Teaching Growth: A Quantitative Study of Faculty’s Instructional Techniques and their Participation in Professional Development

This study investigated the relationship between faculty’s instructional practices and their participation in professional development. Data collected from the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) was analyzed to investigate correlations between instructional techniques faculty are interested in and their participation in professional development programs (FSSE, 2024). The survey asked faculty which instructional practices they want their institution to teach them, as well as what types of professional development programs those faculty members have participated in during that current school year (FSSE, 2024). Participants provided a response on a 1-4 scale representing how important it is that their institution assists them in various instructional areas, and they also provided a 1-4 scaled response of how often they participate in various instructional development opportunities (FSSE, 2024). In this study regression analyses were performed to conduct a correlational analysis on instructional techniques that faculty prioritize and how that may influence their participation in professional development (FSSE, 2024). What this found was that faculty who prioritized humanist learning instructional techniques had consistently stronger and more positive correlations with participating in professional development than those who did not. Importantly, those who prioritized non-humanist learning instructional techniques also had positive correlations with participating in professional development, but it was neither as strong as an effect nor apparent in all models.