Irina Andreitz

Researching the Impact of Teacher Professional Development Programmes Based on Action Research, Constructivism, and Systems Theory.

This paper deals with the topic of professional development programmes’ impact. Concepts and ideas of action research, constructivism, and systems theory are used as a theoretical framework and are combined to describe and analyse an exemplary professional development programme in Austria. Empirical findings from both quantitative and qualitative studies regarding the programme’s impact are provided and discussed. Moreover, implications for future programmes’ planning and implementation are provided.

Effects of a Research-Based Learning Approach in Teacher Professional Development

The article examines the effects of teacher professional development, which follows a research-based learning approach focused on “action research” (Altrichter, Feldman, Posch & Somekh 2007). Using integrated research methods, the study examines the extent to which the four-semester university programme, “Pedagogy and Subject Didactics for Teachers” (PFL), has an impact on its participants. The study follows a longitudinal design, which focuses on input factors, processes, and outcomes. Its core component consists of testing for teaching-related analysis components using a video task (Krammer et al., 2006) conducted before and after the course. Based on an instructional video sequence on the topic of geometry, the study assesses the extent to which participants of the PFL mathematics course differ from those of other PFL courses.