Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Education Systems Improvement Science
Committee Chair/Advisor
Brandi Nicole Hinnant-Crawford, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Roy Jones, Ed.D.
Committee Member
Tiffany Hollis, Ed. D.
Committee Member
Rachel Wagner, Ed.D.
Abstract
Professional development is a primary mechanism for improving instructional practice, yet traditional models have often failed to produce sustained growth in teacher capacity, particularly in rural school contexts. This qualitative study examines the impact of an improvement science–based intervention on strengthening teacher capacity through reflective and contextual professional development in a rural middle school in South Carolina. For this study, teacher capacity is defined as instructional knowledge, reflective practice, and student-centered beliefs.
Guided by improvement science, the study explores how reflection and an improvement cycle influenced teachers’ instructional thinking and professional responsibility. Data were collected from multiple qualitative sources, including professional development session transcripts, teacher reflection artifacts, and exit interviews. Findings revealed that improvement science–based professional development contributed to meaningful shifts in teacher capacity. The findings suggest that improvement science provides a viable framework for redesigning professional development in rural schools by promoting coherence, teacher agency, and sustained instructional improvement. Implications for practice highlight the role of school leaders in designing professional learning systems that prioritize reflective inquiry and iterative improvement. Recommendations for future research include longitudinal studies examining the durability of teacher capacity growth and investigations exploring relationships between capacity development and student learning outcomes in rural educational contexts.
Recommended Citation
Dawkins, Lyman III, "Strengthening Teacher Capacity Through Reflective and Contextual Professional Learning: An Improvement Science Study in a Rural Middle School" (2026). All Dissertations. 4240.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4240