A Review of Professional Development in Alternative Teaching Certification Programs

Abstract

This study explores the effectiveness and impact of professional development in Teach For America (TFA), an alternative teaching certification program. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine professional developments' impact on novice teachers' self-efficacy, stress/anxiety, and performance growth. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect and analyze data from the sample of teachers, including interviews, focus groups, and survey data. Ultimately, this study found that current professional development offered has done little to address teachers concerns regarding their perceptions of self-efficacy, stress, and performance growth, but teachers do believe that professional development that is differentiated with regards to teacher needs and levels of mastery, includes more autonomous teacher choice, and includes a greater breadth of content topics to engage in would positively shift their perceptions.