Evaluating the impact(s) of teachers’ professional development: a review

Journal title CADMO
Author/s Giovanni Bonaiuti, Roberta Cardarello, Franco Passalacqua, Giulia Gabriella Elena Pastori, Andrea Pintus, Michela Schenetti
Publishing Year 2025 Issue 2024/2
Language Italian Pages 15 P. 5-19 File size 214 KB
DOI 10.3280/CAD2024-002002
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

The effectiveness of in-service training and professional development interventions for teachers is a crucial topic within the field of education and educational research. This study examines the concept of “impact” and how it is understood and assessed in the literature. As part of a systematic review currently being conducted across academic databases, preliminary syntheses (meta-analyses and systematic reviews) have been extracted to determine the constructs and methodological tools used to measure impact in research on teacher training. The findings highlight a focus on assessing outcomes across a variety of levels, supporting the discussion of “impacts” of in-service training, observable through diverse methods and tools, and targeting at least three areas: teachers, students, and the broader educational context. This study thus provides a comprehensive synthesis that may inform educational policies, continuous training practices, and educational research in the field.

Keywords: teachers, in-service training, professional development, impact. systematic review.

  1. Asquini, G. (2018), La ricerca­formazione. Temi, esperienze e prospettive. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  2. Darling-Hammond, L. (2010), The flat world and education: How America’s com­ mitment to equity will determine our future. New York: Teachers College Press. Desimone, L. M. (2009), “Improving impact studies of teachers’ professional development: Toward better conceptualizations and measures”, Educational Researcher, 38 (3), pp. 181-199.
  3. Dufour, R. (2004), “What is a professional learning community?”, Educational Le­ adership, 61 (8), pp. 6-11.
  4. Dweck, C. S. (2015), Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Random House.
  5. Garet, M. S., Porter, A. C., Desimone, L., Birman, B. F., Yoon, K. S. (2001), “What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers”, American Educational Research Journal, 38 (4), pp. 915-945.
  6. Guskey, T. R. (2000), Evaluating professional development. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
  7. Guskey, T. R. (2002), “Does it make a Difference? Evaluating Professional Development”, Redesigning Professional Development, 59 (6), pp. 45-51
  8. Hattie, J. (2009), Visible Learning: A Synthesis of over 800 Meta­Analyses Relating to Achievement. New York: Routledge, 1st ed.
  9. Kirkpatrick, D. L. (1959), “Techniques for evaluating training programs”, Journal of the American Society of Training Directors, 13 (11), pp. 3-9.
  10. Kreber, C., Brook, P. (2001), “Impact evaluation of educational development programmes”, International Journal for Academic Development, 6 (2), pp. 96-108. Margoluis, R., Salafsky, N. (1998), Measures of Success: Designing, Managing and Monitoring Conservation and Development Projects. Washington, DC: Island Press.
  11. Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., Pollock, J. E. (2001), Classroom Instruction that works. Research­based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria: ASCD.
  12. Robinson, V. M. J. (2011), Student­centered leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Scheerens, J. (2016), Educational Effectiveness and Ineffectiveness. A Critical Review of the Knowledge Base. Heidelberg: Springer.
  13. Timperley, H. (2008), “Teacher professional learning and development”, Educatio­ nal Practices, Series-18, International Bureau of Education.
  14. Agrati, L. S. (2021), “Systematic reviews on in-service training effectiveness. A prior comparative analysis of the used terms”, Education and Self Development, 16 (3), pp. 167-178.
  15. An, Y. (2021). “A response to an article entitled “Improving teacher professional development for online and blended learning: A systematic meta-aggregative review”, Educational Technology Research and Development, 69 (1), pp. 39-42.
  16. Boylan, M., Maxwell, B., Wolstenholme, C., Jay, T., Demack, S. (2018), “The mathematics teacher exchange and ‘mastery’ in England: The evidence for the efficacy of component practices”, Education Sciences, 8 (4), 202, pp. 1-31.
  17. Çiftçi, E. Y., Karaman, A. (2019), “Short-term international experiences in language teacher education: A qualitative meta-synthesis”, Australian Journal of Teacher Education (online), 44 (1), pp. 93-119.
  18. Didion, L., Toste, J. R., Filderman, M. J. (2020), “Teacher professional development and student reading achievement: A meta-analytic review of the effects”, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 13 (1), pp. 29-66.
  19. Donath, J. L., Lüke, T., Graf, E., Tran, U. S., Götz, T. (2023), “Does Professional Development Effectively Support the Implementation of Inclusive Education? A Meta-Analysis”, Educational Psychology Review, 35 (30), pp. 1-28, https://doi. org/10.1007/s10648-023-09752-2).
  20. Egert, F., Fukkink, R. G., Eckhardt, A. G. (2018), “Impact of in-service professional development programs for early childhood teachers on quality ratings and child outcomes: A meta-analysis”, Review of educational Research, 88 (3), pp. 401-433. Geonnotti, K. L., Rich, E. C., Esposito, D. (2014), “Workforce development for comparative effectiveness research: training programs funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”, Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research, 3 (6), pp. 609-615.
  21. Gesel, S. A., LeJeune, L. M., Chow, J. C., Sinclair, A. C., Lemons, C. J. (2021), “A meta-analysis of the impact of professional development on teachers’ knowledge, skill, and self-efficacy in data-based decision-making”, Journal of Learning Disabilities, 54 (4), pp. 269-283.
  22. Gracia, E. P., Rodríguez, R. S., Pedrajas, A. P. (2022), “Teachers’ Professional Identity Construction: A review of the literature”, Profesorado, Revista de Currícu­ lum y Formación del Profesorado, 26 (1), pp. 371-393.
  23. Hos, R., Topal, H. (2013), “The current status of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ professional development in Turkey: A systematic review of literature”, The Anthropologist, 16 (1-2), pp. 293-305.
  24. Kennedy, M. M. (2016), “How does professional development improve teaching?”, Review of Educational Research, 86 (4), pp. 945-980.
  25. King, F. (2014), “Evaluating the impact of teacher professional development: An evidence-based framework”, Professional Development in Education, 40 (1), pp. 89-111.
  26. Kraft, M. A., Blazar, D., Hogan, D. (2018), “The effect of teacher coaching on instruction and achievement: A meta-analysis of the causal evidence”, Review of Educational Research, 88 (4), pp. 547-588.
  27. Lay, C. D., Allman, B., Cutri, R. M., Kimmons, R. (2020), “Examining a decade of research in online teacher professional development”, Frontiers in Education, 5: 573129, 1-10,
  28. McFadden, A., Williams, K. E. (2020), “Teachers as evaluators: Results from a systematic literature review”, Studies in Educational Evaluation, 64, 100830, pp. 1-22.
  29. Merchie, E., Tuytens, M., Devos, G., Vanderlinde, R. (2018), “Evaluating teachers’ professional development initiatives: towards an extended evaluative framework”, Research Papers in Education, 33 (2), pp. 143-168.
  30. Parkhouse, H., Lu, C. Y., Massaro, V. R. (2019), “Multicultural education professional development: A review of the literature”, Review of Educational Research, 89 (3), pp. 416-458.
  31. Phelps, G., Kelcey, B., Jones, N., Liu, S. (2016), “Informing estimates of program effects for studies of mathematics professional development using teacher content knowledge outcomes”, Evaluation Review, 40 (5), pp. 383-409.
  32. Rogers, S., Brown, C., Poblete, X. (2020), “A systematic review of the evidence base for professional learning in early years education (The PLEYE Review)”, Review of Education, 8 (1), pp. 156-188.
  33. Ryan, M., Alliott, O., Ikeda, E., Luan, J. A., Hofmann, R., van Sluijs, E. (2022),” Features of effective staff training programmes within school-based interventions targeting student activity behaviour: a systematic review and metaanalysis”, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19 (1), pp. 1-23.
  34. Sims, S., Fletcher-Wood, H. (2021), “Identifying the characteristics of effective teacher professional development: a critical review”, School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 32 (1), pp. 47-63.
  35. Sims, S., Fletcher-Wood, H., O’Mara-Eves, A., Cottingham, S., Stansfield, C., Van Herwegen, J., Anders, J. (2021), What are the Characteristics of Teacher Profes­ sional Development that Increase Pupil Achievement? A systematic review and meta­analysis. London: Education Endowment Foundation.
  36. Sims, S., Fletcher-Wood, H., O’Mara-Eves, A., Cottingham, S., Stansfield, C., Goodrich, J., Van Herwegen, J., Anders, J. (2022), “Effective Teacher Professional Development: New Theory and a Meta-Analytic Test”, EdWorkingPaper. Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, pp. 22-507.
  37. Surahman, E., Wang, T. H. (2023), “In-service STEM teachers professional development programmes: A systematic literature review 2018-2022”, Teaching and Teacher Education, 135, 104326, pp. 1-15.
  38. Van Der Schaaf, M., Slof, B., Boven, L., De Jong, A. (2019), “Evidence for measuring teachers’ core practices”, European Journal of Teacher Education, 42 (5), pp. 675-694.
  39. Zohar, A., Ben-Ari, G. (2022), “Teachers’ knowledge and professional development for metacognitive instruction in the context of higher order thinking”, Metaco­ gnition and Learning, 17 (3), pp. 855-895.
  40. Westine, C. D., Unlu, F., Taylor, J., Spybrook, J., Zhang, Q., Anderson, B. (2020), “Design parameter values for impact evaluations of science and mathematics interventions involving teacher outcomes”, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 13 (4), pp. 816-839

Giovanni Bonaiuti, Roberta Cardarello, Franco Passalacqua, Giulia Gabriella Elena Pastori, Andrea Pintus, Michela Schenetti, Valutare gli impatti della formazione in servizio degli insegnanti: una ricognizione in "CADMO" 2/2024, pp 5-19, DOI: 10.3280/CAD2024-002002