Web-Based Professional Development Model to Enhance Teaching of Strategies for Online Academic Research in Middle School

Abstract

High-quality professional development is needed to prepare teachers to help students learn how to conduct online academic research and meet Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. This study created and evaluated a Web-based professional development program with five instructional modules designed to prepare middle-school teachers to teach their students nine strategies for conducting academic research online. The online professional development program was specifically created to help teachers implement the previously developed online SOAR Student Toolkit curriculum with all students in inclusive classrooms. Results of a 2015–2016 pilot study conducted with 13 teachers and 477 students in sixth to eighth grades indicated that most teachers perceived the professional development program to be of high quality and relevant in helping them teach online research skills to their students. Students significantly improved online research skills after learning from trained teachers (27 percentage points improvement, from 18% at pretest to 45% at posttest).

Keywords::

• Internet
• online learning
• digital literacy
• reading

Author Notes

Fatima E. Terrazas-Arellanes, PhD, is a research assistant professor at the University of Oregon College of Education in Eugene, OR. She is the principal investigator of Project ESCOLAR and Project S-SOAR. Her expertise includes assistive technology to address educational needs of at-risk students.

Lisa A. Strycker, MA, is a research methodologist at the University of Oregon College of Education in Eugene, OR. Her research interests include primary and secondary education, Internet-delivered interventions, youth physical activity, adolescent substance use, chronic illness management, worksite health, and specialized analytical techniques for multiple-group, multilevel, and longitudinal data.

Emily D. Walden, MA, is a research assistant at the University of Oregon College of Education in Eugene, OR. Her research interests include supporting academic, behavioral, and socioemotional skills learning of at-risk student populations and improving outcomes for children and families. Please address correspondence regarding this article to Emily Walden, University of Oregon, Center for Equity Promotion, 170 Lokey Education Building, Eugene, OR 97403, USA. E-mail: [email protected]