Teacher Concerns Research Articles

Small Class Teaching: Concerns of Teachers about Integrated Learning in Liberal Studies

Small Class Teaching: Concerns of Teachers about Integrated Learning in Liberal Studies

Examining Preservice Music Teacher Concerns in Peer- and Field-Teaching Settings

The purpose of this study was to examine the concerns of preservice music teachers using the Fuller and Bown teacher concerns model. Participants were 12 senior-level instrumental music education majors enrolled at a medium-size American public university. A video-assisted, stimulated recall method was used to interview participants after two peer-teaching and two field-teaching episodes. Data consisted of 1,019 coded statements drawn from more than 900 min of interviews. Task concerns were the most reported in all interviews, followed by self concerns and student impact concerns. Task concerns decreased across the four teaching episodes, while student impact concerns increased from the first field-teaching episode to the second. Rehearsal strategy use, evaluation of teaching, and individual student impact were the most frequently coded task, self, and student impact concerns, respectively. Overall, participants reported that peer teaching was more difficult and stressful than field teaching. Implications of the Fuller and Bown framework as well as additional future research directions are proposed.

Prospective Teacher Concerns: A Comparative Study of Departments of English Language Teaching and Language and Literature

Abstract Language teachers in Turkey do not take a standard pre-service education as graduates of English Language Teaching (ELT), linguistics, and translation departments all end up with language teaching profession and this, in turn, results in different teaching needs and concerns. The researchers argue that these different concerns may be one of the underlying causes of chronic language education problems in Turkey, in that Turkish Ministry of National Education does not take into consideration the comparative picture of practicing teachers and composes curricula, teaching materials, and compulsory one-shot professional development activities that all reflect one size fits all ideology. Therefore, determining the needs and concerns of pre-service language teachers is of vital importance. The current study has arisen from Griffith’s (2012) call for more larger-scale studies on teacher concerns across different contexts via triangulation. The researchers aim at not only investigating teacher concerns but also painting a much detailed comparative picture between ELT and linguistics department prospective teachers. The researchers target convenience sampling, in the full knowledge that this group will not represent the whole population. However, this type of non-probability sampling can serve well when it is easy to gather much informative data. Building on the recent work of Griffiths (2012), the researchers have modified and extended the existing measurement tool of Griffiths (2012) to investigate the issue much deeper and compensate the caveats. They adapted her instrument and asked the participants to add their thoughts as well as deciding their concern level. The results are mainly in line with the referred study in terms of the rating and frequency. The study reveals that there are some differences between the concerns of ELT department students and language and literature department students. While prospective teachers studying at the ELTdepartment were found to be highly concerned about technology, their counterparts studying at the langauge and literature department were not interested in the issue. The study also reveals that despite EIL’s large space in the literature (Cogo, 2012; Sowden, 2012), it was not found as a major concern for the prospective teachers. Methodology was also the least rated concern for the prospective teachers at both departments on the contrary to the well-accepted literature.

Attitudes, Knowledge and Concerns of Teachers Towards Inclusion of Students with Disabilties

The aim of this research work was to study the attitudes, knowledge and concerns of teachers towards inclusion of students with disabilities in a regular classroom. The researcher however explored the relationship between the variables as well. The sample comprised of 100 higher secondary school teachers of which 50 were employed in Central schools while 50 were employed in Private Schools of Agra region only. Cross-sectional research method was adopted to collect and analyze data. The tool comprised of a four-part questionnaire that includes background information and three measurement scales on attitudes, knowledge and concerns of teachers, viz (i)ATIES (Attitudes towards Inclusive Education Scale, Author Felicia Wilczenski, Year: 1992) (ii) CIES (Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale, Author; Sharma & Desai, Year:2002) and (iii) Knowledge questionnaire (Author: Pottas, Year: 2005). The results indicated that teachers of both the schools displayed favorable attitudes, high level of knowledge and lower concerns towards inclusion of disabled students. It was evident that attitudes and knowledge were positively related to successful inclusion while concerns were associated with the extra burden to be experienced for inclusion. Thus, it is important to organize awareness programs on inclusion for school teachers to reduce their worries and concerns. Democratic education will only be successful with positive attitudes of teacher, good knowledge of inclusion methodology and lowered concerns.

The Process of Change and an Elementary Teacher's Concerns regarding the Physical Education Curriculum

The Process of Change and an Elementary Teacher's Concerns regarding the Physical Education Curriculum

Working with Mathematics and Science Teachers on IBL Approaches: Teacher Concerns [VISIONS 2011: Teacher Education

This paper reports on mathematics and science teachers’ beliefs concerning the use of inquiry-based teaching strategies. Two different surveys were conducted: one with 24 teachers who were to become future instructional leaders; and one with 75 teachers as part of an international baseline study. We found that teachers in Norway would like to use more IBL strategies in their day-to-day teaching. They were also asking for more, and more relevant, continuous professional development courses. Textbooks were not seen as a main hindrance to the use of IBL, but these would need to include more IBL approaches. Even if the curriculum, particularly in the natural sciences, did not represent an important hindrance, in their view, it would need to advocate IBL more explicitly. The results provide deeper insights into teacher beliefs related to IBL, in particular the constraints that prevent them from working in such a manner, and into potential ‘openings’ for using IBL to enhance pupil engagement and deeper learning. Methodologically, the study uses a quantitative approach to investigate teacher beliefs related to IBL that adds to the literature in the field.

Listening To the Concerns of Student Teachers In Malaysia During Teaching Practice

Abstract: This study examined the concerns and experiences of Malaysian student teachers during their practicum. The 14 student teachers who volunteered were asked to maintain a reflective journal throughout their practicum to document their teaching concerns and confidence to teach. Eighteen derived concerns were identified and placed into four main themes: (a) classroom management and student discipline; (b) institutional and personal adjustment; (c) classroom teaching; and (d) student learning. Specific comments were sought to provide citations that represented their concerns. This paper has intended to draw attention to the underlying reasons given by student teachers about their concerns prior to and during the practicum in order to integrate areas of concern into future management and development of teacher education. The value of the study was in the pursuit of using student teachers’ own capacity to self-assess and appraise their circumstances as a research area in teaching; and showed how the understanding of learning to teach could be enriched through their own self-awareness of the circumstances surrounding them.

Concerns of Teachers and Principals on Instructional Supervision in Three Asian Countries

This study discusses on the nature of instructional supervision carried out in schools in three Asian countries India, Malaysia and Thailand. This study followed the qualitative method involving questionnaire and interview. About hundred teachers and twenty five principals and other heads from three countries participated in this study. The questionnaire was sent trough post or email while interview was conducted either face to face or online using msn or Skype. The responding rate of participants was hundred percent. The discussion was focused on four themes that are related to the research questions namely supervision as a continuous, developmental and corporate process; supervision as a specialists' area, the role of principals and teachers in instructional supervision and benefits to the teachers through instructional supervision. Evidences of findings accounted for instructional supervision being just eye wash, a paper completion and punitive process and non beneficial to the teachers. The participants stressed for involving teachers, principals, subject teachers and subject specialist to make instructional supervision practices more meaningful. The findings advocated for supervision to be continuous development and corporate process.

Controversial Issues: Identifying the Concerns and Priorities of Student Teachers

The theoretical framework of this article considers the significant place of education in the socialisation and enculturation of children. This requires that student teachers develop critical pedagogies as a means of promoting equity, pupil voice and democratic structures in schools. Key to this is Cole's concept of ‘isms' and ‘phobias’, and the need to prepare student teachers to address them, and to evaluate both formal and hidden curricula. This article outlines the findings of a small-scale study that explored student teachers' views on elements of issues-based education, the content of their training courses, and their personal priorities and apprehensions. It involved student teachers in eight universities in England during 2008–09. This article outlines the full range of responses to the survey and students' reasons for their priorities. The findings provide a context for providers of initial teacher education to consider the content and focus of their programmes.

Discovering Curriculum Concerns of Beginning Early Childhood Teachers

(2010). Discovering Curriculum Concerns of Beginning Early Childhood Teachers. Childhood Education: Vol. 86, Creating Friendly and Supportive Environments for Teachers, pp. 293-297.

The Nature and Basis of Teachers’ Concerns About Spanish Secondary-School Students

This study explored the nature and basis of teachers’ concerns regarding several behavioural and social difficulties experienced by their secondary-school students. It was hypothesized that teachers would be most concerned about students presenting externalizing behavioural or academic difficulties but not those displaying internalizing problems. We also expected that pupils who were objects of teacher concern would be considered more maladjusted than random controls in terms of self- and peer-rated popularity and problem behaviours. Participants were 1384 secondary school pupils from Seville, Spain. The most common reasons indicated by teachers for their concerns about students were motivational and socialization-emotional concerns. There was some basis for these concerns: students who were objects of teacher concerns were significantly more likely to be perceived by their peers and by themselves as socially rejected, more aggressive/disruptive, more withdrawn and less cooperative than controls. Nevertheless, teachers expressed concern about only a minority of pupils who appear to be at risk according to other sources of information.

Turkish student teachers' concerns about teaching

The purpose of this study was to examine the teaching concerns of Turkish student teachers and how these concerns differ among year groups within the teacher education programme. Data were collected from 339 student teachers using the Teacher Concerns Checklist. Analysis of the data, including both descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), showed that student teachers held more task‐related concerns, but had the fewest self‐survival concerns. In addition, fifth‐year prospective teachers were found to have significantly lower self‐related concerns than did second‐ and third‐year student teachers.

State of Higher Education: Science Teacher Education Issues and Concerns

State of Higher Education: Science Teacher Education Issues and Concerns

Teacher Concerns about Curriculum Reform:

Teacher Concerns about Curriculum Reform:

Perceived Concerns of Preservice Music Education Teachers: A Cross-Sectional Study

The purpose of this study was to explore perceived concern.s of preservice music education teachers across four different points in professional development. A 45-item Teacher Concerns Checklist (Borich, 2000), based upon Fuller and Bown's (1975) three-stage model of teacher development, identified respondents' levels of self-concerns, task concerns, and impact concerns. Participants included 1,121 preservice music educators from 16 institutions of higher education in the United States. Data analysis indicated Field Experience/Practicum students held higher levels of concern than did students in Introduction to Music Education, Methods, and Student Teaching. Fernales consistently held higher concerns than did males. Students indicating a preference to teach elementary level or university level held higher concerns than those intending to teach high school. At all professional development points, impact concerns ranked highest, followed by self concerns, with task concerns ranked lowest. Implications for music teacher educators and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Teacher Concerns During Initial Implementation of a One-to-One Laptop Initiative at the Middle School Level

Many schools are initiating projects that place laptop computers into the hands of each student and teacher in the school. These projects entail a great deal of planning and investment by all involved. The teachers in these schools are faced with significant challenges as they prepare for teaching in classrooms where every student has a computer. Using the Concerns-Based Adoption Model of change, this study investigated the concerns of teachers in the early stages of a one-to-one laptop initiative. The results of the study indicate that teachers fall into two relatively well-defined categories in terms of their concerns regarding the innovation. The majority of teachers have genuine concerns about how the introduction of laptop computers into the school environment will impact them personally. A lesser number have concerns about how they will be able to best use the laptops to meet the needs of the students. Implications for professional development include differentiating training based on teacher concerns, ensuring teachers have a voice in the process and are well-informed of decisions pertaining to the adoption, and implementation of the innovation.

Longitudinal research on beginning teacher development: Complexity as a challenge to concerns-based stage theory

Stage theory represents a concise explanation for change in teacher professional development with gained experience in the classroom. This study examines the self-task-impact stage chronology proposed by concerns-based theory within the framework of longitudinal research on beginning teaching. The study investigated developmental change in a panel ( N = 79 ) of beginning teachers across two years utilizing the Teacher Concerns Checklist, a concerns inventory, at six application points. Analysis of variance with Scheffé post hoc tests was utilized to rank categories of concerns and to test whether teacher and school contextual variables would affect these rankings. The results confirm findings of similar longitudinal studies, indicating teachers’ concerns for impact consistently rank highest across time. Additionally, the ranking of concerns categories was not affected by the contextual variables. Two aspects of impact, one academic in orientation and the second consisting of personal and individual concerns for students, emerged as distinct dimensions across time. The author proposes a reconsideration of concerns-based theory for its limited ability to comprehensively explain the complex nature of teacher development. Rather than chronological, concerns are recurring and indicate the need to scaffold linkages between student learning, learning theory, and instructional practices early in teaching careers in lieu of singularly focused managerial aspects of teaching.

Relationships Among Teachers' Perspectives, Self-Reported Practices, and Concerns Related to an Alternate Assessment System

A statewide survey was completed by 234 special education teachers with experience in developing assessment portfolios within the Illinois Alternate Assessment (IAA) system. Relationships between these teachers' demographics and their perspectives, concerns, and self-reported practices related to the IAA system was identified and described. These Illinois teachers expressed less positive perspectives about their practices related to the IAA system than teachers in previous studies. Overall, they noted few benefits of the IAA system for teachers and students. Implications of these results and recommendations for educational practice and future research are discussed.

Teacher Concerns and Teacher Life Stages

Teacher Concerns and Teacher Life Stages

Professional Concerns of Beginning Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

The professional concerns of beginning teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing were examined. Five first-year teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students served as participants. Two of the participants were itinerant teachers; three taught in self-contained classrooms. Participants were selected from programs serving deaf and hard of hearing students in rural and urban areas of the midwestern and southwestern United States. To interview the study participants, the researcher used an in-depth phenomenological method employing semi-structured questions and guided by a constructivist paradigm. Data were analyzed using qualitative analysis strategies (Bogdan & Biklen, 1992; Miles & Huberman, 1994). Results showed that concerns of beginning teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students are specific to service delivery models and geography. Participants provided specific recommendations for addressing the concerns of beginning teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students.