THE TEACHER LISTENING ORIENTATION QUESTIONNAIRE: A VALIDITY STUDY

Abstract

ABSTRACT Effective teacher listening is critical in establishing a culturally responsive and equitable learning environment for all students. Teacher listening orientations are ways in which teachers are situated to listen to students. Measurements of their orientations during classroom discourse is an important yet under-researched tool for enhancing both communication and student learning. The extant literature suggests teachers exhibit varied listening orientations, however, limited empirical studies have investigated how teachers self-report their listening during instructional discourse within the classroom setting. In this study we redeveloped and administered a 32-item instrument called the Teacher Listening Orientation Questionnaire (TLOQ) to 536 teachers. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted to test the fit of three-, four-, and six-factor oblique models. Results suggested the three-factor model best accounts for the item covariation for the TLOQ, with the factors of evaluative, interpretive, and participatory/facilitative student-oriented listening. Implications for future research and professional learning are discussed.