Perceptions Of Teaching Effectiveness Research Articles

Editorial 12.2

Our second mainstream issue of 2015 has a very student focused set of papers for your enjoyment, with contributions from across four continents. The first article (Khiat) discusses self-directed learning introducing a diagnostic test to support students in their learning. The next paper (Paton-Walsh) showcases templates to help students learn key concepts in undergraduate science courses. The third paper (Leiman) talk about the role of emotion in assessment and the considerations related to this in pedagogical approaches. Paper four (Blackburn) prepares students to be critical thinkers and effective communicators in his discussion. Next (Eaton) we look at the role of student tutors in supporting students in their assessment, particularly examinations. The fifth paper (Bissoonauth-Bedford & Stace) also looks at communication skills with a focus on written proficiency in French, introducing collaborative writing activities with online functionality. The next paper (Joseph) examines providing opportunities for cultural responsiveness in pre-service teachers. Lastly (Scott) discusses the relationships between teaching beliefs and students’ perceptions of effective teaching and learning. I am sure you will agree an interesting collection of work that puts the student at the centre of the discussion.

Teachers’ perceptions of effective teaching: a theory-based exploratory study of teachers from China

There is general agreement that teachers matter the most when it comes to student learning. However, there is an unquestionable need for educators to understand what constitutes effective teaching in K-12 classrooms. This research studied Chinese high school (N = 359) teachers’ perceptions of effective teaching using an international theoretical framework as guidance. Basic statistics described Chinese teachers’ perceptions on different domains of the teaching effectiveness framework. Statistically, significant results were found when comparing subject matter, gender, teaching experience, school type, award, academic rank and leadership. Furthermore, Chinese and American teachers’ perceptions on effectiveness were compared and contrasted. This study revealed that some findings were rooted in Confucian cultural tradition while others related to China’s current educational reform. Implications, recommendations and limitations are discussed.

The Influences of Teacher Delivery and Student Progress on Experienced Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Effectiveness

The purpose of this replication and extension study was to examine how teacher delivery and student progress influenced experienced teachers’ perceptions of overall teaching effectiveness. Participants ( N = 60 experienced music teachers) viewed 12 private lesson excerpts that included four separate conditions: (a) high teacher delivery and more student progress, (b) high teacher delivery and less student progress, (c) low teacher delivery and more student progress, and (d) low teacher delivery and less student progress. Participants rated teacher delivery, student progress, student musicianship, teacher knowledge of subject matter, and overall teaching effectiveness for each private lesson excerpt. Teaching excerpts with high teacher delivery were rated as more effective than excerpts with low teacher delivery, irrespective of student progress. Results of a multiple regression indicated that teacher delivery was the largest predictor for experienced teachers’ ratings of overall teaching effectiveness, followed closely by student progress.

The Influences of Teacher Delivery and Student Progress on Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Effectiveness

The purpose of this study was to examine how teacher delivery and student progress influenced preservice teachers’ perceptions of overall teaching effectiveness. Experienced teachers ( n = 6) were videotaped teaching mini applied lessons under four conditions: (a) high teacher delivery and more student progress, (b) high teacher delivery and less student progress, (c) low teacher delivery and more student progress, and (d) low teacher delivery and less student progress. Preservice teachers ( n = 75) viewed these teaching excerpts and rated each for teacher delivery, student progress, student musicianship, teacher knowledge of subject matter, and overall teaching effectiveness. Participants rated teachers with high delivery as more effective than teachers with low delivery, irrespective of student progress. There was a moderate positive correlation ( r = .53) between perceptions of teacher delivery and student progress. Results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that teacher delivery was the best predictor of perceptions of overall teaching effectiveness, followed closely by student progress.

Measuring Effective Teaching in Simulation: Development of the Student Perception of Effective Teaching in Simulation Scale

Measuring Effective Teaching in Simulation: Development of the Student Perception of Effective Teaching in Simulation Scale

A 1-Day Course to Improve the Teaching Effectiveness of Health Professions Faculty Members

To determine the effect of a 1-day teaching-methods course for pharmacy and nursing faculty members on teaching proficiency and perceptions of effective teaching. A 1-day teaching-methods course was created and presented to 12 pharmacy and nursing faculty members. Participants' teaching sessions were video-recorded pre- and post-course. A panel of educators evaluated pre- and post-course video-recorded teaching presentations to assess teaching effectiveness. Participants completed pre- and post-course self-evaluations and surveys. Panelists' assessments confirmed significant improvement in 7 of 10 domains. Perceptions of teaching efficacy and proficiency to teach effectively improved after completion of the course. A 1-day teaching-methods course, requiring minimal resources, is a valuable development resource that can improve teaching effectiveness through enhanced communication and teaching techniques. Because effective teaching is positively correlated with students' learning, training seminars can be integral to comprehensive quality improvement.

Reading Between the Lines of Online Course Evaluations: Predictable Actions that Improve Student Perceptions of Teaching Effectiveness and Course Value

Students continue to demand and enroll in online courses, but are not always satisfied with their experiences. The purpose of this study was to determine if students’ responses to evaluations for online courses could be used to predict faculty actions that could lead to improved evaluation scores in teaching effectiveness and overall course value. Controversy continues to exist over the validity of student evaluations to measure faculty effectiveness and overall course quality. Faculty seldom utilize the collected data for the improvement of teaching. Results indicate that stimulation of learning had the most effect on perceptions of teaching effectiveness and useful and relevant assignments had the highest correlation to overall course value.

Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Effectiveness During Teaching Episodes With Positive and Negative Feedback

The purpose of this study was to examine preservice teachers’ perceptions of teaching effectiveness when viewing teaching episodes with positive and negative feedback. A secondary purpose of the study was to examine several independent variables to determine whether they predicted perceptions of overall teacher effectiveness. Participants watched short teaching clips of eight experienced teachers in an applied teaching setting and rated them for overall teaching effectiveness, subject matter competence, modeling, appropriate feedback, teacher delivery, and teacher demeanor. Teacher videos included four high positive teaching episodes and four high negative teaching episodes and were counterbalanced for gender and instrument (trumpet, piano, voice, and violin). Participants rated positive teachers higher than negative teachers and females higher than males. Teacher delivery was the best predictor of perceptions of teaching effectiveness.

Student perception of teaching effectiveness: development and validation of the Evaluation of Teaching Competencies Scale (ETCS)

A major criticism of student evaluations of teaching is that they do not reflect student perspectives. Using critical incidents job analysis, students identified nine teaching effectiveness competencies: communication, availability, creativity, individual consideration, social awareness, feedback, professionalism, conscientiousness and problem‐solving. The behaviourally anchored Evaluation of Teaching Competencies Scale is a highly reliable (alpha = .94), unidimensional measure that correlated strongly with an instructor‐related composite of the Students’ Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ, r = .72), but not to a SEEQ composite related to instructor assigned work (r = .04, N = 195). The results are discussed in the context of other measures of teaching effectiveness and transformational leadership theory.

What Does Effective Teaching Look Like? Profession-Centric Perceptions of Effective Teaching in Pharmacy and Nursing Education

INTRODUCTION Much of the published literature surrounding teaching effectiveness is based on student perspectives. Explicit standards for what constitutes effective teaching in health professions education do not currently exist. Best practices for training and evaluation in teaching effectiveness could be better addressed with detail from expertbased sources. OBJECTIVE This study sought to identify elements of effective teaching by gathering perceptions of exemplary educators. In addition, profession-centric differences in perceptions of effective teaching were also evaluated. METHODS An iterative consensus-building method was used to gather the perceptions of nursing and pharmacy educators regarding effective teaching. Individual semi-structured interviews were initially used to gather example items within four pre-defined categories: effective methods, ineffective methods, active learning methods, and effective traits. These example items were then collated into an electronic survey that was then administered to the same participants to be rated on a numerical scale. RESULTS Ten educators from nursing and pharmacy participated in this study. Based on the participants’ rankings of the collated lists, a high level of consensus was observed for many items in each of the four categories. With other items, wide variability in ratings was also seen. Further analysis by discipline subgroups revealed patterns of item ranking that appear to be profession-centric. CONCLUSION Exemplary nursing and pharmacy educators revealed consensus regarding perceptions of certain elements of effective teaching. The results also suggested some elements where profession-centric perceptions exist. These results could be incorporated into best practices for effective teaching training and interprofessional teaching design.

Music Teachers’ Perceptions of Effective Teaching

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of the effective teacher, associated to the teaching and learning of music at Key Stage 3.1 The quantitative data was obtained through the administration of a questionnaire to 26 music teachers, immediately following their first term of teaching. The questionnaire consisted of 48 statements related to the effective teaching of music. Results demonstrate that there is an imperative for music teachers, when teaching general class music, to deploy a variety of teaching strategies and to bridge the gap between pedagogical expertise, subject knowledge, and how pupils learn if they are to become expert practitioners and maximize their potential as change agents.

An Evaluation of the Effects of Using Case Method on Student Learning Outcomes in a Tourism Strategic Planning Course

ABSTRACT This paper assesses the introduction of case method of teaching on student perceptions of teaching effectiveness. The context for this paper is a tourism policy and planning course taught to third year students at the School of Tourism and Leisure Management at the The University of Queensland, Australia. Cases were used as a teaching and an assessment method. The results indicate an overall improvement in student course evaluations over the previous year related to the case study teaching method. Problems in implementation of case method are discussed.

The characteristics of effective english teachers as perceived by high school teachers and students in Korea

This study investigated the characteristics of effective English teachers as perceived by 169 teachers and 339 students in high school in Korea, with a self-report questionnaire consisting of three categories: English proficiency, pedagogical knowledge, and socio-affective skills. Overall, the teachers perceived significantly different characteristics than the students in all three categories with the teachers ranking English proficiency the highest in contrast to the students who ranked pedagogical knowledge the highest. The student subgroups also held different perceptions of effective teaching. High achieving students reported different characteristics than low achieving students in pedagogical knowledge and socio-affective skills, whereas the male students demonstrated different characteristics from the female students in socio-affective skills. The findings have implications for knowledge-based teacher education for current and prospective English teachers.

Introducing Multimedia Presentations and a Course Website to an Introductory Sociology Course: How Technology Affects Student Perceptions of Teaching Effectiveness

I use a quasi-experiment and follow-up questionnaire to ascertain the effects of PowerPoint multimedia presentations and a Blackboard course website on the course grades and perceptions of teaching effectiveness of introductory sociology students. Results of t-tests showed no statistically significant difference in course grades between experimental and control groups. However, students' responses to standardized teaching evaluations were considerably more favorable in the experimental group; all measured dimensions of perceived teaching effectiveness yielded statistically significant increases, with substantial increases in perceptions of instructor rapport and grading. I use the ideas of George Herbert Mead to interpret the results and increase sociological understanding of the relationship between the introduction of instructional technology and student perceptions of teaching effectiveness. In Mead's terms, the introduction of technology is not merely a self-involved act performed by the instructor that changes the modality of course presentation but a social process involving both instructor and students. Within this process the introduction of technology is both a nonsignificant gesture, which elicits from students an unconscious or “instinctively” favorable impression of the course, and a significant symbol, which calls forth behavioral responses from students, conscious actions that substantially alter their perceptions of the course. Students not only reacted positively to the instructor's use of technology but through their own use of the technology increased their involvement in the course and came to perceive its teaching more favorably.

Medical students' perceptions of the elements of effective inpatient teaching by attending physicians and housestaff.

Most studies of effective inpatient teaching have focused on teaching by attending physicians. To identify and compare medical students' perceptions of behaviors associated with teaching effectiveness of attending physicians and housestaff (residents and interns). Third-year students who spent 4 weeks on a general internal medicine inpatient service during academic year 2003-2004 completed surveys using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Students evaluated numerous teaching behaviors of attendings and housestaff and then evaluated their overall teaching effectiveness. Each behavior was correlated with the perceived teaching effectiveness in univariate and regression analyses. Seventy-two students were taught by 23 attendings and 73 housestaff. Of 144 possible teaching evaluations, they completed 142 (98.6%) for attendings and 128 (88.9%) for housestaff. The mean rating for perceived teaching effectiveness was 4.48 (SD 0.82) for attendings and 4.39 (SD 0.80) for housestaff. For attending physicians, teaching effectiveness correlated most strongly with enthusiasm for teaching (R(2)=63.6%) but was also associated with inspiring confidence in knowledge and skills, providing feedback, and encouraging students to accept increasing responsibility. Housestaff teaching effectiveness correlated most strongly with providing a role model (R(2)=61.8%) but was also associated with being available to students, performing effective patient education, inspiring confidence in knowledge and skills, and showing enthusiasm for teaching. Regression models explained 79.7% and 73.6% of the variance in evaluations of attendings and housestaff, respectively. Students' perceptions of effective teaching behaviors differ for attending physicians and housestaff, possibly reflecting differences in teaching roles or methods.

The relationship between problems with technology and graduate students' evaluations of online teaching

In this study the intent was to determine if the problems with technology that graduate students experience in online classes is related to their evaluations of their instructors. Participants included 131 graduate students in a College of Education. They were from 19 sections of five different online courses. In these courses, students took tests, found information, and participated in chat rooms, discussions, or emails with instructors. A university teaching evaluation scale was used in this study to measure students' perceptions of teaching effectiveness. A second instrument called Survey of Student Experiences in Online Courses measured technological problems students experienced in the online course and the detrimental effect these problems might have had on students' learning. A new variable was created and called impact score. This was the product of the frequency and detrimental effect for each activity. Results showed a positive relationship ( r of .26, p = .003) which indicated that the more frequently students experienced technology problems or the more severely their problems impeded learning, the higher they evaluated the instructor and the course.

Third-year medical students' perceptions of effective teaching behaviors in a multidisciplinary ambulatory clerkship.

The authors sought third-year medical students' perceptions of ambulatory preceptors' teaching effectiveness across primary care disciplines. Third-year students at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine spent three-week rotations each in ambulatory internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, and an elective. After the 12-week clerkship, students anonymously evaluated the full-time and volunteer preceptors using a five-point Likert-type evaluation (1 = hardly at all; 5 = to a great degree) that had eight items addressing preceptor teaching behaviors, six items on attaining clerkship goals and an assessment of overall teaching effectiveness, the outcome variable of interest. The authors analyzed 276 evaluation forms (58% response rate) collected from July 2001 to June 2002. They found a mean effectiveness rating of 4.4 (SD.9) and no differences between genders, specialties, and faculty appointment types (p >.2 for each). The 14 items were associated with teaching effectiveness in univariate analysis (p <.01 for each). In multivariate analyses, effectiveness was associated with four preceptor behaviors: inspired confidence in medical skills, explained decisions, treated students with respect, and provided a role model (R(2) =.33). Effectiveness was associated with three items about attaining clerkship goals: allowed opportunity for improving clinical skills, practiced ethical medicine, and encouraged evidence-based medicine (R(2) =.20). Several teaching behaviors and measures of attaining clerkship goals influenced students' perceptions of teaching effectiveness. Involving students in a humanistic but rigorous approach to medicine and being a physician students wanted to emulate seem particularly important. These aspects appear potentially amenable to faculty development efforts.

Part-time faculty status and student evaluation of teaching: An analysis of criminal justice classes*

Although part-time (p/t) faculties constitute a growing proportion of college instructors, there is little work on their level of teaching effectiveness relative to full-time (f/t) faculty. Previous work on a key indicator of perceived teaching effectiveness, student evaluation of teaching (SET), and faculty status (p/t/ vs f/t) is marked by a series of shortcomings including lack of a systematic theoretical framework and lack of multivariate statistical analysis techniques to check for possible spuriousness. The present study corrects for these shortcomings. Data consist of SETs from 175 sections of criminal justice classes taught at a Midwestern urban university. Controls are introduced for variables drawn from the literature and include ascribed characteristics of the professor, grade distribution, and structural features of the course (e.g., level, size). The results of a multivariate regression analysis indicate that even after controlling for the other predictors of SETs, p/t faculty receive significantly higher student evaluation scores than f/t faculty. Further, faculty status was the most important predictor of SETs. The results present the first systematic evidence on faculty status and SETs.

Residents' perception of their role in teaching undergraduate students in the clinical setting

Fifty-one residents from four major clinical specialties were interviewed using a questionnaire to assess how they perceived their teaching responsibilities toward undergraduate medical students. The residents' teacher characteristics, teaching effectiveness and abilities in certain aspects of teaching were examined. The residents perceived themselves as good teachers with adequate teacher characteristics. However, they rated themselves better as clinicians than as teachers. They scored themselves highly on attitude towards medical students (interpersonal skills) and technical skills. Their perception of teaching was significantly influenced by their clinical knowledge and their clinical ability. Communication was the best predictor of overall perceived teaching effectiveness. The residents agreed, however, that their teaching skills could be improved.

The development of students' perceptions of effective teaching: the ideal, best and poorest clinical teacher in nursing.

This article attempts to study students' perceptions of effective clinical teacher in nursing. To do this, 123 students from three schools with different curricula identified the important characteristics of a clinical teacher, using a modified NCTEI instrument. Then each respondent assessed to what extent her or his best and poorest clinical teachers possess these characteristics. The profile of an effective clinical teacher which emerged places the highest weight on the nursing competencies of the teacher and downplays both interpersonal relationships and personality traits. Differences between 2nd and 3rd year students were found in the placement of teaching skills and evaluation characteristics. No differences were disclosed among the compared schools. Conflicting research findings are analyzed. The results strongly suggest that the image of the ideal clinical teacher is not rooted in an existing teacher figure. The possible implications of the findings on the role model function of the clinical teacher are discussed.