Measures Of Teacher Quality Research Articles

EVALUATION OF EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES TO PROMOTE REFORM IN MORAL EDUCATION THROUGH FOREIGN LANGUAGE COURSES

Against the backdrop of current educational reform, teaching evaluation has emerged as a crucial means of measuring teaching quality and effectiveness, highlighting its growing significance. However, traditional teaching evaluations frequently concentrate on knowledge acquisition and examination results, overlooking the evaluation of students' comprehensive qualities and the broader educational outcomes. Therefore, constructing a scientific and comprehensive evaluation system for educational outcomes is of great importance in advancing teaching reform and innovation. This paper aims to explore how to promote teaching reform, particularly in the practical application of moral education through courses, through the evaluation of educational outcomes. By analyzing the problems existing in current teaching evaluations and combining the practice of moral education evaluation in foreign language courses in School of Foreign Studies, Zhaoqing University, this paper proposes a comprehensive evaluation system for educational outcomes and elaborates on its development steps and application cases in teaching. This system not only helps improve teaching quality but also effectively promotes students' overall development. KEYWORDS: evaluation of educational outcomes; teaching reform; moral education through courses; evaluation system

Systematic observation to measure teaching quality in different contexts: insights from science lessons, physical education lessons, and sports training using the classroom assessment scoring system

Systematic observation to measure teaching quality in different contexts: insights from science lessons, physical education lessons, and sports training using the classroom assessment scoring system

The unintended consequences of merit-based teacher selection: Evidence from a large-scale reform in Colombia

Teacher quality is a key factor in improving student academic achievement. As such, educational policymakers strive to design systems to hire the most effective teachers. This paper examines the effects of a national policy reform in Colombia that established a merit-based teacher-hiring system intended to enhance teacher quality and improve student learning. Implemented in 2005 for all public schools, the policy ties teacher-hiring decisions to candidates’ performance on an exam evaluating subject-specific knowledge and teaching aptitude. The implementation of the policy led to many experienced contract teachers being replaced by high exam-performing novice teachers. We find that though the policy sharply increased pre-college test scores of teachers, it also decreased the overall stock of teacher experience and led to sharp decreases in students’ exam performance and educational attainment. Using a difference-in-differences strategy to compare the outcomes of students from public and private schools over two decades, we show that the hiring reform decreased students’ performance on high school exit exams by 8 percent of a standard deviation, and reduced the likelihood that students enroll in and graduate from college by more than 10 percent. The results underscore that relying exclusively on specific ex ante measures of teacher quality to screen candidates, particularly at the expense of teacher experience, may unintentionally reduce students’ learning gains.

Identifying high-quality teachers

ABSTRACT This study evaluates techniques to identify high-quality teachers. Since tenure restricts dismissals of experienced teachers, schools must predict productivity and dismiss those expected to perform ineffectively prior to tenure receipt. Many states rely on evaluation scores to guide these personnel decisions without considering other dimensions of teacher performance. I use predictive models to rank teachers based on expected value-added and summative ratings. I then simulate revised personnel decisions and test for changes in average retained teacher performance. In this exercise, I adjust two factors that impact the quality of the predictions: the number of predictors and the length of the pretenure period. Both factors impact the precision of the predictions, though extended pretenure periods also negatively impact selection into teaching. I estimate optimal weights on each performance measure to maximize measures of teacher quality using a range of utility parameters. These improvements are a product of using additional information (value-added) rather than advanced algorithms, as OLS regressions and advanced machine learning techniques produce similar gains. In comparison, prediction models that extend the pretenure period beyond one year do not provide enough additional information to significantly improve average retained teacher performance unless dismissal rates increase dramatically.

Measuring Teaching Quality and Student Engagement in Elementary Education in South Korea and The Netherlands

254 South Korean and 384 Dutch teachers working in elementary education were observed by specially trained observers. The observation-scales are sufficiently homogeneous and valid for estimating sample averages. Inter rater agreement shows moderate/good mutual consensus. Results of multigroup confirmatory factor analysis show that comparing correlations and average scores is allowed for both countries. Engagement of students is a bit better in South Korea than in the Netherlands. South Korean teachers do not differ from Dutch teachers on the efficiency of their classroom management and on giving clear instruction. South Korean teachers are a bit better than Dutch teachers on activating students and clearly better on teaching learning strategies. Dutch teachers are a bit better on creating a safe educational climate and on differentiation of instruction

Measuring English teaching quality: what teacher effectiveness research can offer?

Research findings worldwide suggest that teachers should continually improve their teaching quality, which refers to instruction or actions to deliver teaching and learning materials, even if they are good teachers. The question is the basis that should be considered to decide the improvement priorities. Therefore, this paper reviews theoretically driven and empirically validated teacher instruction contributing to student outcomes, which can serve as a framework for deciding the areas of improvement. The paper also reviews relevant techniques to measure teacher instruction to determine teachers' teaching quality. The study employed a qualitative method, in which a literature review on educational effectiveness research, especially teacher effectiveness research, was carried out to understand teacher actions in the classroom that contribute to achieving learning goals, especially concerning English lessons, as the focus of this paper. The paper used keywords such as effective English teaching, educational effectiveness research, teaching quality, teacher effectiveness research, and techniques of measuring teaching quality to find relevant literature. The findings conclude that the classroom factors of the dynamic model of educational effectiveness research could serve as a framework to conceptualize English teaching quality, whereas techniques like student surveys or observation can be used to investigate teachers’ initial instructional practices.

Quality doesn't matter: Educational development as a young science

AbstractThis chapter explores the limitations of measuring teaching quality through observation of “observable behaviors” and argues for a more holistic approach to educational development that focuses on the richness of pedagogical qualities.

The Multidimensional Impact of Teachers on Students

Test score measures of teacher quality may not fully capture teachers’ impact on students. We use test score and non–test score measures of student achievement and behavior to estimate multiple dimensions of teacher quality. We find that these two measures of teacher quality are only weakly correlated and that both affect students’ high school performance. A teacher removal simulation that uses both measures improves most long-term student outcomes by over 50%, compared to a policy that uses test scores alone. Our results also show that for high school outcomes the effects of teachers in later grades are larger than those in earlier grades and that performance in core elementary school subjects matters more than that in other subjects.

What’s in a score? Problematizing interpretations of observation scores

Several recent, large-scale observations of naturally occurring classroom instruction have found consistent patterns in how teaching quality systematically varies across domains of instruction, patterns not found in student survey measures. Teaching quality is highest when examining aspects of classroom management; moderately high when examining aspects of student support; and low when focusing on the quality of the instructional support provided to students. This paper problematizes this interpretation, arguing that observed data patterns could result from dilemmas inherent in measuring teaching quality through observation. In problematizing these conclusions, we highlight the complexity of trying to measure instruction at scale, arguing for the need for caution and consideration of the complexity of measurement when interpreting scores from observation systems.

Bias in Student Ratings of Instruction: A Systematic Review of Research from 2012 to 2021

Student ratings of instruction (SRI) are commonly used to evaluate courses and teaching in higher education. Much debate about their validity in evaluating teaching exists, which is due to concerns of bias by factors unrelated to teaching quality (Spooren et al., 2013). Our objective was to identify peer-reviewed original research published in English from January 1, 2012, to March 10, 2021, on potential sources of bias in SRIs. Our systematic review of 63 articles demonstrated strong support for the continued existence of gender bias, favoring male instructors and bias against faculty with minority ethnic and cultural backgrounds. These and other biases must be considered when implementing SRIs and reviewing results. Critical practices for reducing bias when using SRIs include implementing bias awareness training and avoiding use of SRIs as a singular measure of teaching quality when making decisions for teaching development or hiring and promotion.

The representation of feedback literature in classroom observation frameworks: an exploratory study

Feedback is considered of great relevance for supporting student learning. It is therefore the focus of a significant body of theoretical work and is included in many observation frameworks for measuring teaching quality. However, little is currently known about the extent to which the theoretical and empirical knowledge of feedback from the literature is represented in operationalizations of feedback in observation frameworks. In this exploratory study, we first reviewed the literature and identified nine quality criteria for effective feedback. Using content analysis, we then explored the extent to which 12 widely used observation frameworks for teaching quality reflect these criteria and the similarities and differences in their approaches to capturing feedback quality. Only ten of the 12 frameworks measured feedback. Nine frameworks addressed feedback directly, while one framework only captured feedback indirectly. All frameworks differed in the number of feedback quality criteria they captured, the aspects they focused on for each one, and the detail in which they described them. One criterion (Feed Up) was not captured by any framework. The results show that more clarity is needed about which facets of feedback are integrated into frameworks and why. The study also highlights the importance of finding ways to complement observation frameworks with other measures so that feedback quality is captured in a more comprehensive fashion.

Bringing the conceptualization and measurement of teaching into alignment

There is a growing use of standardized observation systems to directly measure teaching quality in classrooms. These systems are based on conceptual understandings of teaching that lead to carefully operationalized rubrics that decompose teaching quality into a number of distinct dimensions. In this paper, we argue that measurement and analysis choices used by observation systems may not fully align with the conceptual understandings of teaching upon which observation systems are based. We discuss three key assumptions that undergird many views of teaching quality and highlight how common analytical approaches violate these assumptions, proposing alternative analytical approaches that would better conform to the conceptual understandings of teaching quality. We end with a discussion of the importance of carefully aligning conceptual understandings with measurement approaches.

The ‘good’ teacher in an era of professional standards: policy frameworks and lived realities

ABSTRACT This paper presents an analysis of contemporary education policy levers that seek to standardise and measure teaching quality through the deployment of professional standards and increased surveillance of teachers’ work. These policy frameworks—with a focus in this paper on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers—are contrasted against the experiences of five Australian primary school teachers, using interpretative case study analysis to demonstrate the contradictions, tensions and fragile discursive construction of the idealised ‘good’ teacher. Implications for teacher agency and autonomy are considered, and propositions are generated for policy frameworks that support and enhance quality teaching, rather than reducing the complexities of teaching to a set of standardised metrics.

Teacher quality discourse in India: A national reform agenda content analysis

National education systems worldwide focus on the effects that teacher quality has on the overall quality of education. In response to this global discourse, India, which represents one of the largest education systems in the world, adopted several teacher-quality-focused reform agendas in the early 21st century. The purpose of this qualitative discourse analysis is to investigate the development of teacher quality in India through the National Curriculum Framework 2005, National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education 2009, and Some Inputs for Draft National Education Policy 2016. Results suggest each national education document's agenda focused on differentiated elements of teacher quality, including both traditional and non-traditional measures of teacher quality. This discourse analysis provides a systematic framework for policymakers to further improve teacher quality in India.

Research on Classroom Teaching Behavior Analysis and Evaluation System Based on Deep Learning Face Recognition Technology

With the continuous enrichment of educational resources, how to analyze and evaluate classroom teaching behavior has become one of the important indicators to measure teaching quality. Based on this, this article builds a classroom teaching behavior analysis and evaluation system based on deep learning face recognition technology, and conducts professional course classroom behavior analysis, from three perspectives: the concentration of the student’s side face, the concentration of the student’s head down, and the concentration of the eyes. Make judgments. The experimental results show that face recognition technology based on deep learning can effectively judge students’ classroom behavior and facilitate teaching management and implementation.

Unravelling the challenges of the data-based approach to teaching improvement

ABSTRACT The goal of this article is to clarify and unravel the complexity and challenges of improving teaching quality, based on measuring teaching quality and feeding back the results to teachers. We analyze different conceptualizations of teaching quality, and synthesize a framework for conceptualizing teaching quality in educational practice. We explain the pros and cons of four types of instruments for measuring teaching quality. Next, we scrutinize the requirements of effectively feeding back teaching quality data and the requirements for effective actions to improve teaching quality. We conclude with implications for improving the consequential validity of teaching quality measurements.

Evaluating Cluster-Level Factor Models with lavaan and Mplus

Background: Researchers frequently use the responses of individuals in clusters to measure cluster-level constructs. Examples are the use of student evaluations to measure teaching quality, or the use of employee ratings of organizational climate. In earlier research, Stapleton and Johnson (2019) provided advice for measuring cluster-level constructs based on a simulation study with inadvertently confounded design factors. We extended their simulation study using both Mplus and lavaan to reveal how their conclusions were dependent on their study conditions. Methods: We generated data sets from the so-called configural model and the simultaneous shared-and-configural model, both with and without nonzero residual variances at the cluster level. We fitted models to these data sets using different maximum likelihood estimation algorithms. Results: Stapleton and Johnson’s results were highly contingent on their confounded design factors. Convergence rates could be very different across algorithms, depending on whether between-level residual variances were zero in the population or in the fitted model. We discovered a worrying convergence issue with the default settings in Mplus, resulting in seemingly converged solutions that are actually not. Rejection rates of the normal-theory test statistic were as expected, while rejection rates of the scaled test statistic were seriously inflated in several conditions. Conclusions: The defaults in Mplus carry specific risks that are easily checked but not well advertised. Our results also shine a different light on earlier advice on the use of measurement models for shared factors.

Enacting the Rubric: Teacher Improvements in Windows of High-Stakes Observation

Abstract Teacher evaluation systems that use in-class observations, particularly in high-stakes settings, are frequently understood as accountability systems intended as nonintrusive measures of teacher quality. Presumably, the evaluation system motivates teachers to improve their practice—an accountability mechanism—and provides actionable feedback for improvement—an information mechanism. No evidence exists, however, establishing the causal link between an evaluation program and daily teacher practices. Importantly, it is unknown how teachers may modify their practice in the time leading up to an unannounced in-class observation, or how they integrate feedback into their practice post-evaluation, a question that fundamentally changes the design and philosophy of teacher evaluation programs. We disentangle these two effects with a unique empirical strategy that exploits random variation in the timing of in-class observations in the Washington, DC, teacher evaluation program IMPACT. Our key finding is that teachers work to improve during periods in which they are more likely to be observed, and they improve with subsequent evaluations. We interpret this as evidence that both mechanisms are at work, and as a result, policy makers should seriously consider both when designing teacher evaluation systems.

Gender Bias in Student Evaluations of Teaching: ‘Punish[ing] Those Who Fail To Do Their Gender Right’

A significant body of work problematises the assumption that student evaluations of teaching (SET) actually measure teaching quality. This is concerning, given that SET are increasingly relied upon not only to evaluate candidates for employment (so job acquisition is influenced by flawed data) but also to inform performance metrics for those in employment (so job security is influenced by flawed data). This paper presents qualitative research conducted at a large public university in Australia. The findings suggest that student evaluations of teaching seem to measure conformity with gendered expectations rather than teaching quality, with particularly negative effects for women. The integration of SET into performance management practices within institutions of higher education could be entrenching inequalities amongst university staff that could ultimately disadvantage female academics.

Educating teachers for the future school- the challenge of bridging between perceptions of quality teaching and policy decisions:reflections from Norway

ABSTRACT Teacher quality, or ‘the good teacher’ is not clearly defined in Norway, nor are there specific standards for measuring teacher quality. Everybody has an opinion about the good teacher, and teacher quality is frequently debated. Moreover, in Norway there is no systematic evaluation of teachers. Nevertheless, numerous reforms and popular discourses indirectly revisit and revise the formal qualification competences of teachers. This paper is an explorative journey into research, fiction and policy documents searching for how teacher quality has been, and is, perceived in Norway. The paper discusses relevant research, presents a historical contextualisation, my interpretations of selected fiction literature, and policy documents. I argue that teacher education has the responsibility of not merely translating policies into practice, but also to act as a critical bridge-builder between academic and relational aspects of teaching. Teacher education should offer a research-informed, practice-relevant education of teachers for the current and future school.