Sample records for teacher study group

  1. English Curriculum Redesign through an EFL Teacher Study Group

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeh, Hui-chin

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates how a teacher study group collectively examined problems in their current English curriculum and redesigned the curriculum into theme-based lessons for various grades. Comprised of seven elementary school teachers and a teacher educator, the teacher study group met bi-weekly for three hours for a total of eight meetings.…

  2. The Roles of a University Professor in a Teacher Study Group

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeh, Hui-Chin; Hung, Hsiu-Ting; Chen, Yi-Ping

    2012-01-01

    The opportunities in which university professors collaborate with the practicing school teachers in a teacher study group are few. This study investigated how a university professor facilitated a collaborative teacher study group to enhance teachers' professional growth. Five primary school teachers and a university professor collaborated on…

  3. Why Teachers Participate in Professional Development: Lessons from a Schoolwide Teacher Study Group

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bigsby, James B.; Firestone, William A.

    2017-01-01

    Because it is not clear that teachers will volunteer for good professional development if it is made available, this study used surveys--including social network analysis--and interviews to examine why teachers did and did not participate in one school's high-quality study group. While all teachers were motivated by intrinsic incentives, two…

  4. Using Literature Study Groups in Teacher Education Courses: Learning through Diversity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth; Jensen, Sharon J.; Hadjiyianni, Eleni

    1997-01-01

    Investigates the effectiveness of literature study groups with preservice teachers enrolled in a course on social foundations of American education. Describes introducing and using literature study groups in this class. Shows that 62% most liked "input from others"; 58% valued "gaining a variety of perspectives"; and 75%…

  5. The Resourceful Facilitator: Teacher Leaders Constructing Identities as Facilitators of Teacher Peer Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, David

    2016-01-01

    The use of teacher peer groups is a prevalent strategy for school-based professional development and instructional improvement. Facilitation of such groups is an increasingly vital dimension of teacher leadership as a component of school improvement efforts. Drawing on a qualitative study of facilitation of teacher peer groups, the article…

  6. The Impact of Teacher Study Groups in Vocabulary on Teaching Practice, Teacher Knowledge, and Student Vocabulary Knowledge: A Large-Scale Replication Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jayanthi, Madhavi; Dimino, Joseph; Gersten, Russell; Taylor, Mary Jo; Haymond, Kelly; Smolkowski, Keith; Newman-Gonchar, Rebecca

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this replication study was to examine the impact of the Teacher Study Group (TSG) professional development in vocabulary on first-grade teachers' knowledge of vocabulary instruction and observed teaching practice, and on students' vocabulary knowledge. Sixty-two schools from 16 districts in four states were randomly assigned to…

  7. How Teachers Develop Their Professional Knowledge in English Study Group in Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Yi-Ching

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative research was to understand the perceptions of Taiwanese teachers of the effects of a study group on their professional growth in the workplace. This case study employed the following data collection techniques: (1) informal observations and interviews, (2) focus group interview, (3) semi-structured individual…

  8. Implementation of lesson study in physics teaching by group of teachers in Solok West Sumatera

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yurnetti, Y.

    2018-04-01

    This article based of collaborative classroom action research with science teachers group or MGMP at Solok West Sumatera; based on their willingness to implementation of lesson study by this group. The study started by discussing some problems according to the implementation of the lesson study, establishing the teaching materials, developing learning tools, defining the model teachers, conducting classroom activities, and reflecting by discussions. The preparation of this study includes some learning material according to temperature and heat; the observation form that led by observer teachers; teachers’s model impression and open questionnaire implementation of lesson study that applied to the students and teachers. This research got some information about the strengths and weaknesses of learning using lesson study from the students involved. To conclude, the implementation of lesson study should be able to support the principle of collaborative in learning. The challenge of this study is how to make a condition to gather some teachers in one school at a certain time because they have the schedule at their own school.

  9. A Study of Kindergarten Teachers' Evaluation of Order-Managing Skills Used in Group Activities by Early Childhood Student Teachers in Taiwan.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Ya-Mei

    This study analyzed how Taiwanese kindergarten teachers evaluated events of various classroom management skills used by early childhood student teachers in group activities. The kindergarten teachers evaluated effectiveness, appropriateness, frequency of practicing similar skills themselves, and the need to modify any of the above. A questionnaire…

  10. Teachers' and students' verbal behaviours during cooperative and small-group learning.

    PubMed

    Gillies, Robyn M

    2006-06-01

    Teachers play a critical role in promoting interactions between students and engaging them in the learning process. This study builds on a study by Hertz-Lazarowitz and Shachar (1990) who found that during cooperative learning teachers' verbal behaviours were more helpful to and encouraging of their students' efforts while during whole-class instruction, their verbal behaviours tended to be more authoritarian, rigid, and impersonal. This study seeks to determine if teachers who implement cooperative learning engage in more facilitative learning interactions with their students than teachers who implement group work only. The study also seeks to determine if students in the cooperative groups model their teachers' behaviours and engage in more positive helping interactions with each other than their peers in the group work groups. The study involved 26 teachers and 303 students in Grades 8 to 10 from 4 large high schools in Brisbane, Australia. All teachers agreed to establish cooperative, small-group activities in their classrooms for a unit of work (4 to 6 weeks) once a term for 3 school terms. The teachers were audiotaped twice during these lessons and samples of the students' language, as they worked in their groups, were also collected at the same time. The results show that teachers who implement cooperative learning in their classrooms engage in more mediated-learning interactions and make fewer disciplinary comments than teachers who implement group work only. Furthermore, the students model many of these interactions in their groups. The study shows that when teachers implement cooperative learning, their verbal behaviour is affected by the organizational structure of the classroom.

  11. Teachers' Perceptions of Bullying: A Focus Group Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosen, Lisa H.; Scott, Shannon R.; DeOrnellas, Kathy

    2017-01-01

    The current qualitative study used a focus group approach to examine teachers' perceptions of student aggressors and victims. Participants in the current study included 35 teachers from public elementary, middle, and high schools. Teachers' responses to five questions about risk factors for aggression and victimization, adaptive and maladaptive…

  12. Writer's Workshop: Implementing Units of Study, Findings from a Teacher Study Group, and Student Success in Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chaney, Sandra Lynne

    2011-01-01

    Background: An elementary teacher study group supports each other in a year-long journey as they learn how to work through writer's workshop curriculum in order to implement Units of Study by Lucy Calkins at a K-6 school. Time spent in writing instruction has been largely neglected, and a teacher-researcher wants to document the support found from…

  13. Study on Group-Based Problem-Solving of Pre-Service Teachers in Early Childhood Education Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prachagool, Veena; Nuangchalerm, Prasart

    2012-01-01

    This research aims to investigate how to develop pre-service teachers in early childhood education through employing group-based problem-solving. Participant in this research are 4th year study of pre-service teachers in early childhood education. Forty seven pre-service teachers were selected in the second semester, academic year 2010 by…

  14. Learning through Interactive Talk: A School-Based Mentor Teacher Study Group as a Context for Professional Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carroll, D.

    2005-01-01

    This article reports on a year-long study of collaborative professional learning in a mentor teacher study group connected to a large university teacher education program. It introduces a theoretical framework for considering the nature of interactive talk and its relationship to professional learning. Using examples of study group discourse, it…

  15. Considering Community Literacies in the Secondary Classroom: A Collaborative Teacher and Researcher Study Group

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carbone, Paula M.; Reynolds, Rema E.

    2013-01-01

    A year long study group brought teachers and researchers working in urban contexts in US public schools together to examine literacy practices incorporating students' community literacies into schooled tasks. The goal was to provide teacher development in making connections across their students' community literacies and the academic literacy they…

  16. Examining Teacher Instructional Leadership within the Small Group Dynamics of Collegial Groups.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keedy, John L.

    1999-01-01

    Examined the dynamics of teacher leadership, using two teacher collegial groups as a small-group context. After discussing teacher leadership and teacher-mediation effects, describes data collection, which involved observations, interviews, surveys, and document mining. Results indicated that teacher-mediation effects did not counter teacher…

  17. Reading Discussion Groups for Teachers: Connecting Theory to Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fenton-Smith, Ben; Stillwell, Christopher

    2011-01-01

    This article explores how teachers can engage with ideas (research findings, theory, and professional knowledge) through participation in a reading discussion group. Focusing on one group formed by English language teachers at a Japanese university, the study employs survey data, attendance statistics, and observational notes regarding the group's…

  18. Teachers' and Students' Negotiation Moves When Teachers Scaffold Group Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    González, Gloriana; DeJarnette, Anna F.

    2015-01-01

    Group work has been a main activity recommended by mathematics education reform. We aim at describing the patterns of interaction between teachers and students during group work. We ask: How do teachers scaffold group work during a problem-based lesson? We use data from a problem-based lesson taught in six geometry class periods by two teachers…

  19. Students' Self-Esteem and Their Perception of Teacher Behavior: A Study of Between-Class Ability Grouping

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kususanto, Prihadi; Ismail, Hairul Nizam; Jamil, Hazri

    2010-01-01

    Introduction: Between-class ability grouping practice in Malaysian Secondary Schools was studied in order to find the influence students' perception on their teachers' behavior on their self-esteem. Students' perception on teachers' behaviors were divided into two categories: controlling students' behavior to avoid disciplinary matters and…

  20. Exploring reforms while learning to teach science: Facilitating exploration of theory-practice relationships in a teacher education study group

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foster, Jacob G.

    This dissertation inserts a new view into an old problem in teacher education. The study explores the theory-practice gap, the large distance between what preservice science teachers experience in schools, are able to enact, and are told they should hold themselves to in their practice. It does so by narrowing the focus of analysis to a secondary science study group and examining how the facilitator uses sociocultural constructivism to promote discussion. The analysis surfaces key communicative moves made by the facilitator and preservice teachers that yield fruitful discussion of theory-practice relationships. Additionally, the study's use of discourse analysis as a methodology and intertextuality as a conceptual framework opens new directions for applied sociolinguistic research and scholarship in science teacher education. Findings from the study focus on what was discussed and how explorations of theory-practice relationships were facilitated. Preservice teachers in the study group engaged in meaningful conversations about constructivist theory and its application to their students and teaching of science. They discussed many science education topics such as planning science lessons that actively engage students, assessment of content understanding, and management of content-based activities. Discussions of broader science education goals, including implementation of inquiry or development of collaborative communities, were not promoted. Examination of the facilitation illuminates a number of strategies found to be helpful in supporting these explorations. This study shows that facilitation can successfully support preservice teachers to construct understanding of social constructivist assumptions underlying the National Science Education Standards (NSES), as well as a few components of the Standards themselves. The focus on the underlying assumptions suggests that science teacher education should focus on these so that preservice teachers can build a strong

  1. The Significance of Group Supervision to Yogo Teachers in Japan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iwasaki, Kazuko; Watanabe, Toshiyuki; Tamura, Takeshi

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the significance of group supervision to Yogo teachers in Japan, who often deal with work-related problems in isolation. Like school nurses in the United States, the role of the Yogo teacher is to oversee students' health education and management. In this study, eight Yogo teachers, each with a minimum of six years'…

  2. New Groups Giving Teachers Alternative Voice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sawchuk, Stephen

    2011-01-01

    This article reports on the rise of nonunion advocacy groups for teachers which has enabled them to cut their teeth on policy issues that affect the profession. The teachers' unions remain the most visible, powerful, and probably the most important advocates for teachers. But over the past few years, a number of new efforts have sprung up…

  3. Sensitizing Teachers to Ethnic Groups.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Noar, Gertrude

    This booklet on human relations attempts to convey to teachers the meaning and intent of "learning to live together." Separate sections deal with what teachers need to know about blacks, American Indians, Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, the disadvantaged, Asian-Americans, Jews, and the many Caucasian ethnic groups. The focus in each race is on…

  4. Gender and Emotions in Relationships: A Group of Teachers Recalling Their Own Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Uitto, Minna; Estola, Eila

    2009-01-01

    This narrative inquiry analyses the memories of a group of female teachers telling about their own teachers. We ask how gender and emotions are intertwined to teacher-student relationships. Gender was present in the stories where the teachers described being a schoolgirl in relationship with a teacher and told about their teachers as women and…

  5. Preliminary Investigation of a Stress Prevention and Mindfulness Group for Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reiser, Jenson E.; McCarthy, Christopher J.

    2018-01-01

    This exploratory study evaluated a short-term (6-8 weeks) psychoeducation and support group for teachers focused on stress prevention and mindfulness (labeled SPAM group). A total of 4 groups were implemented in different schools, and evaluation was conducted with quantitative (pre- and post-measures of teacher vulnerability to stress, job…

  6. Integration of ethnic minorities during group-work for vocational teachers-in-training in health studies.

    PubMed

    Goth, Ursula Småland; Bergsli, Oddhild; Johanesen, Else Marie

    2017-01-28

    To determine how to enhance integration of minority students in health education, and thereby improve intercultural communication skills and cultural sensitivity in a sample of health teacher students in Norway. After a group-work intervention and for a period of six months afterwards we followed an "action research" approach and observed 47 health teachers-in-training in their first year at the Oslo and Akershus University College during classroom interactions. Data were qualitative and comprised student self-reports and survey results along with observations from three teachers, the authors of the study. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach with opinion categorization and an open coding procedure, with separate analyses performed on observations from minority students, majority students, and teachers. Both ethnic majority and minority students experienced an increase in intercultural knowledge and problem-solving ability after the experience of an early intervention in their first academic year of tertiary education. Students reacted favorably to the intervention and noted in class assessments both the challenges and rewards of overcoming cultural barriers. Teacher observation notes confirmed that early intervention led to an increase in interaction and cross-cultural engagement between minority and majority students compared to previous years' classes without the intervention. Early classroom intervention to promote intercultural engagement can prevent clique formation along majority/minority lines. The method used here, tailored group assignments in ethnically diverse working groups at the very beginning of students' tertiary academic career, can be an effective approach to cultivating attitudes and skills fostering intercultural awareness and sensitivity.

  7. Integration of ethnic minorities during group-work for vocational teachers-in-training in health studies

    PubMed Central

    Bergsli, Oddhild; Johanesen, Else Marie

    2017-01-01

    Objectives To determine how to enhance integration of minority students in health education, and thereby improve intercultural communication skills and cultural sensitivity in a sample of health teacher students in Norway. Methods After a group-work intervention and for a period of six months afterwards we followed an “action research” approach and observed 47 health teachers-in-training in their first year at the Oslo and Akershus University College during classroom interactions. Data were qualitative and comprised student self-reports and survey results along with observations from three teachers, the authors of the study. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach with opinion categorization and an open coding procedure, with separate analyses performed on observations from minority students, majority students, and teachers. Results Both ethnic majority and minority students experienced an increase in intercultural knowledge and problem-solving ability after the experience of an early intervention in their first academic year of tertiary education. Students reacted favorably to the intervention and noted in class assessments both the challenges and rewards of overcoming cultural barriers. Teacher observation notes confirmed that early intervention led to an increase in interaction and cross-cultural engagement between minority and majority students compared to previous years’ classes without the intervention. Conclusions Early classroom intervention to promote intercultural engagement can prevent clique formation along majority/minority lines. The method used here, tailored group assignments in ethnically diverse working groups at the very beginning of students’ tertiary academic career, can be an effective approach to cultivating attitudes and skills fostering intercultural awareness and sensitivity. PMID:28132033

  8. Study Groups: Collaboration and Conflagration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Barbara M.

    In August 1995, the teachers at an elementary school in Houston (Texas) voted to adopt teacher-led study groups as their form of staff development for the 1995-96 school year. This study documents the progress of one of these groups, the Multiple Intelligences group, and examines the changes that occurred in roles and relationships as the teachers…

  9. Secondary school teachers' attitudes towards and beliefs about ability grouping.

    PubMed

    Hallam, Susan; Ireson, Judith

    2003-09-01

    Internationally and historically considerable research has been undertaken regarding the attitudes of secondary school teachers towards different types of ability grouping. There has been no recent research taking account of the changing educational context in the UK. This paper aims to explore secondary school teachers' attitudes and beliefs about ability grouping taking account of school type, gender, experience and qualifications. The sample comprised over 1,500 teachers from 45 schools divided into three groups based on their ability grouping practices in years 7-9 (the students were aged 11-14). The sample included all the lower school teachers of mathematics, science and English and a random sample of teachers from other subjects in each school. Teachers responded to a questionnaire which explored their attitudes towards ability grouping through the use of rating scales and open-ended questions. The findings showed that the teachers' beliefs broadly reflected research findings on the actual effects of ability grouping, although there were significant differences relating to the type of school they taught in and the subject that they taught. Separate analysis of school types showed that length of time teaching, individual school differences and teacher qualifications were also significant predictors of attitudes. Teachers' beliefs about ability grouping are influenced by the type of groupings adopted in the school where they work, the subject that they teach, their experience and qualifications. As pedagogical practices are known to be influenced by beliefs these findings have important implications for teacher training.

  10. Engagement with a Teaching Career--How a Group of Finnish University Teachers Experience Teacher Identity and Professional Growth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Korhonen, Vesa; Törmä, Sirpa

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this qualitative study was to identify teachers' ways of experiencing their identity and development challenges as teachers in the social and professional context of university. Identity and development as a teacher were examined based on interviews and drawings of career paths collected from a group of university teachers representing…

  11. Peer-Group Mentoring as a Tool for Teacher Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geeraerts, Kendra; Tynjälä, Päivi; Heikkinen, Hannu L. T.; Markkanen, Ilona; Pennanen, Matti; Gijbels, David

    2015-01-01

    Peer-group mentoring (PGM) is a new model designed to support the professional development of teachers in Finland. This study examines the experiences of mentees participating in PGM and potential differences in the experiences of teachers in general education and vocational education. It also addresses the mentees' perceptions of the results of…

  12. In Peer Matters, Teachers Matter: Peer Group Influences on Students' Engagement Depend on Teacher Involvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vollet, Justin W.; Kindermann, Thomas A.; Skinner, Ellen A.

    2017-01-01

    This study focused on the joint effects of teachers and peer groups as predictors of change in students' engagement during the first year of middle school, when the importance of peer relationships normatively increases and the quality of teacher-student relationships typically declines. To explore cumulative and contextualized joint effects, the…

  13. Critical Friends Group for EFL Teacher Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vo, Long Thanh; Nguyen, Hoa Thi Mai

    2010-01-01

    For the best student outcomes, teachers need to engage in continuous professional development. As a result, models of teacher professional development have been developed, among which is the Critical Friends Group (CFG) technique. However, whether it works well with EFL teachers in an Asian context like Vietnam, where EFL teachers in particular do…

  14. Study Orientations as Indicators of Ideologies. A Study of Five Student Teacher Groups. Research Report 41.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Puurula, Arja

    The official recommendations of teacher education in Finland stress the personality growth of student teachers towards an active, highly educated, socially oriented, and humanistic personality. This is a study of three kinds of prospective teachers: nursery school teachers, elementary teachers, and subject teachers. The student teachers of the…

  15. Similarities and Differences in Teacher Characteristics among Ethnic Groups Represented in the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryans, David G.

    The focus of this paper is on groups of teachers classified according to self-reported national and/or racial heritage. The problem studied was simply notation of similarities and differences among mean scores of groups of in-service teachers in the U.S.A. when the teachers were so classified. Ss were over 3,000 in-service teachers from the 50…

  16. Student Teachers' Indirect Complaining in Learning Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pakkanen, Marjatta

    2011-01-01

    This article focuses on indirect complaining in teacher education. The phenomenon of complaining in educational situations has not been examined as a process before. In this study complaining was examined in naturally occurring learning group sessions, which were videotaped and analysed through Conversation Analysis (CA). The purpose of this study…

  17. Information Activities and Appropriation in Teacher Trainees' Digital, Group-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanell, Fredrik

    2016-01-01

    Introduction: This paper reports results from an ethnographic study of teacher trainees' information activities in digital, group-based learning and their relation to the interplay between use and appropriation of digital tools and the learning environment. Method: The participants in the present study are 249 pre-school teacher trainees in…

  18. Weight Control in Adolescents: Focus Groups With Korean Adolescents and Their Teachers.

    PubMed

    Chae, Sun-Mi; Yeo, Ji-Young; Hwang, Ji-Hye; Lee, Ji-Hye; Lim, Jiyoung; Kwon, Insook

    This qualitative descriptive study sought to identify perceptions about and status of weight control in adolescents from the perspective of adolescents and their teachers. Focus groups were used with six separate groups, 20 adolescents divided into four groups and 14 teachers divided into two groups. The qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic analysis in NVivo 11.0. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ) were followed. We extracted three themes and 12 sub-themes with 52 meaningful codes. Both adolescents and teachers stated that perceptions about weight control in adolescents were overly weighted toward management of one's appearance. The adolescents reported an increase in weight gained during adolescence, especially after entering high school, and they noted a lack of participation in physical activities and the presence of unhealthy dietary behaviors. However, adolescents perceived excessive weight gain during adolescence as natural, as long as they studied hard. Their teachers and parents were also permissive about weight gain resulted from study. The participants suggested that a weight control program for adolescents should be conducted in schools and should include every student in order to avoid discrimination. In addition, teacher involvement was emphasized to promote participation of adolescents in a school program. Our findings indicate that adolescents, especially those in a society emphasizing academics, need to practice healthy weight control behaviors. A school-based weight control program involving teachers and peers would be suitable and should be provided to all students regardless of weight classification. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Two Year Study of the Effect of Group Therapy on Teacher Perceived Classroom Behavior of Hyperactive Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blau, Harold; And Others

    A 2-year study was done on the effect of group therapy on the teacher-perceived classroom behavior of 82 hyperactive minority boys (ages 10-16 years) in a day school for disruptive children. By the end of the study, there were a minimum of four behaviors which indicated that the group therapy was accomplishing a statistically significant change in…

  20. Is the Role of Equations in the Doing of Word Problems in School Algebra Changing? Initial Indications from Teacher Study Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chazan, Daniel; Sela, Hagit; Herbst, Patricio

    2012-01-01

    We illustrate a method, which is modeled on "breaching experiments," for studying tacit norms that govern classroom interaction around particular mathematical content. Specifically, this study explores norms that govern teachers' expectations for the doing of word problems in school algebra. Teacher study groups discussed representations of…

  1. Teachers 'Liking' Their Work? Exploring the Realities of Teacher Facebook Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bergviken Rensfeldt, Annika; Hillman, Thomas; Selwyn, Neil

    2018-01-01

    Social media are now an important aspect of the professional lives of school teachers. This paper explores the growing use of mass 'teacher groups' and 'teacher communities' on social media platforms such as Facebook. While these online communities are often welcomed as a means of professional learning and support, the paper considers the extent…

  2. Get in the Teacher Zone: A Perception Study of Preservice Teachers and Their Teacher Identity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dassa, Lori; Derose, Diego S.

    2017-01-01

    Teacher attrition has been a global concern for many decades, with teachers leaving the profession at a higher rate than those entering. The largest group effected by this attrition issue is the beginning teacher. (Hong, 2010). In fact, in the United States, 30-50% of new teachers leave the field within the first five years. Many studies have been…

  3. The Influence of Group Training in the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program on Preschool Teachers' Classroom Management Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carlson, John S.; Tiret, Holly B.; Bender, Stacy L.; Benson, Laurie

    2011-01-01

    This study examined changes in preschool teachers' perceptions of classroom management strategies following group training in the recently revised Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program (C. Webster-Stratton, 2006). The authors used a pre/post follow-up design across 2 groups that each met for 8 sessions over an 8-10-week period for…

  4. Practicing What We Preach: Teacher Reflection Groups on Cooperative Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farrell, Thomas S. C.; Jacobs, George M.

    2016-01-01

    This article discusses the use of teacher reflection groups to aid teachers in their efforts to facilitate cooperative learning among their students. It is argued that these teacher reflection groups function best when they are organized with reference to eight cooperative learning principles. Furthermore, it is suggested that these reflective…

  5. A Case Study of Two Groups of Elementary Prospective Teachers' Experiences in Distinct Mathematics Content Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Auslander, Susan Swars; Smith, Stephanie Z.; Smith, Marvin E.; Hart, Lynn C.; Carothers, Jody

    2016-01-01

    This multiple case study examined two groups of elementary prospective teachers (n=12) completing distinct mathematics content courses. Data were collected via two belief surveys, one content knowledge assessment, and individual interviews. The findings revealed differences in specialized content knowledge and mathematical beliefs between the two…

  6. "Explain to Your Partner": Teachers' Instructional Practices and Students' Dialogue in Small Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Webb, Noreen M.; Franke, Megan L.; De, Tondra; Chan, Angela G.; Freund, Deanna; Shein, Pat; Melkonian, Doris K.

    2009-01-01

    Collaborative group work has great potential to promote student learning, and increasing evidence exists about the kinds of interaction among students that are necessary to achieve this potential. Less often studied is the role of the teacher in promoting effective group collaboration. This article investigates the extent to which teachers'…

  7. Study Groups: Conduit for Reform.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Makibbin, Shirley S.; Sprague, Marsha M.

    This conference presentation describes study groups as a mechanism for changing teacher behavior. The history of study groups is discussed, beginning with the first American study groups organized by Benjamin Franklin; the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle; the waning of study groups in the early 20th century as college enrollment…

  8. Service-learning from the views of university teachers: a qualitative study based on focus groups.

    PubMed

    Shek, Daniel T L; Chan, Stephen C F

    2013-01-01

    Under the New Undergraduate Curriculum at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), students are required to take a 3-credit subject to fulfill service-learning requirements. To understand the views of teachers regarding service-learning, five focus group interviews (n=33) are conducted to examine the perceived characteristics and myths of service-learning as well as colleagues' views on the policy at PolyU. Results showed that most informants are aware of service-learning and have seen its benefits to both students and teachers. Most informants also possess positive views about service-learning. Nevertheless, in terms of service-learning at PolyU, three different groups of views on service-learning are observed, namely, positive, negative, and mixed views. This paper also discusses teachers' views on the anticipated difficulties of service-learning implementation and the ways, by which to promote the subject in the PolyU context.

  9. Group processing in an undergraduate biology course for preservice teachers: Experiences and attitudes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schellenberger, Lauren Brownback

    Group processing is a key principle of cooperative learning in which small groups discuss their strengths and weaknesses and set group goals or norms. However, group processing has not been well-studied at the post-secondary level or from a qualitative or mixed methods perspective. This mixed methods study uses a phenomenological framework to examine the experience of group processing for students in an undergraduate biology course for preservice teachers. The effect of group processing on students' attitudes toward future group work and group processing is also examined. Additionally, this research investigated preservice teachers' plans for incorporating group processing into future lessons. Students primarily experienced group processing as a time to reflect on past performance. Also, students experienced group processing as a time to increase communication among group members and become motivated for future group assignments. Three factors directly influenced students' experiences with group processing: (1) previous experience with group work, (2) instructor interaction, and (3) gender. Survey data indicated that group processing had a slight positive effect on students' attitudes toward future group work and group processing. Participants who were interviewed felt that group processing was an important part of group work and that it had increased their group's effectiveness as well as their ability to work effectively with other people. Participants held positive views on group work prior to engaging in group processing, and group processing did not alter their atittude toward group work. Preservice teachers who were interviewed planned to use group work and a modified group processing protocol in their future classrooms. They also felt that group processing had prepared them for their future professions by modeling effective collaboration and group skills. Based on this research, a new model for group processing has been created which includes extensive

  10. Teachers and Facebook: Using Online Groups to Improve Students' Communication and Engagement in Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rezende da Cunha, Fernando, Jr.; van Kruistum, Claudia; van Oers, Bert

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on how teachers, from different cities in Brazil, used groups on Facebook and how communication between teachers and students was affected by using such groups. This study is framed under the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) perspective, and is conceived from a methodological background that invites participants to…

  11. The Learning Organization Model across Vocational and Academic Teacher Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Joo Ho; Rojewski, Jay W.

    2006-01-01

    Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate factorial invariance between vocational and academic teacher groups on a measure of the learning organization concept. Participants were 488 full-time teachers of public trade industry-technical and business schools located within Seoul, South Korea. Statistically significant…

  12. Teaching as Interaction: Challenges in Transitioning Teachers' Instruction to Small Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wyatt, Tasha; Chapman-DeSousa, Brook

    2017-01-01

    Although small group instruction is often endorsed in teaching young children, teachers are rarely given explicit instruction on how to move instruction into small groups where effective adult-child interactions can take place. This study examines how 14 early childhood educators transitioned their instruction from whole to small group teaching…

  13. Supporting Pupils' Mental Health through Everyday Practices: A Qualitative Study of Teachers and Head Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maelan, Ellen Nesset; Tjomsland, Hege Eikeland; Baklien, Børge; Samdal, Oddrun; Thurston, Miranda

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to explore teachers' and head teachers' understandings of how they work to support pupils' mental health through their everyday practices. A qualitative study, including individual interviews with head teachers and focus groups with teachers, was conducted in lower secondary schools in Norway. Rich descriptions of teachers' and…

  14. Consistently Inconsistent: Teachers' Beliefs about Help Seeking and Giving When Students Work in Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wosnitza, Marold S.; Labitzke, Nina; Woods-McConney, Amanda; Karabenick, Stuart A.

    2015-01-01

    While extensive research on student help-seeking and teachers' help-giving behaviour in teacher-centred classroom and self-directed learning environments is available, little is known regarding teachers' beliefs and behaviour about help seeking or their role when students work in groups. This study investigated primary (elementary) school…

  15. Human dimensions in bedside teaching: focus group discussions of teachers and learners.

    PubMed

    Ramani, Subha; Orlander, Jay D

    2013-01-01

    Clinical teaching has moved from the bedside to conference rooms; many reasons are described for this shift. Yet, essential clinical skills, professionalism, and humanistic patient interactions are best taught at the bedside. Clinical teaching has moved from the bedside to conference rooms; many reasons are described for this decline. This study explored perceptions of teachers and learners on the value of bedside teaching and the humanistic dimensions of bedside interactions that make it imperative to shift clinical teaching back to the bedside. Focus group methodology was used to explore teacher and learner opinions. Four teacher groups consisted of (a) Chief Residents, (b) Residency Program Directors, (c) skilled bedside teachers, and (d) a convenience group of other Department of Medicine faculty at Boston University School of Medicine. Six learner groups consisted 2 each of 3rd-year students, PGY1 medicine residents, and PGY2 medicine residents. Each discussion lasted 60 to 90 minutes. Sessions were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative methods. Teachers and learners shared several opinions on bedside teaching, particularly around humanistic aspects of bedside interactions. The key themes that emerged included (a) patient involvement in discussions, (b) teachers as role models of humanism, (c) preserving learner autonomy, (d) direct observation and feedback of learners at the bedside, (e) interactions with challenging patients, and (e) admitting limitations. Within these themes, participants noted some behaviors best avoided at the bedside. Teachers and learners regard the bedside as a valuable venue in which to learn core values of medicine. They proposed many strategies to preserve these humanistic values and improve bedside teaching. These strategies are essential for true patient-centered care.

  16. The Effect of Focus Group Discussions on Pre-Service Teachers' Teaching Experiences and Practices: A Mixed Methods Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Memduhoglu, Hasan Basri; Kotluk, Nihat; Yayla, Ahmet

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of providing feedback to preservice teachers' (PSTs) through focus group discussion on PSTs' self-efficacy perception about teaching experiences and practices, to determine problems encountered during teaching practice by means of focus group discussion and to develop suggestions about solving…

  17. Teachers' Voices 2: Teaching Disparate Learner Groups.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burns, Anne, Ed.; Hood, Susan, Ed.

    The collection of papers was written by teacher researchers from an adult migrant English program, and consists of reports and discussions of action research on teaching heterogeneous learner groups. Papers include: "Disparate Groups: Exploring Diversity in Practice through Collaborative Action Research" (Anne Burns, Susan Hood); "A Profile of…

  18. Teacher Peer Excellence Groups (TPEGs): Building Communities of Practice for Instructional Improvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cravens, Xiu; Drake, Timothy A.; Goldring, Ellen; Schuermann, Patrick

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the viability of implementing a protocol-guided model designed to provide structure and focus for teacher collaboration from Shanghai in today's US public schools. The authors examine whether the new model, Teacher Peer Excellence Group (TPEG), fosters the desired key features of productive…

  19. Training Teachers for Virtual Collaboration: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vinagre, Margarita

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to explore the development of teachers' competences when trained in virtual collaboration. In order to do so, we analyse the data gathered from a group of nine in-service teachers who were trained in a forum and a wiki to become future telecollaborative teachers (TTs). During the course, participants worked in small groups and they…

  20. Teaching Self-Efficacy of a Selected Group of Secondary Health Education Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hutchins, Matt; Melancon, Jim; Nunning, Jennifer R.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to test the Health Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (HTSES) with a group of secondary health education teachers. In addition, comfort levels with various subject areas and years of teaching experience data were also gathered. All secondary health teachers in a selected Midwestern state were recruited via email to…

  1. Choosing Content and Methods: Focus Group Interviews with Faculty Teachers in Norwegian Pre-Service Subject Teacher Education in Design, Art, and Crafts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gulliksen, Marte S.; Hjardemaal, Finn R.

    2016-01-01

    The study is aimed at generating knowledge on how faculty teachers reflect and justify their choice of subject content logic in teacher education, exemplified by a concurrent pre-service Subject Teacher Education in design, art, and crafts. Focus-group interviews generated data. Three topics were discussed: too many choices, different logics, and…

  2. Reforming Teacher Education. The Impact of the Holmes Group Report. Special Issues from the "Teachers College Record."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soltis, Jonas F., Ed.

    This book contains essays by leading educational experts reflecting on the Holmes Group report, "Tomorrow's Teachers," and its recommendations and implications for schooling. Titles and authors are: (1) "'Tomorrow's Teachers': The Essential Arguments of the Holmes Group Report" (Michael W. Sedlak); (2) "Teaching:…

  3. Circles of Culture and Cognition: A Sociocognitive Study of Collaboration within and among Academic Groups of Teachers in a Rural School District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Linda L.

    2011-01-01

    This ethnographic case study examined the roles of district and school macro-culture and teacher sub-group micro-culture in influencing the nature and extent of teachers' professional collaboration. Informed by the sociocognitive theory that learning is rooted in social relationships and develops through interpersonal discourse and activity, the…

  4. Promoting Teacher Learning through Learning Study Discourse: The Case of Science Teachers in Singapore

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tan, Yuen Sze Michelle; Nashon, Samson Madera

    2013-01-01

    The potential of a theory of variation-framed learning study, a teacher professional development approach, to help teachers overcome curricular and pedagogical challenges associated with teaching new science curricula content was explored. With a group of Singapore teachers collaboratively planning and teaching new genetics content,…

  5. Self-Assessment Groups as a Means for Improving Teacher Behavior. A Research Project: Student Teachers at Wheaton College. (1968-1969).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooperative Educational Research Lab., Inc., Northfield, IL.

    A study was conducted to determine how participation in self-assessment seminars influences the attitudes, practices, and communication behavior of teachers. Two seminar groups of seven student teachers met for a series of 10 2-hour seminars during their senior student teaching. They were matched in a pretest-posttest design with control group…

  6. Considerations for Designing Group Randomized Trials of Professional Development with Teacher Knowledge Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelcey, Ben; Phelps, Geoffrey

    2013-01-01

    Despite recent shifts in research emphasizing the value of carefully designed experiments, the number of studies of teacher professional development with rigorous designs has lagged behind its student outcome counterparts. We outline a framework for the design of group randomized trials (GRTs) with teachers' knowledge as the outcome and…

  7. The Benefits and Limitations of Online Group Work in a Teacher Education Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    An, Heejung; Kim, Sangkyung

    2009-01-01

    This study examined the benefits and difficulties that graduate student teachers perceived while participating in online collaborative group activities during their first year of a masters program. Overall, it was discovered that the three most prominent perceived learning outcomes involved 1) the teachers' recognition of the value of a supportive…

  8. Knowledge and management of traumatic dental injuries in a group of Saudi primary schools teachers.

    PubMed

    Al-Obaida, Mohammad

    2010-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge level of a group of Saudi primary school teachers in the management of dental trauma. A three-part questionnaire on demographic data and knowledge was distributed to the teachers in Riyadh city. Twenty-four selected schools were visited and 277 teachers participated in the study of which 5 of them had formal education in dental injuries. Concerning knowledge, 124 teachers (44.8%) believed dental trauma emergency should be dealt with immediately. This study showed that majority of teachers were not aware of the most favorable storage media for avulsed permanent teeth. It was concluded that the majority of Saudi primary school teachers in Riyadh city do not know how to handle a child who sustains dental injury.

  9. Development and Evaluation of a Short Anger Management Group for Special Education Teachers in Greece: A Preliminary Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vassilopoulos, Stephanos P.; Brouzos, Andreas; Moberly, Nicholas J.; Tsiligiannis, Georgia

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the efficacy of a psychoeducational group for Greek special education teachers, all but one of whom reported experiencing anger in class. An anger management program was designed, which included a short, four-session package to be given within two weeks. The results of a pretest-posttest comparison revealed reductions in…

  10. The Art of Teaching Reading: A Study of Teachers' Perceptions of Their Teacher Education Reading Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lebsock, Rene Mendel

    2016-01-01

    This qualitative study examined the influence of a teacher education reading course on teachers' actual classroom reading instruction. The research included a pilot study, followed by a full study consisting of a demographic survey and four focus groups. Fifteen teachers, 9 beginning (1 to 3 years of experience), and 6 seasoned (4 to 8 years of…

  11. A Critical Analysis of The Holmes Group's Proposals for Reforming Teacher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawley, Willis D.

    1986-01-01

    The Holmes Group proposals for reforming teacher education are evaluated by looking at the effects on teacher knowledge and competence, attraction and retention of talented teachers, organization of schools and the teaching profession, and cost effectiveness. (MT)

  12. Perception Gaps on Food Additives among Various Groups in Korea: Food Experts, Teachers, Nutrition Teachers, Nongovernmental Organization Members, and General Consumers.

    PubMed

    Kang, Hee-Jin; Kim, Suna; Lee, Gunyoung; Lim, Ho Soo; Yun, Sang Soon; Kim, Jeong-Weon

    2017-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions and information needs of food experts, teachers, nutrition teachers, members of nongovernmental organizations, and general consumers concerning food additives. Questions in a survey format included perceptions, information needs, and preferred communication channels. The survey was conducted both off-line and on-line via e-mail and Google Drive in March 2015. The results indicated that most Korean consumers are concerned about the safety of using food additives in processed foods and do not recognize these additives as safe and useful materials as part of a modern diet. We also identified perception gaps among different groups regarding food additives. Nutrition teachers and members of nongovernmental organizations in Korea appeared to have a biased perception of food additives, which may cause general consumers to have a negative perception of food additives. The group of food experts did not have this bias. Governmental institutions must overcome the low confidence levels of various groups as an information provider about food additives. Based on the findings in this study, it will be possible to develop a strategy for risk communication about food additives for each group.

  13. The Relationship between Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Group Cohesiveness and Workplace Deviance Behavior of Turkish Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Apaydin, Çigdem; Sirin, Hüseyin

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to develop a structural model for organizational citizenship behavior, group cohesiveness and workplace deviance behavior. The study group consists of 639 Turkish teachers working in primary and secondary public schools. In the study, the "Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale" and the "Group Cohesiveness…

  14. Teachers' Situation-Specific Mastery Experiences: Teacher, Student Group and Lesson Effects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Malmberg, Lars-Erik; Hagger, Hazel; Webster, Sophie

    2014-01-01

    Following a model on the cyclical nature of teacher ("trait") self-efficacy and context-, task- and situation-specific ("state") "mastery experiences" (TSSME), we investigated the variability and effects of lesson characteristics (e.g. lesson sequence), student group characteristics (e.g. proportion of students…

  15. Profiles in Successful Group Piano for Children: A Collective Case Study of Children's Group-Piano Lessons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pike, Pamela D.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this collective case study was to explore the best practices in beginning group-piano instruction. Four beginning and intermediate groups of piano students (N =20) were observed. Data were triangulated through in-class observation of students and teachers, teacher interviews and student questionnaires. The master teachers…

  16. Action research in gender issues in science education: Towards an understanding of group work with science teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nyhof-Young, Joyce Marion

    Action research is emerging as a promising means of promoting individual and societal change in the context of university programmes in teacher education. However, significant gaps exist in the literature regarding the use of action research groups for the education of science teachers. Therefore, an action research group, dealing with gender issues in science education, was established within the context of a graduate course in action research at OISE. For reasons outlined in the thesis, action research was deemed an especially appropriate means for addressing issues of gender. The group met 14 times from September 1992 until May 1993 and consisted of myself and five other science teachers from the Toronto area. Two of us were in the primary panel, two in the intermediate panel, and two in the tertiary panel. Five teachers were female. One was male. The experiences of the group form the basis of this study. A methodology of participant observation supported by interviews, classroom visits, journals, group feedback and participant portfolios provides a means of examining experiences from the perspective of the participants in the group. The case study investigates the nature of the support and learning opportunities that the action research group provided for science teachers engaged in curiculum and professional development in the realm of gender issues in science education, and details the development of individuals, the whole group and myself (as group worker, researcher and participant) over the life of the project. The action research group became a resource for science teachers by providing most participants with: A place to personalize learning and research; a place for systematic reflection and research; a forum for discussion; a source of personal/professional support; a source of friendship; and a place to break down isolation and build self-confidence. This study clarifies important relational and political issues that impinge on action research in

  17. Distribution of Feedback among Teacher and Students in Online Collaborative Learning in Small Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coll, Cesar; Rochera, Maria Jose; de Gispert, Ines; Diaz-Barriga, Frida

    2013-01-01

    This study explores the characteristics and distribution of the feedback provided by the participants (a teacher and her students) in an activity organized inside a collaborative online learning environment. We analyse 853 submissions made by two groups of graduate students and their teacher (N1 = 629 & N2 = 224) involved in the collaborative…

  18. Content Analysis of a Facebook Group as a Form of Mentoring for EFL Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cinkara, Emrah; Arslan, Fadime Yalçin

    2017-01-01

    Mentoring, a main constituent of teacher education, has taken new shape in recent years, with educators incorporating technology and social media into their practices. This study investigated the use of a Facebook group as a form of informal mentoring among teachers with reference to qualitative and quantitative data collected from the entries,…

  19. Teacher Approval and Disapproval by Ability Grouping.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heller, Marc Stephen

    This study investigated teachers' use of verbal approval and disapproval as a function of subject matter (mathematics, social studies) and class ability; the use of these behaviors in instructional versus managerial contexts was studied. Five mathematics and five social studies teachers in an inner-city junior high school were observed for 6…

  20. A Collaborative Group Study of Korean Mid-Career Elementary Teachers for Professional Development in Music

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shin, Jihae; Seog, Moonjoo

    2018-01-01

    Professional development for in-service teachers is necessary to meet the changing needs of students and society. This teacher collaboration study examined the experiences of mid-career elementary teachers in Korea in their music professional development. Research questions included: (1) What were the contents of discussion? (2) What was the level…

  1. Study of Prospective Teachers' Conceptualization of Value Preferences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koruklu, Nermin; Aktamis, Hilal

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were any changes in the conceptualization of prospective teachers' values preferences during their university studies. The research group was composed of 208 prospective teachers who were studying at Science Education, Social Science Education and Fine Arts Education at Adnan Menderes…

  2. Teacher Interventions in Small Group Work in Secondary Mathematics and Science Lessons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hofmann, R.; Mercer, N.

    2016-01-01

    Collaborative problem solving, when students work in pairs or small groups on a curriculum-related task, has become an increasingly common feature of classroom education. This paper reports a study of a topic which has received relatively little attention: how teachers can most usefully intervene when students are working in a group, but have…

  3. Prekindergarten teachers' verbal references to print during classroom-based, large-group shared reading.

    PubMed

    Zucker, Tricia A; Justice, Laura M; Piasta, Shayne B

    2009-10-01

    The frequency with which adults reference print when reading with preschool-age children is associated with growth in children's print knowledge (e.g., L.M. Justice & H.K. Ezell, 2000, 2002). This study examined whether prekindergarten (pre-K) teachers naturally reference print during classroom shared reading and if verbal print references occur at similar rates across different types of books. The relation between frequency of print referencing and quality of teachers' language instruction was also studied. Seventeen pre-K teachers were randomly assigned to a regular reading condition as part of a larger study, and 92 videos of their large-group, shared-reading sessions were analyzed for print-referencing utterances and quality of language instruction. Teachers' verbal print references were compared across texts that were purposefully sampled to include different levels of print salience. Teachers discussed all domains of print studied; however, their rate of print referencing was relatively low. More verbal print references were observed when the teachers read books exhibiting higher amounts of print-salient features. When reading books, there was no apparent relation between teachers' use of print referencing and their quality of language instruction. It is unclear whether this low rate of explicit, verbal print referencing would impact children's print knowledge. Nonetheless, print-salient books appear to offer a natural context for discussions about print. Implications for educational practice are considered.

  4. Using Online Case Studies to Enhance Teacher Preparation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richman, Laila

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the impact interactive, online case studies have on learning for preservice teachers. More specifically, it evaluated whether the use of online case studies in instruction could enhance the level of knowledge the preservice teacher gained from the content material. This study utilized a nonequivalent group,…

  5. How Do Parents and Teachers of Gifted Students Perceive Group Work in Classrooms?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saunders-Stewart, Katie S.; Walker, Cheryl L.; Shore, Bruce M.

    2013-01-01

    Although an abundance of information exists concerning advantages and disadvantages of certain grouping arrangements with highly able students in classroom settings, little research has focused on gifted children's parents' and teachers' opinions of group work. The present study explored potential differences between these opinions. Parents (n=…

  6. Who Are Teachers? A Study of Identity Hierarchy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yilmaz, Ferat; Ilhan, Mustafa

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to create a hierarchy of identities for teachers' perceptions of the self. The research carried out as a survey study was conducted in Diyarbakir, a province in Turkey, with a study group of 261 teachers. This study employs a tool of data collection making it possible to present the six types of identities--namely, professional…

  7. An Evaluation of Group Contingency Interventions: The Role of Teacher Preference

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ennis, Christina R.; Blair, Kwang-Sun Cho; George, Heather Peshak

    2016-01-01

    Group contingencies (GCs) vary in a variety of dimensions that may influence their efficacy and acceptability. This study evaluated the relative impact of four different GC types (independent, interdependent, dependent, and randomized) on classwide appropriate and disruptive student behaviors as well as how implementation of a teacher's preferred…

  8. Teachers' Views about Educational Research: A Qualitative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bas, Gökhan; Kivilcim, Zafer Savas

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this case study is to examine the views of teachers' about educational research. The present research is designed as a qualitative case study. The group of this study is consisted of teachers (n = 27), working in primary, middle, and high schools in the province of Nigde in Turkey. An extensive literature review was made on…

  9. Impacts of Teacher-Child Managed Whole-Group Language and Literacy Instruction on the Depth of Preschoolers' Social Interaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Tzu-Jung; Justice, Laura M.; Emery, Alyssa A.; Mashburn, Andrew J.; Pentimonti, Jill M.

    2017-01-01

    Research Findings: This study examined the potential impacts of ongoing participation (twice weekly for 30 weeks) in teacher-child managed whole-group language and literacy instruction on prekindergarten children's social interaction with classmates. Teacher-child managed whole-group instruction that provides children with opportunities to engage…

  10. Social Studies Teacher Candidates' Views on Historical Thinking Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ozmen, Cengiz

    2015-01-01

    Current study aimed to present Social Studies teacher candidates' views on historical thinking skills. Study was conducted using qualitative design and working group was composed of a total of 121 teacher candidates (62 females and 59 males) attending Social Studies Teaching Department of Karadeniz Technical University and Adiyaman University…

  11. Social Studies Student Teachers' Levels of Understanding Sociology Concepts within Social Studies Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karatekin, Kadir

    2013-01-01

    This study aims at investigating social studies student teachers' levels of understanding sociology concepts within social studies curriculum. Study group of the research consists of 266 teacher candidates attending the Department of Social Studies, Faculty of Education, Kastamonu University during 2012 to 2013 education year. A semi-structured…

  12. A Study on the Views of Preschool Teachers and Teacher Candidates about the Concepts of Learning and Participation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erkan, Semra; Akyol, Tugçe

    2017-01-01

    This study was conducted in order to examine the views of preschool teachers and teacher candidates about the concepts of learning and participation, and to explore how they perceive the relationship between the two. The study group comprised of 10 preschool teachers working at formal preschools located in Afyonkarahisar and affiliated with the…

  13. Preparation of Social Studies Teachers at Major Research Universities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dumas, Wayne

    1993-01-01

    Reports on a study of the preparation of secondary social studies teachers at major state-supported research universities. Finds relatively few institutions have followed the Holmes Group recommendations and many continue to prepare broad field social studies teachers leaving them deficient in some social science fields. (CFR)

  14. Professional development in inquiry-based science for elementary teachers of diverse student groups

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Okhee; Hart, Juliet E.; Cuevas, Peggy; Enders, Craig

    2004-12-01

    As part of a larger project aimed at promoting science and literacy for culturally and linguistically diverse elementary students, this study has two objectives: (a) to describe teachers' initial beliefs and practices about inquiry-based science and (b) to examine the impact of the professional development intervention (primarily through instructional units and teacher workshops) on teachers' beliefs and practices related to inquiry-based science. The research involved 53 third- and fourth-grade teachers at six elementary schools in a large urban school district. At the end of the school year, teachers reported enhanced knowledge of science content and stronger beliefs about the importance of science instruction with diverse student groups, although their actual practices did not change significantly. Based on the results of this first year of implementation as part of a 3-year longitudinal design, implications for professional development and further research are discussed.

  15. Evaluation of a Small-Group Technique as a Teacher Training Instrument. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whipple, Babette S.

    An exploratory study was designed to determine whether the use of a new, small group technique adds significantly to the level of training in early childhood education. Two groups of five student teachers learned the technique and were then evaluated. The evaluation procedure was designed to measure changes in their educational objectives, their…

  16. Reciprocal Relations Between Student-Teacher Relationship and Children's Behavioral Problems: Moderation by Child-Care Group Size.

    PubMed

    Skalická, Věra; Belsky, Jay; Stenseng, Frode; Wichstrøm, Lars

    2015-01-01

    In this Norwegian study, bidirectional relations between children's behavior problems and child-teacher conflict and closeness were examined, and the possibility of moderation of these associations by child-care group size was tested. Eight hundred and nineteen 4-year-old children were followed up in first grade. Results revealed reciprocal effects linking child-teacher conflict and behavior problems. Effects of child-teacher closeness on later behavior problems were moderated by group size: For children in small groups only (i.e., ≤ 15 children), greater closeness predicted reduced behavior problems in first grade. In consequence, stability of behavior problems was greater in larger than in smaller groups. Results are discussed in light of regulatory mechanisms and social learning theory, with possible implications for organization of child care. © 2015 The Authors. Child Development © 2015 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  17. Impact of Structured Group Activities on Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about Classroom Motivation: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mansfield, Caroline F.; Volet, Simone E.

    2014-01-01

    Pre-service teachers' beliefs about classroom motivation, and how these beliefs may be developed during initial teacher preparation, is a relatively new aspect of enquiry in the fields of motivation and teacher education. An empirical study, grounded in a social constructivist perspective, was designed to examine the impact of providing…

  18. Analysis of Timeline Posts to a Language Teacher Organization Public Facebook Group

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kent, David

    2018-01-01

    Affordances of Facebook for enhancing communities of practice are often overlooked in studies highlighting the role of social networking in the English as a foreign language context of Korea. Taking this into account, the purpose behind this study is to determine the function a Korea-based language teacher organization Facebook group in terms of…

  19. Improving teacher perceptions of parent involvement patterns: Findings from a group randomized trial.

    PubMed

    Herman, Keith C; Reinke, Wendy M

    2017-03-01

    For children with the most serious and persistent academic and behavior problems, parent involvement in education, particularly teacher perceptions of involvement, is essential to avert their expected long-term negative outcomes. Despite the widespread interest in and perceived importance of parent involvement in education, however, few experimental studies have evaluated programs and practices to promote it. In this group randomized trial, we examined the effects of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management program (IY TCM) on teacher perceptions of contact and comfort with parents. One hundred five classrooms with 1818 students were randomly assigned to an IY TCM or to a control, business as usual condition. Measures of key constructs included teacher ratings of parent and student behaviors, direct observations in the classroom, and a standardized academic achievement test. Latent transition analysis (LTA) was used to identify patterns of involvement over time and to determine if intervention condition predicted postintervention patterns and transitions. Four patterns of involvement were identified at baseline and at follow-up; parents of students with academic and behavior problems were most likely to be in classes with the least adaptive involvement patterns. Intervention status predicted group membership at follow-up. Specifically, intervention classroom parents were significantly more likely to transition to more adaptive teacher-rated parenting profiles at follow-up compared to control classroom parents. This is the first randomized trial we are aware of that has found that teacher training can alter teacher perceptions of parent involvement patterns. Clinical implications for students with behavior and academic problems are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. Informal teacher communities enhancing the professional development of medical teachers: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    van Lankveld, Thea; Schoonenboom, Judith; Kusurkar, Rashmi; Beishuizen, Jos; Croiset, Gerda; Volman, Monique

    2016-04-14

    Informal peer learning is a particularly powerful form of learning for medical teachers, although it does not always occur automatically in the departments of medical schools. In this article, the authors explore the role of teacher communities in enhancing informal peer learning among undergraduate medical teachers. Teacher communities are groups of teachers who voluntarily gather on a regular basis to develop and share knowledge. Outside of medical education, these informal teacher communities have proved to be an effective means of enhancing peer learning of academic teachers. The processes underlying this outcome are, however, not known. This study therefore aims to explore the processes that make informal teacher communities effective in supporting peer learning of teachers. A qualitative study was performed at a Dutch medical school, where a student-centred undergraduate curriculum had recently been introduced. As part of this curriculum, tutors are segregated into separate specialty areas and thus have only limited opportunities for informal learning with other tutors. The authors followed two informal teacher communities aimed at supporting these tutors. They observed the interactions within the teacher communities and held semi-structured interviews with ten of the participants. The observation notes and interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. The informal teacher communities allowed the tutors to engage in a dialogue with colleagues and share questions, solutions, and interpretations. The teacher communities also provided opportunities to explicate tacit expertise, which helped the tutors to develop an idea of their role and form a frame of reference for their own experiences. Furthermore, the communities enhanced the tutors' sense of belonging. The tutors felt more secure in their role and they felt valued by the organisation due to the teacher communities. This study shows that informal teacher communities not only support the professional

  1. Stress Prevention and Mindfulness: A Psychoeducational and Support Group for Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reiser, Jenson E.; Murphy, Susan L.; McCarthy, Christopher J.

    2016-01-01

    A stress prevention and mindfulness (SPAM) group is described, which is a 6-week psychoeducational and support group for teachers. The group incorporated psychoeducation about stress and utilized elements of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The group was implemented in a public charter school in the Southwest. Preliminary evaluation…

  2. Lesson Study-Building Communities of Learning Among Pre-Service Science Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamzeh, Fouada

    Lesson Study is a widely used pedagogical approach that has been used for decades in its country of origin, Japan. It is a teacher-led form of professional development that involves the collaborative efforts of teachers in co-planning and observing the teaching of a lesson within a unit for evidence that the teaching practices used help the learning process (Lewis, 2002a). The purpose of this research was to investigate if Lesson Study enables pre-service teachers to improve their own teaching in the area of science inquiry-based approaches. Also explored are the self-efficacy beliefs of one group of science pre-service teachers related to their experiences in Lesson Study. The research investigated four questions: 1) Does Lesson Study influence teacher preparation for inquiry-based instruction? 2) Does Lesson Study improve teacher efficacy? 3) Does Lesson Study impact teachers' aspiration to collaborate with colleagues? 4) What are the attitudes and perceptions of pre-service teachers to the Lesson Study idea in Science? The 12 participants completed two pre- and post-study surveys: STEBI- B, Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (Enochs & Riggs, 1990) and ASTQ, Attitude towards Science Teaching. Data sources included student teaching lesson observations, lesson debriefing notes and focus group interviews. Results from the STEBI-B show that all participants measured an increase in efficacy throughout the study. This study added to the body of research on teaching learning communities, professional development programs and teacher empowerment.

  3. Social Studies Teachers' Viewpoints of the Social Studies Lesson "Sample of Turkey and Afghanistan"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sonmez, Omer Faruk

    2014-01-01

    This study was conducted to reveal the perceptions of history, geography and social studies teachers giving the social studies lesson at primary schools in Turkey and Afghanistan towards the social studies lesson. The working group of the study involves history, geography and social studies teachers rendering service in Tokat and Kayseri provinces…

  4. Literature Study Groups: Literacy Learning "with Legs"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parsons, Sue Christian; Mokhtari, Kouider; Yellin, David; Orwig, Ryan

    2011-01-01

    Literature study groups help promote critical thinking and improve reading skills. These groups, in general, are characterized by: (1) a flexible grouping--usually determined by a reader's choice of a given book at a given time; (2) participant-centered dialogue, where the teacher takes on the role of facilitator and expert participant rather than…

  5. Focus group evaluation of teachers' views on a new general education program in Hong Kong.

    PubMed

    Shek, Daniel T L; Yu, Lu; Chi, Xinli

    2017-02-01

    Using teachers' focus group interviews (n=40), this study examined the impact of the General University Requirements (GUR) implemented at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Results showed that teachers were generally satisfied with the GUR subjects and its implementation in its second year. Teachers regarded the design of GUR subjects was good and the students generally welcomed the subjects. Interactive teaching and learning methods adopted in GUR subjects such as fieldwork, hands-on projects, and team debates were highly appreciated by the respondents. Teachers also reflected that the GUR had promoted the intrapersonal and interpersonal development of the students. However, several challenges were also reported by teachers, including the difficulty level of Freshman Seminar subjects and lack of interaction in some GUR subjects, which suggested directions for further improvements.

  6. Selective traditions in group discussions: teachers' views about good science and the possible obstacles when encountering a new topic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lundqvist, Eva; Sund, Per

    2016-11-01

    There is an ongoing discussion about what content that should be taught in science education and there are different views among teachers about what represent good science content. However, teachers are not isolated individuals making their own interpretations, but are part of institutionalised systems building on patterns in the selection of teaching goals and content. Earlier research shows that teachers teach in alignment with different selective traditions, which can be understood as well-developed teaching habits. Individual teachers seem to develop their personal habits on the basis of the contextual situations created by earlier generations of teachers. In order to find out which content teachers find representative for science education, we asked nine teachers to take part in group interviews to talk about what they value as "good" science content. The participants were grouped according to their selective traditions expressed in earlier studies. The method was used to dynamically explore, challenge and highlight teachers' views. The starting point for the group discussions is national tests in science. In Sweden, national tests in biology, physics and chemistry were introduced in secondary school science (year 9) in 2009. One overarching aim of these tests is to support the implementation of the science curricula and to include for example knowledge about socio-scientific issues (SSI). The content of the tests can consequently be seen as important for teachers to consider. The findings show that `resistance' to including SSI is not just an issue for individual teachers. As individuals teachers can create many kinds of obstacles, but still be interested in integrating SSI in their science teaching. However, in group discussions the teachers tend to collectively adopt the scientific rational discourse. This discourse is what joins them and creates their common identity as science teachers. In turn, they seek to free scientific knowledge from social knowledge

  7. ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS FROM GROUPS INSTRUCTED BY PROGRAMED MATERIALS, CLASSROOM TEACHER, OR BOTH. COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF PRINCIPLES FOR PROGRAMMING MATHEMATICS IN AUTOMATED INSTRUCTION, TECHNICAL REPORT NO. 12.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    BROWN, O. ROBERT, JR.

    THE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN IN THIS STUDY OF THE USE OF PROGRAMED MATERIALS TO TEACH HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS DESIGNATED FOUR GROUPS--A CONTROL GROUP TAUGHT CONVENTIONALLY BY TEACHERS TRAINED TO USE PROGRAMED MATERIALS, A "PURE" GROUP USING PROGRAMED MATERIALS ONLY, AND "ANTICIPATING" AND "FOLLOWING" GROUPS THAT USED…

  8. Teachers' Cooperative Design of Instruction with Media for Social and Environmental Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saga, Hiroo

    This study examines how a group of Japanese teachers cooperatively designed lessons using a television program and other materials for social and environmental studies. Teachers started the design by identifying their aims of instruction through examining the contents of an educational television program. This program described how a group of…

  9. Simple and Beautiful Experiments III by LADY CATS and Science Teachers' group

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tanemura, M.; Okiharu, F.; Ishii, K.; Onishi, H.; Taniguchi, M.; Uchida, T.; Yasuda, J.; Hoshino, T.; Yoshimura, T.; Hashimoto, T.; Wada, S.; Kinoshita, K.; Ebata, T.; Kawakatsu, H.

    2010-07-01

    LADY CATS (LADY Creators of Activities for Teaching Science) is an organization of science teachers. Our group includes a lot of female teachers, which is rather unusual in the field of physics. We would like to propose and exhibit beautiful and simple science experiments that can demonstrate the principles of physics to fascinate students' interest. These experiments are easily made and low-cost. It is also aimed to catch female and humanities students' eyes on physics from the view point of female teachers. Furthermore, we believe that these ideas help resolve gender problems and support non-specialist teachers in primary school.

  10. The Interaction between Group Processes and Personal Professional Trajectories in a Professional Development Community for Teacher Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hadar, Linor L.; Brody, David L.

    2013-01-01

    This study explores the interaction between transformative processes in which a group of teacher educators became a professional development community (PDC) and the individual progress of these instructors through the professional development course on the topic of thinking education. Twelve teacher educators who participated in one of three…

  11. Challenges of Critical Colleagueship: Examining and Reflecting on Mathematics Teacher Study Group Interactions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Males, Lorraine M.; Otten, Samuel; Herbel-Eisenmann, Beth A.

    2010-01-01

    This article examines mathematics teacher collegiality by focusing on both the ways in which teachers interacted as critical colleagues in a long-term professional development project and the evolving role of the teacher-educator-researcher as the facilitator of this project. The professional development collaboration comprised two phases: one…

  12. Teacher Perception of Principals' Leadership Traits and Middle School Math and Science Teachers' Job Satisfaction: A Causal-Comparative and Correlational Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cousar, Theresa Ann

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine middle school teachers' job satisfaction (low vs. high) and how teachers perceive principals' leadership traits. The study used a causal-comparative and correlational design. The teachers were divided into two job satisfaction level groups. Teacher perception of principal leadership traits for…

  13. Group Incentives for Teachers and Their Effects on Student Learning: A Systematic Review of Theory and Evidence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tirivayi, Nyasha; Maasen van den Brink, Henriette; Groot, Wim

    2014-01-01

    The effects of teachers' group incentives on student achievement are examined by reviewing theoretical arguments and empirical studies published between 1990 and 2011. Studies from developing countries reported positive effects of group incentives on student test scores. However, experimental studies from developed countries reported insignificant…

  14. Teacher Scaffolding in Small-Group Work: An Intervention Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van de Pol, Janneke; Volman, Monique; Oort, Frans; Beishuizen, Jos

    2014-01-01

    Adapting support contingently to student needs by first diagnosing their current understanding, that is, scaffolding, is considered a key aspect of excellent teaching. The use of classroom scaffolding is rare, however. We therefore investigated the benefits to teachers of a professional development program that was based upon a model of contingent…

  15. Physical activity and beverage consumption in preschoolers: focus groups with parents and teachers.

    PubMed

    De Craemer, Marieke; De Decker, Ellen; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Deforche, Benedicte; Vereecken, Carine; Duvinage, Kristin; Grammatikaki, Evangelia; Iotova, Violeta; Fernández-Alvira, Juan Miguel; Zych, Kamila; Manios, Yannis; Cardon, Greet

    2013-03-27

    Qualitative research is a method in which new ideas and strategies can be discovered. This qualitative study aimed to investigate parents' and teachers' opinions on physical activity and beverage consumption of preschool children. Through separate, independent focus groups, they expressed their perceptions on children's current physical activity and beverage consumption levels, factors that influence and enhance these behaviours, and anticipated barriers to making changes. Multi-cultural and multi-geographical focus groups were carried out in six European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain). In total, twenty-four focus groups with 122 parents and eighteen focus groups with 87 teachers were conducted between October 2010 and January 2011. Based on a semi-structured interview guide, questions on preschoolers' physical activity (opinions on preschoolers' physical activity, how to increase physical activity, facilitators and barriers of physical activity) and beverage consumption (rules and policies, factors influencing promotion of healthy drinking, recommendations for future intervention development) were asked. The information was analyzed using qualitative data analysis software (NVivo8). The focus group results indicated misperceptions of caregivers on preschoolers' physical activity and beverage consumption levels. Caregivers perceived preschoolers as sufficiently active; they argue that children need to learn to sit still in preparation for primary school. At most preschools, children can drink only water. In some preschools sugar-sweetened beverages like chocolate milk or fruit juices, are also allowed. It was mentioned that sugar-sweetened beverages can be healthy due to mineral and vitamin content, although according to parents their daily intake is limited. These opinions resulted in low perceived needs to change behaviours. Although previous research shows need of change in obesity-related behaviours, the participants in the

  16. Developing Singing Confidence in Early Childhood Teachers Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Group Singing: A Randomized Trial

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swain, Nicola; Bodkin-Allen, Sally

    2017-01-01

    Early childhood teachers are often required to sing, which requires confidence. The purpose of the present study was to treat early childhood teachers who self-identified as uncertain singers using either a group singing (GS) approach, or a talking approach, based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The aim of the study was to increase…

  17. Principal-Teacher Interactions and Teacher Leadership Development: Beginning Teachers' Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Szeto, Elson; Cheng, Annie Yan-Ni

    2018-01-01

    Teacher leadership lies at the heart of school improvement. Leadership development among beginning teachers, however, is often neglected. This paper examines the role of principal-teacher interactions in the leadership development of a group of beginning teachers. Using a case study design, interviews were conducted and documentary evidence was…

  18. Comparison of Elementary School Children's Interaction in Teacher-Led and Student-Led Small Groups. Abstract.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilcox, Mary Anastole

    This study examined interaction among members in small groups under different leadership conditions: leadership by teacher, by untrained student, and by trained student. Small groups of low-income fifth- and sixth-grade students were videotaped as they discussed solutions to problem-solving stories. Analysis of the tapes shows that trained…

  19. The Study of Relationship between Women Teachers' Career Barriers and Organizational Silence: Viewpoint of Women and Men Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Inandi, Yusuf; Gün, Meryem Evsen; Giliç, Fahrettin

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to reveal the relationship between women teachers' career barriers and their organizational silence, and also whether career barriers predict their silence.* Study group is comprised of 522 teachers working at elementary and high schools in central districts of Mersin. In this descriptive study, data were collected…

  20. Writing Groups in Teacher Education: A Method to Increase Scholarly Productivity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Page, C. Steven; Edwards, Susan; Wilson, Judi H.

    2012-01-01

    Writing groups have been used in a variety of academic disciplines to support and encourage faculty in their scholarly endeavors. This article gives an overview of the impact a writing group within a Teacher Education department at a teaching institution had on scholarly output over a two year period. The structure of the writing group is shared…

  1. Exploring the Effects of a Universal Classroom Management Training Programme on Teacher and Child Behaviour: A Group Randomised Controlled Trial and Cost Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hickey, Grainne; McGilloway, Sinead; Hyland, Lynda; Leckey, Yvonne; Kelly, Paul; Bywater, Tracey; Comiskey, Catherine; Lodge, Anne; Donnelly, Michael; O'Neill, Donal

    2017-01-01

    Teachers frequently struggle to cope with conduct problems in the classroom. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Training Programme for improving teacher competencies and child adjustment. The study involved a group randomised controlled trial which included 22 teachers and 217…

  2. Perceptions of Retirement Affect Career Commitment: The Mediating Role of Retirement System Satisfaction for Two Teacher Age Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Justin L.; Conley, Sharon; You, Sukkyung

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated a sample of California elementary, intermediate, and high school employed teachers (N = 247) to assess the effects of retirement perceptions on career commitment among teachers who are in different age groupings. Using path analysis, the influence of five retirement perceptions variables was examined: concerns about…

  3. Views on Values Education: From Teacher Candidates to Experienced Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iscan, Canay Demirhan

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to identify the views of experienced class teachers and class teacher candidates on values education. It conducted standard open-ended interviews with experienced class teachers and teacher candidates. The study group comprised 9 experienced class teachers from different socio-economic levels and 9 teacher candidates with…

  4. The Appropriateness of Teacher Self-Disclosure: A Comparative Study of China and the USA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Shaoan; Shi, Qingmin; Hao, Shiqi

    2009-01-01

    The present study was designed to examine pre-service teachers' attitudes towards teacher self-disclosure in Chinese and US classroom teaching. The participants of this study included 126 Chinese pre-service teachers and 180 US pre-service teachers. Results showed statistically significant differences between the two groups in their attitudes…

  5. The Quality of Teachers' Interactive Conversations with Preschool Children from Low-Income Families during Small-Group and Large-Group Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Jennifer J.; de Groot Kim, Sonja

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the quality of preschool teachers' interactive conversations with three- and four-year-olds in two Head Start classrooms serving children from low-income families in the United States. Over a period of 20?weeks, 10 bi-weekly observations of conversations (totaling 15?h per classroom) were conducted in one small-group (Play…

  6. [Study of the intervention measures for the occupational stress to the teachers in the primary and secondary schools].

    PubMed

    Wu, Si-ying; Wang, Mian-zhen; Li, Jian; Zhang, Xue-feng

    2006-03-01

    To study the status of the occupational stress and the work ability of the teachers in the primary and secondary schools, then take some integrated intervention measures to reduce the occupational stress and improve their work ability, and evaluate the intervening efficacy. The levels of stressor and strain was measured with the occupation stress inventory revised edition (OSI-R) and the work ability was measured with the work ability index (WAI) for the teachers in nine primary and secondary schools in Sichuan Province, then health educations about occupational stress were taken to the teachers in the study group, the same test was carried out after one year for the teachers in the nine schools to evaluate the effect of intervention measures. (1) After intervening, among the six items of occupational role questionnaire, the scores of role overload, role boundary, responsibility and physical environment of the teachers in the study group significantly decreased, compared with the teachers in the control group, the scores of the role overload, role boundary and physical environment were significantly lower (P < 0.05). (2) Among the four items of personal strain questionnaire, only the scores of interpersonal strain of the teachers in the study group significantly decreased (P < 0.05), compared with the teachers in the control group, the scores of the vocational strain and interpersonal strain were significantly lower (P < 0.05). (3) Among the four items of personal resources questionnaire, the scores of the recreation, self-care and rational cognitive coping of the teachers in the study group significantly raised and were significantly higher than those of the teachers in the control group (P < 0.05). (4) The score of WAI of the teachers in the study group significantly raised and was significantly higher than that of the teachers in the control group (P < 0.05). The intervention measures are efficient to reduce the occupational stress of teachers, strengthen their

  7. Enactment of Teacher Identity in Resolving Student Disagreements in Small Group Peer Interactions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sharma, Bal Krishna

    2013-01-01

    This study presents a sequential analysis of the enactment of teacher identity in closing disagreements among students in small group peer interactions in an advanced academic writing class. In doing so, it discusses: (a) the micro-details of how oppositional stances and opinions are constructed, challenged and/or defended; (b) the sequential…

  8. Voice Disorders in Teacher Students-A Prospective Study and a Randomized Controlled Trial.

    PubMed

    Ohlsson, Ann-Christine; Andersson, Eva M; Södersten, Maria; Simberg, Susanna; Claesson, Silwa; Barregård, Lars

    2016-11-01

    Teachers are at risk of developing voice disorders, but longitudinal studies on voice problems among teachers are lacking. The aim of this randomized trial was to investigate long-term effects of voice education for teacher students with mild voice problems. In addition, vocal health was examined prospectively in a group of students without voice problems. First-semester students answered three questionnaires: one about background factors, one about voice symptoms (Screen6), and the Voice Handicap Index. Students with voice problems according to the questionnaire results were randomized to a voice training group or a control group. At follow-up in the sixth semester, all students answered Screen6 again together with four questions about factors that could have affected vocal health during their teacher education. The training group and the control group also answered the Voice Handicap Index a second time. At follow-up, 400 students remained in the study: 27 in the training group, 54 in the control group, and 319 without voice problems at baseline. Voice problems had decreased somewhat more in the training group than in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.1). However, subgroup analyses showed significantly larger improvement among the students in the group with complete participation in the training program compared with the group with incomplete participation. Of the 319 students without voice problems at baseline, 14% had developed voice problems. Voice problems often develop in teacher students. Despite extensive dropout, our results support the hypothesis that voice education for teacher students has a preventive effect. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Students' and teachers' cognitions about good teachers.

    PubMed

    Beishuizen, J J; Hof, E; van Putten, C M; Bouwmeester, S; Asscher, J J

    2001-06-01

    Good teachers have been studied ever since Plato described how Socrates taught by asking questions of his audience. Recent findings shed light on two characteristics of good teachers: their personality and their ability. However, more attention has been paid to teachers' practices and opinions than to students' views. The study reported here attempted to deepen our understanding of what students think about good teachers. Students of four age groups (7, 10, 13, and 16 years of age) and teachers from primary and secondary schools were asked to write an essay on the good teacher. The correspondence between conceptual items in the essays was investigated by determining the extent to which they were used in the same essays to describe good teachers. Correspondence analysis revealed two dimensions. The first dimension reflected the preference of students and teachers for describing the good teacher in terms of either personality or ability characteristics. The second dimension was interpreted as an orientation in the essays towards either attachment to, detachment from or commitment to school and teachers. Students and teachers were compared to establish the amount of (dis)agreement about what makes a good teacher. Primary school students described good teachers primarily as competent instructors, focusing on transfer of knowledge and skills, whereas secondary school students emphasised relational aspects of good teachers. Teachers, however, considered good teachers in the first place a matter of establishing personal relationships with their students. Consequently, primary school students and teachers disagreed about the characteristics of good teachers. In secondary education, disagreements between teachers and students were relatively small. The research method of collecting free essays and utilising correspondence analysis to represent conceptual items and groups of participants seems promising as long as a theoretical framework is available to interpret the

  10. Are Science Teachers Prepared to Promote Argumentation? A Case Study with Pre-Service Teachers in Bogotá City

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Archila, Pablo Antonio

    2014-01-01

    This paper addresses the importance of argumentation in science education. A research project was done in order to know how a group of pre-service chemistry teachers has been prepared to promote students' argumentation. A Chemistry degree studies plan from a Colombian university was surveyed, and 18 future teachers' representations about…

  11. Does clinical teacher training always improve teaching effectiveness as opposed to no teacher training? A randomized controlled study

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Teacher training may improve teaching effectiveness, but it might also have paradoxical effects. Research on expertise development suggests that the integration of new strategies may result in a temporary deterioration of performance until higher levels of competence are reached. In this study, the impact of a clinical teacher training on teaching effectiveness was assessed in an intensive course in emergency medicine. As primary study outcome students’ practical skills at the end of their course were chosen. Methods The authors matched 18 clinical teachers according to clinical experience and teaching experience and then randomly assigned them to a two-day-teacher training, or no training. After 14 days, both groups taught within a 12-hour intensive course in emergency medicine for undergraduate students. The course followed a clearly defined curriculum. After the course students were assessed by structured clinical examination (SCE) and MCQ. The teaching quality was rated by students using a questionnaire. Results Data for 96 students with trained teachers, and 97 students with untrained teachers were included. Students taught by untrained teachers performed better in the SCE domains ‘alarm call’ (p < 0.01) and ‘ventilation’ (p = 0.01), while the domains ‘chest compressions’ and ‘use of automated defibrillator’ did not differ. MCQ scores revealed no statistical difference. Overall, teaching quality was rated significantly better by students of untrained teachers (p = 0.05). Conclusions At the end of a structured intensive course in emergency medicine, students of trained clinical teachers performed worse in 2 of 4 practical SCE domains compared to students of untrained teachers. In addition, subjective evaluations of teaching quality were worse in the group of trained teachers. Difficulties in integrating new strategies in their teaching styles might be a possible explanation. PMID:24400838

  12. Pre-Service Teachers' Questions about the Profession during Mentoring Group Conversations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eriksson, Anita

    2017-01-01

    The use of mentoring group conversations as a tool to support pre-service teachers' professional development has become more common. However, there is still a lack of research that shows how conversations are used to develop knowledge. The present paper is based on ethnographical observations of mentoring group conversations, and describes how…

  13. Affording and Constraining Local Moral Orders in Teacher-Led Ability-Based Mathematics Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tait-McCutcheon, Sandi; Shuker, Mary Jane; Higgins, Joanna; Loveridge, Judith

    2015-01-01

    How teachers position themselves and their students can influence the development of afforded or constrained local moral orders in ability-based teacher-led mathematics lessons. Local moral orders are the negotiated discursive practices and interactions of participants in the group. In this article, the developing local moral orders of 12 teachers…

  14. Patterns of Early Childhood, Elementary, and Middle-Level Social Studies Teaching: An Interpretation of Illinois Social Studies Teachers' Practices and Beliefs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lucey, Thomas A.; Shifflet, Rena A.; Weilbacher, Gary A.

    2014-01-01

    Using data from a national social studies survey, the authors examined instructional trends among Illinois elementary and middle school social studies teachers. The authors found that teachers preferred whole-group and teacher-centered instructional strategies over more active, student-centered methods. While surveyed teachers predominately…

  15. Becoming Reflective Practitioners: A Case Study of Three Beginning Pre-Service Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tiainen, Outi; Korkeamäki, Riitta-Liisa; Dreher, Mariam Jean

    2018-01-01

    This case study examined three pre-service teachers' reflection processes during their first teaching practicum. During the six-week practicum, the pre-service teachers reflected on their own as well as their peers' teaching in group mentoring meetings several times a week. Unstructured stimulated recall facilitated pre-service teacher-initiated…

  16. Small-group, computer-mediated argumentation in middle-school classrooms: the effects of gender and different types of online teacher guidance.

    PubMed

    Asterhan, Christa S C; Schwarz, Baruch B; Gil, Julia

    2012-09-01

    Research has shown the importance of careful teacher support during collaborative group work to promote productive discourse between students (Webb, 2009). However, this research has traditionally focused on face-to-face communication. The role of online teacher guidance of small-group computer-mediated discussions has received little attention, especially in secondary school classroom settings. Researchers of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), on the other hand, have traditionally focused on software-embedded features, such as scripts, to support a-synchronous peer dialogue, and less so on human guidance of synchronous group discussions. The main aim of the present in vivo, experimental study is to examine whether online teacher guidance can improve the quality of small-group synchronous discussions, and whether different types of guidance (epistemic or interaction guidance) affect these discussions differently, when compared to an unguided condition. The second goal of this study is to explore potential differences between all-female and all-male discussion groups. Eighty-two 9th graders (three classrooms) and six teachers from a rural high school in Israel. Whereas epistemic guidance only improved aspects of the argumentative quality of the discussion, interaction guidance only improved aspects of collaboration. Discussions of all-girls groups scored higher on aspects of collaboration and argumentative quality, compared to all-boys groups. The findings show that teacher guidance of synchronous, online discussions in classrooms is realizable and reasonably reaches its intended goals. Training should be focused on acquiring various guidance strategies to augment their beneficial effects. Furthermore, future research should pay more attention to potential gender differences in peer-to-peer argumentation. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

  17. Teachers' experiences of adolescents' pain in everyday life: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Rohde, Gudrun; Westergren, Thomas; Haraldstad, Kristin; Johannessen, Berit; Høie, Magnhild; Helseth, Sølvi; Fegran, Liv; Slettebø, Åshild

    2015-09-03

    More adolescents report pain now than previously. In Norway, episodic pain problems have been reported by 60% of children and adolescents aged 8-18 years, with 21% reporting duration of pain of more than 3 months. Since adolescents spend much time at school, the attitude and behaviour of teachers play important roles regarding the experience of pain felt by adolescents in everyday life. Yet research on how teachers perceive the pain experienced by adolescents in a school setting is limited. We therefore seek to gain insight to teachers' classroom experiences with (1) adolescent's self-reported pain symptoms; (2) adolescents management of their pain and (3) how to help adolescents manage their pain. Teachers in 5 junior high schools in Norway representing municipalities in 3 rural areas and 2 cities. A qualitative study with an explorative design comprising 5 focus group interviews. Each group consisted of 3-8 junior high school teachers. A semistructured interview guide was used to cover the issues. The transcribed text was analysed with qualitative content analysis. 22 teachers participated (5 men, 17 women; age range 29-62 years) with teaching experience ranging from 3 to nearly 40 years. The main theme describing the experience of teachers with adolescents' pain in everyday life is that pain and management of pain is a social, physical and psychological interwoven phenomenon. Through empirical analyses, 3 subcategories emerged: (1) everyday pain--expressing strenuous life; (2) managing pain--escaping struggle and (3) strategies of teachers--support and normalisation. Teachers have a biopsychosocial understanding and approach to pain experienced by adolescents. This understanding influences the role of teachers as significant others in the lives of adolescents with regard to pain and management of their pain in a school setting. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to

  18. An experimental study of a museum-based, science PD programme's impact on teachers and their students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aaron Price, C.; Chiu, A.

    2018-06-01

    We present results of an experimental study of an urban, museum-based science teacher PD programme. A total of 125 teachers and 1676 of their students in grades 4-8 were tested at the beginning and end of the school year in which the PD programme took place. Teachers and students were assessed on subject content knowledge and attitudes towards science, along with teacher classroom behaviour. Subject content questions were mostly taken from standardised state tests and literature, with an 'Explain:' prompt added to some items. Teachers in the treatment group showed a 7% gain in subject content knowledge over the control group. Students of teachers in the treatment group showed a 4% gain in subject content knowledge over the control group on multiple-choice items and an 11% gain on the constructed response items. There was no overall change in science attitudes of teachers or students over the control groups but we did find differences in teachers' reported self-efficacy and teaching anxiety levels, plus PD teachers reported doing more student-centered science teaching activities than the control group. All teachers came into the PD with high initial excitement, perhaps reflecting its context within an informal learning environment.

  19. [Professional burnout among university and high school teachers--comparative study].

    PubMed

    Swietochowski, Waldemar

    2011-01-01

    Professional burnout is a set of negative emotional and behavioral symptoms, observed in workers of widely understood human service occupations, including teachers. In spite of the considerable number of studies of burnout in teachers, a few of them concern university teachers. The aim of the article was to estimate the degree of burning threat in this professional group and to analyze individual determinants and dynamics of burning out in academic teachers. Gender, age, personality traits and temperament traits were given the status of main factors in the study. The role of the perceived social support was also analyzed. 97 academic workers of three state universities (University, Medical University and Technical University) in Łódź took part in the study; 100 teachers of high schools formed a comparative group. MBI General Survey was applied to measure dependent variables (burnout and its three components: Emotional Exhaustion, Cinicism and Professional Efficacy). The level of factors was measured with standard psychological tests: NEO-FFI and FCZ-KT. The Scale of Perceived Social Support was also applied. The results show considerably lower threat of the burning out syndrome in university than in high school teachers. Among individual factors only two temperament traits (emotional reactivity and perseveration) and one personality trait (extroversion) seem to be important determinants of professional burnout. The perceived social support does not prevent the progress of burnout syndrome. Based on the obtained results several practical conclusions were formulated. They refer mainly to preventive training for beginners in teaching and changes in the organization of academic teachers' work.

  20. Internationally Educated Female Teachers' Transformative Lifelong Learning Experiences: Rethinking the Immigrant Experience through an Arts-Informed Group Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brigham, Susan

    2011-01-01

    This article is based on two phases of a five year arts-informed study that involved 24 women who immigrated to Maritime Canada as adults and who were all teachers in their countries of origin. In groups of approximately six, research participants gathered together in workshops held in two teacher training institutions in two Maritime Provinces…

  1. Teacher Autonomy in the United States: Establishing a Standard Definition, Validation of a Nationally Representative Construct and an Investigation of Policy Affected Teacher Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gwaltney, Kevin Dale

    2012-01-01

    This effort: 1) establishes an autonomy definition uniquely tailored for teaching, 2) validates a nationally generalizable teacher autonomy construct, 3) demonstrates that the model describes and explains the autonomy levels of particular teacher groups, and 4) verifies the construct can represent teacher autonomy in other empirical models. The…

  2. [A study on the resources coping with occupational stress in teachers].

    PubMed

    Wang, Z; Lan, Y; Wang, M

    2001-11-01

    To explore the status of the resources coping with occupational stress in teachers. Occupational stress inventory revised edition (OSI-R) was used to measure their occupational stress, strain and psychological coping resources for 1,460 teachers in primary and secondary schools and 319 non-teacher intellectuals. Analyses were focused on coping resources of teachers. The higher the level of coping resource of teachers, the lower the personal strain in them, with an inverse correlationship. Coping resource in the teacher group was significantly higher than that in the non-teacher group, with scores of (130.4 +/- 18.2) and (126.9 +/- 19.1), respectively. Coping resource in teachers decreased with the increase of age, with the scores from (134.1 +/- 18.1) in the group aged less than 30 to (128.5 +/- 17.5) in the group aged 50. Coping resource in the female teachers was significantly higher than that in the male teachers, with scores of (131.4 +/- 18.3) and (129.4 +/- 18.1), respectively. Coping resource in the primary school teachers was significantly higher than that in the secondary school teachers, with scores of (132.7 +/- 18.1) and (128.5 +/- 18.1), respectively. It is important to enhance teacher's coping resource, especially for the male teachers in the secondary schools, for improving their teaching efficiency.

  3. Peace Corps Stateside Teacher Training for Volunteers in Liberia. Volume IV: Training Program for Secondary School Teachers (Group C). Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    PSI Associates, Inc., Washington, DC.

    The Peace Corps stateside training program for secondary school teachers in Liberia trained 37 volunteers in several subject area groups--language arts, mathematics and science, and health. Because many of the teachers had never taught before, their 4-week training program concentrated on teaching and learning theories and specific teaching…

  4. Preservice and Inservice Teachers' Perceptions of Appropriateness of Teacher Self-Disclosure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Shaoan; Shi, Qingmin; Tonelson, Stephen; Robinson, Jack

    2009-01-01

    This study investigated preservice and inservice teachers' perceptions of appropriateness of teacher self-disclosure. A sample of 180 preservice teachers and 135 preK-12 teachers participated in the study. Results showed statistically significant differences between the groups of teachers in their perceptions of appropriateness of teacher…

  5. Teacher Questionnaire [ETS Head Start Longitudinal Study].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ.

    This 147-item questionnaire was used to collect data on those Head Start and other preschool teachers who were teaching Longitudinal Study target children. Areas of requested information included: demographic characteristics, education and experience, attitudes toward minority-groups and economically disadvanted children's motivation and learning…

  6. Job Burnout among Iranian Elementary School Teachers of Students with Autism: a Comparative Study

    PubMed Central

    Mohammadi, Mohammad Reza; Ahmadi, Fatemeh; Arsalani, Akram

    2013-01-01

    Objective Teachers often experience burnout and challenges during their active career. Different studies have shown that those directly involved with teaching children with special needs are more subject to burnout. Due to advance screening tools, more children with autism are now diagnosed and involved in special education. The aim of the present study was to investigate the professional burnout in teachers of children with autism compared to teachers of other children with special needs. Methods Casual Comparative study design was used for this research. Three self-reported measures (Maslach Burnout Inventory, Job Descriptive Index, and General Health Questionnaire) were distributed; clustered sampling selection was conducted to select participants. Ninety three female teachers (32 teachers of children with autism, 30 teachers in schools for deaf and 31 for teachers of children with mental retardation) from 12 schools located in 4 districts of Tehran were selected. Pearson's and Spearman's correlation statistical tests, analysis of variances and regression were used to analyze the results. Results Results of the current study revealed a significant difference in criterion validity between the three groups of teachers The three groups were different in terms of general health (p=0.010), emotional exhaustion (p=0.005) and depersonalization (p<0.001); however considering other variables no significant differences were observed. Comparison between groups showed that the average scores of teachers of children with autism were significantly higher than teachers of deaf and hard of hearing and mentally retarded children in general health, fatigue, and depersonalization variables. No significant differences were observed in average scores of teachers for mentally retarded and deaf children. Conclusions Female teachers’ of children with autism are experiencing significantly higher levels of burnout and general mental health problems compared to teachers of children with

  7. Challenges and Dilemmas Expressed by Teachers Working in Toddler Groups in the Nordic Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alvestad, Torgeir; Bergem, Helen; Eide, Brit; Johansson, Jan-Erik; Os, Ellen; Pálmadóttir, Hrönn; Samuelsson, Ingrid Pramling; Winger, Nina

    2014-01-01

    This article is based on a collaborative study in Iceland, Sweden and Norway of the youngest children in institutional settings, such as preschools. At the present time, preschool curricula and frameworks are changing to include increased learning. However, preschool teacher education lacks sufficient focus on this age group. New preschool…

  8. Beliefs and Issues in Social Studies Instructional Practices: A Case Study of Alternatively Certified Elementary Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bisland, Beverly Milner; O'Connor, Evelyn A.; Malow-Iroff, Micheline S.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the social studies teaching beliefs and the application of these beliefs into classroom practice of a group of elementary teachers who are part of a New York City alternative certification program. The teachers in this study are working in low performing New York City schools, are typically pursuing…

  9. Pre-Service Social Studies Teachers' Views about the Teaching Knowledge Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beldag, Adem

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study is to determine pre-service social studies teachers' views about the Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT). The study was conducted within the framework of case-study which is one of the qualitative research methods. The study-group consists of 13 pre-service teachers. Two semi-structured interview forms were used to collect data.…

  10. Beginning literacy: links among teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student learning.

    PubMed

    McCutchen, Deborah; Abbott, Robert D; Green, Laura B; Beretvas, S Natasha; Cox, Susanne; Potter, Nina S; Quiroga, Teresa; Gray, Audra L

    2002-01-01

    Although the importance of phonological awareness has been discussed widely in the research literature, the concept is not well understood by many classroom teachers. In the study described here, we worked with groups of kindergarten and first-grade teachers (the experimental group) during a 2-week summer institute and throughout the school year. We shared with them research about learning disabilities and effective instruction, stressing the importance of explicit instruction in phonological and orthographic awareness. We followed the experimental group and a control group into their classrooms for a year, assessing teachers' classroom practices and their students' (n = 779) learning. The study yielded three major findings: We can deepen teachers' own knowledge of the role of phonological and orthographic information in literacy instruction; teachers can use that knowledge to change classroom practice; and changes in teacher knowledge and classroom practice can improve student learning.

  11. Influencing factors of sedentary behavior in European preschool settings: an exploration through focus groups with teachers.

    PubMed

    De Decker, Ellen; De Craemer, Marieke; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Wijndaele, Katrien; Duvinage, Kristin; Androutsos, Odysseas; Iotova, Violeta; Lateva, Mina; Alvira, Juan Miguel Fernández; Zych, Kamila; Manios, Yannis; Cardon, Greet

    2013-09-01

    Sedentary behavior refers to activities involving sitting down and reclining (eg, watching TV, using the computer) and has been associated with different health outcomes. In preschool, children are sedentary for 50% to 80% of the time, in the classroom as well as during recess. Because of the absence of qualitative studies examining influencing factors of preschoolers' sedentary behavior in preschool settings, this study explored teachers' opinions on potentially influencing factors of this behavior. Eighty-seven teachers of 4- to 6-year-old preschoolers from 6 European countries participated in a total of 18 focus groups between October 2010 and January 2011. Key findings were reported separately by country, and were independently analyzed by 2 researchers using qualitative content analysis. Teachers perceive the lack of play space and small classroom size as being influential factors on preschoolers' sedentary behavior; increasing play equipment and using teachers' prompts are mentioned as ways to stimulate children to be less sedentary on the playground. Computer use is reported to be more common in preschool than watching TV. Interventions should focus on increasing teachers' awareness of how sedentary preschoolers are during the preschool day. Teachers also should be informed about strategies to decrease sedentariness in the classroom and on the playground. © 2013, American School Health Association.

  12. Teachers' Perceptions of Georgia's Early Reading Intervention Program: A Qualitative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hobby, Patti Tennant

    2012-01-01

    This qualitative study used an ethnographic method to investigate teachers' perceptions of reading interventions delivered in a state-funded early intervention program (EIP). Academically at-risk students struggle to meet grade-level standards year after year, even with interventions involving small group, targeted assistance. Teacher perceptions…

  13. Something for Everyone: Benefits of Mixed-Age Grouping for Children, Parents, and Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Theilheimer, Rachel

    1993-01-01

    Discusses the benefits of mixed-age grouping for children's social and cognitive development and reservations parents sometimes have about mixed-age groupings. Also discusses issues that teachers need to consider when implementing mixed-age groups: children's personal care routines; furnishings; children's language, motor, creative, and social…

  14. What Do We Want Small Group Activities For? Voices from EFL Teachers in Japan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kato, Yoshitaka

    2016-01-01

    This paper discusses the fundamental issue of why small group activities are utilized in the language learning classroom. Although these activities have gained popularity in the field of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), supported by a sound theoretical base, few studies have so far examined the reasons why language teachers are…

  15. Teachers' Promotion or Inhibition of Children's Aggression Depends on Peer-Group Characteristics.

    PubMed

    Peets, Kätlin; Kikas, Eve

    2017-01-01

    Researchers have increasingly started to pay attention to how contextual factors, such as the classroom peer context and the quality of student-teacher interactions, influence children's aggressive behavior. This longitudinal study was designed to examine the degree to which benefits and costs of different teaching practices (child-centered and child-dominated) would be dependent on the initial peer-group composition (aggregate levels of aggression and victimization at the beginning of first grade). Teachers provided ratings of aggression and victimization (N = 523 first-grade students; M age at the beginning of first grade = 7.49 years, SD = 0.52). Information about different teaching practices was obtained via observations. Our results show that whereas child-centered practices are beneficial in high-victimization classrooms, child-dominated practices inhibit the development of aggression in low-victimization classroom contexts. Our findings highlight the importance of moving beyond main-effect models to studying how different contextual influences interact to promote, or inhibit, the development of aggression.

  16. Exploring Group Life Design with Teachers in the Context of Poverty Related Psychosocial Challenges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Setlhare, Rubina; Wood, Lesley; Meyer, Lukas

    2017-01-01

    Working in challenging contexts can impact negatively on a teacher's sense of purpose and efficacy. This article explores the potential of group Life Design (LD), a narrative constructivist career counselling process, for supporting ten South African school teachers working at an under-resourced school with understanding their career aspirations…

  17. A Self-Study Investigation of Using Inquiry Groups in a Professional Development School Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garin, Eva; Harper, Mya

    2016-01-01

    Inquiry Group participation for PDS teachers and teacher candidates is one of the signature programs of the Bowie State University PDS Network and provides PDS teachers and teacher candidates the opportunity to collaborate on teaching strategies and methodologies to use in their classrooms. This article uses self-study methodology to explore the…

  18. Teacher Effectiveness and Causal Inference in Observational Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rose, Roderick A.

    2013-01-01

    An important target of education policy is to improve overall teacher effectiveness using evidence-based policies. Randomized control trials (RCTs), which randomly assign study participants or groups of participants to treatment and control conditions, are not always practical or possible and observational studies using rigorous quasi-experimental…

  19. From Teachers to Teacher-Leaders: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riveros, Augusto; Newton, Paul; da Costa, José

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports on a study of teacher leadership conducted in Alberta, Canada. Twenty-one school teachers and administrators were interviewed about their experiences with a provincial teacher-leader program in which they participated from 1997 to 2007. The participants were asked questions related to their experience in the program and how…

  20. Students and Teachers' Metaphors about Classroom Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yilmaz, Nihal Yildiz

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to identify the metaphors that primary, secondary and high school students and classroom teacher candidates and the classroom teachers have regarding their primary school classroom teachers. The phenomenology pattern as one of the qualitative research methods was used in the research. The study group was determined by…

  1. To Let Students Self-Select or Not: That Is the Question for Teachers of Culturally Diverse Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rienties, Bart; Alcott, Peter; Jindal-Snape, Divya

    2014-01-01

    When students can self-select their group members, a common assumption is that students prefer to select friends from similar cultural backgrounds. However, when teachers randomize students in groups from different cultural backgrounds, students are "forced" to work together. The prime goal of this study is to understand the impact of…

  2. Focus Groups Investigating Mental Health Attitudes and Beliefs of Parents and Teachers in South Lebanon: Are They Culturally Determined?

    PubMed

    Doumit, Myrna A A; Farhood, Laila F; Hamady, Carmen

    2018-05-01

    The wars that Lebanon had endured led to a devastating number of deaths, injuries, and displacements. Such tragedies have detrimentally affected its civilians psychologically. To identify knowledge, attitudes, and practices of teachers and parents concerning child/adolescent mental health. Using purposeful sampling, five focus groups were conducted with teachers and parents of students from elementary, middle, and secondary levels in two private hub schools in South Lebanon. A total of 27 teachers and 18 parents participated separately in focus groups. Three themes emerged: (a) Mental health care is a priority for overall health, (b) Mental illness is a cultural taboo, and (c) There is a need for better education and cultural understanding about mental health. This is the first study in Lebanon directly targeted at parents' and teachers' mental health concerns. Such findings will add to transcultural nursing knowledge about the importance of mental health care.

  3. A Multi-Year Study of the Impact of the Rice Model Teacher Professional Development on Elementary Science Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Viorica Diaconu, Dana; Radigan, Judy; Suskavcevic, Milijana; Nichol, Carolyn

    2012-04-01

    A teacher professional development program for in-service elementary school science teachers, the Rice Elementary Model Science Lab (REMSL), was developed for urban school districts serving predominately high-poverty, high-minority students. Teachers with diverse skills and science capacities came together in Professional Learning Communities, one full day each week throughout an academic year, to create a classroom culture for science instruction. Approximately 80 teachers each year received professional development in science content and pedagogy using the same inquiry-based constructivist methods that the teachers were expected to use in their classrooms. During this four-year study, scientists and educators worked with elementary teachers in a year-long model science lab environment to provide science content and science pedagogy. The effectiveness of the program was measured using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods that allowed the researchers to triangulate the findings from quantitative measures, such as content test and surveys, with the emerging themes from the qualitative instruments, such as class observations and participant interviews. Results showed that, in all four years, teachers from the REMSL Treatment group have significantly increased their science content knowledge (p < 0.05). During the last two years, their gains in science content knowledge, use of inquiry-based instruction and leadership skills were significantly higher than those of the Control group teachers' (p < 0.01, p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). Three themes resonated in the interviews with participants: science content knowledge growth, constructivist pedagogy and leadership skills.

  4. Group Coaching on Pre-School Teachers' Implementation of Pyramid Model Strategies: A Program Description

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fettig, Angel; Artman-Meeker, Kathleen

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this article was to describe a group coaching model and present preliminary evidence of its impact on teachers' implementation of Pyramid Model practices. In particular, we described coaching strategies used to support teachers in reflecting and problem solving on the implementation of the evidence-based strategies. Preliminary…

  5. Physical activity and beverage consumption in preschoolers: focus groups with parents and teachers

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Qualitative research is a method in which new ideas and strategies can be discovered. This qualitative study aimed to investigate parents’ and teachers’ opinions on physical activity and beverage consumption of preschool children. Through separate, independent focus groups, they expressed their perceptions on children’s current physical activity and beverage consumption levels, factors that influence and enhance these behaviours, and anticipated barriers to making changes. Methods Multi-cultural and multi-geographical focus groups were carried out in six European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain). In total, twenty-four focus groups with 122 parents and eighteen focus groups with 87 teachers were conducted between October 2010 and January 2011. Based on a semi-structured interview guide, questions on preschoolers’ physical activity (opinions on preschoolers’ physical activity, how to increase physical activity, facilitators and barriers of physical activity) and beverage consumption (rules and policies, factors influencing promotion of healthy drinking, recommendations for future intervention development) were asked. The information was analyzed using qualitative data analysis software (NVivo8). Results The focus group results indicated misperceptions of caregivers on preschoolers’ physical activity and beverage consumption levels. Caregivers perceived preschoolers as sufficiently active; they argue that children need to learn to sit still in preparation for primary school. At most preschools, children can drink only water. In some preschools sugar-sweetened beverages like chocolate milk or fruit juices, are also allowed. It was mentioned that sugar-sweetened beverages can be healthy due to mineral and vitamin content, although according to parents their daily intake is limited. These opinions resulted in low perceived needs to change behaviours. Conclusions Although previous research shows need of change in

  6. Walking the Talk in Initial Teacher Education: Making Teacher Educator Modeling Effective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hogg, Linda; Yates, Anne

    2013-01-01

    This self-study investigated student teachers' perceptions of teacher educators modeling practices within a large lecture class in an initial teacher education program. It also studied factors that affected student teachers' developing ideas and practice. Phase 1 collected data from student teachers through focus group interviews and…

  7. Extending Intergroup Theorizing to the Instructional Context: Testing a Model of Teacher Communication Behaviors, Credibility, Group-Based Categorization, and Instructional Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hosek, Angela M.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine how students' (N =348) perceptions of teachers' communication behaviors predicted the extent to which students believed they shared similar group-based categorizations with their teachers and how, if at all, these beliefs impacted instructional outcomes. This study was grounded in Social Identity Theory,…

  8. Student Teacher Thinking: A Comparative Study of Elementary and Secondary Student Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Galluzzo, Gary L.; Minix, Nancy A.

    1992-01-01

    Using videotaped simulated recall interviews, researchers assessed elementary and secondary student teachers' thoughts and concerns. Both groups considered pupil learning the greatest concern. There were consistent differences in how the groups perceived classroom interactions. Both groups addressed a narrower range of concerns regarding teaching…

  9. From Students' and Teachers' Perspectives: Metaphor Analysis of Beliefs about EFL Teachers' Roles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wan, Wan; Low, Graham David; Li, Miao

    2011-01-01

    The paper reports on a study about how a group of Chinese university teachers and two groups of their English major students used personal "teacher" metaphors via a metaphor prompt "An English teacher is...because..." to represent their beliefs relating to EFL teachers' roles. Data sources also included follow-up individual…

  10. Individual to collaborative: guided group work and the role of teachers in junior secondary science classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fung, Dennis; Lui, Wai-mei

    2016-05-01

    This paper, through discussion of a teaching intervention at two secondary schools in Hong Kong, demonstrates the learning advancement brought about by group work and dissects the facilitating role of teachers in collaborative discussions. One-hundred and fifty-two Secondary Two (Grade 8) students were divided into three pedagogical groups, namely 'whole-class teaching', 'self-directed group work' and 'teacher-supported group work' groups, and engaged in peer-review, team debate, group presentation and reflection tasks related to a junior secondary science topic (i.e. current electricity). Pre- and post-tests were performed to evaluate students' scientific conceptions, alongside collected written responses and audio-recorded discussions. The results indicate that students achieved greater cognitive growth when they engaged in cooperative learning activities, the interactive and multi-sided argumentative nature of which is considered to apply particularly well to science education and Vygotsky's zone of proximal development framework. Group work learning is also found to be most effective when teachers play a role in navigating students during the joint construction of conceptual knowledge.

  11. Symposium on teacher stress. Occupational stress among vocational teachers.

    PubMed

    Pithers, R T; Fogarty, G J

    1995-03-01

    There is a widespread belief that work related stress among teachers is serious, with implications for teachers' health status and performance. The difficulty with interpreting data on teacher stress is that the measuring instruments used are often neither standardised nor sometimes focused on stressors pertinent to the occupational roles of teachers. This study, therefore, uses a recently developed test instrument called the Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI) which concisely measures occupational stress, strain and coping resources. Data were obtained, using the OSI, from a group of vocational teachers and compared to a group of professional non-teachers. Overall the results showed a significantly higher level of teacher stress, although only one of 10 stress and strain measures contributed to this effect. The implications for teachers, in terms of occupational role, are discussed.

  12. Science teachers' beliefs about teaching and reform: Case studies from a restructured high school

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    King, Elizabeth A.

    A qualitative research study of the beliefs of three science teachers about teaching and educational reform was carried out at a restructured high school belonging to the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES), a nationally prominent restructuring movement. One problem of educational reform is to sustain change in the science classroom. A new wave of reform is shifting the focus away from curriculum changes and towards professionalism of teachers empowered to restructure schools. The beliefs of the teachers are key to decisions made in the classroom. The teachers and staff of Metro High School adopted the Ten Common Principles of CES as their guide to restructuring and sustaining change. Changes included increased authority for teachers in shared decision making, increased staff time for professional development, grouping students heterogeneously, grouping students and faculty in teams for extended time periods, and organizing instruction around small group and individual student study (student-centered). The theoretical framework centers on the constructivist theory of learning, particularly Vygotsky's socio-cultural model, and Bakhtin's dialogic function of language. Nespor's belief system model was used to describe the four characteristic features of beliefs: episodic memories, alternativity, existential presumption, and evaluative loading. My research questions were: What memories of teaching have influenced the teachers? What are the teachers' beliefs about the learning environment? What are the teachers' beliefs about their students? What are the teachers' beliefs about student activities? Interviews were the primary data source for the case studies of the three teachers, with additional data from lesson plans, photo-voice, and other artifacts. The teachers shared many common beliefs including that strong peer support is necessary for reform. The teachers' beliefs allied themselves to the majority of the common principles of CES, especially personalization and

  13. Collective pedagogical teacher culture, teacher-student ethno-racial mismatch, and teacher job satisfaction.

    PubMed

    Stearns, Elizabeth; Banerjee, Neena; Mickelson, Roslyn; Moller, Stephanie

    2014-05-01

    Teacher job satisfaction is critical to schools' successful functioning. Using a representative sample of kindergarten teachers from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, we investigate the association among professional learning community and teacher collaboration, teacher ethno-racial group, teacher-student ethno-racial mismatch, and teacher job satisfaction. We find that White teachers are significantly less satisfied than African-American and Latino teachers, especially when they teach in majority non-White classrooms. However, the existence of a professional community moderates the negative influence of teacher-student ethno-racial mismatch on White teachers' job satisfaction. In effect, strong professional communities serve as a cushion to bolster teacher job satisfaction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Teacher Efficacy of Secondary Special Education Science Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bonton, Celeste

    Students with disabilities are a specific group of the student population that are guaranteed rights that allow them to receive a free and unbiased education in an environment with their non-disabled peers. The importance of this study relates to providing students with disabilities with the opportunity to receive instruction from the most efficient and prepared educators. The purpose of this study is to determine how specific factors influence special education belief systems. In particular, educators who provide science instruction in whole group or small group classrooms in a large metropolitan area in Georgia possess specific beliefs about their ability to provide meaningful instruction. Data was collected through a correlational study completed by educators through an online survey website. The SEBEST quantitative survey instrument was used on a medium sample size (approximately 120 teachers) in a large metropolitan school district. The selected statistical analysis was the Shapiro-Wilk and Mann-Whitney in order to determine if any correlation exists among preservice training and perceived self-efficacy of secondary special education teachers in the content area of science. The results of this study showed that special education teachers in the content area of science have a higher perceived self-efficacy if they have completed an alternative certification program. Other variables tested did not show any statistical significance. Further research can be centered on the analysis of actual teacher efficacy, year end teacher efficacy measurements, teacher stipends, increased recruitment, and special education teachers of multiple content areas.

  15. Toward an Understanding of EFL Teacher Culture: An Ethnographic Study in China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Hong; Yuan, Rui; Wang, Qiang

    2018-01-01

    Informed by an ethnographic approach, this study aims to investigate the professional culture of a group of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in a high school in China. Relying on data gathered through extended field observation and in-depth interviews, this study seeks to uncover the distinctive characteristics of EFL teacher culture…

  16. "The Teacher Education Conversation": A Network of Cooperating Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nielsen, Wendy S.; Triggs, Valerie; Clarke, Anthony; Collins, John

    2010-01-01

    This study investigated a professional learning community of cooperating teachers and university-based teacher educators. To examine our roles and perspectives as colleagues in teacher education, we drew on frameworks in teacher learning and complexity science. Monthly group meetings of this inquiry community were held over two school years in a…

  17. Internationally Educated Teachers and Student Teachers in Iceland: Two Qualitative Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ragnarsdottir, Hanna

    2010-01-01

    This article draws upon two qualitative studies with internationally educated teachers and teacher assistants in preschools in Iceland as well as ethnic minority student teachers at the Iceland University of Education. The common research question in both studies is whether the experiences of these teachers reveal barriers to integration within…

  18. Teachers' Responses to Using a Small-Group Delivery Method during Reading Instruction: A Qualitative Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reynolds, Dorothy M. Valentine

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to examine teachers' perspectives on transitioning from a predominately whole to small-group delivery method during reading instruction. This study used a qualitative approach and nested itself in an epistemology of constructivism. The research operated under the umbrella of practice ethnography as it closely…

  19. Exploring Intercultural Competence in Teacher Education: A Comparative Study between Science and Foreign Language Teacher Trainers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akpinar, Kadriye Dilek; Ünaldi, Ihsan

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the intercultural outcomes of short-term study visit programs for Foreign Language and Science teacher trainers. A mixed method including quantitative and qualitative data was used to compare the differences between the two groups' intercultural development in terms of their study field. Fantini's questionnaire was used for…

  20. Opinions of Teachers and Preservice Teachers of Social Studies on Geo-Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Memisoglu, Hatice

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the opinions of teachers and preservice teachers of social studies on geo-literacy. The study used the qualitative research design of phenomenology to collect data. The study consisted of 20 teachers and 30 prospective teachers of social studies. The purposive sampling method of criterion sampling was…

  1. Physical education Teachers' and public health Nurses' perception of Norwegian high school Students' participation in physical education - a focus group study.

    PubMed

    Abildsnes, Eirik; Stea, Tonje H; Berntsen, Sveinung; Omfjord, Christina S; Rohde, Gudrun

    2015-12-24

    High quality physical education programs in high schools may facilitate adoption of sustainable healthy living among adolescents. Public health nurses often meet students who avoid taking part in physical education programs. We aimed to explore physical education teachers' and public health nurses' perceptions of high school students' attitudes towards physical education, and to explore physical education teachers' thoughts about how to facilitate and promote students' participation in class. Prior to an initiative from physical education teachers, introducing a new physical education model in two high schools in the South of Norway, we conducted focus groups with 6 physical education teachers and 8 public health nurses. After implementation of the new model, we conducted two additional focus group interviews with 10 physical education teachers. In analyses we used Systematic Text Condensation and an editing analysis style. In general, the students were experienced as engaged and appreciating physical education lessons. Those who seldom attended often strived with other subjects in school as well, had mental health problems, or were characterized as outsiders in several arenas. Some students were reported to be reluctant to expose their bodies in showers after class, and students who seldom attended physical education class frequently visited the school health services. Although the majority of students were engaged in class, several of the students lacked knowledge about physical fitness and motoric skills to be able to master daily activities. The participants related the students' competence and attitude towards participation in physical education class to previous experiences in junior high school, to the competence of physical education teachers, and to possibility for students to influence the content of physical education programs. The participants suggested that high school students' attitudes towards participation in physical education is heterogeneous

  2. Factors associated with voice disorders among teachers: a case-control study.

    PubMed

    Giannini, Susana Pimentel Pinto; Latorre, Maria do Rosário Dias de Oliveira; Ferreira, Léslie Piccolotto

    2013-01-01

    We aimed at verifying an association between voice disorders/stress and loss of work ability among female teachers who work in São Paulo's public school system. This is a paired case- control study. The case group was composed offiteachers with alterations in speech and larynges assessments, and the control group was formed by teachers without alterations in these evaluations who work in the same schools. Both groups answered the following questionnaires: Conditions of Vocal Production-Teachers, Job Stress Scale, and Work Ability Index. The analysis was performed using the chi-square association test and logistic regression models with the purpose of estimating the association between independent variables and voice disorders. We found differences between the groups in relation to stress in the workplace under high demand, a situation that poses greater risks of adverse reactions to the workers' physical and mental health. Regarding the ability to work, the categories poor and moderate ability for work are associated with voice disorders, regardless of job stress factors, age, and the unsatisfactory acoustic properties of the classrooms. This study confirmed the association between voice disorders and job stress, as well as between voice disorders and loss of work ability.

  3. The effects of teachers' homework follow-up practices on students' EFL performance: a randomized-group design

    PubMed Central

    Rosário, Pedro; Núñez, José C.; Vallejo, Guillermo; Cunha, Jennifer; Nunes, Tânia; Suárez, Natalia; Fuentes, Sonia; Moreira, Tânia

    2015-01-01

    This study analyzed the effects of five types of homework follow-up practices (i.e., checking homework completion; answering questions about homework; checking homework orally; checking homework on the board; and collecting and grading homework) used in class by 26 teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) using a randomized-group design. Once a week, for 6 weeks, the EFL teachers used a particular type of homework follow-up practice they had previously been assigned to. At the end of the 6 weeks students completed an EFL exam as an outcome measure. The results showed that three types of homework follow-up practices (i.e., checking homework orally; checking homework on the board; and collecting and grading homework) had a positive impact on students' performance, thus highlighting the role of EFL teachers in the homework process. The effect of EFL teachers' homework follow-up practices on students' performance was affected by students' prior knowledge, but not by the number of homework follow-up sessions. PMID:26528204

  4. The effects of teachers' homework follow-up practices on students' EFL performance: a randomized-group design.

    PubMed

    Rosário, Pedro; Núñez, José C; Vallejo, Guillermo; Cunha, Jennifer; Nunes, Tânia; Suárez, Natalia; Fuentes, Sonia; Moreira, Tânia

    2015-01-01

    This study analyzed the effects of five types of homework follow-up practices (i.e., checking homework completion; answering questions about homework; checking homework orally; checking homework on the board; and collecting and grading homework) used in class by 26 teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) using a randomized-group design. Once a week, for 6 weeks, the EFL teachers used a particular type of homework follow-up practice they had previously been assigned to. At the end of the 6 weeks students completed an EFL exam as an outcome measure. The results showed that three types of homework follow-up practices (i.e., checking homework orally; checking homework on the board; and collecting and grading homework) had a positive impact on students' performance, thus highlighting the role of EFL teachers in the homework process. The effect of EFL teachers' homework follow-up practices on students' performance was affected by students' prior knowledge, but not by the number of homework follow-up sessions.

  5. A Study on Contribution of the Basic Training Course to the Professional Development of Probationary Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yildirim, M. Cevat

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to make an evaluation on contribution of the basic training course to the professional development of probationary teachers. The study group consisted of 21 probationary teachers and 5 education supervisors in Sanliurfa province. The data were collected through semi-structured observation, focus group interview and…

  6. Finding Common Ground: Teacher Leaders and Principals Speak out about Teacher Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weiner, Jennie Miles

    2011-01-01

    This study investigates how a small group of teacher leaders and their principals, participating in a teacher leadership program called the teacher connector (TC), understand teacher leadership and its impact on their practice. TCs' responsibilities were typical of teacher leaders; thus, their experiences can provide insights into teacher leaders'…

  7. Teachers' Beliefs about the Development of Teacher-Adolescent Trust

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russell, Shannon L.; Wentzel, Kathryn R.; Donlan, Alice E.

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we examined teachers' beliefs concerning the meaning and nature of teacher--student trust in a diverse sample of secondary-school teachers (n = 34). Using a grounded-theory approach, a process model of teacher-adolescent trust emerged based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Antecedents of trust could be categorised as…

  8. Group Time in Early Childhood Centers: An Exploratory Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McAfee, Oralie

    To investigate the current status of group time in early childhood centers, a small-scale exploratory study was designed and executed. Results of interviews with 35 teachers and observations in five classrooms serving children ages 2 1/2 through kindergarten revealed that all classrooms had at least one group time or circle time, usually in the…

  9. Qualifications of an Ideal Teacher According to Social Studies Preservice Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gencturk, Ebru; Akbas, Yavuz; Kaymakci, Selahattin

    2012-01-01

    In this study, the question of what kind of qualifications an ideal social studies teacher has tried to be investigated. For this purpose, freshman social studies preservice teachers' perceptions about the concept of "ideal teacher" were explored. This study was designed with document analysis, one of the methods of qualitative approach.…

  10. How the Group Investigation Model and the Six-Mirror Model Changed Teachers' Roles and Teachers' and Students' Attitudes towards Diversity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Damini, Marialuisa

    2014-01-01

    This paper is based on research that demonstrates the positive effects of the cooperative learning model Group Investigation (GI) and the Six-Mirror model on teacher effectiveness in organizing and scaffolding CL activities, and changing students' and teachers' views of diversity. We explain how the connection between the two models…

  11. Challenges Confronting Career-Changing Beginning Teachers: A Qualitative Study of Professional Scientists Becoming Science Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watters, James J.; Diezmann, Carmel M.

    2015-03-01

    Recruitment of highly qualified science and mathematics graduates has become a widespread strategy to enhance the quality of education in the field of STEM. However, attrition rates are very high suggesting preservice education programs are not preparing them well for the career change. We analyse the experiences of professionals who are scientists and have decided to change careers to become teachers. The study followed a group of professionals who undertook a 1-year preservice teacher education course and were employed by secondary schools on graduation. We examined these teachers' experiences through the lens of self-determination theory, which posits autonomy, confidence and relatedness are important in achieving job satisfaction. The findings indicated that the successful teachers were able to achieve a sense of autonomy and confidence and, in particular, had established strong relationships with colleagues. However, the unique challenges facing career-change professionals were often overlooked by administrators and colleagues. Opportunities to build a sense of relatedness in their new profession were often absent. The failure to establish supportive relationships was decisive in some teachers leaving the profession. The findings have implications for both preservice and professional in-service programs and the role that administrators play in supporting career-change teachers.

  12. Beginning Teachers' Experiential Learning in the Era of Common Core: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dakwa, Loy

    2016-01-01

    This qualitative, single-case study described the professional learning experiences of a group of beginning teachers who participated in a California teacher induction program. The study contributes to an understanding of factors that form the foundation of professional learning as perceived by the participants. Furthermore, the study adds to…

  13. Indonesian EFL Teachers Professional Knowledge Development during Their Participation in TSG: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Munifatullah, Feni; Musthafa, Bachrudin; Sundayana, Wachyu

    2016-01-01

    The study examines three new EFL teachers professional knowledge development through discussion in a "Teacher Study Group" ("TSG") in Indonesian (Asian) context. These three participants have less than five year-teaching experience and teach junior high schools in Bandarlampung in the time of the study. The data were collected…

  14. Changing Teachers' Epistemological Perspectives: A Case Study of Teacher-Researcher Collaborative Lesson Studies in Japan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oshima, Jun; Horino, Ryosuke; Oshima, Ritsuko; Yamamoto, Tomokazu; Inagaki, Shigenori; Takenaka, Makiko; Yamaguchi, Etsuji; Murayama, Isao; Nakayama, Hayashi

    2006-01-01

    Lesson study in Japan, the practice in which teachers work collaboratively and reflectively with colleagues on improving their classroom teaching, has recently attracted attention internationally as an effective means of teachers' professional development. Although lesson study is very useful for helping new teachers join the profession and for…

  15. Teachers' Roles in Infants' Play and Its Changing Nature in a Dynamic Group Care Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jung, Jeesun

    2013-01-01

    Using a qualitative research approach, this article explores teachers' roles in infants' play and its changing nature in an infant group care setting. Three infant teachers in a child care center were followed over three months. Observations, interviews, ongoing conversations, emails, and reflective notes were used as data sources. Findings…

  16. Elementary teachers' ideas about, planning for and implementation of learner-directed and teacher-directed inquiry: A mixed methods study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Biggers, Mandy Sue

    Using a framework for variations of classroom inquiry (National Research Council [NRC], 2000, p. 29), this study explored 40 inservice elementary teachers' planning, modification, and enactment of kit-based science curriculum materials. As part of the study, a new observation protocol was modified from an existing protocol (Practices of Science Observation Protocol [P-SOP]) to measure the amount of teacher direction in science inquiry lessons (Practices of Science Observation Protocol + Directedness [P-SOPd]). An embedded mixed methods design was employed to investigate four questions: 1. How valid and reliable is the P-SOPd? 2. In what ways do inservice elementary teachers adapt existing elementary science curriculum materials across the inquiry continuum? 3. What is the relationship between the overall quality of inquiry and variations of inquiry in elementary teachers' enacted science instruction? 4. How do inservice elementary teachers' ideas about the inquiry continuum influence their adaptation of elementary science curriculum materials? Each teacher chose three lessons from a science unit for video-recorded observation, and submitted lesson plans for the three lessons. Lesson plans and videos were scored using the P-SOPd. The scores were also compared between the two protocols to determine if a correlation existed between the level of inquiry (measured on the P-SOP) and the amount of teacher direction (measured on the P-SOPd). Findings indicated no significant differences between planned and enacted lessons for the amount of teacher direction, but a correlation existed between the level of inquiry and the amount of teacher direction. In effect, the elementary teachers taught their science curriculum materials with a high level of fidelity for both the features of inquiry and the amount of teacher direction. A smaller group of three case study teachers were followed for the school year to give a more in-depth explanation of the quantitative findings. Case

  17. What's in a Name: Dimensions of Social Learning in Teacher Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vrieling, E.; van den Beemt, A.; de Laat, M.

    2016-01-01

    Induced by a literature review, this paper presents a framework of dimensions and indicators highlighting the underpinning aspects and values of social learning within teacher groups. Notions of social networks, communities of practice and learning teams were taken as the main perspectives to influence this social learning framework. The review…

  18. Communicating for Diversity: Using Teacher Discussion Groups to Transform Multicultural Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De La Mare, Danielle M.

    2014-01-01

    The author argues that in order to create space for authentic multicultural engagement in the face of Eurocentric norms, teachers should form discussion groups that follow five basic guidelines: engage, don't enrage; be comfortable with negative emotion; watch for and change unproductive language; talk about everything; and engage in classroom…

  19. Scientist-Teacher Partnerships as Professional Development: An Action Research Study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Willcuts, Meredith H.

    The overall purpose of this action research study was to explore the experiences of ten middle school science teachers involved in a three-year partnership program between scientists and teachers at a Department of Energy national laboratory, including the impact of the program on their professional development, and to improve the partnership program by developing a set of recommendations based on the study’s findings. This action research study relied on qualitative data including field notes recorded at the summer academies and data from two focus groups with teachers and scientists. Additionally, the participating teachers submitted written reflections in science notebooks, participatedmore » in open-ended telephone interviews that were transcribed verbatim, and wrote journal summaries to the Department of Energy at the end of the summer academy. The analysis of the data, collaboratively examined by the teachers, the scientists, and the science education specialist acting as co-researchers on the project, revealed five elements critical to the success of the professional development of science teachers. First, scientist-teacher partnerships are a unique contribution to the professional development of teachers of science that is not replicated in other forms of teacher training. Second, the role of the science education specialist as a bridge between the scientists and teachers is a unique and vital one, impacting all aspects of the professional development. Third, there is a paradox for classroom teachers as they view the professional development experience from two different lenses – that of learner and that of teacher. Fourth, learning for science teachers must be designed to be constructivist in nature. Fifth, the principles of the nature of science must be explicitly showcased to be seen and understood by the classroom teacher.« less

  20. Exploring Reference Group Effects on Teachers' Nominations of Gifted Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rothenbusch, Sandra; Zettler, Ingo; Voss, Thamar; Lösch, Thomas; Trautwein, Ulrich

    2016-01-01

    Teachers are often asked to nominate students for enrichment programs for gifted children, and studies have repeatedly indicated that students' intelligence is related to their likelihood of being nominated as gifted. However, it is unknown whether class-average levels of intelligence influence teachers' nominations as suggested by theory--and…

  1. The Study of Foreign Language Teachers-- Teacher Efficacy and Native Speakership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liaw, En-Chong

    2009-01-01

    This study aims at examining the differences between native and nonnative foreign language teachers at a major northeast university. The primary areas of investigation are "teacher efficacy" and "teacher perceptions of language teaching." The results of this study suggested that both nativeness and wide repertoire of teaching…

  2. Collaborative Teacher-Driven Professional Development: The Documented Journey of a Practitioner Action Research Teacher Study Group

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bohny, Brenna D.

    2018-01-01

    Laws such as the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" (NCLB) and the "Every Student Succeeds Act" have shaped the landscape of education in many ways, including how professional development is structured. As a result, professional development has become increasingly limited to "training" teachers to carry out top-down…

  3. Enhancing mathematics teachers' quality through Lesson Study.

    PubMed

    Lomibao, Laila S

    2016-01-01

    The efficiency and effectivity of the learning experience is dependent on the teacher quality, thus, enhancing teacher's quality is vital in improving the students learning outcome. Since, the usual top-down one-shot cascading model practice for teachers' professional development in Philippines has been observed to have much information dilution, and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization demanded the need to develop mathematics teachers' quality standards through the Southeast Asia Regional Standards for Mathematics Teachers (SEARS-MT), thus, an intensive, ongoing professional development model should be provided to teachers. This study was undertaken to determine the impact of Lesson Study on Bulua National High School mathematics teachers' quality level in terms of SEARS-MT dimensions. A mixed method of quantitative-qualitative research design was employed. Results of the analysis revealed that Lesson Study effectively enhanced mathematics teachers' quality and promoted teachers professional development. Teachers positively perceived Lesson Study to be beneficial for them to become a better mathematics teacher.

  4. Examining the Relationship between Teacher Leadership Culture and Teacher Professionalism: Quantitative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parlar, Hanifi; Cansoy, Ramazan; Kilinç, Ali Çagatay

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between schools' levels of having teacher leadership culture and teachers' professional behaviors. A total of 254 teachers working in primary and secondary schools located in Üsküdar district of Istanbul province participated in the study. The "Teacher Leadership Culture Scale" and…

  5. A Comparative Study of Pre-Service Teachers' Understandings of the Equal Sign

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buddenhagen Hartzler, Julie Ellen

    2013-01-01

    This multipart study looked at pre-service teachers' (PSTs') understandings of the equal sign using an experimental measure, the EQ score. The data were analyzed for PSTs as a group and cross-sectionally at three key points during their elementary teacher education program. Relationships between equal sign understandings and other variables (e.g.,…

  6. The Efforts of Educational Interest Groups To Defeat Merit Pay for Teachers in Pennsylvania: 1983-1986.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fiore, Alice Marie

    Efforts of educational interest groups to defeat merit pay for Pennsylvania teachers during 1983-1986 are explored in this case study. Political systems theory and allocative theory provide the conceptual framework. Deutsch's (1973) outline of variables that affect the course of conflict was used to organize indepth personal interviews and a…

  7. Reciprocal Relations between Student-Teacher Relationship and Children's Behavioral Problems: Moderation by Child-Care Group Size

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Skalická, Vera; Belsky, Jay; Stenseng, Frode; Wichstrøm, Lars

    2015-01-01

    In this Norwegian study, bidirectional relations between children's behavior problems and child-teacher conflict and closeness were examined, and the possibility of moderation of these associations by child-care group size was tested. Eight hundred and nineteen 4-year-old children were followed up in first grade. Results revealed reciprocal…

  8. Proposed Principles for Promoting Pre-Service Teacher Transfer of Group-Based Learning to the Classroom: A Discussion Paper

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Jong, Terry; Cullity, Marguerite; Sharp, Sue; Spiers, Sue; Wren, Julia

    2010-01-01

    The effective "transfer" of knowledge and skills from university to the workplace is of global interest, yet this area of inquiry lacks research. Teacher educators, for example, require information on how to advance pre-service teachers' transfer of group-based learning to the primary school classroom (Scott & Baker, 2003). Group-based learning…

  9. Teachers Observe to Learn: Differences in Social Behavior of Toddlers and Preschoolers in Same-Age and Multiage Groupings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Logue, Mary Ellin

    2006-01-01

    This article presents an action research conducted by a group of teachers comparing multiage with same-age interactions of children, especially among toddlers. The research involving 31 children ranging in age from two through five-and-a-half was conducted under optimal conditions, with small groups, low teacher-child ratios, and highly trained…

  10. Israeli Teachers' Perceptions of Gifted Teachers' Desired Characteristics: A Case of Cultural Orientation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vidergor, Hava E.; Eilam, Billie

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess Israeli Jewish and Arab teachers' perceptions of the desired characteristics of teachers of the gifted. The research sample comprised 217 teachers (134 Jews and 83 Arabs) representing three groups: (a) teachers entering a professional development program for teachers of gifted students; (b) teachers of gifted…

  11. A Phenomenological Study: Teachers' Experiences of Using Digital Storytelling in Early Childhood Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yuksel-Arslan, Pelin; Yildirim, Soner; Robin, Bernard Ross

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates how early childhood education (ECE) teachers incorporated digital storytelling in their classrooms and the challenges and successes that they faced in the process. After the teachers attended a digital storytelling workshop, in-depth phenomenological interview, observation and focus group interviews were used to collect…

  12. Learning To Teach in Multicultural Contexts: Exploring Preservice Teachers' Knowledge Change. Part I: Group Patterns. Part II: Case Studies. Draft.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Artiles, Alfredo J.; And Others

    This study examined the impact of multicultural education courses on preservice teachers' pedagogical knowledge and beliefs about culturally diverse learners. Part 1 reports on a study of 20 preservice teachers pursuing a masters degree in elementary education enrolled in a required multicultural education course and were examined for their…

  13. Students and Teachers Benefit from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in a School-Embedded Pilot Study

    PubMed Central

    Gouda, Sarah; Luong, Minh T.; Schmidt, Stefan; Bauer, Joachim

    2016-01-01

    Objective: There is a research gap in studies that evaluate the effectiveness of a school-embedded mindfulness-based intervention for both students and teachers. To address this gap, the present pilot study reviews relevant literature and investigates whether students and teachers who participate in separate Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) courses show improvements across a variety of psychological variables including areas of mental health and creativity. Methods: The study applied a controlled waitlist design with three measurement points. A total of 29 students (n = 15 in the intervention and n = 14 in the waitlist group) and 29 teachers (n = 14 in the intervention and n = 15 in the waitlist group) completed questionnaires before and after the MBSR course. The intervention group was also assessed after a 4-month follow-up period. Results: Relative to the control group, significant improvements in self-reported stress, self-regulation, school-specific self-efficacy and interpersonal problems were found among the students who participated in the MBSR course (p < 0.05, Cohens' d ranges from 0.62 to 0.68). Medium effect sizes on mindfulness, anxiety and creativity indicate a realistic potential in those areas. By contrast, teachers in the intervention group showed significantly higher self-reported mindfulness levels and reduced interpersonal problems compared to the control group(p < 0.05, Cohens' d = 0.66 and 0.42, respectively), with medium effect sizes on anxiety and emotion regulation. Conclusion: The present findings contribute to a growing body of studies investigating mindfulness in schools by discussing the similarities and differences in the effects of MBSR on students and teachers as well as stressing the importance of investigating interpersonal effects. PMID:27199825

  14. Rights and Responsibilities of Teachers and Parents as School Citizens: A Qualitative Study Based on Organizational Citizenship

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yaylaci, Ali Faruk

    2016-01-01

    This study intends to explore the perspectives of school administrators, teachers, and parents on the rights and responsibilities of teachers and parents in terms of organizational citizenship. The study was designed as a qualitative research. The study group consisted of 95 participants in total (20 school administrators, 20 teachers, 15 parents,…

  15. Why Do They Want to Teach? The Multiple Reasons of Different Groups of Students for Undertaking Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Struyven, Katrien; Jacobs, Karen; Dochy, Filip

    2013-01-01

    In times of teacher shortage, well-considered, goal-oriented teacher recruitment is important. An understanding of the reasons why different groups of students undertake teacher training would be useful in developing targeted campaigns. Against this background, the research question is as follows: what are the motivations prompting students to…

  16. Teachers' Attitude towards ICT Use in Secondary Schools: A Scale Development Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aydin, Mehmet Kemal; Semerci, Ali; Gürol, Mehmet

    2016-01-01

    The current study aims to develop a valid and reliable instrument that measures secondary school teachers' attitudes towards ICT use in teaching and learning process. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with a group of 173 teachers. Based on the literature review, a pool of 21 items was proposed and reviewed by a board of experts. As to…

  17. Peer group reflection helps clinical teachers to critically reflect on their teaching.

    PubMed

    Boerboom, Tobias B B; Jaarsma, Debbie; Dolmans, Diana H J M; Scherpbier, Albert J J A; Mastenbroek, Nicole J J M; Van Beukelen, Peter

    2011-01-01

    Student evaluations can help clinical teachers to reflect on their teaching skills and find ways to improve their teaching. Studies have shown that the mere presentation of student evaluations is not a sufficient incentive for teachers to critically reflect on their teaching. We evaluated and compared the effectiveness of two feedback facilitation strategies that were identical except for a peer reflection meeting. In this study, 54 clinical teachers were randomly assigned to two feedback strategies. In one strategy, a peer reflection was added as an additional step. All teachers completed a questionnaire evaluating the strategy that they had experienced. We analysed the reflection reports and the evaluation questionnaire. Both strategies stimulated teachers to reflect on feedback and formulate alternative actions for their teaching practice. The teachers who had participated in the peer reflection meeting showed deeper critical reflection and more concrete plans to change their teaching. All feedback strategies were considered effective by the majority of the teachers. Strategies with student feedback and self-assessment stimulated reflection on teaching and helped clinical teachers to formulate plans for improvement. A peer reflection meeting seemed to enhance reflection quality. Further research should establish whether it can have lasting effects on teaching quality.

  18. Using Environmental Stimuli in Physical Activity Intervention for School Teachers: A Pilot Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cheung, Peggy PY.; Chow, Bik C.; Parfitt, Gaynor

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of a six-week intervention that aimed to promote teachers' physical activity level during working hours. Thirty-eight teachers from three intervention schools (schools randomly assigned as intervention group) received intervention prompts: SMS messages, leaflets and posters…

  19. A comparison of the relationships between psychosocial factors, occupational strain, and work ability among 4 ethnic teacher groups in China.

    PubMed

    Lian, Yulong; Xiao, Jing; Zhang, Chen; Guan, Suzhen; Li, Fuye; Ge, Hua; Liu, Jiwen

    2016-01-01

    The present study compared the level of occupational strain and work ability among Han, Hui, Uygur, Hui, and Kazakh teachers, and explored ethnic differences based on the associations of psychosocial factors at work, occupational strain, and work ability. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,941 teachers in primary and secondary schools in Xinjiang Province, China. Psychosocial factors, occupational strain, and work ability were measured using the Occupation Stress Inventory-Revised Edition (OSI-R) and Work Ability Index. Han and Hui teachers experienced reduced work ability compared with Uygur and Kazakh teachers, and this finding was caused, in part, by exposure to psychosocial factors at work. The vocational and psychological strains caused by these factors play an important role in reduced work ability among all ethnic teacher groups. The findings indicate the importance of taking action to reduce occupational strain for promoting teachers' work ability in multiethnic workplaces.

  20. A Comparative Study of Iranian Female Primary School Teachers' Quality of Life With and Without Voice Complaints.

    PubMed

    Aghadoost, Ozra; Moradi, Negin; Aghadoost, Alireza; Montazeri, Ali; Soltani, Majid; Saffari, Ali

    2016-11-01

    As the largest group of professional voice users, teachers are more likely to face voice disorders because of their specific job conditions. This study aimed to compare the quality of life in female teachers with and without voice complaints. This is a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study. This was a cross-sectional study of samples of primary school female teachers with (n = 60) and without (n = 60) voice disorders. All teachers were serving in Tehran, Iran. Professional background information was obtained through interviews, and quality of life was measured using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire. A comparison was made between the study groups to analyze the data. The mean age of teachers was 44 (standard deviation = 3.95) years. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding their professional background. However, significant differences were observed between the two groups in all subscales of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, including physical and social functioning, role limitations because of either physical or emotional problems, bodily pain, general health, vitality, and mental health (P < 0.05). Findings of this study point to the effect of voice complaint on quality of life and showed that teachers with voice complaints suffer from poor health-related quality of life. Therefore, both voice-specific and unspecific assessment methods are required for clinical diagnostics. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  1. Preservice Teachers and Teacher Educators: Are They Sensitive about Cultural Diversity Issues.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Pamela A.

    This study assessed the beliefs about and sensitivity toward cultural diversity issues of teacher educators and preservice teachers. A group of 78 predominantly white preservice teachers and 45 predominantly white teacher educators completed the Beliefs About Diversity Scale, which assessed beliefs about race, gender, social class, ability,…

  2. Collaboration, Collegiality, and Collective Reflection: A Case Study of Professional Development for Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelly, Jennifer; Cherkowski, Sabre

    2015-01-01

    This case study documents and interprets teachers' experiences in a professional development initiative called Changing Results for Young Readers in British Columbia. The reflections and discussions of a group of teachers in a rural school district were examined in order to understand how the participants constructed their realities relative to…

  3. Teaching Self Awareness and Group Interaction: A Guide for Driver Education Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wisconsin State Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison.

    This teaching guide presents materials to help driver education teachers develop classroom discussions designed to raise students' consciousness of themselves, their interactions with others, and the resolution of traffic situations. Small group discussions in the recommended approach. To develop and maintain a conducive classroom atmosphere,…

  4. Mathematically Gifted in the Heterogeneously Grouped Mathematics Classroom: What Is a Teacher to Do?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reed, Catherine Finlayson

    2004-01-01

    Differentiation provides one method by which teachers can provide appropriate challenges at appropriate levels for all learners in a heterogeneously grouped mathematics classroom, where the range of abilities and interests can be wide. This article considers a heterogeneously grouped high school geometry class where differentiation is practiced.…

  5. The Full Circle: Building a Coherent Teacher Preparation System. The Report of the NASBE Study Group on Coordination and Accountability in Teacher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Association of State Boards of Education, Alexandria, VA.

    Research shows that teacher quality may be one of the most significant factors in student achievement. This report includes five chapters that focus on: (1) "Introduction and Executive Summary"; (2) "Coordinating K-12 and Higher Education to Support High-Quality Teacher Preparation" (e.g., coordinating teacher candidate experience in K-12 and…

  6. Elementary teachers' acquisition of science knowledge: Case-studies and implications for teaching preparation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stein, Morton

    interesting similarities and differences in how these successful elementary science teachers developed their science knowledge, and identified the following main sources of science learning opportunities: (a) science content courses; (b) methods courses; (c) student teaching; (d) in-service workshops; (e) opportunities to work with colleagues on the design and/or delivery of science units. Based on what was learned from these case studies, a preliminary set of recommendations to improve elementary teacher's science learning opportunities was identified. Two focus groups were held---one with elementary teachers and another with teacher educators---to share these preliminary recommendations and gather feedback and additional suggestions. Informed by the information gathered in these focus groups, a final set of recommendations to improve elementary teacher's preparation to teach science was articulated.

  7. A Descriptive Correlational Study of Teacher Participation in Professional Development and Teacher Efficacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tupou, Samuel F.

    2013-01-01

    This study examines teacher efficacy within the context of professional development to understand the relationship between teacher efficacy and teacher collaboration. Two theoretical frameworks framed this teacher efficacy study based on "locus of control" and "social cognitive theory." A 29-item questionnaire was e-mailed to…

  8. A Case Study Examining Change in Teacher Beliefs Through Collaborative Action Research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vaino, Katrin; Holbrook, Jack; Rannikmäe, Miia

    2013-01-01

    The main goal of this study was to explore the role of collaborative action research in eliciting change in teacher beliefs. The beliefs were those of five chemistry teachers in implementing a new teaching approach, geared to enhancing students' scientific and technological literacy (STL). The teacher beliefs were analysed based on Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour (2005) by looking at the teacher's (a) attitude towards implementing STL modules, (b) perceived subjective norms, and (c) behavioural control regarding the new teaching approach. After an introductory year, when teachers familiarised themselves with the new approach, a collaborative action research project was initiated in the second year of the study, helping teachers to minimise or overcome initially perceived constraints when implementing STL modules in their classroom. The processes of teacher change and the course of the project were investigated by teacher interviews, teacher informal commentaries, and meeting records. The formation of positive beliefs towards a STL approach increased continuously, although its extent and character varied depending on the teacher. The close cooperation, in the format of collaborative action research and especially through teacher group reflections and perceived collegial support, did support teacher professional development including change in their beliefs towards the new teaching approach. Additionally, positive feedback gained from other teachers through running a two-day in-service course in year three helped to strengthen all five teachers' existing beliefs towards the new approach. The current research demonstrated that perceived constraints, where identified, can be meaningfully addressed by teachers, through undertaking collaborative action research.

  9. The Impact of Literacy Coaches: What Teachers Value and How Teachers Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vanderburg, Michelle; Stephens, Diane

    2010-01-01

    In order to better understand literacy coaches' impact on teachers, the authors analyzed interviews with 35 teachers who participated in a statewide professional development effort, the South Carolina Reading Initiative. For 3 years, literacy coaches facilitated bimonthly study groups for teachers and spent 4 days a week in teachers' classrooms…

  10. The Role of Reflection and Collaboration in the Evolution of a Group of Novice Secondary Education Science Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cuesta, Josefa; Azcárate, Pilar; Cardeñoso, José Maria

    2016-01-01

    The present article analyses the changes in practices, ideas, and attitudes proposed by a group of novice science teachers during a further education teacher training program. The research on which it is based is focused on monitoring the training program and its impact on the participating teachers. The training program has as its starting point…

  11. What do mathematics teachers and teacher trainees know about the history of mathematics?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gazit, Avikam

    2013-06-01

    The aim of this study is to present the findings of a study that examined the knowledge of mathematics teachers and teacher trainees, in different tracks, about the concepts, topics and characters from the history of mathematics. The findings indicate a lack of knowledge concerning most of the topics examined. Only about 40% of the participants knew about the origin of our counting system and the only item that reached above 50% was the item relating to the man who edited the book which is the basis for the plane geometry - Euclid (about 83%). Another meaningful finding was that the group with the highest score was that of mathematics teacher trainees in the accelerated track - a unique training scheme for middle school teachers (65.7%). The group with the lowest score was that of the elementary school mathematics student teachers (19.3%). One obvious conclusion is that we need to strengthen the knowledge of the history of mathematics in teacher training and in-service teachers' advanced studies.

  12. Hitting the TARGET? A Case Study of the Experiences of Teachers in Steel Mill Learning Centers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rose, Amy D.; Jeris, Laurel; Smith, Robert

    Part of a larger study on the experience of teaching in the steel mill learning environment was an inquiry focused on professional development. Teachers and coordinators were all members of the Teachers Action Research Group for Educational Technology (TARGET), a group of adult educators interested in improving learning and teaching in career…

  13. Exposure to teacher bullying in schools: a study of patients with personality disorders.

    PubMed

    Monsvold, Toril; Bendixen, Mons; Hagen, Roger; Helvik, Anne-Sofie

    2011-10-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the level and affect of exposure to teacher bullying in primary and secondary schools on patients with personality disorders (PD). The study group contained 116 people (18-60 years old); 49 patients diagnosed with PD undergoing psychiatric treatment in 10 different psychiatric outpatient clinics in the Southern and Middle part of Norway, and a control group consisting of 67 people who worked in an institution for somatic/elderly people and an institution for people with drug/alcohol dependency in the Middle part of Norway. All study participants filled out a self-report questionnaire, which included demographic data, one item about whether they have been bullied by one or several teachers, and 28 items regarding subjection to negative acts from teachers based on the Negative Acts Questionnaire -Revised (NAQ-R). Patients diagnosed with PD reported significantly more bullying by teachers in both primary school (OR 7.3; 95% CI 1.9-27.7) and secondary school (OR 5.8; 95% CI 1.1-30.5) than healthy controls. Patients with PD also reported a higher prevalence of negative acts from teachers than healthy controls in both primary and secondary schools, such as differential treatment, ridicule, humiliation, and being ignored or neglected at least once weekly. Our findings indicate a correlation between bullying from teachers, as reported by PD patients, and the development of PD in adulthood. The problem of teacher bullying deserves more attention with regard to this possible correlation between student victimization and the development of PD.

  14. Work ability of aging teachers in Bulgaria.

    PubMed

    Vangelova, Katya; Dimitrova, Irina; Tzenova, Bistra

    2018-06-08

    The work ability of aging teachers is of special interest because of high risk of stress. The aim of the study was to follow the work ability of aging teachers and compare it with that of aging non-teacher professionals. The study included 424 teachers of age ≤ 44 years old (N = 140) and ≥ 45 years old (N = 284), with about 10% male teachers in both age groups, matched by sex and age with non-teacher professionals. Work ability was assessed by means of the Work Ability Index (WAI). Chi2 tests and regression analyses were used for studying WAI scales ratings, diagnosed by physician diseases and WAI ratings. Our data shows comparatively high work ability for both age groups of teachers but WAI of aging teachers was significantly lower in comparison to their younger colleagues as well as aging non-teacher professionals. About 80% of aging groups reported diseases diagnosed by physicians. Cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and respiratory diseases were the most frequently reported by aging teachers, while teachers ≤ 44 years old reported respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and sensory diseases. With aging significantly higher rates of arterial hypertension, diabetes, injury to hearing and mental disorders were reported by teachers as compared to aging non-teacher professionals. The rates of reported repeated infections of respiratory tracts were high in both age groups of teachers, especially in the group of aging teachers. The estimated work ability impairment due to the disease showed the significant effect of aging for teachers as well as the significant difference when comparing aging teachers and non-teacher professionals. Our data shows high work ability for both age groups of teachers but significantly lower for aging teachers accompanied with higher rates of psychosomatic diseases, including hearing impairment and respiratory diseases. Preservation of teacher health could contribute to maintenance of their work ability and retention in the labor market

  15. A case study of two exemplary biology teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Treagust, David F.

    Research has indicated that most science classrooms are not intellectually demanding and place little emphasis on small group discussions and laboratory activities. However, successful science programs and competent science teaching that can provide models for other science teachers do exist. This study sought to document the teaching practices of two exemplary biology teachers of grades 11 and 12 by means of an interpretive research methodology. Both teachers had a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the content they were to teach and had a range of teaching strategies that could be used without a great deal of thought. Their expectations for student performance were high, consistent, and firm. Students were expected to complete a high level of academic work in discussions, in problem work, and in laboratory activities, and were encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. A distinctive feature of these biology classes was the high level of managerial efficiency, where lessons were busy occasions for both teacher and students; students had little opportunity for off-task behavior. Both teachers actively monitored the behavior of both high- and low-ability students by moving around the room and speaking with individuals, while still maintaining control of the entire class. By manipulating questioning and the social environment, both teachers encouraged students to engage in work, gave effective praise to the whole class and to individuals, encouraged student input by referring to it, helped students to effectively use their time, and gave marks for completion of set work. Compared to research with less-successful teachers, these teaching behaviors contributed to exemplary practice.

  16. Enhancing Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Skills of Using the Geometer's Sketchpad through Lesson Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meng, Chew Cheng; Sam, Lim Chap

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to enhance pre-service secondary mathematics teachers' skills of using the Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP) through Lesson Study. Twenty-four Lesson Study groups each comprising four or five pre-service secondary mathematics teachers who attended a mathematics teaching methods course in a local public university were set up…

  17. An Evaluation of Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs Levels on Classroom Control in Terms of Teachers' Sense of Efficacy (The Sample of Biology Teachers in Turkey)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kurt, Hakan

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study is to evaluate biology teachers' attitudes and belief levels on classroom control in terms of teachers' sense of efficacy. The screening model was used in the study. The study group was comprised of 135 biology teachers. In this study, Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) and The Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control…

  18. Examining Social Studies Teachers' Views on Branch Teachers' Committee Meetings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kilcan, Bahadir; Çepni, Osman; Kilinç, Ali Çagatay

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine the views of social studies teachers on branch teachers' committee meetings (BTCM). This study utilized a qualitative method, phenomenological design. The sample of the research is composed of 16 teachers working in public secondary schools in the central district of Karabük province during the spring…

  19. Teachers' voice use in teaching environments: a field study using ambulatory phonation monitor.

    PubMed

    Lyberg Åhlander, Viveka; Pelegrín García, David; Whitling, Susanna; Rydell, Roland; Löfqvist, Anders

    2014-11-01

    This case-control designed field study examines the vocal behavior in teachers with self-estimated voice problems (VP) and their age- and school-matched voice healthy (VH) colleagues. It was hypothesized that teachers with and teachers without VP use their voices differently regarding fundamental frequency, sound pressure level (SPL), and in relation to the background noise. Teachers with self-estimated VP (n = 14; two males and 12 females) were age and gender matched to VH school colleagues (n = 14; two males and 12 females). The subjects, recruited from an earlier study, had been examined in laryngeal, vocal, hearing, and psychosocial aspects. The fundamental frequency, SPL, and phonation time were recorded with an Ambulatory Phonation Monitor during one representative workday. The teachers reported their activities in a structured diary. The SPL (including teachers' and students' activity and ambient noise) was recorded with a sound level meter; the room temperature and air quality were measured simultaneously. The acoustic properties of the empty classrooms were measured. Teachers with VP behaved vocally different from their VH peers, in particular during teaching sessions. The phonation time was significantly higher in the group with VP, and the number of vibratory cycles differed between the female teachers. The F0 pattern, related to the vocal SPL and room acoustics, differed between the groups. The results suggest a different vocal behavior in subjects with subjective VP and a higher vocal load with fewer possibilities for vocal recovery. Copyright © 2014 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Philippine Classroom Teachers as Researchers: Teachers' Perceptions, Motivations, and Challenges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ulla, Mark B.; Barrera, Kenneth Ian B.; Acompanado, Meller M.

    2017-01-01

    This study explores teachers' perceptions and motivations, challenges, and needs of 50 teachers in Agusan del Norte, Philippines with regards to doing research. Methodologies used were survey questionnaire, and group and individual interviews. Findings revealed that teacher-respondents had a positive perceptions towards doing research and its…

  1. Out of School Learning Environments in Social Studies Education: A Phenomenological Research with Teacher Candidates

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Topçu, Ersin

    2017-01-01

    In this study, it was aimed to determine the remarks of teacher candidates on the place and importance of out of school learning environments in Social Studies education. Phenomenological method, which is one of the qualitative research designs, was used in this study. The work group of the study consists of 73 teacher candidates who conduct out…

  2. Sustaining Lesson Study: Resources and Factors that Support and Constrain Mathematics Teachers' Ability to Continue After the Grant Ends

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Druken, Bridget Kinsella

    Lesson study, a teacher-led vehicle for inquiring into teacher practice through creating, enacting, and reflecting on collaboratively designed research lessons, has been shown to improve mathematics teacher practice in the United States, such as improving knowledge about mathematics, changing teacher practice, and developing communities of teachers. Though it has been described as a sustainable form of professional development, little research exists on what might support teachers in continuing to engage in lesson study after a grant ends. This qualitative and multi-case study investigates the sustainability of lesson study as mathematics teachers engage in a district scale-up lesson study professional experience after participating in a three-year California Mathematics Science Partnership (CaMSP) grant to improve algebraic instruction. To do so, I first provide a description of material (e.g. curricular materials and time), human (attending district trainings and interacting with mathematics coaches), and social (qualities like trust, shared values, common goals, and expectations developed through relationships with others) resources present in the context of two school districts as reported by participants. I then describe practices of lesson study reported to have continued. I also report on teachers' conceptions of what it means to engage in lesson study. I conclude by describing how these results suggest factors that supported and constrained teachers' in continuing lesson study. To accomplish this work, I used qualitative methods of grounded theory informed by a modified sustainability framework on interview, survey, and case study data about teachers, principals, and Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSAs). Four cases were selected to show the varying levels of lesson study practices that continued past the conclusion of the grant. Analyses reveal varying levels of integration, linkage, and synergy among both formally and informally arranged groups of

  3. A Longitudinal Study of Preservice Elementary Teachers' Personal and Science Teaching Efficacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ginns, Ian S.; Watters, James J.

    This paper reports the results of a longitudinal study into the personal and science teaching efficacy of a group of preservice elementary teachers. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed in the study. Using a pretest and a post-test one group research design, quantitative data were obtained from the administration of a…

  4. Barriers to access to education for young people with epilepsy in Northern Tanzania: A qualitative interview and focus group study involving teachers, parents and young people with epilepsy.

    PubMed

    Quereshi, Charlotte; Standing, Holly C; Swai, Amina; Hunter, Ewan; Walker, Richard; Owens, Stephen

    2017-07-01

    Educational outcomes for young people with epilepsy (YPE) in Hai District, Tanzania, are poor, as is commonly observed elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa. The reasons for this finding are not well understood, though stigma arising from supernatural concepts of epilepsy is frequently cited as a barrier to YPE accessing education. In this study, we aimed to explore the reasons why many YPE in Tanzania experience poor access to education, and elicit ways in which education could be improved for YPE according to teachers, parents and YPE. Ten focus group discussions with teachers were organized in Hai schools between March and May 2016. The themes arising from these discussions were identified, coded, analyzed and tested in semi-structured interviews with 19 YPE and 17 parents identified from a prevalent cohort of YPE identified in 2009. Behavioral problems and learning difficulties were cited as the main barriers to education for YPE. Other barriers included parental stigmatization, teachers' inadequate seizure management, and limited access to specialist schools. Teachers perceived that parents and YPE believe in spiritual etiology and traditional management for epilepsy. However, the majority of teachers, parents, and YPE cited biological etiology and management options, although understanding of epilepsy etiology and management could be improved amongst all groups. A multidimensional approach is needed to improve educational access, and hence outcomes, for YPE. Widespread community education is needed to improve knowledge of epilepsy etiology and management. Teachers require seizure management training, and parents need help to recognize YPE's right to education. Educational needs assessments would help to identify YPE requiring specialist schooling, and access to this could be improved. These interventions will likely reduce stigma, ensure appropriate academic and pastoral care at school, and thus enable YPE to attend, and succeed, in education. Copyright © 2017

  5. Using Computer Conferencing and Case Studies to Enable Collaboration Between Expert and Novice Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Winter, Eileen C.; McGhie-Richmond, Donna

    2005-01-01

    This paper reports on a teaching innovation where groups of experienced and novice teachers collaborated in analyzing case studies involving the education of students with special learning needs. The teachers collaborated in an asynchronous computer conferencing system (Web Knowledge Forum). All participants were enrolled in special education…

  6. Enhancing the Effects of Teacher Attunement to Student Peer Group Affiliations on the School Social-Affective Context: Promotive Effects of the SEALS Intervention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamm, Jill V.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' attunement to student peer group affiliations as a factor in students' experiences of the school social-affect context. First, the author and her colleagues hypothesize that teacher attunement will be greater in intervention versus control schools following initial SEALS training. Second, they…

  7. Reading Lives: Creating and Sustaining Learning about Culture and Literacy Education in Teacher Study Groups.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florio-Ruane, Susan; Raphael, Taffy E.

    Isolated from other professionals, teachers and their practice are embedded within a hierarchical system in which the day-to-day activities are governed by external forces: administrative mandates, parental request, and currently, legislative directives. One issue facing teachers today and about which their voices are infrequently heard is that of…

  8. A Study of Science Teachers' Homework Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tas, Yasemin; Sungur-Vural, Semra; Öztekin, Ceren

    2014-01-01

    This study investigates Turkish middle school science teachers' homework practices, the value teachers attach to homework and teachers' communication with parents about homework. One hundred and sixty-eight teachers completed surveys. Teachers reported to assign homework frequently: 93.4 per cent of the teachers reported that they assign homework…

  9. A mixed-methods study of mid-career science teachers: The growth of professional empowerment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moreland, Amy Laphelia

    The purpose of this concurrent, mixed-methods study was to examine the professional empowerment qualities of mid-career (years 4-8), science teachers. I used the construct of professional empowerment as the theoretical frame to explore K-12 mid-career science teachers' career trajectories and consider how they can be supported professionally and ideally retained over time. In investigating the qualities of these teachers, I also constructed a new teaching trajectory model and tested the differences between mid-career and veteran science teachers. I analyzed seventy-eight surveys of mid-career science teachers across Texas, including six in-depth, interview-based case studies. The qualitative piece used behavior-over-time graphing combined with the interviews and the quantitative component used survey data from the Teacher Empowerment Survey (TES). Results indicated that science content knowledge gain through professional development opportunities was an especially important factor in supporting mid-career teachers' sense of empowerment. This increased content knowledge connected positively with the dimensions of decision-making, status, and impact. In a between-group analysis using a larger subset of TES data, I analyzed 254 surveys by conducting a nonparametric statistical test. A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups, in that mid-career science teachers had a lower sense of "status" than their more experienced counterparts (p < .05). I could infer that, for this sample, as teaching experience increases, so does at least one dimension of empowerment. The study was situated within a broader scope of exploring how educational leaders and professional development providers can understand and support science teachers of varying experience levels. A well-designed and possibly differentiated professional development program could successfully connect with these kind of empowered and receptive mid-career science teachers, and thus increase

  10. Prospective Special Education Teachers' Metaphorical Perceptions on the Concept of Special Education Teacher

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deniz, Levent

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this research is to define the perceptions of prospective special education teachers regarding special education teacher through metaphors. Phenomenology design was used in this research. The study group comprised 116 third year prospective special education teachers studying at Marmara University, Ataturk Faculty of Education, Special…

  11. New Teachers for Change: Considering the Perspectives of Pre-Service Urban Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borrero, Noah

    2016-01-01

    This study presents the perspectives of a group of pre-service teacher candidates with a commitment to teach in urban public schools. Nineteen new teachers participated in this study and 14 of them identified as new teachers of Color. Their reflections on entering the teaching profession, teaching in urban schools, and qualities of good teaching…

  12. Motivational Factors for School-Based Teacher Learning: Turkish Pre-Service Teachers' Experiences and Expectations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eryilmaz, Ali; Aypay, Ahmet

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to describe the motivational factors of pre-service teachers' school-based learning. The study group comprised of 99 pre-service teachers in Eskisehir, Turkey. 53 of them (19 males and 34 females) were history teachers; and 46 of them (25 males and 22 females) were mathematics pre-service teachers. Data was collected…

  13. Study Abroad as Professional Development for FSL Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wernicke, Meike

    2010-01-01

    In July 2009, a group of over 80 FSL teachers from British Columbia (BC) participated in a two-week sojourn at the "Centre d'Approches vivantes des Langues et des Medias" (CAVILAM) in Vichy, France, as part of an initiative to address the critical shortage of qualified French language teachers in the province. After almost four decades…

  14. Elementary Preservice Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching: Using Situated Case Studies and Educative Experiences to Examine and Improve the Development of MKT in Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Tracy L.

    2011-01-01

    This study examined pre-service teachers' development of mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) over their final year in a university based teacher education program. This was done through analyzing written reflections, focus group interviews, individual interviews, teaching observations, and post-observation interviews as well as through the…

  15. Teacher Talk and Perceived Teacher Effectiveness: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nápoles, Jessica

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of teachers, ensemble members, and outside observers when evaluating the effectiveness of rehearsals conducted with reduced amounts of verbal instruction. Preservice teachers led choral rehearsals employing Archibeque's "rule of seven," wherein instructions were delivered in seven…

  16. Assessment of the Basic Law Lesson Consistent with the Opinions of Social Studies Pre-Service Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haçat, Sibel Oguz

    2018-01-01

    The aim of the present study is to identify the approach of social studies pre-service teachers to legal topics in the "Basic Law" lesson within the Social Studies Teaching Bachelor's Degree Program. A case study based on qualitative research methods was employed. The study group consisted of 57 social studies pre-service teachers. Data…

  17. Do Social Studies Teachers Use Simulations?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, Gail A; Schug, Mark C.

    1990-01-01

    Reports the results of a survey of Wisconsin secondary social studies teachers designed to answer the question: To what extent do teachers use simulations? Describes the study designed to replicate an earlier survey of Ohio teachers in 1979 by J.J. Blaga. Compares the results of the two surveys. Concludes simulation use has increased. (RW)

  18. The characteristics of a good clinical teacher as perceived by resident physicians in Japan: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Kikukawa, Makoto; Nabeta, Hiromi; Ono, Maiko; Emura, Sei; Oda, Yasutomo; Koizumi, Shunzo; Sakemi, Takanobu

    2013-07-25

    It is not known whether the characteristics of a good clinical teacher as perceived by resident physicians are the same in Western countries as in non-Western countries including Japan. The objective of this study was to identify the characteristics of a good clinical teacher as perceived by resident physicians in Japan, a non-Western country, and to compare the results with those obtained in Western countries. Data for this qualitative research were collected using semi-structured focus group interviews. Focus group transcripts were independently analyzed and coded by three authors. Residents were recruited by maximum variation sampling until thematic saturation was achieved. Twenty-three residents participated in five focus group interviews regarding the perceived characteristics of a good clinical teacher in Japan. The 197 descriptions of characteristics that were identified were grouped into 30 themes. The most commonly identified theme was "provided sufficient support", followed by "presented residents with chances to think", "provided feedback", and "provided specific indications of areas needing improvement". Using Sutkin's main categories (teacher, physician, and human characteristics), 24 of the 30 themes were categorized as teacher characteristics, 6 as physician characteristics, and none as human characteristics. "Medical knowledge" of teachers was not identified as a concern of residents, and "clinical competence of teachers" was not emphasized, whereas these were the two most commonly recorded themes in Sutkin's study. Our results suggest that Japanese and Western resident physicians place emphasis on different characteristics of their teachers. We speculate that such perceptions are influenced by educational systems, educational settings, and culture. Globalization of medical education is important, but it is also important to consider differences in educational systems, local settings, and culture when evaluating clinical teachers.

  19. Culturally Responsive Pedagogy for Teacher Candidates of Color in Teacher Education Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gist, Conra D.

    2011-01-01

    This dissertation study uses culturally responsive pedagogy as a conceptual framework for exploring how teacher educators structure content, pedagogy, and classroom communities for teacher candidates of color at two model teacher education programs. Using multiple data sources including interviews, focus groups, classroom observations, faculty and…

  20. A study of pre-service classroom teachers' beliefs about teachers' and students' roles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Köğce, Davut

    2017-08-01

    The aim of this study is to determine pre-service classroom teachers' beliefs and thoughts about the roles of teachers and students in the classroom before taking the Mathematics Teaching I course. With this purpose, the study employed the survey method, a descriptive research technique. The study sample included 75 pre-service teachers (55 females and 20 males) who studied in Omer Halisdemir University's education faculty's primary level teaching department classroom teaching programme in the 2013-2014 academic year, and took the Mathematics Teaching I course. The study data were collected using a survey form including three open-ended structured questions. The data were analysed using the qualitative data analysis method. The study results indicated that the pre-service teachers' beliefs, in terms of both teachers' and students' roles, were between the absolute and transitional levels based on Baxter Magolda's epistemological refection model. This reveals that pre-service teachers' beliefs are in line with conventional teaching and learning approaches.

  1. Gender-based education during clerkships: a focus group study

    PubMed Central

    van Leerdam, Lotte; Rietveld, Lianne; Teunissen, Doreth; Lagro-Janssen, Antoine

    2014-01-01

    Objectives One of the goals of the medical master’s degree is for a student to become a gender-sensitive doctor by applying knowledge of gender differences in practice. This study aims to investigate, from the students’ perspective, whether gender medicine has been taught in daily practice during clerkship. Methods A focus group study was conducted among 29 medical students from Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, who had just finished either their internal medicine or surgical clerkships. Data were analyzed in line with the principles of constant comparative analysis. Results Four focus groups were conducted with 29 participating students. Clinical teachers barely discuss gender differences during students’ clerkships. The students mentioned three main explanatory themes: insufficient knowledge; unawareness; and minor impact. As a result, students feel that they have insufficient competencies to become gender-sensitive doctors. Conclusion Medical students at our institution perceive that they have received limited exposure to gender-based education after completing two key clinical clerkships. All students feel that they have insufficient knowledge to become gender-sensitive doctors. They suppose that their clinical teachers have insufficient knowledge regarding gender sensitivity, are unaware of gender differences, and the students had the impression that gender is not regarded as an important issue. We suggest that the medical faculty should encourage clinical teachers to improve their knowledge and awareness of gender issues. PMID:24600301

  2. Teachers and Decision-Making Processes: An Italian Exploratory Study on Individual and Collaborative Decisions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parmigiani, Davide

    2012-01-01

    This research was aimed at highlighting the decision-making processes of Italian teachers; in particular, we have focused on individual and collaborative decisions developed both during meetings and in the classroom. The study has underlined the features of teachers' decisions when decisions are made in groups and individually. A questionnaire was…

  3. Small-Group, Computer-Mediated Argumentation in Middle-School Classrooms: The Effects of Gender and Different Types of Online Teacher Guidance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Asterhan, Christa S. C.; Schwarz, Baruch B.; Gil, Julia

    2012-01-01

    CoBackground: Research has shown the importance of careful teacher support during collaborative group work to promote productive discourse between students (Webb, 2009). However, this research has traditionally focused on face-to-face communication. The role of online teacher guidance of small-group computer-mediated discussions has received…

  4. Exploring the use of lesson study with six Canadian middle-school science teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bridges, Terry James

    This qualitative case study explores the use of lesson study over a ten-week period with six Ontario middle school science teachers. The research questions guiding this study were: (1) How does participation in science-based lesson study influence these teachers': (a) science subject matter knowledge (science SMK), (b) science pedagogical content knowledge (science PCK), and (c) confidence in teaching science?, and (2) What benefits and challenges do they associate with lesson study? Data sources for this study were: teacher questionnaires, surveys, reflections, pre- and post- interviews, and follow-up emails; researcher field notes and reflections; pre- and post- administration of the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument; and audio recordings of group meetings. The teachers demonstrated limited gains in science SMK. There was evidence for an overall improvement in teacher knowledge of forces and simple machines, and two teachers demonstrated improvement in over half of the five scenarios assessing teacher science SMK. Modest gains in teacher science PCK were found. One teacher expressed more accurate understanding of students' knowledge of forces and a better knowledge of effective science teaching strategies. The majority of teachers reported that they would be using three-part lessons and hands-on activities more in their science teaching. Gains in teacher pedagogical knowledge (PK) were found in four areas: greater emphasis on anticipation of student thinking and responses, recognition of the importance of observing students, more intentional teaching, and anticipated future use of student video data. Most teachers reported feeling more confident in teaching structures and mechanisms, and attributed this increase in confidence to collaboration and seeing evidence of student learning and engagement during the lesson teachings. Teacher benefits included: learning how to increase student engagement and collaboration, observing students, including video data

  5. Action Research Study. A Framework To Help Move Teachers toward an Inquiry-Based Science Teaching Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Staten, Mary E.

    This action research study developed a framework for moving teachers toward an inquiry-based approach to teaching science, emphasizing elements, strategies, and supports necessary to encourage and sustain teachers' use of inquiry-based science instruction. The study involved a literature review, participant observation, focus group discussions,…

  6. Influence of a Teacher's Scaffolding Moves during Child-Led Small-Group Discussions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jadallah, May; Anderson, Richard C.; Nguyen-Jahiel, Kim; Miller, Brian W.; Kim, Il-Hee; Kuo, Li-Jen; Dong, Ting; Wu, Xiaoying

    2011-01-01

    The influence of one teacher's scaffolding moves on children's performance in free-flowing child-led small-group discussions was investigated. Three moves were examined: prompting for and praising the use of evidence, asking for clarification, and challenging. Lag sequential analysis was applied to a corpus of over 5,300 speaking turns during 30…

  7. Meeting the Expectations of the Social Studies Teacher at a Teacher Center.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schober, Helen

    1984-01-01

    Teacher centers respond to a teacher's own defined needs by offering assistance, instruction, and materials to help enrich classroom learning experiences. Services provided social studies educators by the Teacher Center in Humboldt County, California, are described. (RM)

  8. What Do Teacher Candidates Think about the Teaching Education? The Example of Social Studies Teacher Candidates

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tonga, Deniz

    2016-01-01

    In this research, it is aimed to reveal the opinions and observations of social studies teacher candidate about the courses they have taken during their 4-year university education. The focus group interview was used as the data collecting tool, and the content analyses were performed on the data obtained. The criterion sampling approach was used…

  9. Comparison of Four Teacher Training Procedures in Achieving Teacher and Pupil "Translation" Behaviors in Secondary School Social Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Millett, Gregg B.

    A study was designed to determine whether different training procedures could change specific behaviors of 39 intern teachers and their pupils in secondary school social studies classes. Interns were randomly assigned to four training groups each of which received typescripts from the 1953 McCarthy investigations which were to be used the next day…

  10. Characteristics of effective classroom teachers as identified by students and professionals: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Jahangiri, Leila; Mucciolo, Thomas W

    2008-04-01

    This qualitative research study identified criteria for teacher quality preferences as perceived by current and past students. A two-question, open-ended survey asking what qualities learners liked most and least in a teacher/presenter was given to two groups: students (Group A) from medicine, dentistry, and related residency programs; and dentists and physicians (Group B) who had graduated at least three years previously and who attended a minimum of two days of continuing education courses in lecture format each year. A total of 300 subjects provided 2,295 written responses. Descriptive words within the responses were coded and grouped according to similar relationships, resulting in the emergence of twenty-one defined categories that were further refined into three core categories: personality, process, and performance. Results showed that the two groups appear to have different preferences in teacher/presenter characteristics. For Group A (students), the categories of content design, content organization, and content development were at the forefront of their preferences. Group B (professionals) overwhelmingly favored elements of speaker self-confidence and expertise. Both groups highly valued expertise and speaking style. These findings can be used to develop curriculum, enhance faculty members' teaching skills, and plan continuing education programs.

  11. Characteristics of Pre-Service Teachers' Online Discourse: The Study of Local Streams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Ling L.; Ebenezer, Jazlin; Yost, Deborah S.

    2010-02-01

    This study describes the characteristics of pre-service teachers' discourse on a WebCT Bulletin Board in their investigations of local streams in an integrated mathematics and science course. A qualitative analysis of data revealed that the pre-service teachers conducted collaborative discourse in framing their research questions, conducting research and writing reports. The science teacher educator provided feedback and carefully crafted prompts to help pre-service teachers develop and refine their work. Overall, the online discourse formats enhance out-of-class communication and support collaborative group work. But the discourse on the critical examination of one another's point of views rooted in scientific inquiry appeared to be missing. It is suggested that pre-service teachers should be given more guidance and opportunities in science courses in carrying out scientific discourse that reflects reform-based scientific inquiry.

  12. Teacher Attrition in the USA: The Relational Elements in a Utah Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newberry, Melissa; Allsop, Yvonne

    2017-01-01

    Previous work on teacher attrition in the US has indicated that those who stay in the profession and those who leave are not separate homogenous groups. In this study, the lived experience of former teachers is examined to determine the issues that distinguish leavers from stayers. The sample is from the state of Utah, a state with one of the…

  13. Parameters for the Design of Group Randomized Studies for Teacher Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelcey, Ben; Phelps, Geoffrey; Jones, Nathan

    2013-01-01

    Teacher professional development (PD) is seen as critical to improving the quality of US schools (National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, 1997). PD is increasingly viewed as one of the primary levers for improving teaching quality and ultimately student achievement (Correnti, 2007). One factor that is driving interest in PD is…

  14. Reliability of Scores Obtained from Self-, Peer-, and Teacher-Assessments on Teaching Materials Prepared by Teacher Candidates

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nalbantoglu Yilmaz, Funda

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to determine the reliability of scores obtained from self-, peer-, and teacher-assessments in terms of teaching materials prepared by teacher candidates. The study group of this research constitutes 56 teacher candidates. In the scope of research, teacher candidates were asked to develop teaching material related to their study.…

  15. A Study of Pre-Service Classroom Teachers' Beliefs about Teachers' and Students' Roles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kögce, Davut

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study is to determine pre-service classroom teachers' beliefs and thoughts about the roles of teachers and students in the classroom before taking the Mathematics Teaching I course. With this purpose, the study employed the survey method, a descriptive research technique. The study sample included 75 pre-service teachers (55…

  16. Counselor- and Teacher-Led Support Groups for Beginning Teachers: A Cognitive-Developmental Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reiman, Alan J.; And Others

    1995-01-01

    One of the continuing problems for public education has been the absence of effective programs to support teachers during their induction into the profession. Describes an intervention program coordinated by mentor counselors and mentor teachers along with preliminary qualitative and quantitative findings. (JBJ)

  17. A Study of Developing Multicultural Awareness in Teacher Education: Watch, Write and Talk a Movie

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karadeniz, Oguzhan; Incirci, Ayhan

    2016-01-01

    This study aimed to explore a valid and reliable way to raise the level of multiculturalism awareness of teachers. 61 (37 female, 24 male) trainee teachers from seven regions of Turkey attended the study. Mixed method (One­ group pretest-­posttest design and content analysis) was employed to have better results. The results are; (1) the…

  18. German Migrant Teachers in Australia: Insights into the Largest Cohort of Non-English Speaking Background Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bense, Katharina

    2015-01-01

    The research reported in this paper investigates the situation of German migrant teachers in Australia. Although German born teachers represent the largest group of non-English speaking background teachers in Australia, there is no study of the circumstances and experiences of these teachers in Australia. This study aims to fill this gap. It…

  19. Elementary Preservice Teachers' and Elementary Inservice Teachers' Knowledge of Mathematical Modeling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwerdtfeger, Sara

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the differences in knowledge of mathematical modeling between a group of elementary preservice teachers and a group of elementary inservice teachers. Mathematical modeling has recently come to the forefront of elementary mathematics classrooms because of the call to add mathematical modeling tasks in mathematics classes through…

  20. Avenues of access to future science teachers: An interview study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weiss, Richard

    2007-12-01

    This research study explored the experiences of individuals who chose careers in secondary science education by examining two cohorts of science education students in a teacher credential program and a group of current secondary science teachers in their first five years of teaching. Issues of how these individuals became interested in science education and the characteristics common among them were examined. This study explored the educational experiences that appeared to contribute to people becoming science teachers. This study also explored the participants' motivation and key turning point moments that appeared to contribute to their choice to pursue a career in science education. The research design used in this study was a two-year, semi-structured interview protocol. Research was conducted at one main university site and within one local unified school district. During the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 academic years, twenty-five secondary science pre-service teacher candidates at a University of California were interviewed, and during the 2005-2006 academic year, twenty-five current practicing science teachers within a Southern California unified school district were also interviewed. Data collection consisted of interviews with the fifty participants typically between 30-45 minutes in length. The EZ-Text software program was employed to aid in the analysis of the transcribed interview data. This study found that much of the previous research on the characteristics of entrants to teaching in general was supported, but that some specific differences exist among science teachers and the general population of teachers. The majority of the participants had exposure to internships or tutoring experiences and indicated that this made them more willing to pursue science teaching as a profession. This study found that high achieving female students constituted the entire female portion of the sample and cited teaching as a friendly avenue for females in science. Teacher

  1. Dilemmas in Facilitating a Teacher Inquiry Group Focused on English Language Learners: Is There a Place for an Authoritative Voice?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Capitelli, Sarah

    2015-01-01

    This article looks closely at a teacher inquiry group and the dilemmas that emerged during the first year of facilitating the group. The author encountered a number of unforeseen dilemmas that challenged previous understanding of teacher inquiry, its processes, and purposes. The author moved from viewing the process of facilitation of teacher…

  2. Teacher Working Conditions: Perceptions of Novice and Experienced K-12 Virtual School Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Francis, Tiffany

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine if there is a difference between novice and experienced teachers' perceptions of the working conditions at the K-12 virtual school. This study examined the teachers' total years employed at the school to determine if a difference exists in the groups' perceptions of the teacher working conditions. Teacher…

  3. Science teachers teaching socioscientific issues (SSI): Four case studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Hyunju

    Socioscientific issues (SSI) are a class of issues that represent the social, ethical, and moral aspects of science in society. The need for the inclusion of SSI into science curricula has been generally accepted, but relatively few science teachers have incorporated SSI into their courses. Most science teachers feel that their most important task by far is to teach the principles of science, and any substantive pedagogical changes represent a burden. However, there are some teachers who address SSI out of personal initiatives. This dissertation study investigates four high school science teachers who address SSI out of their own initiative and explores their deeper inspirations, values, philosophies, and personal ideals that lead them to teach SSI. The overall approach is based on essentialist methodology (Witz, Goodwin, Hart, & Thomas, 2001; Witz, 2006a) with its focus on "the participant as ally" and "essentialist portraiture." The primary data source is four to six in-depth interviews with individual teachers (about 40-90 minutes for each interview). The interviews are complemented by extensive classroom observations of individual teachers' teaching SSI and by document analysis (including teaching materials, rubrics, student group projects and journals, etc.). There are two major findings. First, the teachers' deeper values and ideals are a source of larger inspiration that plays a significant role in changing their teaching practice. This inspiration may involve higher aspects (e.g., deep concern for students' development, unselfishness, caring, etc.) and commitment. Their teaching represents an integration of their personal experiences, values, concerns, and worldviews, which forms a larger inspiration for teaching. Teaching SSI is a part of this larger process. Second, the current curriculum reforms (STS, SSI, and NOS) only suggest theoretical ideals and do not effectively touch teachers' deeper values and ideals. Basically, the teachers are doing what they

  4. Using Group Work as a Remedy for EFL Teacher Candidates' Listening Anxiety

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yayli, Demet

    2017-01-01

    Problem Statement: The ubiquity of anxious teacher candidates (TCs) for English as a foreign language (EFL) in listening classes and their needs for understanding aural input call for deep concern by foreign-language (FL) teacher educators. Purpose of Study: As a teacher educator, in my undergraduate-level listening classes, I have frequently…

  5. Cognitive Individualism: An Impediment to Teachers' Collaborative Intellectual Work.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torres, Myriam N.

    The study described here studied perspectives of mid-career teachers from minority and Anglo backgrounds on collaborative intellectual work and examined the ideologies underlying these perspectives. Analysis focused on the teachers' dialogical interaction in a small group (4 teachers) and a large group (28 teachers) in relation to immediate and…

  6. Teacher Leadership and Teacher Efficacy: A Correlational Study Comparing Teacher Perceptions of Leadership and Efficacy and Teacher Evaluation Scores from the North Carolina Educator Evaluation System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guenzler, April M.

    2016-01-01

    This study sought to identify correlations between constructs of teacher leadership, teacher efficacy, and teacher evaluation. Teacher perceptual data of support of teacher leadership, perceptual data on personal teacher efficacy, and teacher self-reported scores from the North Carolina Educator Evaluation System were gathered. The relationships…

  7. Using Literature Study Groups to Construct Meaning in an Undergraduate Reading Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth

    1998-01-01

    Examines the effectiveness of adding a literature-study-group component to an undergraduate reading diagnosis and remediation course for preservice teachers. Group members read nonfiction works related to literacy, periodically meet to discuss the book and their responses, and share with their classmates. The paper explains how to conduct such…

  8. Making Their Own Path: Preservice Teachers' Development of Purpose in Social Studies Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawley, Todd S.; Crowe, Alicia R.

    2016-01-01

    Despite a solid body of research on rationale development in social studies teacher education, little research exists exploring how social studies preservice teachers' purposes develop over time. This article presents four examples of social studies preservice teachers as they grappled with developing a purpose for teaching social studies.…

  9. The Mistreated Teacher: A National Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blase, Joseph; Blase, Jo; Du, Fengning

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: This study seeks to identify 172 American elementary, middle, and high school teachers' perceptions of the major sources and intensity of the experience of mistreatment by a principal, the effects of such mistreatment, how these perceptions varied by demographic variables, teachers' coping skills, and teachers' perceptions of contributing…

  10. A Study of Micro-Teaching in the Preservice Education of Science Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldwaite, Daniel Thaddeus

    The effectiveness of microteaching techniques for improving presentation of science demonstrations by perspective science teachers was investigated. Three groups of students of ten members each were randomly selected from professional education courses for science teachers. Group A students presented two trials of two different demonstrations.…

  11. Teacher quality: a comparison of National Board-certified and non-Board-certified teachers of deaf students.

    PubMed

    Scheetz, Nanci A; Martin, David S

    2006-01-01

    THE STUDY was designed to identify specific components of teacher excellence, focusing initially on the characteristics of the small number of teachers of the deaf who are certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), then comparing those with the characteristics of other teachers identified as master teachers by university faculty in teacher preparation in deafness. Classroom observation, written lesson plans, teacher questionnaires on beliefs, and content analysis of interactive electronic focus groups were used to compare the two groups of teachers. Results indicated similarities between Board-certified and non-Board-certified master teachers in regard to teacher behaviors and commitment to well-founded pedagogical principles. Differences were found in classroom priorities and in the greater level of interconnectivity expressed by Board-certified teachers as the result of becoming Board certified. Recommendations are made for preparing teachers of deaf students.

  12. Reduction in Force: An Exploratory Study of Suburban Teachers and Implications for Teacher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Darr, Alice Dozier; Bond, Cynthia

    A study of 80 teachers who were part of a reduction in force (RIF) effort in a large midwestern city was conducted. The study investigated: (1) characteristics of the RIF'd teachers; (2) reactions to RIF notice; (3) steps taken by teachers to prevent the RIF action; (4) resources used by RIF teachers to seek new positions; and (5) characteristics…

  13. How to Become a Broker: The Role of Teacher Educators in Developing Collaborative Teacher Research Teams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Willegems, Vicky; Consuegra, Els; Struyven, Katrien; Engels, Nadine

    2016-01-01

    This study explores how teacher educators involved in developing collaborative teacher research teams of pre-service and in-service teachers perceive their new role. Ten teacher educators in 9 teams were involved in a 1-year teacher research cycle. Thematic analysis was performed on the transcriptions of audio-taped group sessions, video diaries…

  14. Group Size and Organisational Conditions for Children's Learning in Preschool: A Teacher Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sheridan, Sonja; Williams, Pia; Pramling Samuelsson, Ingrid

    2014-01-01

    Background: There is a limited amount of research about group size in preschool, and how it impacts on teachers' working conditions and their ability to support children's learning and knowledge development in line with curriculum intentions. Purpose: From a perspective on quality, this article examines the organisational conditions for children's…

  15. Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Competencies in the Laboratory: A Cross-Grade Study in Solution Preparation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karatas, F. O.

    2016-01-01

    One of the prerequisites for chemistry teacher candidates is to demonstrate certain laboratory skills. This article aims to determine and discuss the competencies of pre-service chemistry teachers in a chemistry laboratory context working with solution chemistry content. The participants in this study consisted of a group of pre-service chemistry…

  16. A Case Study Investigating Secondary Science Teachers' Perceptions of Science Literacy Instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blackmon, Phyllis Ann

    This project study addressed the lack of inclusion of discipline literacy pedagogy in secondary classrooms in a rural school district in eastern North Carolina. Discipline literacy practices are recommended in the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. The district had implemented content area reading strategies across content areas, yet no significant progress in secondary students' reading abilities had been demonstrated in statewide or national assessments. The conceptual framework that drove this study was disciplinary literacy, founded by the literacy research of Shanahan, Shanahan, and Zygouris-Coe. Within a qualitative case study method, this investigation of 8 secondary science teachers' experiences teaching literacy during content instruction focused on practices of embedding science-specific reading strategies into lessons and factors that influence teachers' decisions to participate in professional development to advance their learning of discipline-specific literacy methods. Data were collected and triangulated using a focus group and 8 individual interviews. Data from both methods were analyzed into codes and categories that developed into emergent themes. Findings from the focus group and individual interviews revealed that the science teachers possessed limited knowledge of science-specific reading strategies; used random, general literacy practices; and had completed inadequate professional development on science-related topics. Positive change may occur if district leaders support teachers in expanding their knowledge and application of discipline literacy strategies through participation in discipline literacy-focused professional development. The study may provide educators and researchers a deeper understanding of disciplinary literacy and increase research on the topic.

  17. Teacher Stress and Self-Concept.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wallace, Gaylen R.; Kass, Sandra E.

    This study was designed to determine if: (1) the amount of stress differs between regular and special education elementary teachers, and (2) self-concept acts to moderate the stress scores between the two groups. Subjects included 75 teachers in regular classrooms and 62 teachers in special education classrooms. The teachers responded to personal…

  18. Teacher Certification and Student Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moss, Patricia Lewis

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this mixed-method study was to determine if there is a significant difference between the achievement of students who are taught by traditionally prepared teachers and that of students who are taught by alternatively prepared teachers. The study further addressed the perspectives of both groups of teachers regarding selected…

  19. A Study of Leadership Strategies and Their Impact on Teacher Working Conditions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosenbalm, Elizabeth M.

    2012-01-01

    Throughout this study, the researcher sought to find the key strategies needed to improve school culture and working conditions. These findings were measured by the 2010 and 2012 North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NC TWCS) data, as well as staff focus-group dialogue at three selected schools. The participant groups consisted of an…

  20. The efficacy of focus group discussion in teaching ESP speaking skill for prospective vocational school teacher

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nurmasitah, Sita; Faridi, Abdurrachman; Utomo, Aryo Baskoro; Astuti, Pudji

    2018-03-01

    The aims of the study were to implement the focus group discussion in teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) speaking skill for prospective Vocational School teacher and also to find out its effectiveness in improving their English speaking skill in ESP course. Quasi-experimental design was employed in this research. Thirty students of Family Welfare Vocational Education Study Program who were taking ESP course, were divided into two classes; experimental and control class. The research data were collected through interview, observation and the students' speaking assessment. The result showed that the implementation of focus group discussion method in the experimental class effectively increased the students' speaking skill compared to the control class.

  1. Improving Writing: Comparing the Responses of Eighth-Graders, Preservice Teachers and Experienced Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grisham, Dana L.; Wolsey, Thomas D.

    2005-01-01

    This study investigates how middle school students and teachers in preservice and master of arts classes analyze writing samples. Three sets of participants analyzed and scored a common set of writings. Findings indicate that several intact classroom groups of eighth-graders, preservice teachers, and veteran teachers in a graduate reading program…

  2. Interculturality and Teacher Education. A Study from Pre-Service Teachers' Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hinojosa Pareja, Eva F.; López López, M. Carmen

    2018-01-01

    Due to the multicultural nature of society and the failure of some of the educational models adopted to respond to cultural diversity, there is a need to pay greater attention to teachers' training. This study examines Teacher Education students' beliefs about cultural diversity and their relationship with pre-service teacher training as key…

  3. Can Parent-Teacher Groups Work for All Students?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woyshner, Christine; Cucchiara, Maia

    2017-01-01

    Who benefits from parent-teacher organizations in schools? Which parents are included, and which are excluded? How can school leaders work with them? In this article, an historian and a sociologist review the complex history of parent-teacher organizing and examine current issues in parental efforts to improve schools, including concerns about…

  4. Rural K-8 Special Education Teachers' Perceptions of Their Positional Status as Special Education Teachers Who Co-Teach with Regular Education Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    LaPorte, Kristy L.

    2010-01-01

    This exploratory qualitative case study investigated rural K-8 special education teacher perceptions of their positional status as special education teachers who co-teach with their regular education peers. Four special education teachers participated in journal prompts, one-on-one interviews, and a focus group interview. The conceptual lens for…

  5. Gaps or Bridges in Multicultural Teacher Education: A Q Study of Attitudes toward Student Diversity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yang, Yan; Montgomery, Diane

    2013-01-01

    This paper highlights Q methodology as an appropriate research technique for capturing attitudes and demonstrates the use of Q method to study the attitudes of preservice teachers and teacher educators toward student diversity. A total of 43 participants from a comprehensive American university sorted 47 Q-statements. Two array groups emerged that…

  6. Re-Envisioning Literacy in a Teacher Inquiry Group in a Native American Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vaughn, Margaret

    2016-01-01

    The present study describes a yearlong collaborative inquiry involving six teachers and their professional discussions about literacy instruction as they developed a curriculum to support the cultural and linguistic needs of their school's 88% Native American student population. Participants in this study were four Native American teachers and two…

  7. Attitudes of a group of primary school teachers towards the educational inclusion of hearing-impaired learners in regular classrooms.

    PubMed

    Keith, K; Ross, E

    1998-01-01

    Research has clearly demonstrated a link between the attitudes of regular education teachers and the success of inclusion of learners with special educational needs. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the attitudes of a group of junior primary school teachers from the Gauteng area towards the inclusion of hearing-impaired children into regular classes. A survey research design was employed which utilized a questionnaire as the research tool. Analysis of results indicated that the teachers surveyed were relatively positive in their attitudes towards inclusion. Greater exposure to disability in terms of training and experience was related to more positive attitudes. Similarly, more positive attitudes were related to greater perceived competence in teaching hearing-impaired pupils. All of the teachers surveyed felt that speech-language pathologists and audiologists (SLPs & As) should be involved in facilitating inclusion of hearing-impaired children. Many of the respondents expressed concern regarding their lack of training, knowledge and skills. The findings from the research project highlight the need for an adequate training and support system for teachers prior to the implementation of an inclusive educational policy, and the potential role of SLPs & As in this regard.

  8. EFL Student-Teachers' Identity Construction: A Case Study in Chile

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salinas, Dánisa; Ayala, Maximiliano

    2018-01-01

    The objective of this study is to explore the process of professional identity construction of two English as a foreign language student-teachers from a sociocultural theoretical lens. A qualitative case study was conducted through personal narratives, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. The data were analyzed using a grounded theory…

  9. Critical reflection and teacher capacity: The secondary science pre-service teacher population

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krim, Jessica Sarah

    This qualitative study seeks to understand the development of secondary science pre-service teachers. A case study is developed about each of the five participants, in effort to answer the research questions, which are: How did critical reflection inform teacher capacity within the secondary science pre-service teacher population? What knowledge, skills, and dispositions facilitated secondary science pre-service teachers in developing a critically reflective practice? It is the author's expectation that by teaching these pre-service educators to develop their skills of critical reflection by using external methods of assessment such as videotaping, peer feedback, and student work, the participants in this study will increase and expand their capacity as teachers, or their "innate potential for growth, development, and accomplishment" (McDiarmid & Clevenger-Bright, 2008), and be better prepared to accomplish the goals that are expected of a master teacher. Data is collected from interviews, participant work samples, and observations from the researcher and other key individuals who worked with each participant, such as: the methods instructor, university supervisors, and cooperating teachers. Over the course of two semesters, the researcher developed a detailed description of each of the participants through analyzing passages selected from interview transcripts and student work samples for reflection type, factor of teacher capacity, and commonplace interaction group. The first outcome of this study includes an understanding of the relationship between critical reflection and teacher capacity and the knowledge, skills and dispositions that facilitate the development of a critically reflective practice. The second outcome of this study was the development of a new adaptation of a teacher interaction model (commonplace interaction groups) based on Schwab's Commonplaces of Educating. Lastly, three conclusions were drawn about the five participants in this study: There

  10. Epidemiology of Voice Disorders in Latvian School Teachers.

    PubMed

    Trinite, Baiba

    2017-07-01

    The prevalence of voice disorders in the teacher population in Latvia has not been studied so far and this is the first epidemiological study whose goal is to investigate the prevalence of voice disorders and their risk factors in this professional group. A wide cross-sectional study using stratified sampling methodology was implemented in the general education schools of Latvia. The self-administered voice risk factor questionnaire and the Voice Handicap Index were completed by 522 teachers. Two teachers groups were formed: the voice disorders group which included 235 teachers with actual voice problems or problems during the last 9 months; and the control group which included 174 teachers without voice disorders. Sixty-six percent of teachers gave a positive answer to the following question: Have you ever had problems with your voice? Voice problems are more often found in female than male teachers (68.2% vs 48.8%). Music teachers suffer from voice disorders more often than teachers of other subjects. Eighty-two percent of teachers first faced voice problems in their professional carrier. The odds of voice disorders increase if the following risk factors exist: extra vocal load, shouting, throat clearing, neglecting of personal health, background noise, chronic illnesses of the upper respiratory tract, allergy, job dissatisfaction, and regular stress in the working place. The study findings indicated a high risk of voice disorders among Latvian teachers. The study confirmed data concerning the multifactorial etiology of voice disorders. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. A Study of Teacher Stereotypes: How Do Tuition-Free Teacher Candidates and General Undergraduates Think about Middle School and University Teachers in China?

    PubMed

    Zuo, Youxia; Zhao, Yufang; Peng, Chunhua; Chen, Youguo

    2017-01-01

    A tuition-free teacher candidate is an undergraduate who receives tuition-free teacher education and must work as a teacher in a middle school after their graduation. Tuition-free candidates are of the focus of many researchers; however, no study reports how tuition-free teacher candidates think about teachers. The present study explored stereotypes about middle school and university teachers held by teacher candidates. Specifically, we looked for the differences between the stereotypes held by the teacher candidates and general undergraduates. This study attempted to provide a potential tool to predict the actual willingness of teacher candidates to work as middle school teachers. University and middle school teachers were evaluated using descriptive phrases or words on a five-point Likert scale by 116 tuition-free teacher candidates and 155 general undergraduates. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a three-factor stereotype model including occupational cognition, occupational personality, and occupational emotion. Compared with general undergraduates, teacher candidates held more positive occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers; they held more negative occupational emotions toward university teachers. Further, the undergraduates' willingness to be middle school teachers positively correlated with positive occupational emotions and negatively correlated with negative occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers. This supported previous studies that individuals' professional willingness were influenced by their stereotypes about professions.

  12. A Study of Teacher Stereotypes: How Do Tuition-Free Teacher Candidates and General Undergraduates Think about Middle School and University Teachers in China?

    PubMed Central

    Zuo, Youxia; Zhao, Yufang; Peng, Chunhua; Chen, Youguo

    2017-01-01

    A tuition-free teacher candidate is an undergraduate who receives tuition-free teacher education and must work as a teacher in a middle school after their graduation. Tuition-free candidates are of the focus of many researchers; however, no study reports how tuition-free teacher candidates think about teachers. The present study explored stereotypes about middle school and university teachers held by teacher candidates. Specifically, we looked for the differences between the stereotypes held by the teacher candidates and general undergraduates. This study attempted to provide a potential tool to predict the actual willingness of teacher candidates to work as middle school teachers. University and middle school teachers were evaluated using descriptive phrases or words on a five-point Likert scale by 116 tuition-free teacher candidates and 155 general undergraduates. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a three-factor stereotype model including occupational cognition, occupational personality, and occupational emotion. Compared with general undergraduates, teacher candidates held more positive occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers; they held more negative occupational emotions toward university teachers. Further, the undergraduates' willingness to be middle school teachers positively correlated with positive occupational emotions and negatively correlated with negative occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers. This supported previous studies that individuals' professional willingness were influenced by their stereotypes about professions. PMID:28469587

  13. Studying Diversity in Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ball, Arnetha, Ed.; Tyson, Cynthia A., Ed.

    2011-01-01

    "Studying Diversity in Teacher Education" is a collaborative effort by experts seeking to elucidate one of the most important issues facing education today. First, the volume examines historically persistent, yet unresolved issues in teacher education and presents research that is currently being done to address these issues. Second, it…

  14. Leadership styles in secondary school science teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawson, Michael A.

    A comparison of United States secondary school science teachers who mentor high quality student research and teachers who do not mentor research was conducted using a demographic survey and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire-Form 5X. The major demographic difference between the two groups was a significantly greater number of years of teaching experience in the research group, a factor that correlated significantly with Extra Effort in students. Research group teachers self-reported higher mean scores than non-research group teachers on the five transformational leadership scales plus the transactional scale of Contingent Reward; however, a Multivariate Analysis of Variance found no significant difference between the groups. Independent t-tests found no significant difference between the groups based upon the remaining transactional scales. The research group was found to be significantly higher on the outcome variable of Extra Effort generated by students while the non-research group rated themselves significantly higher on Satisfaction of students. Transformational leadership in teachers should be addressed by future studies as a possible method of identifying motivational teachers.

  15. Correlational Study between Teacher Perceived High School Principal Leadership Style and Teacher Self-Efficacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riggs, Robert

    2017-01-01

    This quantitative correlational study addressed the concept that teacher-perceived high school principal leadership style correlated with teacher self-efficacy. A relationship existed between teacher self-efficacy and student outcomes and research indicated a relationship between leadership style and teacher self-efficacy. Also, the effect of…

  16. Views of parents, teachers and children on health promotion in kindergarten--first results from formative focus groups and observations.

    PubMed

    Sansolios, Sanne; Mikkelsen, Bent Egberg

    2011-10-01

    The aim of the study was to capture the views of children, parents and teachers on the topic of physical activity in kindergarten through observation and focus group interviews. The study was conducted in the kindergartens from the sampling group in the Danish part of PERISCOPE. 1(st) methodology: Children interviewed inside by the researcher on preferable movements and settings and then observed outside during their playtime. 2(nd) methodology: Children asked to draw themselves playing their most preferred physical activity. Parents and kindergarten teachers interviewed in two different groups, using an identical guide. Children are skilled in taking advantage of the space and facilities available for physical activity; girls need more support than boys to initiate physical activity; children are happy with the facilities and the toys available in the kindergarten. Teachers feel an increasing pressure to take more responsibility and initiatives for the children's health habits. Parents state that if more physical activity is initiated in the kindergarten, it could make children request domestic activity. Physical activity and movement concept are too abstract for children of this age to talk about: they quickly lose their focus and concentration. The new methodology of videotaping gives the researcher the chance to interpret facial expressions to capture movement, talk and actions, and to make a distinction among children, as they tend to interrupt each other. However, this method contains a weakness, if used alone, by the fact that the shooting is only a reflection of what the video camera has recorded.

  17. Effects of a tobacco control intervention for teachers in India: results of the Bihar school teachers study.

    PubMed

    Sorensen, Glorian; Pednekar, Mangesh S; Sinha, Dhirendra N; Stoddard, Anne M; Nagler, Eve; Aghi, Mira B; Lando, Harry A; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula; Pawar, Pratibha; Gupta, Prakash C

    2013-11-01

    We assessed a school-based intervention designed to promote tobacco control among teachers in the Indian state of Bihar. We used a cluster-randomized design to test the intervention, which comprised educational efforts, tobacco control policies, and cessation support and was tailored to the local social context. In 2009 to 2011, we randomly selected 72 schools from participating school districts and randomly assigned them in blocks (rural or urban) to intervention or delayed-intervention control conditions. Immediately after the intervention, the 30-day quit rate was 50% in the intervention and 15% in the control group (P = .001). At the 9-month postintervention survey, the adjusted 6-month quit rate was 19% in the intervention and 7% in the control group (P = .06). Among teachers employed for the entire academic year of the intervention, the adjusted 6-month abstinence rates were 20% and 5%, respectively, for the intervention and control groups (P = .04). These findings demonstrate the potent impact of an intervention that took advantage of social resources among teachers, who can serve as role models for tobacco control in their communities.

  18. Explicit Goals, Implicit Values, and the Unintentional Stifling of Pluralism: An Examination of a Social Studies Teacher Education Vision Statement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ritter, Jason K.; Lee, Kyunghwa

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to evaluate a social studies teacher education vision statement as it relates to Parker's (2003) "advanced" conception of citizenship education for democratic society. The vision statement, titled "Powerful Vision of Social Studies," was created by a group of practicing teachers and teacher educators as part of a…

  19. The association between organizational behavior factors and health-related quality of life among college teachers: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Liu, Chuan; Wang, Shu; Shen, Xue; Li, Mengyao; Wang, Lie

    2015-06-20

    College teachers in China are confronted with a lot of pressure from teaching, researching and living. They are suffering from impaired physical and mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between organizational behavior factors and college teachers' health related quality of life (HRQOL), and to confirm whether they are positive resources for improving teachers' HRQOL. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shenyang, China, from January to April 2014. Participants were composed of 965 teachers randomly selected from five representative colleges in Shenyang. Self-administrated questionnaires containing the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), the Chinese version Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ), and scales assessing group identification, POS, and psychological empowerment were used to measure HRQOL and organizational behavior variables of college teachers. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis (HMR) was performed to explore the effects of organizational behavior variables on college teachers' HRQOL. The mean (SD) scores of physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) among college teachers were 71.43 (14.70) and 65.46 (16.55) respectively in the study population. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that group identification (β = 0.121, P < 0.001) and PsyCap (β = 0.336, P < 0.001) were significant predictors of PCS, while group identification (β = 0.107, P < 0.001), POS (β = 0.124, P = 0.003), psychological empowerment (β = 0.093, P = 0.017) and PsyCap (β = 0.421, P < 0.001) were significant predictors of MCS. Chinese college teachers experienced relatively low level of HRQOL and their mental quality of life (QOL) were impaired more seriously than physical QOL. Organizational behavior factors (PsyCap, group identification, POS and psychological empowerment) were strong predictors of college teachers' HRQOL and are

  20. Mindfulness for teachers: A pilot study to assess effects on stress, burnout and teaching efficacy

    PubMed Central

    Flook, Lisa; Goldberg, Simon B.; Pinger, Laura; Bonus, Katherine; Davidson, Richard J.

    2013-01-01

    Despite the crucial role of teachers in fostering children's academic learning and social-emotional well-being, addressing teacher stress in the classroom remains a significant challenge in education. The present study reports results from a randomized controlled pilot trial of a modified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course (mMBSR) adapted specifically for teachers. Results suggest the course may be a promising intervention, with participants showing significant reductions in psychological symptoms and burnout, improvements in observer-rated classroom organization and performance on a computer task of affective attentional bias, and increases in self-compassion. In contrast, control group participants showed declines in cortisol functioning over time and marginally significant increases in burnout. Furthermore, changes in mindfulness were correlated in the expected direction with changes across several outcomes (psychological symptoms, burnout, sustained attention) in the intervention group. Implications of these findings for the training and support of teachers are discussed. PMID:24324528

  1. It Takes a Toll on Pre-Service Teachers and Programs: Case Studies of Teacher Candidates Who Withdrew from a Teacher Education Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Pei-Ying; Childs, Ruth A.; Zhang, Jingshun

    2016-01-01

    Previous studies have examined patterns of withdrawal from initial teacher education (ITE) programs and have found that pre-service teachers are more likely to withdraw if they are male or older than the typical pre-service teacher. This study presents case studies based on semi-structured interviews with older male pre-service teachers who…

  2. Teacher Education: The Application of Fisher's LSD Matrix in the Evaluation of Preservice Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stolworthy, Reed L.

    The degrees of variance among three groups of evaluators relative to their assessments of the teaching competencies of preservice teacher education students were studied. Subjects included groups of 23 and 32 undergraduates who were certified to teach by the teacher preparation program at Washburn University in Topeka (Kansas) in 1987 and in 1988,…

  3. Individual to Collaborative: Guided Group Work and the Role of Teachers in Junior Secondary Science Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fung, Dennis; Lui, Wai-mei

    2016-01-01

    This paper, through discussion of a teaching intervention at two secondary schools in Hong Kong, demonstrates the learning advancement brought about by group work and dissects the facilitating role of teachers in collaborative discussions. One-hundred and fifty-two Secondary Two (Grade 8) students were divided into three pedagogical groups, namely…

  4. Concerns about and Effective Strategies for Inclusion: Focus Group Interview Findings from Tennessee Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trump, Gordon C.; Hange, Jane E.

    This monograph describes results of focus group interviews with 53 regular and special education teachers in Tennessee concerning their experience with inclusion of students with disabilities in regular education classrooms. An introduction notes the trend toward inclusion of students with disabilities in regular programs while providing needed…

  5. Student and Teacher Outcomes of The Superkids Quasi-Experimental Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borman, Geoffrey D.; Dowling, N. Maritza

    2009-01-01

    In this article, we report kindergarten student and teacher outcomes from a quasi-experimental evaluation of The Superkids, a systematic, phonics-based, comprehensive K-2 reading program. We recruited 23 kindergarten teachers to implement The Superkids program from a diverse, yet predominantly ethnic minority, group of classrooms from across the…

  6. Identifying Discriminating Variables between Teachers Who Fully Integrate Computers and Teachers with Limited Integration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mueller, Julie; Wood, Eileen; Willoughby, Teena; Ross, Craig; Specht, Jacqueline

    2008-01-01

    Given the prevalence of computers in education today, it is critical to understand teachers' perspectives regarding computer integration in their classrooms. The current study surveyed a random sample of a heterogeneous group of 185 elementary and 204 secondary teachers in order to provide a comprehensive summary of teacher characteristics and…

  7. Examining Science Teachers' Argumentation in a Teacher Workshop on Earthquake Engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cavlazoglu, Baki; Stuessy, Carol

    2018-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine changes in the quality of science teachers' argumentation as a result of their engagement in a teacher workshop on earthquake engineering emphasizing distributed learning approaches, which included concept mapping, collaborative game playing, and group lesson planning. The participants were ten high school science teachers from US high schools who elected to attend the workshop. To begin and end the teacher workshop, teachers in small groups engaged in concept mapping exercises with other teachers. Researchers audio-recorded individual teachers' argumentative statements about the inclusion of earthquake engineering concepts in their concept maps, which were then analyzed to reveal the quality of teachers' argumentation. Toulmin's argumentation model formed the framework for designing a classification schema to analyze the quality of participants' argumentative statements. While the analysis of differences in pre- and post-workshop concept mapping exercises revealed that the number of argumentative statements did not change significantly, the quality of participants' argumentation did increase significantly. As these differences occurred concurrently with distributed learning approaches used throughout the workshop, these results provide evidence to support distributed learning approaches in professional development workshop activities to increase the quality of science teachers' argumentation. Additionally, these results support the use of concept mapping as a cognitive scaffold to organize participants' knowledge, facilitate the presentation of argumentation, and as a research tool for providing evidence of teachers' argumentation skills.

  8. A physiotherapy-directed occupational health programme for Austrian school teachers: a cluster randomised pilot study.

    PubMed

    Figl-Hertlein, A; Horsak, B; Dean, E; Schöny, W; Stamm, T

    2014-03-01

    Although physiotherapists have long advocated workplace health, school teachers have not traditionally been a focus of study by these professionals. However, classroom teaching contributes to a range of occupational health issues related to general health as well as ergonomics that can be prevented or addressed by physiotherapists. To undertake a pilot study to explore the potential effects of a physiotherapy-directed occupational health programme individualised for school teachers, develop study methodology and gather preliminary data to establish a 'proof of concept' to inform future studies. Cluster randomised pilot study using a convenience sample. Eight Austrian regional secondary schools. Schools and their teachers were recruited and allocated to an intervention group (IG, n=26 teachers) or a control group (CG, n=43 teachers). Teachers were eligible to participate if they reported no health issues that compromised their classroom responsibilities. The IG participated in an individualised physiotherapy-directed occupational health programme (six 30-minute sessions) related to ergonomics and stress management conducted over a 5-month semester. The CG had a pseudo-intervention of one oral education session. Primary outcomes included scores from the physical and mental components and health transition item of the Short-Form-36 Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36), and emotional well-being and resistance to stress items from the work-related behaviour and experience patterns questionnaire. Data were collected before and after one semester. The primary outcome measure, the SF-36 physical component score, showed a reduction in the CG and no change in the IG, meaning that the CG deteriorated over the study semester while the IG did not show any change. A physiotherapy-directed occupational health programme may prevent deterioration of physical health of school teachers in one semester (proof of concept). This pilot study provided valuable information to inform the

  9. Emotional Intelligence and Teacher Efficacy: A Study of Turkish EFL Pre-Service Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kocoglu, Zeynep

    2011-01-01

    This study investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and teacher efficacy among 90 English language pre-service teachers from a university in Turkey. Data sources included Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk-Hoy's Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale and Reuven Bar-On's Emotional Quotient Inventory. The findings indicated that Turkish EFL…

  10. Lesson study: Professional development and its impact on science teacher self-efficacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roberts, Megan Rae

    This study focuses on an analysis of a professional development program known as lesson study via data obtained during an in-service professional development program for secondary school science teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine the self-efficacy beliefs of one group of science teachers related to their experiences in a lesson study. Another purpose for this research, aligned with the first, included a theoretical analysis of the lesson study construct to see if its design promoted positive self-efficacy beliefs of its participants. The research is framed within the context of social constructivism and self-efficacy and is qualitative in nature and utilized descriptive analysis as a means of research. Case studies were conducted detailing two of the six participants. Data sources included researcher field notes and transcriptions of all planning and debriefing sessions; individual interviews with each participant and the schools' principal; a participant questionnaire, and the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument. Themes that emerged included the positive perceptions of lesson study as a collaborative and teacher-centered experience; the understanding that lesson study can instill a sense of professionalism to those who participate in the process; the sense that discussing student learning using objective observations from classroom is a powerful way to assess learning and uncover personal teacher beliefs; and the insight that the time commitment that lesson study requires can inhibit teachers and schools from sustaining it as a form of on-going professional development. Although these themes are consistent with the research on lesson study in Japan and elsewhere in the United States, they also extend the research on self-efficacy and science teacher professional development. In the end, this study supported some of the conclusions of the self-efficacy research as it relates to professional development while also adding that interpersonal

  11. The Role of Teacher Instructional Discourse in Scaffolding Adolescent Students' Argumentation Strategy Use in Small Group Text-Based Discussions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Alyssa T. G.

    2017-01-01

    The goal of this study is to investigate the role of English Language Arts (ELA) teachers' verbal discourse moves in scaffolding adolescent students' argumentative thinking in small group interpretive discussions about literature. Demands related to argumentation may present particular challenges for adolescent students (Biancarosa & Snow,…

  12. Turkish Student Teachers' Concerns about Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boz, Yezdan

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the teaching concerns of Turkish student teachers and how these concerns differ among year groups within the teacher education programme. Data were collected from 339 student teachers using the Teacher Concerns Checklist. Analysis of the data, including both descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis…

  13. Students' Educational Use of Facebook Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dalsgaard, Christian

    2016-01-01

    The aim of the article is to explore educational use of student-managed Facebook groups in upper secondary education (in Denmark). Much research on educational potentials of Facebook has studied groups managed by teachers. However, there is a lack of in-depth research on Facebook groups managed by students and without participation from teachers.…

  14. Teaching beyond the walls: A mixed method study of prospective elementary teacher's belief systems about science instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asim, Sumreen

    This mixed method study investigated K-6 teacher candidates' beliefs about informal science instruction prior to and after their experiences in a 15-week science methods course and in comparison to a non-intervention group. The study is predicated by the literature that supports the extent to which teachers' beliefs influence their instructional practices. The intervention integrated the six strands of learning science in informal science education (NRC, 2009) and exposed candidates to out-of-school-time environments (NRC, 2010). Participants included 17 candidates in the intervention and 75 in the comparison group. All were undergraduate K-6 teacher candidates at one university enrolled in different sections of a required science methods course. All the participants completed the Beliefs about Science Teaching (BAT) survey. Reflective journals, drawings, interviews, and microteaching protocols were collected from participants in the intervention. There was no statistically significant difference in pre or post BAT scores of the two groups; However, there was a statistically significant interaction effect for the intervention group over time. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed that the intervention candidates displayed awareness of each of the six strands of learning science in informal environments and commitment to out-of-school-time learning of science. This study supports current reform efforts favoring integration of informal science instructional strategies in science methods courses of elementary teacher education programs.

  15. A case study of a mathematics teacher's and science teacher's use of teacher wisdom in integrating middle school mathematics and science content

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saam, Julie Reinhardt

    The National Science Education Standards, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Curriculum Standards, the Interdisciplinary Team Organization structure and the Middle School movement collectively suggest to teachers to make connections between their subject areas. This case study of a middle school mathematics teacher and science teacher utilizes the framework of teacher wisdom to bring a unique perspective to the process of developing and implementing integrated curriculum. Data collection consisted of interviews with the teachers, students, and their principal; documents such lesson plans, team meeting minutes and teacher journal entries; and field notes acquired within team meetings and classroom instruction. The interpretations of this study reveal that teacher development of integrated curriculum occurs in two ways: naturally and intentionally. The natural label used to describe when teachers comfortably share information that could serve as connections between subjects. The intentional label used to describe when the teachers purposely plan integrated lessons and units. These findings also provide an image of middle school integration. This image exhibits more than connections between subject area content; it also shows connections with away-from-school skills and events, lifeskills, and lifelong guidelines. Although these teachers found it frustrating and overwhelming to meet the many views of integration, they assembled integration curriculum that followed their philosophy of education, coincided with their personal characteristics and met the needs of their students. The interpretations of this study reveal a new model of middle school integration. Teachers can use this model as a collection of integration examples. Integration researchers can use this model as a conceptual framework to analyze the integration efforts of middle level teachers. Additional research needs to focus on: developing new modeling and evaluation tools for teachers

  16. Salaries of Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Education Statistics Quarterly, 2000

    2000-01-01

    Examines changes in teacher salaries from 1971 to 1998 among teachers in different age groups. Also compares teacher salaries with the salaries of all bachelor's degree recipients. The annual median salaries (in constant 1998 dollars) of full-time teachers decreased between 1971 and 1998 by about $500-$700 per year on average in each age group.…

  17. Constructivism and the use of performance assessment in science: A comparative study of beliefs among preservice and inservice teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bednarski, Marsha H.

    strategies is a predictor for group membership with the inservice teacher group. There is a correlation between attitudes toward constructivism and attitudes related to the benefits of using performance assessments for both the preservice and inservice groups. There is not a significant correlation between constructivist attitudes and using performance assessment. Although teachers in this study hold constructivist attitudes and acknowledge the benefits of using performance assessment, they do not use performance assessments.

  18. An Ecological Study of Glee in Small Groups of Preschool Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sherman, Lawrence W.

    1975-01-01

    Presents a description and analysis of group glee (joyful screaming, laughing and intense physical acts occurring in simultaneous bursts or in a contagious fashion), studied by means of videotapes of 596 formal lessons in a preschool. Information collected concerned occurrence, location, frequency and duration, teachers' responses, incidence of…

  19. The Effects of Gender on Attitudes of Preservice Teachers towards the Teaching Profession: A Meta-Analysis Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erdamar, Gürcü; Aytaç, Tufan; Türk, Nilay; Arseven, Zeynep

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study is to define the effects of gender on attitudes of preservice teachers towards the teaching profession in Turkey. It combines the findings of 35 relevant studies comprising a sample of 4,289 male and 6,073 female preservice teachers. A Group Difference model was used to identify fixed and random effects and to facilitate…

  20. Sustaining a Mature Teacher Inquiry Network

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Satter, Sarah Bea

    2014-01-01

    This research consisted of a case study of an active network for teacher inquiry. Specifically, I investigated how an organization dedicated to teacher inquiry had provided the structure, leadership, and resources to sustain, maintain, and expand the network. The group studied was the Mid-Ohio Writing Project, a teacher inquiry network affiliated…

  1. New Minority Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stallworth, B. Joyce

    This study was a follow-up investigation of five minority first-year teachers who were 1992 graduates of the Peabody Internship/Induction Teaching Program. The study was designed to examine the socialization of new minority group teachers. Structured interview protocols for the teachers and their principals were the primary means of data…

  2. Activist Teacher Leadership: A Case Study of a Programa CRIAR Bilingual Teacher Cohort

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Palmer, Deborah; Rangel, Virginia Snodgrass; Gonzales, Richard M.; Morales, Vanessa

    2014-01-01

    This case study on nine bilingual teachers in Texas during their first year in a graduate education program examines both the development of critical consciousness among the educators and the ways in which critical consciousness shapes how these teachers come to understand their roles as teachers and leaders of a sociopolitically marginalized…

  3. Teacher Factors and Perceived Assessment Practices Needs of Social Studies Teachers in Cross River State, Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ekuri, Emmanuel Etta; Egbai, Julius Michael; Ita, Caroline Iserome

    2011-01-01

    This study evaluated perceived assessment practices needs among social studies teachers in Cross River State, Nigeria, in relation to some teacher factors (attitude towards social studies, sex, teaching experience and educational qualification). Subjects who participated in this study were 297 social studies teachers (144 males and 153 females)…

  4. The Promise of Teacher Inquiry and Reflection: Early Childhood Teachers as Change Agents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Escamilla, Isauro M.; Meier, Daniel

    2018-01-01

    In this article, a preschool teacher and an early childhood teacher educator describe and analyze their work co-creating and co-facilitating an early childhood inquiry group over seven years. The group consisted of veteran lead teachers, assistant teachers, instructional coaches, and an outside teacher educator at an urban, public preschool in San…

  5. Pedagogical Content Knowledge Development and Pre-Service Physics Teacher Education: A Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sperandeo-Mineo, R. M.; Fazio, C.; Tarantino, G.

    2006-09-01

    This paper addresses the question of how to develop prospective teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in science teacher education. The main focus is on the knowledge transformation process and on the cognitive strategies used to shift prospective teachers' explanations within the domain of modelling thermal physical phenomena. This study investigates the development of PCK within a group of 28 pre-service physics teachers during the first semester of their two-year post-graduate teacher education program. It focuses on the central issue of the relationships between observable phenomena, like macroscopic thermal properties of matter and their interpretation and/or explanation in terms of corpuscular characteristics and/or thermodynamics theory. The strategy is based on the consideration that knowledge transformation is not a one-way process from subject matter knowledge to pedagogical content knowledge, as literature suggests, but a bidirectional process involving deepening of subject matter knowledge and increasing awareness of pedagogical issues.

  6. Prospective Teachers' Figured Worlds of the Parent-Teacher Conference: Collaborating with, Instructing, and Impressing Parents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tomczyk, Mary M.

    2009-01-01

    The creation of productive home-school relationships has been recognized as important in children's school success; however, in many teacher education programs, parent-teacher conferences may be the primary--and sometimes only--interface prospective teachers have with parents prior to graduation. This study considers how a group of 22 prospective…

  7. Effects of a Tobacco Control Intervention for Teachers in India: Results of the Bihar School Teachers Study

    PubMed Central

    Sorensen, Glorian; Pednekar, Mangesh S.; Sinha, Dhirendra N.; Stoddard, Anne M.; Nagler, Eve; Aghi, Mira B.; Lando, Harry A.; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula; Pawar, Pratibha; Gupta, Prakash C.

    2013-01-01

    Objectives. We assessed a school-based intervention designed to promote tobacco control among teachers in the Indian state of Bihar. Methods. We used a cluster-randomized design to test the intervention, which comprised educational efforts, tobacco control policies, and cessation support and was tailored to the local social context. In 2009 to 2011, we randomly selected 72 schools from participating school districts and randomly assigned them in blocks (rural or urban) to intervention or delayed-intervention control conditions. Results. Immediately after the intervention, the 30-day quit rate was 50% in the intervention and 15% in the control group (P = .001). At the 9-month postintervention survey, the adjusted 6-month quit rate was 19% in the intervention and 7% in the control group (P = .06). Among teachers employed for the entire academic year of the intervention, the adjusted 6-month abstinence rates were 20% and 5%, respectively, for the intervention and control groups (P = .04). Conclusions. These findings demonstrate the potent impact of an intervention that took advantage of social resources among teachers, who can serve as role models for tobacco control in their communities. PMID:24028234

  8. Rethinking Teacher Leader Development: A Study of Early Career Mathematics Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huggins, Kristin Shawn; Lesseig, Kristin; Rhodes, Heidi

    2017-01-01

    In the era of standards-based reforms, informal teacher leadership is a critical factor in realizing instructional improvement. In this paper, we report on data from a one-year study of four early career mathematics teachers engaging in professional development around Common Core mathematical practices and leadership. Our findings highlight how…

  9. Second-Wave White Teacher Identity Studies: A Review of White Teacher Identity Literatures From 2004 through 2014

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jupp, James C.; Berry, Theodorea Regina; Lensmire, Timothy J.

    2016-01-01

    In this study of White teacher identity literatures, we historicize, define, and advance second-wave White teacher identity studies in education research and teacher education. First, we provide a discussion of methodology used to conduct this study called the synoptic text. Second, we provide an historical account of White teacher identity…

  10. Teacher Training and Teacher Use of Laptops in a 1:1 Laptop Program: A Correlational Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Staub, Justin H.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship, if any, between teacher training and teacher use of a laptop in a one-to-one laptop program. Teachers recorded their training weekly throughout the twelve-week study. Teacher use of laptops was measured through self-reporting in a pretest and posttest design,…

  11. A Qualitative Case Study Exploring the Impact of Experienced Teachers' Stories on Pre-Service Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Kristi Johnson

    2010-01-01

    This qualitative study explores the impact of experienced teachers' stories on pre-service teachers. Specifically, it examines what stories pre-service teachers hear and remember, if/how those stories impact thoughts or actions, and what factors influence impact. Analyzing pre-service teachers' reactions to stories and utilizing their direct…

  12. [Study on mental workload of teachers in primary schools].

    PubMed

    Xiao, Yuan-mei; Wang, Zhi-ming; Wang, Mian-zhen; Lan, Ya-jia; Fan, Guang-qin; Feng, Chang

    2011-12-01

    To investigate the distribution characteristics and influencing factors of mental workload of teachers in primary schools. National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) was used to assess the mental workload levels for 397 teachers of primary schools in a city. The mental workload (64.34+10.56) of female teachers was significantly higher than that (61.73+ 9.77) of male teachers (P<0.05). The mental workload (65.66+10.42) of "-35" years old group was the highest. When age of teachers was younger than 35 years old, there was a positive correlation between the mental workload and age (r=0.146, P<0.05). When age of teachers was older than 35 years old, there was a negative correlation between the mental workload and age (r=-0.190, P<0.05). The teachers with higher education level felt higher mental workload (unstandardized coefficients B=1.524, standardized coefficients /=0.111, P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between the mental workload and working hours per day (unstandardized coefficients B =4.659, standardized coefficients/3 =0.223, P<0.001). Mental workload of the teachers in primary schools is closely related to age, educational level and work hours per day. Work hours per day is an important risk factor for mental workload. Reducing work hours per day (8 hours) is an effective measure of alleviating the mental workload of teachers in primary schools.

  13. Assessing Meritorious Teacher Performance: A Differential Validity Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellett, Chad D; Capie, William

    The Teacher Assessment and Development System (TADS) - Meritorious Teacher Program (MTP) FORM instrument is used in the Dade County Public Schools, Miami, Florida, to evaluate teachers. Its validity for decisions concerning merit pay for master teachers was examined in this study. Specifically, its ability to discriminate between high performing…

  14. "If We're Ever in Trouble They're Always There": A Qualitative Study of Teacher-Student Caring

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jeffrey, Aaron J.; Auger, Richard W.; Pepperell, Jennifer L.

    2013-01-01

    In the current elementary school environment of increased academic and administrative demands on schools and teachers, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain the personal teacher-student relationships that form the basis for learning. In this qualitative study, we conducted focus groups with 17 elementary students and 6 elementary…

  15. TPACK Survey Development Study for Social Sciences Teachers and Teacher Candidates

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akman, Özkan; Güven, Cemal

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this research is to develop a scale for analyzing the technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) and self-efficacy perceptions of the social sciences teachers and teacher candidates. During the development process, an item pool has been generated by evaluating the studies made in the literature. Also, after opinions…

  16. Studying Biotechnological Methods Using Animations: The Teacher's Role

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yarden, Hagit; Yarden, Anat

    2011-12-01

    Animation has great potential for improving the way people learn. A number of studies in different scientific disciplines have shown that instruction involving computer animations can facilitate the understanding of processes at the molecular level. However, using animation alone does not ensure learning. Students sometimes miss essential features when they watch only animations, mainly due to the cognitive load involved. Moreover, students seem to attribute a great deal of authority to the computer and may develop misconceptions by taking animations of abstract concepts too literally. In this study, we attempted to explore teachers' perceptions concerning the use of animations in the classroom while studying biotechnological methods, as well as the teachers' contribution to the enactment of animations in class. Thirty high-school biotechnology teachers participated in a professional development workshop, aimed at investigating how teachers plan for and support learning with animation while studying biotechnological methods in class. From that sample, two teachers agreed to participate in two case studies aimed at characterizing teachers' contribution to the enactment of animations in class while studying biotechnological methods. Our findings reveal marked teacher contribution in the following three aspects: establishing the "hands-on" point of view, helping students deal with the cognitive load that accompanies the use of animation, and implementing constructivist aspects of knowledge construction while studying using animations.

  17. The Role of Opportunities to Learn in Teacher Preparation for EFL Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    König, Johannes; Tachtsoglou, Sarantis; Lammerding, Sandra; Strauß, Sarah; Nold, Günter; Rohde, Andreas

    2017-01-01

    The study examines the connection between domain-specific learning opportunities in English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher preparation and preservice EFL teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Using a sample of 444 preservice EFL teachers for secondary schools, it contrasts groups at the end of the 2 phases required in German teacher…

  18. Female Islamic Studies Teachers in Saudi Arabia: A Phenomenological Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jamjoom, Mounira I.

    2010-01-01

    This study highlights on describing the experiences of Saudi Arabian female Islamic Studies teachers by exploring what is means to be an Islamic Studies teacher teaching in the current unprecedented vibrant and complex tapestry of social, religious and political debates occurring in the larger context of the country. The study draws on…

  19. How Safe Are Our Teachers?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Younghusband, Lynda

    2009-01-01

    In this article, the author discusses a study she conducted in Newfoundland to determine the level of abuse and/or violence experienced by teachers, the nature of that abuse/violence, its personal impact, and whether Newfoundland teachers feel safe in their workplaces. The experiences presented are those of a focus group of eight teachers,…

  20. Student Teachers' Proactive Strategies for Avoiding Study-Related Burnout during Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Väisänen, Sanna; Pietarinen, Janne; Pyhältö, Kirsi; Toom, Auli; Soini, Tiina

    2018-01-01

    The study aims to gain a better understanding of the function of proactive strategies in buffering study burnout among student teachers at the early stage of their studies. There is some evidence that the use of active social coping strategies during studies is related to reduced burnout levels among early career teachers. Less is known about the…

  1. The teacher's role in promoting collaborative dialogue in the classroom.

    PubMed

    Webb, Noreen M

    2009-03-01

    Research on student-led small-group learning in schools going back nearly four decades has documented many types of student participation that promote learning. Less is known about how the teacher can foster effective groupwork behaviours. This paper reviews research that explores the role of the teacher in promoting learning in small groups. The focus is on how students can learn from their peers during small-group work, how teachers can prepare students for collaborative group work, and the role of teacher discourse and classroom norms in small-group dialogue. Studies selected for review focused on student-led small-group contexts for learning in which students were expected to collaborate, reported data from systematic observations of group work, and linked observational data to teacher practices and student learning outcomes. This review uncovered multiple dimensions of the teacher's role in fostering beneficial group dialogue, including preparing students for collaborative work, forming groups, structuring the group-work task, and influencing student interaction through teachers' discourse with small groups and with the class. Common threads through the research are the importance of students explaining their thinking, and teacher strategies and practices that may promote student elaboration of ideas.

  2. The Effect of Special Teaching Methods Class on the Level of Teachers' Self-Efficacy Perception of Pre-Service Teacher

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gökdag Baltaoglu, Meltem

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to evaluate the change in the level of teachers' self-efficacy perception of primary school Social Studies pre-service teachers who take the special teaching methods class. Single group pretest-posttest model from pre-experimental patterns was applied in the research. The study group of the research consisted of 59…

  3. Does the Teacher's Pet Phenomenon Inevitably Cause Classroom Conflict? Comparative Viewpoints of Three Pet-Student Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chiu, Shao-I; Lee, Jiezhi; Liang, Tsanglang

    2013-01-01

    Although most studies reveal a relationship between the teacher's pet phenomenon with classroom conflict, it does not necessarily cause classroom conflict. This study confirms the model fit for teacher authority, the existence of the teacher's pet phenomenon and its relationship to classroom conflict and students' self-adjustment, as well as…

  4. Beyond Developmentalism? Early Childhood Teachers' Understandings of Multiage Grouping in Early Childhood Education and Care

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Susan; Blaise, Mindy; Hammer, Marie

    2009-01-01

    Postdevelopmental perspectives in early childhood education and care increasingly reference alternative ways of understanding learning, growth and development in early learning. Drawing on these ideas, this paper examines research findings which focused on early childhood teachers' understandings of multiage grouping. The findings suggested that…

  5. Teaching Effectiveness of Two Groups of Beginning Teachers of Vocational Agriculture. Summary of Research Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Gary E.; Bender, Ralph E.

    This study sought to determine if there was a difference in teaching effectiveness of entry-level 1-year vocationally certified teachers of vocational agriculture and entry-level 4-year provisionally certified teachers of vocational agriculture. Correlations were computed using performance on the teaching test, teacher educator ratings, students'…

  6. The Multimedia Case as a Tool for Professional Development: An Analysis of Online and Face-to-Face Interaction among Mathematics Pre-Service Teachers, In-Service Teachers, Mathematicians, and Mathematics Teacher Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGraw, Rebecca; Lynch, Kathleen; Koc, Yusuf; Budak, Ayfer; Brown, Catherine A.

    2007-01-01

    In this study, we consider the potential of multimedia cases as tools for teacher professional development. Specifically, we examined online and face-to-face discussions that occurred within groups composed of pre-service mathematics teachers, in-service mathematics teachers, mathematicians, and mathematics teacher educators. Discussions within…

  7. Looking at the Mirror: A Self-Study of Science Teacher Educators' PCK for Teaching Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Demirdögen, Betül; Aydin, Sevgi; Tarkin, Aysegül

    2015-01-01

    In this self-study, we aimed to delve into how re-designing and teaching re-designed practicum course offered to pre-service teachers (PTs) enriched our, as science teacher educators, development of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching science teachers. This self-study was conducted during a compulsory practicum course in which we…

  8. Study on Reflection as a Source of Teacher Development: Pre-Service and Experienced Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yaman, Saziye

    2016-01-01

    This study traces evidence of reflection in teacher education and teaching practice by measuring reflection of preservice teachers and experienced teachers and clarifying reflection-oriented reactions to possible confusions or problematic situations considering whether or not they are reflective practitioners. The data were collected from 514…

  9. How do pre-service teachers picture various electromagnetic phenomenon? A qualitative study of pre-service teachers' conceptual understanding of fundamental electromagnetic interaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beer, Christopher P.

    This study analyzes the nature of pre-service teachers' conceptual models of various electromagnetic phenomena, specifically electrical current, electrical resistance, and light/matter interactions. This is achieved through the students answering the three questions on electromagnetism using a free response approach including both verbal and pictorial representation. The student responses are then analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively utilizing a multi-tiered approach. These analyses include epistemological representation, misconceptions, correct conceptions, and the impact of high school physics exposure on student conceptions. This study is unique in three primary respects; the free response questionnaire approach, a subject group that consists of pre-service teachers, and a primarily female demographic.

  10. Teacher Experiences in Elementary Word Study Instruction: A Phenomenological Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mihalik, Gregory Stephen

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experience of integrating word study spelling programs for second grade teachers across six elementary schools in Northern Virginia. Word study is a developmental spelling approach that can be used by teachers to differentiate instruction and meet student needs. Despite the growing…

  11. Learning about Whole-Class Scaffolding from a Teacher Professional Development Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Visnovska, Jana; Cobb, Paul

    2015-01-01

    The importance of teachers developing adaptive instructional practices consistent with metaphor of whole-class scaffolding has been well documented. However, teachers' development of such practices is currently not well understood. We draw on a 5-year professional development (PD) design experiment in which a group of middle school mathematics…

  12. Improving Teachers' Assessment Literacy through Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koh, Kim H.

    2011-01-01

    This study examined the effects of professional development on teachers' assessment literacy between two groups of teachers: (1) teachers who were involved in ongoing and sustained professional development in designing authentic classroom assessment and rubrics; and (2) teachers who were given only short-term, one-shot professional development…

  13. Second-Wave White Teacher Identity Studies: Toward Complexity and Reflexivity in the Racial Conscientization of White Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jupp, James C.; Lensmire, Timothy J.

    2016-01-01

    In this article, we introduce our special issue, "Second-Wave White Teacher Identity Studies: Toward Complexity and Reflexivity in the Racial Conscientization of White Teachers." We characterize white teacher identity studies as a developing field with important implications for education research and teacher education. Early work in…

  14. Teachers' Perceptions Regarding School Principals' Coaching Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yirci, Ramazan; Özdemir, Tuncay Yavuz; Kartal, Seçil Eda; Kocabas, Ibrahim

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to find out teachers' perceptions about school principals' coaching skills. The study was carried out within qualitative research methods. The study group included 76 teachers in Elazig and 73 teachers in Kahramanmaras provinces of Turkey. All the data were processed using Nvivo 9 software. The results indicate that…

  15. Teacher knowledge and discourse control: Quantitative evidence from novice biology teachers' classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carlsen, William S.

    This article describes the effects of science teacher subject-matter knowledge on classroom discourse at the level of individual utterances. It details one of three parallel analyses conducted in a year-long study of language in the classrooms of four new biology teachers. The conceptual framework of the study predicts that when teaching unfamiliar subject matter, teachers use a variety of discourse strategies to constrain student talk to a narrowly circumscribed topic domain. This article includes the results of an utterance-by-utterance analysis of teacher and student talk in a 30-lesson sample of science instruction. Data are broken down by classroom activity (e.g., lecture, laboratory, group work) for several measures, including mean duration of utterances, domination of the speaking floor by the teacher, frequency of teacher questioning, cognitive level of teacher questions, and student verbal participation. When teaching unfamiliar topics, the four teachers in this study tended to talk more often and for longer periods of time, ask questions frequently, and rely heavily on low cognitive level questions. The rate of student questions to the teacher varied with classroom activity. In common classroom communicative settings, student questions were less common when the teacher was teaching unfamiliar subject matter. The implications of these findings include a suggestion that teacher knowledge may be an important unconsidered variable in research on the cognitive level of questions and teacher wait-time.

  16. Technology Integration in Science Education: A Study of How Teachers Use Modern Learning Technologies in Biology Classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gnanakkan, Dionysius Joseph

    This multiple case-study investigated how high school biology teachers used modern learning technologies (probes, interactive simulations and animations, animated videos) in their classrooms and why they used the learning technologies. Another objective of the study was to assess whether the use of learning technologies alleviated misconceptions in Biology documented by American Association for the Advancement of Science. The sample consisted of eight teachers: four rural public school teachers, two public selective enrollment school teachers, and two private school teachers. Each teacher was followed for two Units of instruction. Data collected included classroom observations, field notes, student assignments and tests, teacher interviews, and pre-and post-misconception assessments. Paired t-tests were done to analyze the pre-post test data at a significance level of 0.05 and the qualitative data was analyzed using the constant comparative method. Each case study was characterized and then a cross-case analyses was done to find common themes across the different cases. Teachers were found to use the learning technologies as a tool to supplement instruction to visualize abstract processes, collect data, and explore abstract concepts and processes. Teachers were found to situate learning, use scaffolding and questioning and make students work in collaborative groups. The genetics, photosynthesis, and evolution misconceptions were better alleviated than cellular respiration. Student work that was collected demonstrated a superficial understanding of the concepts under discussion even when they had misconceptions. The teachers used the learning technologies in their classrooms for a variety of reasons: visual illustrations, time-saving measure to collect data, best way to collect data, engaging and fun for students and the interactive nature of the visualization tools and models. The study's findings had many implications for research, professional development

  17. Perceived Learning and Satisfaction in a Blended Teacher Education Program: An Experience of Malaysian Teacher Trainees

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karimi, Leila; Ahmad, Tunku Badariah Tunku

    2013-01-01

    Blended learning, as a new approach to education, is rapidly being adopted by educational institutions for the purpose of teacher education or teacher training. This study reports the results of a survey exploring the relationships between perceived learning and satisfaction in a blended teacher education program among three different groups of…

  18. The Effectiveness of Mail Survey Techniques in Studies of Semiprofessional Work Groups: Response Rates of Vocational-Technical Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeBord, Larry W.

    1979-01-01

    A study of the factors influencing response rates in survey research--including kind of instrument used and personality and job characteristics of those surveyed--examined response rates to a mailed questionnaire in a sample of vocational-technical teachers and their program directors. Offers suggestions on improving response rates in…

  19. Educative Mentors? The Role of Classroom Teachers in Initial Teacher Education. A New Zealand Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trevethan, Helen

    2017-01-01

    Classroom experience is an important part of initial teacher education (ITE) and the teachers who work with student teachers in schools have a significant impact on learning in this context. While many studies have documented what the role of these teachers should be, it is also important to consider how the role is conceptualised by the teachers…

  20. Out-of-Field Teaching: A Cross-National Study on Teacher Labor Market and Teacher Quality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhou, Yisu

    2012-01-01

    In the past two decades, the issue of out-of-field teaching (OFT) has concerned policy makers and researchers alike who see raising teachers' subject matter knowledge as the main policy lever to improve teacher quality. The study of OFT has emerged as one of the important subfields of teacher quality and teacher labour market research.…

  1. Correlates of Study Skills and Academic Performance of Secretarial Studies Student Teachers of Rivers State University of Science and Technology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ojoko, Sydney; Koko, Maureen

    1994-01-01

    A study was conducted to determine correlates of study skills and academic performance of high and low achievers among secretarial studies student teachers at a Nigerian university. Results with 21 high and 21 low achievers demonstrate personality and study habits differences among the groups. (SLD)

  2. Teacher Mathematical Literacy: Case Study of Junior High School Teachers in Pasaman

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmad, D.; Suherman, S.; Maulana, H.

    2018-04-01

    The aim of this paper was to examine the ability of junior high school mathematics teachers to solve mathematical literacy base Problems (PISA and PISA-like problems) for the case Pasaman regency. The data was collected by interviews and test. As the results of this study, teacher ability in solving mathematical literacy base problems for level 1 until 3 has been good, but for level 4 or above is still low. It is caused by teacher knowledge about mathematical literacy still few.

  3. Investigating Technology Teachers' Self-Efficacy on Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hartell, Eva; Gumaelius, Lena; Svärdh, Joakim

    2015-01-01

    This study explores possible differences in the views on assessment between two groups of teachers teaching technology in compulsory school: (1) teachers with subject-specific teacher training in technology education; and (2) teachers without such training. This topic is of particular interest because of the recent changes in the regulations that…

  4. Communication Strategies in Experienced vs. Inexperienced Teachers' Talk: A Sign of Transformation in Teacher Cognition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rahmani Doqaruni, Vahid

    2017-01-01

    Due to the fact that research in areas related to "teacher experience" is in short supply, the purpose of the present study is to fill the gap in L2 teacher education through comparing two groups of teachers, namely inexperienced vs. experienced, to see whether differences between them in the course of communication strategies (CSs)…

  5. Gender equity: A study of classroom interactions of sixth-grade science teachers before and after gender equity training

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giuliano, Joanne

    The researcher investigated teachers' perceptions of their interactions with students in their 6th grade science classrooms and the effects of gender equity training on teachers' interactions with students. Teacher perceptions were measured at pretest and posttest using the Gender Equity Teacher-Student Interaction Questionnaire (GETSIQ). The outcomes from one day of gender equity training, using the Gender Equity Video and Instructional Guide, were measured at pretest, posttest, and follow-up using the INTERSECT scale. A non-random sample of twenty 6th grade science teachers from five middle schools participated in the study. Ten teachers were assigned to each of the control or experimental groups. The first hypothesis posited that teacher perceptions of and actions toward male and female students in sixth grade science classrooms would be different as reflected by scores on the GETSIQ. The hypothesis was partially supported. Teachers reported significantly different amounts of acknowledgment, attention in general, and attention to questions, responses, and comments for boys and girls, and different evaluations based on their expectations for a student. Following training, teachers from the experimental group obtained somewhat higher scores, though the differences were not statistically significant. Hypothesis 2 stated that gender equity training would increase equitable teacher interactions with male and female students as demonstrated by scores on the INTERSECT Checklist. This hypothesis was partially supported. A comparison of the Intersect checklist (praise, acceptance, remediation, criticism) revealed that teachers were observed to more equally give praise to boys and girls following training, male teachers engaged in more acceptance responses with girls, and female teachers had more equitable distribution of acceptance. Male teachers increased the amount of remediation to girls, and female teachers continued to provide more remediation to boys. The

  6. Idea Generating among Secondary School Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tomic, Welko; Brouwers, Andre

    This study investigated where and how secondary school teachers generated ideas linked to their work environment. A group of 146 teachers from 20 secondary schools in the Netherlands completed an adapted version of Geschka's questionnaire, which focused on (1) teachers' preferred conditions, environments, media, people, and activities before the…

  7. Update Your Status: Exploring Pre-Service Teacher Identities in an Online Discussion Group

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lu, Yolanda; Curwood, Jen Scott

    2015-01-01

    A substantial body of research indicates that a teacher's identity is an essential aspect of their professional practice. As this body of research grows, researchers have increasingly sought to investigate the nature of pre-service teacher identities. This paper reports on a study that examined identities in the context of a pre-service cohort's…

  8. Risk factors for work-related stress and health in head teachers.

    PubMed

    Phillips, Samantha J; Sen, Dil; McNamee, Roseanne

    2008-12-01

    Work-related stress (WRS) is known to cause ill-health and decreased productivity. Work in the education sector is thought to be particularly stressful. Few studies have considered risk factors for WRS and health in head teachers. To investigate health in head teachers in West Sussex. To determine personal risk factors most likely to predict cases of WRS and of poor health in head teachers. A cross-sectional study, in a population of 290 head teachers and principals of colleges of further education, using a validated questionnaire, 'a short stress evaluation tool' (ASSET) and additional questions derived from earlier studies. Results were compared with the ASSET database 'norm' groups: a general population of workers (GPN) group and a group of managers and professionals (MPN). 'Caseness' was defined as respondents who felt work was 'very or extremely stressful'. Head teachers had poor physical and mental health compared to the GPN group. Psychological well-being, particularly of females and primary head teachers was worse than a comparative group of managers and professionals. Teaching<5 h/week was a significant predictor of caseness and being female was the main risk factor for poor psychological well-being. Prevalence of self-reported stress in head teachers in West Sussex is high. Female head teachers had worse health outcomes. Our study identified possible personal risk factors predicting WRS and/or poor health in head teachers.

  9. Student Teachers' Lived Experiences with Their Cooperating Teacher: A Phenomenological Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salazar, Donna

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and systematically describe the essence of the relationship and learning experiences between student teachers and their cooperating teacher during their clinical fieldwork in two school districts in southern California. Methodology: A phenomenological design was used to explore…

  10. Implementation of Teacher Consultation and Coaching in Urban Schools: A Mixed Method Study

    PubMed Central

    Cappella, Elise; Jackson, Daisy R.; Kim, Ha Yeon; Bilal, Caroline; Holland, Sibyl; Atkins, Marc S.

    2015-01-01

    Guided by implementation science scholarship and school mental health research, the current study uses qualitative and quantitative data to illuminate the barriers, opportunities, and processes underlying the implementation of a teacher consultation and coaching model (BRIDGE) in urban elementary schools. Data come from five public elementary schools, 12 school mental health staff (BRIDGE consultants), and 18 teachers participating in a classroom-randomized trial of BRIDGE. Findings from directed content analysis of teacher focus group and interview data suggest that aspects of the BRIDGE intervention model, school organization and classroom contexts, and teachers/consultants and their relationship were relevant as implementation facilitators or barriers. In addition, case study analysis of intervention materials and fidelity tools from classrooms with moderate-to-high dosage and adherence suggest variation in consultation and coaching by initial level of observed classroom need. Results illuminate the need for implementation research to extend beyond simple indicators of fidelity to the multiple systems and variation in processes at play across levels of the implementation context. PMID:27293490

  11. Teachers' Opinions Regarding the Usage of Action Research in Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yigit, Celal; Bagceci, Birsen

    2017-01-01

    The aim of the study is to investigate the contribution of action research to teachers' professional development. In line with this goal, a group of teachers were asked their opinions. The working group of the study is comprised of six teachers working at a state primary and middle school. The study is an example of "Case Study," one of…

  12. Middle School Science Teachers' Perceptions of Social Justice: A Study of Two Female Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Upadhyay, Bhaskar

    2010-01-01

    The focus of this qualitative study is to document two middle school science teachers' perceptions of social justice and how these teachers implement various aspects of social justice in their science instruction. The two teachers teach science in an urban school that serves students from low-income, immigrant, and ethnic minority families. The…

  13. Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Reflection Activities in the Context of Lesson Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bozkurt, Erhan; Yetkin-Özdemir, Iffet Elif

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this case study is to define reflection activities of a lesson study group that consisted of three middle school mathematics teachers in Usak, Turkey. In the process, the participants worked in collaboration for about 5 months to implement three study lesson practices. The data were collected through observations in the reflection…

  14. The Whole-Faculty Study Groups Fieldbook: Lessons Learned and Best Practices From Classrooms, Districts, and Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lick, Dale W.; Murphy, Carlene U.

    2006-01-01

    The Whole-Faculty Study Group (WFSG) System is a student-centered, teacher-driven process for facilitating major staff development and schoolwide change. When applied properly, it has produced extraordinary results for thousands of educators and students in schools and school districts across the country. The Whole-Faculty Study Groups Fieldbook…

  15. A study of the influence of a preservice science teacher education program over time

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maher, Terrence Patrick

    2009-12-01

    This dissertation looks at the beliefs and practices of thirteen science teachers across the teaching continuum. Three pre-service teachers, four student teachers, three first year teachers and three teachers with three or more years of experience were participants in this longitudinal study that took place between 2006 and 2009. All participants were graduates of a large university in the southeastern United States. The study found that inquiry-based teaching practices were taught at the university and most participants believe that it is a superior way of teaching science. Using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) instrument to measure the amount of inquiry-based teaching, the following findings were made: The highest level of inquiry-based teaching occurs during pre-service education. This was the only group to score within the "reformed-based" teaching range. The total RTOP scores decreased into the traditional teaching practice range during student teaching. The scores continued to decrease during the first and second years of teaching, showing an even stronger prevalence toward traditional teaching. A slight increase in the average total RTOP scores was noted with teachers having three or more years of experience. But even these teachers' scores were well within the traditional teaching method range. When interviewed, the most common reasons cited by these teachers for not using inquiry-based practice in the public classrooms were high stakes testing, crowded class sizes, and lack of equipment/support.

  16. Teachers on the Move: A Look at Teacher Interstate Mobility Policy and Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coggshall, Jane G.; Sexton, Susan K.

    2008-01-01

    This report--based on an exploratory empirical study of state certification and licensure policies, 10 states' employment databases, a survey of teachers with interstate mobility experience, and focus groups of American Association for Employment in Education members and Troops-to-Teachers state directors--focuses on the certification and…

  17. Queensland Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment: The Impact of Policy Priorities on Teacher Attitudes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Gavin T. L.; Lake, Robert; Matters, Gabrielle

    2011-01-01

    The conceptions Queensland teachers have about assessment purposes were surveyed in 2003 with an abridged version of the Teacher Conceptions of Assessment Inventory. Multi-group analysis found that a model with four factors, somewhat different in structure to previous studies, was statistically different between Queensland primary and (lower)…

  18. Teacher-implemented joint attention intervention: pilot randomized controlled study for preschoolers with autism.

    PubMed

    Lawton, Kathy; Kasari, Connie

    2012-08-01

    The vast majority of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) attend public preschools at some point in their childhood. Community preschool practices often are not evidence based, and almost none target the prelinguistic core deficits of ASD. This study investigated the effectiveness of public preschool teachers implementing a validated intervention (the Joint Attention and Symbolic Play/Engagement and Regulation intervention; JASP/ER) on a core deficit of autism, initiating joint attention. Sixteen dyads (preschoolers with ASD and the public school teachers who worked in the child's classroom) were randomly assigned to the 6-week JASP/ER intervention or a control group. At the end of the intervention, JASP/ER teachers used more JASP/ER strategies than the control teachers, and JASP/ER preschoolers used more joint attention in their classroom than control children. Additionally, JASP/ER children spent more time in supported engagement and less time in object engagement than control preschoolers on a taped play interaction. Findings suggest that teachers were able to improve a core deficit of children with ASD in a public preschool context. © 2012 American Psychological Association

  19. An Exploratory Study of the Effects of Teacher Attractiveness on Undergraduates' Perceptions of Teacher-Student Sexual Involvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fromuth, Mary Ellen; Kelly, David B.; Wilson, Amy K.; Finch, Lanjericha V.; Scruggs, Lindsey

    2013-01-01

    This study explored whether the attractiveness of a teacher affected perceptions of teacher sexual misconduct. Respondents (120 female and 108 male undergraduates) read scenarios depicting teacher sexual misconduct varied by gender dyad (male teacher-female student and female teacher-male student) and two levels of attractiveness (very attractive…

  20. Investigation of the Application of Communicative Language Teaching in the English Language Classroom -- A Case Study on Teachers' Attitudes in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coskun, Abdullah

    2011-01-01

    This qualitative study aimed to reveal whether teachers' classroom practices overlap with their attitudes towards certain features of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) such as pair and group-work activities, fluency and accuracy, error correction and the role of the teacher. Before conducting an open-ended questionnaire with two teachers of…

  1. Self-knowledge of health teachers: A qualitative exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Canever, Bruna Pedroso; do Prado, Marta Lenise; Gomes, Diana Coelho; Backes, Vânia Marli Schubert; de Jesus, Bruna Helena

    2018-06-01

    Specific pedagogical training for teaching in the area of health emerges with the goal of creating critical and reflective professionals and as a necessary challenge to university teaching, where there is reflection on self-awareness, consciousness, and the incompleteness of being. This study aims to understand how Freire's critical consciousness is expressed in the pedagogical practice of health teachers. This study is a qualitative study that is descriptive, exploratory, and analytical. Twenty-one teachers from a public university in southern Brazil participated. Data were collected using open-ended, in-person interviews held from May to December 2013. Data systematization was based on Minayo's operative proposal. The analysis yielded 2 main categories, including the naïve critical consciousness of health teachers, i.e., education as a practice of oppression, and the epistemological critical consciousness of health teachers, i.e., education as a practice of freedom. The results revealed the teachers' self-knowledge, including the reasoning and motivations that made them become teachers, the characteristics considered necessary to be a teacher, the teachers' feelings in their teaching practice, and the teaching preparation required for being in the classroom from the perspective of naïve and epistemological critical consciousness. The study shows that the self-knowledge that emerged from the teachers' reports encourages new perspectives in the construction of the teacher, raising the challenge of development and transformation from naïve consciousness to epistemological consciousness, and thus contributing to a breakthrough with respect to critical and creative teacher training. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. CATTS (Computer Assisted Teacher Training System) Technology in Analyzing Observational Data from Public School Classrooms: A Study of Interactive Tactics and Decisions of Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lynch, William W.

    Prompting of reading errors is a common pattern of teaching behavior occurring in reading groups. Teachers' tactics in responding to pupil errors during oral reading in public school classrooms were analyzed with the assistance of the technology of the Computer Assisted Teacher Training System (CATTS) to formulate hypotheses about teacher decision…

  3. Seeing Teacher Education Differently through Self-Study of Professional Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forgasz, Rachel

    2017-01-01

    The practicum is an important part of teacher education and has been widely studied from a variety of perspectives, including teacher candidates, associate or cooperating teachers, and supervisors. In this issue of "Studying Teacher Education," each author has written a self-study describing a personal journey of coming to understand…

  4. Effectiveness of Lesson Study Approach on Preservice Science Teachers' Beliefs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yakar, Zeha; Turgut, Duygu

    2017-01-01

    Beliefs influence teacher decision in the classroom. Because of this reason, understanding teachers' beliefs is important. It is also critical to study teachers' beliefs who integrate science in the classroom. In this study, the effects of microteaching with lesson study approach on preservice science teachers' beliefs about learning and teaching…

  5. Digital Literacy and Sustainability--A Field Study in EFL Teacher Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Christopher; Berggren, Jan

    2016-01-01

    This project introduces the concept of digital literacy at a practical level to a group of EFL teachers within the context of a single work place; a technologically well-resourced upper secondary school in Sweden. English teachers were provided with a theoretical and practical overview of the digital literacy concept as described by Dudeney,…

  6. Satisfaction of Jewish and Arab teachers in Israel.

    PubMed

    Bogler, Ronit

    2005-02-01

    The author investigated the differences between Jewish Israeli and Arab Israeli teachers in their satisfaction with their work. Initially, the goal of the present study was to investigate whether there were demographic attributes (such as age, gender, and education) that differentiated between the two groups of teachers. Later, the author added two variables, teachers' perceptions of their occupation and teachers' perceptions of their principals' leadership styles, to the analysis to examine their contribution to the level of satisfaction for each group. Regression analyses revealed the significant power of the two added variables in predicting teacher satisfaction among both Jewish and Arab Israeli teachers. The author discussed implications of the findings in relation to principals' roles and teachers' perceptions.

  7. Developing Student Teachers' Critical Thinking and Professional Values: A Case Study of a Teacher Educator in Singapore

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Low, Ee Ling; Hui, Chenri; Cai, Li

    2017-01-01

    This paper explores how thinking and values in student teachers are cultivated in the Singapore context, via a case study of a teacher educator selected based on having won excellence in teaching commendation awards. The study adopts a qualitative case study methodology (i.e., interviews with the teacher educator and her student teachers) and uses…

  8. Developing Productive Dispositions during Small-Group Work in Two Sixth-Grade Mathematics Classrooms: Teachers' Facilitation Efforts and Students' Self-Reported Benefits

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jansen, Amanda

    2012-01-01

    Through this exploratory study, I developed conjectures about classroom conditions that had the potential to support (or not) the development of productive dispositions toward mathematics. To do so, I listened to sixth-grade students' voices about their experiences with small-group work in 2 mathematics classrooms and contrasted their teachers'…

  9. Is My Social Studies Teacher Democratic?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kiroglu, Kasim

    2013-01-01

    Problem Statement: Democracy and education are two concepts that influence, transform, and improve each other in time. In this sense, we could talk about a symbiotic relationship between democracy and education. The social studies teacher himself or herself must primarily be tolerant towards the class, respect both students and fellow teachers,…

  10. Trainee Teacher Practices: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Subramaniam, Selva Ranee

    2005-01-01

    Questioning skills are significant pedagogical strategies in science teaching and learning. This study explored the questioning skills of a trainee teacher during a 10-week practicum period. The trainee teacher was audio-taped and evaluated in the form of an action research methodology was done in the first two weeks. The quantitative data…

  11. Student Teachers' Collaborative Research: Small-Scale Research Projects during Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dobber, Marjolein; Akkerman, Sanne F.; Verloop, Nico; Vermunt, Jan D.

    2012-01-01

    Teacher research is increasingly described as an important aspect of professional development. In response, teacher education programs incorporate teacher research in their curricula. We report on the collaborative research processes of two groups of student teachers in a university teacher education program, focussing on elaboration and decision…

  12. Challenges and Changes: Developing Teachers' and Initial Teacher Education Students' Understandings of the Nature of Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ward, Gillian; Haigh, Mavis

    2017-12-01

    Teachers need an understanding of the nature of science (NOS) to enable them to incorporate NOS into their teaching of science. The current study examines the usefulness of a strategy for challenging or changing teachers' understandings of NOS. The teachers who participated in this study were 10 initial teacher education chemistry students and six experienced teachers from secondary and primary schools who were introduced to an explicit and reflective activity, a dramatic reading about a historical scientific development. Concept maps were used before and after the activity to assess teachers' knowledge of NOS. The participants also took part in a focus group interview to establish whether they perceived the activity as useful in developing their own understanding of NOS. Initial analysis led us to ask another group, comprising seven initial teacher education chemistry students, to take part in a modified study. These participants not only completed the same tasks as the previous participants but also completed a written reflection commenting on whether the activity and focus group discussion enhanced their understanding of NOS. Both Lederman et al.'s (Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(6), 497-521, 2002) concepts of NOS and notions of "naive" and "informed" understandings of NOS and Hay's (Studies in Higher Education, 32(1), 39-57, 2007) notions of "surface" and "deep" learning were used as frameworks to examine the participants' specific understandings of NOS and the depth of their learning. The ways in which participants' understandings of NOS were broadened or changed by taking part in the dramatic reading are presented. The impact of the data-gathering tools on the participants' professional learning is also discussed.

  13. Primary School Teachers' Views on Intergenerational Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Polat, Soner; Kazak, Ender

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine the views of primary school teachers on intergenerational learning (IGL). The study group consists of eight primary schools in the central district of Düzce during the 2013-2014 academic year and 13 teachers who teach in these schools. Participants were selected among teachers working in Düzce's city…

  14. Mainstream Classroom Teachers and ESL Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clair, Nancy

    1995-01-01

    This case study argues that teachers are ill-prepared to give English-as-a-Second-Language students the instruction they need for integration into mainstream classrooms, and advocates ongoing teacher study groups as a replacement for traditional one-shot workshops. (Contains 21 references.) (LR)

  15. Three Studies of Teacher Planning. Research Series No. 55.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Christopher M.; Yinger, Robert J.

    Three studies on teacher planning procedures are described and synthesized--a survey, a laboratory study, and a series of case studies. The primary goal of this research was to determine how teachers plan classroom activities, why they plan in certain ways, and what is the relationship between teacher planning and teaching effectiveness. A survey…

  16. A Case Study of Markdale High School's Implementation of Heterogeneously-Grouped Classes in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pierre-Louis, Fred

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to describe Markdale High School's change from separate college preparatory and general level classes to heterogeneously-grouped classes in English, mathematics, science, and social studies, with particular emphasis on the principal's leadership style, change process, and teacher concerns (Hall & Hord, 2006)…

  17. Using a Complexity Approach to Study the Interpersonal Dynamics in Teacher-­Student Interactions: A Case Study of Two Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pennings, Helena J. M.

    2017-01-01

    In the present study, complex dynamic systems theory and interpersonal theory are combined to describe the teacher-student interactions of two teachers with different interpersonal styles. The aim was to show and explain the added value of looking at different steps in the analysis of behavioral time-series data (i.e., observations of teacher and…

  18. Evaluation of Electronic Writing Experiences of Turkish Teacher Candidates at WATTPAD Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aytan, Talat

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to analyze Turkish teacher candidates' electronic writing experiences at wattpad.com environment. The study group of this research consisted of 53 Turkish teacher candidates who were studying at a state university in Istanbul. Teacher candidates in the study group joined Wattpad.com and wrote at least one narrative…

  19. [The knowledge of students and teachers of selected groups about the OTC drugs containing codeine and pseudoephedrine--an alternative to "legal highs"?].

    PubMed

    Sliwińska-Mossoń, Mariola; Marcinkiewicz, Marcin; Marciniak, Katarzyna; Milnerowicz, Halina

    2015-01-01

    Currently the youth to intoxication increasingly used drugs generally available over the counter (OTC, Over-The-Counter drug) containing psychotropic substances. The knowledge on the subject among parents and teachers is inadequate. The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge of students and teachers about OTC drugs containing codeine or pseudoephedrine and their consequences on the use and popularity of these drugs. The study was conducted from December 2014 to March 2015 of 93 respondents. In conducting the study used research tool in the form of an anonymous questionnaire consisting of 21 questions for the students and teachers of 16 questions, the questions relate knowledge of the studied group persons on the OTC drugs containing codeine or pseudoephedrine and the effects of their use. Among the students participating in the study, the majority of respondents are aware that using drugs containing codeine or pseudoephedrine can be addicted to them. Higher knowledge on this subject have demonstrated high school students, but less teachers. Most of the respondents had knowledge about the health effects that result from an overdose of these drugs. Among the students most frequently reported sources of knowledge about OTC drugs containing codeine or pseudoephedrine were friends and the Internet. The general knowledge of high school students and teachers on the effects of OTC medications containing codeine or pseudoephedrine is not sufficient. There is a need to conduct preventive and educational action aimed at increasing knowledge among youth and adults on the health effects of these drugs.

  20. How Physics Teachers Approach Innovation: An Empirical Study for Reconstructing the Appropriation Path in the Case of Special Relativity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De Ambrosis, Anna; Levrini, Olivia

    2010-01-01

    This paper concerns an empirical study carried out with a group of high school physics teachers engaged in the Module on relativity of a Master course on the teaching of modern physics. The study is framed within the general research issue of how to promote innovation in school via teachers' education and how to foster fruitful interactions…

  1. Group Work and the Learning of Critical Thinking in the Hong Kong Secondary Liberal Studies Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fung, Dennis; Howe, Christine

    2014-01-01

    This article reports the findings of a one-year longitudinal study that investigated the impact of group work on the development of students' critical thinking in Hong Kong secondary schools. It explores whether the participation of teachers in a group-based teaching intervention adapted from an earlier study conducted in the United Kingdom (UK)…

  2. Perceptions of Teacher Candidates about Social Network Usage Levels in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koçoglu, Erol

    2017-01-01

    This study was conducted to determine the perceptions of the teacher candidates in educational faculties in Turkey about social network usage levels in today's globalizing world. The study was performed with 4 separate study groups. The first study group consisted of 657 teacher candidates, the second study group consisted of 364 teacher…

  3. [Appraisal of occupational stress and strain in primary and secondary school teachers].

    PubMed

    Wang, Z; Lan, Y; Li, J; Wang, M

    2001-09-01

    This study was conducted to assess occupational stress and strain in primary and secondary school teachers. A test of occupational stress and strain was carried out by using Occupational Stress Inventory Revised Edition (OSI-R) in 1460 primary and secondary school teachers (teacher group) and 319 mental workers in non-educational area (non-teacher group as control). The results showed the level of occupational stress in role overload and physical environment in the teacher group was significantly higher than that in the non-teacher group (P < 0.05). In teacher group the level of occupational stress and strain increased with age; the occupational stress and strain in male teachers were significantly higher than those in female teachers (P < 0.01); the occupational stress and strain in secondary school teachers were significantly higher than those in primary school teachers. These results indicate: to protect and promote primary and secondary school teacher's health, particularly male teachers' health, to mitigate their work pressure and to raise the quality of education are important tasks in the area of occupational health.

  4. A professional development study of technology education in secondary science teaching in Benin: Issues of teacher change and self-efficacy beliefs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kelani, Razacki Raphael E. D.

    This study has two purposes. The practical purpose of the study was to provide Benin middle school science teachers with an effective technology education professional development (TEPD) program which granted teachers with content knowledge in technology education (TE), PCK in TE, design hands-on models in TE, and design rubrics assessing students' works. The research purpose of the study was to explore teachers' TE content knowledge and PCK, changes in teachers' self-efficacy beliefs in teaching the TE portion of the curriculum, and teachers' perceptions of their TEPD experience after participating in the program. Four sessions of the TEPD program were carried out with two groups of teachers (N = 23 & 28). A mixed methods research design was utilized to collect data. Pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest research design was used to collect quantitative data. Two instruments, the technology education teacher self-efficacy beliefs instrument (TETEBI) and the TE Awareness instrument, were designed. The qualitative research design employed a case study with participating teachers' after-session journals and after-session evaluation, classroom observations, teachers' and students' interviews. Overall results of the study revealed that the TEPD program impacted positively participating teachers. Salient results indicated that (1) the TEPD program was effective; (2) although quantitative analysis was inconclusive, through documents analysis, teachers' self-efficacy beliefs were enhanced after participating in the program; (3) teachers did acquire TE content knowledge and PCK; (4) teachers were effectively teaching the TE lessons integrated in the science curriculum; and (5) teachers expressed positive perceptions about the program and acknowledged its soundness, relevancy and effectiveness. Other characteristics of effective PD have been founded such as trainers' expertise and consideration of cultural and contextual issues of the trainees. Interpretations of the

  5. How physics teachers approach innovation: An empirical study for reconstructing the appropriation path in the case of special relativity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Ambrosis, Anna; Levrini, Olivia

    2010-07-01

    This paper concerns an empirical study carried out with a group of high school physics teachers engaged in the Module on relativity of a Master course on the teaching of modern physics. The study is framed within the general research issue of how to promote innovation in school via teachers’ education and how to foster fruitful interactions between research and school practice via the construction of networks of researchers and teachers. In the paper, the problems related to innovation are addressed by focusing on the phase during which teachers analyze an innovative teaching proposal in the perspective of designing their own paths for the class work. The proposal analyzed in this study is Taylor and Wheeler’s approach for teaching special relativity. The paper aims to show that the roots of problems known in the research literature about teachers’ difficulties in coping with innovative proposals, and usually related to the implementation process, can be found and addressed already when teachers approach the proposal and try to appropriate it. The study is heuristic and has been carried out in order to trace the “appropriation path,” followed by the group of teachers, in terms of the main steps and factors triggering the progressive evolution of teachers’ attitudes and competences.

  6. From Initial Teacher Education through Induction and Beyond: A Longitudinal Study of Primary Teacher Beliefs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ní Chróinín, Déirdre; O'Sullivan, Mary

    2014-01-01

    A better understanding of the relationship between beginning teachers' beliefs and the pedagogies of teacher education (TE) programmes that support their learning across time can enhance TE programme effectiveness. This 6-year longitudinal study examined the development and change of beginning primary classroom teachers' (n = 6) beliefs about…

  7. Case Study of Instructional Innovation among Elementary Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCracklin, Patricia

    2012-01-01

    In one mid-western elementary school, teachers received training designed to change their teaching methods in their classrooms. Research has shown teachers have difficulty changing teaching behaviors. The research questions addressed teachers' beliefs and understandings of teaching in a new way. The theoretical framework for this study is…

  8. Effective small group teaching strategies for research supervision - A case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pathirana, Assela

    2010-05-01

    UNESCO-IHE's students are unique in several aspects: they are mid-career professionals separated from their last university experience by a number of years in the profession, they are from diverse social and cultural backgrounds, and they often have relatively clear understanding on the diverse problems in the practice of engineering in their respective countries and are focused on solving those. As a result of the diversity in many forms, managing effective groups during the research phase of the UNESCO-IHE master's course pose considerable challenge. In this paper, we present a unique combination of tools and approaches that are employed in managing a small group of students (between five and ten) in one study area, who were working on diverse research topics that had the common denominator of mathematical modelling. We blend a number of traditional (e.g. seminars, group discussions, focused training sessions) and non-traditional (e.g. Using collaboration platforms like WIKI, peer-learning) approaches so that the cohesion of the group in maintained and every member benefits from being a part of the group. Four years of experience with employing this blend of tools on a six-month long master's research programme showed us: The approach motivates the students to perform focusing not only on the end-goal of their research study, but on the process of day to day work that lead to that goal. The students' self-confidence is often enhanced by being a part of close-knit group. Initial workload of the teacher increases significantly by this approach, but later this is more than compensated by the fact that the teacher has to do little maintain the momentum. Both strong and not so-strong students equally benefit from the approach. A significant number of students develop a keen interest in being involved in research further. (e.g. engaging in doctoral studies.)

  9. Pre-Service Teachers' Views of Inquiry Teaching and Their Responses to Teacher Educators' Feedback on Teaching Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoon, Hye-Gyoung; Kim, Mijung; Kim, Byoung Sug; Joung, Yong Jae; Park, Young-Shin

    2013-01-01

    This study attempted to explore 15 Korean elementary pre-service teachers' views of inquiry teaching. During a science teaching methods course, pre-service teachers implemented a peer teaching lesson, had a group discussion to reflect on five teacher educators' comments on their first peer teaching practice, and revised and re-taught the lesson as…

  10. TPACK in Teacher Education: Are We Preparing Teachers to Use Technology for Early Literacy?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Voogt, Joke; McKenney, Susan

    2017-01-01

    This study examines if and how five teacher education institutes are helping students to develop the technological pedagogical content knowledge needed to effectively use technology for early literacy. Focus group discussions were held with teacher educators in which their responses to expert recommendations were probed. Findings indicate that,…

  11. Teacher Evaluation in Colorado: How Policy Frustrates Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramirez, Al; Clouse, Wendi; Davis, Kristyn White

    2014-01-01

    This article is a report of a study that used data from multiple sources to explore the hypothesis that systemic barriers inherent in Colorado's teacher evaluation policies often contribute to ineffective teacher evaluations across the state. Data were collected from extant studies, focus groups, and surveys of teachers, site administrators/head…

  12. Zimbabwean Teachers in South Africa: A Transient Greener Pasture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Villiers, Rian; Weda, Zenzele

    2017-01-01

    Zimbabwean teachers constitute the largest group of migrant teachers in South Africa (Department of Higher Education & Training (DHET), 2013). The main reason South Africa welcomes migrant teachers is to ease the country's own teacher shortage. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore Zimbabwean teachers' motives for migration to…

  13. Tracing the Signature Dynamics of Language Teacher Immunity: A Retrodictive Qualitative Modeling Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hiver, Phil

    2017-01-01

    This article describes a validation study using Retrodictive Qualitative Modeling, a framework for conducting research from a dynamic and situated perspective, to establish an empirical foundation for a new phenomenological construct--language teacher immunity. Focus groups (N = 44) conducted with second language (L2) practitioners and teacher…

  14. Assisting Teachers' Thinking and Participation Online

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kale, Ugur; Brush, Thomas; Saye, John

    2009-01-01

    This study examines online messages in a discussion forum that a group of K-12 history teachers used to discuss curriculum implementations as part of their professional development. It has 3 main research foci. First, it focuses on identifying the types of assistances provided to the teachers in an online forum. Second, it examines teachers'…

  15. Perspectives on Teacher Quality: Bilingual Education and ESL Teacher Certification, Test-Taking Experiences, and Instructional Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lemberger, Nancy; Reyes-Carrasquillo, Angela

    2011-01-01

    This descriptive exploratory study looked at the certification process, test-taking experiences, and instructional practices of a group of graduate bilingual education (BE) and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers to understand why some had problems passing teacher certification tests after completing their degrees. The study surveyed 63 BE…

  16. Teacher change and professional development: A case study of teachers engaged in an innovative constructivist science curriculum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akura, Okong'o. Gabriel

    This study examined both the changes that elementary school teachers experienced when they implemented a reform-based science curriculum and the impact of professional development on this transformation. The research involved a case study of three purposefully selected teachers implementing the Linking Food and the Environment (LIFE) program during the 2002--2003 school year. The LIFE program is a curriculum designed to enhance science literacy among learners from high poverty urban environments. While the study was grounded in the tradition of critical theory (Carspecken, 1996), the theoretical perspective of hermeneutic phenomenology (van Manen, 1990) guided data collection and analysis. Extensive observations of the teachers were made in order to capture and record the teacher change phenomenon. Data were recorded by means of field notes, audio and videotapes, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and video Stimulated Recall (SR) interviews. Emerging themes relating to teacher change, knowledge interests, constructivist pedagogy, and professional development illustrated how teachers grapple with various aspects of implementing a reform-based science curriculum. The teachers in this study were similar to those in earlier investigations, which found that sustained professional development programs involving mentoring and constant reflection enable elementary science teachers to change their instructional strategies from the technical-realist orientation towards the practical-hermeneutic and emancipatory-liberatory orientations. The study has implications for science curriculum developers and designers of professional development programs.

  17. Leading Preservice Teachers to Water...and Helping Them Drink: How Candidate Teachability Affects the Gatekeeping and Advocacy Roles of Teacher Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Page, Michelle L.; Rudney, Gwen L.; Marxen, Carol E.

    2004-01-01

    This qualitative study is part of an ongoing, systematic self-study examining preservice teachers' growth from student to teacher. In this phase, the authors specifically explored student teacher growth and development in the context of a constructivist, developmental, and standards-based program. Research questions were: (1) How did a group of…

  18. A play and joint attention intervention for teachers of young children with autism: a randomized controlled pilot study.

    PubMed

    Wong, Connie S

    2013-05-01

    The aim of this study was to pilot test a classroom-based intervention focused on facilitating play and joint attention for young children with autism in self-contained special education classrooms. Thirty-three children with autism between the ages of 3 and 6 years participated in the study with their classroom teachers (n = 14). The 14 preschool special education teachers were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) symbolic play then joint attention intervention, (2) joint attention then symbolic intervention, and (3) wait-list control period then further randomized to either group 1 or group 2. In the intervention, teachers participated in eight weekly individualized 1-h sessions with a researcher that emphasized embedding strategies targeting symbolic play and joint attention into their everyday classroom routines and activities. The main child outcome variables of interest were collected through direct classroom observations. Findings indicate that teachers can implement an intervention to significantly improve joint engagement of young children with autism in their classrooms. Furthermore, multilevel analyses showed significant increases in joint attention and symbolic play skills. Thus, these pilot data emphasize the need for further research and implementation of classroom-based interventions targeting play and joint attention skills for young children with autism.

  19. Enhancing of Self-Efficacy in Teacher Education Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Malinauskas, Romualdas K.

    2017-01-01

    In this study, the effectiveness of training module on enhancing self-efficacy in teacher education students was investigated. Sixty-eight (68) teacher education students (M age = 22.74; SD = 0.57) participated in this study, 36 of whom were assigned to an experimental group and the other 32 were assigned to a control group. The training module on…

  20. "The False Promise of Group Harmony": The Centrality of Challenging Practices in Teachers' Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raider-Roth, Miriam; Stieha, Vicki; Kohan, Mark; Turpin, Carrie

    2014-01-01

    This article discusses an action research study of a week-long Summer Teachers Institute which immersed teachers in the study of Jewish historical and cultural texts. We investigate how this kind of cultural immersion created opportunities for transformative learning--the kind of learning that would not merely be the application of "new…

  1. What do emergency medicine learners want from their teachers? A multicenter focus group analysis.

    PubMed

    Thurgur, Lisa; Bandiera, Glen; Lee, Shirley; Tiberius, Richard

    2005-09-01

    To the best of the authors' knowledge, there are no reports describing what learners believe are good emergency medicine (EM) teaching practices. EM faculty developers are compromised by this lack of knowledge about what EM learners appreciate in their teachers. To determine what Canadian EM learners consider to be good prerequisites and strategies for effective teaching in the emergency department (ED). Clinical clerks and residents from the Canadian College of Family Physicians, Emergency Medicine certification [CCFP(EM)] fellowship program, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Emergency Medicine certification [FRCP(EM)] fellowship program, and off-service programs from all five Ontario medical schools participated in monitored focus-group sessions. Conversations were recorded, transcribed by a third party, and coded by two independent assessors using standard grounded theory methods. The text was categorized based on the final code into basic themes and specific qualifiers, which were then sorted by frequency of mention in the focus groups. Results are presented in descriptive fashion. Twenty-eight learners participated. They identified 14 major principles for good EM teaching, and a further 30 specific qualifiers. The top five principles were: "has a positive teacher attitude," "takes time to teach," "uses teachable moments well," "tailors teaching to the learner," and "gives appropriate feedback." Agreement on classification of ideas was 86%. Learners are sensitive to the constraints of the ED teaching environment, and have consistent views about good ED teaching practices. Among 14 general principles identified, "takes time to teach," "gives feedback," "tailors teaching to the learner," "uses teachable moments," and "has a good teacher attitude" were the most commonly reported.

  2. Teachers' Experience with Inclusive Education in Singapore

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeo, Lay See; Chong, Wan Har; Neihart, Maureen F.; Huan, Vivien S.

    2016-01-01

    Teachers' positive attitude is most critically and consistently associated with successful inclusion. However, little is known about teachers' first-hand encounters with inclusive education in Singapore. We present findings from a qualitative study on inclusion based on focus group interviews with 202 teachers from 41 resourced primary schools.…

  3. Creating Teacher Communities of Inquiry through Lesson Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Widjaja, Wanty

    2013-01-01

    Opportunities for teachers to engage in collaborative learning to examine and reflect on their practice are vital for sustained professional learning. Lesson Study centres on teachers coming together with colleagues to plan, observe, and reflect on classroom teaching and learning as a Community of Inquiry. In this project, six teachers from three…

  4. Salary and Ranking and Teacher Turnover: A Statewide Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia, Cynthia Martinez; Slate, John R.; Delgado, Carmen Tejeda

    2009-01-01

    This study examined three years of data obtained from the Academic Excellence Indicator System of the State of Texas regarding teacher turnover rate and teacher salary. Across all public school districts, teacher salary was consistently negatively related to teacher turnover; that is, where salary was lower, turnover rate was higher When data were…

  5. An Increasing of Primary School Teachers' Competency in Brain-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waree, Chaiwat

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to develop a powerful and empowering guide (CBT) of elementary school teachers, to compare the ability of elementary school teachers. Management learning uses brain as a base. The experimental group with a control group the experimental group used in this research was a teacher at the grade level. 4-6 in province By…

  6. ICT Student Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yilmaz, Nuray Parlak

    2016-01-01

    This study aimed to identify the difficulties that information technology student teachers have in teaching concepts. This qualitative study was carried out with 12 student teachers. The student teachers were fourth-year students enrolled in the Special Teaching Methods II course in the spring semester of the 2010-2011 academic year. The research…

  7. Using school grounds for nature studies: An exploratory study of elementary teachers' experiences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Willis, Tamra Lee

    2001-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to gain understanding of the experiences of elementary teachers who used school grounds to do nature studies. Following an inductive, naturalistic approach, the goal was to explore the phenomenon using words of teachers as guides to understanding. Interviews were conducted with a purposeful sampling of ten quality public school teachers in grades K--5 who were well-known for their schoolyard nature programs. Interview questions were focused by a theoretical framework of environmental cognition. Data were gathered about how teachers came to use the outdoors to teach and how they experienced teaching nature studies on the school grounds. A conceptual model of Quality Teachers of Schoolyard Nature Studies was delineated. The model consisted of three components: teacher past and present experiences with nature, teacher beliefs relevant to using the school grounds for nature studies, and teacher action efficacy pertaining to schoolyard nature programs. The model suggested a relationship between teachers' personal experiences' with nature and their beliefs about sharing nature with children. In addition, the model connected teachers' beliefs about schoolyard nature to their action efficacy, i.e. action behavior reflected through motivation and commitment. The participants shared many common experiences and beliefs. Most had extensive childhood experiences in nature and memories of adults who shared nature with them. They did not consider themselves nature experts, but felt they knew the basics of natural science from their own experiences outdoors and from working with children. The teachers' beliefs about schoolyard nature studies developed from several dimensions of their lives: experiences with nature, experiences teaching, and experiences with students. They were motivated to share nature with students on the school grounds by their beliefs that students would come to appreciate and understand nature, just as they had during their own

  8. Teacher Supervision and Evaluation: A Case Study of Administrators' and Teachers' Perceptions of Mini Observations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Thomas F.

    2013-01-01

    This case study will investigate teachers' and administrators' perceptions of the relationship between mini observations and teacher performance to understand what effect, if any, a system of mini observations has on teacher performance, and if mini observations influences a teacher's pedagogical practice differently than a…

  9. Looking back and moving forward: A mixed methods study of elementary science teacher preparation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hulings, Melissa

    This study sought to understand how science learning experiences, and their potential influence, had on preservice elementary teachers' self-efficacy and perceptions of science teaching and learning at the beginning of their science methods course. Following an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, this study first involved the collection of quantitative data and then the collection of more in-depth qualitative data. In the first phase, the quantitative data included the Draw-a-Science-Teacher-Test Checklist (DASTT-C) and the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) of preservice elementary teachers (n = 69). Findings from this phase indicated preservice elementary teachers had a higher level of belief in their abilities to teach science (PSTE subscale) than to affect student outcomes in science (STOE subscale). However, the STOE was not found to be a reliable measure for this group of preservice elementary teachers and was not included in any further analysis. Findings from the DASTT-C images indicated the majority of these drawings could not be classified as student-centered. In the second phase of this study, the researcher explored selected science autobiographies written by these same preservice elementary teachers (n = 19), based on extremely high or low scores on the PSTE subscale and DASTT-C. Analysis of the science autobiographies revealed commonalities and differences. Commonalities included (a) the difficulty in remembering science from elementary school; (b) a mixture of positive and negative experiences in secondary school and college science classes; (c) the descriptions of good science days and good science teachers; and (d) the descriptions of bad science days and bad science teachers. Differences included (a) the people who influenced their attitudes toward science; (b) the types of experiences, when remembered, from elementary school; and (c) visions of their future classrooms. Based on these findings, these preservice

  10. Multiple Perspectives on Elementary Teachers' Science Identities: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Madden, Lauren; Wiebe, Eric

    2015-01-01

    This narrative case study examined the relationship between teacher identity and elementary science teaching. Teacher identity was described using a modification of Gee's framework incorporating three perspectives: the teachers' self-described identity, the researchers' view of teacher identity, and the students' views of teacher identity. Over…

  11. Teacher Education Matters: A Study of Middle School Mathematics Teacher Preparation in Six Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schmidt, William H.; Blomeke, Sigrid; Tatto, Maria Teresa

    2011-01-01

    Based on a major international teacher education research project--the Mathematics Teaching in the 21st Century Study (MT21)--this book investigates the pre-service preparation of middle school mathematics teachers in the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Bulgaria, and Mexico. The study was funded by the National Science Foundation and…

  12. Disrupting ELL Teacher Candidates' Identities: Indigenizing Teacher Education in One Study Abroad Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kasun, G. Sue; Saavedra, Cinthya M.

    2016-01-01

    In this article, the researchers describe and theorize the challenges and promises of exposing preservice teachers' identities to indigenous, critical second language teaching experiences in one study abroad program in Mexico. The eight teacher candidates who participated in this 4-week program were predominantly white, like the majority of…

  13. Exploring the Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusive Education System: A Study of Indian Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kumar, Anil

    2016-01-01

    This article explores the attitudes of university and school teachers towards inclusive education system. One hundred teachers having equal number of male and female population was included in the study. Participants were administered an attitude scale namely--Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale (ATIE), developed by Wilczenski (1992) to…

  14. Beginning Secondary Science Teacher Induction: A Two-Year Mixed Methods Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luft, Julie A.; Firestone, Jonah B.; Wong, Sissy S.; Ortega, Ira; Adams, Krista; Bang, EunJin

    2011-01-01

    Those who study secondary science teachers are often concerned with preservice or in-service teacher development. Science teacher educators have acknowledged that this focus is limited, as the induction years of beginning teachers are an important component of teacher development. This mixed methods study focuses on the induction years of…

  15. Science teachers' perceptions of expertise in practice : An exploratory study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bevins, Stuart Carl

    This thesis reports on an exploration of the nature and characteristics of science teaching expertise as exhibited by six identified expert science teachers. An action research methodology was adopted with data gathered through: semi-structured interviews; classroom observations, and reflective discussions. A culture of collaboration between the researcher and teachers was encouraged by the researcher in an attempt to create a 'bottom-up' approach to the study. The teachers acted as research collaborators by continuously reflecting on, and analysing their knowledge and practice within the context of the study.The reported study emphasises a need for identifying characteristics of science teacher expertise from the insights of teachers themselves. The study considers the reflections and perceptions of the science teachers involved to be an important part of their continuing professional development, which leads to a greater self-awareness and understanding of their teaching expertise. Findings show that these six science teachers demonstrate: subject master; deep pedagogical understanding; considerable pedagogical content knowledge, and a desire to continue learning for an entire professional life, in an attempt to keep abreast of changes and developments in science and education. Within these characteristics, the teachers exhibit, for example, organisational skills, empathy, flexibility, intuition, enthusiasm and professionalism. Most of all, they demonstrate an ability to operate and communicate at the level of their pupils. They study contributes to the debate about effective teaching and better ways for teachers to learn from their experienced by offering a detailed account of science teacher expertise from the perceptions of six expert teachers. The study also highlights a wide ranging existing literature base in a attempt to offer a way of thinking about teaching expertise. Findings from the study indicate strong similarities with those of the existing

  16. A Study on Effects of Yoga on Adjustment Problems of School Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tamilselvi, B.; Thangarajathi, S.

    2013-01-01

    Teaching is a very stressful job requiring a teacher to stand for many hours daily alone before a group of some alienated pupils. Moreover, the teacher has to play multiple roles such as supporting parent, disciplinary taskmaster, stimulating actor and informative resource person. Researchers have identified various causes of job related stress of…

  17. Examination of the Attitudes of Preschool Teacher Candidates and Teacher Candidates in Other Branches towards Scientific Research in Terms of Some Variables

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ekici, Fatma Yasar

    2017-01-01

    The main objective of this study is to examine the attitudes of preschool teacher candidates and teacher candidates in other branches towards scientific research in terms of some variables. Survey method was used. The study group consists of 547 teacher candidates studying in education faculty of a private university in the spring term of…

  18. How Portuguese and American teachers plan for literacy instruction.

    PubMed

    Spear-Swerling, Louise; Lopes, Joao; Oliveira, Celia; Zibulsky, Jamie

    2016-04-01

    This study explored American and Portuguese elementary teachers' preferences in planning for literacy instruction using the Language Arts Activity Grid (LAAG; Cunningham, Zibulsky, Stanovich, & Stanovich, 2009), on which teachers described their preferred instructional activities for a hypothetical 2-h language arts block. Portuguese teachers (N = 186) completed Portuguese versions of a background questionnaire and LAAG electronically, in Survey Monkey; American teachers (N = 102) completed identical English measures using paper and pencil. Results showed that teachers in both groups usually addressed comprehension and reading fluency on their LAAGs and that they also allocated the most time to these two areas. However, American teachers were more likely to include teacher-directed fluency activities, whereas Portuguese teachers were more likely to include fluency activities that were not teacher directed. Significantly more American than Portuguese teachers addressed phonics in their planning, whereas significantly more Portuguese than American teachers addressed writing processes such as revision. Both groups of educators demonstrated large variability in planning, with many teachers omitting important components of literacy identified by researchers, for writing as well as reading. The study highlights the importance of providing teachers with comprehensive, research-based core literacy curricula as well as professional development on key components of literacy. Study findings also suggest significant relationships between orthographic transparency and teachers' instructional planning.

  19. Preparing Preservice Teacher Candidates to Differentiate Instructional Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ochoa, Bianca R.

    2013-01-01

    This action research study focused on how various grouping strategies influenced preservice teachers' differentiation of instruction. The participants included a third grade mentor teacher and three preservice teacher candidates. The candidate preparation curriculum consisted of seminars, daily field-based learning experiences, and ongoing…

  20. A Study on Reading Habits of Social Studies and History Teachers in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tuba, Sengül Bircan

    2017-01-01

    The development of reading habits in the society is influenced by both the family and school environment. Teachers are the most effective element within the school environment. Social studies teachers at the primary education level and history teachers at the secondary education level can be said to be branch teachers who should have an…

  1. A Study of the Perceptions of First-Year Teachers as Prepared Classroom Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ward, Vida Jane

    2015-01-01

    The quality of teacher education allows first-year teachers to meet mandates at federal and state levels (Darling-Hammond, 2010a). The teaching profession is complex and requires new and innovative quality preparation programs (Wei, Andree, & Darling-Hammond, 2009). This study involved examination of the perceptions of 17 building principals…

  2. Reflecting on Field Studies in Teacher Education: Experiences of Student Teachers in Sweden

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niklasson, Laila; Sandberg, Anette

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this article is to describe how field studies can be useful in teacher education. While participating in a specialty area called "Play, learning and development," student teachers collected data about their own and young children's experience and perception of the outdoor environment. They observed, carried out interviews from…

  3. Using Professional Development to Increase the Confidence of Teachers to Meet the Needs of Inclusion Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nolte, Peggy

    2010-01-01

    This study was designed to improve teachers' confidence levels for inclusive education. Two groups of teachers in one elementary school participated. One group of teachers participated in special trainings and met in small focus planning groups with special education teachers. One group did not participate in the trainings and focus groups. Both…

  4. Does Teacher Quality Affect Student Achievement? An Empirical Study in Indonesia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sirait, Swando

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher qualities in relation to student achievement in Indonesia. Teacher quality in this study defines as teacher evaluation score, in the areas of professional and pedagogic competency. The result of this study consonant to previous study that teacher quality, in term of teacher…

  5. ESL Teacher Education Abroad and at Home: A Cautionary Tale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pray, Lisa; Marx, Sherry

    2010-01-01

    In this article, we compared teacher attitudes and beliefs about culturally appropriate language teaching resulting from an examination of two groups of preservice teachers. One group of preservice teachers enrolled in an English as a Second Language (ESL) study abroad program in Mexico; the other enrolled in a traditional on-campus ESL program.…

  6. Teacher Educators' and Student Teachers' Beliefs about Preparation for Working with Families Including Those from Diverse Socioeconomic and Cultural Backgrounds

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    D'Haem, Jeanne; Griswold, Peter

    2017-01-01

    This mixed-methods study examined teacher preparation for developing family partnerships. The attitudes and practices of teacher educators and the attitudes and experiences of student teachers were explored in focus groups, documents, and a survey instrument. Results indicated that although partnerships were considered important by faculty and…

  7. A Case Study Exploring the Identity of an In-Service Elementary Science Teacher: a Language Teacher First

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marco-Bujosa, Lisa; Levy, Abigail Jurist; McNeill, Katherine

    2018-01-01

    Teachers are central to providing high-quality science learning experiences called for in recent reform efforts, as their understanding of science impacts both what they teach and how they teach it. Yet, most elementary teachers do not enter the profession with a particular interest in science or expertise in science teaching. Research also indicates elementary schools present unique barriers that may inhibit science teaching. This case study utilizes the framework of identity to explore how one elementary classroom teacher's understandings of herself as a science specialist were shaped by the bilingual elementary school context as she planned for and provided reform-based science instruction. Utilizing Gee's (2000) sociocultural framework, identity was defined as consisting of four interrelated dimensions that served as analytic frames for examining how this teacher understood her new role through social positioning within her school. Findings describe the ways in which this teacher's identity as a science teacher was influenced by the school context. The case study reveals two important implications for teacher identity. First, collaboration for science teaching is essential for elementary teachers to change their practice. It can be challenging for teachers to form an identity as a science teacher in isolation. In addition, elementary teachers new to science teaching negotiate their emerging science practice with their prior experiences and the school context. For example, in the context of a bilingual school, this teacher adapted the reform-based science curriculum to better meet the unique linguistic needs of her students.

  8. Mathematics Teachers' Views of Accountability Testing Revealed through Lesson Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yarema, Connie H.

    2010-01-01

    The practice of lesson study, a professional development model originating in Japan, aligns well with recommendations from research for teacher professional development. Lesson study is also an inductive research method that uncovers student thinking and, in parallel, grants teacher-educators the opportunity to study teachers' thinking about…

  9. Impact on quality of life in teachers after educational actions for prevention of voice disorders: a longitudinal study.

    PubMed

    Pizolato, Raquel Aparecida; Rehder, Maria Inês Beltrati Cornacchioni; Meneghim, Marcelo de Castro; Ambrosano, Glaucia Maria Bovi; Mialhe, Fábio Luiz; Pereira, Antonio Carlos

    2013-02-27

    Voice problems are more common in teachers due to intensive voice use during routine at work. There is evidence that occupational disphonia prevention programs are important in improving the quality voice and consequently the quality of subjects' lives. To investigate the impact of educational voice interventions for teachers on quality of life and voice. A longitudinal interventional study involving 70 teachers randomly selected from 11 public schools, 30 to receive educational intervention with vocal training exercises and vocal hygiene habits (experimental group) and 40 to receive guidance on vocal hygiene habits (control group control). Before the process of educational activities, the Voice-Related Quality of Life instrument (V-RQOL) was applied, and 3 months after conclusion of the activities, the subjects were interviewed again, using the same instrument. For data analysis, Prox MIXED were applied, with a level of significance α < 0.05. Teachers showed significantly higher domain and overall V-RQOL scores after preventive intervention, in both control and experimental groups. Nevertheless, there was no statistical difference in scores between the groups. Educational actions for vocal health had a positive impact on the quality of life of the participants, and the incorporation of permanent educational actions at institutional level is suggested.

  10. Impact on quality of life in teachers after educational actions for prevention of voice disorders: a longitudinal study

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Voice problems are more common in teachers due to intensive voice use during routine at work. There is evidence that occupational disphonia prevention programs are important in improving the quality voice and consequently the quality of subjects’ lives. Aim To investigate the impact of educational voice interventions for teachers on quality of life and voice. Methods A longitudinal interventional study involving 70 teachers randomly selected from 11 public schools, 30 to receive educational intervention with vocal training exercises and vocal hygiene habits (experimental group) and 40 to receive guidance on vocal hygiene habits (control group control). Before the process of educational activities, the Voice-Related Quality of Life instrument (V-RQOL) was applied, and 3 months after conclusion of the activities, the subjects were interviewed again, using the same instrument. For data analysis, Prox MIXED were applied, with a level of significance α < 0.05. Results: Teachers showed significantly higher domain and overall V-RQOL scores after preventive intervention, in both control and experimental groups. Nevertheless, there was no statistical difference in scores between the groups. Conclusion Educational actions for vocal health had a positive impact on the quality of life of the participants, and the incorporation of permanent educational actions at institutional level is suggested. PMID:23445566

  11. Use of eyeglasses among children in elementary school: perceptions, behaviors, and interventions discussed by parents, school nurses, and teachers during focus groups.

    PubMed

    Kodjebacheva, Gergana Damianova; Maliski, Sally; Coleman, Anne L

    2015-01-01

    To investigate the perceptions, behaviors, and recommendations that parents, school nurses, and teachers have regarding children's use of eyeglasses. Focus groups with parents, school nurses, and teachers were conducted. The study took place in one Southern California school district. There were 39 participants, including 24 parents, seven school nurses, and eight teachers. An experienced moderator guided the focus group discussions. Transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. Participants perceive visual impairment as a serious problem in the development of children. The lack of eyeglasses may lead to problems such as tiredness, headaches, inability to focus on school work, and decreased reading speed. Participants experienced disappointment, unhappiness, worry, and concern when they realized they needed eyeglasses at a young age. Negative societal perceptions toward eyeglasses, lack of eye doctors in minority communities, parental perceptions that children do not need eyeglasses, and peer bullying of children wearing eyeglasses are key obstacles to children's use of eyeglasses. Participants suggest school and national campaigns featuring respected public figures who wear eyeglasses to promote positive attitudes toward eyeglasses. Parents and teachers who closely follow the academic development of children have observed that visual impairment has negative consequences for the scholastic achievement of children. They recommend interventions to promote the attractiveness of eyeglasses in society. The participants discuss the need for a national preventative message for eye care similar to the message for dental care. The public health message should emphasize the importance of embracing and respecting differences among individuals.

  12. Pharmacological Neuroenhancement: teachers' knowledge and attitudes-Results from a survey study among teachers in Germany.

    PubMed

    Franke, Andreas G; Lehmberg, Sophie; Soyka, Michael

    2016-09-20

    Pharmacological neuroenhancement (PN) is a topic of increasing importance. Its prevalence rates range from 1 % to more than 20 %. Students are a group that shows exceptionally high prevalence rates. However, little is known about teachers' knowledge, management, attitudes and ethical judgements regarding PN. A web-based survey containing 40 closed questions was developed. All teachers working at all private and public schools in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a state in northeastern Germany, were invited to participate after their respective school offices were contacted by telephone, email and mail. In total, 255 teachers participated in the survey. Of those, 73.3 % had already heard about PN in general, and 68.2 % had heard about PN in students. Their sources of knowledge were digital media such as TV (73.8 %) and the internet (40.6 %) and print media (64.7 %); their own students informed 29.9 % of the teachers about PN in general and 35.6 % of them about PN among students. Furthermore, 34.9 % of the surveyed teachers were convinced that PN substance use was ineffective in general, and 51.8 % of the surveyed teachers believed that PN substances were ineffective in achieving better grades. Only 1.2 % thought that none of the so-called PN substances could lead to addiction, and 37.6 % would classify PN substance use as general drug misuse. The highest values regarding risk of addiction were observed for illicit drugs. The prevalence of PN substance use was evaluated to be very low and to be significantly higher in male, highly skilled and college/university students. In total, 1.6 school lessons per year were used to discuss PN. Finally, 55.7 % of the surveyed teachers believed that performance-enhancing substances should be forbidden at schools. Teachers, as an integral part of the education of children and adolescents, often know about PN substances and mostly refuse their use being afraid about the risk of addiction. However, regarding effects as well as

  13. Unpacking Everyday "Teacher Talk" about Students and Families of Color: Implications for Teacher and School Leader Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pollack, Terry M.

    2013-01-01

    Informal "teacher talk" about students is ubiquitous, but it remains largely unexamined. This study critically examines casual, everyday teacher discourse about students perceived to be racially or culturally "different." Data were collected through participants' journal entries, group discussion, and interviews. Findings…

  14. Secondary Science Teachers' Beliefs and Persistence: A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wong, Sissy S.; Luft, Julie A.

    2015-01-01

    While many studies focus on why teachers leave the classroom, there remains a need to study why teachers persist in teaching. One area to study is the beliefs of teachers, which may impact persistence in the field. This 5-year mixed-methods study explored whether 35 beginning secondary science teachers' beliefs were related to their persistence in…

  15. How Can Intercultural School Development Succeed? The Perspective of Teachers and Teacher Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kiel, Ewald; Syring, Marcus; Weiss, Sabine

    2017-01-01

    The large number of newly arrived individuals from other countries, particularly of young people, has had an enormous impact on the school system in Germany. The present study investigated requirements for successful intercultural school development. The study used investigative group discussions, where the groups were composed of teachers and…

  16. How Reflective are Teachers? A Study of Kindergarten Teachers' and Special Teachers' Levels of Reflection in Day Care

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pihlaja, Paivi Marjo; Holst, Teija Kristiina

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' reflections of their early childhood special education work in Finnish day care. Work contents and work roles have faced many challenges in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), and therefore general reflection and research need to be developed. Teachers ("n"?=?218) evaluated, via an…

  17. Early Career Teacher Professional Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCormack, Ann; Gore, Jennifer; Thomas, Kaye

    2006-01-01

    Becoming a teacher requires not only the development of a professional identity but the construction of professional knowledge and practice through continued professional learning. This study tracked a sample group of 16 early career teachers through their first year of teaching. The participants were encouraged to write about their experiences in…

  18. Describing Elementary Teachers' Operative Systems: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dotger, Sharon; McQuitty, Vicki

    2014-01-01

    This case study introduces the notion of an operative system to describe elementary teachers' knowledge and practice. Drawing from complex systems theory, the operative system is defined as the network of knowledge and practices that constituted teachers' work within a lesson study cycle. Data were gathered throughout a lesson study cycle in which…

  19. Comparison between exclusively school teacher-based and mixed school teacher and healthcare provider-based programme on basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation for secondary schools.

    PubMed

    Jiménez-Fábrega, X; Escalada-Roig, X; Miró, O; Sanclemente, G; Díaz, N; Gómez, X; Villena, O; Rodríguez, E; Gaspar, A; Molina, J E; Salvador, J; Sánchez, M

    2009-09-01

    To compare two teaching methodologies for PROCES (a basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (b-CPR) programme for secondary school students): one exclusively performed by school teachers (study group) and another by a mixed team of school teachers and healthcare providers (control group). According to their preferences, teachers chose either method and students were consequently assigned to the control or study group. All participants took a 10 multiple-choice question exam regarding b-CPR skills twice: immediately after PROCES and one year later. Eight or more correct answers was considered satisfactory learning. Results between groups were compared. Associations between satisfactory learning and some student characteristics were analysed. Immediately after PROCES, 442 students (219 in the study group and 223 in the control group) took the exam. The percentage of satisfactory learning was not different: 67.1% in the study group and 64.6% in the control group. Immediate satisfactory learning was related to the absence of pending subjects in the control (odds ratio (OR) 2.31, 95% CI 1.16 to 4.64) and study (OR 5.87, 95% CI 1.22 to 28.20) groups. One year later, a greater percentage of retention of b-CRP skills was detected in the study group (57.1% vs 40.6%; p = 0.01). The absence of any pending subject (OR 6.86, 95% CI 1.83 to 25.66) was independently associated with better retention in the study group, but not the control group. Secondary school teachers, previously trained in b-CPR, can teach these skills effectively to 14-16-year-old students using PROCES. The retention of b-CPR skills is greater with this methodology compared with a more standardised programme.

  20. Opinions of the Geography Teacher Candidates toward Mind Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seyihoglu, Aysegul

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to reveal the opinions of the teacher candidates about mind mapping technique used in Geography education of undergraduate program. In this study, the qualitative research techniques were used. The study group consists of 55 teacher candidates. The teacher candidates have been asked for their opinions about the process…

  1. Critiquing Teacher Professional Development: Teacher Learning within the Field of Teachers' Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hardy, Ian

    2010-01-01

    This study is an empirical account of the professional development (PD) practices that constituted part of the work of a group of teachers and school-based administrators working together in a cluster of six schools in southeast Queensland, Australia, during a period of intense educational reform. The data comprise meeting transcripts and…

  2. A manual-based group program to improve mental health: what kind of teachers are interested and who stands to benefit from this program?

    PubMed

    Unterbrink, Thomas; Pfeifer, Ruth; Krippeit, Lorena; Zimmermann, Linda; Rose, Uwe; Joos, Andreas; Hartmann, Armin; Wirsching, Michael; Bauer, Joachim

    2014-01-01

    In order to evaluate a manual-based group program for teachers aiming at strengthening mental health, we examined (1) whether the teachers interested in participating differ from their colleagues without interest and (2) whether there is evidence of subgroups benefiting more than others among those who participated. Out of a basic sample of 949 schoolteachers, 337 teachers declared interest in a group program. All teachers were surveyed with the "General Health Questionnaire", the "Maslach Burnout Inventory" and the "Effort Reward Imbalance Questionnaire". In addition, participating teachers were screened with the "Symptom Checklist 27" T and χ(2)-tests were calculated to detect differences between those interested in the program and the remaining 612 teachers. Six factors were established and used for a regression analysis that identified specific parameters more or less correlating with health benefits of those who participated in the program. Findings showed that those declaring interest in the intervention displayed a higher degree of occupational stress according to all health parameters examined. Teachers interested in the program were significantly younger, more frequently female and single. The regression analysis showed that the baseline scores of the six health parameters were the strongest predictors for improvement. Worse scores before the beginning of the intervention correlated with a more positive effect. Intervention programs aiming at alleviating the mental stress of teachers find the interest of those who need it most. More importantly, the latter are the ones who--at least if our program is applied-benefit best.

  3. Junior High Computer Studies: Teacher Resource Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

    This manual is designed to help classroom teachers in Alberta, Canada implement the Junior High Computer Studies Program. The first eight sections cover the following material: (1) introduction to the teacher resource manual; (2) program rationale and philosophy; (3) general learner expectations; (4) program framework and flexibility; (5) program…

  4. Preservice Teachers' Reflections of Their Involvement in a Home-School Connection Project in Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Amaro-Jiménez, Carla

    2016-01-01

    Many future teachers have had little guidance on how to develop and foster home-school connections, especially when working with culturally and linguistically diverse families. This qualitative action research study aimed to identify what two different groups of preservice teachers enrolled in methods for teaching English learners courses (104…

  5. Teacher Grading Decisions: Influences, Rationale, and Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kunnath, Joshua P.

    2017-01-01

    This mixed-methods study applied a decision-making theoretical framework to an investigation of teacher grading in a large urban school district in California. A sample of 251 high school teachers of core subjects were surveyed, and 15 teachers participated in four focus group interviews in order provide data on the influences, rationale, and…

  6. An exploration of the relationship between teacher beliefs and practices: Lessons from a self-study of a fourth- and fifth-grade science teacher

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Connell, Shelley Sha'ron

    2007-12-01

    This study was an investigation of the relationship between teacher beliefs and teaching practices. The relationship was explored to address reported inconsistencies among teacher beliefs, teaching practices and reform goals reported over the past 30 years. A self-study methodology was employed to collect data in a fourth-grade (n = 12) and a fifth-grade (n = 7) class at a private elementary school. Data were collected using a reflective journal and the Traditional Versus Inquiry-Based Classroom Behaviors instrument. Self-data were triangulated with critical judgment data from focus groups and interviews with students, parents, and a peer teacher observer. Data were collected and analyzed in four segments: (a) teacher beliefs, (b) teaching practices, (c) congruency between teacher beliefs and teaching practices, and (d) factors that influence congruency. Teacher beliefs were listed at the start of the school year and analyzed in narrative format. Teaching practices were recorded in the journal and analyzed through coding. The relationship between beliefs and practices was explored on two levels, following Haney & McArthur's (2002) modified theory of planned behavior. First, congruency between beliefs and practices was determined, yielding beliefs that were either central (congruent with practices) or peripheral (incongruent with practices) to the author's belief system. Second, congruency between central beliefs and two categories of teaching principles was determined, yielding three subdivisions: constructivist core (congruent with constructivist principles), emerging core (congruent with general principles) and conflict core (incongruent with constructivist principles) beliefs. Data analysis showed 16 central beliefs (those congruent with practice) in operation. The study finding was that teacher beliefs and practices were largely congruent for this one teacher. This contrasted most published reports. Coupling application of the TPB and modified TPB, congruence

  7. Are Mid-Career Entrants to Teaching at Lower Risk than Other Novice Teachers of Leaving an Urban School District? A Quantitative Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teoh, Mark B.

    2012-01-01

    While most new teachers make teaching their first career after college, recent studies show that there is a substantial group of teachers who start to teach after having had one or more careers outside of education. This group of career-changers or "mid-career entrants to teaching" are perceived to be a desirable source of teaching…

  8. Lesson Study as Professional Development within Secondary Physics Teacher Professional Learning Communities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Collins, Tonya Monique Nicki

    Two Professional Learning Communities of physics teachers from different high schools voluntarily participated in Lesson Study as a means of professional development. The five teacher-participants and one participant-researcher partook of two Lesson Study cycles, each of which focused on student physics misconceptions. The Lesson Study resulted in two topics of physics: projectiles and gravitation. The researcher aimed to determine what happens to secondary physics teachers who undergo Lesson Study through this phenomenological case study. Specifically, (1) What is the process of Lesson Study with secondary physics teachers? and (2) What are the teacher-reported outcomes of Lesson Study with secondary physics teachers? Overall, Lesson Study provided an avenue for secondary physics teachers to conduct inquiry on their students in an attempt to better understand student thinking and learning. As a result, teachers collaborated to learn how to better meet the needs of their students and self-reported growth in many areas of teaching and teacher knowledge. The study resulted in twelve hypotheses to be tested in later research centering on idealizing the process of Lesson Study and maximizing secondary physics teacher growth.

  9. Examining small "c" creativity in the science classroom: Multiple case studies of five high school teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lasky, Dorothea Shawn

    time and small group collaboration, how science teachers valued creativity, the importance of transdisciplinarity, teachers' student knowledge, and school context. This study contributes to the growing body of literature surrounding teacher practice and creativity by revealing a clear and concrete set of practical recommendations based on the Small 'c' Creativity Framework.

  10. Mentoring and Professional Teacher Development: A Case Study of Mentor Teachers at a Rural North Carolina High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Patricia D.

    2016-01-01

    This case study dissertation investigated the perceptions of mentor teachers in regard to their professional practice, teacher leadership, and workplace satisfaction. The researcher investigated the lived experiences of these teachers within the bounds of their prescribed relationships with a beginning teacher. This dissertation is motivated by…

  11. Teacher Curriculum Work Center: A Descriptive Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feiman, Sharon

    This monograph is one of a continuing series initiated to provide materials for teachers, parents, school administrators, and governmental decision-makers that might encourage reexamination of a range of evaluation issues and perspectives about schools and schooling. This monograph is a descriptive study of the Teacher Curriculum Work Center,…

  12. Preparation and Support for Part-Time Teachers in Higher Education: Case Studies of Departmental Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forster, Fred, Comp.; Thompson, Sheila, Comp.

    This publication presents 14 departmental case studies of the preparation and support provided to part-time teachers in Scottish institutions of higher education. The case studies are grouped in four sections according to the category of part-time staff involved: practicing professionals (professional teaching assistants, lawyers, artists, and…

  13. Linking the Private and Public: Teacher Leadership and Teacher Education in the Reflexive Modernity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Teng

    2016-01-01

    This study attempts to reveal the process of teacher leadership (TL) and its implications for teacher education. Two rounds of interviews, including focus group interviews with six chosen schools in Taiwan, were conducted to reveal the process. It was found that the development of TL is a stretching process from the key leader to core members,…

  14. Knowledge foundations for beginning reading teachers in EFL.

    PubMed

    Goldfus, Carol

    2012-10-01

    This study examined the knowledge that teachers need in order to become successful early reading teachers in English as a foreign language. The findings showed that in-service teachers had better content knowledge than pre-service teachers, although the results indicated overall low performance and insufficiently developed concepts about the structure of language, spelling rules, and academic terminology in both groups.

  15. Prospective Teachers' Perceptions on Education Policy: A Metaphor Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sezer, Senol

    2018-01-01

    This study aiming to determine the metaphorical perceptions of prospective teachers regarding Turkey's education policies was modelled in the 'phenomenological pattern' which one of the qualitative research methods. The study group was 150 prospective teachers. Data was collected using a metaphor form and via focus group interviews. Descriptive…

  16. Enhancing Information Literacy for Preservice Elementary Teachers: A Case Study from the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ruppel, Margie; Fry, Sara Winstead; Bentahar, Adil

    2016-01-01

    Through this study, a librarian and faculty team aimed to determine the extent to which a one-credit information literacy course deepened preservice teachers' understanding of information literacy. We employed a treatment and control group design; treatment participants received 15 hours of information literacy instruction while control…

  17. Beliefs, Practices, and Expectations of Oral Teachers of the Deaf

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, P. Margaret; Paatsch, Louise

    2010-01-01

    This study investigated the beliefs and practices of 28 teachers of the deaf about their practices. The teachers were all working in oral settings either as visiting teachers or teachers in a mainstream school facility supporting groups of students with hearing loss. Teachers who used an Auditory Verbal approach largely adopted a positivist…

  18. The Views of Class Teachers on Acquisition of Entrepreneurship Ability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aladag, Soner

    2017-01-01

    Aim of this study is to determine the views of class teachers on the acquisition of entrepreneurship abilities. With being a qualitative research, adopted approach is phenomenology. Study group was determined by a suitable sampling method. The study group included eight classroom teachers working in primary schools in Aydin. The data of the study…

  19. Chemistry Teachers' Views on Teaching "Climate Change"--An Interview Case Study from Research-Oriented Learning in Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feierabend, Timo; Jokmin, Sebastian; Eilks, Ingo

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a case study from research-oriented learning in chemistry teacher education. The study evaluates the views of twenty experienced German chemistry teachers about the teaching of climate change in chemistry education. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews about the teachers' experiences and their views about…

  20. The Effects of the Mississippi Curriculum Test: Second Edition: A Study on the Teacher Morale and Teacher Efficacy of Seventh and Eighth Grade Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Willis, Mario

    2014-01-01

    The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects that high-stakes tests have on middle school teachers' morale and teachers' efficacy in the state of Mississippi. The participants in this study were teachers in the areas of language arts, mathematics, and science at the middle school level. The researcher used a correlational design,…