PD Models

As many of us are nearing the end of our academic terms, I would like to share another SoTL article on professional/faculty development for your review. The article is entitled, “A reliability and validity study of professional development models tendency scale” by Uğurlu and Acar (2025). The authors developed and validated a new measurement tool called the "Professional Development Models Tendency Scale" (PDMTS). This scale aims to identify teachers' preferences and attitudes toward different PD models.

Professional development is crucial for enhancing teaching quality and improving educational outcomes. However, many traditional PD programs fail to address teachers' diverse needs, leading to decreased participation and effectiveness. This new scale provides a reliable way to assess teachers' tendencies toward various PD approaches, which can help educational institutions design more tailored and effective programs.

The researchers employed a rigorous development process that included:

1. Creating an initial item pool based on literature review and teacher interviews

2. Expert panel review for content validation

3. Trial testing with a small group of teachers

4. Administration to 408 teachers for Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)

5. Administration to 260 different teachers for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)

The four dimensions of PD tendencies. The final scale consists of 31 items across four factors:

1. Tendency toward observation-based professional activities: Measures attitudes about classroom observations and feedback

2. Belief in collaboration with colleagues: Assesses perceptions about the value of working with other teachers

3. Participation in collaborative activities: Gauges actual involvement in cooperative professional development

4. Resistance to observation and supervision: Identifies reluctance toward being observed or supervised

Reliability and Validity Evidence: The scale demonstrated strong psychometric properties:

• High internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94 for the overall scale)

• Individual factor reliability coefficients ranging from 0.72 to 0.88

• Significant positive correlations between factors

• Good model fit in confirmatory factor analysis

This research highlights the importance of collaborative and observation-based professional development models. Educational institutions can use this scale to:

• Assess teachers' professional development preferences

• Design more targeted and effective programs

• Create supportive environments for teacher growth

• Improve teaching quality and student outcomes

The researchers recommend implementing observation-based models, encouraging collegial collaboration, customizing professional development programs, providing continuous support, and regularly evaluating and revising these initiatives. For educators and administrators interested in improving professional development opportunities, this scale offers a valuable tool to better understand teachers' needs and preferences, ultimately contributing to more effective educational practices.

The following are sample items from the PD Models Tendency Scale. You can view the entire 31-item scale in the Appendix of this paper:

Item	Statement
1	My colleagues can make an observation in my classroom to evaluate my lesson.
3	Preparing course materials and assessments with colleagues contributes to my PD.
5	I expect my colleague who observes my class to give me feedback.
10	Collaborating with my colleagues on various issues gives me different perspectives.
17	It may be useful for teachers to observe different outside schools they work in.
24	We have conversations with my colleagues about PD.
29	I think that observing my colleagues' teaching processes is NOT necessary.

References

Uğurlu, F., & Evran Acar, F. (2025). A reliability and validity study of professional development models tendency scale. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 9(1), 390-406. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.202531619