Understanding the Impact of Professional Learning Programs on Teacher Decision Making and Practice

Professional learning (PL) programs are widely used to disseminate research-based instructional principles to educators with the goal of improving classroom teaching and student outcomes. However, little empirical evidence exists regarding if and how teachers engage with and use the information they acquire once the formal training is completed. This project addresses that gap by examining teachers' experiences and decision-making processes as they interpret, adapt, implement, or disregard PL content after training concludes. The results will help improve how research-informed ideas are shared in professional learning contexts and how innovative practice can be supported in real-world school settings. This study is designed to reframe existing models of knowledge mobilization (KM) within education by centering the role of the teacher as an active agent in translating knowledge into practice. Using a narrative inquiry approach to explore how teachers make sense of and act on what they learn during PL, this study will begin with in-depth, field-based research involving a cohort of K-12 teachers who have completed the same PL program and are currently teaching in a shared regional context. Through interviews, classroom observations, and reflective activities, researchers will examine how teachers describe their understanding of the PL content, the decisions they make about whether and how to apply it, and the contextual factors that shape those decisions. The findings will inform the development of a knowledge mobilization (KM) model that positions teachers as active agents in the translation of research-based ideas into classroom practice. This model will then be explored in a broader national sample of PL providers and teacher participants to assess its relevance and applicability across varied contexts. Ultimately, the project will generate practical and theoretical insights to guide the design of future PL efforts, improve research-to-practice pathways, and inform policy discussions about supporting teachers' professional growth. This project is jointly funded by the Translation and Diffusion (TD) program that supports research that advances the science of translation and diffusion between research and practice in STEM education, and the Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12), which is an applied research program that seeks to enhance the learning and teaching of preK-12 STEM. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.