Being and Becoming: teachers’ perceptions of sex‐roles and actions toward their male and female pupils

The article discusses the changes to sex‐roles which teachers perceived to have occurred during the past decade or so, and how such perceptions affected themselves and their teaching of male and female pupils. The research took place in two primary schools in Victoria, Australia and comprised of interviews and observation methods. The results demonstrated that there were differences between male and female teachers’ perceptions of sex‐role changes and also the age of teachers affected their interpretation of female pupils’ behaviour. Female teachers were found to have an ambiguity of self‐concept in terms of their understanding of women's roles as both mothers and teachers. Several examples of teachers’ comments and interactions with their pupils are discussed and interpreted within an interactionist framework.     

The work,perceptions and professional development of teachers

This article presents work from an ongoing investigation, where the objective is to understand the impact of recent Portuguese legislation – the Teaching Career Statute and its respective Evaluation of Teacher Performance regulations – on the (re)construction of teacher identity, the teaching career and professional development. From an analysis of the results obtained, it can be noted that the aforesaid legislation had a negative impact on the perceptions of teachers about their professional development, which is evidenced in their pedagogical practice, the educational success of their students, team work and professional investment for a significant percentage of teachers.     

The attitudes of mainstream teachers towards pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties

ABSTRACT

This paper reviews a selection of the literature relating to the attitudes of mainstream teachers to different types of emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBDs) in the classroom. It discusses the variables influencing these attitudes, including gender, age and ethnicity of teachers and pupils; national context; between‐ and within‐school factors; within‐classroom factors; and the availability and quality of support services. The literature shows that many mainstream teachers have negative perceptions of, and limited tolerance for, problem behaviour in the classroom, and the barriers to modifying these attitudes are considered. Examples of projects designed to overcome these barriers are given.     

Pupil involvement in planning topics using KWL grids: opinions of teachers,student teachers and pupils

Pupil involvement in planning is one way in which teachers listen to the “pupil voice”. This paper focuses on pupil involvement in planning class topics using KWL grids. The opinions of teachers, teacher education students and primary school pupils in Northern Ireland were sought on this using questionnaires and interviews. The vast majority of teachers and student teachers responded positively, many commenting that the pupils had reacted favourably, enthusiastically or with enjoyment, and that they seemed to be more motivated, responsive and interested in topics in which they had some “ownership”. Negative opinions expressed by teachers included arguments about difficulties in incorporating pupil ideas into their planning as well as practical concerns about using a KWL grid with younger or less able pupils. More fundamental were fears about loss of teacher control, teacher authority being undermined, and “interference” in teacher planning. One of the outcomes of the study is a list of recommendations for good practice when using KWL grids.     

Democratic attitudes among high-school pupils: The role played by perceptions of class climate

The present study shed light on the continuing debate among students of political socialisation regarding the effects of civic education on the upholding of democratic attitudes. Our major conclusion is that civic education, in and of itself, has only minor effects on democratic attitudes of pupils. Furthermore, among pupils who attended civic education classes, democratic class climate would have a crucial effect on the internalisation of democratic attitudes, and the association between sociodemographic characteristics and democratic attitudes is partially mediated by perception of democratic class climate. The findings offer a model which involves demographics and class climate for predicting the success of civic education in meeting its main goal—the absorption and internalisation of democratic attitudes. Thus, we hope to take the ongoing debate in the field at least one small step forward. 1 1. All authors had an equal contribution.      

‘Bunking off’: The impact of truancy on pupils and teachers

There is widespread interest in the impact of unauthorised absence on pupil attainment, links with disaffection, exclusion from school and criminality. However, little is heard about what those who take unauthorised absence from school think that the effect has been on them; nor do we hear the voices of other pupils and their teachers. This article presents evidence from a one‐year study of absence in seven local authorities in England funded by the Department for Education and Skills. It defines ‘truancy’, explores some issues from existing literature on pupil non‐attendance, and presents evidence to show the impact that absence from school has on truants, other pupils and teachers. Finally, it suggests that although the greatest impact is on the academic and socio‐psychological development of persistent absentees, the attitudes and learning of other pupils and the workload and morale of teachers are also affected.     

Precision Teaching and Fluency Training: Making maths easier for pupils and teachers

A 12-week programme was designed for five children in a primary class (9-10 years of age) who were failing to keep pace with their peers in the maths curriculum. The programme drew on principles of precision teaching and emphasised fluency training in the component skills required for the performance of a composite maths skill. The class teacher identified a target composite skill, and the five children's scores were compared before and after the programme, and compared with the rest of the class. On post-programme measures, the precision teaching children out-performed all but one of their peers on the target skill. This paper adds to a growing database demonstrating the importance of fluency training and frequent monitoring of children's progress (fundamentals of precision teaching). It also shows that expensive and time-consuming additional resources are not required to successfully implement such programmes.     

The characteristics and perceptions of teachers engaged in leading professional communities

Following educational reform in Israel, teacher-leaders create and lead professional development communities (PDCs), which are professional learning communities with a focus on in-service professional development and/or improving pedagogical effectiveness. Interviews with 30 teacher-leaders and all four district-level program coordinators revealed that, prior to assuming the role, teacher-leaders developed their professional and leadership skills largely in a self-directed manner. They described their PDCs as cohesive and dedicated, cooperative, involving peer-learning, and as creating a knowledge bank of teaching methods and tools. PDCs enable teachers to advance projects within the school and affect school culture. Principals’ involvement with PDCs varied, with their usually considerable involvement very favorably regarded. This article describes these findings and discusses their implications for the professional development of teachers in the international context.     

师生关系新走向:双向式"师道尊严"

教师地位、角色应该受到专业尊重与为人、治学严谨是“师道尊严”的合理内核。现代教育需要民主、平等,也需要“师道尊严”。双向式“师道尊严”是现代师生关系新走向,具有尊重、沟通、分权等特性,可称为“第三种结构”或“第三条道路”。     

Career plans and work perceptions of preservice teachers

This article examines the reasons for entry, work perceptions, and the future career plans of 272 preservice teachers who entered a highly selective graduate teacher education program in 1987 and 1988. The profile of their job expectations was compared with that of a sample of experienced teachers. The study concludes that these talented students are entering the profession mainly for altruistic reasons and have fairly realistic views of working conditions; however, many plan to remain only if they derive the expected satisfaction from working which children. The findings are compared to labor market forecasting theories which could direct policy makers in their efforts to attract and retain high ability individuals to the teaching profession.     

The role of motivations and perceptions on the retention of inservice teachers

This article addresses the characteristics, motivations and perceptions of teachers regarding retention. The participants were practicing teachers in Australia. The survey included the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice (FIT-Choice) scale, previously used with preservice teachers. The results show that: i) teacher motivations are related to self-perceptions in teaching children/adolescents in the community, ii) threatened by negative social perceptions, and iii) influenced by characteristics such as gender. It is concluded that retention may be undermined by employment practices and social perceptions that erode a teacher’s self-concept. Outcomes inform policy for improving employment practices for the retention of a diverse teaching workforce.