A MIXED METHODS GROUNDED THEORY STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO PREPARE TEACHERS TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE STUDENTS IN A BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

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2020-12

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The purpose of this constructivist-grounded theory study was to develop effective pedagogical methods for effectively training teachers to establish meaningful blended learning face-to-face activities that kept students actively engaged. With the advancements in technology over the past few decades and the COVID 19 pandemic event of 2019-2020, educators have been thrust into a digital learning environment and have been asked to convert their traditional classroom into a flipped or blended learning environment. In this setting, students watch instructional videos, complete online learning modules, and/or conduct research on their subject matter prior to their classroom instruction. Instructors guide their students through the blended learning process where students are in charge of their learning through discovery. Due to the infancy of blended learning, many districts are still in the process of developing their blended learning curriculum and often leave the creation of face-to-face activities up to their teachers’ discretion. Research stated that professional development to train teachers on the pedagogical methods of implementing a blended learning classroom is critical to teacher confidence to develop effective learning activities for student success (Cuhadar, 2018; Johnson & Marsh, 2014; Nemescu & Petrovici, 2015; Schoepp, 2004). In this growing age of blended learning environments, teachers cannot be expected to convert their traditional classroom to a blended learning environment without receiving the necessary training or resources. The quantitative and qualitative findings of this study significantly supported the hypothesis (H1) that targeted professional development to train teachers significantly increased their confidence levels in developing meaningful face-to-face activities that kept students actively engaged (Significant at p<0.05).

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