Date
9-25-2025
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Sarah Pannone
Keywords
Professional Learning, Professional Development, Education
Disciplines
Education | Educational Leadership
Recommended Citation
Goldsmith, Lindsay, "Exploring Teachers’ Self-Perceptions: A Case Study Unraveling the Influence of Professional Learning on Practice" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7519.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7519
Abstract
The purpose of this case study was to understand how professional development affects elementary educators' self-perceptions in the K-12 setting within American schools overseas. The theory guiding this study was Jack Mezirow’s theory on transformative learning as it explains the relationship between learning and practice. How do overseas teachers' engagement in professional learning activities contribute to transformative learning experiences, and how does the social learning context influence the development of their teaching practices? The present study utilized a case-study approach to explore how current teachers perceive their practice is affected by professional learning. Interviews, surveys, and document analysis were used to collect data that reveals trends and patterns in teachers' self-perceptions of how professional learning impacts their teaching practice. A comprehensive analytical method was employed for this research, starting with the organization of information into arrays that reflected identified themes and subthemes.
