Accepted Papers from TCEA Symposium 2007

Online Professional Development for Middle School
Mathematics Teachers: Affects on Teacher and
Student Performance

Dr. Deborah Jolly
Wexford

Sheila Cassidy
Wexford

Angie Sims
Wexford

Rachel Saldivar
Wexford

ABSTRACT: The studies presented during this session investigated middle school mathematics teachers’ preferences related to pedagogical content and mathematics content before and after participating in online professional development. The studies also examined the impact of both online and face-to-face professional development formats on middle school mathematics teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge, as well as any increases in achievement for middle school students. Independent sample t-tests were used to analyze the resulting data for any statistically significant differences. The results revealed a statistically significant difference regarding preferences to algebraic thinking (p = .007) and data analysis (p = .028) between the group using online professional development and the one using a face-to-face interaction. There was also a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding preferences towards effective teaching strategies (p = .005). The results also revealed a statistically significant difference between the middle school teachers who participated in either online or face-to-face professional development in the areas of content and pedagogical knowledge for middle school mathematics teachers and achievement level for middle school students.