Research on teacher education programs: Logic model approach

Teacher education programs in the United States face increasing pressure to demonstrate their effectiveness through pupils’ learning gains in classrooms where program graduates teach. The link between teacher candidates’ learning in teacher education programs and pupils’ learning in K-12 classrooms implicit in the policy discourse suggests a one-to-one correspondence. However, the logical steps leading from what teacher candidates have learned in their programs to what they are doing in classrooms that may contribute to their pupils’ learning are anything but straightforward. In this paper, we argue that the logic model approach from scholarship on evaluation can enhance research on teacher education by making explicit the logical links between program processes and intended outcomes. We demonstrate the usefulness of the logic model approach through our own work on designing a longitudinal study that focuses on examining the process and impact of an undergraduate mathematics and science teacher education program.

► We demonstrate a logic modeling approach to research on teacher education. ► The logic model shows what happens in a teacher education program. ► The logic model shows what knowledge and skills program graduates should gain. ► The logic model shows how graduates translate knowledge and skills into practice. ► The logic model shows how graduates’ practice impacts their students’ learning.