Teachers’ Self-Directed Online Learning Strategies and Experiences: A Longitudinal Study

Authors

  • Pamela Beach Queen's University
  • Alexandra Minuk
  • Elena Favret

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i4.3441

Keywords:

teacher professional learning, self-directed learning, online learning

Abstract

This study examines the strategies used by teachers during a series of self-directed online learning (SDOL) experiences. Over a period of four months, the authors met with 12 practicing elementary teachers three separate times. During the meetings, the teacher participants informally used the Internet for their professional learning in literacy. Their online navigations were captured using screen-recording software. Immediately following their navigations, a virtual revisit think aloud was conducted where participants verbalized their thoughts aloud while viewing a screen-recording of their navigation. Semi-structured interviews with each participant were conducted following the three meetings. Data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Findings relate to the cognitive and behavioral strategies in which participants engaged during their SDOL experiences and how these strategies changed over time.

References

Alshaikhi, H. I. (2020). Self-directed teacher professional development in Saudi Arabia: EFL teachers’ perceptions. Theory & Practice in Language Studies, 10(11), 1359–1369. http://dx.doi.org.proxy.queensu.ca/10.17507/tpls.1011.03

Beach, P., & Willows, D. (2017a). Understanding teachers’ cognitive processes during online professional learning: A methodological comparison. Online Learning, 21(1), 60–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v21i1.949

Beach, P. (2017b). Self-directed online learning: A theoretical model for understanding elementary teachers’ online learning experiences. Teaching and Teacher Education, 61, 60–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.10.007

Beach, P. (2020). Planning for literacy instruction: An evaluation of online resources used by preservice teachers. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education. https://citejournal.org/volume-20/issue-3-20/english-language-arts/planning-for-literacy-instruction-an-evaluation-of-online-resources-used-by-preservice-teachers/

Beach, P., Minuk, A., & Favret, E. (2021a). Online teacher professional development in Canada: A review of the literature. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 47(2). https://doi.org/10.21432/cjlt27948

Beach, P., Favret, E., & Minuk, A. (2021). Exploring teachers’ cognitive processes and web-based actions during a series of self-directed online learning sessions. International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education. http://www.ijede.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/1191

Borko, H. (2004). Professional development and teacher learning: Mapping the terrain. Educational Researcher, 33(8), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X033008003

Bruce, C. D., Esmonde, I., Ross, J., Dookie, L., & Beatty, R. (2010). The effects of sustained classroom-embedded teacher professional learning on teacher efficacy and related student achievement. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(8), 1598–1608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.06.011

Caffarella, R. (1993). Self-directed learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education 57, 25–35. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.36719935705

Callanan, M., Cervantes, C., & Loomis, M. (2011). Informal learning. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 2(6), 646–655. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.143

Campbell, C., Osmond-Johnson, P., Faubert, B., Zeichner, K., & Hobbs-Johnson, A. (with Brown, S., DaCosta, P., Hales, A., Kuehn, L., Sohn, J., & Steffensen, K.). (2016). The state of educators’ professional learning in Canada. Learning Forward. https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/state-of-educators-professional-learning-in-canada.pdf

Colwell, J., & Hutchison, A. C. (2018). Considering a Twitter-based professional learning network in literacy education. Literacy Research and Instruction, 57(1), 5–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2017.1370749

Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions (2nd ed.). Sage.

Darling-Hammond, L., & Richardson, N. (2009). Research review/teacher learning: What matters. Educational Leadership: Journal of the Department of Supervision and Curriculum Development, 66(5), 46–53. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/teacher-learning-what-matters

De Vries, S., van de Grift, W. J., & Jansen, E. P. (2014). How teachers’ beliefs about learning and teaching relate to their continuing professional development. Teachers and Teaching, 20(3), 338–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2013.848521

Elliott, J. C. (2017). The evolution from traditional to online professional development: A review. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 33(3), 114–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2017.1305304

Ericsson, K. A., & Simon, H. (1993). Protocol analysis: Verbal reports as data (Rev. ed.). The MIT Press.

Garrison, D. R. (1997). Self-directed learning: Toward a comprehensive model. Adult Education Quarterly, 48(1), 18–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/074171369704800103

Golafshani, N. (2003). Understanding reliability and validity in qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 8(4), 597–607. https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Understanding%20reliability%20and%20validity%20in%20qualitative%20research&publication_year=2003&author=N.%20Golafshani

Griffith, R. (2017). Preservice teachers’ in‐the‐moment teaching decisions in reading. Literacy, 51(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12097

Horz, H., & Schnotz, W. (2010). Cognitive load in learning with multiple representations. In J. L. Plass, R. Moreno, & R. Brunken (Eds.), Cognitive load theory (pp. 229–252). Cambridge University Press.

Jaspers, M. W. (2009). A comparison of usability methods for testing interactive health technologies: Methodological aspects and empirical evidence. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 78, 340–353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2008.10.002

Jurasaite-Harbison, E., & Rex, L. A. (2010). School cultures as contexts for informal teacher learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(2), 267–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.03.012

Knowles, M. (1975). Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers. Association Press.

Kobayashi, K. (2005). What limits the encoding effect of note-taking? A meta-analytic examination. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 30(2), 242–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2004.10.001

Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of Bloom's taxonomy: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(4), 212–218. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4104_2

Kuusela, H., & Paul, P. (2000). A comparison of concurrent and retrospective verbal protocol analysis. American Journal of Psychology, 113(3), 387–404. https://doi.org/10.2307/1423365

Kyndt, E., Gijbels, D., Grosemans, I., & Donche, V. (2016). Teachers’ everyday professional development: Mapping informal learning activities, antecedents, and learning outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 1111–1150. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315627864

Lantz-Andersson, A., Lundin, M., & Selwyn, N. (2018). Twenty years of online teacher communities: A systematic review of formally-organized and informally-developed professional learning groups. Teaching and Teacher Education, 75, 302–315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.07.008

Macià, M., & García, I. (2016). Informal online communities and networks as a source of teacher professional development: A review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 55, 291–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.01.021

Moore, M. G. (2016). Thirty years later: Self-directed learning and distance education—In retrospect. International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education, 31(2). http://www.ijede.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/1000

Owen, S. M. (2015). Teacher professional learning communities in innovative contexts: ‘Ah hah moments’, ‘passion’ and ‘making a difference’ for student learning. Professional Development in Education, 41(1), 57–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2013.869504

Parsons, S. A., Hutchison, A. C., Hall, L. A., Parsons, A. W., Ives, S. T., & Leggett, A. B. (2019). US teachers’ perceptions of online professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 82(1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.03.006

Ponti, M. (2014). Self-directed learning and guidance in non-formal open courses. Learning, Media and Technology, 39(2), 154–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2013.799073

Putnam, R., & Borko, H. (2000). What do new views of knowledge and thinking have to say about research on teacher learning? Educational Researcher, 29(1), 4–15. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X029001004

Simons, P. R. J. (2000). Towards a constructivistic theory of self-directed learning. Self-directed Learning, 1–12. https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/6994

Thomas, D. R. (2006). A general inductive approach for analyzing qualitative evaluation data. American Journal of Evaluation, 27(2), 237–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214005283748

Trotter, Y. (2006). Adult learning theories: Impacting professional development programs. The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 72(2), 8–13.

Trust, T., & Prestridge, S. (2021). The interplay of five elements of influence on educators’ PLN actions. Teaching and Teacher Education, 97, 103–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103195

Tschannen-Moran, M., & Johnson, D. (2011). Exploring literacy teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs: Potential sources at play. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(4), 751–761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.12.005

Zhu, M., Bonk, C. J., & Berri, S. (2022). Fostering self-directed learning in MOOCs: Motivation, learning strategies, and instruction. Online Learning, 26(1), 153–173. https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/2629

Downloads

Published

2022-12-01

Issue

Vol. 26 No. 4 (2022)

Section

Special Conference Issue: AERA Online Teaching and Learning SIG

License

As a condition of publication, the author agrees to apply the Creative Commons – Attribution International 4.0 (CC-BY) License to OLJ articles. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

This licence allows anyone to reproduce OLJ articles at no cost and without further permission as long as they attribute the author and the journal. This permission includes printing, sharing and other forms of distribution.

Author(s) hold copyright in their work, and retain publishing rights without restrictions