Education Level Experience Research Articles

Transforming laboratory teaching assistants as teaching leaders

ABSTRACTTeaching assistants (TAs) are crucial components of laboratory teaching and learning processes and much research has been devoted to developing their teaching capabilities. However, much of this research has involved transmitting information about what good teaching is to TAs. This research study sought to employ an alternative way of catalysing laboratory TAs in their teaching roles. The Transforming Laboratory Leadership, Learning and Teaching programme (TLLLT) aimed to place emphasis on the development of TAs as leaders in line with the construct of transformational teaching. Here, a narrative inquiry approach was used to generate a space for TAs to reflect and discuss how their experiences, perceived capabilities, self-efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards teaching could implicate and inform their adoption of transformational teaching methods. Twenty-seven TAs with diverse levels of teaching experience participated in the TLLLT programme. Records of brainstorm discussions during the TLLLT programme provided the narrative to analyse how TAs envisioned their development as transformational teachers. Focus group interviews explored how TAs perceived their participation in the TLLLT programme to have influenced the learning environment in the laboratory. The findings of this research support TA teacher development to nurture TAs’ development as leaders towards catalysing them in their teaching roles.

‘Cognitive aging’ in teachers: L2 teachers’ cognitive performance across various stages in their teaching career

ABSTRACTReconceptualization of teaching as a thoughtful process guided by teachers’ thinking has inspired a substantial body of research into various factors involved in shaping teachers’ cognitions. Experience has been cited as one of the factors structuring teachers’ cognitions. However, despite the multitude of studies comparing the cognitions underlying novice and experienced teachers’ performance, there is little evidence, if any, as to how teacher cognition might vary across various levels of teaching experience. Therefore, this study aims to address this gap by comparing the pedagogical thought units of teachers at different stages of their teaching career. Twenty teachers were assigned to five groups of varied teaching experience (n = 4 per group). Teachers’ class performances were video recorded and stimulated recall technique was used to probe into their pedagogical reasoning. The analyses of the data revealed significant differences across the five groups both in the sums of frequencies of pedagogical thought units produced by the teachers and in a number of the dominant pedagogical thought categories. The results also point to the more noticeable role of experience in (re)structuring teachers’ cognitions in the initial years of teaching and declines in its influence at later stages of the teaching career.

Siðfræði í bókmenntakennslu

Rannsóknin sem hér segir frá er hluti af stærra rannsóknarverkefni um siðfræði í bókmenntakennslu. Í þessari grein er sjónum beint að reynslu íslenskukennara af því að kenna unglingum í 9. og 10. bekk í grunnskóla Íslendingasöguna Laxdælu með sérstakri áherslu á siðferðileg hugtök og siðferðilegar pælingar tengdar sögunni. Leitað er svara við tveimur spurningum sem eru:Hvernig þykir kennurum það fara saman að kenna um siðferði og að kenna bókmenntir eins og Laxdæla sögu?Hvaða tilgang sjá kennarar með því að kenna Laxdæla sögu?Spurningunum er svarað með vísun í viðtalsrannsókn og tilraunakennslu sem fór fram í þremur grunnskólum. Gagnasöfnun fólst í 10 viðtölum við fimm kennara og vettvangsathugunum í kennslustundum hjá þeim sem varpa frekara ljósi á viðhorf kennaranna. Kennurunum til halds og trausts var útbúið verkefnahefti þar sem sérstök áhersla var lögð á hið siðferðilega sjónarhorn og dygðir og lesti sögupersónanna í Laxdælu.Í viðtölum við kennarana kom fram hvernig þeir settu siðfræðiverkefnið í samhengi við hugmyndir sínar um tilgang þess að kenna bókmenntir eins og Laxdæla sögu. Í stórum dráttum má segja að svarið við seinni spurningunni sé að kennarar fari upp fjögur þrep til þess að tengja nemendur sögunni, sem miða öll að því að njóta bókmenntanna. Í raun birtist þarna viðhorf í þá veru að bókmenntir eigi að vera bæði mannbætandi og þroskandi á listrænan hátt og þær hafi gildi í sjálfu sér.Samkvæmt kennurunum hjálpaði tengingin við siðfræði og það að skoða persónur og gjörðir út frá sjónarhorni dygðanna nemendum við að setja sig í spor persónanna og það dýpkaði fyrir þeim söguna. Fyrri spurningunni má því svara þannig að skipuleg umfjöllun um siðferðileg hugtök og orðaforða og samræða um siðferðileg efni geti, að mati kennaranna sem tóku þátt í verkefninu, aukið áhuga unglinga á bókmenntum og hjálpað þeim að skilja bókmenntatexta.

The nature of the interplay among components of pedagogical content knowledge in reaction rate and chemical equilibrium topics of novice and experienced chemistry teachers

We examined the interactions among pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) components of novice and experienced chemistry teachers in teaching reaction rate and chemical equilibrium topics in this qualitative multiple-case design study. For this aim, three chemistry teachers who had different levels of teaching experience in chemistry teaching were selected through a process of purposeful sampling. Multiple types of data were gathered through more than two months. In order to collect and triangulate data, a card-sorting activity, a Content Representation (CoRe) tool, semi-structured interviews, observation of instruction, and field notes were utilized. Data were analyzed through three approaches: in-depth analysis of explicit PCK, the enumerative approach, and constant comparative methods. The results revealed eight characteristics of the interactions of the PCK components: (a) the novice teacher's orientations towards science, in contrast to the experienced teachers’, were more broad and non-specific, which impeded the interactions among the components, (b) the interplay of the PCK components was idiosyncratic and topic specific, (c) the novice teacher's PCK maps were fragmented while the experienced teachers’ PCK maps were integrated, (d) the experienced teachers, in contrast to the novice teacher, interacted more than two PCK components in most of their teaching fragments, (e) knowledge of learner, knowledge of curriculum and knowledge of instructional strategies were central in the interplays of all teacher maps, (f) the experienced teachers were more successful than the novice teacher in translating their knowledge into practice in terms of the integration among PCK components, (g) teacher self-efficacy appeared to play a role in their use of PCK components and constructing interactions among them, and (h) all teachers taught the same topics with similar lesson plans and the same instructional materials; however, they differed in terms of how they connect the PCK components. Implications and suggestions for teacher education and science education research are presented.

Teachers’ Affective Well-being and Teaching Experience: The Protective Role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence

Teaching is a highly emotional and demanding profession. Developing emotional well-being among teachers will benefit not only the teachers themselves, but also their students. Previous studies have shown the protective role of emotional intelligence (EI) as well as inconsistencies in the years of teaching experience variable on positive and negative work-specific variables. The aim of the present study was to analyze how EI and years of teaching experience are related to affective well-being in teachers. Further, we analyze the moderator role of perceived EI on the link between level of teaching experience and affective well-being. For these purpose, 524 teachers from different Spanish public schools took part in the study. They first completed the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24) for measuring perceived EI, which evaluates three scales: Attention to one’s Feelings (Attention), Emotional Clarity (Clarity), and Mood Repair (Repair). Secondly, they completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) for affective well-being, which measures Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA). Finally, teachers indicated their years of teaching experience. The results revealed that teaching experience and attention variables are counterproductive in determining lower PA and higher NA, respectively. Clarity and Repair appeared to be a significant determinant of PA and NA, with higher Clarity and Repair determining higher PA and lower NA. Moderator analyses showed how teaching experience significantly decreased PA in teachers who had average or low levels of Repair, but not for those with higher levels of this variable, emphasizing the important role of Repair as a protector of affective well-being in teachers. Limitations and future areas for research are discussed.

Influencing factors on planning decisionmaking among Spanish in-service Physical Education teachers.A population-based study

Introduction. Traditionally, literature has contributed qualitative approaches for studying how to plan Physical Education (PE). To our knowledge there are not quantitative populationbased studies regarding the decision-making process among in-service Spanish PE teachers. The aim of this study was to analyze possible differences in the factors of influence on planning decision-making in PE with a large sample of Spanish in-service teachers depending on their characteristics (gender, teaching experience) and the educational context (educational stage, type of school).Method. The sample consisted of 618 teachers from 15 Spanish autonomous regions (422 males and 196 females; aged 23-63 years old). An electronic version of the validated Planning Decision-Making in PE Questionnaire was applied, using the google web platform. It is composed of eight factors (curriculum standards, pre-service training, physical environment, physical activity experiences, teaching experiences, socialization by other teachers, material and equipment, and level of preparation in the subject matters).Results. The results showed differences regarding the factors of influence in planning PE between teachers, caused by personal (teaching experience) and contextual (educational stage and type of school) factors. Habitual physical activity and pre-service training influenced novel teachers more in comparison to experienced teachers. Teachers from secondary schools were influenced more by their initial training, the curriculum standards, and the material and equipment. Public school teachers were more influenced by the curriculum standards and the physical environment, than those from private schools.Conclusion. According to previous qualitative research regarding the level of teaching experience, results suggest that initial training for PE teachers should consider including higher support from experienced teachers in order to avoid the dependence on the national curriculum standards. It is important to include the use of the physical environment of the school center regarding the effect that outdoor activities have on the students’ physical activity habits in their leisure time.

How Teachers Mobilize and Transform Their Conceptualizations of Reading Comprehension Into Representations of Instructional Practice

This research examines the specialized knowledge of reading comprehension articulated by 12 middle school English language arts teachers sampled from three different regions of the United States and representing various levels of teaching experience. Using detailed interviews, concept mapping, and think aloud methods, we identified salient touchstones that characterize the teachers’ understandings of how and why readers interact with texts to construct meanings and change as readers. In this article, we present examples that illustrate the many ways that these understandings of comprehension were mobilized and transformed in their explanations of instructional practices.

Exploring the impact of teacher experience on questioning techniques in a Knowledge Building classroom

The Knowledge Building Community is a prominent pedagogy within the field of computer-supported collaborative learning. However, studies concerning the impact of Knowledge Building on the questioning behaviour of experienced and beginning teachers are limited. This study investigates the questioning behaviour of two Singapore teachers teaching Social Studies in two primary four classrooms employing the Knowledge Building pedagogy. The teachers have similar backgrounds, but different level of teaching experience. To better understand the teachers’ views, lesson observations were recorded, and in-depth interviews with each teacher are conducted. The findings indicate that the more experienced teacher is better able to adopt the Knowledge Building pedagogy and asks more high-order questions. The findings also indicate that enacting Knowledge Building lessons changed the teachers’ views with regards to their students’ ability to pursue inquiry on their own.

‘Tiny talks’ between colleagues: Brief narratives as mediation in teacher development

During my third semester as a student pursuing a Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) – which was also my second semester as an ESL teacher – I was encouraged by a professor of a graduate seminar to think outside the box about professional development (PD). After all, inquiry-based approaches to PD and teacher education emphasize reflection and collaboration instead of relying solely on ‘traditional’ methods that tend to favor theory over practice and can result in ‘fact-cramming’ (Warford, 2011). This challenge led me to ponder those quick moments of time that teachers spend walking and talking: between classes, on the way to their cars, catching up before a meeting. Could these short moments and the brief conversations that occur therein provide opportunities for serious reflection for a novice teacher? This project introduces ‘tiny talks’ as instances of narrative as mediation by examining four conversations between two colleagues (both teacher-students, but with different levels of teaching experience) and four individual reflections by the novice teacher, which followed each conversation. A grounded content analysis identified the most salient elements of the ‘tiny talks’ (charged emotional language, wrestling with dual identities, and connecting theoretical concepts from seminars with teaching in the classroom) and revealed how the ‘tiny talks’ project functioned as a mediational tool in transforming a change in what I thought and facilitating progress in how I came to think about my role as a teacher-student and both being and becoming a teacher. While a powerful benefit of the ‘tiny talks’ and the reflection it fosters is the casual nature of the interactions, possible applications to teacher education and professional development are discussed.

Educator language ideologies and a top-down dual language program

ABSTRACTDual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs are framed to reflect pluralist discourses (de Jong, E. [2013]. “Policy Discourses and U.S. Language in Education Policies.” Peabody Journal of Education 88 (1): 98–111) and affiliated language ideologies. The continued expansion of DLBE programs not surprisingly brings to light the diverse and ever-changing landscape of educator language ideologies. This survey-based study used inferential statistics and qualitative thematic analysis to explore the language ideologies of a random sample of administrators and teachers involved in a district-wide, top-down implementation of a DLBE program in a large urban school district. The following three research questions guided our investigation: (1)What are prevalent educator language ideologies in DLBE schools? (2) How and to what extent do these language ideologies vary by: participation in the DLBE, level of teaching experience, educator's home language, and degree of DLBE training? (3) How do educators perceive the attempted program shift to DLBE? Eight language ideologies including languages other than English (OTE) as endowments and multiple languages as a problem accounted for 46% of the variance in the data. All four experiential variables differentiated ideological orientation. Educators reported that ideological tensions and lack of support influenced their implementation.

Legal Status of an Appraiser in the Russian Federation under Globalization

This paper studies the functioning of the professional appraiser institute in the Russian Federation, the problems of legal regulation of appraisal activities in the Russian Federation, explores the experience of regulating appraisal activities in the United States. In view of the foregoing, and the gaps in the regulation of this sector of the economy in our country, the experience of developed countries in this area seems interesting, particularly in the United States. At the moment in every European country, which is a member of the IVSC or TEGOVA, there are national regulatory regimes for valuation. In this case, the regulation of valuation in the United States is different, for example, from the regulation of valuation in the UK or Germany. In all countries with a market economy, governmental organizations of appraisers are operating actively. The regulatory experience of valuation activity in the United States is rather indicative, the leading professional organizations are Appraisal Institute and the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). In 1987 they founded the Appraisal Foundation, which should serve the purpose of achieving uniformity and professionalism in the valuation and training. The operation of two independent bodies - Appraisal Standards Board and Appraisers Classification Board contributes to the latter. State regulation in the United States is organized both at the federal level and at the level of individual states. According to Financial Institution Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA), adopted by Congress in 1989, the authority to regulate the valuation activities at the federal level, is given to the Appraisal Foundation. Simultaneously with the Foundation the structure of the United States Government includes the agency in charge of supervising the enforcement of appraisal laws - Appraisal Subcommittee. Appraisers Classification Board develops, interprets and amends the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisers Practices - USPAP, required for use by practitioners (certified and licensed) appraisers throughout the United States. Appraisers Classification Board provides a minimum level of education experience and examination requirements for real estate appraisers. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n24p188

Examining the ESP Teachers’ Perception of Resilience

This study was an attempt to examine if gender and varied years of experience have a significant impact on teachers’ ability to be resilient. Likewise, their beliefs and perception of resilience were investigated. The participants of the study entailed 40 ESP instructors who responded to a 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire. 12 instructors of both gender participated in semi-structured interviews in three categories of experience. The results of descriptive statistics and Chi-square analysis indicated significant differences in teachers’ resilience, gender, and their level of teaching experience. Moreover, teacher interviews indicated that the majority of teachers had a high self-perception of resilience and resiliency building factors.

How L1 Influence Changes with Regard to L2 Proficiency Increase

The research is being carried out in the form of seven in-depth longitudinal case studies with EFL teachers at different levels of teaching experience. Research data are being collected via a variety of ethnographic research instruments, namely classroom observations and field notes, video recordings of school lessons, and in-depth interviews and video-triggered reflective dialogues with the teachers and students and teacher’ action research in L1 influences in schools of Iran. The research is significant in suggesting that, this is the crucial similarity measures which determine the stability of L1 influence.

Computer-supported collaborative learning with digital video cases in teacher education: The impact of teaching experience on knowledge convergence

Case-based learning is ascribed high potential with respect to the education of pre-service teachers as well as the further education of experienced in-service teachers, as it can provide opportunities for the application of professional knowledge to authentic classroom situations. In addition to the application and acquisition of knowledge, the aspect of knowledge convergence (i.e., increasing similarity of collaborative learners with respect to their knowledge) should be taken into account when homogeneous benefits are desired for all participants of a case-based training. A field study with 29 pre-service teachers and 24 in-service teachers from adult education was conducted to examine effects of different levels of teaching experience on knowledge application, knowledge acquisition, and knowledge convergence in a computer-supported collaborative case-based learning environment. An innovative approach to measuring knowledge convergence was introduced, using the positions of annotations (i.e., flags placed on the timeline of the case video) made by learners during their case analyses as an indicator of their shared focus of attention. This measure was found to positively correlate with the application and acquisition of professional knowledge. Teaching experience affected both processes and outcomes of case-based learning, suggesting different means of instructional support for pre-service and in-service teachers.

Teacher Perceptions of Student Needs and Implications for Positive Behavior Supports

ABSTRACT: The practices of school-wide positive behavior supports (SWPBS) are dependent on teachers to implement them in their classrooms; thus, gaining the “buy-in” and support of teachers is a critical step in reaching full, building-wide implementation. One step toward achieving this support may be to gain a better understanding of the perceptions and practices of teachers. To this end, 69 preservice and practicing teachers were provided four fictitious student scenarios and asked to describe potential social, behavioral, emotional, and academic needs and the method in which they would address the needs of these students. Written responses were analyzed using a grounded theory approach, and major themes related to social, emotional, and behavioral supports were identified. Across all responses, we noted both common themes and tensions in teacher perceptions that may have important implications for SWPBS. Differences in responses were noted by level of teaching experience. Different trends were also noted in the responses of teachers in schools implementing SWPBS and those in schools without SWPBS. Detailed results, study limitations, and implications for future research are discussed.

Perceptions of teacher preparation and attitudes regarding students' mental health in Kenya

This study was conducted to identify whether high school teachers in Kenya perceive themselves as well prepared to effectively work with students who present with mental health concerns. The study also assessed teachers' attitudes toward the importance of mental health training as it relates to teaching success in the classroom. Gender and teaching experience differences on teachers' perception and attitudes were assessed as well as areas of need. Data were collected from 121 secondary school teachers in Kenya. Results of statistical analyses indicated that while the majority of teachers in Kenya rate their preparation positively, there are differences between male and female teachers, and teachers at different levels of teaching experience. The findings highlight the need for strengthening pre-service and in-service training for teachers in Kenya to increase teachers' ability to identify and manage mental health issues in schools.

Crystal cookery - using high-throughput technologies and the grocery store as a teaching tool.

Crystallography is a multidisciplinary field that links divergent areas of mathematics, science and engineering to provide knowledge of life on an atomic scale. Crystal growth, a key component of the field, is an ideal vehicle for education. Crystallization has been used with a 'grocery store chemistry' approach and linked to high-throughput remote-access screening technologies. This approach provides an educational opportunity that can effectively teach the scientific method, readily accommodate different levels of educational experience, and reach any student with access to a grocery store, a post office and the internet. This paper describes the formation of the program through the students who helped develop and prototype the procedures. A summary is presented of the analysis and preliminary results and a description given of how the program could be linked with other aspects of crystallography. This approach has the potential to bridge the gap between students in remote locations and with limited funding, and access to scientific resources, providing students with an international-level research experience.

Inclusion of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools in Ghana: influence of teachers’ and children’s characteristics

The issue of where to teach children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities has been a great concern as countries respond to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Salamanca Statement on inclusion of 1994. In this study, the responses of 500 trained and untrained mainstream primary school teachers selected from three of the ten regions of Ghana were analysed to investigate their attitudes to including children with SEN and disabilities in mainstream schools in Ghana. These attitudes were examined alongside teachers’ characteristics such as gender, age, length and level of teaching experience, and knowledge of SEN, and also the type, nature and degree of children’s SEN. The results showed that teachers in Ghana were positive towards the inclusion of children with SEN and disabilities with a few reservations which are elaborated. On the basis of the findings, conclusions were drawn that the inclusion agenda should be subject to national and local interpretation, aimed at ensuring that policies and regulations on SEN are fashioned to meet local situations and standards.

Vocal Hygiene Perceptions of Experienced and Preservice Music Teachers

The purpose of this study is to compare perceptions of vocal hygiene at different levels of music teaching experience. The following survey information from 659 music teachers with various levels of teaching experience forms the basis of the analysis: voice use in teaching, perceived risk of voice disorders in teaching, ratings of vocal behaviors, personal voice problems, and ratings of perceived vocal stress in teaching activities. The teachers are grouped according to level of experience: late career, early career, or preservice. Majorities in all groups believe (a) teaching equals high voice disorder risk, (b) vocal problems affect the career, and (c) career change to preserve voices would be unlikely. Using Likert-type scales, the teachers rated the healthiness of selected vocal behaviors and perceived vocal stress in selected teaching activities. Overall, they rate drinking water the healthiest behavior and smoking the unhealthiest. For teaching activities, they rate speaking over noisy classroom conditions highest for causing vocal stress, and they rate demonstration singing the lowest. Significant differences emerge in ratings from the three groups of teachers for four behaviors (speaking in noisy environments, drinking water, clearing throat, and consuming alcohol) and four teaching activities (opening remarks, vocal instruction while students sing, speaking over noisy classroom conditions, and lunchroom duty).

The use of online digital resources and educational digital libraries in higher education

This paper summarizes results from a national survey of 4,678 respondents, representing 119 institutions of higher education in the United States regarding their use of digital resources for scholarly purposes. This paper presents the following results: (1) demographics commonly used in higher education to categorize populations such as institution type or level of teaching experience could not reliably predict use of online digital resources, (2) valuing online digital resources corresponds with only higher levels of use for certain types of digital resources, (3) lack of time was a significant barrier to use of materials while, paradoxically, respondents indicated that they used them because they save time, (4) respondents did not tend to intentionally look to the Internet as a trusted resource for learning about teaching.