Dimensions Of Instructional Quality Research Articles

Relationships between Dimensions of Instructional Quality and Trainee-Teacher Effectiveness

ABSTRACT This study examined the relationship between two dimensions of instructional quality and trainee-teacher effectiveness in the delivery of instruction among trainee-teachers at the College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast (CoDE, UCC). The correlational design was adopted for the study. The accessible population was 53,293 comprising 1,837 CoDE course tutors and, 51,456 CoDE trainee-teachers. The sample size for the study was 726, made up of 397 trainee teachers and 329 course tutors. The data collected were analyzed with the Pearson product-moment correlation. The results showed that faculty quality and quality interaction had a positive and significant relationship with trainee-teacher effectiveness. It was recommended that the management of CoDE, UCC should continuously organize seminars and workshops to upgrade the competencies and interactive capacities of faculty members in order to enhance their relevance and competitiveness.

An analysis of content development in physical education: Preschool teachers’ selection of instructional tasks

In recent years, attention has been placed on dimensions of instructional quality. One critical element of this quality in preschool physical education (PE) is teachers’ ability to present content in a way that facilitates learning. This study aimed to describe the development of the content in PE in preschool. Participants in the study were 11 preschool teachers. Data were collected using systematic observations. Specifically, a modified version of the Task Structure System was used to observe three 40-minute lessons for each teacher. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that cognitive, informing, and extending tasks were observed much more frequently than applying tasks, whereas refining tasks were observed the least. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed.

Predictability of Instructional Quality on Teacher Effectiveness in The Preparation of Teachers at The College of Distance Education University of Cape Coast

Purpose:  The purpose of the study was to examine the predictability of instructional quality on trainee-teacher effectiveness in the delivery of Distance Education (DE) in Ghana, focusing on College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast (CoDE, UCC).Methodology: The descriptive survey design was adopted with a quantitative approach. Total population involving 1,837 CoDE course tutors and all CoDE students at 76 study centres offering education programmes totaling 51,456 were used. The sample size for the study was 726, made up of 397 trainee-teachers and 329 course tutors. The proportionate stratified random sampling approach was employed to select respondents who completed the questionnaire instruments. The statistical analysis software tool known as the PASW Version 21.0, the Test Analysis for Surveys (TAFS) was used for analysing the data. Data on the research question was analysed using linear multiple regression analysis.Findings: The results revealed that pedagogical quality and quality evaluation were the dimensions of instructional quality that most significantly predicted trainee-teacher effectiveness. Again, whenever trainee-teachers demonstrate high level of competence in terms of subject matter knowledge, lesson presentation skills, class management and control and lesson note preparation, they increase the extent to which their level of teaching meets pre-specified standards and goals of the college.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: It was recommended that management of CoDE, UCC should put in place appropriate support services in all the study centres to guide both tutors and students on appropriate instructional behaviour

Teacher self-efficacy, instructional quality, and student motivational beliefs: An analysis using multilevel structural equation modeling

Teacher self-efficacy (TSE) is one of the most salient motivational characteristics that is assumed to affect teachers’ instructional quality and student motivational beliefs. However, discussions of these associations have primarily been often primarily conceptual and/or based on empirical research that has suffered from methodological shortcomings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationships between TSE, instructional quality (i.e., classroom management, cognitive activation, and supportive climate) and student motivational beliefs (i.e., self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation) by using responses from both teachers and students and implementing a sophisticated doubly latent multilevel structural equation modeling approach. A total of 94 high school teachers and their 2087 students participated in the study. The results demonstrated that, at the class level, TSE was positively related to the three dimensions of instructional quality but not to student motivational beliefs. As expected, instructional quality was positively related to student motivational beliefs.

Instructional quality: catalyst or pitfall in educational systems\u2019 aim for high achievement and equity? An answer based on multilevel SEM analyses of TIMSS 2015 data in Flanders (Belgium), Germany, and Norway

In the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015, the educational systems from the Dutch speaking part of Belgium (Flanders), Germany, and Norway included scales capturing three dimensions of instructional quality (INQUA): classroom management, supportive climate, and cognitive activation. With the inclusion of these extra scales, a unique opportunity was created to investigate the various dimensions of INQUA and their relation to educational outcomes. In this study, multilevel structural equational modelling analyses are conducted to answer three research questions: (a) ‘Do the items reliably measure the three dimensions of INQUA as classroom constructs? And if not, can we build reliable scales with the items, capturing the dimensions of INQUA as classroom constructs?’ (b) ‘To what extent can INQUA contribute to achievement?’, and (c) ‘To what extent can INQUA contribute to (social and ethnic) equity?’. Results indicate that INQUA might serve as a catalyst in increasing achievement in education systems. Furthermore, results indicate that INQUA does not relate to equity and consequently that all students benefit from the same educational practices. However, issues in the cross-cultural conceptualization and measurement of INQUA are raised, questioning the extent to which the three well-known dimensions of INQUA (a) are well-defined and might be sufficiently differentiated from each other, (b) sufficiently capture the diverse set of educational practices relating to students’ educational outcomes, and (c) can be established across countries in a unified manner. The results of this study give direction to educational practitioners and policy makers in creating and providing effective learning environments.

Instructional quality in school entrance phase and its influence on students’ vocabulary development: empirical findings from the German longitudinal study BiKS

ABSTRACTBased on a theoretical model of instructional quality this study investigates the influence of different dimensions of instructional quality in the school entrance phase on students’ language development taking into account child and family background factors as well as structural characteristics of the classroom and teacher’s educational beliefs. The vocabulary skills of a German sample of 554 children in grade 2 was analysed using multivariate regression models to test the extent to which instructional quality is related to the development of vocabulary in grade 2. Additionally, we examined whether structural characteristics and teachers’ educational beliefs were related to vocabulary development. Results show positive relationships between global dimensions of instructional quality and students’ vocabulary development. Furthermore, teachers’ educational beliefs are also relevant for vocabulary development, whereas structural characteristics are subordinated. Thus, attention should be paid to the role of high-quality teaching practices and teacher beliefs.

Teacher self-efficacy as a long-term predictor of instructional quality in the classroom

In this longitudinal study, we examined teachers' self-efficacy as a long-term predictor of their mastery goal orientation and three dimensions of instructional quality: supportive classroom climate, effective classroom management, and cognitive activation. Mastery goal orientation was also analyzed as a predictor of instructional quality. Teachers' optimism, engagement, and strain were assessed to gain information about the construct validity of the scales on self-efficacy and mastery goal orientation. We analyzed the self-report data of 203 German in-service teachers who participated in all of three time points of assessment (the years 2001, 2008, and 2011). Confirmatory factor analyses supported the assumed three-dimensionality of instructional quality. Teacher self-efficacy was found to be relatively stable and to be a long-term predictor of instructional quality as indicated by the results of latent variable modeling. Moreover, instructional quality is predicted by mastery goal orientation, which in turn is regressed on self-efficacy. As supported also by bias-corrected bootstrapping, mastery goal orientation partially mediated the relationship between classroom climate and self-efficacy. Results and an outlook for future research are discussed.

One lesson is all you need? Stability of instructional quality across lessons

Observer ratings are often used to measure instructional quality. They are, however, usually based on observations gathered over short periods of time. Few studies have attempted to determine whether these periods are sufficient to provide reliable measures of instructional quality. Using generalizability theory, this study investigates (a) how three dimensions of instructional quality – classroom management, personal learning support, and cognitive activation of students – vary between the lessons of a specific teacher, and (b) how many lessons per teacher are necessary to establish sufficiently reliable measures of these dimensions. Analyses are based on ratings of five lessons for 38 teachers. Classroom management and personal learning support were stable across lessons, whereas cognitive activation showed high variability. Consequently, one lesson per teacher suffices to measure classroom management and personal learning support, whereas nine lessons would be needed for cognitive activation. The importance of advancing our theoretical understanding of cognitive activation is discussed.

Student written comments: Dimensions of instructional quality.

Student written comments: Dimensions of instructional quality.

Student written comments: Dimensions of instructional quality.

Student written comments: Dimensions of instructional quality.