Teacher Enthusiasm Research Articles

Characteristics of Motivated L2 Class Groups: From Language Teachers’ and Students’ Perspectives

In most learning situations, learners are learning with their peers, and the teacher is teaching to a class, not to an individual learner. As it is indisputable that learners conceptualize their learning as occurring in a group, it is logical to assume that the class group has some effect on learners’ learning. Thus, it could be constructive to investigate the characteristics of a motivating classroom environment and how teachers can help cultivate a more comforting learning environment fostered by a motivating environment. This research focuses on exploring the characteristics of a motivating L2 classroom environment from both language teachers’ and learners’ perspectives. A questionnaire with both closed- and open-ended questions was distributed to approximately 100 college L2 learners studying at a private language college (from three English learning class groups). These class groups’ English teachers were also interviewed to share their ideas of what comprised a motivating environment. Both the questionnaire and interview data suggest the importance of good interaction in a motivating L2 environment. The data also reveal the importance of teacher enthusiasm toward teaching, positive learning attitude in students, a strong cohesiveness group, and positive group norms.

Faculty Development Program Models to Advance Teaching and Learning Within Health Science Programs

Within health science programs there has been a call for more faculty development, particularly for teaching and learning. The primary objectives of this review were to describe the current landscape for faculty development programs for teaching and learning and make recommendations for the implementation of new faculty development programs. A thorough search of the pertinent health science databases was conducted, including the Education Resource Information Center (ERIC), MEDLINE, and EMBASE, and faculty development books and relevant information found were reviewed in order to provide recommendations for best practices. Faculty development for teaching and learning comes in a variety of forms, from individuals charged to initiate activities to committees and centers. Faculty development has been effective in improving faculty perceptions on the value of teaching, increasing motivation and enthusiasm for teaching, increasing knowledge and behaviors, and disseminating skills. Several models exist that can be implemented to support faculty teaching development. Institutions need to make informed decisions about which plan could be most successfully implemented in their college or school.

Application of two-way evaluation system in clinical nursing teaching in neurological department of internal medicine

Objective To establish a two-way evaluation system and to explore the application effect of two-way evaluation method in clinical nursing teaching.Methods We carried out two-way evaluation and individual evaluation test to 40 nursing students practicing in the Department of Inter nal Medicine of our hospital in 2012 and 20 teachers responsible for teaching.By using the envelope method,nursing students and teachers were randomly divided into two groups,with 20 nursing students and 10 teachers in the experimental group and the control group respectively.Students' assessment form and the teachers teaching level evaluation table were made,and teachers of both group gave scores every two weeks to the nursing students by nursing students' evaluation sheet,and the score of feedback were given to the nursing students in experimental group.At the same time,the nursing students in experimental group gave scores every two weeks to the teachers of the same group by the teachers' teaching evaluation sheet,and feedback the results.SPSS 13.0 was used to make statistical analysis and the scores of nursing students and teachers of both groups and the last scores were compared with paired sample T test of mean.The results of the experimental group and the control group in the same period were compared with two independent samples T test of mean.Results Comparing the nursing students'scores of both groups with the scores they themselves got last time,the scores of the fourth,sixth,and the eighth week were statistically significant(P＜0.05)and comparing the experimental group teachers' score with and the scores they themselves got last time,the scores of the fourth,sixth,and the eighth week were also statistically significant(P＜0.05); from the fourth week on,nursing students' scores in experimental group compared with those in control group in the same period,show the differences statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Two-way evaluation system is beneficial to improving the enthusiasm and initiative of the teachers and students.Two-way evaluation and bidirectional interaction are helpful to timely detection of problems and improvement and can effectively improve the quality of clinical nursing teaching in internal neurological medicine. Key words: Clinical nursing teaching; Two-way evaluation

How do Lecturers Teach?: Students’ Assessment of Lecturers’ Attributes in a Selected University in Zimbabwe

Teaching and learning transactions depend on lecturer attributes which in turn influence the way the way lecturers teach. This study sought to establish how university students in one selected Zimbabwean university assessed their lecturers’ attributes. The study adopted a descriptive survey approach which utilized both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Data were solicited from students in five selected faculties in the one selected university. A convenient sample of 110 students participated in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed with the aid of the SPSS statistical software package version 21. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis method and presented through verbatim quotations of the respondents. The study found that respondents assessed lectured as strong in areas that include preparedness, enthusiasm in teaching and learning, content mastery, approachability, use of different teaching approaches and providing accessible references but weak in taking care of diverse students’ backgrounds. It is concluded that while their strengths in lecturer attributes there were also weaknesses. Programmes and measures should be put in place to professional develop lecturers to perfect the strengths and improve on weaknesses. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n7p307

Ensuring the ongoing engagement of second-stage teachers

Research and policy have increasingly focused on the importance of staffing schools with effective teachers. A critical variable affecting teacher effectiveness is the enthusiasm, energy and effort teachers bring to their work, or teachers’ work engagement. Better understanding teachers’ work engagement and how it may change over stages in a teacher’s career is the subject of this exploratory interview study of second-stage teachers—teachers with 4–10 years of experience. Participants in this study described engaging in their work to different degrees and in very different ways. As beginning teachers, their interest in and enthusiasm for teaching was typically high and they focused a great deal of energy on conducting their classes. However, over time they acquired a sense of competence and had been granted considerable professional autonomy. Although competence and autonomy inspired and energized some of these teachers, it also made it unnecessary to be highly engaged. Their administrators reportedly paid little attention to their choices and did not intervene. Ultimately, the decision about whether and how to engage in teaching was theirs to make. Although all participants reported a continued interest in and enthusiasm for teaching, three stage-related patterns emerged in how they engaged in their work. Some teachers chose to modify their engagement, re-directing a portion of their effort to activities other than teaching, including their families or coursework for recertification. Others decided to focus their engagement, by attending to more fine-grained, interesting aspects of their subject or pedagogy, now that they had the basics under control. Still others chose to diversify their engagement—engaging in new and interesting extensions of teaching, such as leadership roles and extracurricular activities. A few, whose efforts to improve their practice or contribute to their school had been ignored or discouraged, either said they would leave teaching or had disengaged as an alternative to leaving. These findings suggest that having a better understanding of teachers’ engagement and the role that the school plays in their decisions about how to engage is important for promoting effectiveness and retention among teachers who have moved beyond their novice years.

A way to crack coding

A Merseyside school is combining Espresso's step-by-step approach with subject links, team teaching and pupils' enthusiasm for games to prepare for the new curriculum.

Feeling and showing: A new conceptualization of dispositional teacher enthusiasm and its relation to students' interest

Although teacher enthusiasm is a relevant variable in the teaching context, a clear definition is still lacking. Research on teacher enthusiasm is characterized by ambiguous conceptualizations of enthusiasm as either an affective characteristic of teachers or behaviors of expressiveness. Integrating these two notions, a new conceptualization of dispositional teacher enthusiasm, defined by teachers' positive affect and positive emotional expressivity, was developed. It was hypothesized that dispositional teacher enthusiasm would relate to students' interest, mediated by students' perceived teacher enthusiasm. Based on a correlational study design, secondary teachers (N = 75) from Switzerland reported on their enthusiasm, complemented by student ratings (N = 1523) on perceived enthusiasm and interest. Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that dispositional teacher enthusiasm positively predicted students' interest, which was fully mediated by students' perceived enthusiasm, providing the basis of a valid definition of teacher enthusiasm. Based on this integrative definition, implications for future research are discussed.

Mediating effects of teacher enthusiasm and peer enthusiasm on students’ interest in the college classroom

This study explored the mediating effects of students’ perceptions of teacher enthusiasm and of peer enthusiasm on the relation between students’ initial interest and their situational interest at the end of the semester. Students’ motivation for affiliation with their teacher and with peers was also measured to allow for potential associations between these variables and the students’ perceptions of teacher and peer enthusiasm. In path analysis, data from 455 undergraduates showed that perceptions of teacher enthusiasm and of peer enthusiasm had direct associations with two kinds of situational interest, both hold and catch interest. Also, the relations between initial interest and both hold and catch interest were mediated by perceptions of peer enthusiasm but not teacher enthusiasm. Students’ affiliative motivation with the teacher and peers had direct effects on their perceptions of teacher and peer enthusiasm. This study contributes to clarifying the importance of contextual factors as well as students’ own individual variables in understanding the mechanisms by which students’ interest in a course develops and is maintained throughout the semester.

초등학교 과학과 자유탐구에 관한 교사들의 관심도 분석

Abstract The purpose of this study was to analyze stages of the concern on open inquiry of elementary school teachers. To achieve this purpose, this study used the instruments of CBAM, including stages of concern questionnarie. The results of this study was as follows. Firstly, most teachers were in 0 stage, which meant they had little concern on open inquiry in science instruction. Secondly, the teachers who had teaching career of less than or 10 years were no more interested in open inquiry than teachers who had teaching career of 11-20 years. Thirdly, the training experience and teaching experience of open inquiry didn't show a statistically significant difference. Based on these results, this study suggested that we need educational programs and supporting strategies to heighten concerns and enthusiasm of teachers and pre-service teachers on open inquiry in science instruction. Key words : Open Inquiry, Science Curriculum, Elementary SchoolCorresponding author : 053-850-4364, syoungpark@daegu.ac.kr* 2011 .

Application of clinical pathway in clinical teaching for on-the-job training nursing staff in neurosurgery department

Objective To explore the application effect of clinical pathway in clinical teaching for on -the-job training nursing staff in neurosurgery department .Methods Thirty-six nurses who accepted on-the-job training from March 2009 to December 2010 were selected as control group , and thirty-six nurses who accepted on-the-job training from March 2011 to December 2012 were selected as observation group .The traditional teaching method was used in the control group , and the teaching method of clinical pathway was used in the observation group .All nurses were trained for three months , who took the relevant exams on theory and operation at the end of each month , in order to evaluate their learning quality at each stage of learning .Nurse ’ s satisfaction with teaching was evaluated at the end of the on-the-job training .Results The score of theoretical knowledge, nursing operations and comprehensive quality ability was （93.51 ±177;4.61）, （93.46 ±177;2.94） and （91.57 ±177;3.71） in the observation group, respectively, and （91.07 ±177;3.88）, （91.29 ±177;2.87） and （88.44 ±177; 4.28） in the control group, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant （t=2.435, 3.173, 3.319, respectively;P＜0.05）.Nurse’s satisfaction with teaching was 100.00%（36/36） in the observation group and 83.33%（ 30/36 ） in the control group, with statistically significant difference （ P ＜0.05 ）. Conclusions Application of clinical pathway in clinical teaching for on-the-job training nursing staff can improve the quality of clinical teaching , mobilize the initiative and enthusiasm of teachers and nurses , and improve nurse ’ s satisfaction with teaching . Key words: Clinical pathway; Education,professional,retraining; Neurosurgery department; Nursing advanced education

Success: From failure to failure with enthusiasm

In this article I would like to look briefly at the background to the concept of enthusiasm, its evolution from earlier understandings in the domain of religion to its modern understandings as expressed by various lexicographic sources. This will lead me to the major focus of the article, which is the various applications of enthusiasm in education. Not surprisingly, there is a large body of empirical studies on teacher and learner enthusiasm and its contribution to successful teaching and learning. A selection of studies is presented here and their results are discussed. The empirical part of this article looks at my own qualitative study of pre-service EFL teachers’ narratives and their perceptions of teacher enthusiasm and its impact on teaching and learning success, as seen from their own perspective. In the concluding part I suggest how teacher training should incorporate ideas on teacher enthusiasm and strategies to deploy them as prospective weapons in preventing professional burnout in teachers. As Churchill said, “success is not final... Failure is not fatal... it´s the courage to continue that counts.” I strongly believe that it is enthusiasm that gives us courage to continue.

The contribution of academics' engagement in research to undergraduate education

Can current trends to develop teaching-only academic positions be reconciled with the notion of the interrelationship of teaching and research as a defining characteristic of universities? In particular, what does academics' engagement in research add to students' learning? A study of 200 undergraduates' perceptions of the role of staff research in their university education is presented to contribute towards answering these important questions. The data, which include a large number of qualitative responses, show that students believe that academics' engagement in research deepens student understanding, increases enthusiasm for learning and teaching, encourages postgraduate study, develops skills useful for employment and enhances undergraduate research activities. The article argues that academics' engagement with research is a key contributor to making higher education ‘higher’ and effectively increases the value of education to the student.

Assessing the Effects of Instructor Enthusiasm on Classroom Engagement, Learning Goal Orientation, and Academic Self-Efficacy

Enthusiasm is widely regarded as one of the most essential and desirable qualities and characteristics of effective teachers. This study is designed to assess the effects of teacher enthusiasm on student classroom engagement, learning goal orientation, and academic self-efficacy. Participants include 165 college students enrolled in basic communication classes. Results indicate that teacher enthusiasm is an effective predictor of student behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement, intrinsic goal orientation, and academic self-efficacy, but it is not a significant predictor of extrinsic goal orientation. Consequently, this study demonstrates the power of teacher enthusiasm in predicting and shaping students' behavior in the classroom.

Professional competence of teachers: Effects on instructional quality and student development.

This study investigates teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, professional beliefs, work-related motivation, and self-regulation as aspects of their professional competence. Specifically, it examines how these aspects impact instruction and, in turn, student outcomes. In a nationally representative sample of 194 German secondary school mathematics classes, multiple measures were used to assess teacher competence, instructional quality, and students’ achievement and motivation. The effect of teachers’ professional competence on student outcomes was estimated in a 1-year repeated-measures design. Two-level structural equation models revealed positive effects of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, enthusiasm for teaching, and self-regulatory skills on instructional quality, which in turn affected student outcomes. In contrast, teachers’ general academic ability did not affect their instruction. The multidimensional model of teachers’ professional competence introduced in this article seems suited to stimulate further research on the personal indicators of teacher quality.

An Evidence Based Approach to Identifying Competencies for a Medical Curriculum: A Proposal Based on Medico-Legal Practice in Sri Lanka

Criteria for including content into undergraduate curricula should not be based purely on the enthusiasm of teachers. What is taught at undergraduate level should be based on the needs and expectations of society from medical graduates and therefore be evidence based. Forensic Medicine training at undergraduate level, in Sri Lanka was selected as an example of this proposed method. Forensic Medicine training at undergraduate level, in Sri Lanka, is not based on a formal process of needs assessment. It is not linked to the key priorities of the the ministry of justice (service recipient) or the ministry of health (service provider). The links between these institutions need to be utilised maximally in a formal way for workforce training and development. Unless this task is approached thoughtfully and systematically the curriculum would merely be a reflection of faculty interest rather than of stakeholder, student or public needs. This paper highlights a needs based approach that maybe utilized in developing a medico legal curriculum which can be applied in the development of curricula in other disciplines.

Investigation on training mode and practice of clinical teachers in teaching hospitals

‘Two-way’ training of teaching basic skill and medical education method was conducted for young and middle-aged teachers according to characteristics of clinical teachers in teaching hospitals.After two years of training,clinical teachers' teaching ability and teaching enthusiasm and the quality of classroom teaching have obviously improved based on the analysis of related data.Clinical teacher training strengthen the teaching faculty quantitatively.This thesis discussed the importance of clinical teachers' training and further explored the improvement of clinical teacher education mode. Key words: Teaching hospital; Clinical teacher; Teacher education

Using spaced education to teach interns about teaching skills

BackgroundDespite limited preparation and knowledge base, surgical interns have important teaching responsibilities. Nevertheless, few faculty development programs are aimed at interns. MethodsSuccinct teaching skill content was electronically distributed over time (spaced education) to interns in academic year 2010/2011. The interns in the previous year served as historic controls. Electronic surveys were distributed for program evaluation. ResultsFifteen of 24 (62.5%) interns and 35 of 49 (71.4%) students responded to the surveys in academic year 2009/2010 and 16 of 27 (59.3%) interns and 38 of 52 (73%) students responded in academic year 2010/2011. Surveys showed improved attitudes toward teaching by interns as well as a higher estimation of interns' teaching skills as rated by students for those interns who received the spaced education program. ConclusionsUsing spaced education to improve interns' teaching skills is a potentially powerful intervention that improves interns' enthusiasm for teaching and teaching effectiveness. The changes are mirrored in students' ratings of interns' teaching skills and interns' attitudes toward teaching.

Öğretmenlerin Kariyer Gelişimlerinde Lisansüstü Eğitim: Tercih Sebepleri ve Süreçte Karşılaştıkları Sorunlar/Master's Degree Education in The Career Development of Teachers: Reasons of Preference and The Problems That They Face throughout The Process

Öğretmenlerin Kariyer Gelişimlerinde Lisansüstü Eğitim: Tercih Sebepleri ve Süreçte Karşılaştıkları Sorunlar/Master's Degree Education in The Career Development of Teachers: Reasons of Preference and The Problems That They Face throughout The Process

Teacher Enthusiasm: Seeking Student Learning and Avoiding Apathy

Researchers have identified connections between teacher enthusiasm and positive student achievement, test performance, recall, on-task behavior, attitudes toward learning, intrinsic motivation toward the subject matter, feelings of vitality, and ratings of teacher effectiveness. There may also be positive benefits for teachers when enthusiasm invades the instructional setting. The purpose of this article is to address the importance of teacher enthusiasm, identify indicators of enthusiasm, and offer some insight into helping teachers and teacher candidates show enthusiasm.

Application of Mathematical Model in Evaluating Undergraduate’s Degree Paper

The level of undergraduate's degree paper is one of the important indicators of teaching quality. In this paper, mathematical modeling of FAHP (Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process) is given, and then undergraduate’s degree paper of the college with an example is elaborated a comprehensive evaluation of quantitative science, in order to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of teachers and students, and constantly promote the improvement of the quality of college teaching.