Technology Professional Development and Mathematics Achievement: The Change over the Years

Abstract

Teacher professional development is considered as one of the key factors for improving the quality of teaching and learning. This study aimed to investigate teachers’ participation in technology professional development across the states between 2005 and 2015. The present study explored the differences in students’ mathematics achievement scores based on those students’ teachers’ participation in technology professional development. Findings indicated that teachers in Alabama, Florida, Indiana, and Minnesota showed higher participation in technology professional development than the national average. When eighth-grade mathematics teachers substantially learned about instructional use of technology in professional development programs over the years, the average mathematics achievement scores in 2015 were significantly higher than the scores in 2005. Also, the students of those teachers who reported high participation in technology professional development in the years 2009 and 2015 had significantly higher students’ mathematics achievement scores compared to those teachers who reported not participating at all