Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Andrea Disque

Second Advisor

Jennifer Crawford

Abstract

This phenomenological study explored the experiences of public school elementary teachers in New Hampshire who participated in math professional development. The problem this study addressed was students in U.S. public elementary schools have not made sufficient progress in mathematics (The Nation’s Report Card, 2022) and lack of progress in mathematics has been attributed to teachers not receiving adequate professional development in this subject area (Campbell & Griffin, 2017). Analysis of seven semistructured participant interviews revealed four findings: (a) elementary teachers understood the significance of an effective math coach; (b) elementary teachers recognized when their professional learning communities were not effective; (c) elementary teachers have learned how to get students to lead their own learning; and (d) elementary teachers reported positive outcomes on their instruction with more professional development opportunities. Recommendations for action include (a) elementary teachers be provided with more mathematics professional development, (b) schools and districts should clarify and support the math coach role, and (c) schools and districts need to provide time and resources for teachers to participate in high-quality professional learning communities. Recommendations for further research include (a) an exploration of the experiences of middle school and high school teachers with mathematics professional development and (b) a comparison could be made between experiences of elementary, middle, and high school teachers with mathematics professional development. Keywords: Mathematical achievement, instructional coaching, pedagogy, professional development, professional learning community

Comment

Ed.D. Dissertation

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