The Impact of Blended Professional Learning Focused on Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS®) on Teacher Perceptions and Practices

Author

April Dawn DeBord, Gardner-Webb University

Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Sydney Brown

Abstract

Professional learning plays an integral role in every educator’s career. Studies show that traditional workshop professional learning in a one-round session without follow-up training is not effective (Ball & Cohen, 1999), yet this type of professional learning still comprises the bulk of professional development offerings. This study sought to discover the impact of providing blended professional learning with coaching on teacher perception, teacher knowledge, classroom practice, and student learning. Participating instructors from various Grades 9-12 backgrounds received asynchronous virtual training in the TPRS® method and Marzano’s (2004) vocabulary learning strategies. The training was delivered via the Canvas Learning Management System. The researcher then provided synchronous face-to-face coaching helping teachers plan lessons and assessments utilizing the new methods. The teacher measured student learning with pre and postassessments before and after the course. The researcher’s findings indicated teacher perceptions of the blended learning design were overwhelmingly positive. Teacher knowledge of best practices in vocabulary instruction increased, and their students grew and became more engaged with the class content. Teachers described their classroom instruction of vocabulary transformed from boring and lifeless to connected, personalized, and exciting. As teachers grew so did their students’ learning. The researcher utilized the paired samples t test to analyze 46 pairs of student growth scores from before teachers participated in the course and after teachers participated in the course. The results indicate with a high level of confidence that student posttest results will improve after teachers participate in the Blended Learning with Coaching Course on TPRS®.

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Citation Information

DeBord, April Dawn, "The Impact of Blended Professional Learning Focused on Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS®) on Teacher Perceptions and Practices" (2019). Education Dissertations and Projects. 327.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/education_etd/327