Date of Award:

5-2014

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

School of Teacher Education and Leadership

Department name when degree awarded

Teacher Education and Leadership

Committee Chair(s)

Michael K. Freeman

Committee

Michael K. Freeman

Committee

Scot M. Allgood

Committee

J. Spencer Clark

Committee

Steven O. Laing

Committee

Susan A. Turner

Abstract

In 2012, Seminaries and Institutes of Religion (S&I), a division of The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, introduced a self-directed professional development program that allowed educators to obtain two certification credentials by completing 12 certification projects per credential. The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of the experiences of seven S&I educators with self-directed learning in doing certification projects.

Personal and contextual factors influenced how self-directed learning for purposes of professional development was experienced by the participants in this study. Understanding program requirements, expectations, and processes, and possessing sufficient motivation and justification, facilitated their involvement in this form of self-directed learning. Their experiences indicated that collaborative learning can be used in self-directed learning and can lead to improved learning and practice-related outcomes; and self-directed learning for purposes of professional development can result in meaningful learning experiences, changes in instructional practice, and perceived professional growth, especially when aligned with compelling professional learning needs and interests.

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