Teacher Professional Development Coupons for Thai English Teachers: An Implementation Fidelity Study

Abstract

Despite the Ministry of Education in Thailand has supported Thai English teachers to attend several teacher professional development programs, few attempts have been made to find out whether the teachers are able to apply what they gained from the teacher professional development programs into their classrooms. This study attempts to fill this gap by studying an implementation fidelity of Thai English teachers who enrolled the teacher professional development coupons project. A variety of data was elicited for a semester academic year consisting of interviews, classroom observations, and teacher’s journal to determine the extent the teachers implemented the knowledge gained from the TPD. The data revealed that the participants selectively implemented the appropriated activities. Even teachers enrolled the same TPD programs, however they did not show the same phenomenon. It depends on teacher needs, background of teachers, background of students, school context, and time available. Suggestions for implementation fidelity of the TPD program was pivotal both during the process to confirm that the TPD program has presented as it was designed and follow up after the TPD program to explore how participants implemented the new knowledge into their classroom.

Keywords: Teacher professional development, professional development, follow up, Implementation fidelity, Implementation

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-24-09

Publication date: August 31st 2019