Empowering Educators: A Mixed Methods Study on K–12 Teacher Self-Efficacy and Practice Following a Professional Development Conference

Abstract

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth of K-12 online schools has steadily increased. However, professional development for educators is still largely focused on the K-12 classroom. This disconnect has created a need for professional development targeted to online educators. In response to this need, Empowering Educators, a one-day professional development conference focused on online teaching, was created. This mixed-methods study, utilizing Bandura’s Self-Efficacy theory and a convergent parallel design, analyzed pre- and conference survey responses to determine if the targeted professional development impacted online teachers' self-efficacy and classroom practices. Quantitative results (n =15) revealed statistically significant increases in self-efficacy in regard to ensuring the online classroom is accessible for diverse learners and incorporating activities beyond lectures. Qualitative analysis (n = 15) revealed that teachers anticipated changes in their instructional design and activity selection following the conference. Overall, findings suggest that brief, targeted professional development for online educators can increase online self-efficacy and enhance the effectiveness of online instructors.