Abstract Although the need for extensive professional development (PD) programs for in-service teachers is emphasized worldwide, comparative, theory-based evaluation studies remain limited, particularly those examining how different professional development models relate to differentiated changes in multiple facets of teacher professional competence while accounting for teachers’ entry-level beliefs and skills. Addressing this gap, the present study examines changes associated with three distinct professional development programs using a common evaluation framework grounded in teacher professional competence. The framework captures changes in teachers’ knowledge, affective dimensions, and situation-specific skills, including noticing. The three programs were implemented in Chile and each based on a different model but sharing the common goal of mathematics teacher development, alongside a control group of teachers who did not participate in professional development during the study period. Teachers’ competencies were assessed before and after participation to examine changes across multiple facets and to explore how these changes relate to the specific characteristics of each professional development model. The relationship between teachers’ entry-level skills and beliefs and their subsequent competence development was also investigated. The findings indicate significant improvements in several facets of teacher competence across the PD programs, with patterns of change aligning with each program’s core features and design emphasis. Professional growth varied across programs, ranging from gains in mathematical knowledge to improvements in situation-specific noticing skills. Importantly, teachers’ entry-level skills and beliefs played a central role in shaping the magnitude and direction of these changes. Overall, this study contributes to professional development evaluation research by integrating professional development models, their core characteristics, and teachers’ initial competencies within a unified analytical framework. The findings provide evidence-based insights to inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of PD programs in mathematics education.
Saadati et al. (Wed,) studied this question.