Chinese undergraduates’ perceptions of teaching quality and the effects on approaches to studying and course satisfaction

The quality of undergraduate teaching is an issue under heated dispute in China. This study examined Chinese undergraduate students’ perceptions of teaching quality and the effects on their approaches to studying and course satisfaction. A sample of 2,043 students from two full-time universities in mainland China responded to a questionnaire comprising three scales adopted from widely used instruments. The results showed that the Course Experience Questionnaire is a valid instrument for assessing the teaching quality in Chinese universities. The study also revealed the desirable effects of clear goals and standards, an emphasis on independence, generic skills, and an appropriate workload on students’ approaches to studying (measured by the Study Process Questionnaire) and course satisfaction (measured by the Overall Satisfaction Scale). However, good teaching and appropriate assessment were found to have an unexpected effect. Specifically, good teaching was found to only have a positive impact on surface motive, while appropriate assessment was found to negatively influence students’ deep as well as surface approaches. These findings highlighted the need to re-examine the role of teacher-centered pedagogy and the nature of student assessment in university teaching. The results’ implications for improving undergraduate teaching in China are suggested.     

Exploring the influence of learners’ personal traits and perceived course characteristics on online interaction and engagement

Educational technology research and development - One of the most pressing issues in online learning systems that have contributed to the failure of online education and student dropout is the lack...     

“Hello, goodbye”: Exploring the phenomenon of leaving teaching early

High teacher attrition rates hinder schools in their ability to provide quality instruction. This study seeks to understand why teachers leave early in their careers (within the first 5 years) using a mixed methods approach that combined 50 in-depth interviews with 15 public and 10 Catholic school teachers in the United States who left early with statistical analyses of public and Catholic school early leavers’ responses in the national Schools and Staffing and Teacher Follow-up surveys. This study argues that to understand why teachers leave early requires examining teachers’ entire experiences throughout their short time in the profession. A framework informed by sociocultural and commitment theories was developed through systematic analysis of the interview and survey data providing a complex approach for examining the phenomenon of early leaving. Findings suggest that teachers’ career decisions were influenced by the unique public and Catholic school cultures, as well as their commitment to teaching, their teaching experiences, and their beliefs and values. Differences between public and Catholic early leaver experiences are discussed.     

‘Start from your own situation’: a political analysis on the relationship between gender and education in an Italian University course

ABSTRACT

In the text, we will try to give an account of the experience of collaboration in a Public Ethics course in the degree course in Pedagogical Sciences at the University of Verona. The course in Public Ethics has had, as its main theme, the reflection on the distinction between public and private. We will begin with consider the national context and then the one of Verona, characterised on one side by a strong feminist presence, on the other from being inserted into a cultural environment with an equally strong presence of the Catholic and conservative. After investigating this peculiar coexistence, we would like to highlight our reactions and those of the students. In particular, we will focus on emerging resistances and on amazement in front of the issues and the history of feminism by many male and female students. Finally, we use the points that emerged during the course to rethink our position as feminists and as researchers.     

“You don’t have to travel the world”: accumulating experiences on the path toward globally competent teaching

As classrooms become increasingly diverse and students need more complex skills for collaboratively addressing transnational issues, we need a better understanding of the factors that contribute to globally competent teaching. Education research has highlighted the benefits of study abroad and overseas teaching, as well as local cross-cultural immersion, but these options are not always feasible. We sought to identify the various means by which teachers develop global competence. Through this qualitative case study of 10 global educators, we found that international travel, though present in some instances, was not always necessary. In fact, it was an accumulation of experiences that prompted teachers to incorporate global perspectives, lessons, and skill development throughout their careers. Thus, globally competent teaching may be better conceptualized as a path, rather than as an end goal.     

“I have a Preschool Buddy” Exploring the Role of High School Students in Facilitating the Pre-academic Skills and Social Development of Preschool Children

The purpose of this research is to explore the role of a director of a preschool program who mentors and trains high school students to teach and work directly with preschool children in the context of individual lessons, small group activities, and large group instruction. This participant-observer research study also examines how the director assesses the high school students ability to work effectively with the preschoolers they are assigned to teach and addresses the pre-academic and social learner outcomes for these children in this unique preschool program. Parent feedback pertaining to preschool learning outcomes is also examined.     

Developing a science teacher education course that supports student teachers’ thinking and teaching about the nature of science

This paper reports on part of an ongoing research project in England concerning the Nature of Science (NOS). The particular focus is on the initial thinking of the graduate scientists starting a one-year, Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) course and the way the course approaches adopted influence their views and understanding of NOS and their teaching. The research is set against a wealth of literature indicating that teachers find it difficult to teach curricula that emphasise NOS. Thus a key impetus for research in this area has been to look for ways that beginning teachers might be better prepared to face such challenges.

Sample

The paper draws on data from three cohorts of secondary PGCE students in a university–schools partnership, involving a total of 169 students.

Design and method

The research lies within a design research tradition. It has used mixed methods, involving written tasks, interviews and focus groups, with an iterative approach where the outcomes from one cohort have been used to inform course developments in successive years.

Results

The results from these cohorts suggest that, while the students starting the course have a less restricted view of NOS than indicated by some other studies, in most cases there is a lack of breadth and depth to their understanding. There is some evidence that the use of specific tasks focusing on NOS in university-based sessions may be helping to develop and deepen understanding. However, the impact of current approaches remains fairly limited and attempts to develop teaching practices often face considerable barriers in the school-based practicum.

Conclusions

Graduate science students’ understanding of NOS as they embark on the PGCE is not highly developed. Hence, the emphasis on aspects of NOS in the school curriculum presents a considerable challenge. This study suggests that there is a need to both further develop an explicit focus on NOS in university-based sessions and to develop closer relationships between schools and university faculty in seeking to support developments in classroom practice in this difficult area.     

Thinking,talking, and teaching on race: Derrick bell's “the space traders”

More criminal justice students are interested in a career in physical evidence collection. Oftentimes faculty have limited knowledge of the subject, which undermines their efforts to advise students on how to secure such a position. Additionally, because crime scene technicians have traditionally learned the position through “on-the-job” training, few academic programs exist designed to provide this education and training. This paper provides an overview of the development of a college-level degree program that will prepare individuals for careers as crime scene technicians and gives faculty a basis for advising students about this career option.     

“I chose to become a teacher because”. Exploring the factors influencing teaching choice amongst pre-service teachers in Ireland

This study investigated the suitability of the FIT-Choice scale for use within an Irish Initial Teacher Education setting with a cohort of first year pre-service teachers (n = 143), from across five different subject disciplines. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine participants’ motivations for choosing teaching as a career, as well as their perceptions about teaching. The results were found to be consistent with the original FIT-Choice structure thus supporting the validity of the FIT-Choice scale within this Irish Initial Teacher Education context. Prior teaching and learning experiences, as well as perceived ability, were found to be the strongest influential factors in participants’ decision to become a teacher. These findings further highlight the prominence given to subject-based knowledge in Ireland. The relationships between participants’ motivations for becoming a teacher and their satisfaction with career choice were also examined. Choosing teaching as a fallback career was negatively related to satisfaction, whereas a desire to work with children was found to be a significant positive predictor.     

A Sticky Business? Exploring the “and” in Teaching and Learning

This article takes as its focus the “and” in discourses of teaching and learning. Drawing upon the work of Deleuze and Guattari, I argue that the “and” signifies a complex, sticky relationship between teaching and learning, and that we can radicalise our conception of “and” to bring forward a range of different discourses. The argument suggests that those critiques of discourses of teaching and learning which argue for an alternative discourse of pedagogy can be supplemented by the radicalising of the “and”. I am therefore proposing the possibility for different forms of immanent and transcendental critique in relation to contemporary debates about teaching and learning. And that there is significance in the apparently insignificant?…

In real life people fumble their words and stare blankly off into space and don't listen properly to what people say. I find that kind of speech fascinating but it seems writers never write dialogue like that because it doesn't look good on the page. (Christopher Guest, Theatre Director)     

Butterfly under a pin: Exploring the voices and stories told of faculty who adopt ICT’s for teaching and learning practices

The purpose of this preliminary study was to qualitatively explore the lived experiences of faculty who adopt ICT in a higher education setting for teaching and learning purposes. Respondents represented a wide range of academic positions. The analysis of data identified organizational support, adequate and quality resources, faculty development, and administration, leadership, and change as emerging themes affecting the faculty ability to adopt information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching and learning purposes. Evidence from this study offers insight into how higher education administrators may support their faculty to implement appropriate ICT tools and strategies to improve teaching and learning practices.     

Reflections on “teaching a generalized response to the lure of strangers to adults with severe handicaps”

The research to practice debate persists, reflecting continued concerns that teachers in classrooms often ignore or give lesser priority to empirically based effective interventions in favor of other interventions that are less effective or adopted on the basis of popularity, intuitive appeal, or by rhetorical influence. A key distinction related to the selection of effective classroom interventions resides in the teacher's ability to discriminate between effective and ineffective classroom practices. In this article, I discuss discriminative ability and disability in terms of some etiological macrosystem influences (empirical evidence vs. bandwagons, beliefs) and possible sequelae in practice that determine likely outcomes for teaching children and youth with disabilities.     

Exploring students’ epistemological knowledge of models and modelling in science: results from a teaching/learning experience on climate change

The scientific community has been debating climate change for over two decades. In the light of certain arguments put forward by the aforesaid community, the EU has recommended a set of innovative reforms to science teaching such as incorporating environmental issues into the scientific curriculum, thereby helping to make schools a place of civic education. However, despite these European recommendations, relatively little emphasis is still given to climate change within science curricula. Climate change, although potentially engaging for students, is a complex topic that poses conceptual difficulties and emotional barriers, as well as epistemological challenges. Whilst the conceptual and emotional barriers have already been the object of several studies, students’ reactions to the epistemological issues raised by climate changes have so far been rarely explored in science education research and thus are the main focus of this paper. This paper describes a study concerning the implementation of teaching materials designed to focus on the epistemological role of ‘models and the game of modelling’ in science and particularly when dealing with climate change. The materials were implemented in a course of 15 hours (five 3-hour lessons) for a class of Italian secondary-school students (grade 11; 16–17 years old). The purpose of the study is to investigate students’ reactions to the epistemological dimension of the materials, and to explore if and how the material enabled them to develop their epistemological knowledge on models.     

Making the written word “speak”: Reflections on the teaching of correspondence courses

Abstract

Learning outcomes for an interactive television‐based distance learning course in introductory high school Japanese were evaluated in three successive years by comparing student achievement in the distance learning course to that in traditional classes. Year‐end achievement tests of listening and written language competency were administered to students in both the distance and face‐to‐face courses. Results in the first two years showed that test scores of students in the distance learning course were higher than those of students in the face‐to‐face classes; however, possible group differences in motivation, general ability, and experience as language learners could not be ruled out as explanations for the difference. Therefore, achievement measures were supplemented in the third year with data on students’ perceived efficacy as Japanese language users, their grades, and their previous foreign language learning experience. The achievement data again showed differences favoring the distance learning group; trends were consistent for students with differing levels of school success and amount of prior language learning experience. Factors that could account for these results are hypothesized and suggestions for future research are proposed.