Assessing blended and online-only delivery formats for teacher professional development in Kenya

The present study compared the learning and experiences of Kenyan
teachers randomly assigned to either an online or a blended 12-week intensive
teacher professional development program (TPD). The TPD addressed the fundamentals
of early literacy development as well as how to use early literacy software
to support students learning. TPD outcomes were assessed through surveys, course
performance and discussion elements. Teachers demonstrated pre- to post-test
gains in domain knowledge, lesson plan construction and comfort teaching early
literacy skills. Few differences were observed between the online versus blended
formats. However, teachers endorsed a blended instructional format over online only
or in-person formats. Challenges regarding resources and infrastructure were
identified as barriers to technology integration within the classroom. Some cultural
challenges were identified as potential barriers for young learners using software
developed in Western countries. Overall, both online and blended formats appear to
be effective TPD delivery systems for Kenyan teachers, however, findings highlighted
challenges that need to be addressed to optimize learning when using
technology. Future research recommendations include broadening the teacher
sample to assess potential differences due to regionalism, associated differences in
access to resources, and further examination of teaching experience on learning in
the two types of online formats.