  The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) partners small groups
of educators with a research astronomer for a year-long authentic research
project. This program aligns well with the characteristics of high-quality
professional development (PD) programs and has worked with a total of 103
educators since 2005. In this paper, surveys were explored that were obtained
from 74 different educators, at up to four waypoints during the course of 13
months, incorporating data from the class of 2010 through the class of 2017.
This paper investigates how participating teachers describe their motivations
for participating in NITARP as evidenced in these feedback forms. Analysis of
self-reported data allows a mapping onto a continuum ranging from more
inward-focused to more outward-focused; there is a shift from more
inward-focused responses to more outward-focused responses. This insight into
teacher motivations has implications for how the educators might be supported
during their year with the program. This work provides a new way of
parameterizing why educators participate in PD programs that require a
considerable investment of time. NITARP, since it has many qualities of
successful PD, serves as a model for similar PD programs in other STEM
subjects. Likewise, the analysis method might also be useful to similarly
evaluate other PD programs.
