Improve Teaching Practices Research Articles

Contemporary teachers' action research: Basis for the development of reflective practice in education

A reflective practitioner is an active individual who explores the possibilities of solving problems in practice and who is characterised by being reflectively open to reexamining their own opinion. The authors of this paper start from the premise that the process of education, however consistent and well-founded it may be, is exposed to constant inspection and improvement. The aim of this research is to identify the teachers' skills needed for conducting action researches. This goal is accomplished by examining the possibility of connecting action researches with teachers' reflective practice. The methods used are the descriptive method, scaling technique and the Likert-type scale (AIRP). This scale examines the teachers' skills for conducting action researches and is based on five factors extracted by the factor analysis: diagnostic skills, attitudes towards action researches, data collecting skills, practical skills and skills needed for conducting action researches. This study involved 305 respondents from the territory of the Republic of Serbia. The obtained results show statistically significant differences between the teachers with long teaching experience and those with a few years of teaching experience, p<0.05. This research represents an attempt to change the current practice at the micro level with the purpose of initiating qualitative changes and improving teaching practice by means of action researches. Therefore, it will be possible to induce changes at the meso and macro level of the system of education.

Supporting teachers’ use of data-based instruction to improve students’ early writing skills.

We examined the effects of a professional development (PD) system designed to support teachers’ use of data-based instruction (DBI) to improve early writing outcomes for children with intensive needs. The PD system, called DBI-TLC, provided tools for early writing assessment and intervention, learning modules including face-to-face workshops followed by classroom application, and ongoing coaching to support DBI implementation. Special education teachers in 19 classrooms in 2 Midwestern districts were assigned randomly to receive DBI-TLC or to a business-as-usual control group. All teachers completed pre- and posttests of DBI knowledge and skills and self-efficacy, and DBI-TLC teachers’ fidelity to DBI was assessed. Fifty-three students (2 to 3 from each classroom) completed pre- and posttests of early writing using curriculum-based measures (CBM) and the Test of Early Written Language-3 (TEWL-3). DBI-TLC teachers outperformed controls at posttest on DBI knowledge and skills (Hedge’s g = 2.88) and reported a more explicit writing instruction orientation compared to controls (g = 1.63). DBI fidelity varied (on average, 84% for assessment, 79% for intervention, and 52% for decision-making). Students whose teachers implemented DBI showed a pattern of stronger early writing performance compared to control students on CBM, with effect sizes of 0.23 to 0.40, but not on the TEWL-3 (0.02 to 0.13). We discuss the promise of DBI-TLC to improve teacher practice and student outcomes, as well as the need to continue to explore ways to support teachers’ implementation of DBI with fidelity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Professional Development for Primary School Teachers in Cameroon: Is the Cascade PD Model Effective?

Teacher professional development (TPD), a constant concern on the minds of education leaders, is conducted in various ways in education systems around the world. Using Guskey’s professional development assessment model, we evaluated a cascade model of teacher professional development in Cameroon’s primary education system by examining the responses of the teachers who experienced these activities. Our findings indicate that the professional growth activities undertaken in cascade format, particularly professional development (PD) days, teacher evaluations, demonstration and group lessons did not adequately address the teachers’ training needs and expectations and this because this model of training is not suitable to improve teaching practices in the context.

Piano Teachers’ Job Satisfaction in Music Schools in the Republic of Croatia

This is the first major research targeting a specific group of teachers, shaped with the idea of gathering empirical indicators of piano teachers’ job satisfaction. More than half of music schools’ piano teachers participated (N=253) from all the counties of the Republic of Croatia. The results have shown that piano teachers are moderately satisfied, that there are no differences when it comes to gender, nor with the type of school where they teach. Teachers with more years of experience are more satisfied with their work, similar to teachers who have advanced in their professional area. The results can contribute to improving teaching practice and effectiveness, with the further outcome being pupils achieving higher educational attainments.

El aprendizaje significativo en el proceso pedagógico: Un estudio documentado para los posgrados de salud

Actually, postgraduate students in the Health area at the Juarez University of the Durango State, they present difficulties in the development of their cognitive structures in the statistics subject. This is due to a weak domain of data science that has an impact on the ways of approach of the subject, on the application of the techniques. Also, the interpretation of the results and the deepening of the statistical methods, which as a consequence generate a lack of empathy, fear and anxiety towards the subject. The present study tries to address the problem of significant learning based on statistical problems from the research line, theory and practice of teaching and learning that is carried out in the Doctorate in Education Sciences at the Spain University of Durango, Mexico. Considering pedagogical theory and practice as a link for research, improving teaching practices through the transformation of self-conscious reality. Also, through meaningful learning in which it is suggested to carry out empirical research, through an epistemological approach to critical and cognitive theories in an inductive method of qualitative character. Keywords: Significant learning; theory and practice of teaching; statistics; health; postgraduate.

Os projetos de iniciação na docência: um olhar para o professor-supervisor

Uma vez que a construção dos conhecimentos profissionais é evolutiva e progressiva, a inserção de professores em um processo de formação continuada é essencial para a melhoria da prática docente. Os projetos de interação Universidade-Escola contam com a participação do professor-supervisor, mas as investigações envolvendo esse sujeito ainda estão pouco presentes na literatura. Desenvolvemos este trabalho com o objetivo de analisar as ações e o discurso desses professores e, ainda, a possível influência do projeto PIBID/Química na prática de uma amostra de professores. Para isso, selecionamos duas professoras, analisamos as aulas que desenvolvem nas escolas e realizamos entrevista. Observamos práticas embasadas em saberes da experiência, contradições entre os enunciados que fizeram e as ações que desenvolveram em sala de aula, tensões entre o normativo e o subjetivo e, ainda, possibilidades de tornar as contribuições oriundas da participação no projeto PIBID ainda mais significativas.

Using Taxonomies of Metacognitive Behaviors to Analyze Student Reflection and Improve Teaching Practice

Recent interest in reflective writing in the classroom is tied to the suggested links among reflection, metacognition, and learning transfer. There is still a limited understanding, however, about the distinguishing features of reflective writing and how teachers might identify and use these features to teach effective reflective practices and to interact with student reflective writing. This study uses Gorzelsky et al.’s (2016) taxonomy of metacognitive behaviors to examine the end-of-semester reflective essays of undergraduate students enrolled in a first-year writing course at a large midwestern university. The authors identify and describe a feature of student reflective writing involving the use of emotional language and, working from their findings, suggest a teaching strategy and set of classroom activities aimed at leveraging students’ emotive expressions in ways that foster metacognitive awareness.

A collegial quality development process for identifying and addressing barriers to improving teaching

ABSTRACTChallenges to ensuring teaching quality in higher education give ongoing impetus to invest in teaching quality improvement. While a significant body of literature has recognised challenges faced by academics seeking to improve teaching practices, processes for developing constructive responses to identified barriers have attracted less attention. A synthesis of literature on barriers to improvement of teaching is presented and used as a framework to assist an identification of barriers. This article reports on a national Australian trial of a collegial quality development process aimed at supporting academics to both identify and surmount barriers to improving teaching quality. Evidence of the nature and extent of barriers to improving teaching was collated from data provided by 28 academics across five Australian universities. Adopting a thematic analysis approach, a broad range of perceived barriers were identified, largely consistent with barrier categories defined in the extant literature internationally. Findings reveal that, with the support of peers, participants were able to implement effective solutions to their identified barriers to improving teaching quality. This article provides a synthesis of current barriers to improve teaching and offers a collegial quality development process as a strategy to overcome these barriers.

The Educational Situation Quality Model: A New Tool to Explain and Improve Academic Achievement and Course Satisfaction.

Students’ academic achievement is a major concern among countries. Governments spent a lot of money on education to improve students’ competences at all levels of education. Despite the enormous amount of money invested and the reforms made to curricula in many countries in recent years, these measures are not generally producing the desired results according to the data of International Performance Measurement programs for students (e.g., Program for International Student Assessment-PISA by OECD). Given the importance of this issue, this article presents an instructional-motivational model developed in the last decade to explain and improve students’ learning outcomes, e.g., academic achievement and course satisfaction, entitled the “The Educational Situation Quality Model” (MOCSE, acronym in Spanish). Unlike other educational models, MOCSE offers an integrative teaching-learning approach to explain learning outcomes. By taking the educational setting as a unit of analysis, this proposal introduces a new perspective into the existing literature to predict students’ achievement and course satisfaction by combining contributions from relevant psycho-educational theories, such as: “The Job Demands-Resources Model,” “The Expectancy-Value Theory,” and “The Achievement Goal Theory.” Besides being a conceptual framework to guide research, it also provides a methodological way to improve teacher practice and learning outcomes. In this article we first briefly explain the main model’s characteristics and functioning from the student perspective and, second, based on the MOCSE, we offer some keys for teachers to improve academic achievement and students’ course satisfaction for a specific curricular subject. Finally, future proposals and challenges are discussed. Questionnaires are provided in the Annex.

Simultaneous Renewal: An Inclusive Approach to Collaboration and Teaming

Collaboration goes beyond direct service provision. It is critical for effective personnel preparation and professional development as well as high-quality program implementation to close the gap between research and practice in early childhood contexts. Simultaneous renewal provides a framework for continuity from teacher preparation, inclusive teaching practices, and professional development to engage all stakeholders in teaming processes that promote child outcomes and improve teacher practice simultaneously.

El aprendizaje significativo en el proceso pedagógico: Un estudio documentado para los posgrados de salud

Actually, postgraduate students in the Health area at the Juarez University of the Durango State, they present difficulties in the development of their cognitive structures in the statistics subject. This is due to a weak domain of data science that has an impact on the ways of approach of the subject, on the application of the techniques. Also, the interpretation of the results and the deepening of the statistical methods, which as a consequence generate a lack of empathy, fear and anxiety towards the subject. The present study tries to address the problem of significant learning based on statistical problems from the research line, theory and practice of teaching and learning that is carried out in the Doctorate in Education Sciences at the Spain University of Durango, Mexico. Considering pedagogical theory and practice as a link for research, improving teaching practices through the transformation of self-conscious reality. Also, through meaningful learning in which it is suggested to carry out empirical research, through an epistemological approach to critical and cognitive theories in an inductive method of qualitative character. Keywords: Significant learning; theory and practice of teaching; statistics; health; postgraduate.

Student Evaluation of Lecturers – What do Faculty Members Think about the Damage Caused by Teaching Surveys?

Many studies have been conducted on teaching evaluations and student surveys. The current study is unique for examining, by means of direct questions, the meaning of teaching surveys as perceived by academic faculty in Israel. Senior faculty members at academic institutions completed questionnaires, with a total of 182 questionnaires collected. We employed mixed research methods, beginning with qualitative analysis followed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), with the goal of developing a model that reflects faculty members’ beliefs on teaching surveys. The research findings show that the lecturers find that student evaluations are detrimental to their relationship with their students, and adversely affect their teaching practice and interpersonal interactions with their students. In view of the importance attributed to students' voices and their opinions of teaching, the question is how should these evaluations be addressed, Do teaching surveys constitute a reliable managerial tool and a foundation for improving teaching – or should other tools be developed to improve teaching practices, independent of students' opinions?

Evaluation Model of Expertise Practice Programs for Early Childhood Educator Teachers

This study aims to create a model for developing expertise evaluation programs at the IAIN Surakarta PIAUD Department. The research method used is development research (Research and Development). The results showed that the EPPK model produced had two-dimensional constructs, namely processes and products. The dimensions of the process of publishing instrument planning, implementation and output. The product dimensions are complete instruments of dance ability, musical ability, storytelling ability and artistic ability. This EPPPK model has approved the feasibility of criteria: a. has a good format (average 79.7%), b. has approved the substance of a good evaluation model (average 79.2%), c. has a good evaluation procedure (average 80%). The EPPK model has a very good success rate, it is proven that expertise program lecturers can use the EPPK model easily. The results of the evaluation using the EPPK model can provide a complete and comprehensive description of the program for conducting expertise in the Surakarta IAIN PIAUD Department.
 Key Words: Early Childhood Education (PIAUD), Evaluation Model, Expertise Practice Programs for Early Childhood (EPPK)
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The impact of teacher professional development programs on student achievement in rural China: evidence from Shaanxi Province

ABSTRACTThere is a significant gap in academic achievement between rural and urban students in China. Policymakers have sought to close this gap by improving the quality of teaching in rural areas through teacher professional development (PD) programs. However, there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of such programs. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of a PD program-National Teacher Training Program (NTTP) and find that the NTTP has no effect on math achievement. We also find that while the program has a positive effect on math teaching knowledge of teachers, it has no significant effect on teaching practices in the classroom. Taken together, these results indicate that teachers may have improved their knowledge for teaching from NTTP, but did not apply what they learned to improve teaching practices or student learning.

Teachers’ use of digital learning tool for teaching in higher education

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore teachers’ use of digital learning tools for teaching in higher education. Moreover, it investigates how the use of digital tools affects educational practices and how teachers experience the culture of sharing among colleagues and within the organisation.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative methodology was chosen, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers at a higher education institution in Norway. The study uses the TPACK-framework, which illustrates the relationship between technology, professional content knowledge and pedagogical approaches as its theoretical foundation.FindingsThe findings conclude that teachers are concerned with the convergence of how technology and digital learning tools can support educational processes by engaging and involving the students. The findings further indicate that they are committed to using digital tools to motivate, engage and facilitate student-based education, which in turn leads to more reflection on teachers’ own teaching practices. Based on the theory of Professional Learning Communities, the respondents agree that sharing is a basic prerequisite for a learning organisation. They experience, however, that sharing between colleagues is easier in formal forums than at informal settings.Originality/valueThe rapid development of technology suggests that many sectors including the education sector must adapt to the new changes in their teaching practices. Nevertheless, many teachers merely use the basic form of digital learning tools to distribute the teaching materials, as such tools are less utilised to support students’ learning process (Fossland, 2015). The research indicates that digital learning tools have positive effect on teaching practices and that they can function as tools to improve the teachers’ own teaching practices. Positive teaching practices should also be shared in a learning organisation to improve teaching practices on an organisational level. Hence, sharing at a professional level can impact learning and the organisational culture in academic institutions.

Who benefits? Head start directors' views of coordination with elementary schools to support the transition to kindergarten

Research and theory posit that children will benefit from coordinated and aligned early education experiences, yet there is limited research on how early education and elementary school systems coordinate with one another during this period. Using qualitative interviews with Head Start directors in the U.S. (N = 16), this study identified numerous ways in which Head Start directors coordinate with elementary schools to share information about individual children and program practices, and to serve as a bridge between families and schools during the transition to kindergarten. Thematic analysis revealed that coordination may benefit children indirectly through both improved teaching practices, increased alignment and parent supports. Findings indicate the need for additional research to explore indirect links between coordination and children's success. A conceptual model to guide future research is discussed.

Impact of ethical dilemmas on well-being of teachers in vocational education and training in Queensland, Australia

ABSTRACTVocational education and training (VET) in Australia has been subject to a range of major policy reforms aimed at making it more effective and competitive in response to global pressures. Those reforms have raised significant ethical challenges for teachers in the sector. A recent study of ethical dilemmas faced by vocational trainers in Australia investigated the experiences of Australian vocational education teachers working registered training organizations (RTOs) using qualitative research. The author drew primarily on discursive interviews with 18 VET teachers in South-East Queensland, from which she identified four different dilemmas: responding flexibly to heightened student diversity; limiting educational engagement; constraining teacher responsiveness; manipulating learning assessment. The impacts of these dilemmas were identified as disappointment, confusion, anxiety, discomfort, and distress. While this study focuses on the ethical impact on VET teaching, the dilemmas themselves could be seen as a basis for positive change and a stimulus to improve teaching practices.

Exploring Latina Clinical Mental Health Counseling Students’ Perceptions of Teaching Practices

Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with clinical mental health counseling students to understand perceptions of their instructors’ teaching practices. Using an-evidenced based teaching model as a theoretical lens (Malott et al., 2014), researchers highlighted students’ experiences, perceptions, and beliefs regarding teaching. Following a discussion, recommendations for researchers and counselor educators to improve teaching practices are provided.

Teacher-Centered Mentorship as Meaningful Professional Development

A real-time, multidimensional, professional-development program that is connected to both practice and school culture was delivered to a group of Montessori teachers with the goal of improving teaching practices and increasing student success by exploring the potential benefits of mindfulness, structured reflective practice, and teacher-centered mentorship (i.e., clinical supervision), A case study of each participant and of the cocreated professional-development learning communities revealed that the program supported teacher growth and efficacy. Four themes emerged from participants’ experiences: the importance of mindfulness as a precursor to reflection and mentorship, the creation of communities of trust, the benefits of structure and focus, and the role of supportive accountability in improved practices. The study provides preliminary evidence for the use of multidimensional and teacher-centered professional-development programs to improve teaching practices. The research study has implications for administrators, teachers, and future research.

Science Teacher Motivation and Evaluation Policy in a High-Stakes Testing State

This qualitative case study explored the teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions of a newly implemented teacher evaluation policy in a high-stakes testing state, and how this policy impacted their motivation. Five science teachers and their immediate supervisors were interviewed, and their perceptions were analyzed through motivational theories of incentivizing career behaviors. Findings suggest the overarching goal of improving teacher practice through accountability was facilitated by intrinsic motivation and challenged by weaknesses in policy design. These tensions could be mediated by localized control that improves stakeholder agency, peer learning communities, and the adoption of more reliable evaluation metrics. Implications for teacher buy-in of evaluation policy are discussed.