Examining Factors Contributing to Variation in Effect Size Estimates of Teacher Outcomes from Studies of Science Teacher Professional Development

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Susan M. Kowalski, BSCS Science Learning; Joseph A. Taylor, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; Jessaca Spybrook, Western Michigan University

Version: View help for Version V4

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
data_and_syntax_files			01/08/2020 11:15:PM
-Read-Me-Overview-of-Data-and-Syntax-for-Examining-Empirical-Evidence-for-Science-PD.pdf	application/pdf	70 KB	01/08/2020 06:08:PM
Bibliography-of-studies-included-in-meta-analysis_v2.pdf	application/pdf	260.7 KB	04/09/2019 06:11:PM

Project Citation:

Kowalski, Susan M., Taylor, Joseph A., and Spybrook, Jessaca. Examining Factors Contributing to Variation in Effect Size Estimates of Teacher Outcomes from Studies of Science Teacher Professional Development. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2020-01-08. https://doi.org/10.3886/E109274V4

Project Description

Summary: Developing and maintaining a high-quality science teaching corps has become increasingly urgent with standards that require students to move beyond mastering facts to reasoning and arguing from evidence. Effective professional development (PD) for science teachers enhances teacher outcomes and, in turn, enhances primary and secondary student outcomes (Blank & de las Alas, 2009). What constitutes effective PD? Although proposed features of effective PD have emerged, they have little empirical support. Even when impact studies of PD interventions are conducted, factors unrelated to PD design characteristics can influence effect size estimates. Can we statistically isolate PD design characteristics from factors unrelated to PD design that nevertheless influence effect size estimates? We conducted a meta-regression with robust variance estimation of 162 science PD intervention studies. We investigated how effect size estimates for teacher outcomes vary by research design, study context, PD intervention characteristics, and outcomes of interest. Intensity and duration of PD, research design decisions, and researchers’ choice of outcomes of interest significantly influence effect size estimates.

Funding Sources: National Science Foundation (1544236)

Scope of Project

Subject Terms: science education; professional development; meta-analysis; teachers

Time Period(s): 2001 – 2017

Collection Date(s): 2015 – 2018

Universe: Published and unpublished manuscripts reporting findings from experimental and quasi-experimental studies of science teacher professional development interventions, written in English.

Data Type(s): aggregate data

Methodology

Weights:
We included a variety of statistical adjustments including Winsorization of sample sizes and effect sizes, adjustment of sample sizes to account for clustering, and weighting of effect sizes using inverse variance weights.

Unit(s) of Observation: effect sizes

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