Project-Based, Competency-Based Teacher Professional Development: Learning, Motivation, and Transfer in the DEJIE Program

Authors

  • In-Gu Kang University of Alabama Author
  • Charles Pittack University of Kansas Author
  • Courtney E. Castle University of Kansas Author
  • Raha Moussavi University of Kansas Author
  • Dessalines Floyd Network for Advancements in Learning and Leadership, LLC. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17161/cberj.v3no11.25614

Keywords:

teacher professional development, competency-based approach, project-based learning, teacher motivation, learning transfer, mixed-methods

Abstract

Teacher professional development (TPD) has struggled to produce consistent instructional improvement, particularly in translating professional learning into sustained classroom practice. Grounded in constructivist, heutagogical, and competency-based frameworks, this study examined how a project-based, competency-based TPD program supported teacher learning, motivation, and transfer. Using a multi-source case study design, data were collected from four to five middle and high school teachers through surveys, Canvas learning analytics, and semi-structured follow-up interviews conducted six months after program completion. Findings indicated consistent increases in competency awareness, sustained high levels of confidence and motivation, and meaningful transfer of learning into classroom practice. Active participatory engagement was more strongly associated with competency demonstration than passive content exposure. Program features including core competencies, project cycles, collaborative communities, and targeted feedback emerged as central to learning and transfer. Organizational conditions such as leadership support and time availability significantly shaped transfer outcomes.

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Author Biographies

  • In-Gu Kang, University of Alabama

    Dr. In-Gu Kang is a Biomedical and Educational Researcher at the Alabama Life Research Institute, University of Alabama. He holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, Bloomington (2015), where his dissertation received first place in the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) Distinguished Dissertation Awards in 2017. He also earned both his B.A. and M.A. in Educational Technology from Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea. Kang's research spans learning analytics, competency-based education, human resource development, and public health workforce studies. His work has appeared in journals such as Public Personnel Management, Sustainability, Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, and the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. Prior to his current position, he served as Assistant Research and Teaching Professor at the University of Kansas and as Assistant Professor at Boise State University. He has also held postdoctoral and industry roles in the United States and South Korea. His methodological expertise includes structural equation modeling, machine learning, latent class analysis, and mixed-methods research. He is an active member of the American Public Health Association and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

  • Charles Pittack, University of Kansas

    Charles Pittack is a graduate research assistant and doctoral student in curriculum and instruction, whose work explores the ethical, imaginative, and curricular dimensions of teaching and learning. His research interests include teacher ethics, curriculum theory, curriculum mapping, and social studies education. He is particularly interested in narrative imagination and relational expressivist ethics in teacher education. Drawing on qualitative and mixed‑methods approaches, his scholarship examines how educators make professional judgments in complex instructional contexts, with attention to empathy, adaptive expertise, and the ways curricular structures and pedagogical choices shape teachers’ moral reasoning and instructional practice.

  • Courtney E. Castle, University of Kansas

    Courtney Castle, PhD. is a psychometrician with the Center for Certification and Competency-Based Education (C3Be) at the University of Kansas. In her career as an assessment designer and educational researcher, Courtney has designed small-scale and large-scale educational assessments for various topics and ages, including elementary math and science, teacher certification, and cybersecurity. She has designed assessments for use in both traditional and competency-based education settings. She has also conducted research on assessment practices and teacher professional development. Her interests include competency-based assessment and equitable assessment practices. She received her PhD in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment from Boston College.

  • Raha Moussavi, University of Kansas

    Raha Moussavi, Ph.D., is a Senior Associate Researcher and Learning Sciences Designer with the Center for Certification and Competency-Based Education at the University of Kansas. Her work focuses on designing curriculum, assessments, and competency-based education programs. As a learning scientist by training, she focuses on incorporating principles of learning sciences and user centered design into her work. Most recently, she has collaborated with faculty on the development of multiple competency-based graduate programs through Jayhawk Flex. She earned an A.M. in Chemistry from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Technologies from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

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Published

2026-09-25

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 11 (2026): Project-Based, Competency-Based Teacher Professional Development: Learning, Motivation, and Transfer in the DEJIE Program

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 In-Gu Kang, Charles Pittack, Courteny E. Castle, Raha Moussavi, Dessalines Floyd (Author)

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Kang, I.-G., Pittack, . C., Castle, C. E., Moussavi, R., & Floyd, D. (2026). Project-Based, Competency-Based Teacher Professional Development: Learning, Motivation, and Transfer in the DEJIE Program. Competency-Based Education Research Journal, 3(11). https://doi.org/10.17161/cberj.v3no11.25614