Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Mary Beth Roth

Abstract

Effective Tier 1 mathematics instruction within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) depends on the teacher’s ability to implement research-based instructional practices with confidence and fidelity (Berkeley et al., 2020; Cleaver, 2023). The purpose of this study was to explore educators' perspectives on how explicit, research-based mathematics professional development influenced their perceived capacity to deliver effective core instruction. Specifically, the study explored how the Foundations of Math (FoM) professional development course affected teachers’ confidence and instructional decision-making. This study was conducted within one public school district and included elementary educators who had participated in the FoM course. Data were collected through a sequential explanatory research method of classroom observations and semi-structured individual interviews. Classroom observation data provided quantitative frequency measures or instructional practice aligned with course principles, while qualitative interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns in teacher perspectives and confidence. Findings indicated that participation in the FoM course influenced teachers’ instructional practices, particularly through emphasis on conceptual understanding, mathematical discourse, and the Concrete-Representational-Abstract (C-R-A) math model. Participants reported greater intentionality in precise mathematical vocabulary, lesson planning, and conceptual instruction; however, results also revealed variability in fidelity implementation, influenced by contextual factors such as instructional beliefs, time constraints, and curricular demands. Participants who received follow-up coaching reported stronger instructional confidence and more sustained application of course-aligned strategies. Overall, the findings suggest that research-based professional development can strengthen teachers’ instructional confidence; however, sustained coaching and systematic support structures are necessary to maintain long-term instructional change in mathematics classrooms.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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