Teachers’ exposure to professional development and the quality of their instructional technology use: The mediating role of teachers’ value and ability beliefs

Abstract

One way to help teachers use technology effectively is through professional development (PD). However, understanding of how exposure to PD relates to teachers’ personal characteristics is limited. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationships among PD exposure, teachers’ abilities and values, and teachers’ quality of technology integration according to Bloom’s taxonomy. By surveying 724 middle and high school teachers, and using structural equation modeling, this study showed that values mediate the influence of PD exposure on technology integration. Results suggest that PD may be most effective when targeting improving teachers’ values in addition to enhancing technology-related skills.