Learning environment,self-efficacy for teaching mathematics,and beliefs about mathematics

Learning environment research has a long history of significant relationships between the learning environment and student outcomes. This study investigated relationships between the learning environments of mathematics courses in a teacher education program and two outcomes, mathematics teaching self-efficacy and beliefs about mathematics. These two outcomes have been repeatedly shown to influence the future teaching practices of preservice teachers but, to date, their relationships with learning environment have been investigated neither with preservice teachers nor at all in the United Arab Emirates or wider Gulf region. The learning environment was found to be significantly related to preservice teachers’ mathematics teaching self-efficacy and beliefs about mathematics. Learning environments perceived more favourably by preservice teachers were associated with higher self-efficacy for teaching mathematics, but also with more-traditional beliefs, making these findings important for higher education institutes and teacher educators.

     

Interrogating practice in culturally diverse classrooms: what can an analysis of student resistance and teacher response reveal?

As classrooms have increasingly become diverse and complex, developing culturally responsive pedagogies is a professional imperative for teachers. However, considerable international research suggests that meeting the needs of diverse pupil cohorts is challenging for many teachers. In this article, we highlight how curriculum and teaching practices reflect hegemonic values and cultural practices, and can potentially marginalise minority ethnic students. We draw on data from a study conducted in a culturally diverse lower secondary school in Austria where mandatory swimming classes are a source of tension between Muslim female students and their teachers. Our analysis of the intersection of student resistance and teacher authority raises issues of power, compliance and the construction of cultural difference as problematic. We suggest that scenario-based learning and in particular, the analysis of examples of student resistance and teacher response may facilitate teachers’ reflexivity about the values and beliefs that underpin their practice.     

The relationship between teaching practices and student achievement in first year classes

This study investigated the links between the teaching practices of primary school teachers (n = 200) who were observed while presenting a new text to their first year classes, and the student achievement levels in those classes. The teaching practices are specifically concerned with the way the teachers supported and encouraged students’ activities during verbal interactions. Two different populations were observed: classes of first year students with a reduced teacher–student ratio (about ten students per class) and classes with a normal teacher–student ratio (between 20 and 25 students per class). We found that the average level of student achievement in the reduced size classes was higher than in the standard size classes but that teaching practices differed only at precise periods of group or individual introduction to new reading texts. In these periods, we found links between teaching practices and student achievement.     

The effect of student teaching experience and teacher beliefs on pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and intention to use technology in teaching

The student teaching experience has been considered important in establishing pre-service teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards their teaching. However, few studies have investigated the effect of student teaching experiences as an educational intervention for increasing technology integration – especially pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs as an internal barrier to technology integration. Thus, this study examined how technology-centred student teaching experiences differently affect pre-service teachers with different teaching beliefs with regard to self-efficacy and intention to use technology. Participants were 55 pre-service teachers in a student teaching practicum. The findings revealed that technology-centred student teaching experiences increased pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy regardless of their teacher beliefs. Additionally, pre-service teachers with traditional teacher beliefs had a low level of intention at the outset but significantly increased their intention after experiencing technology-centred student teaching; however, those with constructivist teacher beliefs showed no meaningful differences in their intention levels. Implications for teacher education and the limitations of this study are discussed.     

Classroom practices of cooperating teachers and their relationship to collaboration quality and time: perceptions of student teachers

This study examined the complexities of the collaborative relationship between student teachers and cooperating teachers in secondary mathematics from the perspectives of the student teachers. Four cohorts of student teachers (N = 170) in secondary mathematics were surveyed using a questionnaire that measured their perceptions of two dimensions of their student teaching experience: collaboration with their cooperating teachers and the classroom practices of their cooperating teachers. Although analysis of the responses revealed that student teachers were generally satisfied with the amount and quality of the collaboration, two important results were revealed. First, about half of the respondents reported spending less than an hour collaborating weekly with their cooperating teacher in various contexts. Second, certain classroom practices of the cooperating teachers were found to be significantly associated with whether they spent more or less than an hour collaborating with their student teachers, and were significantly correlated in most cases. This explicit linkage suggests that the classroom practices of cooperating teachers may extend to the mentoring approach they take when working with student teachers. Suggestions for teacher education programs and cooperating teacher support are shared.     

Student teachers' beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice: Pattern,stability, and the influence of locus of control

Student teacher beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) were investigated in relation to socialization influences. Sixty student teachers (25 with elementary plus early childhood preparation, 35 with elementary only preparation) completed the Primary Teacher Questionnaire (PTQ), the Internal Locus of Control Index (ICI), and an adaptation of the PTQ rating cooperating teacher beliefs. Early childhood student teachers endorsed developmentally-based practices more than did elementary student teachers; the elementary group endorsed traditional practices more than did the early childhood group. Between-group patterns remained stable over the student teaching placement, indicating a strong preservice influence on beliefs. No within-group changes were found, indicating a continuity in beliefs across the student teaching experience. Results only partially supported the view that student teacher beliefs become similar to those of their cooperating teachers. Internal locus of control orientation had no effect on the convergence of student teacher and cooperating teacher beliefs.     

Teacher self-efficacy in cross-national perspective

In the present study, teacher self-efficacy was examined in a cross-national setting. The cross-national generalizability of the scale and the meaning of cross-national variation in mean scores were investigated. Using data from TALIS involving 73,100 teachers in 23 countries, teacher self-efficacy was shown to have a similar unifactorial structure and equivalent positive correlations with teaching practices and job satisfaction across countries. At the country level, significant correlations were only found for job satisfaction; in addition, teacher self-efficacy was related to collectivism, modesty, and extremity scoring. Thus, mean score differences between countries mainly reflect cultural value orientations and response styles.     

Linking teacher self-efficacy and responsibility with teachers’ self-reported and student-reported motivating styles and student engagement

Teachers' motivational beliefs—i.e., teachers' self-efficacy and felt responsibility for educational outcomes—can shape their professional decision-making and approaches to teaching. However, theorized associations with student outcomes remain elusive. In a multi-level analysis with 96 Swiss vocational teachers and their 1300 students, we examined the interrelations between teachers' self-efficacy, responsibility, teacher- and student-reported autonomy-supportive versus psychologically controlling teaching, and student motivation (emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement). Teachers' motivational beliefs predicted their endorsement of autonomy-supportive teaching, which in turn predicted student-reported autonomy support. Student-reported autonomy support was a powerful predictor of student engagement. Teachers’ motivational beliefs did not predict student-reported instructional practices and engagement directly, and indirect effects via teacher- and student-reported autonomy support were small. Teacher- and student-reported controlling practices were not significantly correlated. The degree of (mis)alignment of teacher- and student-reported instructional practices is a key ingredient in understanding the often missing link between teacher motivation and student outcomes.     

谈高职高专教师的自我效能感

教师自我效能感是指教师相信自己有能力对学生的学习产生积极影响的一种知觉和信念。国内外的研究表明:教师的自我效能感与教师的教育教学行为、学生的学业成绩和人格形成之间存在着密切关系。本文分析了影响高职高专教师自我效能感的因素,并提出了提高高职高专教师效能感的策略。     

教师自我表露教学效果的跨文化比较

以180名美国和509名中国师范生为研究对象,采用自编《教师自我表露教学效果问卷》调查和比较中美师范生对教师自我表露教学效果的理解。结果表明,中美师范生认为教师自我表露有助于师生关系的建立和师生之间的交流,对学生的学习具有积极的作用,并有助于促进学生的课堂参与。在"师生关系与师生交流","学生的学习效果"和"课堂参与"三个维度上,美国师范生的得分均显著高于中国师范生。建议在我国教师教育和培训中,注意引导师范生的自我表露意识,建议教师使用积极的自我表露,尽量避免消极的自我表露,采用与教学内容相关的自我表露,并控制自我表露的时间和内容,意识自我表露的数量,真正发挥自我表露作为教学工具的作用。     

General,collective, and domain-specific teacher self-efficacy among Chinese prospective and in-service teachers in Hong Kong

This study assessed two global (general and collective) and seven domain-specific sets of teacher self-efficacy beliefs among 273 Chinese prospective and in-service teachers in Hong Kong. While teachers generally reported having the highest confidence in teaching highly able learners and the least confidence in classroom management, there were significant teacher group differences. Among four groups of teachers, the experienced teachers reported the highest level of global and domain-specific teacher self-efficacy, suggesting that there could be a trend of rising teacher self-efficacy as a teacher went through preparation and teaching practice to becoming a novice and then a more experienced teacher.     

Evolution of Teachers’ Technology Integration Knowledge,Beliefs, and Practices: How Can We Support Beginning Teachers Use of Technology?

Abstract

In this study, we examined a group of four teachers who completed extra educational technology coursework and field experiences during their teacher education programs to determine how their technology integration knowledge, self-efficacy beliefs, intentions, and practices evolved over time. We conducted interviews and evaluated data sources at three intervals: (1) after teacher education coursework was completed, (2) after student teaching was completed, and (3) after two initial years of teaching. Results showed that school resources and environment had a strong impact on beginning teachers' practices, regardless of strong internal enabling factors.     

The Experiences of African American Physical Education Teacher Candidates at Secondary Urban Schools

Presently, most physical education teachers in the United States are White Americans and from middle class families. In fact, 83 % of all teachers in public schools are White Americans, whereas approximately 10 % of all African American teachers are representative of all teachers in the United States. A student might feel cultural dissonance that she or he is behaving appropriately based on the student’s cultural norm and upbringing, but the teachers who have different cultural and ethnic backgrounds than the students may inappropriately interpret or respond to the behavior. Therefore, it is important to study African American pre-service physical education teachers’ student teaching and field-based experiences with ethnically diverse adolescence (e.g., African American students), because they have the potential to develop a positive relationship between school support, teacher support, and academic achievement and influence student learning, motivation, and engagement in physical education. The purpose of this study was to describe and explain the experiences of African American physical education teacher education (PETE) candidates at secondary urban schools. The research design was explanatory multiple-case study situated in activity theory. Participants were seven African American PETE candidates. The qualitative data sources were interviews, weekly journal reflections, and e-portfolios. The results were (a) navigating power relationships between cooperative teachers and students, (b) a ‘shocking’ experience: Feeling under-prepared, and (c) encountered cultural normalcies and stereotypes in teaching physical education. PETE programs must better prepare teacher candidates for working in urban schools with greater cultural competence and higher self-efficacy.     

Teacher support,instructional practices,student motivation,and mathematics achievement in high school

The authors examined the relationships among teacher classroom practices, student motivation, and mathematics achievement in high school. The data for this study was drawn from the base-year data of High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. Structural equation modeling method was used to estimate the relationships among variables. The results indicate that conceptual teaching positively affected student mathematics achievement, whereas procedural emphasis in mathematics instruction had a negative effect. Teacher support influenced student mathematics achievement indirectly through students' mathematics self-efficacy, and also influenced students' interest in mathematics courses. Finally, students with higher levels of family socioeconomic status and prior achievement were more likely to have teachers who use conceptual teaching strategies. Students with higher prior achievement were also more likely to perceive higher levels of teacher support. The findings have theoretical and practical implications.     

Sociodemographic Inequality in Early Literacy Development: The Role of Teacher Perceptual Accuracy

Previous research has established that student learning is influenced by how accurately teachers perceive student academic ability. But studies rarely investigate the degree to which inaccuracies in teacher perceptions exacerbate demographic inequality in academic ability. Using a sample of almost 14,000 children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort, we found that children whose literacy skills are overestimated by their teachers typically gain more literacy skills during kindergarten. Conversely, children whose skills are underestimated learn less. It is important to note that the skills of socioeconomically disadvantaged children are on average underestimated. As a result, inequalities in kindergarten literacy development stem in part from the links between teacher misperceptions and student background. We also explored the extent to which these relationships operate through practices associated with ability grouping. We found instructional grouping to be a weak facilitator of the link between teacher perceptions and student learning, suggesting the need for further research that identifies the social and structural classroom characteristics that link teacher perceptual accuracy to student learning.     

Teaching Latinx students: Do teacher ethnicity and bilingualism matter?

Prior research has indicated that both mainstream (e.g., positive classroom behavior management) and culturally responsive teaching practices (e.g., cultural socialization in the classroom and promoting parent involvement), as well as teacher-student ethnic match, are associated with greater academic achievement for students of color. The purpose of this study was to examine teacher-student ethnic match and culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy as predictors of self-reported teaching practices used with Latinx students. The present study used a sample of 236 teachers (38.6% Spanish-speaking Latinx) of Latinx students in New York City public schools. We found that bilingual Latinx teachers reported using more effective mainstream and culturally responsive teaching practices compared to non-Latinx teachers (who did not speak Spanish). Using structural equation modeling, we found support for a model in which greater reported use of effective teaching practices by bilingual Latinx teachers is mediated by their greater culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy. Taken together, the findings suggest that greater confidence with culturally responsive teaching among Spanish-speaking Latinx teachers contributes to improved classroom environments for Latinx students.     

The relative strength of relations between different facets of teacher motivation and core dimensions of teaching quality in mathematics - A multilevel analysis

Teacher self-efficacy and teacher interest are two key facets of teacher motivation that are important for high-quality teaching. Little is known about the relative strength of the effects of teacher self-efficacy and interest on teaching quality when compared with one another. We extend previous research on teacher motivation by examining the relations linking mathematics teacher self-efficacy and interest with several relevant dimensions of teaching quality as perceived by teachers and students. Participants were 84 mathematics teachers (61.2% female) and their students (1718 students; 48.5% girls). Based on doubly latent multilevel models, we found that teacher-reported self-efficacy in instruction was positively related to teacher-reported cognitive activation, classroom management, and emotional support in mathematics classrooms. Teacher-reported educational interest showed positive associations with both student- and teacher-perceived emotional support. Future research is advised to focus more strongly on the unique relations between different teachers’ motivational characteristics and relevant dimensions of teaching quality.     

Teacher educators’ approaches to teaching and the nexus with self-efficacy and burnout: examples from two teachers’ universities in China

Teacher educators’ approaches to teaching, and their experience of burnout and self-efficacy beliefs, are related to how they are able to facilitate student teachers’ learning. In this study, 115 Chinese teacher educators responded to a questionnaire in 2015. Based on the previous study investigating the teacher educators’ approaches to teaching, the present study explored how these approaches were related to their self-efficacy beliefs in teaching and burnout. Burnout was measured through inadequacy in teacher-student interaction and exhaustion subscales. The analyses revealed that a student-focused approach to teaching among teacher educators was positively related to their self-efficacy beliefs in teaching. Both student- and teacher-focused approaches to teaching were positively related to the educators’ experience of inadequacy in teacher-student interaction. However, the study revealed no relationship between teacher educators’ approaches to teaching and the experience of exhaustion. To prevent feelings of inadequate interaction with their students, pedagogical training should provide these teacher educators with efficient guidance on how to interact with student teachers. The present study provides new insights in the teacher educators’ adoption of the student- and teacher-focused approaches to teaching.