NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kisiel, James Francis
The purpose of this investigation was to identify the motivations and strategies that comprise teachers' agendas when leading a student fieldtrip to a museum or similar site. Two data collection methods were used. A survey regarding field trip experiences and rationale was mailed to upper elementary teachers, resulting in a variety of open-ended responses that were analyzed and coded to identify recurring themes. In addition, ten teachers accompanying students during a school trip to a natural history museum were interviewed and observed. Data collected from these in-depth studies were used to verify findings from the survey instrument and to refine and enhance the definitions and descriptions of actual practice. Eight fieldtrip motivations were identified including to connection with the classroom curriculum, to provide a general learning experience, to encourage lifelong learning, to enhance interest and motivation, to provide exposure to new experiences, to provide a change in setting or routine, for enjoyment, and to meet school expectations. Fieldtrip strategies used by teachers could be divided into pre-visit, during-visit or post-visit strategies. The commonly reported pre-visit strategies included familiarization and supervision preparation. During-visit strategies focused on structured student engagement strategies (such as worksheets or guided tours) and unstructured strategies (such as interpretation, connecting, facilitation, label-reading, advance organizers and free exploration), as well as event documentation and supervision tactics (such as keeping track and refocusing). Post-visit strategies included review and discussion, documentation , and assessment. Comparison of stated motivations and observed strategies revealed few links. However, results indicated that connecting to the classroom curriculum was an important consideration, even though teachers had different interpretations of what this meant. Providing hands-on experiences was also critical
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Osmond-Johnson, Pamela
2016-01-01
This paper draws on data collected as part of a study of the discourses of teacher professionalism amongst union active teachers in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Ontario. Interviews revealed a triad of influences on the professionalism discourses of participants: engagement in teacher associations, the larger policy environment, and…
Helping Teachers Use Research Findings: The Consumer-Validation Process.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Eaker, Robert E.; Huffman, James O.
A program stressing teacher involvement and classroom implementation of educational research findings is described. The program was designed to familiarize teachers with current findings, have them apply the findings in their classrooms, analyze their own teaching behavior, and critically evaluate the findings in terms of their applicability to…
Immigrant Teachers Who Find It's Temp Work or Nothing.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rai, Usha
1978-01-01
A 1977 survey of 102 immigrant teachers in London showed that ethnic minority teachers have great difficulty finding jobs, although they are adequately qualified. Those who do find work are mainly employed in ghetto areas and kept on the lowest pay scale. (Author/SJL)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
O'Donovan, Eamonn
2010-01-01
Teacher quality is the most crucial component in promoting student learning. For all the controversy about No Child Left Behind, one underlying emphasis of the federal law that is irrefutable is the importance placed on teacher quality. Therefore, a school organization committed to excellence must recruit and select outstanding teachers. The Obama…
Teacher Quality, Professionalism and Professional Development: Findings from a European Project
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hilton, Gillian; Flores, Maria Assunção; Niklasson, Laila
2013-01-01
This paper presents and discusses findings from a European project concerning strengthening the teacher's voice in defining professional quality. In the project tools were developed and evaluated to help teachers reflect on their professional quality. Twelve countries participated and twelve tools were tested with help of student teachers,…
Questions That Science Teachers Find Difficult (II).
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goodwin, Alan
2003-01-01
Presents some questions that science teachers find difficult. Focuses on three further questions relating to "simple" everyday situations that are normally explained in terms of the kinetic theory of matter. Identifies looking at the difference between chemical and physical changes as the most problematic question. (Author/YDS)
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…
Teacher Education in England and Wales: Some Findings from the Mote Project.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Whitty, Geoff; And Others
Perceptions vary between researchers and the British government as to the adequacy of initial teacher education in England and Wales. Based on the data from the Modes of Teacher Education (MOTE) project the researchers find a higher level of satisfaction from teachers than that claimed by the government. The MOTE project studied the origins,…
The Culturally Responsive Teacher Educator
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gist, Conra D.
2014-01-01
Recent research on teacher diversity has highlighted the challenges new teachers of color face when they enter diverse school settings. In this study the pedagogy of three sociopolitically conscious teacher educators is investigated to understand how they tailor preparation for teachers of color. Findings revealed that teacher educators'…
Applying Effective Instruction Research Findings in Teacher Education: Six Influencing Factors.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gee, Elsie W.
This preliminary report provides an overview of the Applying Research to Teacher Education (ARTE) Research Utilization in Elementary Teacher Education (RUETE) study which began in 1982 and will continue through 1985. ARTE: RUETE explores specific processes for incorporating recent research findings of effective instruction into preservice…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tas, Yasemin; Balgalmis, Esra
2016-01-01
The goal of this study was to describe Turkish mathematics and science teachers' use of computer in their classroom instruction by utilizing TIMSS 2011 data. Analyses results revealed that teachers most frequently used computers for preparation purpose and least frequently used computers for administration. There was no difference in teachers'…
Task Force on Teacher Education in Physics: Findings and Recommendations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Otero, Valerie
2010-03-01
In response to the national crisis in science education, including low performance in high school physical science and a critical shortage of highly qualified physics teachers, a National Task Force was convened to investigate the state of physics education in the United States. The Task Force spent one year collecting data from over 900 universities and conducting site visits at 13 universities that were identified as ``high producers'' of physics teachers. The final report of the Task Force will be published early in 2010 and will highlight the findings and recommendations that resulted from the study. In this presentation, the main findings and recommendations will be presented along with selected case studies that illustrate exemplary practices in physics and education departments.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bieler, Deborah; Holmes, Stephen; Wolfe, Edward W.
2017-01-01
This study examined the teaching assignments of English teachers in 13 Mid-Atlantic high schools across five states. Data on the experience levels of 175 English teachers teaching 246 classes and surveys from 85 teacher participants were collected. Findings reveal that major agency-thwarting challenges face new English teachers: They typically are…
Yoon, Michelle H; Blatt, Benjamin C; Greenberg, Larrie W
2017-01-01
requirements, giving and receiving feedback, providing mentoring, creating a positive learning climate, and growing as educators. Insights: This study's results reveal how learners perceive and translate their experiences in a teaching course, in terms of incorporating particular knowledge or skills, valuing or displaying certain professional behaviors, and gaining self-awareness and satisfaction from teaching experiences. The findings of this study, specifically major themes from self-assessment narratives, provide us with a better understanding of medical students' developing identities and emerging professional self-concept as educators, specifically as experienced through a combination of formal teaching, and applying education theories and strategies. Findings may be informative from a program evaluation lens but also for faculty development initiatives related to training medical teachers and the larger landscape of the emerging field of Health Professions Education.
Staffing the Classroom: How Urban Principals Find Teachers and Make Hiring Decisions
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Engel, Mimi; Finch, Maida A.
2015-01-01
Despite the importance of teachers and the fact that teacher hiring is decentralized in most school districts, we know relatively little about the process through which individual principals hire faculty for their schools. Using interviews with 31 Chicago principals, we explore how principals find job candidates, whether they collaborate with…
Minghui, Lu; Lei, Hao; Xiaomeng, Chen; Potměšilc, Miloň
2018-01-01
This paper investigates the relationship between teacher efficacy and socio-demographic factors, work engagement, and social support among Chinese special education school teachers. The sample comprised 1,027 special education school teachers in mainland China. The Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale, the Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale were used for data collection. Correlation analysis revealed that social support, work engagement, and teacher efficacy were significantly correlated with each other. Additionally, gender, years of experience, and monthly salary were significant predictors of teacher efficacy. Furthermore, structural equation modeling analysis showed that social support exerted its indirect effect on teacher efficacy through the mediation of work engagement. The findings of this study provide a new perspective on the complex association between social support and teacher efficacy. The explanations and limitations of these findings are discussed. PMID:29867634
Low Pay: Find Teachers Anyway.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lazares, John K.
1988-01-01
Even though they may be unable to offer them top dollars, schools can successfully recruit new teachers by letting prospective teachers know what is so special about the school or school system; using the school staff to do part of the selling job; and providing an emotional enticement. (MLF)
Teacher Attitudes Concerning the Nature of Intelligence.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Richman, Charles L.; And Others
Research was conducted to assess teacher attitudes towards genetic I.Q. and to ascertain the extent of the teachers' knowledge of their students' I.Q. scores. Teacher attitudes were assessed via a 20-item questionnaire administered to 225 private and public school teachers in the southeast and northeast. Findings revealed that private shcool…
How To: Preparing to Find a Job as a Spanish Teacher in the UK
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Talero, Gemma Carmen Belmonte
2016-01-01
This case study is about the design of the one-day course "How to find a job as a Spanish teacher in the UK," which is taught at the Instituto Cervantes in London. The course came to exist due to a large number of requests from Spaniards who have come to the UK in recent years--many of them wanting to find a job as a Spanish teacher--and…
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'…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Center on Innovations in Learning, Temple University, 2016
2016-01-01
This Solution-Finding Report provides references and information requested on the topic of inservice teachers finding it difficult to implement, or resisting, curricular innovation. Many of the citations in this bibliography also deal with ways to overcome these difficulties and this resistance. Solution-finding Reports are intended to provide a…
From Teacher Isolation to Teacher Collaboration: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Findings
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ostovar-Nameghi, Seyyed Ali; Sheikhahmadi, Mohsen
2016-01-01
This study aims at: (1) reviewing the underlying causes of teacher isolation; (2) unrevealing the negative effects of isolation on teachers' professional and personal life; (2) illustrating different modes of voluntary collaboration among teachers; (4) presenting substantive evidence is support of collaboration as an efficient mode of professional…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Swartz, Rebecca Anne; McElwain, Nancy L.
2012-01-01
Research Findings: The present research examines preservice teachers' (N = 24) self-reported emotion-related regulation and cognition as predictors of their observed responses to young children's positive and negative emotional displays. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that teachers reporting greater reappraisal strategies in…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Atar, Hakan Yavuz
Creating a scientifically literate society appears to be the major goal of recent science education reform efforts (Abd-El-Khalick, Boujaoude, Dushl, Lederman, Hofstein, Niaz, Tregust, & Tuan, 2004). Recent national reports in the U.S, such as Shaping the Future, New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (NSF,1996), Inquiry in Science and In Classroom, Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 2001), Pursuing excellence: Comparison of international eight-grade mathematics and science achievement from a U.S. perspective (NCES, 2001), and Standards for Science Teacher Preparation (NSTA 2003) appear to agree on one thing: the vision of creating a scientifically literate society. It appears from science education literature that the two important components of being a scientifically literate individual are developing an understanding of nature of science and ability to conduct scientific inquiries. Unfortunately, even though teaching science through inquiry has been recommended in national reports since the 1950's, it has yet to find its way into many science classrooms (Blanchard, 2006; Yerrick, 2000). Science education literature identfies several factors for this including: (1) lack of content knowledge (Anderson, 2002; Lee, Hart Cuevas, & Enders, 2004; Loucks-Horsely, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998; Moscovici, 1999; Smith & Naele, 1989; Smith, 1989); (2) high stake tests (Aydeniz, 2006); (3) teachers' conflicting beliefs with inquiry-based science education reform (Blanchard, 2006; Wallace & Kang, 2004); and, (4) lack of collaboration and forums for communication (Anderson, 2002; Davis, 2003; Loucks-Horsely, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998; Wallace & Kang, 2004). In addition to the factors stated above this study suggest that some of the issues and problems that have impeded inquiry instruction to become the primary approach to teaching science in many science classrooms might be related to
Cities-LEAP Analysis Reveals Findings on the Most Efficient and Least
Polluting Cities in the U.S. | State, Local, and Tribal Governments | NREL Cities-LEAP Analysis Reveals Findings on the Most Efficient and Least Polluting Cities in the U.S. Cities-LEAP Analysis Reveals Findings on the Most Efficient and Least Polluting Cities in the U.S. September 12, 2016 by Megan Day
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gao, Wei; Mager, Gerald
2011-01-01
Conducted in one inclusive teacher education program in the United States, this study explored the trajectory of and the relationships between preservice teachers' sense of efficacy and attitudes toward school diversity through the course of preparation. Findings revealed that, in general, changes of preservice teachers' perceived efficacy,…
Sources of Stress: Perceptions of South African TESOL Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bowen, Amanda
2016-01-01
This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study investigating which factors inside and outside the classroom result in feelings of stress for TESOL teachers working at private language schools in South Africa. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, the findings reveal three main areas that cause stress for TESOL teachers: the job of…
Early Literacy Research: Findings Primary-Grade Teachers Will Want to Know
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reutzel, D. Ray
2015-01-01
This article shares recent research findings in early literacy that every primary grade teacher has had questions about at one time or another ranging from handwriting to phonemic awareness, writing to concepts about print, and more. The article reports research that elaborates upon and extends early literacy research that was reported by the…
Primary teachers' subject matter knowledge: decimals
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ubuz, Behiye; Yayan, Betül
2010-09-01
The main objective of this study was to investigate primary teachers' subject matter knowledge in the domain of decimals and more elaborately to investigate their performance and difficulties in reading scale, ordering numbers, finding the nearest decimal and doing operations, such as addition and subtraction. The difficulties in these particular areas are analysed and suggestions are made regarding their causes. Further, factors that influence this knowledge were explored. The sample of the study was 63 primary teachers. A decimal concepts test including 18 tasks was administered and the total scores for the 63 primary teachers ranged from 3 to 18 with a mean and median of 12. Fifty per cent of the teachers were above the mean score. The detailed investigation of the responses revealed that the primary teachers faced similar difficulties that students and pre-service teachers faced. Discrepancy on teachers' knowledge revealed important differences based on educational level attained, but not the number of years of teaching experience and experience in teaching decimals. Some suggestions have been made regarding the implications for pre- and in-service teacher training.
Collaboration: Finding the Teacher, Finding the Topic, Finding the Time
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gess, Angela
2009-01-01
Have you ever had a teacher say, "I'd love to bring my classes to the library more often, but we just don't have enough time because we have to prepare for our state standardized tests?" This response stems from a misconception about the role of library media centers and library media specialists. In some school environments, the library media…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hoerr, Thomas R.
2006-01-01
The author of this article, a principal, describes the hiring process of new teachers at his school, New City School. At his school, he assumes that pedagogical skills are a given, but he concentrates more on determining the right match between institution and individual. He also relates that he often involves his staff members in the interviews…
Pattern Finding Skills of Pre-School Children
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tarim, Kamuran
2017-01-01
This study investigates the pattern finding skills of pre-school children and the in-class pattern activities conducted by teachers. The research was designed as a descriptive survey study carried out with a total of 162 children aged 60-77 months from families with middle socio-economic status. The findings of the study revealed that the…
Ethical Conflicts Experienced by Iranian EFL Teachers in the Classroom Context
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Alimorad, Zahra
2014-01-01
Recently, EFL teachers' ethical conflicts in the situated classroom context have got paramount importance. This paper presents findings from an empirical study of ethical conflicts Iranian EFL teachers encounter while engaged in classroom assessment. Critical incidents generated by 49 practicing teachers revealed that a majority of reported…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Silva, Tim; McKie, Allison; Gleason, Philip
2015-01-01
This brief updates earlier study findings (Silva et al., 2014) regarding the extent to which teachers trained through teaching residency programs (TRPs) funded through the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Quality Partnership grants program are retained in their districts and schools. TRPs prepare new teachers primarily through a year-long…
Five Ways to Facilitate the Teacher Assistant's Work in the Classroom
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tobin, Ruthanne
2006-01-01
A teacher and a teacher assistant, working together in an inclusive grade-six classroom, provided an invaluable insider perspective on the kind of context that leads to effective support for all students. Findings from this case study revealed five ways in which the teacher could facilitate the work of the teacher assistant, by: 1) focusing on…
Teacher Expectations and Student Literacy Engagement and Achievement
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pantaleo, Sylvia
2016-01-01
Notwithstanding the complex and dynamic nature of teaching and learning in schools, over four decades of research findings have consistently revealed a correlation between teacher expectations and student achievement. Focusing on teacher expectations for the narrative structures created by young children, this article features a discussion of data…
Finding Our Own Way: Teachers Exploring Their Assumptions.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Newman, Judith M., Ed.
Intended for teachers, the articles in this book examine some of the uncertainties and problems that practicing teachers encountered when moving from a traditional to a holistic perspective in their teaching. The book shares the questions, the conflicts the teachers have undergone, and the change in beliefs that are part of becoming a…
Turkish Primary School Teachers' Perceptions of School Culture Regarding ICT Integration
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tezci, Erdogan
2011-01-01
The current study aimed at identifying Turkish primary school teachers' perceptions of school culture regarding ICT integration in education. In addition, the current study was designed to investigate factors that might influence their perceptions. The participants were 1540 primary school teachers. The findings revealed that the teachers'…
Findings from the Pilot Teacher Compensation Survey: School Year 2005-06. First Look. NCES 2008-440
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, Frank; Cornman, Stephen
2008-01-01
This report presents findings from the Pilot Teacher Compensation Survey (TCS), which collected data for school year 2005-2006. This pilot collection is a research and development effort to see if it is possible to collect and publish teacher-level data from the administrative records residing in state departments of education. Seven states…
Students' and teachers' cognitions about good teachers.
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
Child Behavior Problems, Teacher Executive Functions, and Teacher Stress in Head Start Classrooms
Friedman-Krauss, Allison H.; Raver, C. Cybele; Neuspiel, Juliana M.; Kinsel, John
2017-01-01
Research Findings The current article explores the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of child behavior problems and preschool teacher job stress, as well as the possibility that teachers’ executive functions moderate this relationship. Data came from 69 preschool teachers in 31 early childhood classrooms in 4 Head Start centers and were collected using Web-based surveys and Web-based direct assessment tasks. Multilevel models revealed that higher levels of teachers’ perceptions of child behavior problems were associated with higher levels of teacher job stress and that higher teacher executive function skills were related to lower job stress. However, findings did not yield evidence for teacher executive functions as a statistical moderator. Practice or Policy Many early childhood teachers do not receive sufficient training for handling children’s challenging behaviors. Child behavior problems increase a teacher’s workload and consequently may contribute to feelings of stress. However, teachers’ executive function abilities may enable them to use effective, cognitive-based behavior management and instructional strategies during interactions with students, which may reduce stress. Providing teachers with training on managing challenging behaviors and enhancing executive functions may reduce their stress and facilitate their use of effective classroom practices, which is important for children’s school readiness skills and teachers’ health. PMID:28596698
Student Teacher Reflective Writing: What Does It Reveal?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mena-Marcos, Juanjo; Garcia-Rodriguez, Maria-Luisa; Tillema, Harm
2013-01-01
Some researchers claim that reflection helps student teachers to better understand their practice teaching. This study aims to explore how deliberate reflection by student teachers is encouraged as a way to prepare, analyse and evaluate their practice. A total of 104 student teachers in primary education participated in this study during their…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Waldron, Fionnuala; Pike, Susan; Varley, Janet; Murphy, Colette; Greenwood, Richard
2007-01-01
Research into student teachers' perceptions, attitudes and prior experiences of learning suggests that these experiences can exert an influence on practice which can be relatively undisturbed by their initial teacher education. This article is based on the initial findings of an all-Ireland survey of all first-year students on B.Ed. courses in…
Professional Integration of Immigrant Teachers in the School System: A Literature Review
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Niyubahwe, Aline; Mukamurera, Joséphine; Jutras, France
2013-01-01
This literature review article investigates the professional integration of teachers recently immigrated to Canada and other western countries. Its findings reveal a number of obstacles to the integration of immigrant teachers into the teaching profession. The review summarizes different initiatives facilitating or hampering immigrant teachers'…
Child Behavior Problems, Teacher Executive Functions, and Teacher Stress in Head Start Classrooms.
Friedman-Krauss, Allison H; Raver, C Cybele; Neuspiel, Juliana M; Kinsel, John
2014-01-01
The current article explores the relationship between teachers' perceptions of child behavior problems and preschool teacher job stress, as well as the possibility that teachers' executive functions moderate this relationship. Data came from 69 preschool teachers in 31 early childhood classrooms in 4 Head Start centers and were collected using Web-based surveys and Web-based direct assessment tasks. Multilevel models revealed that higher levels of teachers' perceptions of child behavior problems were associated with higher levels of teacher job stress and that higher teacher executive function skills were related to lower job stress. However, findings did not yield evidence for teacher executive functions as a statistical moderator. Many early childhood teachers do not receive sufficient training for handling children's challenging behaviors. Child behavior problems increase a teacher's workload and consequently may contribute to feelings of stress. However, teachers' executive function abilities may enable them to use effective, cognitive-based behavior management and instructional strategies during interactions with students, which may reduce stress. Providing teachers with training on managing challenging behaviors and enhancing executive functions may reduce their stress and facilitate their use of effective classroom practices, which is important for children's school readiness skills and teachers' health.
Attitudes towards Teachers' Motivation, and Classroom Strategy, in English Language Classrooms
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pahlavanpoorfard, Samira; Soori, Afshin
2014-01-01
This study aimed at investigating the attitudes of Iranian EFL students towards teachers' motivation and classroom strategy in English classroom. The subjects of the study included a sample of 235 students in their classes. The findings of this study revealed that teachers' motivation and classroom strategy used by teachers have effects on the…
Leadership Styles and Teachers' Job Satisfaction in Tanzanian Public Secondary Schools
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nyenyembe, Fabian W.; Maslowski, Ralf; Nimrod, Beatrice S.; Peter, Levina
2016-01-01
This study explores the relationship between leadership styles applied by school heads and teachers' job satisfaction in Tanzanian secondary schools. Using a questionnaire, data in this study was collected from 180 teachers in ten secondary schools in Songea District in Tanzania. The most salient finding of this study revealed that teachers were…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tushabomwe, Annette; Nashon, Samson Madera
2016-01-01
Analysis of key findings of a study that investigated six Ugandan teachers' perceptions of contextual influences on sexuality discourses revealed that though there is some form of sex education in schools and though teachers are very enthusiastic about its implementation, it is largely constrained by conflicting social stances held by various…
Evaluating Urban Teacher Recruitment Programs: An Application of Private Sector Recruitment Theories
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Winter, Paul A.; Ronau, Robert N.; Munoz, Marco A.
2004-01-01
This teacher recruitment study was conducted in one of the largest school districts in the United States. The participants (N = 152) were newly hired teachers. Findings revealed the participants considered economic (e.g., teacher salary schedule), school (e.g., location), and community (e.g., cultural opportunities) attributes important in their…
A Complicated Passport: Racialized Realities and Lessons from Visible Minority Women Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Aujla-Bhullar, Sonia
2018-01-01
This article presents key findings derived from the experiences of visible minority woman as teachers in Canada, whose lived realities reveal myriad instances of compromise. The ethnic, cultural and racial diversity among teachers is an area that has garnered attention as it pertains to equitable work environments, teacher-student relations, and…
Finding a Third Space in Teacher Education: Creating an Urban Teacher Residency
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Klein, Emily J.; Taylor, Monica; Onore, Cynthia; Strom, Kathryn; Abrams, Linda
2013-01-01
This paper describes an urban teacher residency program, the Newark Montclair Urban Teacher Residency, a collaborative endeavor between the Newark, New Jersey Public Schools and Montclair State University, built on a decades-long partnership. The authors see the conceptual work of developing this program as creating a "third space" in…
Satisfaction of Jewish and Arab teachers in Israel.
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.
Disability, Stigma and Otherness: Perspectives of Parents and Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lalvani, Priya
2015-01-01
This qualitative study explored the perspectives of parents and teachers in the US with regard to the meaning and implications of disability in the context of schoolling, and of raising a child with a disability. The findings revealed broad conceptual differences in the perspectives of these two groups. Teachers' beliefs were generally consistent…
Teachers' level of ICT integration in teaching and learning: A survey in Malaysian private preschool
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kamaruddin, Kamarulzaman; Abdullah, Che Anuar Che; Idris, Mohd Noor; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd
2017-10-01
The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of ICT integration in teaching and learning in private preschool in Malaysia. A total 61 teachers from 10 private preschools in the district of Mualim in the state of Perak Malaysia were randomly chosen in this survey research. The findings revealed that most of the teachers were knowledgeable about the educational ICT application. However, the findings revealed that the teachers' level of ICT integration is still at the low level. This is based on the results of a study that most of the teachers are normal users and ICT application was used for their own work rather than using it in their teaching and learning in the classroom. In addition, the findings indicated that teachers' awareness towards the important of ICT in teaching and learning is not encouraging and this issue is related to the training provided, equipment and time constraints that hinder the integration of ICT.
Organisational Factors and Teachers' Professional Development in Dutch Secondary Schools
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Evers, Arnoud T.; van der Heijden, Beatrice I. J. M.; Kreijns, Karel; Gerrichhauzen, John T. G.
2011-01-01
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on a study that investigates the relationship between organisational factors, Teachers' Professional Development (TPD) and occupational expertise. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was administered among 152 Dutch teachers in secondary education. Findings: Analysis of the data revealed that of…
Listening to Teachers. Teaching in America: The Possible Renaissance. ECS Working Paper, TR-85-2.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mills, Richard P.; Stout, Dennis L.
This monograph summarizes findings from surveys of teachers' attitudes toward their profession. The attitudes of public school teachers revealed in these surveys are remarkably uniform. Attitudes differ little by school level or location, or teachers' age, sex, or years of experience. Generally, teachers are dedicated to teaching and object most…
Sustainability Education and Teacher Education: Finding a Natural Habitat?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Buchanan, John
2012-01-01
Sustainability education competes for curricular space, both in schools and in teacher education. Opportunities and barriers for the inclusion of sustainability education in an Australian university primary teacher education program are examined in this article. The study focused on the roles, practices and perceptions of teacher educators in…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Williams, Theresa
In order to achieve academic success, students must be able to comprehend written material in content-area textbooks. However, a large number of high school students struggle to comprehend science content. Research findings have demonstrated that students make measurable gains in comprehending content-area textbooks when provided quality reading comprehension instruction. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how high school science teachers perceived their responsibility to provide content-related comprehension instruction and 10 high school science teachers were interviewed for this study. Data analysis consisted of open, axial, and selective coding. The findings revealed that 8 out of the 10 participants believed that it is their responsibility to provide reading comprehension. However, the findings also revealed that the participants provided varying levels of reading comprehension instruction as an integral part of their science instruction. The potential for positive social change could be achieved by teachers and administrators. Teachers may use the findings to reflect upon their own personal feelings and beliefs about providing explicit reading comprehension. In addition to teachers' commitment to reading comprehension instruction, administrators could deliberate about professional development opportunities that might improve necessary skills, eventually leading to better comprehension skills for students and success in their education.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kelly, Paul; Tejeda-Delgado, Carmen; Slate, John R.
2008-01-01
In this study, the researchers investigated the perceived relationships of financial and non-financial incentives on teacher recruitment and retention among public school teachers in the State of Texas from the perspective of 98 public school superintendents. Findings revealed that school districts tended to offer teachers' salaries over the state…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hulpia, Hester; Devos, Geert
2010-01-01
The present study explores the relation between distributed leadership and teachers' organizational commitment. Semi-structured interviews with teachers and school leaders of secondary schools were conducted. A comparative analysis of four schools with high and four schools with low committed teachers was carried out. Findings revealed differences…
Educating Prospective Teachers of Biology: Findings, Limitations, and Recommendations.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hewson, Peter W.; Tabachnick, B. Robert; Zeichner, Kenneth M.; Lemberger, John
1999-01-01
Summarizes a complex study of a science-teacher-education program whose goal was to graduate teachers who held conceptual change conceptions of teaching science and were disposed to put hem into practice. Concludes that there are influences on prospective teachers from their content coursework that have significant implications for how they view…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Avgousti, Charalambos
2017-01-01
The study discovered why teachers around the world choose the Teaching profession and the factors affecting their choices. The study is meaningful to teacher education curriculum developers and teacher recruiters, for revealing the effects of teachers' perceptions on their career planning and professional growth. The findings from inferential…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brody, David L.; Hadar, Linor Lea
2018-01-01
This study examines the complex process of change among teacher educators who have chosen to improve their practice in a professional development community. Storyline methodology was used to reveal the dynamic process which teacher educators undergo when they consider adopting innovative pedagogy. Findings reveal critical moments in professional…
Perceptions of Business Teachers and Business Education Majors Regarding the Roles of Women
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Thomas, Edward G.
1975-01-01
Findings revealed that: (1) male and female and black and white business teachers differed on some perceptual factor scores; (2) teachers with low and high family incomes differed from those with medium family incomes on some perceptual scores; and (3) business teachers and business education majors differed on only one score. (BP)
The impact of science teachers' epistemological beliefs on authentic inquiry: A multiple-case study
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jackson, Dionne Bennett
The purpose of this study was to examine how science teachers' epistemological beliefs impacted their use of authentic inquiry in science instruction. Participants in this multiple-case study included a total of four teachers who represented the middle, secondary and post-secondary levels. Based on the results of the pilot study conducted with a secondary science teacher, adjustments were made to the interview questions and observation protocol. Data collection for the study included semi-structured interviews, direct observations of instructional techniques, and the collection of artifacts. The cross case analysis revealed that the cases epistemological beliefs were mostly Transitional and the method of instruction used most was Discussion. Two of the cases exhibited consistent beliefs and instructional practices, whereas the other two exhibited beliefs beyond their instruction. The findings of this study support the literature on the influence of contextual factors and professional development on teacher beliefs and practice. The findings support and contradict literature relevant to the consistency of teacher beliefs with instruction. This study's findings revealed that the use of reform-based instruction, or Authentic Inquiry, does not occur when science teachers do not have the beliefs and experiences necessary to implement this form of instruction.
Mathematical Modelling for Singapore Primary Classrooms: From a Teacher's Lens
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Seto, Cynthia; Magdalene, Thomas Mary; Ng Kit Ee, Dawn; Chan Chun Ming, Eric; Widjaja, Wanty
2012-01-01
Limited Singapore research indicated a lack of exposure of modelling tasks at primary levels. Teacher reflection is used as a tool in design research cycles exploring the potentials of modelling tasks in a Singapore primary five classroom. Findings reveal that the teacher identified three potentials of a modelling task on children's…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Williams, Mable Evans
2017-01-01
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of in-service teachers concerning the effectiveness of technology training from a teacher education preparation program to in-service professional development. The findings of the study revealed that inservice teachers have had varying degrees of technology experiences from their…
Voices of Teacher Candidates of Color on White Race Evasion: "I Worried about My Safety!"
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Amos, Yukari Takimoto
2016-01-01
This qualitative study investigated the negative impacts minority teacher candidates receive from white teacher candidates in a required multicultural education class. The findings reveal that four teacher candidates of color had difficulty positioning themselves among the overwhelming silencing power of whiteness in the class. The white students…
High School Online: Pedagogy, Preferences, and Practices of Three Online Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kerr, Shantia
2011-01-01
This multiple case study explores how three online, high school teachers used technological tools to create meaningful learning activities for their students. Findings reveal that teachers use a wide variety of tools and approaches to online learning. Tools are categorized as content, communication, and management tools. Approaches include…
The Norm of Teacher Autonomy/Equality: Measurement & Findings.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Packard, John S.
As part of a larger investigation of the effects of introducing a formal unit structure into elementary schools, an attempt was made to predict in which of the newly unitized schools teachers would first show an increase in task interdependence. Prominent among the various features under consideration in the prediction study are teacher norms…
Elementary Teacher's Conceptions of Inquiry Teaching: Messages for Teacher Development
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ireland, Joseph E.; Watters, James J.; Brownlee, Jo; Lupton, Mandy
2012-02-01
This study explored practicing elementary school teacher's conceptions of teaching in ways that foster inquiry-based learning in the science curriculum (inquiry teaching). The advocacy for inquiry-based learning in contemporary curricula assumes the principle that students learn in their own way by drawing on direct experience fostered by the teacher. That students should be able to discover answers themselves through active engagement with new experiences was central to the thinking of eminent educators such as Pestalozzi, Dewey and Montessori. However, even after many years of research and practice, inquiry learning as a referent for teaching still struggles to find expression in the average teachers' pedagogy. This study drew on interview data from 20 elementary teachers. A phenomenographic analysis revealed three conceptions of teaching for inquiry learning in science in the elementary years of schooling: (a) The Experience-centered conception where teachers focused on providing interesting sensory experiences to students; (b) The Problem-centered conception where teachers focused on engaging students with challenging problems; and (c) The Question-centered conception where teachers focused on helping students to ask and answer their own questions. Understanding teachers' conceptions has implications for both the enactment of inquiry teaching in the classroom as well as the uptake of new teaching behaviors during professional development, with enhanced outcomes for engaging students in Science.
Practicing Teachers' Perceptions of Teacher Trainees: Implications for Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kagoda, Alice Merab; Sentongo, John
2015-01-01
Practicing teachers are partners in preparation of teacher trainees. However, little is known about their perceptions of the teacher trainees they receive every year in their schools. Ninety three practicing teachers from twenty schools participated in this study. The objectives were to find out the practicing teachers' perceptions of teacher…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Windschitl, Mark
2003-01-01
Science education reform documents emphasize the importance of inquiry experiences for young learners. This means that teachers must be prepared with the knowledge, skills, and habits of thinking to mentor their students through authentic investigations. This study examines how preservice teachers' inquiry experiences, in a science methods course, influenced and were influenced by their conceptions of inquiry. The study also assesses how these experiences were associated with eventual classroom practice. Six preservice secondary teachers were observed during a 2-month inquiry project and then followed into the classroom as they began a 9-week teaching practicum. Data revealed that participants' preproject conceptions of the inquiry process were related to the conduct and interpretation of their own inquiry project, and that the project experience modified the inquiry conceptions of those participants who already had sophisticated understandings of scientific investigations. Perhaps most importantly, the participants who eventually used guided and open inquiry during their student teaching were not those who had more authentic views of inquiry or reflected most deeply about their own inquiry projects, but rather they were individuals who had significant undergraduate or professional experiences with authentic science research. Finally, this article advocates that independent science investigations be part of preservice education and that these experiences should be scaffolded to prompt reflection specifically about the nature of inquiry and conceptually linked to ways in which inquiry can be brought into the K-12 classroom.
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
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Esen-Aygun, Hanife; Sahin-Taskin, Cigdem
2017-01-01
This research aimed to understand primary teachers' views of primary teachers' social-emotional learning and social-emotional learning programs in Turkey. Findings revealed that although most of the teachers had heard of the concept of social-emotional learning, they could not give a detailed explanation of it. Additionally, most of them were not…
Perceptions of Teacher Educators Regarding ICT Implementation in Israeli Colleges of Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ungar, Orit Avidov; Baruch, Alona Forkosh
2016-01-01
ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in teacher education poses new challenges to faculty and students. This study was carried out to examine factors facilitating and hindering ICT implementation in teacher education institutes in Israel. Findings from our study, administered at two points in time, revealed that providing…
Obama Finding Teacher Support Secure, If Tepid: Policy Rifts Complicate Obama-Teacher Dance
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Klein, Alyson
2012-01-01
Ask Antonio White what he thinks of Race to the Top--President Barack Obama's signature K-12 initiative--and the Florida teacher will tell you the competitive-grant program is a "difficult pill to swallow." Merit pay for teachers based partly on student test scores is "a joke," he says. He's also not a fan of expanding charter…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dinham, Judith; Chalk, Beryl; Beltman, Susan; Glass, Christine; Nguyen, Bich
2017-01-01
For this study of teacher-identity, which is part of a larger research project on teacher resilience, preservice teachers were invited to draw "the kind of teacher you hope to become". In this, our study recognises drawing as a semiotic system of meaning-making and communication. The drawings were examined in terms of the…
Examining iPod Use by Texas Agricultural Science and Technology Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Murphrey, Theresa Pesl; Miller, Kimberly A.; Roberts, T. Grady
2009-01-01
The purpose of this study was to establish baseline data regarding the adoption of iPods and similar technologies by agricultural science and technology teachers. The population consisted of all agricultural science and technology teachers in Texas. A sample of 310 was randomly drawn from the population. Study findings reveal that while…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hardy, Ian
2016-01-01
Drawing upon research into a case study of teacher inquiry in one school in Queensland, Australia, recent theorising into professional practice, and relevant literature on teachers' learning, this article reveals the complexity and particularity of teacher inquiry processes in support of teachers' learning. Specifically, the research reveals how…
Jordanian Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of the Portfolio as a Reflective Learning Tool
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bataineh, Ruba Fahmi; Al-Karasneh, Samih Mahmoud; Al-Barakat, Ali Ahmad; Bataineh, Rula Fahmi
2007-01-01
This study investigates how portfolios support pre-service teachers' learning to teach. The findings revealed that the portfolio provides pre-service teachers with productive learning experiences which help them develop their "library use, knowledge, skills, attitudes, personal traits, motivation to learn, interpersonal relationships"…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Silvia, Arnis
2015-01-01
This article reports on English teachers' attitudes towards a professional development program run by "Coursera" ("coursera.org"). These teachers were participants of "Foundation of Teaching for Learning 1: Introduction" online course. Using a survey case study, the findings reveal that most of the participants…
Teaching Teachers for the Future (TTF) Project TPACK Survey: Summary of the Key Findings
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Finger, Glenn; Jamieson-Proctor, Romina; Cavanagh, Rob; Albion, Peter; Grimbeek, Peter; Bond, Trevor; Fitzgerald, Robert; Romeo, Geoff; Lloyd, Margaret
2013-01-01
This paper presents a summary of the key findings of the TTF TPACK Survey developed and administered for the Teaching the Teachers for the Future (TTF) Project implemented in 2011. The TTF Project, funded by an Australian Government ICT Innovation Fund grant, involved all 39 Australian Higher Education Institutions which provide initial teacher…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lambersky, John
2016-01-01
This qualitative study from Ontario, Canada, reveals that principal behaviors shape teacher emotions in important ways, influencing teacher morale, burnout, stress, commitment, and self- and collective efficacy. The findings suggest that principals can influence teacher emotions through several key behaviors: professional respect shown for teacher…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goren, Heela; Yemini, Miri
2016-01-01
We apply semi-structured interviews to conceptualise perceptions of global citizenship among teachers at an international school and teachers at a local public school in Israel, revealing discrepancies between theory and practice in global citizenship education (GCE). We find that teachers perceive global citizenship differently along three major…
Teaching the Federal Budget, National Debt, and Budget Deficit: Findings from High School Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Marri, Anand R.; Ahn, Meesuk; Crocco, Margaret Smith; Grolnick, Maureen; Gaudelli, William; Walker, Erica N.
2011-01-01
The issues surrounding the federal budget, national debt, and budget deficit are complex, but not beyond the reach of young students. This study finds scant treatment of the federal budget, national debt, and budget deficit in high schools today. It is hardly surprising that high school teachers spend so little time discussing these topics in…
Reflective Written Pieces: Inquiry into the Practices of Pre-Service Literacy Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McIntosh, Janet
2017-01-01
The purpose of this action research project was to explore whether a reflective writing strategy, developed and used with pre-service teachers in a literacy methods course, assisted them with integrating theory and practice. The teacher educator analyzed the written reflective pieces and determined common categories. Study findings revealed some…
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…
Inservice Elementary and Middle School Teachers' Conceptions of Photosynthesis and Respiration
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Krall, Rebecca Mcnall; Lott, Kimberly H.; Wymer, Carol L.
2009-02-01
The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate inservice elementary and middle school teachers’ conceptions of photosynthesis and respiration, basic concepts they are expected to teach. A forced-choice instrument assessing selected standards-based life science concepts with non-scientific conceptions embedded in distracter options was utilized to assess 76 inservice elementary and middle school teachers from the central Appalachian region. Outcomes from four tasks assessing photosynthesis and respiration concepts are discussed. Findings revealed similarities between non-scientific conceptions the teachers demonstrated and non-scientific conceptions reported in the research literature on elementary and middle school students’ understanding of the concepts. Findings also informed subsequent inservice teacher professional development efforts in life science and the development of a biology course for preservice elementary teachers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Blomeke, Sigrid; Suhl, Ute; Kaiser, Gabriele; Dohrmann, Martina
2012-01-01
First findings of IEA's "Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M)" had revealed differences in the demographic background, opportunities to learn (OTL), and outcomes of teacher education between student teachers from different countries. Two hypotheses are examined: OTL and teacher background are significant predictors of…
Finding Balance: The Professional Life of a Charter School Teacher
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clark, Marjorie
2010-01-01
This phenomenological study of one charter school teacher sought to answer the question, what is it like to be a teacher in a charter school? Exploring issues of preparation, working conditions, and job satisfaction, this teacher expressed a range of emotions about her chosen work environment. I found that the pervasive stress surrounding her work…
Exploring ESL Teacher Beliefs and Classroom Practices of CLT: A Case Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rahman, Mohammad Mosiur; Singh, Manjet Kaur Mehar; Pandian, Ambigapathy
2018-01-01
This paper presents a case study that investigated and compared the stated beliefs and observed classroom practices relating to Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) of two ESL teachers. The findings of the study revealed that both the teachers hold similar complex beliefs that mostly contradict the philosophy of CLT. The practices were not in…
Exploring Teacher Beliefs and Classroom Practices through Reflective Practice: A Case Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Farrell, Thomas S. C.; Ives, Jessica
2015-01-01
This article presents a case study that explored and reflected on the relationship between the stated beliefs and observed classroom practices of one second language reading teacher. The findings of this study revealed that this particular teacher holds complex beliefs about teaching reading that were evident to some extent in many of his…
Principal Leadership in Low-Performing Schools: A Closer Look through the Eyes of Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Finnigan, Kara S.
2012-01-01
This qualitative study of teachers in three low-performing elementary schools in Chicago reveals that transformational leadership behaviors were important to teacher motivation, affecting whether they believed that they could improve student performance as the accountability policy required. The findings suggest that principal leadership is…
STEM Career Changers' Transformation into Science Teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Snyder, Catherine; Oliveira, Alandeom W.; Paska, Lawrence M.
2013-06-01
This study examines the transformation (professional growth) of career-changing women scientists who decided to become teachers. Drawing upon Mezirow's Transformative Learning Theory, we tracked their transformation for 3 years. Our findings revealed multiple identities, disorientation, a perceived sense of meaninglessness, loss and eventual regain in confidence, gain in pedagogical knowledge and skill, and changed perceptions of the social roles of science teachers and scientists. Driven by personal choice or need (financial, intellectual), such transformations were achieved through active pursuit of meaning in one's work, critical assessment of assumptions, planning, and trying on the unfamiliar role of a science teacher. It is argued that such transition entails complex changes in thinking about science teaching and identifying oneself as a science teacher.
Collaborative Teacher Learning: Findings from Two Professional Development Projects
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Erickson, G.; Minnes Brandes, G.; Mitchell, I.; Mitchell, J.
2005-01-01
This article discusses two projects that were aimed at enhancing the opportunities for professional development of the participants through collaboration between classroom teachers and teacher educators. The two projects, the Australian Project for Enhancing Effective Learning (PEEL) and the Canadian Learning Strategies Group (LSG), focused on the…
Teacher Stress and Guidance Work in Hong Kong Secondary School Teachers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hui, Eadaoin, K. P.; Chan, David W.
1996-01-01
Sources of stress in Hong Kong teachers were investigated, with specific reference to guidance work as a potential source of stress. A survey of 415 secondary school teachers revealed guidance-related aspects of work constituted a major dimension of stress, with guidance teachers, female teachers, younger teachers and junior teachers perceiving…
Recipe for Burnout: The Special Education Teachers' Diet.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bradfield, Robert H.; Fones, Donald M.
1984-01-01
Computerized diet analysis of 41 teachers of learning disabled students revealed deficiencies in carbohydrate, fiber, and micronutrient intake and excessive fat and protein intake. Findings suggested that poor dietary habits may make Ss more susceptible to emotional stress and physical illness. (CL)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Payne, Katherina A.
2018-01-01
Much like preservice teachers, who cite cooperating teachers as influential to the learning-to-teach process, this study and its findings center the work of cooperating teachers as essential to teacher education for democratic education. The mentoring practices of cooperating teachers often reflect their teaching practices with students in their…
Teacher Compensation and School Quality: New Findings from National and International Data
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zhang, Zhijuan; Verstegen, Deborah A.; Kim, Hoe Ryoung
2008-01-01
Are teacher salaries related to school quality in terms of student academic achievement and teacher retention? Are teacher salaries important factors influencing teacher job satisfaction? Is teacher job satisfaction related to retention? This research addressed these questions using international and national data. First, the literature will be…
Assessing Teachers' Science Content Knowledge: A Strategy for Assessing Depth of Understanding
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McConnell, Tom J.; Parker, Joyce M.; Eberhardt, Jan
2013-06-01
One of the characteristics of effective science teachers is a deep understanding of science concepts. The ability to identify, explain and apply concepts is critical in designing, delivering and assessing instruction. Because some teachers have not completed extensive courses in some areas of science, especially in middle and elementary grades, many professional development programs attempt to strengthen teachers' content knowledge. Assessing this content knowledge is challenging. Concept inventories are reliable and efficient, but do not reveal depth of knowledge. Interviews and observations are time-consuming. The Problem Based Learning Project for Teachers implemented a strategy that includes pre-post instruments in eight content strands that permits blind coding of responses and comparison across teachers and groups of teachers. The instruments include two types of open-ended questions that assess both general knowledge and the ability to apply Big Ideas related to specific science topics. The coding scheme is useful in revealing patterns in prior knowledge and learning, and identifying ideas that are challenging or not addressed by learning activities. The strengths and limitations of the scoring scheme are identified through comparison of the findings to case studies of four participating teachers from middle and elementary schools. The cases include examples of coded pre- and post-test responses to illustrate some of the themes seen in teacher learning. The findings raise questions for future investigation that can be conducted using analyses of the coded responses.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Marinell, William H.; Coca, Vanessa M.; Arum, Richard; Goldstein, Jennifer; Kemple, James; Pallas, Aaron; Bristol, Travis; Buckley, Clare; Scallon, Amy; Tanner, Barbara
2013-01-01
The technical appendices presented in this document correspond to the synthesis report, "'Who Stays and Who Leaves?' Findings from a Three-Part Study of Teacher Turnover in NYC Middle Schools." The appendices include: (1) Description of Data Source and Samples; (2) Methods; and (3) Who Are the Middle School Teachers in NYC? [The…
Can Pensions Help Attract Teachers?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kimball, Steven M.; Heneman, Herbert G.,III; Kellor, Eileen M.
2005-01-01
Every year there is a substantial flow of people into teaching roles as entrants or as movers from one school to another. Each such move involves attraction of the person to the job. Data for 1999-2000 reveal several important findings about teacher staffing. In 1999-2000, out of a teaching workforce of about 3.45 million, there were about 535,000…
Chemistry Students' Assessment of Their Teachers' Effectiveness in Secondary Schools in Benue State
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Aduloju, M. O.; Obinne, A. D. E.
2015-01-01
This study examined the assessment of chemistry teachers' effectiveness by chemistry students. A survey research design was used. Two hundred students were sampled for the study from Benue State. The result showed that students agreed that their teachers cover a large part of the syllabus before the examination. Findings also revealed that there…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nikel, Jutta
2007-01-01
This article discusses findings from a tri-country study of student teachers' understandings of the purposes of education, their conceptions of sustainable development and the task of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). At its heart are case studies of 30 student teachers from Initial Teacher Education Programmes in England, Denmark and…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Seah, Lay Hoon; Yore, Larry D.
2017-01-01
This study of three science teachers' lessons on heat and temperature seeks to characterise classroom talk that highlighted the ways language is used and to examine the nature of the language demands revealed in constructing, negotiating, arguing and communicating science ideas. The transcripts from the entire instructional units for these teachers' four culturally and linguistically diverse Grade 4 classes (10 years old) with English as the language of instruction constitute the data for this investigation. Analysis of these transcripts focused on teachers' talk that made explicit reference to the form or function of the language of science and led to the inductive development of the 'Attending to Language Demands in Science' analytical framework. This framework in turn revealed that the major foregrounding purposes of teachers' talk include labelling, explaining, differentiating, selecting and constructing. Further classification of the instances within these categories revealed the extensive and contextualised nature of the language demands. The results challenge the conventional assumption that basic literacy skills dominate over disciplinary literacy skills in primary school science. Potential uses of the analytical framework that could further expand our understanding of the forms, functions and demands of language used in elementary school science are also discussed.
Assessment of Educational Neuromyths among Teachers and Teacher Candidates
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Canbulat, Tuncay; Kiriktas, Halit
2017-01-01
The aim of study is to determine the neuromyth level of teachers and pre-teachers and reveal if there is significant difference in terms of some variables (gender, class, etc.). Research was designed in survey model. The research sample was formed with 241 teachers and 511 teacher candidates. In the collection of data, "Educational neuromyths…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Biggers, Mandy Sue
study findings revealed that the teachers' science instruction was teacher-directed while their conceptions of inquiry were student-directed. This study contributes to existing research on preservice teachers' learning about the continuum (Biggers & Forbes, 2012) and inservice teachers' ideas about the five features of inquiry (Biggers & Forbes, in press).
Beginning Student Teachers' Teacher Identities Based on Their Practical Theories
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stenberg, Katariina; Karlsson, Liisa; Pitkaniemi, Harri; Maaranen, Katriina
2014-01-01
In this article, we investigate first-year student teachers' teacher identities through their practical theories and ask what these practical theories reveal about their emerging teacher identities? This study approaches teacher identity from a dialogical viewpoint where identity is constructed through various positions. The empirical part of this…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mrazik, Julianna
2009-01-01
This paper is about a research focusing on recent problems of Hungarian teachers. The aim of the study is to reveal the real troubles of Hungarian pedagogues, on the basis of their answers to a questionnaire, the nature of these problems and how they affect the role of the teacher. Supposedly, the nucleus of the problems of the teachers is…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Maharaj-Sharma, R.; Sharma, A.
2015-01-01
This study was undertaken to examine and interpret how science teachers in Trinidad and Tobago used analogies in their science teaching. A total of 30 lessons taught by five different teachers were observed and analysed using an interpretative research methodology to develop generalized observations. The findings revealed that in general science…
Authoritative school climate, aggression toward teachers, and teacher distress in middle school.
Berg, Juliette K; Cornell, Dewey
2016-03-01
Aggression toward teachers is linked to burnout and disengagement from teaching, but a positive school climate may reduce aggression and associated teacher distress. Using authoritative school climate theory, the study examined whether schools with high disciplinary structure and student support were associated with less aggression and less distress. The sample of 9,134 teachers in 389 middle schools came from the Virginia Secondary School Climate Survey, a statewide survey administered to all public schools with 7th and 8th grade enrollment. The majority of teachers (75%) were female. More than half (53%) reported that they had more than 10 years of teaching experience; 23% reported 6 to 10 years; 24% reported 1 to 5 years. Students reported on the degree to which their schools were structured and supportive. Teachers reported on their experiences of aggression by students, their level of distress, and their feelings of safety. Staff-related infractions computed from Department of Education records were also used. Multilevel modeling revealed that teachers in authoritative schools experienced less aggression and felt safer and less distressed. Lower aggression by students mediated the association between more authoritative schools and lower distress such that more structured and supportive schools had greater teacher safety and, in turn, less distress. The findings support the idea that more structured and supportive schools relate to greater safety for teachers and, in turn, less distress. Research limitations and implications for practice are discussed. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).
Becoming Teachers' Little Epics: What Digital Storytelling Might Reveal
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Radford, Linda; Aitken, Avril
2014-01-01
This paper discusses pre-service teachers' use of multi-modal tools to produce three-minute films in light of critical moments in their teaching practice. Two cases are considered; each centers on a film, a "little epic" that was produced by a future teacher who attempts to work within an anti-racist framework for social justice.…
Latent transition analysis of pre-service teachers' efficacy in mathematics and science
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ward, Elizabeth Kennedy
This study modeled changes in pre-service teacher efficacy in mathematics and science over the course of the final year of teacher preparation using latent transition analysis (LTA), a longitudinal form of analysis that builds on two modeling traditions (latent class analysis (LCA) and auto-regressive modeling). Data were collected using the STEBI-B, MTEBI-r, and the ABNTMS instruments. The findings suggest that LTA is a viable technique for use in teacher efficacy research. Teacher efficacy is modeled as a construct with two dimensions: personal teaching efficacy (PTE) and outcome expectancy (OE). Findings suggest that the mathematics and science teaching efficacy (PTE) of pre-service teachers is a multi-class phenomena. The analyses revealed a four-class model of PTE at the beginning and end of the final year of teacher training. Results indicate that when pre-service teachers transition between classes, they tend to move from a lower efficacy class into a higher efficacy class. In addition, the findings suggest that time-varying variables (attitudes and beliefs) and time-invariant variables (previous coursework, previous experiences, and teacher perceptions) are statistically significant predictors of efficacy class membership. Further, analyses suggest that the measures used to assess outcome expectancy are not suitable for LCA and LTA procedures.
AVID Teacher Leadership: Administrator and Teacher Perceptions of Leadership Attributes
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mills, Shirley J.; Huerta, Jeffery J.; Watt, Karen M.; Martinez, Jorge
2014-01-01
This study examined the perceptions of teachers and administrators with regard to AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) teacher leaders. The purpose was to compare whether teachers and administrators agree on the types of attributes needed for teacher leaders involved in implementing AVID as a school reform effort. Results revealed that…
Modelling Teacher Satisfaction: Findings from 892 Teaching Staff at 71 Schools.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dinham, Steve; Scott, Catherine
This survey was undertaken to build upon and validate understanding of teacher satisfaction and dissatisfaction, orientation to teaching, teachers' values, and teacher health. The purpose of this endeavor was also to develop an instrument suitable for identifying and quantifying the sources and relative strength of factors contributing to teacher…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Moore, Steven; Haviland, Don; Moore, William; Tran, Michael
2016-12-01
This article reports the findings of a 3-year study of a hybrid professional development program designed to prepare science and mathematics teachers to implement GIS in their classrooms. The study was conducted as part of the CoastLines Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers project funded by the National Science Foundation. Three cohorts of teachers participated in the program, with each participant receiving 40 h of synchronous online instruction and 80 h of in-person instruction and support over an 8-month period. Data from surveys of participants both before and after the program were analyzed using correlation, ordinary least squares, and ordered logit regression analyses. The analyses revealed increases in the self-reported frequency of GIS use and enhanced feelings of preparation, competence, community, and comfort with respect to using GIS for instruction. A composite index of all impact variables was positively influenced as well. The statistical analyses found a strong relationship between self-reported feelings of preparation and use of GIS. Some support was found for the idea that feelings of competence, community, and comfort were related to the teachers' sense of preparation. The findings suggest that a robust hybrid model of teacher professional development can prepare teachers to use GIS in their classrooms. More research is needed to understand how hybrid models influence the sociopsychological and other dimensions that support teachers' feelings of preparation to implement GIS.
Preservice and Novice Teachers' Knowledge on Preformal Proofs: Triangle Postulate as an Example
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Leung, Kui Chiu Issic; Lee, Chun Yeung
2017-01-01
By considering the example of proving the triangle postulate, this study aimed to explore Hong Kong preservice and novice teachers' knowledge competencies and their beliefs about preformal and formal proofs. The findings revealed that such teachers are not proficient in using preformal proofs and do not realize that preformal proofs are a useful…
Message in a Model: Teachers' Responses to a Court-Ordered Mandate for Curriculum Reform
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ryan, Sharon
2004-01-01
This article reports the findings of a qualitative case study of two preschool teachers and their responses to a court-ordered mandate to use the High/Scope curriculum model. Analysis of the data record, which included interviews, observations, and documents, reveal that despite a framework for action, both teachers remained confused about their…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bernardo, Maria Aurora Correa; Malakolunthu, Suseela
2013-01-01
The study explored the culturally inclusive behavior of Filipino teachers using information culled from interviews of six Filipino teachers in international schools on their perception of international education, and how it translates into their pedagogy. The findings of the study reveal inherent patterns of behavior the teachers manifest in…
Jiang, Ronghuan; Liu, Ru-De; Ding, Yi; Zhen, Rui; Sun, Yan; Fu, Xinchen
2018-01-01
For school-age adolescents, teacher justice plays an important role in their learning and social outcomes. The present study examined the relation between teacher justice and students' class identification in 1735 Chinese school-age adolescents by considering belief in a just world (BJW) and teacher-student relationship as mediators. Structure equation modeling (SEM) was used to reveal the direct and indirect effects. The analyses showed that all the direct and indirect effects were significant. These findings indicated that teacher justice had a positive effect on students' class identification. In addition, teacher justice impacted students' class identification through students' just-world belief and teacher-student relationships. These results suggested that for adolescents, teacher justice played an important role in shaping their just-world belief system and their interpersonal relationships with teachers, which in turn affected their sense of belonging and values in relation to their class. Thus, it is important for teachers to be aware that their injustice may negatively impact their relationships with students, students' belief systems, and their psychological engagement at school. There is a need to develop teacher-training programs to help teachers to establish classroom reward-punishment systems with the consideration of social justice, to communicate with students through an unbiased approach, and to increase student participation in the important decision making of the whole class.
Science as experience, exploration, and experiments: elementary teachers' notions of `doing science'
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Murphy, Ashley N.; Luna, Melissa J.; Bernstein, Malayna B.
2017-11-01
Much of the literature on science teaching suggests that elementary teachers lack relevant prior experiences with science. This study begins to reframe the deficit approach to research in science teaching by privileging the experiences elementary teachers have had with science - both in and out of schools - throughout their lives. Our work uses identity as a lens to examine the complexities of elementary teachers' narrative accounts of their experiences with science over the course of their lives. Our findings identify components of teachers' science-related experiences in order to lay the groundwork for making connections between teachers' personal experiences and professional practice. This work demonstrates that teachers' storied lives are important for educational researchers and teacher educators, as they reveal elements of teaching knowledge that may be productive and resourceful for refining teachers' science practice.
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…
Tsuda, Satoko; Hartini, Sri; Hapsari, Elsi Dwi; Takada, Satoshi
2017-05-01
Children and adolescents with disabilities (CAD) frequently engage in inappropriate sexual behaviors. In Indonesia, the need for sex education for CAD remains unclear. This study investigated teacher attitudes toward providing sex education in special schools to clarify the gender differences among teachers providing sex education. Questionnaires were sent to 180 teachers. The response rate was 72.2%. Eighty-three percent of responders were Muslim. Our findings revealed that teachers in special schools considered sex education to be important. However, the number of sex education contents was limited, and female teachers were more positive about teaching sex education than male teachers. Equally, female teachers taught a greater number of sex education contents than did male teachers. These findings were consistent with reports from developed countries although cultural and religious background differed from those of Indonesia. Sex education for CAD was accepted by teachers in Indonesia; however, materials and tools for education should be developed further.
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.
Can New Modes of Digital Learning Help Resolve the Teacher Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Moon, Bob; Villet, Charmaine
2017-01-01
Sub-Saharan Africa, more than any other part of the world, is experiencing a crisis in finding sufficiently qualified teachers to meet the needs of expanding school systems. The professional development support provided to serving teachers is also inadequate in most countries. The most recent data on learner outcomes has revealed a worrying…
Finding the Teachers We Need. Policy Perspectives
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hess, Frederick M.; Rotherham, Andrew J.; Walsh, Kate
2005-01-01
In recent years, the debate over teacher quality and preparation has gained new urgency. Competing groups of partisans have dominated this debate: one seemingly eager to assail the nation's education schools and to suggest that there is an insufficiently defined body of professional teaching knowledge, the other committed to advancing…
Teachers' Withdrawal Behaviors: Integrating Theory and Findings
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shapira-Lishchinsky, Orly
2012-01-01
Purpose: The article aims to investigate the relationships between different dimensions of organizational ethics and different withdrawal symptoms--lateness, absence, and intent to leave work. Design/methodology/approach: Participants were 1,016 school teachers from 35 high schools in Israel. A joint model of Glimmix procedure of SAS was used for…
Teachers versus the Public: What Americans Think about Schools and How to Fix Them
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Peterson, Paul E.; Henderson, Michael; West, Martin R.
2014-01-01
A comprehensive exploration of 21st Century school politics, "Teachers versus the Public" offers the first comparison of the education policy views of both teachers and the public as a whole, and reveals a deep, broad divide between the opinions held by citizens and those who teach in the public schools. Among the findings: (1) Divisions…
Secondary School Teachers' Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Renewable Energy Sources
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liarakou, Georgia; Gavrilakis, Costas; Flouri, Eleni
2009-04-01
Investigating knowledge, perceptions as well as attitudes of public that concern various aspects of environmental issues is of high importance for Environmental Education. An integrated understanding of these parameters can properly support the planning of Environmental Education curriculum and relevant educational materials. In this survey we investigated knowledge and attitudes of secondary school teachers in Greece towards renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar energy systems. A questionnaire with both open and close questions was used as the main methodological instrument. Findings revealed that although teachers were informed about renewable energy sources and well disposed towards these sources, they hardly expressed clear positions regarding several issues about wind and solar energy technologies and farms. Moreover such themes are limited integrated in teaching either as extra curricular educational programs or through the curriculum. These findings cannot confirm that teachers could influence students' opinion towards renewable energy systems. Thus, authorities should invest more in Environmental Education and relevant Teachers' Education.
Self-perceived assessment skill of prospective physics teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Efendi, R.; Rustaman, N. Y.; Kaniawati, I.
2018-05-01
Assessment skills are an important component of assessment practice, without adequate assessment skills it is unlikely that teacher assessment practices will produce desired student learning outcomes. This study was conducted to reveal self-perceived assessment skills of prospective physics teachers by using quantitative descriptive analysis, and involving 92 prospective physics teachers who were experiencing teaching practice in junior high school and final project related to assessment. Data was collected by using Self-Perceived Assessment Science Skills Questionnaire consisted of 29 items related seven assessment competencies was developed and used in the study. Internal consistency reliability coefficient for the total scale scores was 0.87 as measured by Cronbach’s alpha. Determination of self-perceived assessment science skills detected from prospective physics teachers was carried out in descriptive statistics, in the form of respondent average values. Research findings show that self-perceived assessment skills of prospective physics teachers was categorized as transition.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Murphy, Colette; Beggs, Jim; Carlisle, Karen; Greenwood, Julian
2004-08-01
This study is an investigation of the impact of collaborative teaching by student-teachers and classroom teachers on children's enjoyment and learning of science. The paper describes findings from a project in which undergraduate science specialist student-teachers were placed in primary schools where they 'co-taught' investigative science and technology with primary teachers. Almost six months after the student placement, a survey of children's attitudes to school science revealed that these children enjoyed science lessons more and showed fewer gender or age differences in their attitudes to science than children who had not been involved in the project. The authors discuss how this model of collaborative planning, teaching and evaluation can both enhance teacher education and improve children's experience of science.
Mkandawire, Matthews Tiwaone; Maulidi, Felix Kondwani; Sitima, James; Luo, Zubing
2018-01-01
This study sought to gather perspectives on “who” and “what” should determine choice of the curriculum for secondary school teacher education. Five heads of departments for secondary school teacher education and 3 cohorts of secondary school teacher trainees participated in the study. Findings reveal mixed perspectives on determinants of curriculum choice. However, both sets of respondents agreed that there is need for increased and improved public participation in curriculum development activities. Practical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed in this report. PMID:29780887
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nasir, Ambareen; Heineke, Amy J.
2014-01-01
This study investigates how early clinical experiences impact teacher candidates' learning and experiences with Latina/o English learners in a field-based program housed in a multilingual, urban elementary school. We draw on multiple-case study design and use discourse analysis to explore cases of three candidates. Findings reveal exploration of…
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.
Mentoring: Findings from a Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Suters, Leslie A.; Kershaw, Cheryl
Urban Impact is a Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Act partnership grant supporting the development of new strategies and structures to strengthen the preparation and development of beginning teachers in urban settings in Tennessee. This study evaluated the success of Urban Impact in establishing professional and social supports for the first…
Student Classroom Misbehavior: An Exploratory Study Based on Teachers' Perceptions
Sun, Rachel C. F.; Shek, Daniel T. L.
2012-01-01
This study aimed to examine the conceptions of junior secondary school student misbehaviors in classroom, and to identify the most common, disruptive, and unacceptable student problem behaviors from teachers' perspective. Twelve individual interviews with teachers were conducted. A list of 17 student problem behaviors was generated. Results showed that the most common and disruptive problem behavior was talking out of turn, followed by nonattentiveness, daydreaming, and idleness. The most unacceptable problem behavior was disrespecting teachers in terms of disobedience and rudeness, followed by talking out of turn and verbal aggression. The findings revealed that teachers perceived student problem behaviors as those behaviors involving rule-breaking, violating the implicit norms or expectations, being inappropriate in the classroom settings and upsetting teaching and learning, which mainly required intervention from teachers. PMID:22919297
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vokos, Stamatis
2010-10-01
The National Task Force on Teacher Education in Physics (T-TEP) concluded its two-year investigation of the professional preparation of teachers of physics in the U.S. T-TEP, formed by APS, AAPT, and AIP, was charged with (a) identifying generalizable, yet flexible, strategies that institutions, and in particular physics departments and schools or colleges of education, can employ to increase the number of qualified physics teachers, (b) identifying effective strategies in recruitment, models of professional preparation, and higher education systems of support during the first three years of teaching, and (c) articulating research, policy, and funding implications. In this talk, the major findings and recommendations of the T-TEP report will be discussed and ways to leverage the report to transform the physics teacher education system will be outlined.
Exploring Science Teachers' Argumentation and Personal Epistemology About Global Climate Change
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Shiyu; Roehrig, Gillian
2017-06-01
This case study investigated the nature of in-service science teachers' argumentation and personal epistemology about global climate change during a 3-year professional development program on climate change education. Qualitative analysis of data from interviews and written assessments revealed that while these teachers grounded their arguments on climate issues in evidence, the evidence was often insufficient to justify their causal claims. Compared with generating arguments for their own views, teachers had more difficulties in constructing evidence-based arguments for alternative perspectives. Moreover, while these teachers shared some similarities in their epistemology about climate science, they varied in their beliefs about specific aspects such as scientists' expertise and the credibility of scientific evidence. Such similarities and distinctions were shown to relate to how teachers used evidence to justify claims in their arguments. The findings also suggested a mismatch between teachers' personal epistemology about science in general and climate science, which was revealed through their argumentation. This work helps to further the ongoing discussions in environmental education about what knowledge and skills teachers need in order to teach climate issues and prepare students for future decision making. It constitutes first steps to facilitate reasoning and argumentation in climate change education and provides important implications for future design of professional development programs.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nayfeld, Irena; Brenneman, Kimberly; Gelman, Rochel
2011-01-01
Research Findings: This paper reports on children's use of science materials in preschool classrooms during their free choice time. Baseline observations showed that children and teachers rarely spend time in the designated science area. An intervention was designed to "market" the science center by introducing children to 1 science…
Technology Integration Coursework and Finding Meaning in Pre-Service Teachers' Reflective Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kimmons, Royce; Miller, Brant G.; Amador, Julie; Desjardins, Christopher David; Hall, Cassidy
2015-01-01
This study seeks to inform teacher preparation programs regarding technology integration by understanding (1) relationships between tasks with specific technologies and pre-service teachers' critical thinking about technology integration and (2) relationships between how pre-service teachers are critically thinking about technology integration and…
Teachers' Working Conditions. Findings from "The Condition of Education, 1996," No. 7.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Choy, Susan P.
Working conditions play an important role in a school's ability to attract, develop, and retain effective teachers. Data presented here describe a number of aspects of teachers' working conditions, including workload, compensation, school and district support for teachers' professional development, school decision making, school safety, student…
Male Teacher, Female Teacher: Exploring Children's Perspectives of Teachers' Roles in Kindergartens
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Harris, Kylie; Barnes, Sally
2009-01-01
In this paper, the findings of a study investigating four-year-old children's perspectives on the roles that male and female teachers fulfil in a kindergarten setting are presented. The purpose of this study was to discover if the gender of a teacher impacts on children's perspectives of their teachers' roles and whether boys' and girls'…
De Kraker-Pauw, Emmy; Van Wesel, Floryt; Krabbendam, Lydia; Van Atteveldt, Nienke
2017-01-01
The pedagogical beliefs (e.g., beliefs or “mindsets” concerning the malleability of intelligence) that teachers hold may have a far-reaching impact on their teaching behavior. In general, two basic mindsets can be distinguished with regard to the malleability of intelligence: fixed (entity) and growth (incremental). In this article, we present two studies investigating the associations between teachers' mindset and (1) their appraisal of students' achievements and (2) the feedback they provide. Study 1 focuses on the associations between mindset and appraisal. The findings reveal an association between growth mindset and the appraisal of increasing student achievements. Study 2 investigates the impact of teachers' mindset on the amount and type of oral feedback they provide to their students. Contrarily to expectations, the findings reveal a significant negative correlation between mindset and the amount of feedback. PMID:28983267
Evidence, explanations, and recommendations for teachers' field trip strategies
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rebar, Bryan
their practices. A subset of eight teachers were interviewed using guided conversations in order to shed further light on their use of the aquarium field trip and their pedagogical preparation. Data from all sources were organized by repeating ideas relevant to the questions of interest. The resulting evidence was interpreted to support distinct categories of teacher strategies and experience and related claims about these strategies and experiences. Thus, findings reveal that teachers attempt to link the curriculum to the activities, resources, and content encountered on the trip using a variety of connections. However, these curriculum connections are characterized as products of opportunistic situations and reveal limited depth. Evidence further indicates that teachers treat the aquarium visit as a background experience for their students rather than as an opportunity to introduce new concepts or do an activity that is integrated into the curriculum. Nevertheless, teachers included in this study were leading field trips that created countless learning opportunities for their students. Because training specific to field trips is rarely included in preservice programs, teachers were asked about influences on their field trip practice with specific focus on observed strategies. Findings suggest four categories of training experiences that teachers apply to their practice: (1) informal mentoring; (2) past experience trip leading; (3) outdoor education training; (4) traditional education training. Overall findings along with a review of previous research are suggestive of many ways in which efforts to enhance students' learning opportunities may be developed by means of support for teachers. Foremost among recommendations is the idea that field trip pedagogy be integrated into science methods courses required for preservice teachers (the premise for the final manuscript). Furthermore, the findings of this study may serve as a starting point for museums interested in the
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Burgess, Cathie; Cavanagh, Pat
2012-01-01
This paper reports on effective strategies for developing the cultural competence of teachers involved in Aboriginal education and presents the preliminary findings of a review into the Connecting to Country Program (CTC), a joint venture of the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) and the NSW Department of Education and Communities…
Teach the Earth: On-line Resources for Teachers and Teachers of Teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Manduca, C. A.
2007-12-01
Effective Earth science education depends on excellent teachers: teachers who not only possess a strong grasp of geoscience but are also well-versed in the pedagogic methods they need to connect with their audience. Preparing Earth science teachers is a task no less challenging that also requires strengths in both areas. The Teach the Earth website provides a variety of resources to support preparation of Earth science teachers. Here you can find collections of teaching activities addressing all aspects of the Earth system; discussions of teaching methods linked to examples of their use in geoscience courses; and the Earth Exploration Toolbook, a resource specifically designed for teachers who would like to incorporate data rich activities in their teaching. These resources are suitable for use by teachers, students in courses addressing the methodology of teaching Earth science and science, and faculty designing courses. Faculty working with current and future teachers will find a section on Preparing Teachers to Teach Earth Science with a collection of courses designed specifically to benefit future Earth Science teachers, examples of key activities in these courses, and descriptions of programs for pre-service and in-service teachers. The materials housed in this web-resource demonstrate a wide range of fruitful approaches and exciting opportunities. On the order of 25,000 individuals use the site repeatedly during the year. We estimate that 27 percent of these users are geoscience faculty and 12 percent are teachers. We invite teachers, faculty, researchers, and educators to enhance this resource by contributing descriptions of activities, courses, or programs as a mechanism for sharing their experience with others engaged in similar work.
How Preservice Teachers Interpret and Respond to Student Geometric Errors
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Son, Ji-Won; Sinclair, Nathalie
2010-01-01
Recognizing and responding to students' thinking is essential in teaching mathematics, especially when students provide incorrect solutions. This study examined, through a teaching scenario task, elementary preservice teachers' interpretations of and responses to a student's work on a task involving reflective symmetry. Findings revealed that a…
Beginning Teachers' Challenges in Their Pursuit of Effective Teaching Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Confait, Steve
2015-01-01
This article explores the context and experiences of three beginning teachers in their effort to improve their teaching and to implement and align themselves with their schools' expectations of effective teaching practices. Research findings emerging from a sociocultural-ethnographic framework revealed that participants challenged their own…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Price, Robert John
The elementary school teacher's personal understanding of science has not been a primary focus of consideration in educational reform discussions. This study examines how four elementary school teachers have constructed their personal understanding of science. The purpose of this study is to explore core understandings about science held by these teachers, and to examine the origins of these ideas. This study assumes that a teacher's understanding of science is unique and constructed on personal experiences affected by influences. This study further explores the relationship of the teachers understanding to the school's stated curriculum. The theoretical framework of this research recognizes three guiding assumptions: science exists as a set of ideas that have developed over time through competing discourses; the teacher plays an important role in the implementation of the science curriculum; and the guiding influences of a teacher's understanding of science are associated with power that emerges from discourse. The methodology in this qualitative study is closely associated with narrative inquiry. Data collection methods include a questionnaire, focus group sessions, and individual interviews. Teachers' stories were collected through collaborative interview opportunities between the researcher and the participants. The findings are presented through the narratives of the four teachers, and are organized through the guiding influences, and talk related to the stated science curriculum. The teachers' talk can be categorized by three broad guiding influences: family, education, and an image of science. The talk related to the stated curriculum illustrates both conflicts, and a relationship between the teachers' understanding of science and the curriculum. The finding of this study provides evidence that each teacher's understanding of science is unique and developed over time. Additionally, this understanding plays a role in how the stated curriculum is discussed and
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Teacher Efficacy Scale for Prospective Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Denzine, Gypsy M.; Cooney, John B.; McKenzie, Rita
2005-01-01
Background: Research on teacher self-efficacy has revealed substantive problems concerning the validity of instruments used to measure teacher self-efficacy beliefs. Although claims about the influence of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs on student achievement, success with curriculum innovation, and so on, may be true statements, one cannot make…
Transformative Praxis in Teacher Practice: One Tauira Finds Her Place in Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sexton, Steven S.
2011-01-01
This paper reports on an initial teacher education programme that has been designed to facilitate and support Maori student teachers in New Zealand. This paper highlights the ambiguity in New Zealand on the theoretical foundation of initial teacher education. Therefore a background on transformative praxis and how it has impacted on the education…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Campbell, Carol; Osmond-Johnson, Pamela; Faubert, Brenton
2016-01-01
Teachers' professional development and learning is of high interest in educational reform internationally. We present findings from the "State of Educators' Professional Learning in Canada" study. We identify ten features proposed for effective professional learning: evidence-informed subject specific and pedagogical content knowledge a…
Spatial Skill Profile of Mathematics Pre-Service Teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Putri, R. O. E.
2018-01-01
This study is aimed to investigate the spatial intelligence of mathematics pre-service teachers and find the best instructional strategy that facilitates this aspect. Data were collected from 35 mathematics pre-service teachers. The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test (PSVT) was used to identify the spatial skill of mathematics pre-service teachers. Statistical analysis indicate that more than 50% of the participants possessed spatial skill in intermediate level, whereas the other were in high and low level of spatial skill. The result also shows that there is a positive correlation between spatial skill and mathematics ability, especially in geometrical problem solving. High spatial skill students tend to have better mathematical performance compare to those in two other levels. Furthermore, qualitative analysis reveals that most students have difficulty in manipulating geometrical objects mentally. This problem mostly appears in intermediate and low-level spatial skill students. The observation revealed that 3-D geometrical figures is the best method that can overcome the mentally manipulation problem and develop the spatial visualization. Computer application can also be used to improve students’ spatial skill.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mitchell, Rosalita
1998-01-01
School communities are challenged to find ways to identify good teachers and give other teachers a chance to learn from them. The New Mexico World Class Teacher Project is encouraging teachers to pursue certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. This process sharpens teachers' student assessment skills and encourages…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hudson-Ross, Sally; McWhorter, Patti
After teaching and conducting research in each other's worlds for a year, a high school English teacher and a university teacher educator could never be the same. With their colleagues, they developed a model yearlong teacher education program founded on three key principles: equality of school and university participants; teacher research; and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fuery, Carol
1985-01-01
Suggests ways for English teachers to use their time more efficiently that include finding a quiet place at school to work, working after school, using a grade-scanner, sharing materials with other teachers, and making lists of tasks arranged in order of importance. (EL)
An Exploratory Study of School Counselling Teachers' Motivation Changes
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Liu, Wei; Yuan, Rui; Zhang, Hong
2018-01-01
This brief report describes an investigation into the motivational changes of two school counselling teachers in two rural schools in the Chinese context. The findings revealed the mixed motivations of the participants in joining school counselling and how their motivations transformed through their professional engagement and social interactions…
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.
Mathematics Anxiety and Learning Styles: What Is the Relationship in Elementary Preservice Teachers?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sloan, Tina; Daane, C. J.; Giesen, Judy
2002-01-01
Investigates the relationship between elementary preservice teachers' (n=72) mathematics anxiety levels and learning style preferences. Findings reveal a low but significant positive correlation between mathematics anxiety and a global (right-brain dominant) learning style. (Author/MM)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Alemdag, Ecenaz; Simsek, Pinar Özdemir
2017-01-01
This case study investigated practicum experiences of pre-service teachers by focusing on their evaluation of mentor teachers, school experiences, and theory-practice relationships. Interviews were conducted with six teacher candidates, and observations in the participants' practice schools were made. The results revealed that mentor teachers had…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Young, Stacy; Kelsey, Dawn; Lancaster, Alexander
2011-01-01
Using predicted outcome value theory as a guide, this study investigated the link between e-mail correspondence as a form of computer mediated extra class communication and how it may shape students' desire to foster student-teacher relational development. The findings revealed that when students believe their teacher e-mails the class frequently,…
Special and General Education Biology Teachers Working Together Collaboratively
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gagne-Grosso, Melissa
Collaborative teaching, between special education and general education teachers working together, came about as a result of the No Child Left Behind and Individuals with Disabilities Education Acts. Despite the positive intentions of those acts, teachers are not always ready to teach collaboratively. Guided by the theories of fundamental change and inclusion, this study was based on a lack of understanding about collaborative teaching at 3 high schools. The research questions focused on the benefits, process, and concerns related to collaborative teaching. The perspectives of 4 special education and 8 regular education teachers in 3 urban, public high schools were collected through interviews and observations. Data were analyzed descriptively and inductively using coding, reconstruction, and interpretation of the underlying meanings. The findings revealed that teachers benefitted from being in these classrooms by having a reduced work load and shared responsibility; however, they needed more time for collaboration and modifying instruction, professional development, and stronger support. Students in these classrooms benefitted from social interactions with other students and by getting direct answers to questions. Based on these findings, a professional development training was created based on how collaborative teachers can work together to promote successful learning. This project study can have a positive impact by assisting collaborative teachers with support, communication, strategies for modifications and accommodations, and an enhanced experience, and additionally by improving the academic outcomes for their students.
Characteristics of Teacher Induction Programs and Turnover Rates of Beginning Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kang, Seok; Berliner, David C.
2012-01-01
The federal School and Staffing Survey (SASS) and Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS) were used to examine the impacts of induction activities on beginning teacher turnover. This study excluded those teachers who moved or left schools for unavoidable and involuntary reasons, a confounding factor in previous research. This analysis revealed that three…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sadaf, Ayesha; Johnson, Barbara L.
2017-01-01
This study explored teachers' behavioral, normative, and control beliefs related to digital literacy integration into their classrooms. Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used as a theoretical framework to collect and analyze data. Findings revealed that teachers' integration of digital literacy were related to their behavioral beliefs…
Race, Gender, and Teacher Testing: How Informative a Tool Is Teacher Licensure Testing?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goldhaber, Dan; Hansen, Michael
2010-01-01
Virtually all states require teachers to undergo licensure testing before participation in the public school labor market. This article analyzes the information these tests provide about teacher effectiveness. The authors find that licensure tests have different predicative validity for student achievement by teacher race. They also find that…
Sticky Schools: How to Find and Keep Teachers in the Classroom
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Podolsky, Anne; Kini, Tara; Bishop, Joseph; Darling-Hammond, Linda
2017-01-01
To ensure that schools enjoy a steady supply of competent and committed teachers, federal, state, and local policymakers should look to the extensive research literature in this area, focusing on five strategies in particular: strengthening teacher preparation, improving hiring practices, increasing compensation, providing support for new…
Maring, Elisabeth F; Koblinsky, Sally A
2013-06-01
Exposure to community violence compromises teacher effectiveness, student learning, and socioemotional well-being. This study examined the challenges, strategies, and support needs of teachers in urban schools affected by high levels of community violence. Twenty teachers from 3 urban middle schools with predominantly low-income African American students completed open-ended interviews. Selected schools were in geographic areas with high violent crime levels. Consistent with an ecological risk and resilience framework, findings revealed that teachers experienced challenges and adopted coping strategies at the individual, family, school, and community levels. Teachers employed a number of strategies associated with resilience, such as prayer and seeking support from family and colleagues, but also engaged in some avoidant strategies, such as emotional withdrawal and avoiding difficult students. Findings suggest interventions to improve school safety and reduce the negative impact of violence-related stressors. Teacher training in behavior management, effective school leadership, improved school security, peer mediation, expanded mental health services, and parent involvement may promote resilience among both teachers and their students. © 2013, American School Health Association.
Physics Teachers' Professional Development in the Project "physics in Context"
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mikelskis-Seifert, Silke; Duit, Reinders
2013-06-01
Developing teachers' ways of thinking about "good" instruction as well as their views of the teaching and learning process is generally seen as essential for improving teaching behaviour and implementation of more efficient teaching and learning settings. Major deficiencies of German physics instruction as revealed by a nationwide video-study on the practice of physics instruction are addressed. Teachers participating in the project are made familiar with recent views of efficient instruction on the one hand and develop context-based instructional settings on the other. The evaluation resulted in partly encouraging findings. However, it also turned out that a number of teachers' ways of thinking about good instruction did only develop to a somewhat limited degree. The most impressive changes occurred for teachers who enjoyed the most intensive coaching.
Physics Teachers' Professional Development in the Project "physics in Context"
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mikelskis-Seifert, Silke; Duit, Reinders
2012-12-01
Developing teachers' ways of thinking about "good" instruction as well as their views of the teaching and learning process is generally seen as essential for improving teaching behaviour and implementation of more efficient teaching and learning settings. Major deficiencies of German physics instruction as revealed by a nationwide video-study on the practice of physics instruction are addressed. Teachers participating in the project are made familiar with recent views of efficient instruction on the one hand and develop context-based instructional settings on the other. The evaluation resulted in partly encouraging findings. However, it also turned out that a number of teachers' ways of thinking about good instruction did only develop to a somewhat limited degree. The most impressive changes occurred for teachers who enjoyed the most intensive coaching.
Preservice and inservice teachers' knowledge of language constructs in Finland.
Aro, Mikko; Björn, Piia Maria
2016-04-01
The aim of the study was to explore the Finnish preservice and inservice teachers' knowledge of language constructs relevant for literacy acquisition. A total of 150 preservice teachers and 74 inservice teachers participated in the study by filling out a questionnaire that assessed self-perceived expertise in reading instruction, knowledge of phonology and phonics, and knowledge of morphology. The inservice teachers outperformed the preservice teachers in knowledge of phonology and phonics, as well as morphology. Both groups' knowledge of morphology was markedly lower than their knowledge of phonology and phonics. Because early reading instruction does not focus on the morphological level of language but is phonics-based, this result was expected. However, the findings also revealed a lack of explicit knowledge of basic phonological constructs and less-than-optimal phonemic awareness skills in both groups. Problems in phonemic skills manifested mostly as responding to the phonological tasks based on orthographic knowledge, which reflects an overreliance on the one-to-one correspondence between graphemes and phonemes. The preservice teachers' perceptions of expertise were weakly related to their knowledge and skills. Among the inservice teachers, perceived expertise and knowledge of language constructs were completely unrelated. Although the study was exploratory, these findings suggest that within the Finnish teacher education there is a need to focus more on explicit content studies for language structures and the concepts relevant for literacy instruction, as well as phonological and phonemic skills.
Towards Understanding EFL Teachers' Conceptions of Research: Findings from Argentina
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Banegas, Darío Luis
2018-01-01
This paper investigates the conceptions of research held by English as a foreign language teachers in Argentina. Quantitative data from 622 participants from an online questionnaire were followed by qualitative data from online interviews with 40 of those participants. Results show that the teachers conceptualised research through conventional…
Teachers of Color Creating and Recreating Identities in Suburban Schools
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lee, Vera J.
2013-01-01
In this qualitative study, I explored the socialization experiences of eight teachers in two suburban high schools, and how they described their in-school identities. The findings from the study revealed how the participants constructed their identities differently for reasons that included wanting to deflect particular stereotypic images of their…
Hire Better Teachers Now: Using the Science of Selection to Find the Best Teachers for Your School
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rose, Dale S.; English, Andrew; Finney, Treena Gillespie
2014-01-01
While it is clear that better teachers get better results with students, school leaders often put themselves at a disadvantage by not hiring the best teachers available. In this groundbreaking book, three human resource experts show how even small adjustments can help school districts' leaders, principals, and other human resource professionals…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, 2005
2005-01-01
This policy brief presents a strong case for the creation of a statewide teacher data system in California by highlighting some of the simple teacher workforce questions that cannot be answered because such a system does not currently exist. At the state level, data on teacher qualifications are needed to fulfill the new reporting requirements of…
Investigation of preservice elementary teachers' thinking about science
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cobern, William W.; Loving, Cathleen C.
2002-12-01
It is not uncommon to find media reports on the failures of science education, nor uncommon to hear prestigious scientists publicly lament the rise of antiscience attitudes. Given the position elementary teachers have in influencing children, antiscience sentiment among them would be a significant concern. Hence, this article reports on an investigation in which preservice elementary teachers responded to the Thinking about Science survey instrument. This newly developed instrument addresses the broadrelationship of science to nine important areas of society and culture and is intended to reveal the extent of views being consistent with or disagreeing with a commonly held worldview of science portrayed in the media and in popular science and science education literature. Results indicate that elementary teachers discriminate with respect to different aspects of culture and science but they are not antiscience.
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.
Teachers' Perceptions of Teacher-Child Relationships: Links with Children's Observed Interactions
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hartz, Karyn; Williford, Amanda P.; Koomen, Helma M. Y.
2017-01-01
Research Findings: The present study examined associations between children's classroom interactions and teachers' perceptions of teacher-child relationships during 1 year of preschool. Teachers (n = 223) reported their perceptions of closeness and conflict in their teacher-child relationships in the fall and spring. Children's (n = 895) positive…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jones, Laura; De Gioia, Katey
2010-01-01
This article investigates the perceptions of 12 teachers from New South Wales, Australia, regarding the classroom assignment of twins. Analysis of semi-structured interviews with each of the teachers revealed four key findings: 1) teachers' perceptions about the classroom assignment of twins vary according to their previous experience and…
Teacher Evaluation in Chicago: Key Findings from Consortium Research. Research Retrospective
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, 2016
2016-01-01
Teacher evaluation systems have been a pillar of recent efforts to improve instruction and ensure that all students have access to effective educators. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) began revising its approach to teacher evaluation in 2006. An initial pilot, the Excellence in Teaching Project (EITP), launched in 2008. The current system, called…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Taneri, Pervin Oya
2017-01-01
Purpose: The affective skills in teacher education should pay attention and look for ways to include feelings, attitudes and beliefs of teachers in the discussion of effective teachers' competencies. This paper aims to reveal the perspectives of instructors about the teacher characteristics that prospective teachers will gain after taking the…
Assessment Literacy of Foreign Language Teachers: Findings of a European Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Vogt, Karin; Tsagari, Dina
2014-01-01
Training of pre- and in-service teachers constitutes one of the most important aspects in the quality assurance of language testing and assessment (LTA). For instance, foreign language (FL) teachers have to deal with standardised tests as well as their own classroom-based assessment procedures. This means they need the necessary expertise that can…
Riding on a Speeding Train? How Teacher Educators Perceive Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mevorach, Miriam; Ezer, Hanna
2010-01-01
This study investigates through structured questionnaires how teacher educators perceive current teacher education practices in Israel and at their colleges. An open-ended question provides their metaphorical viewpoint. The findings indicate that teacher educators believe teacher education in the country is at a high level. They perceive teacher…
Exploring Quadrilaterals to Reveal Teachers' Use of Definitions: Results and Implications
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Salinas, Tracie McLemore; Lynch-Davis, Kathleen; Mawhinney, Katherine J.; Crocker, Deborah A.
2014-01-01
About 80 middle and secondary school teachers participated in the professional development sequence as a part of a larger professional development project. Sessions provided participants with half-day experiences in an inquiry-oriented classroom taught by a master teacher, in which they experienced examples of inquiry lessons as both student and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shaheen, Nisbah
2016-01-01
This qualitative study aims to understand the areas of international students' critical thinking-related initial difficulties, in order to facilitate their academic experiences in UK universities. Using a sample of 14 British teachers, the findings reveal that students from culturally and linguistically diverse traditions are very different in…
A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Math Anxiety among Preservice Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sloan, Tina Rye
2010-01-01
This project investigated the effects of a standards-based mathematics methods course on the mathematics anxiety levels of preservice teachers. The qualitative portion of the study examined aspects of a math methods course that affected mathematics anxiety levels and the antecedents of mathematics anxiety. Findings revealed a significant…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Marinell, William H.; Coca, Vanessa M.
2013-01-01
This paper synthesizes findings from the Research Alliance's investigation of teacher turnover in New York City's public middle schools. These years are widely recognized as a critical turning point for students, and the NYC Department of Education (DOE) is pursuing a range of middle school improvement initiatives. The stability of the middle…
Curriculum enactment patterns and associated factors from teachers' perspectives
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Son, Ji-Won; Kim, Ok-Kyeong
2016-12-01
As part of a larger effort to improve teacher capacity for high-quality mathematics instruction, we investigated the factors that are associated with different enactment patterns at three levels: contextual (e.g., type and quality of textbook), individual (e.g., teacher knowledge), and teachers' opportunity-to-learn (e.g., professional development experiences). Analysis of 183 teachers' self-reports on their practices revealed three notable findings. First, the factors at the three levels were all found to be significantly related to the different patterns of enacted curriculum. However, the use of quality textbooks and the alignment of teachers' views and instructional goals with curriculum goals were found to be the two factors that are most strongly associated with the enactment pattern of high-level problems and high-level teacher questions in instruction. Furthermore, teachers with the enactment pattern of increasing lower cognitive demand of problems into higher ones tended to rate their curriculum knowledge higher than teachers with the enactment pattern of using low-level problems and teacher questions in their teaching. In particular, deviation from and dissatisfaction with their assigned low-quality textbooks were found to be critical factors that are associated with the enactment pattern of increasing lower cognitive demands of problems in instruction.
Teacher-Principal Race and Teacher Satisfaction over Time, Region
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Viano, Samantha L.; Hunter, Seth B.
2017-01-01
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to replicate prior findings on teacher-principal race congruence and teacher job satisfaction and extend the literature by investigating trends over time and if the relationship between race congruence and teacher job satisfaction differs by principal race and region. Design/methodology/approach: The study…
Beliefs of teachers versus non-teachers about people who stutter.
Arnold, Hayley S; Li, Jian; Goltl, Kathryn
2015-03-01
Although prior research has investigated teachers' beliefs about people who stutter (PWS), this work has not indicated how these beliefs compare with those of the general public or taken into account key demographic variables that may be related to these beliefs. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate whether beliefs about PWS in teachers are different from those in the general public. The second purpose of this study was to examine whether gender is related to beliefs about PWS for teachers, who are more frequently women. Analyses were based on questionnaire responses regarding beliefs about PWS from 269 teachers and 1388 non-teachers in the United States. Due to their potential link to beliefs about PWS, familiarity with PWS and sociodemographic variables were included in the statistical model for this study. Teachers' beliefs about PWS are no different than those of people in non-teaching professions. Findings also indicated that, regardless of whether respondents were teachers, women had more accurate beliefs about PWS than men. The statistical model tested indicated that beliefs about PWS were more accurate when the respondents were older, had more education, and had familiarity with a PWS. In the first study to compare teachers' beliefs about PWS to the general public, findings indicated that teachers are no more accurate than the public in their beliefs about PWS. Associations found between these beliefs and several variables may indicate some promising mechanisms for improving beliefs, such as increased familiarity with individuals who stutter. Readers should be able to: (a) describe stuttering's potential effects on children's participation in the school setting; (b) identify actions teachers can take to improve the school experience of their students who stutter; (c) summarize findings regarding teachers' beliefs about people who stutter (PWS); (d) identify key variables that are associated with beliefs about PWS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Davis, Rita C. F.
Throughout this country the student population is becoming increasingly diverse, yet the teacher population does not reflect this diversity. This lack of diversity in the teacher population deprives students of color from having role models of the same race/ethnicity who look like them and who might have experiences which are similar to theirs (Epstein, 2005; Nettles & Perna, 1997). Having role models from their own race in the classroom could have a positive impact on students' attitudes about science (Perine, 2003), and facilitate their learning of the subject matter, and give students an incentive to do well in school (Vegas, Murnane, & Willett, 2001). In 2000, a national survey study of math and science teachers was conducted (Horizon Research, 2001). The majority of biology (90%), chemistry (93%), and physics (94%) teachers who participated in the study were White. Findings of the study revealed that only 55% to 60% of these teachers considered themselves well prepared to effectively teach a culturally diverse student population (Banilower, 2002; Smith, 2002; Wood, 2002). The majority of the teacher pool, which is White, prefer not to teach in urban communities as they have a preference for teaching jobs in the nonurban communities that are similar to those in which they were raised (Boyd, Lankford, Loeb, & Wyckoff, 2005; Epstein, 2005). The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine factors that may contribute to the underrepresentation of African American teachers certified in science. More specifically, it was decided to examine the high school experiences of in-service teachers. Study participants were teachers and other certificated faculty in two school districts located in the southern portion of the United States. Findings of the study revealed a statistically significant relationship between a teacher's decision to become certified in science and the following high school experiences: teachers and guidance counselors encouraging students to
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Asikainen, Mervi A.; Pehkonen, Erkki; Hirvonen, Pekka E.
2013-01-01
Seven Finnish mentor mathematics teachers were interviewed about their views regarding the teacher knowledge required for teaching mathematics. The results of the interviews revealed not only the teachers' spontaneous views of the knowledge base needed for effective mathematics teaching but also their views of the particular types of teacher…
Workplace Experiences of Australian Lesbian and Gay Teachers: Findings from a National Survey
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ferfolja, Tania; Stavrou, Efty
2015-01-01
Historically, lesbian and gay teachers working in schools have experienced silencing, invisibility, and discrimination. This paper reports on research that examined the experiences of self-identified lesbian and gay teachers working in a variety of school types and school systems across Australia. Specifically, it explores these teachers'…
Challenge: Reframing, communicating, and finding relevance. Solution: Teachers on the research team
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bartholow, S.; Warburton, J.
2013-12-01
PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) is a program in which K-12 teachers spend 2-6 weeks participating in hands-on field research experiences in the polar regions. The goal of PolarTREC is to invigorate polar science education and understanding by bringing K-12 educators and polar researchers together. Program data has illuminated a crucial dynamic that increases the potential for a successful climate change science campaign. We contend that the inclusion of a teacher into the field research campaign can tackle challenges such as reframing climate change science to better address the need for a particular campaign, as well as garnering the science project the necessary support through effective, authentic, and tangible communication efforts to policymakers, funders, students, and the public. The program evaluation queried researchers on a.) the teachers' primary roles in the field b.) the impact teachers on the team's field research, and c.) the teachers' role conducting outreach. Additionally, researchers identified the importance of the facilitator, the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS), as an integral component to the challenge of providing a meaningful broader impact statement to the science proposal. Researchers reported the value of explaining their science, in-situ, allowed them to reframe and rework the objectives of the science project to attain meaningful outcomes. More than half of the researchers specifically noted that one of the strengths of the PolarTREC project is its benefit to the scientific process. The researchers also viewed PolarTREC as an essential outreach activity for their research project. Other researchers said that the outreach provided by their teacher also improved the research project's public image and articulated complex ideas to the public at large. This presentation will speak to the practices within the PolarTREC program and how researchers can meet outreach expectations, impact
Domitrovich, Celene E; Bradshaw, Catherine P; Berg, Juliette K; Pas, Elise T; Becker, Kimberly D; Musci, Rashelle; Embry, Dennis D; Ialongo, Nicholas
2016-04-01
A number of classroom-based interventions have been developed to improve social and behavioral outcomes for students, yet few studies have examined how these programs impact the teachers who are implementing them. Impacts on teachers may affect students and therefore also serve as an important proximal outcome to examine. The current study draws upon data from a school-based randomized controlled trial testing the impact of two prevention programs. In one intervention condition, teachers were trained in the classroom behavior management program, PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG). In a second intervention condition, teachers were trained to use an integrated program, referred to as PATHS to PAX, of the PAX GBG and a social and emotional learning curriculum called Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS©). This study aimed to determine whether both interventions positively impacted teachers, with a particular interest in the teachers' own beliefs and perceptions regarding self-efficacy, burnout, and social-emotional competence. The sample included 350 K-5 teachers across 27 schools (18 schools randomized to intervention, 9 to control). Multilevel latent growth curve analyses indicated that the PATHS to PAX condition generally demonstrated the most benefits to teachers, relative to both the control and PAX GBG conditions. These findings suggest that school-based preventive interventions can have a positive impact on teachers' beliefs and perceptions, particularly when the program includes a social-emotional component. Several possible mechanisms might account for the added benefit to teachers. Additional research is needed to better understand how these programs impact teachers, as well as students.
The Big Picture: Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of "Expert" Science Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McKinnon, Merryn; Perara, Sean
2015-01-01
This study adapted the Draw-A-Science-Teacher Test to compare 22 pre-service teachers' perceptions of their own strengths as science teachers against their perceived strengths of expert science teachers. The drawings identified a disconnection between theory and practice that we revisit in the literature. Our findings from this pilot study are…
Mentoring Matters: Finding the Golden Mean--Mentors and Student Teachers Working for Success
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Spangler, Susan
2012-01-01
The cooperating teachers who make the greatest positive impact on interns allow student teachers to make mistakes and learn from them, offer constructive feedback, invest in their student teachers' success, practice current pedagogy in their own classrooms, and remain positive throughout the experience. In this article, the author suggests that…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hourigan, Mairéad; O'Donoghue, John
2013-01-01
Given the acknowledged relationship between teachers' knowledge, their teaching and pupil learning, teachers' mathematics subject matter knowledge (MSMK) has received increased attention internationally. As children's early mathematics experiences have been recognized as a critical stage, elementary teachers' MSMK has become a focal point among researchers and policy makers alike. International research findings have uncovered that in many cases, there is a mismatch between what is perceived to be an appropriate MSMK for teaching elementary mathematics and that demonstrated by many qualified and prospective elementary teachers. Following repeated incidences of weak MSMK during interactions with prospective elementary teachers in one Irish College of Education (provider of initial teacher education programme for elementary teachers), this study sought to examine and address the issue purposefully through two cycles of action research. This article focuses on the data collected prospective teachers' MSMK in the initial stage (reconnaissance) of these cycles, i.e. pre-test findings. While considerable differences were evident among the pre-test population, the findings suggest that prior to the intervention stage many participating prospective teachers; regardless of previous mathematics achievements or the level of mathematics study; demonstrate weaknesses and gaps in their 'common' MSMK. Particular difficulties were evident in relation to pre-test items requiring knowledge of rational numbers, conceptual understanding or problem solving. These findings highlight the inadequacy of previous mathematics achievements and indeed minimum entry requirements as predictors of MSMK for teaching. As well as its contribution at a local and national level, the findings provide an Irish perspective on this international issue.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Peker, Deniz; Dolan, Erin
2012-03-01
As student-teacher-scientist partnerships become more widespread, there is a need for research to understand the roles assumed by scientists and teachers as they interact with students in general and in inquiry learning environments in particular. Although teacher roles during inquiry learning have been studied, there is a paucity of research about the roles that scientists assume in their interactions with students. Socio-cultural perspectives on learning emphasize social interaction as a means for students to make meaning of scientific ideas. Thus, this naturalistic study of classroom discourse aims to explore the ways scientists and teachers help high school students make meaning during authentic inquiry investigations. Conversational analysis is conducted of video recordings of discussions between students and teachers and students and scientists from two instances of a student-teacher-scientist partnership program. A social semiotic analytic framework is used to interpret the actions of scientists and teachers. The results indicate a range of common and distinct roles for scientists and teachers with respect to the conceptual, social, pedagogical, and epistemological aspects of meaning making. While scientists provided conceptual and epistemological support related to their scientific expertise, such as explaining scientific phenomena or aspects of the nature of science, teachers played a critical role in ensuring students' access to this knowledge. The results have implications for managing the division of labor between scientists and teachers in partnership programs.
Peker, Deniz; Dolan, Erin
2012-03-01
As student-teacher-scientist partnerships become more widespread, there is a need for research to understand the roles assumed by scientists and teachers as they interact with students in general and in inquiry learning environments in particular. Although teacher roles during inquiry learning have been studied, there is a paucity of research about the roles that scientists assume in their interactions with students. Socio-cultural perspectives on learning emphasize social interaction as a means for students to make meaning of scientific ideas. Thus, this naturalistic study of classroom discourse aims to explore the ways scientists and teachers help high school students make meaning during authentic inquiry investigations. Conversational analysis is conducted of video recordings of discussions between students and teachers and students and scientists from two instances of a student-teacher-scientist partnership program. A social semiotic analytic framework is used to interpret the actions of scientists and teachers. The results indicate a range of common and distinct roles for scientists and teachers with respect to the conceptual, social, pedagogical, and epistemological aspects of meaning making. While scientists provided conceptual and epistemological support related to their scientific expertise, such as explaining scientific phenomena or aspects of the nature of science, teachers played a critical role in ensuring students' access to this knowledge. The results have implications for managing the division of labor between scientists and teachers in partnership programs.
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,…
Learning and Teaching Technology in English Teacher Education: Findings from a National Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pasternak, Donna L.; Hallman, Heidi L.; Caughlan, Samantha; Renzi, Laura; Rush, Leslie S.; Meineke, Hannah
2016-01-01
This paper reports on one aspect of a large-scale nationwide study that surveyed English teacher educators about English teacher preparation programs throughout the United States. One aspect of the study focused on how technology is integrated within the context of English teacher education programs, asking the question, "As an area of…
Finding a Voice through Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lobo, Jose; Vizcaino, Alida
2006-01-01
One question guided this experimental study: What impact does the change from teacher training to educational research have on university teachers' methodology and attitudes to teaching? To find answers to this question, the researchers selected five teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at the language centre of a private university on…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chiang, Hanley S.; Clark, Melissa A.; McConnell, Sheena
2017-01-01
Teach For America (TFA) is an important but controversial source of teachers for hard-to-staff subjects in high-poverty U.S. schools. We present findings from the first large-scale experimental study of secondary math teachers from TFA. We find that TFA teachers are more effective than other math teachers in the same schools, increasing student…
Teacher Led School Improvement: Teacher Leadership in the UK
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Muijs, Daniel; Harris, Alma
2006-01-01
Teacher leadership is increasingly being seen as a key vehicle for school improvement and renewal. However, research on this phenomenon is limited, especially outside of the US. This article presents findings from an empirical study of teacher leadership in the UK, aimed at exploring both the ways in which teacher leadership can influence school…
The Professional Work of Teachers in Singapore: Findings from a Work-Shadowing Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lee, Y.-J.; Poon, C. L.
2014-01-01
The professional activities that constitute the work of school teachers are known to be both numerous and varied. While managing teacher workloads is a major priority for governments around the world, valid and reliable figures are difficult to obtain. From a larger qualitative study of teachers' work culture in Singapore, we report data obtained…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Price, Charmaine; van Jaarsveld, Pieter
2017-01-01
This article reports on using open-response questions to reveal the level of, and change in, conceptual understanding of a small sample of Grade 11 learners of trigonometry in a South African high school. The investigation used learner response sheets in a regular classroom with the teacher as researcher. Combining the idea of concept image and…
Primary Teachers' beliefs about Scientific Creativity in the Classroom Context
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Shu-Chiu; Lin, Huann-shyang
2014-07-01
While a number of studies have investigated people's perceptions or conceptions of creativity, there is a lack of studies looking into science teachers' views. The study aimed to explore the meanings of scientific creativity in the classroom context as perceived by a selective group of upper primary (Grades 3-6; student ages 8-12) science teachers (n = 16) in Taiwan. Using a self-report, open-ended questionnaire and follow-up interviews, the participants responded to questions as to (1) what quality, behaviours and abilities characterise a creative learner in their science classrooms, (2) what a science classroom should be like if it is to facilitate scientific creativity, and (3) whether and what particular elements of the inquiry approach are incorporated in such a classroom. The analyses revealed that the teachers captured the central features of creativity and proposed diverse ideas about how to foster creativity in school science, but seemed to overlook some aspects, such as convergent thinking, problem-finding, and linking the arts and science. These missing features are regarded as important for scientific creativity in contemporary research. The findings were discussed along with their implications for teacher education and future research.
Thompson, Aaron M; Herman, Keith C; Stormont, Melissa A; Reinke, Wendy M; Webster-Stratton, Carolyn
2017-06-01
The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of the Incredible Years® Teacher Classroom Management (IY TCM) training on teacher perceptions of parental involvement. A cluster randomized design was used to assign 42 classroom teachers to either an IY TCM training (n=19) or a control condition (n=23). Teachers rated parental involvement (i.e., bonding with teacher, parental involvement at school) for the families of 805 low income students (IY TCM=504, control=301). A latent profile transition analysis framework was used to model the effect of IY TCM on teacher perceptions of parental involvement from pre to posttest. Four profiles consisting of various patterns of high, medium, and low teacher perceptions of bonding with and involvement of parents emerged. Analyses of teacher profiles at baseline revealed teachers who felt parental involvement and bonding was low were also likely to rate students as having more externalizing behaviors, fewer social competencies, more attention deficit symptoms, and disruptive behaviors towards adults and peers compared to teachers with more adaptive profiles. Further analysis revealed that parents of teachers randomly assigned to IY TCM were more likely to transition to a more adaptive view of parental involvement at follow-up compared to teachers in the control condition. Because teacher perceptions of parental involvement may adversely impact teacher attitudes towards difficult students, findings from the present study support the promise of teacher training as an avenue for conferring protections for struggling students. Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Self-efficacy in Environmental Education: Experiences of elementary education preservice teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gardner, Cynthia Crompton
Despite research showing Environmental Education can provide positive student outcomes in academic achievement, critical thinking, motivation and engagement (Ernst, 2007; Lieberman & Hoody, 1998; Orr, 1992; Palmer, 1998; Powers, 2004; Volk & Cheak, 2003), Environmental Education is currently not a critical element in American public school K-12 education. The present study investigates self-efficacy in Environmental Education through a mixed methods research approach. The data reveal the participants' perspectives of their sense of self-efficacy in Environmental Education. It adds to the body of work on Environmental Education and self-efficacy by specifically investigating the topics through interviews with preservice teachers. Purposeful sampling is used to identify preservice elementary education teachers in their senior year of college with a high measure of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is measured using the Environmental Education Efficacy Belief Instrument (Sia, 1992). Forty-six preservice teachers completed the instrument. Six preservice teachers were interviewed to determine experiences that impact their self-efficacy in Environmental Education. Continual comparison and cross-case analysis are used to analyze the data. The results reveal a relationship between personal experiences with nature as a young child and current beliefs toward their personal efficacy and teaching outcome efficacy in Environmental Education. Similar to the findings of Sia (1992), the researcher discovered that preservice teachers realize that they lack sufficient knowledge and skill in Environmental Education but believe that effective teaching can increase students understanding of Environmental Education. While the preservice teachers do not believe they will teach Environmental Education as well as other subjects, they will continually seek out better ways to teach Environmental Education. Interviews with participants who had a high self-efficacy revealed the importance of
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Murray, Frank
2013-01-01
This article is a report of the findings from a sample of approximately 2,700 students and 1,000 faculty in the first 50 Teacher Education Accreditation\tCouncil (TEAC)-accredited programs for which the online surveys were used. The sample represents nearly all the full-time faculty members surveyed and approximately 30% of the students. On the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Scales, Roya Qualls; Wolsey, Thomas DeVere; Young, Janet; Smetana, Linda; Grisham, Dana L.; Lenski, Susan; Dobler, Elizabeth; Yoder, Karen Kreider; Chambers, Sandra A.
2017-01-01
This longitudinal study, framed by activity theory, examines what seven novice teachers' talk and actions reveal about their literacy teaching practices then delves into mediating influences of the teaching context. Utilizing collective, multi-case methods, data sources included interviews, observations, and artifacts. Findings indicate novices…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yuan, Rui
2017-01-01
Drawing on the dual perspectives of teacher educators and student-teachers, this research explores the complex learning needs of pre-service school counselling teachers (SCTs) in China. Relying on data from in-depth interviews and relevant curriculum documents, the findings of the study demonstrate four critical needs of SCTs, namely, developing a…
Learning about Teachers through Film.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Raimo, Angela; Devlin-Scherer, Roberta; Zinicola, Debra
2002-01-01
Analysis of films featuring teachers reveals a variety of roles portrayed: teacher as culture guardian, iconoclast/subverter, alien culture-bearer, change agent, learner, compassionate mentor, student advocate, maverick, and incompetent. Examination of these portrayals can prompt critical thinking about teacher responses to different social and…
Mathematics teachers' support and retention: using Maslow's hierarchy to understand teachers' needs
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fisher, Molly H.; Royster, David
2016-10-01
As part of a larger study, four mathematics teachers from diverse backgrounds and teaching situations report their ideas on teacher stress, mathematics teacher retention, and their feelings about the needs of mathematics teachers, as well as other information crucial to retaining quality teachers. The responses from the participants were used to develop a hierarchy of teachers' needs that resembles Maslow's hierarchy, which can be used to better support teachers in various stages of their careers. The interviews revealed both non content-specific and content-specific needs within the hierarchy. The responses show that teachers found different schools foster different stress levels and that as teachers they used a number of resources for reducing stress. Other mathematics-specific ideas are also discussed such as the amount of content and pedagogy courses required for certification.
Teacher-child relationships and academic achievement: a multilevel propensity score model approach.
McCormick, Meghan P; O'Connor, Erin E; Cappella, Elise; McClowry, Sandee G
2013-10-01
A robust body of research finds positive cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between teacher-child relationships and children's academic achievement in elementary school. Estimating the causal effect of teacher-child relationships on children's academic achievement, however, is challenged by selection bias at the individual and school level. To address these issues, we used two multilevel propensity score matching approaches to estimate the effect of high-quality teacher-child relationships in kindergarten on math and reading achievement during children's transition to first grade. Multi-informant data were collected on 324 low-income, Black and Hispanic students, and 112 kindergarten and first-grade teachers. Results revealed significant effects of high-quality teacher-child relationships in kindergarten on math achievement in first grade. No significant effects of teacher-child relationships were detected for reading achievement. Implications for intervention development and public policy are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Teacher Education, Teacher Effectiveness, and Developmental Psychology. Report No. 75-15.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brophy, Jere E.; Evertson, Carolyn M.
This paper presents some of the major findings of the Texas Teacher Effectiveness Study, an investigation of the teacher characteristics that correlate with ability to produce student learning gain. In addition to general information about the study and its findings, specific attention is drawn to contrasts between optimal behavior in low SES and…
Literacy Teacher Preparation: Ten Truths Teacher Educators Need to Know
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Davis Lenski, Susan, Ed.; Grisham, Dana L., Ed.; Wold, Linda S., Ed.
2005-01-01
The quality of teacher preparation is frequently under public scrutiny. In this collection, experts in literacy teacher preparation offer ten truths--based on evidence, not ideology-- that support the ongoing positive efforts of teacher educators. In this book, the reader will find: A review of the existing knowledge base; Evidence of the improved…
Diversity, Neoliberalism and Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rodriguez, Arturo; Magill, Kevin Russell
2016-01-01
In this essay, we conduct a brief analytical review of teacher preparation programs, which claim to prepare lifelong culturally responsive teachers. Initial evaluation revealed factors limiting program success, they include: deeply embedded dominant ideological assumptions, use of traditional methods to train teachers, inability to understand or…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Glen, Nicole J.; Dotger, Sharon
2013-10-01
This qualitative study examined the connections between elementary teachers’ conceptions of how scientists use writing and how the teachers used writing during science lessons. Data collected included lesson observations, interviews, handouts to students, and curriculum resources. The findings revealed that teachers in this study thought scientists write for several purposes: the presentation of data, observations, experiences, procedures, and facts. The teachers used writing tasks that mirrored this with their students. The teachers also had a limited definition of creativity in writing, and when they had students write creatively in science it was to add in fictional elements. Implications of this study include providing teachers with better models for how and why scientists write, including these models in more inquiry-based science lessons, and directly relating concepts of nature of science to elementary science writing.
Teacher Power Mediates the Effects of Technology Policies on Teacher Credibility
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Finn, Amber N.; Ledbetter, Andrew M.
2013-01-01
In this study, we examined the relationship between perceived technology policies and perceived teacher credibility, as well as the extent to which teachers' use of power bases mediates this association. Participants included 294 undergraduate students from a private university in the Southwest. Results revealed that policies encouraging…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McCleskey, Nicole
2010-01-01
This paper presents the key findings from a national Internet survey of 400 teachers and 95 principals. This survey was conducted November 12-21, 2008. The sample was based on a list provided by EMI Surveys, a custom online research sample provider with an extensive portfolio of projects. The margin of error for a sample of 495 interviews is [plus…
A Comparative Study of Iranian and Japanese English Teachers' Demotivational Factors
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Baniasad-Azad, Somayeh; Ketabi, Saeed
2013-01-01
This study examined demotivational factors among Iranian and Japanese college teachers of English. To achieve the purpose, the study used a 35-item questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The results were compared with the similar study in Japan by Sugino (2010). The findings of the study revealed that Iranian and Japanese lecturers are much…
An Investigation of Teachers' Growing Understandings of the Picture Book Format
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Martinez, Miriam G.; Harmon, Janis M.
2015-01-01
This study investigated the impact of a graduate course that focused on picture books on teachers' understandings of the picture book format and the ways in which these understandings influenced their self-reports of picture book use in the classroom. Findings of this qualitative investigation revealed that immersion in and analysis of the picture…
Impact of Teacher Value Orientations on Student Learning in Physical Education.
Chen, Ang; Zhang, Tan; Wells, Stephanie L; Schweighardt, Ray; Ennis, Catherine D
2017-04-01
Based on the value orientation theory, the purpose of this study was to determine the impact of value orientation incongruence between physical education teachers and an externally designed curriculum on student learning in a concept-based fitness-centered physical education curriculum. Physical education teachers ( n = 15) with different value orientations taught an externally designed, standards-based fitness/healthful living curriculum to their middle school students ( n = 3,827) in 155 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade intact classes. A pre-post assessment design was used to determine whether student fitness/healthful living knowledge gains differed in terms of teachers' value orientations. An ANOVA on class means of residual-adjusted knowledge gain scores revealed no statistically significant differences based on value orientations. The evidence suggests that teacher value orientation impact may be mediated by curriculum impact. This finding supports the observation that a well-designed physical education curriculum may minimize the impact of teachers' diverse value orientations on the curriculum implementation and student learning.
How School Climate Influences Teachers' Emotional Exhaustion: The Mediating Role of Emotional Labor.
Yao, Xiuping; Yao, Meilin; Zong, Xiaoli; Li, Yulan; Li, Xiying; Guo, Fangfang; Cui, Guanyu
2015-10-08
Currently, in China, improving the quality of teachers' emotional labor has become an urgent need for most pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (p-12) schools because the new curriculum reform highlights the role of emotion in teaching. A total of 703 primary and high school teachers in Mainland China were investigated regarding their perceptions of school climate, emotional labor strategy and emotional exhaustion via questionnaires. The findings revealed that the teachers' perceptions of the school climate negatively affected surface acting but positively affected deep acting. Surface acting positively predicted emotional exhaustion, and deep acting had no significant effect on emotional exhaustion. Moreover, emotional labor mediated the relationship between the teachers' perceptions of the school climate and emotional exhaustion. Programs aimed at improving the school climate and the teachers' use of appropriate emotional labor strategies should be implemented in schools in Mainland China.
Reactions of teachers versus non-teachers toward people who stutter.
Li, Jian; Arnold, Hayley S
2015-01-01
The primary purpose of this study was to assess whether kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers differ from people in non-teaching occupations in their reactions to people who stutter (PWS). Taking differences in age and education into account, we compared reactions to PWS between 263 teachers and 1336 non-teachers in the United States based on their responses on the Public Opinion Survey on Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S, St. Louis, 2012). Findings indicated that teachers use a greater number and variety of information sources about PWS than the general public and that male teachers do so even more than female teachers. With regard to the other POSHA-S components, accommodating/helping, knowledge/experience, and sympathy/social distancing of PWS, teachers' responses were not significantly different from their non-teaching counterparts. Regardless of occupation, women reported reactions to PWS that are considered more accommodating and helpful to PWS than the reported reactions of men. Readers should be able to: (1) identify the challenges that students who stutter encounter in the K-12 school setting, (2) identify recommended ways teachers can react to their students who stutter, (3) summarize findings regarding teachers' reactions to people who stutter (PWS), and (4) identify key variables that are associated with reactions to PWS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In Search of Good Teachers: Patterns of Teacher Quality in Two Mexican States
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Luschei, Thomas F.
2012-01-01
This study uses longitudinal data from Mexico's Carrera Magisterial teacher incentive program to identify teacher attributes that are positively associated with student test scores and to describe how teachers with these attributes are distributed across schools in two diverse Mexican states, Aguascalientes and Sonora. I find that teachers' scores…
Effective Communication between Preservice and Cooperating Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lawley, Ji Ji; Moore, Jenifer; Smajic, Almir
2014-01-01
This article reviews research on communication between preservice and cooperating teachers during a teacher internship. The research reveals that poor communication between preservice teachers and cooperating teachers can cause barriers to planning lessons, feedback, and teaching experiences. Additionally, research indicates that…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Campbell, Patricia F.; Nishio, Masako; Smith, Toni M.; Clark, Lawrence M.; Conant, Darcy L.; Rust, Amber H.; DePiper, Jill Neumayer; Frank, Toya Jones; Griffin, Matthew J.; Choi, Youyoung
2014-01-01
This study of early-career teachers identified a significant relationship between upper-elementary teachers' mathematical content knowledge and their students' mathematics achievement, after controlling for student- and teacher-level characteristics. Findings provide evidence of the relevance of teacher knowledge and perceptions for teacher…
The Schools Teachers Leave: Teacher Mobility in Chicago Public Schools
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Allensworth, Elaine; Ponisciak, Stephen; Mazzeo, Christopher
2009-01-01
This report reveals that about 100 Chicago schools suffer from chronically high rates of teacher turnover, losing a quarter or more of their teaching staff every year, and many of these schools serve predominantly low-income African American children. In the typical Chicago elementary school, 51 percent of the teachers working in 2002 had left…
Fidelity of Implementation of Research Experience for Teachers in the Classroom
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sen, Tapati
In this study, the Arizona State University Mathematics and Science Teaching Fellows 2010 program was analyzed qualitatively from start to finish to determine the impact of the research experience on teachers in the classroom. The sample for the study was the 2010 cohort of eight high school science teachers. Erickson’s (1986) interpretive, participant observational fieldwork method was used to report data by means of detailed descriptions of the research experience and classroom implementation. Data was collected from teacher documents, interviews, and observations. The findings revealed various factors that were responsible for an ineffective implementation of the research experience in the classroom such as research experience, curriculum support, availability of resources, and school curriculum. Implications and recommendations for future programs are discussed in the study.
Accardo, Amy L; Finnegan, Elizabeth G
2017-11-01
Students with autism spectrum disorder have been found to experience difficulty with reading comprehension despite intact decoding and word recognition. This identified need for targeted reading comprehension remediation results in a need for teachers to utilize research-based practices and to individualize instruction for students with autism spectrum disorder; however, teachers report a lack of access to such practices. This study utilized survey methodology to gather perceptions and experiences of teachers and to compare teacher preparedness to use effective instructional practices emerging from the extant research to teacher-reported effective practices in the classroom. Study findings, based on 112 participants, reveal a discrepancy between teacher-reported effective practices, and the practices identified as effective through research, indicating a research to practice gap. Implications for practice include professional development recommendations, and the need for increased communication between researchers and teachers.
Unraveling the "Teacher Shortage" Problem: Teacher Retention is the Key.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
2002
This paper examines how the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future will address the high teacher attrition rates. Sections discuss: "The Conventional Wisdom is Wrong" (it is important to focus on how to keep the good teachers who have been recruited, trained, and hired rather than ask how to find and prepare more teachers); "A Closer…
Finding Their Way on: Career Decision-Making Processes of Urban Science Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rinke, Carol R.
2009-01-01
This article reports on a research study investigating the career decision-making processes of urban science teachers as one element central to understanding the high rates of attrition in the field. Using a longitudinal, prospective, context- and subject-specific approach, this study followed the career decisions of case study teachers over a…
A Study--Isolation Bonuses and Teacher Housing. Project North Findings and Recommendations.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wahlstrom, E. G. (Gunnar)
This study and its recommendations focus on isolation allowances and teacher housing in northern Alberta. The research on isolation allowances addresses the need (1) to develop an equitable isolation allowance plan, or some alternate plan, for providing financial aid to teachers or to Alberta North school systems or both to facilitate recruitment…
Development of Mentor Teacher Role Inventory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Koc, Ebru Melek
2011-01-01
This study aimed to develop and investigate the validity and reliability of the Mentor Teacher Role Inventory (MTRI). A total of 1843 student teachers in the Distance English Teacher Training Program participated in the study. The 58 items of the Mentor Teacher Role Inventory underwent principal factor analysis, which revealed nine factors…
Teacher Support Resources, Need Satisfaction and Well-Being.
Doménech-Betoret, Fernando; Lloret-Segura, Susana; Gómez-Artiga, Amparo
2015-03-03
Based on Job Demands-Resources Model (JD-R), this study examines the relationships among teacher support resources, psychological need satisfaction, engagement and burnout in a sample of 282 Spanish secondary school teachers. Nine teacher psychological needs were identified based on the study of Bess and on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Self-report questionnaires were used to measure the constructs selected for this study and their interrelationships were examined by structural equation modeling. The results reveal a good model fit to the data (NNFI = .88; CFI = .90; GFI = .90; RMSEA = .061). The analyses indicate a positive and significant effect of latent variable Psychological Need Satisfaction on engagement (β = .74, p < .05), and a negative and significant effect on burnout (β = -.78, p ≤ .05). Furthermore, the results show the mediator role played by Psychological Need Satisfaction in the relationship between teacher support resources and both engagement and burnout (additional paths did not improve the model fit: Δχ2(2) = 2.428, p = .29). Finally, practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Child Behavior Problems, Teacher Executive Functions, and Teacher Stress in Head Start Classrooms
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Friedman-Krauss, Allison H.; Raver, C. Cybele; Neuspiel, Juliana M.; Kinsel, John
2014-01-01
Research Findings: The current article explores the relationship between teachers' perceptions of child behavior problems and preschool teacher job stress, as well as the possibility that teachers' executive functions moderate this relationship. Data came from 69 preschool teachers in 31 early childhood classrooms in 4 Head Start centers and were…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kraft, Matthew A.; Gilmour, Allison F.
2017-01-01
In 2009, the New Teacher Project's "The Widget Effect" documented the failure of U.S. public school districts to recognize and act on differences in teacher effectiveness. We revisit these findings by compiling teacher performance ratings across 24 states that adopted major reforms to their teacher evaluation systems. In the vast…
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.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Smith, Greg
2015-04-01
This study investigates the relationship, if any, between teacher participation in a targeted professional development programme and changes in participants' instructional practice and their pupils' attitudes to learning primary science. The programme took place over a 2-year period in 15 small rural schools in the West of Ireland. Data sources include teacher and pupil questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and informal classroom observations. The findings reveal that as a result of their involvement in the programme, (a) teachers' instructional practice in science lessons became more inquiry-based and they were engaging their pupils in substantially more hands-on activities in science lessons and (b) pupils developed more positive attitudes towards learning science. The findings from this study add to what is known about delivering effective professional development.
A Qualitative Phenomenological Exploration of Teachers' Experience With Nutrition Education.
Hall, Elisha; Chai, Weiwen; Albrecht, Julie A
2016-05-03
Background: Nutrition education delivered by classroom teachers has become a popular intervention designed to combat childhood obesity. However, few qualitative studies have explored nutrition education with teachers Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how elementary teachers describe their experience with nutrition education. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was used. Semistructured interviews, observations, and document analysis were conducted with 10 teachers who delivered nutrition education in their classrooms. Inductive coding was used to determine invariant constituents, reduce constituents to categories, and cluster categories into themes. Reliability and validity were accomplished through intercoder agreement, audio recording, triangulation, bracketing, and member checking. Results: Results identified 5 core themes related to roles teachers play in nutrition education, the importance placed upon nutrition, motivation for supplementary activities, barriers, and a triadic relationship between students, teachers, and curriculum. Discussion: Findings reveal interactions within the nutrition education experience in which teachers balance barriers with their value of nutrition education and motivation to help students make healthy choices. Translation to Health Education Practice: Health educators should work with classroom teachers at the program design, implementation, and evaluation stages of curriculum development to better address needs and facilitate the delivery of high-quality nutrition education for students.
A Qualitative Phenomenological Exploration of Teachers' Experience With Nutrition Education
Hall, Elisha; Chai, Weiwen; Albrecht, Julie A.
2016-01-01
Background: Nutrition education delivered by classroom teachers has become a popular intervention designed to combat childhood obesity. However, few qualitative studies have explored nutrition education with teachers Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how elementary teachers describe their experience with nutrition education. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was used. Semistructured interviews, observations, and document analysis were conducted with 10 teachers who delivered nutrition education in their classrooms. Inductive coding was used to determine invariant constituents, reduce constituents to categories, and cluster categories into themes. Reliability and validity were accomplished through intercoder agreement, audio recording, triangulation, bracketing, and member checking. Results: Results identified 5 core themes related to roles teachers play in nutrition education, the importance placed upon nutrition, motivation for supplementary activities, barriers, and a triadic relationship between students, teachers, and curriculum. Discussion: Findings reveal interactions within the nutrition education experience in which teachers balance barriers with their value of nutrition education and motivation to help students make healthy choices. Translation to Health Education Practice: Health educators should work with classroom teachers at the program design, implementation, and evaluation stages of curriculum development to better address needs and facilitate the delivery of high-quality nutrition education for students. PMID:27226814
Reeder, Glenn D; Monroe, Andrew E; Pryor, John B
2008-07-01
The research investigated impressions formed of a "teacher" who obeyed an experimenter by delivering painful electric shocks to an innocent person (S. Milgram, 1963, 1974). Three findings emerged across different methodologies and different levels of experimenter-induced coercion. First, contrary to conventional wisdom, perceivers both recognized and appreciated situational forces, such as the experimenter's orders that prompted the aggression. Second, perceivers' explanations of the teacher's behavior focused on the motive of obedience (i.e., wanting to appease the experimenter) rather than on hurtful (or evil) motivation. Despite this overall pattern, perceptions of hurtful versus helpful motivation varied as a function of information regarding the level of coercion applied by the experimenter. Finally, theoretically important relationships were revealed among perceptions of situations, motives, and traits. In particular, situational cues (such as aspects of the experimenter's behavior) signaled the nature of the teacher's motives, which in turn informed inferences of the teacher's traits. Overall, the findings pose problems for the lay dispositionism perspective but fit well with multiple inference models of dispositional inference.
Using critical race theory to analyze science teachers culturally responsive practices
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wallace, Tamara; Brand, Brenda R.
2012-06-01
Culturally responsive science teaching is using knowledge about the culture and life experiences of students to structure learning that is conducive to their needs. Understanding what teachers need to prepare them to be culturally responsive is a matter of continuous debate. As the focus of multicultural education ventures farther away from its roots, advocating the civil rights of historically oppressed groups, concerns about the gravity of racial inequity on schooling continues. How will this shift in focus influence teachers' capacity to accommodate students' needs resulting from racial inequities in this society, particularly African American students? What knowledge is essential to their effectiveness? This qualitative study examined the instructional practices of two effective middle school science teachers deemed culturally responsive by their administrator on the basis of classroom observations, students' responses and standardized assessment results. Both teachers' classrooms consisted primarily of African American students. Grounded theory was used to analyze the teachers' beliefs and practices in order to identify existing commonalties. Critical race theory was used to identify whether there was any influence of the students' racial identities on the teachers' beliefs and practices. The analysis reveals that the teachers' beliefs and practices were informed by their critical awareness of social constraints imposed upon their African American students' identities. These findings communicate the significance of sociocultural awareness to informing the teachers' instruction, as well as their strategies for managing the varying dynamics occurring in their classrooms. It can be deduced from the findings that an understanding of racial inequities is crucial to the development of sociocultural awareness, and is the foundation for the culturally responsive dispositions and practices of these middle school science teachers.
Reflecting on Talk: A Mentor Teacher's Gradual Release in Co-Planning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pylman, Stacey
2016-01-01
The goal of this case study was to explore how a mentor teacher used video-recorded co-planning sessions to reflect on and improve one's mentoring practice. Findings reveal ways in which the mentor used talk in co-planning sessions to model one's thinking process and to gradually release planning responsibility to engage the intern in learning to…
Attitudes of Nigerian Secondary School Teachers to Student Evaluation of Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Joshua, Monday T.; Joshua, Akon M.
2004-01-01
This study was designed to assess the attitudes of Nigerian secondary school teachers to student evaluation of teachers (SET), and to find out if the attitudes expressed were influenced by teacher characteristics such as gender, professional status, geographical location, academic qualification and teaching experience. The study was a survey, and…
Constructing constructivism: The voyage of elementary science teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Freed, Andrea Beth
This study examined how participation in a professional development institute, which provided a constructivist learning environment affected the interactions between teachers and students in elementary science classrooms. The investigation considered teacher gender and experience, and also compared the less experienced participants with their non-participating mentors. A multiple case study design was utilized. Six self-selected teachers participated. Data was gathered through videotaped observations of science lessons and audiotaped teacher interviews. The research was guided by the following questions: (1) How do teachers perceive changes in their own teaching as a result of participation in a two week professional development institute using constructivist strategies? (2) How do teachers' perceptions of the changes in their teaching as a result of the summer institute measure against what is seen during the observations? (3) Are the teaching strategies of the less experienced participating teachers distinguishable from the strategies used by the non-participating teachers who were judged similar in style prior to the institute, but did not attend the institute? (4) Do differences emerge based on length of teaching experience? This study revealed some interesting findings: (1) results based on gender indicated that the women in the study interacted approximately twice as often as the men; (2) a marked difference existed between the interactions of TASK participants compared with the interactions of the non-TASK participants; and (3) a professional development experience that provides a constructivist learning environment for participants may be effective in helping teachers to transfer the experience to their classrooms or in reinforcing and validating teachers' current practices.
Understanding Teachers' Perspectives on Student Mental Health: Findings from a National Survey
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Froese-Germain, Bernie; Riel, Richard
2012-01-01
This 2012 research report, based on a national online survey conducted by the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) in collaboration with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, gathers the responses of over 3,900 teachers who voluntarily took part in the survey. Teachers were asked to identify the potential barriers to the provision of mental…
Teachers' Approaches to Finding and Using Research Evidence: An Information Literacy Perspective
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Williams, Dorothy; Coles, Louisa
2007-01-01
Background: The use of research evidence produced by others is seen as central to the reflective practice of school teachers. There have been many recent UK initiatives aimed at improving access to research evidence, but there are still concerns about the lack of engagement by teachers. Previous research has looked at this issue from different…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nairz-Wirth, Erna; Feldmann, Klaus
2017-01-01
Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's relational theory this paper shows that many teachers misrecognize the impact of teacher-student relationships on school dropout. The study is based on a series of 60 semi-structured interviews with teachers from Austrian secondary schools. The analysis of the empirical data reveals that many teachers attribute school…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mawhinney, Lynnette; Rinke, Carol R.; Park, Gloria
2012-01-01
This article captures the life histories and professional futures of preservice teachers at three institutions of higher education. In this article, we focus on the experiences and expectations of 4 preservice teachers. We find that, although African American and White preservice teachers both see themselves as advocates for their students, they…
Prospective Teachers' Ideas about Teacher Recruitment and Their Professional Future
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sahin, Idris
2011-01-01
This research aimed to reveal how prospective teachers viewed their professional future and to discern how their lives would be affected in case they were not recruited as teachers. The research was conducted on senior students at Buca Faculty of Education. The sample of the research consisted of 149 senior students, including 82 girls and 67…
The needs of teachers of children with hearing loss within the inclusive education system.
van Dijk, Catherine; Hugo, René; Louw, Brenda
2004-01-01
In South Africa, the current movement towards the inclusion of children with disabilities, including children with hearing loss, is likely to have far-reaching consequences for both teachers and learners. Undoubtedly, needs will arise from teachers during the transition, especially in the areas pertaining to the audiological and educational management of children with hearing loss. Therefore, a descriptive research design was developed comprising of a questionnaire survey followed by focus group interviews to determine teachers' needs. The questionnaire survey explored the needs of 664 teachers while focus group interviews were conducted with 19 teachers of children with hearing loss. Teachers were mostly from special schools as only a very small number of children are educated outside these establishments. Findings revealed that, although participants realised the importance of various aspects of development of the child with hearing loss, they generally did not realise the importance of receiving support from an educational audiologist.
Why do workaholics experience depression? A study with Chinese University teachers.
Nie, Yingzhi; Sun, Haitao
2016-10-01
This study focuses on the relationships of workaholism to job burnout and depression of university teachers. The direct and indirect (via job burnout) effects of workaholism on depression were investigated in 412 Chinese university teachers. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap method were used. Results revealed that workaholism, job burnout, and depression significantly correlated with each other. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap test indicated the partial mediation role of job burnout on the relationship between workaholism and depression. The findings shed some light on how workaholism influenced depression and provided valuable evidence for prevention of depression in work. © The Author(s) 2015.
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).
Traditional or Alternative--Finding New Teachers along Different Pathways
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reese, Susan
2010-01-01
In 2009, the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) brief, "Alternative Certification Programs: Meeting the Demand for Effective Teachers," noted that each state had its own requirements for alternative certification, and while some states and school districts have become more open to alternative certification, other states are very…
English-Language Teachers' Engagement with Research: Findings from Bangladesh
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Anwaruddin, Sardar M.; Pervin, Nasrin
2015-01-01
In this article, we report on a small-scale study in which we investigated English-language teachers' engagement with educational research. We conceptualized engagement with research as reading and systematically using research for professional development. Using questionnaires and in-depth interviews, we gathered empirical materials from 40…
Science Laboratory Safety: Findings and Implications for Teacher Education.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Swami, Piyush
1986-01-01
Summarizes a survey of the condition of high school science laboratories in the greater Cincinnati area (N=36). Reports safety measures undertaken for fire and burn and eye and face protection, waste disposal, storage facilities, and ventilation. Offers suggestions and plans for enriching safety education programs for teachers. (ML)
CO-CREATE: Teachers' Voices to Inform Special Education Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Young, Kirsty
2018-01-01
Teacher education is under increasing scrutiny regarding the preparedness of graduates to work in the profession in the early years of their career. To inform a teacher education program on the issues affecting graduates working in the field of special education, 77 special education teachers and principals were surveyed. Findings highlight the…
The DESTIN: Preservice Teachers' Drawings of the Ideal Elementary Science Teacher
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mensah, Felicia Moore
2011-01-01
The aim of this study is to report findings from the Drawing-Elementary-Science-Teacher-Ideal-Not, or the DESTIN procedure. The study utilizes a simple drawing procedure accompanied by a narrative and discussion for understanding preservice teachers' images of science, science teaching, and the science teacher. Ninety drawings from two sections of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Glisan, Eileen W.; Swender, Elvira; Surface, Eric A.
2013-01-01
The renewed national focus on teacher quality and effectiveness has resulted in more rigorous standards that describe the knowledge and skills required of teacher candidates across all disciplines. In the area of foreign languages, three sets of professional standards address the oral proficiency of teachers in the target languages they teach…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Marlow, Leslie; And Others
The objective of this study of teachers located in the Northwestern United States was to examine their reasons for considering leaving the teaching ranks. The research analyzed teacher perceptions in order to achieve a clearer understanding of the realities of the work place and how they affect a teacher's decision to leave. The findings reported…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Oren, Meral; Jones, Ithel
2009-01-01
The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between child temperament, teacher-child relationships, and teacher-child interactions in four preschool classrooms. The preliminary analyses revealed classroom differences for all variables. In all the classrooms except one, the temperament factor Reactivity had positive and high…
Teacher Mentoring as a Community Effort
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bradley-Levine, Jill; Lee, Jean Sangmin; Mosier, Gina
2016-01-01
This article presents the findings from a study of a mentoring program for novice mathematics and science teachers, which was provided by their teacher education program. This study reports the findings of interviews with novice math and science teachers, their mentors, and the mentoring program administrators to explore stakeholder perceptions of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Peker, Deniz; Dolan, Erin
2012-01-01
As student-teacher-scientist partnerships become more widespread, there is a need for research to understand the roles assumed by scientists and teachers as they interact with students in general and in inquiry learning environments in particular. Although teacher roles during inquiry learning have been studied, there is a paucity of research…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Udokwu, Chukwudi John
This study utilized mixed methodology of quantitative and qualitative research approach to explore the current pedagogical engagements of twenty middle school urban science teachers in the Midwest region of the United States. It qualitatively examined twelve of these teachers' knowledge of culturally responsive pedagogy. The study investigated the following questions: What are the current pedagogical practices of urban middle school science teachers? To what extent are middle school science teachers' pedagogical practices in urban schools culturally responsive? What are urban students' perspectives of their teachers' current pedagogical engagements? The design of the study was qualitative and quantitative methods in order to investigate these teachers' pedagogical practices. Data collections were drawn from multiple sources such as lesson plans, students' sample works, district curriculum, surveys, observational and interview notes. Analysis of collected data was a mixed methodology that involved qualitative and quantitative methods using descriptive, interpretative, pattern codes, and statistical procedures respectively. Purposeful sampling was selected for this study. Thus, demographically there were twenty participants who quantitatively took part in this study. Among them were seven (35%) males and thirteen (65%) females, three (15%) African Americans and seventeen (85%) Caucasians. In determining to what extent urban science teachers' pedagogical practices were culturally responsive, eight questions were analyzed based on four cluster themes: (a) teachers' social disposition, (b) culturally responsive curriculum, (c) classroom interactions, and (d) power pedagogy. Study result revealed that only five (25%) of the participants were engaged in culturally responsive pedagogy while fifteen (75%) were engaged in what Haberman (1991) called the pedagogy of poverty. The goal was to investigate urban science teachers' pedagogical engagements and to examine urban
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Leavy, Aisling; Hourigan, Mairead
2018-07-01
Mathematics education research has given increasing attention to the role of affective factors in the learning process. While 'affect' is used to refer to a variety of aspects including feelings, emotions, beliefs, attitudes and conceptions, this paper focuses on 'beliefs' of elementary pre-service teachers. In particular, the study evaluates the effect of participation in a reform-based elementary pre-service teacher education (referred to as Initial Teacher Education (ITE)) programme on participants' 'beliefs about the nature of mathematics'. This was completed using two (sub)scales of the Aiken's Revised Mathematics Scale measuring Enjoyment of Mathematics (E) and belief in the Value of Mathematics (V). Both scales were administered before and after participants completed the mathematics education programme, which consisted of 5 compulsory and consecutive modules. This study reveals that entry-level pre-service teachers report generally positive beliefs about the value of and enjoyment in doing mathematics. The findings challenge previous research, which report the tendency of teachers' beliefs to be resistant to change while in teacher education and suggest that it is possible for ITE mathematics education programmes to stimulate improvement in beliefs and attitudes among participants. Particular programme features are identified as instrumental in this positive change in beliefs about mathematics.
Who Wants to Become a Teacher? Typology of Student-Teachers' Commitment to Teaching
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Moses, Ikupa; Berry, Amanda; Saab, Nadira; Admiraal, Wilfried
2017-01-01
Understanding student-teachers' decisions to enter and stay in the teaching profession after graduation could help teacher educators to find appropriate procedures to enhance commitment to teaching. This study classified student-teachers based on their levels of commitment to teaching, and described these types based on student-teachers'…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lim, Melvyn H.
2015-01-01
The aim of this research was to understand and develop theory concerning how teachers in a pioneer "School of the Future" in Singapore deal with information and communication technology (ICT) integration, utilising grounded theory methods, within the interpretivist paradigm. Findings revealed that teachers tended not to make radical…
Messan Setodji, Claude; Le, Vi-Nhuan; Schaack, Diana
2012-01-01
Child care studies that have examined links between teachers' qualifications and children's outcomes often ignore teachers’ and children’s transitions between classrooms at a center throughout the day and only take into account head teacher qualifications. The objective of this investigation was to examine these traditional assumptions and to compare inferences made from these traditional models to methods accounting for transitions between classrooms and multiple teachers in a classroom. The study examined the receptive language, letter-word identification, and passage comprehension skills of 307 children enrolled in 49 community-based childcare centers serving primarily low-income families in Colorado. Results suggest that nearly one-third of children and over 80% of teachers moved daily between classrooms. Findings also reveal that failure to account for daily transitions between classrooms can affect interpretations of the relationship between teacher qualifications and child outcomes, with the model accounting for movement providing significant improvements in model fit and inference. PMID:22389546
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Arpaci, Dilara; Bardakçi, Mehmet
2016-01-01
Investigating the relationship between them can reveal important implications vital for classroom practice in teacher education institutions. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between pre-service teachers' early teacher identity and their need for cognition. The research data was collected with the sample which consists of 449…
Assessment-Ready Preservice Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kelting-Gibson, Lynn; Karsted, Kimberly; Weikert, Angela
2013-01-01
As teacher educators search for ways to prepare future educators for the challenges of assessment implementation, we suggest that authentic practice by preservice teachers in an informal learning environment promotes assessment implementation. The analysis of 28 volunteer assessment students' reflections revealed that practicing assessment…
Miller, G V F; Travers, C J
2005-10-01
This paper presents the findings of a nationwide investigation into the mental well-being and job satisfaction of minority ethnic teachers in the UK. Data were collected via a questionnaire containing both open and closed questions. The sample, totalling 208 participants was derived from the National Union of Teachers (NUT) database of minority ethnic teachers and an advertisement in the NUT's Teacher magazine. Univariate analysis of the results revealed that this group of teachers, as compared with other groups were experiencing poorer mental health and lower job satisfaction. Multivariate analysis revealed four reliable factors regarding the 'sources of stress' these minority ethnic teachers perceived they were experiencing. They are the 'hierarchy and culture of the school', workload', 'cultural barriers', and the 'lack of status and promotion'. Some minority ethnic teachers reported that ethnic discrimination on a daily basis or at least several times per week was a contributory factor in their experience of stress. Many of the teachers believed they worked within an institutionally racist environment. Multiple regression analysis discovered that 'total stress', 'total self-esteem', 'working conditions job satisfaction' and 'total discrimination' were the major predictors of mental ill-health in the minority ethnic teachers. Job dissatisfaction was predicted by 'total discrimination', 'workload', 'total general health', 'resolution strategy', and the 'lack of status and promotion'.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Huang, Ying-Syuan; Asghar, Anila
2018-03-01
This empirical study investigates secondary science teachers' perspectives on science education reform in Taiwan and reflects how these teachers have been negotiating constructivist and learner-centered pedagogical approaches in contemporary science education. It also explores the challenges that teachers encounter while shifting their pedagogical focus from traditional approaches to teaching science to an active engagement in students' learning. Multiple sources of qualitative data were obtained, including individual interviews with science teachers and teachers' reflective journals about Confucianism in relation to their educational philosophies. Thematic analysis and constant comparative method were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that Confucian traditions play a significant role in shaping educational practices in Taiwan and profoundly influence teachers' epistemological beliefs and their actual classroom practice. Indeed, science teachers' perspectives on Confucian learning traditions played a key role in supporting or obstructing their pedagogical commitments to inquiry-based and learner-centered approaches. This study draws on the literature concerning teachers' professional struggles and identity construction during educational reform. Specifically, we explore the ways in which teachers respond to educational changes and negotiate their professional identities. We employed various theories of identity construction to understand teachers' struggles and challenges while wrestling with competing traditional and reform-based pedagogical approaches. Attending to these struggles and the ways in which they inform the development of a teacher's professional identity is vital for sustaining current and future educational reform in Taiwan as well as in other Eastern cultures. These findings have important implications for teachers' professional development programs in East Asian cultures.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Oliveira, Alandeom Wanderlei
2009-12-01
This study explores elementary teachers' social understandings and employment of directives and politeness while facilitating inquiry science lessons prior and subsequent to their participation in a summer institute in which they were introduced to the scholarly literature on regulative discourse (directives used by teachers to regulate student behavior). A grounded theory analysis of the institute professional development activities revealed that teachers developed an increased awareness of the authoritative functions served by impolite or direct directives (i.e., pragmatic awareness). Furthermore, a comparative microethnographic analysis of participants' inquiry-based classroom practices revealed that after the institute teachers demonstrated an increased ability to share authority with students by strategically making directive choices that were more polite, indirect, inclusive, involvement-focused and creative. Such ability led to a reduced emphasis on teacher regulation of student compliance with classroom behavioral norms and an increased focus on the discursive organization of the inquiry-based science learning/teaching process. Despite teachers' increased pragmatic awareness, teacher-student linguistic relationships did not become entirely symmetrical subsequent to their participation in the summer institute (i.e., teacher authority was not completely relinquished or lost). Based on such findings, it is argued that teachers need to develop higher levels of pragmatic awareness to become effectively prepared to engage in language-mediated teacher-student interaction in the context of inquiry-based science classroom discourse.
The Cooperating Teacher: An Ambivalent Participant in Student Teaching.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Koerner, Mari E.
1992-01-01
Inductive analyses of the journals of eight elementary, cooperating teachers revealed several consequences of having student teachers, including interruption of instruction, teacher displacement, disruption of classroom routine, breaking teachers' isolation, and shifting teachers' time and energy. (IAH)
What Principals Think Motivates Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Diamantes, Thomas
2004-01-01
How did a graduate class of teachers and principals come to explore what was really important to teachers? They had an idea that they all shared the same values (both teachers and principals) and would agree on what rewards teachers prize. Would administrators rate the motivation rewards the same way the teachers would? To find out, five schools…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Alshalaan, Nasser A.
). Descriptive statistics, simple correlation, t-test, multiple regression, and content analysis procedures were used to analyze research questions. Findings of this study revealed that both dimensions of teaching efficacy, PSTE and STOE, were increased significantly during the student teaching semester. Certain school factors were related to preservice science teachers' teaching efficacy and their use of instructional strategies. Only personal science teaching efficacy was found to affect preservice science teachers' use of instructional strategies. Implications for the findings of this study, as well as recommendations for future research, are discussed.
A comparison of bilingual education and generalist teachers' approaches to scientific biliteracy
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Garza, Esther
The purpose of this study was to determine if educators were capitalizing on bilingual learners' use of their biliterate abilities to acquire scientific meaning and discourse that would formulate a scientific biliterate identity. Mixed methods were used to explore teachers' use of biliteracy and Funds of Knowledge (Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N., 1992; Gonzales, Moll, & Amanti, 2005) from the students' Latino heritage while conducting science inquiry. The research study explored four constructs that conceptualized scientific biliteracy. The four constructs include science literacy, science biliteracy, reading comprehension strategies and students' cultural backgrounds. There were 156 4th-5th grade bilingual and general education teachers in South Texas that were surveyed using the Teacher Scientific Biliteracy Inventory (TSBI) and five teachers' science lessons were observed. Qualitative findings revealed that a variety of scientific biliteracy instructional strategies were frequently used in both bilingual and general education classrooms. The language used to deliver this instruction varied. A General Linear Model revealed that classroom assignment, bilingual or general education, had a significant effect on a teacher's instructional approach to employ scientific biliteracy. A simple linear regression found that the TSBI accounted for 17% of the variance on 4th grade reading benchmarks. Mixed methods results indicated that teachers were utilizing scientific biliteracy strategies in English, Spanish and/or both languages. Household items and science experimentation at home were encouraged by teachers to incorporate the students' cultural backgrounds. Finally, science inquiry was conducted through a universal approach to science learning versus a multicultural approach to science learning.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Canipe, Martha Murray
stories and enactments in order to determine which storytellers were significant narrators for the preservice teachers' identities. The findings from this study show that significant narrators vary among the preservice teachers and include artifacts such as curriculum materials and instructional models in addition to people who are expected to be significant narrators. Furthermore, differences between preservice teachers' actual and designated identities influence opportunities to learn about what it means to be a teacher of science and students. This took different forms with each preservice teacher. In one case the preservice teacher worked to enact aspects of her designated identity and reflected about how she was not quite able to be the teacher of science she wanted to be as a novice teacher. Another case showed how the gap between actual and designated identities could limit opportunities to learn when the preservice teacher's strong actual identity as a novice led her to consider certain aspects of her designated identity as things which could not even be tried at this point. Finally, in the third case the preservice teacher's strong actual identity limited opportunities to develop a designated identity because she did not see herself as being a different kind of teacher of science in the future than she was right now as a student teacher. These findings suggest that supporting preservice elementary teacher identity development as teachers of science is an important part of preparing them to teach science in ways that engage students in scientific practices. Additionally, it is essential to examine identity stories and enactments in concert with each other in order to gain deeper understandings of how identities are developed and put into practice in classrooms.
2018-01-01
Background Inclusive education requires that the framework within which education is delivered should be broad enough to accommodate equally the needs and circumstances of every learner in the society. This includes learners with disabilities like dyslexia who have been excluded from the formal education system. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study that explored and described the dyslexic learners’ experiences with their peers and teachers in special and public schools in North-West Province of South Africa. Methods The study adopted a qualitative methodology and used a phenomenology research design. The sample was purposively selected and comprised nine dyslexic learners. All the learners were in public schools previously and were later moved to a special school after being diagnosed as dyslexic. The participants were aged 9–12 years. The researchers conducted one-on-one interviews with the participants and content-analysed the data. Findings The findings revealed that in public schools the dyslexic learners were exposed to ill-treatment by other learners who despised, ridiculed, bullied and undermined them. The findings further revealed that teachers in public schools were not patient with dyslexic learners, did not give them extra attention and that some teachers used negative comments that embarrassed them. Conclusion The article spells out the barriers experienced by dyslexic learners in public schools and also recommends training of teachers so that they know how to deal with dyslexic learners, thereby eliminating the barriers. The study further recommended awareness campaigns among the student body about dyslexia. PMID:29535918
Synthesis of Research on Teachers' Questioning.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gall, Meredith
1984-01-01
Reseach on use of questioning in classroom teaching reveals that recitation is a poor method, but teachers use it anyway because it is effective in teaching curriculum that is largely textbook based. Teacher educators may be advised to help teachers learn to use recitation well. (MD)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fontaine, Sylvie; Kane, Ruth; Duquette, Olivier; Savoie-Zajc, Lorraine
2011-01-01
This study examines the relationship between the reported career intentions and perceptions of preparedness of graduating secondary teachers in Quebec, across a two-year period, in an effort to identify factors which contribute to growing attrition rates among beginning teachers. The study reveals that those beginning teachers most concerned with…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hur, Jung Won; Brush, Thomas A.
2009-01-01
The purpose of this study was to examine reasons for teacher participation in online communities of K-12 teachers. The authors interviewed 23 teachers from three self-generated online communities and analyzed more than 2,000 postings in those communities. The findings indicated five reasons for participation: (a) sharing emotions, (b) utilizing…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cherkowski, Sabre
2012-01-01
The findings from this qualitative case study reveal how a principal' demonstration of compassion and deep care towards his teachers was influential in the participants' renewed desire for a greater commitment to and improvement of their craft. Understanding how school leaders can nourish and sustain passion and commitment is an essential area of…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bauml, Michelle; Castro, Antonio J.; Field, Sherry L.; Morowski, Deborah L.
2016-01-01
Preparing new teachers to work in urban schools has become a priority for many teacher education programs. This study explored 20 preservice teachers' responses to a scenario about working in an urban school as a beginning teacher. Specific attention was placed on what participants believed were key challenges and concerns. Findings indicated that…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Barrett, Channa Nicole
The present study investigated teachers' epistemological and ontological beliefs and how those beliefs influence "caring" for urban students' science literacy. The grounded theory research involved six teacher participants and 18 student participants and collected the data using the following methods: Teacher and student interviews and six weeks of classroom observations. Using critical race theory (CRT) as a lens, the analysis of the data occurred simultaneously with the data collection. The findings revealed seven categories and 16 themes, which emerged from the analysis on "caring" for students' science literacy. From the CRT model tested in the study, the data illustrated a plethora of evidence relating to the themes colorblindness, interest convergence, and microaggressions. A negative effect of teachers who practiced colorblindness in the classroom revealed an assignment of subordinate positions, meaning the teacher assumed the role of the ultimate-knowledge holder in the classroom and the students assumed an academic co-dependency role in the classroom. Such an environment, allowed the teachers to become epistemically privileged while the students became epistemically oppressed. Implications for teaching suggest that there are different "shades" of caring for students' science literacy and that teachers should acknowledge the vast critical race-gendered epistemologies that students bring into the classroom in an effort to move towards a just epistemic environment.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Waight, Noemi; Gillmeister, Kristina
2014-04-01
This study examined teachers' and students' initial conceptions of computer-based models—Flash and NetLogo models—and documented how teachers and students reconciled notions of multiple representations featuring macroscopic, submicroscopic and symbolic representations prior to actual intervention in eight high school chemistry classrooms. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 32 students and 6 teachers. Findings revealed an interplay of complex factors that functioned as opportunities and obstacles in the implementation of technologies in science classrooms. Students revealed preferences for the Flash models as opposed to the open-ended NetLogo models. Altogether, due to lack of content and modeling background knowledge, students experienced difficulties articulating coherent and blended understandings of multiple representations. Concurrently, while the aesthetic and interactive features of the models were of great value, they did not sustain students' initial curiosity and opportunities to improve understandings about chemistry phenomena. Most teachers recognized direct alignment of the Flash model with their existing curriculum; however, the benefits were relegated to existing procedural and passive classroom practices. The findings have implications for pedagogical approaches that address the implementation of computer-based models, function of models, models as multiple representations and the role of background knowledge and cognitive load, and the role of teacher vision and classroom practices.
Feldman, D; Altman, R
1985-01-01
The effects of a teacher personality construct (abstract vs. concrete conceptual system) and two pupil variables (race, school behavior) on 454 regular classroom teachers' attitudes toward mainstreaming were determined. Following administration of the Conceptual Systems Test, teachers were randomly assigned a profile of a mildly mentally retarded student that held pupil IQ and school achievement constant while varying pupil's race and school behavior. Subjects responded on an integration inventory comprised of three subscales: social-psychological classroom environment, self-actualization, and classroom cohesiveness. Results revealed a significant main effect on the behavior variable and a significant Personality X Race interaction on all inventory dimensions, suggesting that these teachers perceived maladaptive behavior of mainstreamed retarded students as a significant threat to a conducive instructional atmosphere and the capability of nonretarded students to achieve to their potential. These results have implications for inservice training for teachers based on the pupil race and teacher conceptual system findings.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Blankman, Marian; van der Schee, Joop; Volman, Monique; Boogaard, Marianne
2015-01-01
This paper presents the findings of a study conducted among primary geography teacher educators. The research examines the perceptions of educators of primary teacher students' desired and achieved levels of substantial knowledge, syntactic knowledge, and beliefs about the subject of geography. The findings indicate that primary teacher educators…
Laptops for Teachers: Practices and Possibilities
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cowie, Bronwen; Jones, Alister; Harlow, Ann
2011-01-01
The Laptops for Teachers scheme in New Zealand provides teachers whose schools opt into the scheme access to a laptop for their exclusive use. This paper reports on the findings of the three-year evaluation of the impact of the laptops on secondary teachers' work. The findings indicate that school leadership has been pivotal to the provision of…
Teacher Attitudes toward Career Ladder.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dickson, LouAnn
An evaluation of teacher attitudes toward a public schools career ladder program is presented. Survey questionnaires mailed to 3,239 administrators, nonprogram teachers, and participating teachers elicited 1,683 returns for a 52 percent response rate. Findings indicate that the majority of teachers favored continuation of the career ladder…
Teacher Educator Identity Emerging through Positioning Self and Others
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pinnegar, Stefinee; Murphy, M. Shaun
2011-01-01
Research exploring the process of becoming a teacher educator always reveals the difficult balancing act that developing an identity as a teacher educator involves and the articles in this issue do just that. The Rice and McNeil studies of teacher educator identity in this issue are very revealing; they were conducted from the perspective of…
Skaalvik, Einar M; Skaalvik, Sidsel
2014-02-01
When studied separately, research shows that both teacher self-efficacy and teacher autonomy are associated with adaptive motivational and emotional outcomes. This study tested whether teacher self-efficacy and teacher autonomy are independently associated with engagement, job satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion. 2,569 Norwegian teachers in elementary school and middle school (719 men, 1,850 women; M age = 45.0 yr., SD = 11.5) were administered the Norwegian Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, the Teacher Autonomy Scale, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Teacher Job Satisfaction Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The analysis revealed that both teacher autonomy and self-efficacy were independent predictors of engagement, job satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion. This study suggests that autonomy or decision latitude works positively but through different processes for teachers with high and low mastery expectations.
A narrative inquiry into novice science mentor teachers' mentoring practices
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Naseem, Samina
account, the study revealed that each NSM had a core practice, which was based on their preferred teaching and learning styles, such as hands-on, lecture, etc. Given the core of their practice, the NSMs approached mentoring situations differently, thus making mentoring individualistic in nature. Sociality revealed that beliefs, relationships, and context as the major factors to inform the NSMs' mentoring practices. Place as a factor was significant only in one NSM's stories. These findings suggested a relationship between the NSMs' mentoring practices and professional identity. The study was concluded with an emphasis on the importance of taking in to account the biographies of teacher mentors and their professional identity to understand mentoring practices and the process of mentoring. Based on the findings, it was recommended to offer teacher mentor - centered professional development opportunities to help novice mentors build on their strengths and ways to use their skills to mentor interns in productive ways.
National Survey of Public School Teachers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
2001
This report presents national survey results of public school teachers' opinions on the relationship between interior design and academic performance. The 1,050 teachers surveyed reveal that they recognize the relationship between interior design and academic achievement and that most teachers see the advantages of classroom carpeting relative to…
Teacher Directed Behavior Toward Individual Students.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Oien, Fred M.
A study of five teachers and 316 junior high school physical education students reveals an unequal distribution of positive reinforcement teacher behavior among individual students. Factors influencing the amount of rewarding behavior directed to students include elements such as student gender, teacher perception of student skill level, student…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shapira-Lishchinsky, Orly; Gilat, Israel Z.
2015-01-01
The aim of the study is to investigate whether there are discrepancies between teachers' perceptions of the "official policies" and their "tendency to act," based on their ethical decision-making. A qualitative analysis of 60 Israeli teachers' questionnaires consisting of critical ethical incidents revealed multifaceted ethical…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bullough, Robert V., Jr.
2014-01-01
Drawing on insights from literary critic and theorist Kenneth Burke, this rhetorical analysis of "Preparing Teachers" (2010), a publication of the National Research Council, reveals then critiques' key assumptions that are shaping policies and current reform efforts in teacher education, including changes in U.S. teacher…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Van Maele, Dimitri; Van Houtte, Mieke
2012-01-01
This study relates trust at the level of both the teacher and the faculty to teachers' job satisfaction. Teaching experience is explored as a moderator of the trust-satisfaction relationship. Multilevel analyses on data of 2091 teachers across 80 secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium) revealed positive associations between teacher trust in…
Self-Confrontation of Teachers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schmuck, Richard A.
Simply presenting information that displays clearly any discrepancy between a teacher's ideal and actual classroom performance does not, in itself, promise constructive change. This is true in part because teachers confronted with such discrepancies often experience anxiety. Teachers who wish to change often find it difficult to behave differently…
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
McCarthy, Marianne C.; Grabowski, Barbara L.; Koszalka, Tiffany
2003-01-01
Over a three-year period, researchers and educators from the Pennsylvania State University (PSU), University Park, Pennsylvania, and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), Edwards, California, worked together to analyze, develop, implement and evaluate materials and tools that enable teachers to use NASA Web resources effectively for teaching science, mathematics, technology and geography. Two conference publications and one technical paper have already been published as part of this educational research series on Web-based instruction and learning. This technical paper, Web-Enhanced Instruction and Learning: Findings of a Short- and Long-Term Impact Study, is the culminating report in this educational research series and is based on the final report submitted to NASA. This report describes the broad spectrum of data gathered from teachers about their experiences using NASA Web resources in the classroom. It also describes participating teachers responses and feedback about the use of the NASA Web-Enhanced Learning Environment Strategies reflection tool on their teaching practices. The reflection tool was designed to help teachers merge the vast array of NASA resources with the best teaching methods, taking into consideration grade levels, subject areas and teaching preferences. The teachers described their attitudes toward technology and innovation in the classroom and their experiences and perceptions as they attempted to integrate Web resources into science, mathematics, technology and geography instruction.
Milatz, Anne; Lüftenegger, Marko; Schober, Barbara
2015-01-01
Teachers’ relationship quality with students has been argued to be an important source of teacher wellbeing. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate to what extent teachers’ relationship closeness toward students, combined with attachment security is a resource protecting against teacher burnout. Eighty-three elementary school teachers reported on their most and least attached student’s relationship closeness, their attachment security and levels of burnout, as measured by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment. Response surface analysis (RSA), enabling researchers to investigate the effect of congruence/incongruence of two predictors on an outcome, revealed that teachers’ depersonalization and emotional exhaustion were lowest when they developed homogenous close relationships toward the students within their classroom and when teachers in general made congruent relationship experiences. No RSA model could be specified for personal accomplishment, even though a correlational analysis revealed that increasing closeness with students fostered teachers’ personal accomplishment. Teachers’ secure attachment experiences were not directly related to burnout, but enhanced their capability to establish close relationships toward their students. Findings suggest that teachers’ relationships toward students are a resource for the teacher’s wellbeing, which highlights once again the importance of student–teacher relationships in education. PMID:26779045
Problems Teachers Face When Doing Action Research and Finding Possible Solutions: Three Cases
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zhou, Jun
2012-01-01
Through case studies, this paper explores problems teachers face when doing action research: for instance, teachers may misunderstand the research, mistrust university researchers, lack the time or adequate library resources to conduct research, lack theoretical guidance or knowledge of research methodology, and feel pressure or frustration during…
Leseyane, Monicca; Mandende, Peter; Makgato, Mary; Cekiso, Madoda
2018-01-01
Inclusive education requires that the framework within which education is delivered should be broad enough to accommodate equally the needs and circumstances of every learner in the society. This includes learners with disabilities like dyslexia who have been excluded from the formal education system. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study that explored and described the dyslexic learners' experiences with their peers and teachers in special and public schools in North-West Province of South Africa. The study adopted a qualitative methodology and used a phenomenology research design. The sample was purposively selected and comprised nine dyslexic learners. All the learners were in public schools previously and were later moved to a special school after being diagnosed as dyslexic. The participants were aged 9-12 years. The researchers conducted one-on-one interviews with the participants and content-analysed the data. The findings revealed that in public schools the dyslexic learners were exposed to ill-treatment by other learners who despised, ridiculed, bullied and undermined them. The findings further revealed that teachers in public schools were not patient with dyslexic learners, did not give them extra attention and that some teachers used negative comments that embarrassed them. The article spells out the barriers experienced by dyslexic learners in public schools and also recommends training of teachers so that they know how to deal with dyslexic learners, thereby eliminating the barriers. The study further recommended awareness campaigns among the student body about dyslexia.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stoeger, Heidrun; Sontag, Christine; Ziegler, Albert
2014-01-01
We examined the impact of a teacher-led intervention, implemented during regular classroom instruction and homework, on fourth-grade students' preference for self-regulated learning, finding main ideas in expository texts, and reading comprehension. In our quasi-experimental study with intact classrooms, (a) students (n = 266, 12 classrooms) who…
The development of elementary teacher identities as teachers of science
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Carrier, Sarah J.; Whitehead, Ashley N.; Walkowiak, Temple A.; Luginbuhl, Sarah C.; Thomson, Margareta M.
2017-09-01
The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the contributions of pre-service teachers' memories of science and science education, combined with their experiences in a STEM-focused teacher preparation programme, to their developing identities as elementary school teachers of science. Data collected over three years include a series of interviews and observations of science teaching during elementary teacher preparation and the first year of teaching. Grounded within a theoretical framework of identity and using a case-study research design, we examined experiences that contributed to the participants' identity development, focusing on key themes from teacher interviews: memories of science and science instruction, STEM-focused teacher preparation programme, field experiences, first year of teaching, and views of effective science instruction. Findings indicate the importance of exposure to reform strategies during teacher preparation and are summarised in main assertions and discussed along with implications for teacher preparation and research.
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…
Shall We Overcome? Self-Efficacy, Teacher Licensure Exams, and African American Preservice Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Petchauer, Emery
2016-01-01
This article reports findings from a 3-year qualitative study exploring the experiences of African American preservice teachers as they prepared for the Praxis "basic skills" teacher-licensure exam, a gatekeeper to many teacher-education programs. Using the construct of self-efficacy, results illustrate how students assess their Praxis…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Freeburg, Beth Winfrey; Workman, Jane E.
2010-01-01
The purpose of this study was to explore teacher dress in United States schools as presented in the newspaper. Twenty-nine articles were examined to answer three questions. Results revealed: (a) the newspaper provided four contexts for processing information about teacher dress--roles, control, impression management, and educational learning…
Threading a Golden Chain: An Attempt to Find Our Identities as Teacher Educators
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lunenberg, Mieke; Hamilton, Mary Lynn
2008-01-01
Several years ago the authors, a professor from The Netherlands and another professor from the United States, met over coffee and discussions about teacher education at an international conference. With mutual interests in the role of teacher educators' development of their professional identity, the authors developed an intellectual relationship…
Why Teachers Find It Difficult to Include Students with EBD in Mainstream Classes
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gidlund, Ulrika
2018-01-01
In Sweden, teachers in mainstream schools show frustration and insecurity about how to organise education for inclusion and diversity. This article contributes to the understanding of how they articulate their view of the advantages and disadvantages of including students with EBD in mainstream classes. To study teachers' understanding, an…
What do Mathematics Teachers and Teacher Trainees Know about the History of Mathematics?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gazit, Avikam
2013-01-01
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…
Proficiency Teaching and the Teacher in the Field.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gonzalez, Barbara
Results of a 1983 survey of Texas foreign language teachers reveal their views and concerns about a new state law requiring all prospective language teachers to pass an oral proficiency interview for certification beginning in 1986. Of the 142 respondents, most were Spanish teachers, high school teachers, and teachers with more than 10 years…
Extraordinary Teachers, Exceptional Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Arnove, Robert. F.
2010-01-01
A study of master teachers in the arts, sports, cooking, and other fields reveals characteristics and attitudes that enable them to help their students succeed. These characteristics include a deep knowledge of their field, caring, generosity, and being self critical. Exemplary public school teachers also possess these characteristics, but they…
Pas, Elise T; Johnson, Stacy R; Larson, Kristine E; Brandenburg, Linda; Church, Robin; Bradshaw, Catherine P
2016-12-01
Most approaches aiming to reduce behavior problems among youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) focus on individual students; however, school personnel also need professional development to better support students. This study targeted teachers' skill development to promote positive outcomes for students with ASD. The sample included 19 teachers in two non-public special education settings serving students with moderate to severe ASD. Participating teachers received professional development and coaching in classroom management, with guided practice in a mixed-reality simulator. Repeated-measures ANOVAs examining externally-conducted classroom observations revealed statistically significant improvements in teacher management and student behavior over time. Findings suggest that coaching and guided practice in a mixed-reality simulator is perceived as acceptable and may reduce behavior problems among students with ASD.
The influence of attention on mathematical knowledge of teachers and lecturers: a comparison
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Klymchuk, Sergiy; Thomas, Michael O. J.
2011-10-01
This article reports on some findings from the project 'Analysing the Transition from Secondary to Tertiary Education in Mathematics'. One of the key variables in the school to university transition is the teacher/lecturer, and here, we deal with the data analysing secondary teachers' and tertiary lecturers' responses to four mathematics questions. Elsewhere, we consider knowledge, preparedness, teaching style, etc., but this article tracks the ability to use mathematical procedures. We hypothesize that this is a function of what we pay attention to, as described in Mason's discipline of noticing. The results reveal that many teachers and lecturers fail to notice the necessary conditions for problems that imply that procedures are not always applicable. Possible reasons for this along with implications for student learning are discussed.
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…
Perceptions of Linguistically Responsive Teaching in Teacher Candidates/Novice Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tandon, Madhavi; Viesca, Kara Mitchell; Hueston, Colin; Milbourn, Tamara
2017-01-01
This qualitative study examined data from 36 teacher candidates and novice teachers to explore their perceptions and understandings of linguistic responsiveness. The findings illustrate the challenge of demonstrating linguistically responsive teaching practices in the early and initial stages of entering the teaching profession, and more research…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Carrier, Carol; Finholt-Daniel, Matt; Sales, Gregory C.
2012-01-01
As part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support project, a sub-task was the piloting of an alternative technology that could be used for improving the quality and consistency of teacher continued professional development (CPD). The pilot, which included 26 open and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Almeida, Rut; Bruno, Alicia
2014-01-01
This paper analyses the strategies used by pre-service primary school teachers for solving simple addition problems involving negative numbers. The findings reveal six different strategies that depend on the difficulty of the problem and, in particular, on the unknown quantity. We note that students use negative numbers in those problems they find…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lowery, Maye Norene Vail
1998-12-01
The purposes of this study were to further the understanding of how preservice teacher construct teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of elementary mathematics and science and to determine the extent of that knowledge in a school-based setting. Preservice teachers, university instructors, inservice teachers, and other school personnel were involved in this context-specific study. Evidence of the preservice teachers' knowledge construction (its acquisition, its dimensions, and the social context) was collected through the use of a qualitative methodology. Collected data included individual and group interviews, course documents, artifacts, and preservice teaching portfolios. Innovative aspects of this integrated mathematics and science elementary methods course included standards-based instruction with immediate access to field experiences. Grade-level teams of preservice and inservice teachers planned and implemented lessons in mathematics and science for elementary students. An on-site, portable classroom building served as a mathematics and science teaching and learning laboratory. A four-stage analysis was performed, revealing significant patterns of learning. An ecosystem of learning within a constructivist learning environment was identified to contain three systems: the university system; the school system; and the cohort of learners system. A mega system for the construction of teacher knowledge was revealed in the final analysis. Learning venues were discovered to be the conduits of learning in a situated learning context. Analysis and synthesis of data revealed an extensive acquisition of teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge through identified learning components. Patience, flexibility, and communication were identified as necessities for successful teaching. Learning components included: collaboration with inservice teachers; implementation of discovery learning and hands-on/minds-on learning; small groupwork; lesson planning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hopper, Tim F.; Sanford, Kathy; Fu, Hong
2016-01-01
A common concern in teacher education programs is the fragmentation of knowledge between courses that contribute to separation between discipline-focused theoretical knowledge and teachers' practical work in schools. Drawing on reviews on innovative learning spaces in schools and analysis of teacher knowledge, we theorize a conceptualization of…
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…
The pedagogy of argumentation in science education: science teachers' instructional practices
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Özdem Yilmaz, Yasemin; Cakiroglu, Jale; Ertepinar, Hamide; Erduran, Sibel
2017-07-01
Argumentation has been a prominent concern in science education research and a common goal in science curriculum in many countries over the past decade. With reference to this goal, policy documents burden responsibilities on science teachers, such as involving students in dialogues and being guides in students' spoken or written argumentation. Consequently, teachers' pedagogical practices regarding argumentation gain importance due to their impact on how they incorporate this practice into their classrooms. In this study, therefore, we investigated the instructional strategies adopted by science teachers for their argumentation-based science teaching. Participants were one elementary science teacher, two chemistry teachers, and four graduate students, who have a background in science education. The study took place during a graduate course, which was aimed at developing science teachers' theory and pedagogy of argumentation. Data sources included the participants' video-recorded classroom practices, audio-recorded reflections, post-interviews, and participants' written materials. The findings revealed three typologies of instructional strategies towards argumentation. They are named as Basic Instructional Strategies for Argumentation, Meta-level Instructional Strategies for Argumentation, and Meta-strategic Instructional Strategies for Argumentation. In conclusion, the study provided a detailed coding framework for the exploration of science teachers' instructional practices while they are implementing argumentation-based lessons.
Outcomes of teacher preparation in allied health sciences.
Conine, T A; Smith, G T; Jackson, E H
1979-11-01
Formal preparation of allied health instructors for responsibilities of teaching and educational leadership has been encouraged through substantial federal grants, institutional funds and university programming. A review of the literature reveals very little regarding formal measurements of outcomes in terms of career progress of the graduates their professional activities and their level of satisfaction with the educational content and preparation as a teacher. This study focuses on the achievements and opinions of 106 graduates of a master's degree teacher preparation program. Graduates were found to be employed in positions commensurate with their preparation, and rewarded by their employers with career advancement, salary increases and promotions. The graduates believed that they had gained the skills needed. They also identified the strengths and weaknesses of the program. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Characteristics of effective professional development for early career science teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Simon, Shirley; Campbell, Sandra; Johnson, Sally; Stylianidou, Fani
2011-04-01
The research reported here set out to investigate the features in schools and science departments that were seen as effective in contributing to the continuing professional development (CPD) of early career science teachers. Ten schools took part in the study, selected on the basis of their reputation for having effective CPD practices. To gain different perspectives from within the organisations we conducted interviews with senior members of staff, heads of science departments and early career teachers. A thematic analysis of the interviews is presented, drawing on findings from across the 10 schools, and exemplified in more detail by a vignette to show specific features of effective CPD practice. The study has revealed a wealth of practice across the 10 schools, which included a focus on broadening experience beyond the classroom, having an open, sharing, non-threatening culture and systemic procedures for mentoring and support that involved ring-fenced budgets. The schools also deployed staff judiciously in critical roles that model practice and motivate early career science teachers. Early career teachers were concerned primarily with their overall development as teachers, though some science specific examples such as observing practical work and sessions to address subject knowledge were seen as important.
Initial Teacher Training Courses and Non-Native Speaker Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Anderson, Jason
2016-01-01
This article reports on a study contrasting 41 native speakers (NSs) and 38 non-native speakers (NNSs) of English from two short initial teacher training courses, the Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults and the Trinity College London CertTESOL. After a brief history and literature review, I present findings on teachers'…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goyal, Sangeeta; Pandey, Priyanka
2013-01-01
In this paper, we use non-experimental data from government schools in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, two of the largest Indian states, to present average school outcomes by contract status of teachers. We find that contract teachers are associated with higher effort than civil service teachers with permanent tenures, before as well as after…
Effective Teacher Induction and Mentoring: Assessing the Evidence
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Strong, Michael
2009-01-01
A well-known authority on teacher induction programs offers the most comprehensive, up-to-date review of all recent research on the effectiveness of mentoring and induction support for new teachers. Michael Strong provides a revealing analysis of teacher induction programs and their consequences for education, teacher quality, teacher…
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
Deskilling of Teachers: The Case of Turkey
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gür, Bekir S.
2014-01-01
Studies in various Western countries since the 1980s established that teachers find themselves increasingly more subjected to outside control and are often reduced to enforcers of decisions made by others. This study presents findings from a qualitative study with 20 teachers in an attempt to discover i) whether teachers' work is being transformed…
Understanding Teacher Attraction and Retention Drivers: Addressing Teacher Shortages
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ashiedu, Jennifer A.; Scott-Ladd, Brenda D.
2012-01-01
The attraction and retention of teachers is a problem faced by schools worldwide and possibly more so in the public sector. One possible solution to this problem is likely to be better targeting of attraction and retention drivers of value to teachers. This paper presents the findings from a qualitative study conducted in Australia. The study used…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brusling, Christer; Tingsell, Jan-Gunnar
This new model for the supervision of student teachers utilizes videotaping hardware which allows the student teacher and his supervisor to evaluate teaching methods and behavior. Thus, the student teacher is better able to supervise himself. Employing Flanders Interaction Analysis, the student is able to interpret his teaching on closed-circuit…
Personality Traits of Expert Teachers of Students with EBD: Clarifying a Teacher's X-Factor
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Buttner, Svenja; Pijl, Sip Jan; Bijstra, Jan; Van den Bosch, Els
2016-01-01
Teaching students with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) is a challenge for many teachers in inclusive education. Much research has been done to find out what differentiates expert teachers from their less skilled colleagues. Recent evidence points to personality as an underlying core factor influencing teacher performance. In this…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Al-Hazza, Tami Craft; Lucking, Robert
2017-01-01
This research study examined the values and perceptions of prospective teachers relative to a series of issues in what has become known as the New Literacies, the way youngsters read, seek information, and react to it through use of new technologies. The findings of this research reveal significant differences between female and male prospective…
Teacher Trainees' Awareness Regarding Mother Tongue Use in English as a Foreign Language Classes
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sener, Sabriye; Korkut, Perihan
2017-01-01
This study explores the views, perceptions and suggestions of teacher trainees regarding L1 use in foreign language classes and search for their awareness of the issue. A qualitative research design was employed. The data were gathered by means of 5 open-ended questions. The findings revealed that most of the participants preferred mostly target…
Teaching science to English Language Learners: Instructional approaches of high school teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Frank, Betty-Vinca N.
approaches including, the structure of the school, working on instructional teams, collaborating and working with other teachers especially English teachers and including science teachers, and participating in various professional development activities. The findings indicated that the instructional approaches used by teachers were largely supported by literacy education and science education done at elementary level. Findings also revealed that teachers in this study encouraged their ELLs to participate in classroom conversations and involved them in answering open-ended questions. However, not all teachers in this study had the same repertoire of instructional strategies for their ELL students and some teachers demonstrated a better understanding of these approaches than others. All teachers perceived that the structure of the school as well as collaborating and working with other teachers, especially English teachers, as their main source of support in designing instructional approaches. This study suggests that teacher educators and professional development providers need to develop courses and programs to help high school teachers learn about how to design instructional activities that simultaneously promote both academic science and English literacy. Also, administrators need to create conditions at their schools that would allow teachers to interact, collaborate, and learn from each other.
Cadima, Joana; Verschueren, Karine; Leal, Teresa; Guedes, Carolina
2016-01-01
This study examined the quality of the classroom climate and dyadic teacher-child relationships as predictors of self-regulation in a sample of socially disadvantaged preschool children (N = 206; 52 % boys). Children's self-regulation was observed in preschool at the beginning and at the end of the school year. At the middle of the preschool year, classroom observations of interactions were conducted by trained observers and teachers rated the quality of dyadic teacher-child relationships. Results from multilevel analyses revealed that teacher-child closeness predicted improvements in observed self-regulation skills. Children showed larger gains in self-regulation when they experienced closer teacher-child relationships. Moreover, a moderating effect between classroom instructional quality and observed self-regulation was found such that children with low initial self-regulation skills benefit the most from classrooms with higher classroom quality. Findings have implications for understanding the role of classroom social processes on the development of self-regulation.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bravo, Marco A.; Mosqueda, Eduardo; Solís, Jorge L.; Stoddart, Trish
2014-08-01
In this paper we present findings from a project that documented the development of preservice teachers' beliefs and practices in delivering science instruction that considers issues of language and culture. Teacher candidates in the intervention group ( n = 65) received a science methods course and teaching practicum experience that provided guidance in teaching science in culturally and linguistically responsive ways. Comparisons between a control group of preservice teachers ( n = 45) and those involved in the intervention yielded stronger beliefs about the efficacy in promoting collaboration in science teaching than the intervention group. Observations of these preservice teachers during their teaching practicum revealed differences in favor of the intervention group in: (a) implementing science instruction that addressed the language and literacy involved in science; (b) using questions that elicited higher order thinking and; (c) providing scaffolds (e.g., purposeful feedback, probing student background knowledge) when confronting abstract scientific concepts. Implications for preservice teacher education are addressed.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nordengren, Chase
2016-01-01
Institutions that work with teachers and teaching, from school districts to unions to preparation programs, find themselves under enormous pressure to define who teachers ought to be and what capabilities they ought hold, before outside forces define those ideas for them. Still, consensus is hard to find. While other professions "manage…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Seah, Lay Hoon; Yore, Larry D.
2017-01-01
This study of three science teachers' lessons on heat and temperature seeks to characterise classroom talk that highlighted the ways language is used and to examine the nature of the language demands revealed in constructing, negotiating, arguing and communicating science ideas. The transcripts from the entire instructional units for these…
A Mexican Study of Multiple Intelligences for Pre-Service Teachers of English as a Foreign Language
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tapia Carlín, Rebeca Elena; Castillo Salazar, María del Carmen; Velázquez Cortés, Susana
2013-01-01
This article describes a study conducted in a Mexican English teacher education program about multiple intelligences. Seventy-four first year students participated in the study. Findings reveal that the highest kinds of intelligences were the bodily kinesthetic, the interpersonal, the intrapersonal, and the musical; the lowest ones were the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rosine, Dale
2013-01-01
This qualitative study of ten elementary veteran teachers used Hargrove's single, double, and triple-loop thinking to understand their perceptions regarding knowledge new principals need to be social justice leaders working in impoverished schools. Findings in three categories revealed the importance of principals learning to identify their…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ramnarain, Umesh; Schuster, David
2014-08-01
In recent years, inquiry-based science instruction has become widely advocated in science education standards in many countries and, hence, in teacher preparation programmes. Nevertheless, in practice, one finds a wide variety of science instructional approaches. In South Africa, as in many countries, there is also a great disparity in school demographic situations, which can also affect teaching practices. This study investigated the pedagogical orientations of in-service physical sciences teachers at a diversity of schools in South Africa. Assessment items in a Pedagogy of Science Teaching Test (POSTT) were used to identify teachers' science teaching orientations, and reasons for pedagogical choices were probed in interviews. The findings reveal remarkable differences between the orientations of teachers at disadvantaged township schools and teachers at more privileged suburban schools. We found that teachers at township schools have a strong `active direct' teaching orientation overall, involving direct exposition of the science followed by confirmatory practical work, while teachers at suburban schools exhibit a guided inquiry orientation, with concepts being developed via a guided exploration phase. The study identified contextual factors such as class size, availability of resources, teacher competence and confidence, time constraints, student ability, school culture and parents' expectations as influencing the methods adopted by teachers. In view of the recent imperative for inquiry-based learning in the new South African curriculum, this study affirms the context specificity of curriculum implementation (Bybee 1993) and suggests situational factors beyond the curriculum mandate that need to be addressed to achieve successful inquiry-based classroom instruction in science.
Di Stasio, Maria Rosaria; Savage, Robert; Burgos, Giovani
2016-12-01
This cross-sectional research examines how social comparison, competition and teacher-student relationships as classroom characteristics are associated with bullying and victimization among junior high school students in grades 7 and 8 in Canada. The study tests a conceptual model of youth outcomes that highlights the importance of modeling the effects of teaching practices as proximal structural conditions at the classroom level (N = 38) that affect bullying outcomes at the individual level (N = 687). Results of Hierarchal linear modeling (HLM) revealed significant classroom-level effects in that increased social comparison, competition and teacher-student relationships were related to bullying and victimization. An interaction for teacher-student relationships and gender also emerged. These findings may guide future intervention programs for junior high schools that focus on enhancing cooperation and pro-social behavior in classrooms. The findings could also inform programs that focus on building strong relationships between students and teachers to help prevent bullying and victimization, particularly among boys. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. All rights reserved.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Buckingham, Thomas
Recent statements from teachers of English and literacy (NCTE, 2007) have voiced the failure of schools to help minority students and ELLs close the literacy achievement gap and the responsibility of all teachers to help with this endeavor. Central to this effort in secondary schools are the content area teachers, as their subjects constitute the bulk of school day instruction. While there have been small studies and field reports of what content teachers are or are not teaching in the way of literacy instruction (Fisher and Ivey, 2005; Verplaste, 1996, 1998; Vacca and Vacca 1989), researchers have not had success measuring the literacy practices of content area teachers in a broad-based study. This study focuses specifically on what many researchers in both the content literacy and ESL fields have emphasized for promoting literacy in the classroom---teaching metacognitive strategies. Twelve metacognitive functions derived from a literacy strategies handbook are employed as a means to ascertain strategy usage within the lessons whether specifically known content strategies are named or not. The initial analysis is performed on over 100 lesson plans hosted at four prominent university science education sites, all within a five year period (2003-7). In addition to the lesson plan analysis, a review of 100 articles taken from five on-line science education journals reveal what the science education field addresses this issue. Findings suggest that while 80% of science teachers include some type of strategic teaching and learning in their lessons, only about 20% of science teachers explicitly utilize strategies as listed in content literacy manuals and promoted by literacy and ESL experts. Rather, most science teachers implicitly include these strategies within their lessons and/or promote their own subject-specific strategies in content teaching. Analysis of science education research and publications shows that there is a focus on literacy and specifically strategic
The Adverse Effects of Le Châtelier's Principle on Teacher Understanding of Chemical Equilibrium
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cheung, Derek
2009-04-01
Although the scientific inadequacy of Le Châtelier's principle has long been documented in the literature, the principle is still treated as a central concept of chemical equilibrium by textbook writers and teachers in many countries. In the past, researchers' interest has focused on student misconceptions about chemical equilibrium and has neglected teacher misconceptions. This study aimed to determine how Le Châtelier's principle adversely affects teachers' ability to solve chemical equilibrium problems. This area of research is critically important because teachers cannot help their students understand what they themselves do not understand. In this study, a misconception test was developed and administered to a sample of 33 secondary chemistry teachers in Hong Kong. The test consisted of three open-ended chemical equilibrium questions. Analysis of teacher responses revealed that most of the 33 teachers failed the test as they relied on Le Châtelier's principle rather than the equilibrium law to tackle the three chemical equilibrium problems. Teachers' misconceptions about chemical equilibrium were categorized. Implications of these findings for chemistry teacher education and selection of curriculum content for school chemistry are discussed.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jungert, Tomas; Alm, Fredrik; Thornberg, Robert
2014-01-01
Difficulties in attracting student teachers have resulted in research focusing on student teachers' motives for studying to join the profession. Because previous findings are mixed, the first aim of this study was to explore motives for students to become teachers. A second aim was to explore the relationship between teachers' motives and their…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
De Barros Miller, Anne Marie
In previous decades, inquiry has been the focus of science education reform in the United States. This study sought to investigate how teachers' beliefs affect their implementation of inquiry science and science fair. It was hypothesized that science teachers' beliefs about inquiry science and science fair are predictive of their implementation of such strategies. A case study approach and semi-structured interviews were employed to collect the data, and an original thematic approach was created to analyze the data. Findings seem to suggest that science teachers who embrace science inquiry and science fair believe these practices enhance students' performance, facilitate their learning experience, and allow them to take ownership of their learning. However, results also suggest that teachers who do not fully embrace inquiry science as a central teaching strategy tend to believe that it is not aligned with standardized tests and requires higher cognitive skills from students. Overall, the study seems to indicate that when inquiry is presented as a prescribed teaching approach, this elicits strong negative feelings/attitudes amongst science teachers, leading them not only to resist inquiry as a teaching tool, but also dissuading them from participating in science fair. Additionally, the findings suggest that such feelings among teachers could place the school at risk of not implementing inquiry science and science fair. In conclusion, the study reveals that science inquiry and science fair should not be prescribed to teachers as a top-down, mandatory approach for teaching science. In addition, the findings suggest that adequate teacher training in content knowledge and pedagogy in science inquiry and science fair should be encouraged, as this could help build a culture of science inquiry and implementation amongst teachers. This should go hand-in-hand with offering mentoring to science teachers new to inquiry and science fair for 2-5 years.
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
ICT Teachers' Assigned Roles and Expectations from Them
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Topu, Fatma Burcu; Goktas, Yuksel
2012-01-01
The aim of this study was to provide a better understanding of ICT teachers' assigned position and to determine school administrators' and other teachers' perceptions towards ICT teachers and these teachers' positions, and to reveal the similar and discrepant aspects of their tertiary education and the roles (work and responsibilities) assigned to…
Music Teachers' Everyday Conceptions of Musicality.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brandstrom, Sture
1999-01-01
Investigates music teachers' everyday conceptions of musicality through (1) a pilot study involving music teachers in higher education and (2) interviews with teachers in music teacher education and in compulsory school. Finds in the pilot the categories of musical achievement, musical experience, and musical communication, while the interviews…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
King, Ken; Shumow, Lee; Lietz, Stephanie
2001-03-01
Through a case study approach, the state of science education in an urban elementary school was examined in detail. Observations made from the perspective of a science education specialist, an educational psychologist, and an expert elementary teacher were triangulated to provide a set of perspectives from which elementary science instruction could be examined. Findings revealed that teachers were more poorly prepared than had been anticipated, both in terms of science content knowledge and instructional skills, but also with respect to the quality of classroom pedagogical and management skills. Particularly significant, from a science education perspective, was the inconsistency between how they perceived their teaching practice (a hands-on, inquiry-based approach) and the investigator-observed expository nature of the lessons. Lessons were typically expository in nature, with little higher-level interaction of significance. Implications for practice and the associated needs for staff development among urban elementary teachers is discussed within the context of these findings.
No Teacher Left Behind: Subject Leadership that Promotes Teacher Leadership
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ghamrawi, Norma
2010-01-01
This article presents some of the findings derived from a two-year qualitative study compromised of 51 semi-structured interviews with principals, subject leaders and classroom teachers belonging to three private K-12 schools in Beirut, Lebanon. In the context of investigating teacher leadership, this study highlights the aspects of the role of…
Sirin, Nursinem; Tekin-Iftar, Elif
2016-08-01
Safety skills instruction should be regarded as one of the important teaching areas. A descriptive study was designed to reveal the opinions of Turkish parents and teachers of children with autism spectrum disorders regarding safety skills instruction. Data were collected through interview and analyzed descriptively. Findings showed that (a) both parents and teachers were able to define safety skills, (b) they found safety skills instruction important and necessary, (c) rather than providing systematic instruction they use natural occurrences as teaching opportunities and prevention behaviors, (d) parents have never had a conversation with teachers about safety skills instruction, and (e) neither parents nor teachers have enough knowledge and experience for teaching safety skills. Implications for implementing safety training are discussed.
Combat Neurosis in the Battered Teacher.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Science News, 1978
1978-01-01
Investigates the effect of school violence on classroom teachers. The study of 253 Los Angeles inner city classroom teachers reveals that many of them have developed conditions similar to the combat neurosis found in soldiers at war. (HM)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Moore, W. L.; Cooper, Harris
1984-01-01
A study in Columbia, Missouri, revealed that many teacher and student background characteristics correlated weakly but significantly with teachers' perceptions of the frequency of discipline infractions and the effectiveness of disciplinary techniques. The data (derived from school records and from a questionnaire to which 162 elementary teachers…
Teacher Perceptions of NeuroEducation: A Mixed Methods Survey of Teachers in the United States
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Serpati, Lauren; Loughan, Ashlee R.
2012-01-01
Pickering and Howard-Jones (2007) reported educators' enthusiasm for NeuroEducation from a sample of teachers attending neuroscience professional development courses. Their results revealed teachers: (1) are enthusiastic about the role of neuroscience in education; (2) believe an understanding of the brain for educational program development is…
Teachers' Sense of Efficacy: Examining the Relationship of Teacher Efficacy and Student Achievement
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Alrefaei, Nouf
The purpose of this study was to investigate which teachers' characteristics have an impact on teachers' sense of efficacy. In addition, the relationship between mathematics and science fifth grade teachers' sense of efficacy and student achievement was examined. Two characteristics related to teachers were examined: teachers' years of teaching experience and teachers' highest degree. Participants included 62 mathematics and science teachers from three school districts in Northwest Arkansas. When comparing fifth grade mathematics and science teachers' efficacy beliefs based on their highest degree, a significant difference in teachers' efficacy beliefs was found based on their degrees. Teachers with a Bachelor degree have higher total efficacy than teachers who hold Master's degrees. Moreover, an investigation to determine if there is a difference in mathematics and science teachers' efficacy beliefs in the three subscale of teachers' efficacy (for classroom management, for student engagement, and for instructional strategies) revealed a significant difference in teachers' efficacy for two of the three constructs. However, when examining teachers' sense of efficacy based on their teaching experience, no differences in teachers' efficacy were found. A correlation was conducted and the results indicated that there was no significant relationship between fifth grade teachers' sense of efficacy and students' achievement in the benchmark test in mathematics and science. The recommendations from this study should be used to inform other scholars and administrators of the importance of teachers' sense of efficacy in order to improve students' achievement gains.
Behavioral Treatment of Voice Disorders in Teachers
Ziegler, Aaron; Gillespie, Amanda I.; Verdolini Abbott, Katherine
2010-01-01
Introduction The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on the behavioral treatment of voice disorders in teachers. The focus is on phonogenic disorders, that is voice disorders thought to be caused by voice use. Methods Review of the literature and commentary. Results The review exposes distinct holes in the literature on the treatment of voice problems in teachers. However, emerging trends in treatment are noted. For example, most studies identified for review implemented a multiple-therapy approach in a group setting, in contrast to only a few studies that assessed a single-therapy approach with individual patients. Although the review reveals that the evidence around behavioral treatment of voice disorders in teachers is mixed, a growing body of data provides some indicators on how effectively rehabilitation of teachers with phonogenic voice problems might be approached. Specifically, voice amplification demonstrates promise as a beneficial type of indirect therapy and vocal function exercises as well as resonant voice therapy show possible benefits as direct therapies. Finally, only a few studies identified even remotely begin to meet guidelines of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement, a finding that emphasizes the need to increase the number of investigations that adhere to strict research standards. Conclusions Although data on the treatment of voice problems in teachers are still limited in the literature, emerging trends are noted. The accumulation of sufficient studies will ultimately provide useful evidence about this societally important issue. PMID:20093840
Master and novice secondary science teachers' understandings and use of the learning cycle
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Reap, Melanie Ann
2000-09-01
The learning cycle paradigm had been used in science classrooms for nearly four decades. This investigation seeks to reveal how the 1earning cycle, as originally designed, is currently understood and implemented by teachers in authentic classroom settings. The specific purposes of this study were: (1) to describe teachers who use the learning cycle and compare their understandings and perceptions of the learning cycle procedure in instruction; (2) to elicit novice and master teacher perspectives on their instruction and determine their perception of the process by which learning cycles are implemented in the science classroom; (3) to describe the context of science instruction in the novice and master teacher's classroom to ascertain how the teacher facilitates implementation of the learning cycle paradigm in their authentic classroom setting. The study used a learning cycle survey, interviews and classroom observations using the Learning Cycle Teacher Behavior Instruments and the Verbal Interaction Category System to explore these features of learning cycle instruction. The learning cycle survey was administered to a sample of teachers who use the learning cycle, including master and novice learning cycle teachers. One master and one novice learning cycle teacher were selected from this sample for further study. Analysis of the surveys showed no significant differences in master and novice teacher understandings of the learning cycle as assessed by the instrument. However, interviews and observations of the selected master and novice learning cycle teachers showed several differences in how the paradigm is understood and implemented in the classroom. The master learning cycle teacher showed a more developed teaching philosophy and had more engaged, extensive interactions with students. The novice learning cycle teacher held a more naive teaching philosophy and had fewer, less developed interactions with students. The most significant difference was seen in the use
Curriculum Orientations of Virtual Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Singleton, Nicole Y.
2013-01-01
This study explored the curriculum orientation preferences of K-12 public school teachers who provided instruction in virtual settings (n = 47) in a midwestern state. Curriculum orientations were explored using a mixed-methods design. Quantitative assessments data revealed a pattern of curriculum orientations similar to teachers working in…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Voyles, Lynda
1995-01-01
This interview with Brenda Jean Robbins, a Florida music therapist and teacher selected as 1995 Teacher of the Year by the Council for Exceptional Children, reveals her views about music therapy, goals, relationship of music therapy to the special education classroom, musical performance, and getting parents involved. (DB)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kerr, Rebecca
The purpose of this descriptive quantitative and basic qualitative study was to examine fifth and eighth grade science teachers' responses, perceptions of the role of technology in the classroom, and how they felt that computer applications, tools, and the Internet influence student understanding. The purposeful sample included survey and interview responses from fifth grade and eighth grade general and physical science teachers. Even though they may not be generalizable to other teachers or classrooms due to a low response rate, findings from this study indicated teachers with fewer years of teaching science had a higher level of computer use but less computer access, especially for students, in the classroom. Furthermore, teachers' choice of professional development moderated the relationship between the level of school performance and teachers' knowledge/skills, with the most positive relationship being with workshops that occurred outside of the school. Eighteen interviews revealed that teachers perceived the role of technology in classroom instruction mainly as teacher-centered and supplemental, rather than student-centered activities.
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.
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
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Littlejohn, Vania
The National Assessment on Educational Progress signals that American students are not being adequately prepared to compete globally in an ever changing scientific society. As a result, legislation mandated that all students be assessed and show proficiency in scientific literacy beginning in Grade 4 with the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2002 also known as No Child Left Behind. Research indicates a disturbing decline in the number of U.S. students pursuing more rigorous science courses in high school, majoring in scientific areas in college, and choosing future careers in science. With a need to improve science instruction and enhance science literacy for all students, this study focuses on immediate communication behaviors of the classroom teacher as a deciding factor in the opinions of high school students towards science. The purpose of this study was to reveal high school science student perceptions of teacher communication patterns, both verbal and nonverbal, and how they influence their motivation to learn science. The researcher utilized a nonexperimental, quantitative research design to guide this study. Teacher and student data were collected using the Teacher Communication Behavior Questionnaire (TCBQ). The Student Motivation to Learn Instrument (SMLI) across gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status survey was used to evaluate student motivation in science. Participants were encouraged to be honest in reporting and sharing information concerning teacher communication behaviors. The data revealed that teacher immediacy behaviors, both verbal and nonverbal, were perceived differently in terms of student gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class. The results showed that teachers who display positive communication behaviors and use challenging questioning followed with positive responses create pathways to potentially powerful relationships. These relationships between teachers and students can lead to increased student
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hunley, Rebecca C.
For years educators have struggled to ensure students meet the rigors of state mandated tests. Challenges that often impede student success are student absences, school closings due to weather, and remediation for students who need additional help while advanced students can move ahead. Many educators, especially secondary math and science teachers, have responded to these issues by implementing a teaching strategy called the flipped classroom where students view lectures, power points, or podcasts outside of school and class time shifts to allow opportunities for collaborative learning. The purpose of this research was to evaluate teacher and student perceptions of high school flipped science classrooms. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to observe 3 high school science teachers from Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee selected through purposeful sampling who have used the flipped classroom method for a minimum of 2 years. Analysis of data from an online survey, direct observation, teacher interviews, and student focus groups helped to identify challenges and benefits of this teaching and learning strategy. Findings indicated that teachers find the flipped classroom beneficial to build student relationships but requires a significant amount of time to develop. Mixed student reactions revealed benefits of a flipped classroom as a successful learning tool for current and future endeavors for college or career preparation.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Malewski, Erik; Sharma, Suniti; Phillion, JoAnn
2012-01-01
Background/Context: The article examines how international field experiences promote cross-cultural awareness in U.S. American preservice teachers through experiential learning. The findings presented here are based on a 6-year study of a short-term study abroad program in Honduras that included an international field experience component and took…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
MacPhail, Ann; Hartley, Therese
2016-01-01
The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which beginning and experienced teachers differed in their perceptions of shaping school forces and their being shaped by school forces. The findings allow the authors to examine the link between teacher socialization research and practice in a physical education teacher education (PETE)…
Negotiating science and engineering: an exploratory case study of a reform-minded science teacher
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Guzey, S. Selcen; Ring-Whalen, Elizabeth A.
2018-05-01
Engineering has been slowly integrated into K-12 science classrooms in the United States as the result of recent science education reforms. Such changes in science teaching require that a science teacher is confident with and committed to content, practices, language, and cultures related to both science and engineering. However, from the perspective of the science teacher, this would require not only the development of knowledge and pedagogies associated with engineering, but also the construction of new identities operating within the reforms and within the context of their school. In this study, a middle school science teacher was observed and interviewed over a period of nine months to explore his experiences as he adopted new values, discourses, and practices and constructed his identity as a reform-minded science teacher. Our findings revealed that, as the teacher attempted to become a reform-minded science teacher, he constantly negotiated his professional identities - a dynamic process that created conflicts in his classroom practices. Several differences were observed between the teacher's science and engineering instruction: hands-on activities, depth and detail of content, language use, and the way the teacher positioned himself and his students with respect to science and engineering. Implications for science teacher professional development are discussed.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Benson, Phil
2010-01-01
This article reports on a collective case study of four Hong Kong secondary school teachers' experiences of constraints on teacher autonomy in English language teaching, and their implications for teacher education. Findings suggested that the constraints were systemic and mainly organized around "Schemes of Work" and school-based…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Trytten, Bria Klotz
As social media use becomes more prevalent among teachers, it becomes vital to understand how teachers are using social media and what effects it has, if any, on teaching practices in the classroom. This study sought to explore the relationship between pre-service teachers' use of social media and their perceptions of inquiry-based science education, an important teaching best practice. This study is unique in that it explores pre-service teachers' use of three social media platforms--Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest--and how pre-service teachers plan to apply them to classroom education. Previous studies focused on only one social media platform, usually Twitter or Facebook. This study surveyed 113 pre-service teachers in their 3rd or 4th year of school at one of two teacher colleges. The survey employed multiple choice, open-ended, and Likert-type questions to assess pre-service teachers' use of social media as well as their attitudes surrounding inquiry-based instruction. In order to better explain and analyze survey results, fourteen survey participants were interviewed with follow-up questions to elaborate on both social media use and inquiry attitudes. Findings indicated that the pre-service teachers used social media, and overwhelmingly Pinterest, to find lesson plans and classroom organizational ideas. Cited reasons for this practice included convenience, variety of lesson planning, and easily searchable databases. The study found statistical significance in that teachers who aspire to teach lower grade levels will turn to social media to find lesson plans more frequently than those who aspire to teach higher grade levels. The study found social media use had no statistically significant effect on the level of inquiry-based teaching that the participants aimed to achieve in their future classrooms.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Allen, Timothy Clancy
2013-01-01
Urban middle schools face many accountability measures which often create the need for school improvement. Leading urban middle schools through the change process is extremely challenging for principals. The combination of leading change, leading urban schools, and leading middle schools is an uphill climb. Teachers' perceptions of leadership…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Giglio, Kate
2010-01-01
Teacher effectiveness is typically measured by traditional teacher qualification standards, such as experience, education, and scores on licensure examinations. RAND researchers found no evidence that these standards have a substantial effect on student achievement in Los Angeles public elementary, middle, and high schools. Alternative measures of…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hoard, Althea B.
According to science teacher educators, science teachers often struggle to embrace and implement multicultural teaching practices due to limited awareness of the biases, assumptions, and oppressive structures that hinder the success of Students of Color in science classrooms. At its core, teachers lack this awareness due to incomplete understanding of the ways identity markers, such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status, work together to shape one's coming into, understanding of, and success in the sciences. To this end, this case study features four science teachers of diverse backgrounds who engaged in a book club structured to support their understanding of their intersectionality and their identity development. These four science teachers met as a science department to engage with the text Black Feminist Thought (BFT) (Collins, 2009) and other critical texts over a six-month period at a New York City, charter high school. The findings revealed the ways racial stereotypes, propagated by many factors--including images of scientists, relationships with teachers, and expectations of peers and family--influenced their coming into and understanding of science. Additionally, the findings show the ways teachers discovered their intersectionality--particularly the interplay of their race and gender--influenced their approaches to teaching science. As teachers learned about the multidimensionality of their positional identities, they became aware of discriminatory structures of power that disadvantage their Black female science students and reported implementing more student-centered pedagogical practices. Altogether, this study offers a professional development model for building critical consciousness with inservice secondary science teachers.
Measuring Teachers' Technology Uses: Why Multiple-Measures Are More Revealing
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bebell, Damian; Russell, Michael; O'Dwyer, Laura
2004-01-01
In the last 20 years, substantial investments have been made in educational technology. Not surprisingly, in today's zeitgeist of educational accountability there have been increasing calls for empirical, research-based evidence that these investments are affecting the lives of teachers and students. This paper examines the ways in which teachers…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lingam, Govinda; Lingam, Narsamma; Sharma, Lalesh
2017-01-01
This preliminary study reports on educational changes and its impact on primary teachers' world of work in Fiji. Data were gathered from 38 primary teachers, using a questionnaire of Likert scale items and open-ended questions aiming to identify the intensity of the changes that have occurred in their work. The data analysis reveals the…
Exploring Beginning Teachers' Attrition in the Netherlands
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
den Brok, Perry; Wubbels, Theo; van Tartwijk, Jan
2017-01-01
Based on a review of recent studies and reports, this research investigates attrition among beginning teachers in the Netherlands as well as reasons for teacher attrition, and compares the finding with studies on this topic conducted elsewhere in the world. The findings suggest that attrition among beginning teachers in the Netherlands with a…
Energy literacy of Indiana high school practical arts and vocational teachers
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Emshousen, F.W. Jr.
The purpose of the study was to develop an energy knowledge examination, investigate the extent high school teachers of home economics, agriculture, and industrial arts differ in their knowledge of energy, and to ascertain the extent their knowledge of energy differs with personal, educational, and geographic characteristics. Based upon literature review, a subject model was structured according to Bloom's (1956) taxonomy category of Knowledge and Hauenstein's (1972) procedure for classifying knowledges. Energy experts critically evaluated this model, which after refinement, was used to develop an Energy Knowledge Examination. The model consisted of six primary elements: sources, uses, costs, conservation, conversion,more » and policy issues. Energy experts reviewed items for accuracy, relevance, reading level, and clarity. The final instrument (65 multiple choice questions), was administered to a stratified random sample of Indiana public high school (IPHS) teachers from selected disciplines. Findings revealed significant biases among energy experts regarding relevance of specific subject content to the needs of teachers and students. Significant differences in the energy knowledge of IPHS teachers existed only in specific areas of the subject.« less
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…
Comparing Looping Teacher-Assigned and Traditional Teacher-Assigned Student Achievement Scores
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lloyd, Melissa C.
2014-01-01
A problem in many elementary schools is determining which teacher assignment strategy best promotes the academic progress of students. To find and implement educational practices that address the academic needs of all learners, schools need research-based data focusing on the 2 teacher assignment strategies: looping assignment (LA) and traditional…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Olaya, Alba; Gómez Rodríguez, Luis Fernando
2013-01-01
This article reports the findings of a qualitative research project that explored pre-service English teachers' perceptions of and attitudes toward the aspects of culture and intercultural competence addressed in their English classes in the undergraduate programs at three Colombian universities. Findings reveal that pre-service teachers are…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hechter, Richard P.
2011-01-01
This study investigated contextual changes in perceptions of science teaching self-efficacy through pre-, post- and retrospective administrations of the Science Teaching Expectancy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) among preservice elementary teachers when exposed to a science teaching methods course. Findings revealed that the number of postsecondary…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Svendsen, Bodil
2016-01-01
The aim of this study was to find out how science teachers who have participated in a one-year school-based collaborative teacher professional development programme, perceive the programme's impact on their professional development. Constant comparative analysis was used on data from three schools to generate the findings in this study. The…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Eckert, Jonathan; Ulmer, Jasmine; Khachatryan, Edit; Ledesma, Patrick
2016-01-01
This study examines how participation in a US Department of Education policy fellowship influenced the career pathways of teacher leaders. This sample of teacher leaders is illustrative of teacher leadership development beyond the classroom and demonstrates challenges and opportunities. Notably, 64% of participants reported changing their…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McKool, Sharon S.; Gespass, Suzanne
2009-01-01
This article investigates the relationship between teachers' personal reading habits and their instructional practices. Teachers responded to a questionnaire that revealed their attitudes toward reading, the amount of time they spent reading per day and the kind of literacy practices that they used in their classrooms. Results indicate: (1) while…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Retnawati, Heri; Kartowagiran, Badrun; Arlinwibowo, Janu; Sulistyaningsih, Eny
2017-01-01
The quality of national examination items plays an enormous role in identifying students' competencies mastery and their difficulties. This study aims to identify the difficult items in the Junior High School Mathematics National Examination, to find the factors that cause students' difficulty and to reveal the strategies that the teachers and the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zengele, Thulani; Coetzer, Izaak
2014-01-01
Well-managed schools are characterised by the presence of properly selected and dedicated educators. The authors argue that the uncontrolled involvement of unions in the selection and promotion of teachers may lead to the infringement of educators' rights and poor performance during the execution of their duties. Findings in the study reveal that…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hutchison, Amy; Colwell, Jamie
2016-01-01
The purpose of this case study was to examine preservice teachers' use of the Technology Integration Planning Cycle (TIPC; Hutchison & Woodward, 2014) to integrate iPads into literacy instruction. Analysis revealed two findings related to using the TIPC to plan instruction: (a) Though the TIPC provides a structured approach to planning that…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Weiland, Sunny Minelli
related to research question #2) What are preferred instructional strategies for implementation in middle level science classrooms? and topical sub-question #2) How do middle level science teachers structure instruction. The theme that emerged was needs of students. Analysis of the data revealed one theme related to research question #3) How do middle level science teachers perceive the relationship between science instruction and student learning? and topical sub-question #3) How do middle level science teachers view their role in relation to student learning? This theme is meaning making. Analysis of the data related to meaning making revealed two sub-themes of application and relationships. It is clear that middle level science teachers have a vision for inquiry-based science instruction, but implementation is inhibited by a variety of factors including curricular programming that is very broad and lacks depth, the scheduling of time and resources for science, and the absence of a clear model of inquiry-based instruction. In addition, only one participant referenced students investigating their own authentic questions and no participants reflected on the importance of students using evidence in their explanations of scientific phenomenon. Additionally, participants continually reflected on the needs of their students informing instructional practices, and it is wondered if there is a clear understanding among middle level teachers of how students learn science. Real world applications were recognized as important within science learning and the researcher questions whether teachers of science have adequate opportunities to explore real world application of science concepts throughout their careers in order to foster connections within the classroom. These findings support the need for strong, job-embedded professional development, the cultivation of learning communities dedicated to the investigation and implementation of inquiry-based science, the focusing of
Race "Still" Matters: Preparing Culturally Relevant Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Durden, Tonia; Dooley, Caitlin McMunn; Truscott, Diane
2016-01-01
This qualitative study explores racial identity development of teacher candidates during a teacher preparation program dedicated to preparing teachers for diverse classrooms. Two black teacher candidates in the US demonstrate their racial identity development through critical reflections offered throughout the program. Findings suggest that…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Neil-Burke, Merah Bell
interdisciplinary STEM professional development are the following: time to plan, to practice, to reflect, and to collaborate with other teachers. These findings reveal the need for support from school administration and curriculum writers.
Do We Produce Enough Mathematics and Science Teachers?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ingersoll, Richard M.
2011-01-01
Empirical research on the supply and demand of math and science teachers finds some surprising results. The employment of qualified math and science teachers has more than kept pace with the demand, and most schools find qualified teachers for those positions. However, about a third of public schools--particularly high-poverty, high-minority, and…
Evaluation of the Florida Master Teacher Initiative: Final Evaluation Findings
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wang, Haiwen; Warner, Miya; Golan, Shari; Wechsler, Marjorie; Park, C. J.
2015-01-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the Florida Master Teacher Initiative (FMTI)--an i3-funded early learning program aimed at improving the quality of teaching and student outcomes in grades PreK through third grade in high need schools. The FMTI schools participated in four program components: (1) a job-embedded graduate…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Heinemann, Mark H.
2007-01-01
Many theological educators ask how online classes can provide students with the kind of personal teacher-student interaction that is needed in a healthy and holistic approach to preparation for ministry. A quantitative study was undertaken for the purposes of examining the relationships between three major types of teacher-student interaction…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Maher, Damian; Schuck, Sandy; Perry, Rachel
2017-01-01
This article reports on a study in which teachers, university teacher educators and a software company formed a learning community which provided a mechanism for knowledge exchange regarding pedagogical approaches using mobile technologies. The study employed an interpretivist methodology. The findings indicated that the collaboration promoted…
The Influence Of A Multicultural Teacher Education Program On Teachers' Multicultural Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McNeal, Kezia
2005-01-01
This study examined the multicultural classroom practices of two novice secondary English teachers employed by the same U.S. school district that serves a diverse student population. Findings indicated a high level of consistency between the teachers' intended multicultural practices and their implemented practices. Based on classroom…
Teachers and Testing: An Investigation into Teachers' Perceptions of Formative Assessment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sach, Elizabeth
2012-01-01
Research conducted within the past decade contributes much to an understanding of the role and potential value of formative assessment in learning. As an Advisory Teacher within a local authority, the researcher was interested to find out how teachers actually perceive formative assessment. This study therefore set out to investigate the range and…
Factors Affecting Retirement Attitude among Elementary School Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hsu, Wan-Chen; Chiang, Chia-Hsun; Chuang, Hsueh-Hua
2015-01-01
This study investigated the relationships of teacher efficacy, perceived organizational control, and the teacher-student age gap with teachers' retirement attitudes. Stratified random sampling was adopted to collect survey responses. A total of 498 valid surveys from 33 elementary schools were collected. Correlational analyses revealed significant…
Beyond Teacher Cognition and Teacher Beliefs: The Value of the Ethnography of Emotions in Teaching
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zembylas, Michalinos
2005-01-01
This article is an attempt to show the value of the ethnography of emotions in teaching, and the importance of exploring teacher emotion in understanding teaching. A coherent account of teacher emotion must find a dynamic outside the cognitive, discursive or normative practices that have monopolized attention in research on teacher cognition and…
Development of Teachers as Scientists in Research Experiences for Teachers Programs
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Faber, Courtney; Hardin, Emily; Klein-Gardner, Stacy; Benson, Lisa
2014-11-01
This study examined the teachers' development as scientists for participants in three National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Teachers. Participants included secondary science and math teachers with varying levels of education and experience who were immersed in research environments related to engineering and science topics. Teachers' functionality as scientists was assessed in terms of independence, focus, relationships with mentors, structure, and ability to create new concepts. Hierarchies developed within these constructs allowed tracking of changes in functionality throughout the 6-week programs. Themes were further identified in teachers' weekly journal entries and exit interviews through inductive coding. Increases in functionality as scientists were observed for all teachers who completed both the program and exit interview ( n = 27). Seven of the 27 teachers reached high science functionality; however, three of the teachers did not reach high functionality in any of the constructs during the program. No differences were observed in demographics or teaching experience between those who did and did not reach high functionality levels. Inductive coding revealed themes such as teachers' interactions with mentors and connections made between research and teaching, which allowed for descriptions of experiences for teachers at high and low levels of functionality. Teachers at high functionality levels adjusted to open-ended environments, transitioned from a guided experience to freedom, felt useful in the laboratory, and were self-motivated. In contrast, teachers at low functionality levels did not have a true research project, primarily focused on teaching aspects of the program, and did not display a transition of responsibilities.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Burke, Christopher J. F.; Adler, Martha
2013-01-01
This case study examines the experiences of two fifth grade teachers as they dealt with district mandates while trying to address their high-poverty urban children's learning needs. It reveals their personal struggles that led to both compliance and resistance. In this case, the act of finding the space to engage in the intellectual and creative…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Burke, Christopher J. F.; Adler, Martha
2013-01-01
This case study examines the experiences of two fifth grade teachers as they dealt with district mandates while trying to address their high-poverty urban children's learning needs. It reveals their personal struggles that led to both compliance and resistance. In this case, the act of finding the space to engage in the intellectual and…
Teachers' Perceptions of Principals' Attributes.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Richardson, Michael D.; And Others
1996-01-01
Presents data from a survey of teachers regarding the characteristics of principals that make them leaders. Finds that teachers' perceptions differ very little from those of business managers regarding leadership attributes. (SR)
Organization a Culture of Self-Education of Music Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dyganova, Elena Aleksandrovna; Yavgildina, Ziliya Mukhtarovna
2015-01-01
The article discusses the culture of self-education of music teacher as a professionally necessary quality of a modern specialist in the field of music education. The author proposes finalized definitions of basic concepts; consistently reveals the essence, structure, criteria and indicators of self-culture of music teacher; reveals the potential…
Implementing Measures of Teacher Effectiveness
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stecher, Brian; Garet, Mike; Holtzman, Deborah; Hamilton, Laura
2012-01-01
An initial look at work being done in a reform project sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation finds that evaluations of teacher performance aren't as unpopular with teachers who have experienced the new system as some would have us believe. Leaders acknowledge that the new approach to teacher evaluation takes more time than…
How Teacher Education Can Make a Difference
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Korthagen, Fred A. J.
2010-01-01
Many studies reveal a huge gap between theory and practice in teacher education, leading to serious doubts concerning the effectiveness of teacher education. In this paper, the causes of the gap between theory and practice are analysed. On this basis, and grounded in a three-level model of teacher learning, the so-called "realistic approach" to…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Leroux, Mylène; Beaudoin, Charlotte; Grenier, Johanne; Turcotte, Sylvain; Rivard, Marie-Claude
2016-01-01
The growing body of literature on teacher induction barriers has revealed the need to address issues that may lead to negative consequences. Recent research points to an increased interest in teacher resilience, a concept that promotes positive adaptation to counteract these adverse outcomes. However, teacher induction and resilience may differ…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Toh, Tin Lam; Kaur, Berinderjeet; Koay, Phong Lee
2013-01-01
In this article, we explore the mathematical content knowledge of one entire cohort of pre-service teachers (N = 107) through analysing their performance in a Secondary Mathematics Audit that was developed for the International Comparative Studies in Mathematics Teacher Training that was initiated by the University of Plymouth. We study how their…
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)
The experience of sessional teachers in nursing: A qualitative study.
Dixon, Kathleen A; Cotton, Antoinette; Moroney, Robyn; Salamonson, Yenna
2015-11-01
Worldwide, there is a growing reliance on sessional teachers in universities. This trend is reflected in an undergraduate nursing program in a large Australian metropolitan university where a significant proportion of contact hours is staffed by sessional teachers, yet little is known about what type of support is needed for sessional teachers to optimise their capacity to contribute to the academic program. To describe the experiences of sessional teachers in a Bachelor of Nursing program in an Australian university. This is an exploratory qualitative study; fifteen sessional teachers were interviewed using semi-structured questions to explore their experiences of teaching. This study was conducted in a large metropolitan school of nursing located on three sites. A purposive sample of 15 sessional teachers was interviewed for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted face to face. Thematic analysis was used to identify major themes in the interview data and collaborative analysis was undertaken to ensure rigour. Findings revealed that sessional teachers enjoyed teaching, were committed to their role and viewed their clinical currency as a valuable asset for teaching. However, participants also spoke about wanting a sense of belonging to the School, with most feeling they were "outsiders". Areas identified for improvement included system and process issues, micro teaching and assessment skills, classroom management and timely access to resources. There is a need to improve sessional teachers' sense of belonging and to provide an inclusive structure and culture to optimise their capacity to contribute to the academic program. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Development of Classroom Management Scale for Science Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Temli-Durmus, Yeliz
2016-01-01
Students cannot learn in chaotic, badly managed classrooms. In the first years of teaching experiences, teachers revealed that novice teachers came to recognize the importance of discipline skills and classroom management for effective instruction. The purpose of the study was (i) to develop Science teachers' views towards classroom management…
Main Factors of Teachers' Professional Well-Being
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yildirim, Kamil
2014-01-01
The purpose of the study was to reveal the main factors of teachers' professional well being. Theoretically constructed model was tested on large scale data belong to 72.190 teachers working at lower secondary level. Theoretical model included teachers' individual, professional and organizational characteristics. Professional well-being…
Influence of Children's Physical Attractiveness on Teacher Expectations.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kenealy, Pamela; And Others
1988-01-01
Ratings of the physical attractiveness of 11-to-12-year-old children were obtained, and the association between physical attractiveness and teachers' judgements of these children were examined. Teachers revealed a systematic tendency to rate girls higher than boys, and significant sex differences were observed in teachers' ratings of…
The Importance of Minority Teachers: Student Perceptions of Minority versus White Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cherng, Hua-Yu Sebastian; Halpin, Peter F.
2016-01-01
The demographic divide between teachers and students is of growing public concern. However, few studies have explicitly addressed the common argument that students, and particularly minority students, have more favorable perceptions of minority versus White teachers. Using data from the Measure of Effective Teaching study, we find that students…
Findings vs. Interpretation in "The Long-Term Impacts of Teachers" by Chetty et al.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Adler, Moshe
2013-01-01
The authors of the study "The Long-Term Impact of Teachers" claim that their study shows that increases in teacher value-added lead to significant and lasting increases in test scores and significant increases in income that will last throughout adulthood. Instead, I show that these claims are false because they are contradicted by the…
Finding the "A-Ha" Moment: An Exploration into HE in FE Teacher Self-Concept
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kadi-Hanifi, Karima; Keenan, John
2016-01-01
Five teachers of higher education (HE)-level courses working in the further education (FE) sector recalled critical moments which helped to form their self-concepts. The researchers used life history method to encourage the teachers to be open about their lives and how they formed their personal and professional selves. Three common themes were…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Henning, Mary Beth; Peterson, Barbara R.; King, Kenneth Paul
2011-01-01
In an effort to improve science and social studies instruction, preservice teachers developed original science, technology, and society units to teach in elementary and middle school classrooms during their clinical field experience. Data revealed that the preservice teachers fell into categories of being skeptics, open-minded instructors, or…
Changes in teacher efficacy and beliefs during a one-year teacher preparation program
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lockman, Alison Schirmer
This study attempted to further understanding of factors affecting the teacher efficacy beliefs of secondary science preservice teachers, and to develop a model relating teacher efficacy to beliefs about teaching and students. A mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology was utilized in order to track participants' beliefs both broadly and in depth throughout a one-year teacher preparation program. Results from this analysis revealed that preservice teachers at the end of the program had significantly higher personal science teaching efficacy beliefs than at the beginning of the program. No significant difference in science teaching outcome expectancy beliefs was found, although individual preservice teachers did develop alternate beliefs. Teacher efficacy beliefs were directly affected by three of Bandura's four sources of self-efficacy beliefs---Mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, and verbal persuasion---with the influence of each source of self-efficacy information appearing to change during the course of the teacher preparation program. No evidence was found that affective states by themselves had resulted in belief changes, although many of the other experiences were more powerful because they were accompanied by an emotional incident. Connections between teacher efficacy beliefs, beliefs about students, and beliefs about teaching were uncovered, as was the importance of content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge on a teacher's sense of efficacy.
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy for Teachers of Color
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gist, Conra D.
2017-01-01
This study utilizes the conceptual framework of culturally responsive pedagogy and theoretical suppositions about the culturally responsive teacher educator to examine the learning experiences of teacher candidates of color. Findings from the case study of a teacher educator's and teacher candidates' of color teaching and learning experiences in a…
Teachers' learning about research for enhancing students' thinking skills in science learning
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nammungkhun, Wisanugorn; Satchukorn, Sureerat; Saenpuk, Nudchanard; Yuenyong, Chokchai; Chantharanuwong, Warawun
2018-01-01
This paper aimed to clarify teachers' learning about research for enhancing students' thinking skills in science learning. The study applied the lens of sociocultural view of learning to discuss teachers' learning about research. Participants included teachers who participated in the project of thinking research schools: research for enhancing students' thinking skills. The project of thinking research schools provided participants chance to learn knowledge about research and thinking research, doing research and publication, and participate in the international conference. Methodology regarded ethnographic research. The tools of interpretation included participant observation, interview, and document analysis. The researchers as participants of the research project of thinking research schools tried to clarify what they learned about research from their way of seeing the view of research about enhancing students' thinking skills through participant observation. The findings revealed what and how teachers as apprenticeship learn about research through legitimate peripheral participation in the research project community of practice. The paper clarified teachers' conceptualization about research for enhancing students' thinking through the workshop, doing research, writing up research article with supported by experts, presenting research in the international conference, editing their research article on the way of publishing, and so on.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rich, Philicia Corine
2013-01-01
This case study addressed the experiences and perceptions of two novice alternatively certified reading teachers positioned at two chronically underperforming and high poverty secondary schools. The findings from the Cognitive Coaching participant revealed the Cognitive Coaching model had an important influence on the participant's ability to…
Negotiating multiple roles: link teachers in clinical nursing practice.
Ramage, Charlotte
2004-02-01
The background to this study was a concern about the teacher's role in clinical practice. Experience suggested that teachers believed that their role in practice was important but that there were significant forces which impeded their ability to move with ease between education and practice. A discrepancy between previous research findings and theoretical discussions, and the reality experienced by teachers, led to the adoption of grounded theory as a way of exploring uncertainties in the situation. Data were gathered over a period of 7 years and involved 28 in-depth interviews with nurses with a range of educational roles, employed in educational institutions and practice settings in inner city and provincial areas in the South of England. The data revealed four categories, 'gaining access', 'negotiating credibility', 'being effective' and the core category 'negotiating multiple roles'. The core category is addressed in this article. Experiences of moving from a position of clinical practitioner to link teacher involved: 'disassembling the self' through leaving behind old identities; 'reconstructing the self' through clarifying new ways of being; and, finally, 'realizing the self' through reciprocal interpersonal activity with students, educational and nursing colleagues. It is inevitable that an individual with a remit for change entering an established social group will experience difficulties in establishing their role. It is also clear that an individual who changes their role within a group to reflect behaviours not congruent with the primary activity in that setting will experience dimensions of social exclusion. Further work needs to address how educational roles can make a significant impact on the everyday lives of students and nurses working in practice. The findings of this study are as relevant for the new roles of practice educator, clinical facilitator and practice placement co-ordinator as they are for link teachers and lecturer practitioners
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.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tuck Bonner, Natalie Christine
A teacher's sense of {instructional} efficacy has been considered a critical variable in student academic performance. Researchers Tschannen-Moran and Hoy Woolfolk (2001, p.783) defined teachers' {instructional} efficacy as a teacher's judgment of his or her capabilities to bring about desired outcomes of student engagement and learning, even among those students who may be difficult or unmotivated. There has been a substantial amount of research which reveals a strong correlation among teacher efficacy, teaching performance, and student achievement (Goddard & Goddard, et.al., 2000; Hackett; Hackett, 1995; Pajares, 1997 as cited in Villereal, 2005). This research study explored the content area of science and teacher's personal perception of their competency level in teaching science to all learners regardless of socio-economic, ethnicity/race or gender for grade levels Pre-K to 12. Lewthwaite states that a science teacher's personal teacher attributes or intrinsic factors such as science teaching self-efficacy, professional science knowledge, science teaching, instructional methodologies, interest in science, and motivation to teach science are critical dimensions and noted barriers in the delivery of science programs on elementary level campuses (Lewthwaite, Stableford & Fisher, 2001). This study focused on teacher instructional efficacy issues which may affect diverse learners' classroom and state-mandated assessment academic performance outcomes. A SPSS analysis of data was obtained from the following teacher survey instruments: The Bandura Teacher Efficacy Scale, the SEBEST, and the SETAKIST. Research findings revealed that a majority of science teachers surveyed believe they can effectively teach learners of diverse backgrounds, but responded with a sense of lower efficaciousness in teaching English Language Learners. There was also a statistically significant difference found between a state science organization and a national science organization
Park, Crystal L; Riley, Kristen E; Besedin, Elena Y; Stewart, V Michelle
2013-01-01
Although more individuals are adopting yoga into their lives, little research has examined practitioners' expectations and experiences of their yoga instructor's behavior. Discrepancies between real and ideal behaviors of yoga instructors may lead to unsatisfactory experiences and decrease the potential impact of yoga practice. This study investigated differences between yoga practitioners' real and ideal perceptions of their yoga teacher's behavior and the relationship between discrepant beliefs and students' symptoms of depression, anxiety,and stress. The Perceptions of Yoga Teacher Questionnaire (PYTQ), a recently developed survey of student attitudes regarding yoga teachers' behavior, was administered ina national online survey of yoga students and teachers. Greater discrepancy between real and idea yoga teacher behavior was anticipated to be positively associated with practitioners' symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Pearson correlations corrected for multiple comparisons revealed that yoga students and teachers are generally satisfied with their teacher's behaviors. Significant discrepancies between real and ideal teacher behavior were found for both groups. Higher discrepancy scores were associated with symptoms of stress and anxiety but not depression for students, but not for teachers. These preliminary findings provide insight into the relationship between expectancies and real yoga teacher behaviors and their links to student emotional adjustment.More research in this area is warranted.
Florida Teachers' Attitudes about Teaching Evolution
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fowler, Samantha R.; Meisels, Gerry G.
2010-01-01
A survey of Florida teachers reveals many differences in comfort level with teaching evolution according to the state's science teaching standards, general attitudes and beliefs about evolution, and the extent to which teachers are criticized, censured, disparaged, or reprehended for their beliefs about the teaching of evolution.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Katz, Idit; Shahar, Bat-Hen
2015-01-01
Findings from several studies suggest that teachers who embrace an autonomy-supportive style vis-à-vis their students promote student motivation. However, the question of what makes teachers adopt this supportive style remains unanswered. Using Self-Determination Theory as a framework, we suggest that teachers' own motivation and their beliefs…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zeichner, Kenneth M.; Tabachnick, B. Robert
1985-01-01
The findings from a two-year longitudinal study of the development of teaching perspectives by four beginning teachers are reviewed. Individual responses of these teachers to the environment in which they worked and the extent to which these teachers abandoned or maintained perspectives they began with are examined. (Author/DF)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Baleghizadeh, Sasan; Goldouz, Elnaz
2016-01-01
The present study aimed to contribute to the current findings of the relationship between collective efficacy perceptions of EFL teachers and their perception of teacher empowerment. To this end, 147 Iranian EFL teachers from a well-known institute in Tehran participated in the study. The instruments used were two questionnaires: Collective…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ozturk, Nilay; Yilmaz-Tuzun, Ozgul
2017-12-01
This study investigated preservice elementary science teachers' (PSTs) informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues (SSI), their epistemological beliefs, and the relationship between informal reasoning and epistemological beliefs. From several SSIs, nuclear power usage was selected for this study. A total of 647 Turkish PSTs enrolled in three large universities in Turkey completed the open-ended questionnaire, which assessed the participants' informal reasoning about the target SSI, and Schommer's (1990) Epistemological Questionnaire. The participants' epistemological beliefs were assessed quantitatively and their informal reasoning was assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The findings revealed that PSTs preferred to generate evidence-based arguments rather than intuitive-based arguments; however, they failed to generate quality evidence and present different types of evidence to support their claims. Furthermore, among the reasoning quality indicators, PSTs mostly generated supportive argument construction. Regarding the use of reasoning modes, types of risk arguments and political-oriented arguments emerged as the new reasoning modes. The study demonstrated that the PSTs had different epistemological beliefs in terms of innate ability, omniscient authority, certain knowledge, and quick learning. Correlational analyses revealed that there was a strong negative correlation between the PSTs' certain knowledge and counterargument construction, and there were negative correlations between the PSTs' innate ability, certain knowledge, and quick learning dimensions of epistemological beliefs and their total argument construction. This study has implications for both science teacher education and the practice of science education. For example, PST teacher education programs should give sufficient importance to training teachers that are skillful and knowledgeable regarding SSIs. To achieve this, specific SSI-related courses should form part of science
Challenging Teacher Beliefs about Student Engagement in Mathematics
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bobis, Janette; Way, Jennifer; Anderson, Judy; Martin, Andrew J.
2016-01-01
This study explored the beliefs about student engagement in mathematics of three Year 5 and 6 teachers, focusing on the shifts that occurred during a 10-week intervention. Data obtained from teacher surveys, interviews, video-recorded workshop observations and artefacts from teachers' classrooms reveal variations in their reactions to the…
Beginning literacy: links among teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student learning.
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.
Teachers' Perceptions of Students' Challenging Behavior and the Impact of Teacher Demographics
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Alter, Peter; Walker, Ja'Nina; Landers, Eric
2013-01-01
The purpose of this study is to update the research regarding perceptions of specific challenging behaviors that teachers find to be most prevalent and/or problematic. This study analyzes the role of teacher demographics (gender, race, grade level, and years of experience) on their perceptions of specifically defined challenging behaviors. After…
Gomez, Rapson
2014-10-01
This study evaluated the measurement invariance and agreement across parent and teacher ratings of the DSM-IV-TR oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms. Malaysian parents and teachers of 934 children (between 6 and 11 years of age) completed rating scales comprising the ODD symptoms. Findings showed support for full measurement invariance (configural, metric and thresholds). Additional results indicated low parent-teacher agreement for all symptoms. The theoretical and clinical and implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Impact of Teacher Value Orientations on Student Learning in Physical Education
Chen, Ang; Zhang, Tan; Wells, Stephanie L.; Schweighardt, Ray; Ennis, Catherine D.
2017-01-01
Based on the value orientation theory, the purpose of this study was to determine the impact of value orientation incongruence between physical education teachers and an externally designed curriculum on student learning in a concept-based fitness-centered physical education curriculum. Physical education teachers (n = 15) with different value orientations taught an externally designed, standards-based fitness/healthful living curriculum to their middle school students (n = 3,827) in 155 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade intact classes. A pre-post assessment design was used to determine whether student fitness/healthful living knowledge gains differed in terms of teachers’ value orientations. An ANOVA on class means of residual-adjusted knowledge gain scores revealed no statistically significant differences based on value orientations. The evidence suggests that teacher value orientation impact may be mediated by curriculum impact. This finding supports the observation that a well-designed physical education curriculum may minimize the impact of teachers’ diverse value orientations on the curriculum implementation and student learning. PMID:29200587
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Poon, Chew-Leng; Lee, Yew-Jin; Tan, Aik-Ling; Lim, Shirley S. L.
2012-04-01
In this paper, we characterize the inquiry practices of four elementary school teachers by means of a pedagogical framework. Our study revealed core components of inquiry found in theoretically-driven models as well as practices that were regarded as integral to the success of day-to-day science teaching in Singapore. This approach towards describing actual science inquiry practices—a surprisingly neglected area—uncovered nuances in teacher instructions that can impact inquiry-based lessons as well as contribute to a practice-oriented perspective of science teaching. In particular, we found that these teachers attached importance to (a) preparing students for investigations, both cognitively and procedurally; (b) iterating pedagogical components where helping students understand and construct concepts did not follow a planned linear path but involved continuous monitoring of learning; and (c) synthesizing concepts in a consolidation phase. Our findings underscore the dialectical relationship between practice-oriented knowledge and theoretical conceptions of teaching/learning thereby helping educators better appreciate how teachers adapt inquiry science for different contexts.
An Analysis of Mentoring Conversations with Beginning Teachers: Suggestions and Responses
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Strong, Michael; Baron, Wendy
2004-01-01
This study analyzes how mentor teachers make pedagogical suggestions to beginning teachers during mentoring conversations and how beginning teachers respond. Sixty-four conversations between 16 veteran teacher mentors and their beginning teacher proteges are examined and analyzed. The analysis reveals the extreme efforts of mentors to avoid giving…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Petchauer, Emery
2015-01-01
This qualitative portraiture study explored how race becomes a conscious and salient dimension of teacher licensure exams for black preservice teachers. The findings focus on one black preservice teacher and how she identified as white on the demographic survey preceding her licensure exam due to the racialized nature of the experience and the…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goldring, Rebecca; Taie, Soheyla; Riddles, Minsun
2014-01-01
This report presents selected findings from the Current Teacher and Former Teacher Data Files of the 2012-13 Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS). TFS is a nationally representative sample survey of public and private school K-12 teachers who participated in the previous year's Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). First fielded in school year 1988-89,…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bantwini, Bongani D.; Letseka, Moeketsi
2016-01-01
In this article, we explore the impact of the nation-building and global demands on teachers' work and how they survive the pressure of, and reconcile, these various demands that impact their work. We draw on two separate data sets that emerged from studies undertaken in the Eastern Cape Province (EC), South Africa. Findings reveal a rift between…
Mobility-Related Teacher Turnover and the Unequal Distribution of Experienced Teachers in Turkey
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Özoglu, Murat
2015-01-01
This study investigates the issue of mobility-related teacher turnover in Turkey through both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative findings derived from descriptive and correlational analyses of countrywide teacher-assignment and transfer data indicate that a high rate of mobility-related turnover is observed in the…
Teachers' voices: A comparison of two secondary science teacher preparation programs
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kohlhaas Labuda, Kathryn
This dissertation, using cross-case qualitative methodology, investigates the salient and latent features of two philosophically different university-based secondary science teacher preparation programs. Written documents from the two programs and from the Salish I Research project provided the salient data. New teachers' interview transcripts provided the latent data. This study provides the opportunity to hear teachers voice their perceptions of preparation programs. Three questions were investigated in this research study. First, What are the salient features of two different secondary science teacher preparation programs? Second, What are the latent features of two different secondary science teacher programs as perceived by new teachers? Third, How do new secondary science teachers from different programs perceive their preservice programs? The last question incorporates teachers' perceptions of gaps and coherence in the programs and teachers' recommendations to improve their preservice programs. Salient features of the programs revealed differences in the types of certification, and the amounts and types of required course work. Both programs certified teachers at the secondary science level, but only M program certified their teachers as elementary science specialists. Program M required more semester hours of education and science course work than Program S. Although teachers from both programs perceived little coherence between their science and education courses, S-teachers presented a more fragmented picture of their education program and perceived fewer benefits from the program. Lack of relevance and courses that focused on elementary teaching were perceived as part of the problem. M-teachers perceived some cohesion through the use of cohorts in three consecutive semesters of science methods courses that provided multiple field experiences prior to student teaching. S-teachers did not perceive an organized philosophy of their program. M-teachers
School Teachers' Knowledge about Autism in Saudi Arabia
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Haimour, Abdulhade I.; Obaidat, Yahia F.
2013-01-01
The purpose of this study was to find out what school teachers know about Autism. In addition, this study attempted to find out if there any significant differences in school teachers' knowledge about Autism depending on teachers' (gender, position, education level, teaching experience, and contact with students with Autism) variables. A total of…
Finding a Teaching Position: Strategies for Success
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kersten, Thomas A.
2008-01-01
Whether nearing the completion of a teacher education program, already teaching and considering changing school districts, or relocating, teachers share a common interest--finding a teaching position. At first, the prospect may appear somewhat overwhelming. They may wonder whether sufficient positions are available or whether certain grade levels…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Swars, Susan Lee; Chestnutt, Cliff
2016-01-01
This mixed methods study explored elementary teachers' (n = 73) experiences with and perspectives on the recently implemented Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-Mathematics) at a high-needs, urban school. Analysis of the survey, questionnaire, and interview data reveals the findings cluster around: familiarity with and preparation…
Modeling Compassion in Critical, Justice-Oriented Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Conklin, Hilary Gehlbach
2008-01-01
As the work of teacher education becomes increasingly focused on the challenges of helping mostly white, monolingual, middle-class prospective teachers become compassionate, successful teachers of racially, culturally, linguistically, economically, and academically diverse students, some teacher educators struggle to find compassion for the…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vázquez-Alonso, Ángel; García-Carmona, Antonio; Manassero-Mas, María Antonia; Bennàssar-Roig, Antoni
2013-04-01
This paper describes Spanish science teachers' thinking about issues concerning the nature of science (NOS) and the relationships connecting science, technology, and society (STS). The sample consisted of 774 in-service and pre-service teachers. The participants responded to a selection of items from the Questionnaire of Opinions on Science, Technology & Society in a multiple response model. These data were processed to generate the invariant indices that are used as the bases for subsequent quantitative and qualitative analyses. The overall results reflect moderately informed conceptions, and a detailed analysis by items, categories, and positions reveals a range of positive and negative conceptions about the topics of NOS dealt with in the questionnaire items. The implications of the findings for teaching and teacher training on the themes of NOS are discussed.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
bin Pet, Mokhtar; Sihes, Ahmad Johari Hj
2015-01-01
This study aims to examine the external factors of form six teachers who can influence thinking domain form six teachers in their teaching. This study was conducted using a quantitative approach using questionnaires. A total of 300 form six teacher schools in Johor were chosen as respondents. The findings were obtained as student background…
Personal Knowledge in Educational Autobiography: An Investigation on "Good Teachers"
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Liu, Lianghua
2009-01-01
A good teacher has various characteristics. We can observe directly teachers' behaviors or read their professional papers. However, the effective way is to have teachers tell their personal life history or educational autobiography. The personal knowledge of a good teacher will be revealed through the personal life history. According to numerous…
Inside and outside: Teacher-Researcher Collaboration
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Herrenkohl, Leslie Rupert; Kawasaki, Keiko; DeWater, Lezlie Salvatore
2010-01-01
In this paper, we discuss our approach to teacher-researcher collaboration and how it is similar and different from other models of teacher collaboration. Our approach to collaboration employed design experimentation (Brown, 1992; Design Based Research Collective, 2003) as a central method since it yields important findings for teachers'…
The impact of the teachers' non-verbal communication on success in teaching.
Bambaeeroo, Fatemeh; Shokrpour, Nasrin
2017-04-01
Non-verbal communication skills, also called sign language or silent language, include all behaviors performed in the presence of others or perceived either consciously or unconsciously. The main aim of this review article was to determine the effect of the teachers' non-verbal communication on success in teaching using the findings of the studies conducted on the relationship between quality of teaching and the teachers' use of non-verbal communication and also its impact on success in teaching. Considering the research method, i.e. a review article, we searched for all articles in this field using key words such as success in teaching, verbal communication and non-verbal communication. In this study, we did not encode the articles. The results of this revealed that there was a strong relationship among the quality, amount and the method of using non-verbal communication by teachers while teaching. Based on the findings of the studies reviewed, it was found that the more the teachers used verbal and non-verbal communication, the more efficacious their education and the students' academic progress were. Under non-verbal communication, some other patterns were used. For example, emotive, team work, supportive, imaginative, purposive, and balanced communication using speech, body, and pictures all have been effective in students' learning and academic success. The teachers' attention to the students' non-verbal reactions and arranging the syllabus considering the students' mood and readiness have been emphasized in the studies reviewed. It was concluded that if this skill is practiced by teachers, it will have a positive and profound effect on the students' mood. Non-verbal communication is highly reliable in the communication process, so if the recipient of a message is between two contradictory verbal and nonverbal messages, logic dictates that we push him toward the non-verbal message and ask him to pay more attention to non-verbal than verbal messages because non
Wang, Jia; Liu, Ru-De; Ding, Yi; Xu, Le; Liu, Ying; Zhen, Rui
2017-01-01
Previous studies have highlighted the impacts of environmental factors (teacher's autonomy support) and individual factors (self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and boredom) on academic engagement. This study aimed to investigate these variables and examine the relations among them. Three structural equation models tested the multiple mediational roles of self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and boredom in the relation between teacher's autonomy support and behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement, respectively, in math. A total of 637 Chinese middle school students (313 males, 324 females; mean age = 14.82) voluntarily participated in this study. Results revealed that self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and boredom played important and mediating roles between perceived teacher's autonomy support and student engagement. Specifically, these three individual variables partly mediated the relations between perceived teacher's autonomy support and behavioral and cognitive engagement, while fully mediating the relation between perceived teacher's autonomy support and emotional engagement. These findings complement and extend the understanding of factors affecting students' engagement in math.
Scheuch, Klaus; Haufe, Eva; Seibt, Reingard
2015-05-15
Almost 800,000 teachers were working in Germany in the 2012-13 school year. A determination of the most common medical problems in this large occupational group serves as the basis for measures that help maintain teachers' health and their ability to work in their profession. We present our own research findings, a selective review of the literature, and data derived from the German statutory health insurance scheme concerning medical disability, long-term illness, and inability to work among teachers. Compared to the general population, teachers have a more healthful lifestyle and a lower frequency of cardiovascular risk factors (except hypertension). Like non-teachers, they commonly suffer from musculoskeletal and cardiovascular diseases. Mental and psychosomatic diseases are more common in teachers than in non-teachers, as are nonspecific complaints such as exhaustion, fatigue, headache, and tension. It is commonly said that 3-5% of teachers suffer from "burnout," but reliable data on this topic are lacking, among other reasons because the term has no standard definition. The percentage of teachers on sick leave is generally lower than the overall percentage among statutory insurees; it is higher in the former East Germany than in the former West Germany. The number of teachers taking early retirement because of illness has steadily declined from over 60% in 2001 and currently stands at 19%, with an average age of 58 years, among tenured teachers taking early retirement. The main reasons for early retirement are mental and psychosomatic illnesses, which together account for 32-50% of cases. Although German law mandates the medical care of persons in the teaching professions by occupational physicians, this requirement is implemented to varying extents in the different German federal states. Teachers need qualified, interdisciplinary occupational health care with the involvement of their treating physicians.
Hughes, Jan N.
2010-01-01
The shared and unique effects of teacher and student reports of teacher student relationship quality (TSRQ) in second and third grade on academic self views, behavioral engagement, and achievement the following year were investigated in a sample of 714 academically at-risk students. Teacher and student reports of teacher-student support and conflict showed low correspondence. As a block, teacher and student reports of TSRQ predicted all outcomes, above prior performance on that outcome and background variables. Student reports uniquely predicted school belonging, perceived academic competence, and math achievement. Teacher reports uniquely predicted behavioral engagement and child perceived academic competence. Teacher and student reports of the teacher-student relationship assess largely different constructs that predict different outcomes. Implications of findings for practice and research are discussed. PMID:21984843
Inequality Frames: How Teachers Inhabit Color-Blind Ideology
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cobb, Jessica S.
2017-01-01
This paper examines how public school teachers take up, modify, or resist the dominant ideology of color-blind racism. This examination is based on in-depth interviews with 60 teachers at three segregated schools: one was race/class privileged and two were disadvantaged. Inductive coding revealed that teachers at each school articulated a shared…
Emotional Competence and Stressors of Female School Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Holeyannavar, P. G.; Itagi, S. K.
2011-01-01
A study on emotional competence and stressors of 105 primary school teachers was conducted in Dharwad in 2009. Emotional competence was assessed using EC- scale and stressors by stress inventory for teachers (SIT). Results revealed that majority of the teachers (89.5%) showed average to competent levels of emotional competence, followed by 6.7 and…
Teacher Leadership Works: It Builds, Energizes, Sustains. CenterView
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd, 2018
2018-01-01
As this series on teacher leadership continues, this "CenterView" issue reports on survey findings about the role of teacher leaders and the impact of teacher-to-teacher professional learning on the professional growth of both teacher leaders and the teachers they support. The report also offers specific strategies for school…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pedretti, Erminia G.; Bencze, Larry; Hewitt, Jim; Romkey, Lisa; Jivraj, Ashifa
2008-09-01
Although science, technology, society and environment (STSE) education has gained considerable force in the past few years, it has made fewer strides in practice. We suggest that science teacher identity plays a role in the adoption of STSE perspectives. Simply put, issues-based STSE education challenges traditional images of a science teacher and science instructional ideologies. In this paper, we briefly describe the development of a multimedia documentary depicting issues-based STSE education in a teacher’s class and its subsequent implementation with 64 secondary student-teachers at a large Canadian university. Specifically, we set out to explore: (1) science teacher candidates’ responses to a case of issues-based STSE teaching, and (2) how science teacher identity intersects with the adoption of STSE perspectives. Findings reveal that although teacher candidates expressed confidence and motivation regarding teaching STSE, they also indicated decreased likelihood to teach these perspectives in their early years of teaching. Particular tensions or problems of practice consistently emerged that helped explain this paradox including issues related to: control and autonomy; support and belonging; expertise and negotiating curriculum; politicization and action; and biases and ideological bents. We conclude our paper with a discussion regarding the lessons learned about STSE education, teacher identity and the role of multimedia case methods.
EFL Teachers' Stress and Job Satisfaction: What Contribution Can Teacher Education Make?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sadeghi, Karim; Sa'adatpourvahid, Morteza
2016-01-01
The present study was conducted to find out the level of job satisfaction and stress among Iranian EFL teachers. More precisely, an attempt was made to investigate the main sources of EFL teachers' stress, their level of satisfaction with the job and the relationship between occupational stress and instructors' age, marital status and tenure.…
Empirical Inquiry Into Teacher Centers. Teacher Education Forum; Volume 3, Number 13.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ruchkin, Judith P.
This report represents a summary of a larger, on-going investigation in teacher education committed to providing a detailed description of the differences found in teacher center and noncenter programs. Part one describes the design, and then summarizes the findings, of the initial phase of the center study by providing the answers to the six…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mouza, Chrystalla; Nandakumar, Ratna; Yilmaz Ozden, Sule; Karchmer-Klein, Rachel
2017-01-01
This study used longitudinal data to investigate the development of preservice teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) throughout their initial teacher education program in the United States. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected at four different points in time. Findings indicated that teacher preparation…
Community Involvement Components in Culturally-Oriented Teacher Preparation.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mahan, James M.
1982-01-01
Describes community involvement components in culturally oriented teacher education program, i.e., preservice and inservice community agency assignments, oncampus cultural preparation. Reveals that cultural immersion student teacher programs are attractive and professionally advantageous. (AH)
Developing Beliefs about Classroom Motivation: Journeys of Preservice Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mansfield, Caroline F.; Volet, Simone E.
2010-01-01
This paper examines the developing beliefs about classroom motivation of eight preservice teachers during teacher education. The framework conceptualises the contexts in which preservice teachers participate and the filtering effect of prior beliefs. Qualitative analyses of multiple data sources reveal two distinct trajectories in the development…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Newton, Anne; Beardsley, Linda; Shakespear, Eileen
2003-01-01
Since 1982, the "MetLife Survey of the American Teacher" has examined issues related to education from a variety of perspectives. Surveys in 2001 and 2002 revealed that feelings of alienation from school are prevalent among students, teachers, and parents at the secondary level, resulting in breakdown of the educational process. People do not feel…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Guihen, Laura
2017-01-01
Men continue to outnumber women at the secondary head teacher level. This article reports on some of the preliminary findings of a larger study exploring the ways in which women deputy head teachers, as potential aspirants to headship, perceive the secondary head teacher role. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodology,…
Qualities of an effective teacher: what do medical teachers think?
2013-01-01
Background Effective teaching in medicine is essential to produce good quality doctors. A number of studies have attempted to identify the characteristics of an effective teacher. However, most of literature regarding an effective medical teacher includes student ratings or expert opinions. Furthermore, interdisciplinary studies for the same are even fewer. We did a cross-sectional study of the characteristics of effective teachers from their own perspective across medicine and dentistry disciplines. Methods A questionnaire comprising of 24 statements relating to perceived qualities of effective teachers was prepared and used. The study population included the faculty of medicine and dentistry at the institution. Respondents were asked to mark their response to each statement based on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. These statements were grouped these into four main subgroups, viz. Class room behaviour/instructional delivery, interaction with students, personal qualities and professional development, and analysed with respect to discipline, cultural background, gender and teaching experience using SPSS v 13.0. For bivariate analysis, t-test and one way ANOVA were used. Multiple linear regression for multivariate analysis was used to control confounding variables. Results The top three desirable qualities of an effective teacher in our study were knowledge of subject, enthusiasm and communication skills. Faculty with longer teaching experienced ranked classroom behaviour/instructional delivery higher than their less experienced counterparts. There was no difference of perspectives based on cultural background, gender or discipline (medicine and dentistry). Conclusion This study found that the faculty perspectives were similar, regardless of the discipline, gender and cultural background. Furthermore, on review of literature similar findings are seen in studies done in allied medical and non-medical fields. These findings
High School Teachers' Experiences with Suicidal Students: A Descriptive Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Freedenthal, Stacey; Breslin, Lindsey
2010-01-01
Teachers are widely considered key gatekeepers to mental health services for students at risk for suicide. Using data from 120 teachers at two Denver-area high schools, this study investigated teachers' experiences with suicidal students. Analyses revealed that the majority of teachers (58.8%) reported that at least one student had disclosed…
The Effect of Involvement in Decision Making on Teacher Retention
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lynch, Donna V.
2010-01-01
Retaining teachers continues to be an ongoing challenge for administrators. For a school, when teachers migrate from one school to another to teach or leave the profession all together, the school looses a teacher. A review of selected literature revealed the most frequently cited working conditions that impact teacher retention include: (a)…
What Are the Problems with Teacher Supply?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
White, Patrick; Gorard, Stephen; See, Beng Huat
2006-01-01
This paper is based on our studies of teacher recruitment and retention. Using official statistics from a variety of secondary sources, it builds on our previous work on the changing demand for teachers by exploring issues of teacher supply in the UK. Our findings suggest there is no overall shortage of applicants to initial teacher education and…
"Still Finding the Ground": A Self-Study of a First-Year Physical Education Teacher Educator
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Richards, K. Andrew R.; Ressler, James D.
2017-01-01
While decades of research have documented the socialization of inservice physical education teachers, the socialization of physical education faculty members has only recently become a research focus. Self-study of teacher education practices is becoming increasingly popular when exploring the lived experiences of physical education faculty. We…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Van der Klink, Marcel; Kools, Quinta; Avissar, Gilada; White, Simone; Sakata, Tetsuhito
2017-01-01
The attention being devoted to teacher educators as professionals and their professional development is unquestionably increasing. Whilst much of that attention is being directed at teacher educators in different countries, international comparisons have been quite rare to date. The research question addressed in this study was: "Do…
Mentor preparation: A qualitative study of STEM master teacher professional development
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Click-Cuellar, Heather Lynn
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has required districts to staff all classrooms with highly qualified teachers. Yet, retaining certified teachers in the profession has been a national concern, especially among new teachers who leave at alarming rates within their first three years. This comes at a heavy cost to districts financially and in trying to maintain highly qualified status, but also to the continuity and effective education of students. Mentoring has been identified by many researchers as a plausible solution to reducing attrition rates for beginning teachers. In this dissertation, I conducted qualitative research to explore and understand the perceptions of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Master Teachers' mentoring professional development in the context of the Master Teacher Academies program situated at Desert State University (pseudonym), a large institution located on the Texas-Mexico border. Additionally, I examined the reported teaching self-efficacy of STEM Master Teachers (mentors), as well as that of their novice teachers (mentees). Another purpose of the study was to investigate the forms and elements of interactions between these mentors and their mentees. Participants of this study were Texas certified Master Mathematics or Master Science Teachers, and their novice mathematics or science teacher mentees; all of whom teach in a high need U.S. Mexico border city school district serving a student population that is over 93% Hispanic. A grounded theory approach was used in examining and analyzing mentor and mentee perceptions and experiences through case studies. A constructivist framework was utilized to derive findings from interviews and the review of documents and contribute a diverse context and population to the literature. The study reveals conclusions and recommendations that will benefit educators, universities, school districts, and policy makers in regard to teacher mentor preparation.
Enhancing mathematics teachers' quality through Lesson Study.
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.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
LeTendre, Gerald K.; Akiba, Motoko
2001-01-01
Analyzes a bi-national survey about teachers' beliefs surrounding puberty; adolescent rebellious attitudes, and academics. Finds significant difference between Japanese and U.S. teachers. Explains teachers' impact on students shows cultural differences and cross-national trends. Discusses survey results in light of qualitative studies of Japanese…
Partnering Principal and Teacher Candidates: Exploring a Virtual Coaching Model in Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stapleton, Joy; Tschida, Christina; Cuthrell, Kristen
2017-01-01
Colleges of education are constantly searching for innovations to develop stronger graduates. This paper describes and shares findings from a study of a virtual coaching partnership model that links a principal candidate with a teacher candidate. Through the use of existing virtual coaching software, this model provides teacher candidates with…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Data Quality Campaign, 2014
2014-01-01
Teachers need longitudinal student-level data, such as attendance history, course-taking patterns, grades, and test scores, to tailor instruction to individual students' strengths and weaknesses.This factsheet uses the findings from the Data for Action 2013 analysis to discuss how states can provide teachers with student-level longitudinal data,…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sirin, Nursinem; Tekin-Iftar, Elif
2016-01-01
Safety skills instruction should be regarded as one of the important teaching areas. A descriptive study was designed to reveal the opinions of Turkish parents and teachers of children with autism spectrum disorders regarding safety skills instruction. Data were collected through interview and analyzed descriptively. Findings showed that (a) both…
Survey Findings on the Status of General Business Courses
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Furjanic, Sheila Whitney
1976-01-01
The McGraw Hill Book Company conducted a nationwide survey of 2,000 teachers regarding the status of general business courses. The discussion of responses reveals general business is a strong subject, ninth and tenth grade enrollments are increasing, and consumer and career related topics are of major interest to teacher and student. (Author/BP)
The Construction of the Teacher's Authority in Pedagogic Discourse
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wenren, Xing
2014-01-01
This article examines the discursive construction of the authoritative identity of teachers in relation to a number of issues in the classroom context, including identity negotiation, pedagogic discourse and teacher-student power relationship. A variety of classroom teacher talks are analyzed from a discourse analytical perspective, revealing the…
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.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Underwood, Janice Bell
Due to the rising diversity in today's schools, science teacher educators (STEs) suggest that K-12 teachers must be uniquely prepared to engage these students in science classrooms. Yet, in light of the increasing white-black science achievement gap, it is unclear how STEs prepare preservice teachers to engage diverse students, and African Americans in particular. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to find out how STEs prepare preservice teachers to engage African American students in K-12 science. Thus, using the culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) framework, this phenomenological case study explored beliefs about culturally relevant science teaching and the influence of reported beliefs and experiences related to race on STEs' teaching practices. In the first phase, STE's in a mid-Atlantic state were invited to participate in an electronic survey. In the second phase, four participants, who were identified as exemplars, were selected from the survey to participate in three semi-structured interviews. The data revealed that STEs were more familiar with culturally responsive pedagogy (CResP) in the context of their post-secondary classrooms as opposed to CRP. Further, most of the participants in part one and two described modeling conventional ways they prepare their preservice teachers to engage K-12 students, who represent all types of diversity, without singling out any specific race. Lastly, many of the STEs' in this study reported formative experiences related to race and beliefs in various manifestations of racism have impacted their teaching beliefs and practices. The findings of this study suggest STEs do not have a genuine understanding of the differences between CRP and CResP and by in large embrace CResP principles. Secondly, in regards to preparing preservice teachers to engage African American students in science, the participants in this study seemed to articulate the need for ideological change, but were unable to demonstrate pedagogical changes
Find Funds for Wellness Assessment Equipment.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Buck, Marilyn M.; Kirkpatrick, Beth
1995-01-01
Many physical education teachers have difficulty finding ways to purchase wellness assessment equipment. The article provides strategies to help them find the money for needed equipment, highlighting the physical education budget, the computer equipment budget, grants, local businesses, statewide organizations, universities, and national…
Student Teachers in Tibet: A Case Study.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Su, Zhixin; Hawkins, John N.; Zhao, Chunhua; Huang, Tao
2002-01-01
Compared Tibetan student teachers' characteristics and attitudes to those of their mainstream Chinese counterparts. Surveys, interviews, observations, and document reviews revealed both similarities and differences. Tibetan student teachers tended to be middle class males, choose teaching for intrinsic reasons, and hesitate to commit themselves to…
Leadership that promotes teacher empowerment among urban middle school science teachers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Howard-Skipper, Joni
In this study, the focus was on determining leadership strategies that promote teacher empowerment among urban middle school science teachers. The purpose of the paper was to determine if leadership strategies are related to teacher empowerment. The emphasis was on various forms of leadership and the empowerment of teachers in context in restructuring the democratic structure. An effective leadership in science education entails empowering others, especially science teachers. In this regard, no published studies had examined this perspective on empowering teachers and school leadership. Therefore, this study determined if a relationship exists between leadership strategy actions and teacher empowerment. The significance of the study is to determine a relationship between leadership strategies and teacher empowerment as a positive approach toward developing successful schools. Empowerment is essential for implementing serious improvements. Empowering others in schools must form a major component of an effective principal's agenda. It is becoming clearer in research literature that complex changes in education sometimes require active initiation. For this study, a quantitative methodology was used. Primary data enabled the research questions to be answered. The reliability and validity of the research were ensured. The results of this study showed that 40% of the administrators establish program policies with teachers, and 53% of teachers make decisions about new programs in schools. Furthermore, the findings, their implications, and recommendations are discussed.
Teacher and child predictors of achieving IEP goals of children with autism.
Ruble, Lisa; McGrew, John H
2013-12-01
It is encouraging that children with autism show a strong response to early intervention, yet more research is needed for understanding the variability in responsiveness to specialized programs. Treatment predictor variables from 47 teachers and children who were randomized to receive the COMPASS intervention (Ruble et al. in The collaborative model for promoting competence and success for students with ASD. Springer, New York, 2012a) were analyzed. Predictors evaluated against child IEP goal attainment included child, teacher, intervention practice, and implementation practice variables based on an implementation science framework (Dunst and Trivette in J Soc Sci 8:143-148, 2012). Findings revealed one child (engagement), one teacher (exhaustion), two intervention quality (IEP quality for targeted and not targeted elements), and no implementation quality variables accounted for variance in child outcomes when analyzed separately. When the four significant variables were compared against each other in a single regression analysis, IEP quality accounted for one quarter of the variance in child outcomes.
Teacher and Child Predictors of Achieving IEP Goals of Children with Autism
Ruble, Lisa; McGrew, John H.
2013-01-01
It is encouraging that children with autism show a strong response to early intervention, yet more research is needed for understanding the variability in responsiveness to specialized programs. Treatment predictor variables from 47 teachers and children who were randomized to receive the COMPASS intervention (Ruble et al. in The collaborative model for promoting competence and success for students with ASD. Springer, New York, 2012a) were analyzed. Predictors evaluated against child IEP goal attainment included child, teacher, intervention practice, and implementation practice variables based on an implementation science framework (Dunst and Trivette in J Soc Sci 8:143–148, 2012). Findings revealed one child (engagement), one teacher (exhaustion), two intervention quality (IEP quality for targeted and not targeted elements), and no implementation quality variables accounted for variance in child outcomes when analyzed separately. When the four significant variables were compared against each other in a single regression analysis, IEP quality accounted for one quarter of the variance in child outcomes. PMID:23838728
Using Classroom Scenarios to Reveal Mathematics Teachers' Understanding of Sociomathematical Norms
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zembat, Ismail Ozgur; Yasa, Seyit Ali
2015-01-01
The purpose of this study was to uncover the degree to which in-service teachers understand sociomathematical norms and the nature of that understanding without having to enter and observe their classes. We therefore developed five classroom scenarios exemplifying classroom interactions shaped by certain sociomathematical norms. We then…
Predictors of Teacher Educators' Research Productivity
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nasser-Abu Alhija, Fadia M.; Majdob, Arin
2017-01-01
This study examined the relationship between teacher educators' research productivity (RP) and their background and professional characteristics, attitudes, motives, obstacles and time devoted to research. The sample included 161 teacher educators from four teacher education colleges in Israel. The findings indicate the significance of five…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Flores, Maria Assunção; Niklasson, Laila
2014-01-01
This paper reports on findings from an exploratory study carried out in Portugal and Sweden, concerning student teacher recruitment to Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. It addresses issues such as the motivations and expectations of the student teachers regarding the teaching profession. Drawing upon existing related literature, a…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hume, Anne; Berry, Amanda
2013-10-01
This paper reports findings from an ongoing study exploring how the Content Representation (CoRe) design can be used as a tool to help chemistry student teachers begin acquiring the professional knowledge required to become expert chemistry teachers. Phase 2 of the study, reported in this paper, investigated how collaboration with school-based mentors (associate teachers) on teaching practice (practicum) might impact on this process and student teachers' development of their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The collaboration involved identifying and discussing pedagogical issues related to a practicum-teaching topic using a student teacher's draft CoRe as a starting point and ongoing focus for the professional dialogue. Practicum offered an opportunity for aspects of student teachers' PCK, as embodied in their draft CoRes, to be explored and expanded upon in classroom programmes with the support and input of associate teachers. The findings were influenced by different contextual factors; however, the student teachers found their CoRes to be very useful frameworks for engaging in focussed professional dialogue with their teaching mentors. They valued the expertise, currency of knowledge and mentoring of their associates and reported positively about the contribution this support made to their PCK development via the CoRe design process and the transformation of the CoRe into classroom teaching.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lang, Dale Christopher
Through questionnaires, observations, and interviews, this study revealed the degree to which 31 high school teachers altered their classroom spaces and/or adjusted their routines to meet their pedagogical goals at a temporary school site. Teachers emphatically desired: (1) an appropriate amount of space to rearrange student furniture, enabling…
Assistant Teachers in Head Start Classrooms: Comparing to and Working with Lead Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Curby, Timothy W.; Boyer, Caroline; Edwards, Taylor; Chavez, Catharine
2012-01-01
Research Findings: The purpose of the present study is to examine the degree to which assistant and lead teachers work together in Head Start classrooms in 3 domains: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. Pairs of lead and assistant teachers from 14 Head Start classrooms were simultaneously observed for 1 morning to…
Teacher Knowledge for Active-Learning Instruction: Expert-Novice Comparison Reveals Differences.
Auerbach, A J; Higgins, M; Brickman, P; Andrews, T C
2018-01-01
Active-learning strategies can improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduates' abilities to learn fundamental concepts and skills. However, the results instructors achieve vary substantially. One explanation for this is that instructors commonly implement active learning differently than intended. An important factor affecting how instructors implement active learning is knowledge of teaching and learning. We aimed to discover knowledge that is important to effective active learning in large undergraduate courses. We developed a lesson-analysis instrument to elicit teacher knowledge, drawing on the theoretical construct of teacher noticing. We compared the knowledge used by expert ( n = 14) and novice ( n = 29) active-learning instructors as they analyzed lessons. Experts and novices differed in what they noticed, with experts more commonly considering how instructors hold students accountable, topic-specific student difficulties, whether the instructor elicited and responded to student thinking, and opportunities students had to generate their own ideas and work. Experts were also better able to support their lesson analyses with reasoning. This work provides foundational knowledge for the future design of preparation and support for instructors adopting active learning. Improving teacher knowledge will improve the implementation of active learning, which will be necessary to widely realize the potential benefits of active learning in undergraduate STEM. © 2018 A. J. Auerbach et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2018 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).
Making science accessible through collaborative science teacher action research on feminist pedagogy
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Capobianco, Brenda M.
The underrepresentation of women and minorities in science is an extensively studied yet persistent concern of our society. Major reform movements in science education suggest that better teaching, higher standards, and sensitivity to student differences can overcome long-standing obstacles to participation among women and minorities. In response to these major reform movements, researchers have suggested teachers transform their goals, science content, and instructional practices to make science more attractive and inviting to all students, particularly young women and minorities (Barton, 1998; Brickhouse, 1994; Mayberry & Rees, 1999; Rodriguez, 1999; Roychoudhury, Tippins, & Nichols, 1995). One of the more dominant approaches currently heralded is the use of feminist pedagogy in science education. The purpose of this study was to examine the ways eleven middle and high school science teachers worked collaboratively to engage in systematic, self-critical inquiry of their own practice and join with other science teachers to engage in collaborative conversations in effort to transform their practice for a more equitable science education. Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews, whole group discussions, classroom observations, and review of supporting documents. Data analysis was based on grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) and open coding (Miles and Huberman, 1994). This study described the collective processes the science teachers and university researcher employed to facilitate regular collaborative action research meetings over the course of six months. Findings indicated that engaging in collaborative action research allowed teachers to gain new knowledge about feminist science teaching, generate a cluster of pedagogical possibilities for inclusive pedagogy, and enhance their understanding for science teaching. Additional findings indicated dilemmas teachers experienced including resistance to a feminist agenda and concerns for validity in action