Date of Award

Spring 4-9-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in School Leadership

Department

Teaching & Educational Leadership

College

College of Education and Health

Committee Chair

Dr. John Freeman

Second Committee Member

Dr. Steve Bounds

Third Committee Member

Dr. Meredith Young

Program Director

Dr. John Freeman

Dean of Graduate College

Dr. Michael Bradley

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PERCEPTIONS AMONG BABY BOOMER, GENERATION X,

MILLENNIAL AND GENERATION Z TEACHERS

Lynsey Ratzlaff Reynolds

This quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional survey study examined differences in perceptions of professional development among Baby Boomer, Generation X, Millennial, and Generation Z secondary teachers employed in one northwest Arkansas school district. Using the researcher-developed Teacher Professional Development Perceptions Survey, data were collected from N = 145 certified secondary teachers in grades 6–12 during February 2026. Four research questions guided the study, each concerning a distinct construct: perceived relevance of professional development to instructional practice, perceived efficiency of professional development experiences, preferred professional development delivery formats, and perceived barriers to implementing professional development learning in the classroom. One-way analyses of variance were carried out to test four null hypotheses. Statistically significant generational differences were found for perceived relevance, F(3, 141) = 41.71, p < .001, η² = .470, a large effect; preferred delivery formats, F(3, 141) = 20.95, p < .001, η² = .308, a large effect; and perceived barriers to implementation, F(3, 141) = 5.93, p = .001, η² = .112, a medium effect. The null hypothesis for perceived efficiency was not rejected, F(3, 141) = 2.28, p = .082. Tukey HSD post hoc comparisons identified significant pairwise differences among cohorts for all three significant omnibus results. A supplementary analysis confirmed significant generational variation in professional development engagement and a non-significant positive correlation between engagement and perceived efficiency. Results were interpreted through generational theory (Strauss & Howe, 1991) and adult learning theory (Knowles, 1984). Results show that generational cohort membership is associated with perceptions of professional development across multiple constructs, suggesting that differentiated professional development approaches may better serve the developmental needs of a multigenerational secondary teaching workforce.

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