The effects of professional development on teacher integration of educational digital libraries

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a professional development (PD) workshop on teachers' knowledge and use as related to the integration of online resources. In addition, this study attempted to examine whether teachers' aptitude was a moderating factor in the impact of the PD workshop. Moreover, it explored how teachers used online resources in their practice and how teachers' aptitude might affect their behavior. Based on problem-based learning (PBL), an approach that engages learners in solving problems situated in their professional life, the PD workshop was designed to teach inservice teachers the use of a software tool, the Instructional Architect (IA), and the integration of online resources into instructional activities (or IA projects) intended for student use.; This study used mixed-method and mixed-model design features. A quantitative phase of research, consisting of a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design, was conducted to investigate the effects of the workshop on the participants' knowledge effects of the workshop. Meanwhile, a qualitative phase of research was employed to explore how the participants used online resources in practice and how their aptitude might moderate their behavior. Specifically, a case study was conducted by purposively selecting seven participants.; The quantitative phase of research, a repeated measures MANCOVA, indicated that the professional development workshop had a significant impact on improving the participants' knowledge and use (F = 5.18, p < .05, ES = .25). On the other hand, a repeated measures MANCOVA indicated that aptitude was not a moderating factor in the impact of the workshop. Findings from the qualitative phase of research suggested that many participants adapted or improvised online resources when integrating them into IA projects. The case study of the qualitative phase of research revealed several themes related to how the selected participants implemented IA projects in classrooms. Interestingly, while different aptitude participants behaved similarly with regard to how they incorporated online resources and implemented IA projects, low aptitude participants appeared to have the most positive attitudes toward the workshop.