Secondary science teachers' attitudes toward and beliefs about science reading and science textbooks

Science textbooks are dominant influences behind most secondary science instruction but little is known about teachers' approach to science reading. The purpose of this naturalistic study was to develop and validate a Science and Reading Questionnaire to assess secondary science teachers' attitudes toward science reading and their beliefs or informed opinions about science reading. A survey of 428 British Columbia secondary science teachers was conducted and 215 science teachers responded. Results on a 12-item Likert attitude scale indicated that teachers place high value on reading as an important strategy to promote learning in science and that they generally accept responsibility for teaching content reading skills to science students. Results on a 13-item Likert belief scale indicated that science teachers generally reject the text-driven model of reading, but they usually do not have well-formulated alternative models to guide their teaching practices. Teachers have intuitive beliefs about science reading that partially agree with many research findings, but their beliefs are fragmented and particularly sketchy in regard to the cognitive and metacognitive skills required by readers to learn from science texts. The findings for attitude, belief, and total scales were substantiated by further questions in the Science and Reading Questionnaire regarding classroom practice and by individual interviews and classroom observations of a 15-teacher subsample of the questionnaire respondents.     

Student teachers' attitudes and beliefs about inclusion and inclusive practice

The beliefs and attitudes of teachers are an important element in the development of inclusive education and its associated practices. Teacher education is seen as crucial in helping to develop positive attitudes and beliefs that are thought to promote inclusion, although attempts to reform teacher education in order to address issues of inclusion are complex. The paper reports the findings from a set of surveys that studied student teachers' attitudes to, and beliefs about, inclusion and exclusion at the beginning and end of a newly reformed 1‐year professional graduate diploma course at the University of Aberdeen, which places inclusion at the heart of the programme. The findings from the surveys indicate that both primary and secondary student teachers' attitudes and beliefs towards the principles of inclusive education remain positive throughout the course and are largely undiminished by school experience. This contradicts some findings that are reported elsewhere, where attitudes and beliefs become more negative following experience in schools. Findings from this study also show that attitudes, beliefs and understandings of the principles of inclusion are enhanced by consideration of the ideas underpinning ‘Learning without Limits’.     

Pre-service teachers' implicit and explicit beliefs about English language learners: An implicit association test study

Pre-service teachers' attitudes and beliefs about English Learners (ELs) are especially critical as they enter their professions among an increasingly diverse student population. This study uses an Implicit Association Test to explore implicit and explicit beliefs and attitudes of pre-service teachers about ELs. Pre-service teachers from a Southeastern U.S. university hold generally positive implicit beliefs about ELs and express positive expectations for working with ELs and school support. Implicit association test measures have potential as tools for preparing pre-service teachers and evaluating the impact of interventions that seek to improve teachers’ readiness to serve this population.     

Similarities and differences in teachers' beliefs about effective teaching of mathematics: Japan and Hawai'i

This paper examines the similarities and differences in beliefs about the effective teaching of mathematics held by teachers from two different socio-cultural backgrounds: Tokyo, Japan and Hawai'i, U.S.A. Data were collected using a part of the Teacher General Classroom Process Questionnaire (Grade 8) of the Second IEA Mathematics Study. Validation and interpretation of the data collected were based on classroom observations and interviews. The results indicate that while there are some similarities in beliefs of what constitutes effective teaching, the differences are greater. These differences appear to reflect the difference in the teachers' socio-cultural environment. In particular, the differences appear in classroom management, face-saving strategies, and providing for individual needs and differences.     

Pre-service teachers' beliefs about the switch of medium-of-instruction and their influence on lesson planning and teaching practice

Studies suggest that pre-service teachers' existing beliefs often serve as a lens to interpret the subject matter to be taught, guide their thoughts in lesson planning and shape their behaviour in classroom practices during their teaching practicum. This study examines how these beliefs affect pre-service teachers' conceptualization of Putonghua-medium-of-instruction (PMI) and their teaching. The findings indicate that the conceptualization of pre-service teachers about PMI ranged from code switching to curriculum integration. Their focus of lesson planning and teaching practice varied from transmission of Putonghua knowledge and detailed explanation of text information to integration of Chinese Language and Putonghua.     

Pre-service teachers' conceptions and beliefs about the role of real-world knowledge in mathematical modelling of school word problems

Recent research has documented that many pupils show a strong tendency to exclude real-world knowledge from their solutions of school arithmetic word problems. In the present study, a test consisting of 14 word problems—half of which were problematic from a realistic point of view—was administered to a large group of students from three different teacher training institutes in Flanders. For each word problem, the student-teachers were first asked to solve the problem themselves, and afterwards to evaluate four different answers given by pupils. The results revealed a strong tendency among student-teachers to exclude real-world knowledge from their own spontaneous solutions of school word problems as well as from their appreciations of the pupils' answers.     

Pre-service teachers' performance from teachers' perspective and vice versa: behaviors,attitudes and other associated variables

In a rapidly changing world, the mission of education deserves some reflection. Mutual understanding and assessment between trainers and trainees offers a way to promote discussion concerning goals, values, and strategies that should be promoted at schools. This study offers the views of 153 pre-service teachers and their respective trainers during their practicum. We aimed to determine if an association exists between the scores of pre-service teachers and teachers regarding behaviors and attitudes shown by the first. We also want to analyze the extent to which pre-service teachers rate the importance of different educational strategies as well as the extent to which teachers use these strategies in their daily work. We also aim to determine to what extent self-rated behaviors and attitudes of pre-service teachers are associated to their ratings on importance and utilization of different educational strategies. Two questionnaires were utilized to gather the data. Results revealed higher scores on self-evaluation than others’ evaluations; utilization of diverse educational strategies was associated to evaluations on pre-service students’ responsibility, ability to detect and meet students’ needs, and final grade in practicum. Association between pre-service teachers’ self-evaluation and evaluation on the importance of different educational strategies revealed large associations between climate for the expression of ideas, teaching methodology, and the importance given to using language appropriate to the level of the students. Average ratings on importance and utilization of different teaching strategies resulted in high scores, with utilization of teaching methodologies obtaining the lowest scores. Gender resulted in significant differences on importance, with women scoring higher than men. Importance scores were significantly higher than utilization scores. High associations were found between self- and others’ evaluations on values related to compliance with rules, as well as on behaviors associated to maintain order and discipline in the classroom. Differences in views of teaching, importance, and utilization of different teaching strategies should be debated in order to advance our understanding of effectiveness of educational practices.     

Elementary teachers' attitudes toward preassessment procedures

A questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward preassessment procedures was mailed to 300 elementary teachers; a 70% return rate was achieved. A 3 × 2 analysis of variance yielded main effects for years of experience and referral history. Teachers with more than 6 years of experience had significantly more negative attitudes toward preassessment than did teachers with less than 2 years of experience. Teachers who had made referrals to a preassessment team had significantly more negative attitudes than teachers who had no history of referrals to preassessment teams. Suggestions for modifying the preassessment process are offered.     

Changing perspectives: Examining the potential for advanced mathematical studies to influence pre-service teachers' beliefs about mathematics

This study considers the potential for advanced mathematical studies to impact pre-service teachers' beliefs about mathematics. Results show that, after completing a degree which includes advanced mathematical studies, many prospective teachers' beliefs still reflect limited interpretations of key terminology and do not value the theoretical and conceptual network underpinning the rules and procedures of secondary mathematics. Many of their beliefs about the nature of mathematics also fail to recognise its capacity to stimulate analytical thought and creativity. In cases where pre-service teachers showed evidence of well-developed beliefs, the study explores the role of their advanced mathematical studies in this development.     

Pre-service and in-service teachers' metacognitive knowledge about problem-solving strategies

The present study based on Antonietti, A., Ignazi, S., & Perego, P. (2000). Metacognitive knowledge about problem-solving methods. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 1–16 methodology with the aim to examine primary school teachers' metacognitive knowledge about problem-solving strategies. A sample of 338 in-service (172) and pre-service (166) teachers participated in the study. They were asked to give on a five-point scale frequency, efficacy, and facility estimates for the application of five problem-solving strategies in 3 kinds of problems (interpersonal, practical, and study problems). The results are in accordance with Antonietti, A., Ignazi, S., & Perego, P. (2000). Metacognitive knowledge about problem-solving methods. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 1–16 evidence. They, also, stressed the possible role of age along with work experience in the formation of beliefs about strategic behavior.     

Primary teachers' attitudes toward the direct instruction construct

In this survey we sought to investigate the extent to which primary school teachers working in Adelaide's northern suburbs (mainly lower SES) would relate to direct instruction as a viable teaching method in their professional work. Through approaches in school staffrooms, 150 questionnaires were distributed and 58 of these were returned via mail. A Likert-scale was used with five positive and six negative items, and a single factor resolution was evident. It was possible to identify 11 (19%) respondents exhibiting varying degrees of negative attitude, and 47 (81%) exhibiting varying degrees of positive attitude. Attitudes to direct instruction correlated positively with teachers' years of experience (r=0.34), and with a checklist measure tapping actual knowledge of the components of direct instruction as described by Rosenshine (r=0.63). Female teachers reported more positive attitudes than male teachers. Item analysis indicated a consistent pattern of generally positive orientation towards direct instruction, except in the case of one item, “Direct instruction is an effective method with all students,” which elicited an agreement level of only 39%.     

Student teachers' attitudes toward science and science teaching

Attitudes toward science and science teaching are the subject of a mounting body of research on teachers. A widely used instrument developed by researchers in the United States appears to be relevant to the Australian context and was considered appropriate for measuring attitudes of preservice student teachers attending a College of Advanced Education in Brisbane. The findings suggest that much more effort needs to be concentrated on fostering desirable attitudes toward science and the teaching of science among future primary school teachers.     

Science teachers' beliefs about curriculum design

Teacher beliefs about curriculum design affect the quality of science education in schools, but science researchers know little about the interrelation of beliefs about alternative curriculum designs. This article describes a quantitative study of secondary science teachers' beliefs about curriculum design. A 33-item Science Curriculum Orientation Inventory (SCOI) was developed to measure five distinct orientations to curriculum: academic, cognitive processes, societycentred, humanistic, and technological. Data were collected from 810 integrated science, chemistry, physics, and biology teachers in Hong Kong. A confirmatory factor analysis of teacher responses to the SCOI indicated that science teachers' beliefs about curriculum design had a hierarchical structure; the five distinct curriculum orientations were positively correlated, forming a second-order curriculum, meta-orientation. Physics teachers were less society-oriented than biology, integrated science and chemistry teachers, and integrated science teachers were more humanistic than physics teachers. Although science teachers' beliefs about any of the five alternative curriculum designs did not vary with their teaching experience, the difference between beliefs about the cognitive processes orientation and the humanistic orientation increased when teachers had gained more teaching experience. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Chinese teachers' attitudes toward teaching physical activity and fitness

In this study we examined Chinese physical educators' attitudes toward teaching physical activity and fitness. We then compared the Chinese teacher attitudes to their American counterparts. Participants were 330 Chinese elementary, middle and high school physical educators. The Teachers' Attitudes Toward Curriculum in Physical Education (TATCPE) instrument was used to gather data. One‐way repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests indicated that the Chinese teachers scored significantly higher on the self‐actualization and physical activity/fitness than the motor skill development and social development outcome goals. The MANOVA on motor skill development, physical activity/fitness, self‐actualization and social development outcome goals showed no significant differences for gender, teaching level, or years of teaching experience among the Chinese teachers. Teachers from both countries, however, considered all four domain areas to be important outcome goals. Despite cultural differences, Chinese and American teachers share key core attitudinal values about their respective programs.     

Prospective teacher beliefs about liberative and oppressive mathematics teaching practices: a first step toward equitable instruction

This article reports findings from a study conducted within a teacher education program to help highlight the importance of equitable instruction of mathematics for all students. The researcher developed four scenarios of her oppressive and liberative teaching practices. Prospective teachers were then asked to write scenarios describing their oppressive and liberative teaching practices. Results showed that prospective teachers found it easier to write liberative teaching practices of themselves than oppressive examples. Scenario themes centered on allowing students ample time to understand mathematical concepts, having high expectations for all students, and addressing individual student’s needs. Developing prospective teachers who are aware of equity in teaching requires ample time to discuss authentic issues in diversity. Teacher educators need to be aware of their own oppressive and liberative teaching practices in doing such work.     

Biology teachers' attitudes toward and use of Indiana's evolution standards

This study examines the relationship between biology teachers' evolution teaching practices and their regard and use of Indiana state evolution standards. A survey developed by the authors contained five subscales: use of standards; attitude toward standards; attitude toward evolution standards; evolution teaching practices; and demographic information. This survey was administered to 229 Indiana biology teachers. Data were analyzed using the Rasch model to convert Likert rating scale data into ratio data used for parametric analyses. Correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between use of standards and attitude toward standards, attitude toward standards and evolution teaching practices, and attitude toward evolution standards and days teaching evolution. These findings suggest practical relationships between standards use, teachers' regard of standards, and evolution teaching practices. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 236–257, 2007     

Preservice elementary teachers' explicit beliefs about multiplication and division

This study, conducted in the United States, was designed to assess the extent to which the beliefs, multiplication always makes bigger and division always makes smaller, are explicitly held by preservice elementary teachers. Paper and pencil instruments were administered to 136 preservice elementary teachers in a large university in the southeastern United States. Responses on the instruments and in interviews provide insight into the sources of preservice teachers' beliefs and into the relationship among preservice teachers' beliefs, computational skills, and performance on word problems.