Technology-Mediated Teacher Professional Development and Sustainability of Outcomes: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Technology-mediated teacher professional development (TPD) has expanded rapidly across education systems worldwide, a shift the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated beyond any planned timeline. Yet a foundational question remains unresolved: do these programs produce lasting changes in how teachers teach? This systematic literature review examines the conditions, mechanisms, and evidence gaps associated with sustainability of outcomes in technology-mediated TPD across diverse global contexts (2015–2026). Following the PRISMA 2020 protocol—comprising identification, screening, eligibility assessment, and inclusion—158 initially retrieved records were systematically reduced to 42 peer-reviewed studies involving in-service teachers with measurable outcomes and a minimum three-month post-program follow-up, which were then synthesized using a realist, CMO-configurational approach. We developed the T-STEP (Technology-mediated Sustainability in Teacher Education and Practice) Framework, the first CMO-grounded synthesis of technology-mediated TPD sustainability across global contexts. Four configurational pathways emerged: high-impact programs integrating coaching and leadership support sustained classroom change beyond 12 months (n=14); partial-transfer programs using online-only delivery without coaching showed gains of three to six months before decay (n=12); passive delivery programs produced no significant practice transfer (n=9); and equity-gap programs achieved conditional sustainability through culturally responsive design (n=7). Across all pathways, school culture and leadership support proved stronger predictors of sustainability than program design or technology type. Findings offer actionable implications for TPD designers, institutional leaders, and policymakers pursuing evidence-grounded approaches to sustained teacher learning.