This comparative study explores the professional development (PD) landscapes of educators in Ireland and Turkey, exploring their respective needs, expectations, challenges and levels of satisfaction with the PD that is available. Employing a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse cohort of teachers in both…

Teacher agency plays a vital role in professional learning. The revealing practice indicates its fluidity in the process of collaboration. Research suggests that learning through interaction happens by engaging teachers. However, the role of teacher agency remains unclear at a systemic level. This article reports a yearlong ethnographic study of…

The role of teacher agency in professional learning has been the subject of several qualitative studies but has not yet been tested in an experimental setting. To provide causal evidence of the impact of teacher agency on the effectiveness of professional learning, we conducted a preregistered randomized controlled trial in an online computer…

Background: Although the contexts, structures and administrations of early childhood education (ECE) may differ internationally, effective pedagogical leadership remains an essential component in supporting young children's development and learning. This paper reports on a comparative study which considered ECE in two different settings, Finland…

A conceptual model on OER adoption is presented, as the substantive theoretical synthesis of a Grounded Theory study, whose purpose was to identify which factors influence the adoption of OER among teachers in Latin American universities. Main theoretical-methodological bases are rooted and analised, in comparison with the traditional approach…

In our global world, governments have focused on the professional development of teachers since teachers are seen as key elements of educational settings to increase students' achievements and the overall quality of education. Thus, EFL teachers are required to equip themselves with up-to-date theoretical and pedagogical knowledge in line with the…

This study investigated factors influencing teachers' intention and willingness to teach about cancer in the context of the theory of planned behaviour. Because teaching about cancer is mandatory in Germany, we compared n=355 teachers' intention to teach about cancer under mandatory conditions and their willingness to teach about cancer if they…

The main purpose of this research study was to fill gaps in existing research on the comparative forms and qualities of learning that emerge from formal professional development and from more self-directed teacher teams. This research study also described the extent to which both align to recommendations for professional learning and the extent…

Over the past 25 years, a small but growing number of school districts have implemented weighted student funding (WSF), a type of school-based budgeting system, as a way to increase school-level autonomy and flexibility and more equitably distribute funding among schools. In these districts, education leaders have implemented policies that…

"Districts' Use of Weighted Student Funding Systems to Increase School Autonomy and Equity: Findings from a National Study. Volume 1," is intended to provide both practitioners and policymakers with detailed information about the design, implementation, and outcomes of weighted student funding (WSF) systems in the United States. Findings…

This article presents a comparative study of German and Swedish teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) in relation to student assessment. It investigates the sources teachers use to improve their knowledge about assessment and the relationship this has to different national contexts. Assessment, as well as evaluation, defines what…

Background/Context: Teachers affect student performance through their interaction with students in the context of the classrooms and schools where teaching and learning take place. Although it is widely assumed that supportive working conditions improve the quality of instruction and teachers' willingness to remain in a school, little is known…

This study implemented an exploratory mixed-methods design to better understand how the characteristics of a principal, specifically the strategies, behaviors, and actions, lead to the perception of empowerment as perceived by the teachers themselves. An expert panel identified three "highly successful" principals assigned to elementary…

K-12 school reform movements over the past twenty-five years have grown in urgency as numerous schools in South Carolina and across the nation have failed to meet student needs. The urgency for reform was spurred by, "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform," a report released by the National Commission on Excellence in…

A classroom teacher asked two colleagues in his district to keep a daily record of their aims, methods, materials, and great discussions in two courses each: one state-tested, the other an untested elective course with no state curriculum. Each week during the study, the teacher reviewed these logs with his colleagues in separate interviews. Data…