let them flourish in their learning. This could look
very different for each teacher, but the process and accountability of the end result is
always the same: increasing student learning through their own learning.
Future Directions for Research and Recommendations
This research is critical for educational leaders who are interested in developing a
professional development plan that allows teachers to feel empowered, engaged, and
trusted in understanding their strengths and areas of growth that they would like to

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104

address. In addition, it is important for leaders to understand that using a nontraditional
format or model will allow for multiple job-embedded learning opportunities to happen
on a daily basis. In this ever-changing world of education, educators need to be able to
have the right to create a pathway of learning that supports the development of areas of
growth specific to each individual, as well as promote collaboration among colleagues
and show instructional leaders among them. This study provides insight and information
on how to personalize professional development for educators that make an impact on
their own learning and student learning.
Recommendation for Practices
The following are recommendations of educational leadership practices based
upon the data and conclusions of this study:
1.

Leaders should encourage and promote opportunities for staff to reflect on

their own strengths and areas of growth to build a greater understanding of
professional development needs.
2.

Develop opportunities for staff to become instructional leaders to

colleagues.
3.

Provide ongoing professional learning that addresses their individual

challenges, interests, strengths, and expertise.
4.

Allow educators to have a voice in what topics will be covered and

through what format they would like to have it presented to them.
5.

Provide time and opportunity for practice, reflection, and application in a

collaborative setting.

PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
6.

105

By creating an environment where teachers can respectfully disagree and

share their own opinions on teaching and learning, a greater sense of trust can
develop. By developing trust among colleagues, the learning community can be
more open and willing to take risks and be vulnerable to new ideas and concepts.
7.

Promote educational risk taking among teachers and encourage them to

share their results with colleagues. By creating an environment where it is safe to
share without judgment, staff will be able to grow with one another in a
noncompetitive environment.
8.

Provide time for teachers to be able to learn the new strategy and

implement over a period of time that supports their comfort level for success with
additional coaching as needed.
9.

Vary the delivery methods, both virtual and face-to-face, for teachers to

choose what learning style works best for them.
10. Provide multiple opportunities for teachers to engage with each other and
apply the learning in the classroom.
11. Content needs to support the needs of the teachers and could be specific to the
discipline or grade level, or a resource that may be implemented across many
disciplines.
12. Allow for teachers to visit other classrooms to be able to reflect on the
learning in real time and upon their own practices and understanding of
knowledge.

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106

13. Utilize technology, such as social media, online learning communities, and/or
a Learning Management System, to overcome barriers of time and proximity to
promote resource sharing of instructional strategies or tools among teachers.
14. Leaders should help to establish a way for teacher accountability for student
learning.
15. Educational leaders should use data to develop a shared and reliable
knowledge base from which to build accountability for teacher learning and
implementation of content.
Suggestions for Further Research
Results from this study indicated some additional options for further research.
1.

Researchers in this same district could continue this research study by

utilizing the same research methods and determine if the elementary and
intermediate participants’ perceptions are the same or differ from the secondary
perceptions.
2.

Researchers could conduct a study with a different district that has never

implemented any form of personalized learning for professional development
collecting baseline data at the beginning of the year. During the school year, the
district will begin to personalize professional development for teachers and then
collect post data to determine the impact of changing to a nontraditional format.
3.

Researchers could conduct a study investigating the potential of offering

only virtual settings for professional development to personalize learning.

PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
4.

107

Researchers could conduct a study investigating the impact on teachers’

instruction by completing face-to-face collaborative options versus online
learning options to personalize learning.
5.

Given the amount of freedom and choice educators would have in this

nontraditional learning environment, researchers could investigate the impact on
student learning through this type of nontraditional professional learning.
6.

Researchers could investigate the impact of using a Community of

Practice Model to support personalized learning professional development.
Summary
The purpose of this study was to understand how changing from a traditional “sitand-get” professional development format to a nontraditional personalized learning
format would impact teacher engagement in their learning and growth. Carol Dweck
states that some of the benefits for personalizing learning for teachers are as follows:

•

Formulate their own challenging, individualized, professional learning plans

•

Follow through with the plan to achieve mastery

•

Share their learning and evidence that they accrue with colleagues

Teachers need to be able to be vulnerable to identify instructional areas that need to be
improved, and to reflect upon that goal for specific growth goals. This is a very
challenging concept for many teachers (Overstreet, 2018). However, through
personalizing learning opportunities, administrators have created an environment that
supports the culture of collaboration, sharing, and reflection among colleagues. It is
important to note that the researcher found most participants commented that being able

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108

to collaborate with others, inside and outside their department or grade level, was one of
the parts of personalizing learning they found to be most beneficial and
rewarding. Having the time to share resources, discuss the trials and errors of new ideas
or activities, and create lessons together allowed for more risk-taking and a sense of trust
among the staff.
In the past, staff development has been an afterthought for many administrators or
districts. Fortunately, many school districts now understand the need for a well-designed
plan that includes formats and models to support personalization of learning for all
teachers. Without a well-designed plan, districts are realizing that they cannot educate
students to high expectations if they are not taking an invested interest in creating
opportunities that support teacher learning, as well (Sparks & Hirsh, 1997). Personalized
professional development for teachers is one way to facilitate the mindset of innovation
and risk-taking among teachers, as it allows for continual collaboration and sharing
through different means, rather than thinking everyone has to try the same idea or
concept, and that it always needs to be a school-wide initiative. It is essential that each
teacher used their understanding of what challenges or needs were associated with his or
her own growth to create an effective pathway of learning. The new knowledge and skills
that were learned should always meet the needs of their own classroom and support
continual student learning opportunities and growth.
The overall results of this study support research that states professional
development has to look different in today’s learning environment and become more
personalized to meet individual teachers’ needs for growth. Guskey (2003) noted the
major goals of effective professional development are: “change in classroom practices of

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109

teachers, change in their attitude and beliefs, and change in their learning outcomes of
students.” This type of professional development allows for the creation of teacher-led
professional development opportunities among many different collaborative groups
within a school or district. With this type of philosophy in place, personalized learning
becomes the model that continues to empower teachers in choice and voice in their own
learning and learning pathway. Utilizing a personalized learning model allows teachers
the ability to choose topics, create a pathway of learning, and implement multiple
The creation and implementation of a district-wide professional development plan
that involves teachers and administration, that moves away from any traditional format
and moves toward a personalized learning format, allows teachers to feel empowered in
their learning and in return, increases student achievement. When teachers are given
choices, engaged in their learning, have a voice in what they learn and how they learn it,
attendance increases and implementation of content is prevalent in all
classrooms. Educational leaders are critical to change the old mindset of traditional one
size fits all learning to a nontraditional professional development that personalizes
learning through a variety of choices in topics, models, and formats for all educators.
Allowing teachers to have ownership of their learning, providing time to collaborate with
colleagues, and time to learn and implement with fidelity will increase engagement in
their learning and support student growth.
Educational leaders will find this information useful when trying to engage
teachers in professional development that will impact their own learning, as well as
student learning. Leaders can use this study to support the shift from traditional to
personalized learning, which will allow teachers to feel valued and connected to what

PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

110

they are learning, encourage collegiality, and support taking risks to make change less
threatening. Personalized professional learning is the key to creating an environment that
supports teachers as professionals and creates a culture where teachers create their own
blueprint for learning.

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111

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APPENDICES

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APPENDIX A: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TEACHER INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS
Interview Questions:
1. For the purpose of this study, I am defining personalized learning as: an approach that
allows teachers to collaborate with their colleagues and administration to design
educational experiences that match their unique interests, needs, and goals as learners.
Personalized learning gives teachers voice and choice in what they learn, how they learn,
and how they demonstrate their learning. It allows teachers to pursue unique learning
opportunities that build their passions, interests, and strengths.
Based on this definition, can you talk about your experiences with personalized learning
for professional development opportunities in your building?
2. Can you talk about your experience in Community of Practice (CoP) and professional
development?
3. Can you talk about how much freedom you feel like you have in the CoP and making
decisions in your professional development?
4. Can you talk about your relationships with other colleagues during CoP and
professional development?
5. Can you talk about how confident you feel in your ability to accomplish your goals
and expectations for professional growth in CoP and professional development?
6. Thinking about your overall experience in professional development, can you talk
about how much freedom you have in choosing to learn about things that are connected
to your personal/professional interests and goals?
7. In thinking about your overall professional development opportunities in the district,
how much do you feel it impacts your daily instruction?
8. Can you talk about how you feel about the professional development opportunities
happening in the district presently?
9. Can you talk about “traditional “ professional development versus having choice in
what you learn?
Closing
Thank you for participating in this interview. I appreciate you taking the time to speak
with me. I may contact you in the future for the purpose of follow-up interviews. Again
let me assure you of the confidentiality of your responses. If you have any questions or
further ideas you want me to know about, please feel free to contact me at the phone
number or email address provided to you.

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APPENDIX B: INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN STUDY
Please consider this information carefully before deciding whether to participate in this
research.
Purpose of the research: To understand the experiences with professional development,
personalized learning, and teacher choice within your school district.
What you will do in this research: If you decide to volunteer, you will be asked to
participate in one interview. You will be asked several questions. Some of them will be
about your perceptions of the school district’s professional development opportunities,
others will be about your thoughts on what makes professional development effective,
and its impact on your daily instruction. With your permission, I will record the
interviews so I don't have to make so many notes. You will not be asked to state your
name on the recording.
Time required: The interview will take approximately 30 minutes.
Risks: No risks are anticipated.
Benefits: This is a chance for you to tell your story about your experiences concerning
effective professional development that impacts your own personal growth.
Confidentiality: Your responses to interview questions will be kept confidential. At no
time will your actual identity be revealed. You will be assigned a random numerical code.
Anyone who helps me transcribe responses will only know you by this code. The
recording will be erased when my capstone project has been accepted. The transcript,
without your name, will be kept until the research is complete.
The key code linking your name with your number will be kept in a locked file cabinet in
a locked office, and no one else will have access to it. It will be destroyed upon
completion of my capstone project. The data you give me will be used for my research
project and may be used as the basis for articles or presentations in the future. I won’t use
your name or information that would identify you in any publications or presentations.
Participation and withdrawal: Your participation in this study is completely voluntary,
and you may refuse to participate or withdraw from the study without penalty or loss of
benefits to which you may otherwise be entitled. You will receive payment based on the
proportion of the study you completed. You may withdraw by informing the
experimenter that you no longer wish to participate (no questions will be asked). You
may skip any question during the interview, but continue to participate in the rest of the
study.
To Contact the Researcher: If you have questions or concerns about this research,
please contact: Maura Hobson at 717-405-0509 or Maura_hobson@etownschools.org.
You may also contact the faculty member supervising this work: Dr. Todd Keruskin,

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Superintendent of Schools, Elizabeth Forward School District
tkeruskin@go-efsd.net:412-896-2310

Agreement:
The nature and purpose of this research have been sufficiently explained and I agree to
participate in this study. I understand that I am free to withdraw at any time without
incurring any penalty.
Signature: _____________________________________

Date: __________________

Name (print): ________________________________________________

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PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
APPENDIX C: PERSONALIZING LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Please complete the following questions to the best of your ability. All answers are
anonymous.
1. Please indicate the TOTAL number of years that you have worked in education.
0-5 years
6-10years
11-15 years
16-20 years
21-25 years
26- 30 years
31-35 years
36+ years

2. Personalized learning is described as a "vision where learning systems may abandon
the industrial, time-based "traditional" approach to learning and replace it with a learning
system that fulfills every learner's need at his/her present performance level. Using this
description, with zero representing no implementation and 10 representing complete
implementation, how close is our school to achieving the goal of implementing
personalized learning in professional learning for all teachers.
No Implementation
0

1

2

Full Implementation
3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

3. Assess to what extent personalized learning is used to master content for professional
development overall in your building.
Never has
Occasionally
Frequently
Regularly
implemented
implement this implement this implement this
this strategy
strategy
strategy
strategy
Customize
professional
development to the
needs of the
learner
Differentiate
delivery of
instruction for

122

PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
various learning
styles
Use differentiated
pacing for groups
within
professional
development
Use self-pacing
and targeted
independent
practice
Use choice of
professional
development to
meet the needs of
various learner
4. My school provides time in the workweek for shared collaboration (CoP, common
planning time, etc).
YES

NO

5. How much time is provided on a weekly basis to you intended for collaboration with
colleagues?
No time is provided
1-20 minutes
21-40 minutes
41-60 minutes
61 or more minutes
6. With zero representing no collaborative time and 10 representing complete
satisfaction with collaborative time, to what extent do you think collaborative time
provided with colleagues is adequate?
Zero Satisfaction
0

1

Complete Satisfaction
2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

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PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

7. With zero representing no control and 10 representing complete satisfaction with your
current level of control, to what extent do you think you have control of your choice in
professional development topics?
Zero Control
0

1

Complete Control
2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

8. With zero representing no flexibility and 10 representing complete satisfaction with
flexibility, to what extent do you think that you are provided with flexibility (time) in
schedules in professional development?
Zero Flexibility
0

1

Complete Flexibility
2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

9 Assess to what extent you engage in professional development activities as defined in
the descriptions below.

Engage in
professional
development to
support
personalized
learning
Engage in
professional
development
for new
teaching

Never

Occasionally

Frequently

Regularly

implemented

implement this

implement this

implement this

this practice

practice

practice

practice

PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
strategies or
curriculum
using
personalized
learning
Engage in
professional
development
that is specific
to my content
area
Participate in
professional
development
aligned to my
own
professional
goals and
interests
Give feedback
on professional
development
topics of
interest and
need
Use content
learned during
professional
development in
my daily

124

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PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
instruction

10. With zero representing not effective and 10 representing completely effective, to what
extent do you feel the professional development offered in your building is effective in
meeting your personal needs and interests professionally?
Zero effectiveness
0

1

Complete effectiveness
2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11. With zero representing not satisfied and 10 representing completely satisfied, to what
extent do you feel the professional development offered in your building is providing you
choice in topics?
Not satisfied
0

1

Completely satisfied
2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

12. With zero representing no impact and 10 representing completely impacting, to what
extent do you feel the professional development is impacting your daily instruction?
Zero Impact
0

1

Completely Impacting
2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

13. What type of professional development do you feel is the most effective type of
learning for you?
Personalized Learning
Traditional (sit and get)
Other ___________________________________

PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
14. What type of professional learning most impacts your daily instruction? Explain
your choice.

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PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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APPENDIX D: INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN PERSONALIZING
LEARING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SURVEY
You are being invited to participate in a research study about using personalized learning
opportunities in professional development. My name is Maura Hobson, a doctoral student
at California University of Pennsylvania and High School Principal at Elizabethtown
Area School District, and I am conducting a research project. The objective of this
research project is to attempt to understand if teachers are more engaged with
personalized learning opportunities for professional development than “traditional”
opportunities. It is being conducted in the secondary schools focusing on teachers in
grades 7-12. The survey is being given to current teachers in the district.
There are no known risks if you decide to participate in this research study, nor are there
any costs for participating in the study. The information you provide will help me
understand how best to satisfy the needs of the district for professional development. The
information collected may benefit you directly, and what I learn from this study should
provide general benefits to the entire district.
This survey is anonymous. If you choose to participate, do not put your name on the
survey. No one will be able to identify you, nor will anyone be able to determine which
school building you work for. No one will know whether you participated in this study.
Nothing you say on the survey will in any way influence your present or future
employment with the district.
Your participation in this study is voluntary. If you choose to participate, please submit
your responses electronically through the survey site. It should take you not longer than 5
to 10 minutes. No one will have access to your responses other than Maura Hobson. By
returning the survey you are giving consent to the researcher to use the data as part of her
research.
If you have any questions or concerns about completing the survey or about being in this
study, you may contact me at (717) 367-1533 x 21120 or at
maura_hobson@etownschools.org
The California University of Pennsylvania Review Board has reviewed my request to
conduct this project. Thank you for your participation.

PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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APPENDIX E: INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL

Institutional Review Board
California University of Pennsylvania
Morgan Hall, 310
250 University Avenue
California, PA 15419
instreviewboard@calu.edu
Melissa Sovak, Ph.D.
Dear Maura,
Please consider this email as official notification that your proposal titled
“Personalized Learning in Professional Development: Empowering
Teachers Through Choice and Ownership of Learning Opportunities for
Personal Growth” (Proposal #19-008) has been approved by the California
University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board as submitted.
The effective date of approval is 10/7/19 and the expiration date is 10/6/20.
These dates must appear on the consent form.
Please note that Federal Policy requires that you notify the IRB promptly
regarding any of the following:
(1) Any additions or changes in procedures you might wish for your study
(additions or changes must be approved by the IRB before they are
implemented)
(2) Any events that affect the safety or well-being of subjects
(3) Any modifications of your study or other responses that are
necessitated by any events reported in (2).
(4) To continue your research beyond the approval expiration date of
10/6/20 you must file additional information to be considered for continuing
review. Please contact instreviewboard@calu.edu
Please notify the Board when data collection is complete.
Regards,
Melissa Sovak, PhD.
Chair, Institutional Review Board