The relationship between Grade 5 learners' mathematics achievement and teacher professional development

Abstract

Teachers substantially impact the learning process and play an important role in learners’ mathematics achievement. Teacher professional development is essential for transforming classroom practices and enhancing learners’ academic outcomes. This study aimed to determine how teachers’ professional development relates to learner achievement in mathematics. Two theoretical frameworks guided this investigation: Guskey’s (2002) model of teacher change, which posits that teachers’ beliefs and attitudes change after they modify their practices and observe positive results in learner learning, and Loucks-Horsley et al.’s (2010) design framework for professional development. This design framework encompasses a cyclical planning process that starts with teachers’ commitment to improving teaching and learning, resulting in the identification of disparities between current practices and the new curriculum’s aspirational mathematical instruction. Secondary data analysis was conducted using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 Grade 5 mathematics data. A positivist paradigm and a deductive approach were implemented, which align with the quantitative research method. Multi-level modelling was used to analyse data from home, learner, teacher, and school questionnaires completed by parents, learners, teachers, and principals, as well as TIMSS mathematics achievement scores. Learners of teachers who indicated they felt they needed future professional development in mathematics pedagogy/instruction performed significantly lower than those who didn’t express this need. The results also demonstrated the importance of teachers’ receiving professional development, as learners performed significantly better when given clear instructions. This study contributes to the body of knowledge and informs policymakers of the benefits of encouraging teacher development.