Teacher beliefs and intentions regarding the instruction of English grammar under national curriculum reforms: A Theory of Planned Behaviour perspective

While numerous studies in mainstream education have drawn on the Theory of Planned Behaviour to investigate curriculum impact, in English Language Teaching contexts such research is scant. This study applies the theory to anticipate the impact of the Japanese national curriculum for English, by exploring the beliefs of senior high school teachers regarding the integration of grammar with communication-oriented teaching. The findings imply that for some teachers, adoption will be hindered, firstly, by misconceptions regarding high-stakes examinations, resulting in unfavourable attitudes and perceptions of social pressure to reject reform; and secondly, by insufficient resources, such as time and training.     

Turkish preservice science teachers’ efficacy beliefs regarding science teaching and their beliefs about classroom management

The purpose of this study was to explore Turkish preservice science teachers’ science teaching efficacy and classroom management beliefs. Data in this study were collected from a total number of 584 preservice science teachers utilizing the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument and the attitudes and beliefs on classroom control (ABCC) inventory. Data analysis indicated that preservice science teachers generally expressed positive efficacy beliefs regarding science teaching. In addition, results revealed that participants were interventionist on the instructional management dimension, whereas they favored non-interventionist style on the people management dimension of the ABCC inventory.     

Misrecognition and science education reform

In this forum, I expand upon Teo and Osborne??s discussion of teacher agency and curriculum reform. I take up and build upon their analysis to further examine one teacher??s frustration in enacting an inquiry-based curriculum and his resulting accommodation of an AP curriculum. In this way I introduce the concept of misrecognition (Bourdieu and Passeron 1977) to open up new ways of thinking about science inquiry and school reform.     

Heroism and science education reform

In this study, we use a cultural framework to examine two important science curriculum changes in a large Australian state during the 1960s and 1970s. In particular, we describe the activities of two prominent science educators who presided over these curriculum reforms against a backdrop of significant changes in the school system of the time. We represent the actions of these persons as heroic Drawing on interview data from these and other members of the community, we describe how the Heroes shaped, modified and united the culture through referents, rituals and artefacts. We speculate on the importance of heroic activity in supporing curriculum change.     

教师教育的政策导向与体制变革

我国教师教育改革的政策导向是倡导教师职业的专业化发展和专业化管理.在此政策导向引导下,本轮教师教育改革使教师教育体制发生了三项重要的变化:专业化成为教师教育体系的内在价值导向;教师资格认证制度成为教师职业和教师教育体系的制度化联系和教师专业的品质保障;在教师专业化管理的基础上,实现了教师教育体制在职前和取后教育的全面开放.教师专业能力的常规性认证制度和专业团体参与规范的制度是专业化的必要环节,也是进一步落实教师教育改革政策所需的制度创新.     

对中小学理科教育改革的探讨和认识

从七个方面对中小学理科教育改革进行了探讨和认识，强调了建构主义的理论对理科教育的发展产生了很大的影响。     

Teacher beliefs about learning and teaching in primary science and technology

It is argued that the introduction of many new curricular with their associated teaching practices have failed because the beliefs, views and attitudes of teachers have been ignored. This paper reports the implications of the initial belicfs of primary school teachers involved in a professional development program about science and technology education. In particular, a mismatch between teachers views of learning and teaching is identified and analysed. Specializations: Science education, professional development Specialisation: primary science and technology education     

Issues and challenges regarding environmental education policy implementation

Abstract

In this article, the authors have chosen to inquire into a topic that has specific relevance to the status and inclusion of environmental education in the curriculum at a stage when the translation of policy into practice stands at the crossroads: the transition of environment as phase organiser to environment as integral to all learning areas. In education praxis, the translation of policy into practice is in the hands of educators and teachers (using the terminology as suggested in this article). The issues and challenges regarding the implementation of environmental education policy as experienced by educators and teachers are identified through examining this phenomenon as portrayed in two case studies where in-service education and training (INSET) in relation to environmental education occurs. This study is one of the first to provide a researched background that identifies issues and challenges that impact on the implementation of environmental policy in formal education contexts.     

Teacher agency in the performance of inquiry-oriented science curriculum reform

In this commentary, I consider several theoretical and analytical aspects of Tang Wee Teo and Margery Osborne??s case study. I begin by identifying structuralist and cultural themes in Tang Wee and Margery??s theoretical model of human activity. Next, I offer an alternative interpretation for Tang Wee and Margery??s reported findings in terms of the notion of multiple teacher agencies. After that, I discuss the dramaturgical or theatrical nature of the symbolic interactionist model used by Tang Wee and Margery, focusing specifically on the issues of teacher role-taking and curriculum authorship. The paper then ends with a discussion about the significance of Tang Wee and Margery??s study wherein I emphasize the need for science education researchers to give more careful consideration to teacher agency and the analytical value of theatrical metaphors from the field of social dramatism.     

Teacher education and its reform in contemporary Japan

This article aims to describe the general framework of the teacher training system and its recent reform in Japan. As elsewhere, Japanese society is moving into an era of mass higher education provision. Since initial teacher training is provided by universities, the reform of teacher training is a part of the higher education restructuring that is also under way. At the same time, Japan is facing educational problems in compulsory education. The Educational Personnel Training Council of Japan is recommending reforms, which attempt to create a new type of teacher to cope with these educational problems. This opens the way for the Japanese state to develop more direct control over the curriculum and assessment of teaching staff in universities. The Ministry of Education is attempting to develop new control methods of 'Evaluative State' strategies. The reform of teacher education system exemplifies this shift.     

Teacher education reform: Issues of equity and accountability

Recent policy changes in teacher education have had a significant impact on equality of educational opportunity for the teaching profession. Improving standards of excellence in the school system while at the same time insuring equality of opportunity has become a major concern. The policy maker interested in promoting equality of opportunity will have to balance the need for teacher quality with the notion of equity. This paper examines some of the policy changes in teacher education and focuses on how they impact the recruitment and retention of minority students.     

新课程背景下的高师院校教师教育改革

为基础教育培养高质量师资,是高师院校生存和发展的立足点和生长点。基础教育新课程改革给高师院校提出了前所未有的挑战,而高师院校教师教育课程几十年来变化不大,教学内容与基础教育脱节,教学理念落后,教学方法陈旧,高师院校培养的准教师不能完全适应基础教育新课改的需要。为此,高师院校应更新教育观念,优化教师教育课程结构,改革教师培养模式,加强与基础教育的合作与联系,形成教师职前培养与职后培训一体化的教师教育新体系,以彰显高师院校教师教育特色。     

Teacher education, preservice teacher beliefs, and the moral work of teaching

This paper presents a case for attending to preservice teachers’ beliefs that are relevant to the moral work of teaching within teacher education research and practice, and examines what it would look like to do so. The case for attending to candidate beliefs is grounded in a learner-centered approach to teacher education and in the literature on the role of beliefs in teacher learning and change. The authors demonstrate how attending to preservice teacher beliefs is particularly critical for the task of preparing candidates for the moral work of teaching, and present a conceptual framework that can guide that task and teacher education research and practice designed to support it.     

Teacher education in Bhutan: highlights and challenges for reform

Bhutan is embarking on a comprehensive education reform process, with teachers and teacher education at the centre of a number of initiatives. This study describes the current state of affairs based on interviews with key informants and semi-structured focus groups in Bhutan. Several major themes emerged, including issues of quality of students and teaching, the integration of theory and practice, organizational structure and culture, and working conditions at the present Colleges of Education, and in the broader education sector.     

A study of the concerns of science teachers regarding an implementation of ISCS

The federal government has responded to public interest in science education by supporting the development of science curricula, but a 1978 survey reports a low extent of actual use. A conceptual model which provides insight into the individual concerns that teachers adopting a new program might express was employed in a study of science teachers adopting ISCS. Recommendations for implementations, based on study findings are: Strategies for implementation should be correlated to concerns and should change as concerns shift; training in skills should be graduated and continuous; personal support is essential; and, furthermore, evaluation of effects should be delayed until early teacher concerns have been resolved. The concerns concept seems a promising tool for understanding critical problems of an adoption process. It can be useful in guiding the implementation of educational innovations by helping to alleviate trauma individuals face when confronted with such change.     

Teacher beliefs and technology integration

The purpose of this exploratory mixed methods study was to investigate how teacher beliefs were related to technology integration practices. We were interested in how and to what extent teachers' (a) beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning, (b) beliefs about effective ways of teaching, and (c) technology integration practices were related to each other. The participants were twenty two teachers who have participated in a four-year professional development project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Specific relations between teachers' beliefs and technology integration practices are presented. The implications for professional development and suggestions for teacher belief change and technology integration are discussed.