Conceptions of assessment and teacher burnout

Teacher burnout is an important phenomenon that affects the education system and society as a whole. Assessment represents a form of stress for teachers, and this study explores the association between teachers’ assessment-related beliefs and their burnout level. To this end, the Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment (TCoA) inventory along with the Maslach Burnout Inventory were administered to a sample of Iranian teachers of English language. Multiple correspondence analysis and multiple regression analysis were employed for data analysis. The results reveal a significant relationship between TCoA and the three dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment). It is similarly found that conceiving of assessment as irrelevant to the life and work of teachers and learners is the best predictor of Depersonalisation and Personal Accomplishment, whereas Student Accountability is the best predictor of Emotional Exhaustion. Finally, the results are discussed and implications are provided in the context of education.     

Teaching beliefs: a comparison between Italian primary and secondary school trainee teachers

This paper presents research which compares the teaching beliefs of primary and secondary school trainee teachers. Participants were 177 trainee teachers, 92 enrolled in a primary school teacher degree course, and 85 enrolled in a postgraduate teacher training course specifically for music teaching at secondary school level (middle and high school). A questionnaire was employed for assessing beliefs. By performing factor analysis, the following four dimensions were extracted: innovative teaching and cooperative learning, teacher-centred approach, learner-centred approach and working collaboratively. Data were subjected to analysis of variance for each factor of the questionnaire. Significant differences between primary and secondary trainee teachers in the way they think about music teaching were found. The relevance of these factors and differences was discussed in considering how to improve the education of teachers.     

Special education pre-service teachers' interest,subject knowledge,and teacher efficacy beliefs in mathematics

Teacher efficacy beliefs is an important characteristic to predict instructional quality and the level of cognitive activation and educational support. Since teacher efficacy beliefs are context and domain specific, this study focuses on how special education pre-service teachers' individual interest and subject knowledge in mathematics predict their efficacy beliefs in teaching mathematics. Data were collected from 57 special education pre-service teachers. The results indicated that the individual interest of pre-service teachers has a strong effect on teacher efficacy beliefs, while subject knowledge has only an indirect effect.     

Teacher-working-environment fit as a framework for burnout experienced by Finnish teachers

The purpose of this study was to explore the kinds of episodes that challenge comprehensive school teachers’ occupational well-being and cause burnout and how teachers perceive the relationship between themselves and their working environment in these episodes. Altogether, a selected group of 68 primary and secondary school teachers were interviewed. The narratives of burdening episodes were identified and analysed from the qualitative data. The results suggested that teachers’ working environment provides multiple contexts for burnout. Sources for teacher burnout varied between the working contexts provided by the single school. Moreover, the results showed that there was heterogeneity in the quality of the teacher-working-environment fit reported by the teachers while facing burdening situations or series of events in their work.     

The role of a professional learning community in teacher change: a perspective from beliefs and practices

This longitudinal study aimed to examine the role of a professional learning community (PLC) in changing teachers’ beliefs and practices. Teachers of a Chinese department in a Hong Kong secondary school were interviewed and observed. The findings indicate that the features of a PLC-facilitating teacher change are development of a coherent structure, a collaborative culture, and effective learning activities. These help teachers to overcome initial difficulties and induce their motivation for transformation. Teacher change in five dimensions (curriculum, teaching, learning, roles of teachers, and learning to teach) and three patterns (change in practice but not in belief, change in belief but not in practice, change in practice and belief) were detected. It is argued that cultivating an effective PLC is significant to teacher development.     

Becoming a better teacher: A case of changing the pedagogical knowledge and beliefs of law professors

Two instructors, given the lowest ratings by students in theschool of law at a research university in Israel, were interviewed,rated by students, and videotaped in classes twice: before and afterthey went through a treatment for improving instruction. Throughout theintervention period, several of their students were also interviewedregarding their instruction. Ratings by students of the same course inthe years previous to, and following, the treatment were also recorded.An analysis of the pre-treatment data identified three general factorsthat diminished students' ability to pay attention to and understandtheir teaching, thus causing their teaching to be perceived by studentsas poor. These three factors were: personal characteristics andaptitudes that negatively affect classroom behavior; lack ofsufficient pedagogical knowledge, and damaging thinking and beliefsregarding instruction and students. The four-month intensive treatmentshowed success in modifying and changing for the better most of thedamaging factors and in increasing instructional effectiveness. Thesignificant increase in student satisfaction from instruction thatresulted from the intervention was maintained for at least eight monthsafter the end of treatment. A principal conclusion is that for improvinginstruction of teachers perceived as poor by students, it is necessaryto modify not only the teachers' classroom behaviors but also theirpersonal characteristics and their beliefs about teaching and students– especially those that damage the effectiveness of theirinstruction.     

年轻英语教师语音教学信念与行为的对比分析

语音是学习语言的基础和提高语言整体水平的重要切入点。由于影响语音学习因素的多样性和复杂性,使得语音教学从来都是英语教学的薄弱环节。教师作为教学活动的组织者和领导者,在语音教学过程中起主导作用。本研究的目的在于揭示教师的语音教学信念及其语音教学信念与教学行为间的关系,观察二者是否一致,并探究其原因。     

Pre-service teacher education students' epistemological beliefs and their conceptions of teaching

A study using both quantitative and qualitative methods was conducted in the final year of a Bachelor of Education programme to examine the student-teachers' epistemological beliefs and conceptions of teaching. The results show that most of the student-teachers (i) strongly believed that learning effort was more important than innate ability, (ii) strongly believed that knowledge changes, and (iii) were inclined to question the authority of knowledge. Although student-teachers who had sophisticated or mixed epistemological beliefs tended to believe in constructivist or mixed conceptions of teaching as predicted, inconsistent cases were identified. Implications for teacher education programmes are discussed.     

Elementary school teachers' knowledge and beliefs regarding non-routine problems

This study focuses on the knowledge exhibited by 30 elementary school in-service and pre-service teachers in solving non-routine mathematical problems and on their beliefs regarding these kinds of problems. Interviews were used to reveal teachers' knowledge and beliefs. The findings indicated that these teachers had difficulty in solving non-routine problems and that their ability to solve these problems was influenced by their professional backgrounds. Most of the teachers, although failing to solve the given problems, expressed their willingness to give such problems to their students in class, explaining that such problems are important for students to learn how to solve as they help develop mathematical thinking and the skill of solving problems in everyday life. However, the teachers were unwilling to include such problems in examinations.     

Initial epistemological beliefs transformation in one teacher education classroom: Case study of four preservice teachers

Education literature suggests that preservice teachers hold similar initial beliefs, viewing the teacher as the authority figure passing knowledge to the students. In consistency with constructivist practice, these beliefs should be challenged to enable the preservice teachers to develop alternative ideas, seeing the students capable of constructing knowledge with the help of the teacher. These beliefs are found difficult to change in the course environment. Drawing on surveys and teaching observations from four preservice teachers in an introduction methods course, the study showed that the four participants had different epistemological beliefs, some beliefs being more resistant to change than others.     

城乡结合部初中英语教师职业倦怠的调查与分析

通过对安徽省21所城乡结合部中学初中英语教师的问卷调查统计发现:这些教师在情绪衰竭、低成就感、去个性化方面存在较为严重的职业倦怠倾向。主要原因,一是社会认同的偏差;二是受约与客观条件的制约与影响;三是缺乏主观上的关注与支持。建议从建立灵活多变的教学评价体系,改善办学条件、加大扶持力度和加强师资队伍建设、提高教学质量三个方面进行修正或改善。     

商丘市初中教师工作倦怠状况及其社会支持的关系研究

This study surveyed the current situation of teacher burnout in a sample of 400 teachers from urban junior high school in Shangqiu of Henan Province with scales, and examined the relationship between dimensions of teacher burnout and sources and types of social support they received. The results show that Shangqiu urban junior high school teachers’ emotional exhaustion is serious; gender does not affect the score of burnout significantly; teachers with 1 year job experience recorded significantly lower scores of burnout than others, and teachers who have worked for 6–10 years is second; urban junior high school level affects the score of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization significantly, but does not affect reduced personal accomplishment; social support is most important to enhance feelings of the teacher’s personal accomplishment; among all the sources, supervisor and principal support is the most significant predictor of teacher burnout; emotional support is more significant predictor of teacher burnout than practical support; peer support increases the teacher’s emotional exhaustion. __________ Translated from Jiaoshi Jiaoyu Yanjiu 教师教育研究(Teacher Education Research), 2007, 19(3): 65–71     

Predicting intraindividual changes in teacher burnout: The role of perceived school environment and motivational factors

Based on self-determination theory, this study proposes and tests a motivational model of intraindividual changes in teacher burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment). Participants were 806 French-Canadian teachers in public elementary and high schools. Results show that changes in teachers’ perceptions of classroom overload and students’ disruptive behavior are negatively related to changes in autonomous motivation, which in turn negatively predict changes in emotional exhaustion. Results also indicate that changes in teachers’ perceptions of students’ disruptive behaviors and school principal’s leadership behaviors are related to changes in self-efficacy, which in turn negatively predict changes in three burnout components.     

The relationship between teacher stress and burnout in Hong Kong: positive humour and gender as moderators

In this study, we report on the relationship between positive humour and burnout among 379 secondary school teachers in Hong Kong, and explore whether the relationship varies according to gender. The moderating effects of both affiliative and self-enhancing humour on each burnout component were then examined. High affiliative and self-enhancing humour were found to be associated with lower emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation but higher personal accomplishment. Further, the results indicated that low levels of affiliative and self-enhancing humour were related to more depersonalisation among females than among males. The results also partially supported the stress-moderating hypothesis, as affiliative humour was found to buffer the stress–depersonalisation relationship in this sample. These findings suggest that schools can design continuing education programmes based on the use of positive humour in helping teachers to cope with burnout.     

Teacher self-efficacy and teacher burnout: A study of relations

The purpose of this study was partly to test the factor structure of a recently developed Norwegian scale for measuring teacher self-efficacy and partly to explore relations between teachers' perception of the school context, teacher self-efficacy, collective teacher efficacy, teacher burnout, teacher job satisfaction, and teachers' beliefs that factors external to teaching puts limitations to what they can accomplish. Participants were 2249 Norwegian teachers in elementary school and middle school. The data were analyzed by means of structural equation modelling using the AMOS 7 program. Teacher self-efficacy, collective efficacy and two dimensions of burnout were differently related both to school context variables and to teacher job satisfaction.     

Analyzing beliefs and practices of a Mexican high school biology teacher

This article explores the beliefs and practices of a high school biology teacher through three interrelated theoretical frameworks: common knowledge, collaborative learning, and communities of practice. The data were obtained from an in‐depth case study of Maria, a biology teacher from a Mexican public high school that was participating in a 4‐year international science project using collaborative learning and information and communication technology. Her beliefs and practices were explored by means of questionnaires, semi‐structured interviews, and nonparticipant observation of classes. Through the use of the three‐component framework, the degrees of coherence between practice and beliefs that guide the teacher's daily behavior became apparent, as well as the difficulties of incorporating innovations due to institutional constraints. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 465–491, 2005     

一例大学生考试焦虑的个案咨询

本文是对一名女大学生的考试焦虑进行心理咨询的案例报告。来访者由于想减轻家里经济负担,一心想获得校内8000元的国家奖学金,以致对期末考试结果产生了过高的期望,从而产生了焦虑情绪。在与来访者进行协商的基础上,先进行了自我放松训练,再运用合理情绪疗法帮助来访者改变了不合理的观念,形成了新的认知模式。     

Burning out during the practicum: the case of teacher trainees

The purpose of the present study was to empirically examine the link between practicum-related stressors, perceived general practicum stress, personal variables (i.e. general and teaching self-efficacy, epistemological beliefs, conceptions about teaching and learning, and trait anxiety) and burnout dimensions in a sample of 174 Greek student teachers, immediately after the completion of their practicum. In addition, the study sought to identify the best predictive combination of the studied variables for each burnout dimension. Participants who reported high general practicum stress indicated moderate levels of emotional exhaustion, but low depersonalisation and high personal accomplishment. Statistically significant correlates of burnout dimensions were used in three regression analyses. Results revealed that emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment were predicted by practicum workload, whereas depersonalisation was predicted by teachers’ epistemological beliefs (i.e. learning process) and practicum-related stressors (i.e. meeting pupils’ needs). The present study contributes to the limited body of existing evidence on burnout in student teachers. The results are discussed in terms of both theoretical and practical implications.     

Exploring associations between supervisory support,teacher burnout and classroom emotional climate: the moderating role of pupil teacher ratio

Abstract

In previous studies on classroom emotional climate (CEC), factors related to teacher’s working conditions have rarely been included. Thus, in the current study, we examined associations between supervisory support, teacher burnout and CEC, and whether pupil teacher ratio (PTR) moderated this association, applying a randomised-control trial design. Participants were students from 300 classes at the end of grade 1, and 300 teachers. Structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed significant relations between supervisory support and teacher burnout and between teacher burnout and CEC. Supervisory support was indirectly related to CEC through teacher burnout. Finally, PTR moderated the association between teacher burnout and CEC.