The nature and development of middle school mathematics teachers’ knowledge

In this article, we report on the use of a teacher profiling instrument with 62 middle school teachers at the start of a 3-year professional learning programme. The instrument was designed to assess the aspects of teachers’ knowledge identified by Shulman (1987) refined by Ball et al. (2008) and extended to include teachers’ confidence to use and teach various topics in the middle school mathematics curriculum and their beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning. Based on a hierarchical coding of items, the application of the partial credit Rasch model revealed that the profile items were measuring a single underlying construct and suggested that the various facets of teacher knowledge develop together. We describe the characteristics of four levels of the hierarchical construct measuring teacher knowledge and understanding for teaching mathematics in the middle years of schooling, and discuss the unique affordances of a holistic view of teacher knowledge in contrast to considerations of multiple knowledge categories.     

The role of teachers’ shared values and objectives in promoting intercultural and inclusive school cultures: a case study

This article presents an analysis of teachers’ impressions of their shared objectives and values, together with their conceptions of interculturality and inclusion. The educational reality of a school in Valencia (Spain) is described, based on the exploration through semi-structured interviews. From the systematically categorized information, we obtained two dimensions that, when analyzed, enabled us to draw up lines of action or initiatives for change. We suggest actions that may be taken to transform their school culture and to guide their work towards an inclusive and intercultural model.     

Opportunities and challenges in the development of teachers’ knowledge: the development of narrative authority through knowledge communities

This work examines generative approaches to teacher professional development that pay attention to how personal, interpersonal, contextual and situational factors influence teacher knowledge developments over time. Using examples from our research programs, we show how critical it is to intentionally account for how teachers filter their professional development experiences through their personal practical knowledge expressed in community. By featuring Pat (the pre-service case) and Liz (the in-service case), we illustrate how teachers develop their narrative authority in knowledge communities and show why knowledge communities are critical to the sustained development of narrative authority. We argue that attending to these critical matters creates opportunities for understanding that can lead to confirmation of, refinement in, or transformation of present practices.     

The development of student teachers’ research knowledge,beliefs and attitude

This study reports on the development of second-year student teachers’ knowledge of research, and the changes in their beliefs and attitude regarding research during an introductory course at an institute for primary teacher education. Questionnaires and concept maps were administered before and after the course. The results showed that student teachers’ knowledge about research grew during the introductory course and that their positive beliefs about research became more positive, while their negative beliefs about research decreased. A positive change was found concerning the attractiveness of research to student teachers. Furthermore, student teachers’ self-efficacy regarding research appeared related to their beliefs and attitude: the more the student teachers were convinced of their abilities to conduct and use the results of research after the course, the more positive their beliefs and their attitude regarding research were. This study provides guidelines for institutes for teacher education on integrating research activities into their curricula, so that their student teachers develop research knowledge and positive beliefs and attitudes towards research.     

Measuring teachers’ knowledge of vocabulary development and instruction

This article describes the development of an instrument to measure teachers’ knowledge of vocabulary development and instruction, the Teacher Knowledge of Vocabulary Survey (TKVS). This type of knowledge has become increasingly important as all classroom teachers are expected to help students meet language and literacy standards that include vocabulary acquisition. While a few studies have measured teacher knowledge of reading, there are no known instruments for measuring teachers’ knowledge of vocabulary development and instruction. However, vocabulary is a crucial determinant of reading comprehension and content area knowledge, particularly for English learners (Graves, August, & Mancilla-Martinez, 2013). Statements about vocabulary development and instruction were gathered from foundational texts, reviewed by subject matter experts, and researched in cognitive labs for possible inclusion as items in the TKVS. The survey’s 52 statements comprise 6 categories, including one section on vocabulary development, four sections on instruction, and one section on instruction specifically for English learners. Ratings of item difficulty by subject matter experts were then used to distinguish three levels of teacher knowledge of vocabulary: emergent, intermediate, and expert. Fifty teachers completed the TKVS, and their performance was found to correlate with the experts’ predicted difficulties of the items. Initial analyses provide evidence for the content and construct validity of the TKVS as a measure of teacher knowledge of vocabulary development and effective instruction. The discussion considers implications for the use of the instrument, including as a needs assessment or guide for professional development for both preservice and inservice teachers.     

The discrepancy between teachers’ beliefs and practices: a study of kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong

This study examines the discrepancy between teachers’ beliefs and practices in Hong Kong kindergartens and the factors that influence this discrepancy. Three kindergartens, considered by the Hong Kong Education Bureau to be of varying quality, were chosen from different areas of Hong Kong. Questionnaires about teaching beliefs were administered to 35 teachers from these kindergartens. These quantitative data were supplemented with qualitative data gathered during individual interviews with five of the teachers and the three principals. In addition, a focus group of five early childhood education specialists commented on the videotaped observations of the classroom practices of the five interviewed teachers. The findings showed that all of the teachers endorsed the advocated teaching beliefs, but there was a discrepancy between their beliefs and practices. The most significant factors contributing to the discrepancy were teachers’ professional education and their attitudes towards personal teaching introspection. Teachers were also under pressure from parents’ curriculum requests, demands on the children’s academic abilities and expectations for a strong link to Primary One. Enhanced early childhood education training that helps teachers to be introspective about their own teaching practices and beliefs is recommended. Government support is also required to teach parents what constitutes a high-quality learning environment for young children.     

The effects of a short-term professional development program on physical education teachers’ behaviour and students’ engagement in learning

This study examined the effect of a short-term training programme οn in-service physical education teachers’ behaviour and students’ engagement in learning. Teachers (n = 32) were randomly divided into an experimental and a control group. Each teacher’s behaviour was observed in six lessons; two for each measurement (pre, post and retention) and analysed with qualitative dimensions of lesson introduction, task presentations and lesson closure. Student engagement was analysed with the time analysis form. The total and successful attempts of selected students were also recorded. The experimental group attended a two-hour lecture followed by a two-hour practicum, and showed significant improvement and learning of all the examined behaviours as well as significantly higher performance than the control group. Also, students of the experimental teacher group presented significantly greater activity time, more practice attempts and more successful ones than their peers in the control group. The results establish the effect of the training programme on teacher behaviour and student engagement in learning.     

Play-based art activities in early years: teachers’ thinking and practice

The present study reports findings on pre-service teachers’ thinking during planning and implementing play-based art activities. ‘Thinking’ (in the present study) is informed by discourses emphasising art teaching and learning in relation to play and theoretical assumptions conceptualising planning as ‘practice of knowing’. Pre-service teachers’ thinking was explored through: (a) a tool ‘sk?ptikó’ (a series of questions), created by the researchers to initiate inquiry during planning and provide evidence about participants’ ‘practice of knowing’, and (b) a semi-structured interview using the method of photo-elicitation. Classroom observation, researchers’ reflective notes, document analysis (‘sk?ptikó’) and photographs were used in conjunction with data gathered from semi-structured interviews to confirm the findings. The findings suggest that there is a relationship between pre-service early childhood teachers’ thinking (planning) and practice (implementation). The rationale behind their decisions appears to compete with their thinking on philosophical/moral choices (knowing why). The notion of space has been challenged through artistic practices incorporating ‘play’, while art activities were characterised as playful, reinforcing active learning. The study highlights the significance of thinking through documentation, as this was found to contribute to reflective pedagogical practices.     

Examining teachers’ early writing knowledge and practices

Reading and Writing - This study examined preschool teachers’ writing knowledge and how this knowledge relates to classroom writing practices. Head Start teachers (N?=?47) across...     

Learning to become a teacher in Australia: a study of pre-service teachers’ identity development

This study aims to examine how pre-service teachers learn to teach in Australia context during their practicum and how this learning experience constructs their identities as teachers through activity theory framework. Data were drawn from interviews with two pre-service teachers, interviews with their supervising teachers and university mentors, lesson plans, and supervising teacher’s feedback. The findings indicate that the two pre-service teachers’ identity formation is a continuing process and an outcome of the collective activity through their interaction with their coordinating teachers, mentors and students. We argue that teachers’ identity formation is related to their agency to seek and offer support to others. The pre-service teachers could produce and reproduce their identity in the relevant community through their agentive action to interact with others.     

Student teachers’ development of a positive attitude towards research and research knowledge and skills

The aim of this study is to investigate the experiences of student teachers participating in an introductory course, designed to stimulate the development of a positive attitude towards research and to stimulate the development of research knowledge and skills by second-year student teachers of an institute of primary teacher education. A questionnaire (N = 81) was used to measure the students’ attitude and perceptions of the development of their attitude towards research, their perceived development of research knowledge and skills and what parts of the introductory course they perceived to be responsible for these developments. According to the students’ perceptions, the introductory course contributed to the development of both a positive attitude towards research and research knowledge and skills. The students indicated that examples from practice, authentic learning tasks and working in pairs or groups contributed most to the development of their attitude, knowledge and skills.     

Early years practitioners’ knowledge of early signs of autism in England

This research explores early years practitioners’ knowledge and ability to recognise the signs of autism and provide appropriate support. It was carried out using semi-structured interviews with six UK-based early years practitioners who have worked with children with autism. The findings highlighted that early years practitioners are aware of autism but have a limited understanding of the early signs of the condition. Furthermore, there are inconsistencies in training and collaboration in early years settings. All these factors influence whether the practitioners are able to recognise the early signs of autism and provide appropriate support. This study highlights the need to address the issue of training provided to early years practitioners.     

The centrality of teachers’ judgement practice in assessment: a study of standards in moderation

There is a strong quest in several countries including Australia for greater national consistency in education and intensifying interest in standards for reporting. Given this, it is important to make explicit the intended and unintended consequences of assessment reform strategies and the pressures to pervert and conform. In a policy context that values standardisation, the great danger is that the technical, rationalist approaches that generalise and make superficial assessment practices, will emerge. In this article, the authors contend that the centrality and complexity of teacher judgement practice in such a policy context need to be understood. To this end, we discuss and analyse recorded talk in teacher moderation meetings showing the processes that teachers use as they work with stated standards to award grades (A to E). We show how they move to and fro between (1) supplied textual artefacts, including stated standards and samples of student responses, (2) tacit knowledge of different types, drawing into the moderation, and (3) social processes of dialogue and negotiation. While the stated standards play a part in judgement processes, in and of themselves they are shown to be insufficient to account for how the teachers ascribe value and award a grade to student work in moderation. At issue is the nature of judgement as cognitive and social practice in moderation and the legitimacy (or otherwise) of the mix of factors that shape how judgement occurs.     

A systematic observational study of teachers’ and pupils’ behaviour in large and small classes

Research and debate on class size differences have focused on relations with achievement and there is little relevant research on what mediating classroom processes might be involved. This paper investigates connections between class size and three aspects of teacher and child behaviour in class: teacher–child interactions, pupil attentiveness and off-task behaviour, and peer relations in class. It reports on a systematic observational study of large (average 33 children) and small (average 19 children) reception classes (children aged 4–5 years). Data come from a sub-sample of 235 children in 39 classes drawn from a longitudinal study of two cohorts of over 10,000 children for three years after entry to English infant schools (aged 4–7 years). Results show that teacher–child contacts are more frequent and personalized in small classes, but that children are more likely to be off-task in large classes (whether with the teacher, other children or when not interacting), and interact more extensively with their peers (through work as well as social contacts). The results raise questions about direct models of teacher effects, and suggest that class size is one contextual influence that presents difficulties and opportunities for teachers and children.     

The construct of teachers’ pay satisfaction: a case study of primary and secondary schools in China

The construct of teachers’ pay satisfaction is important to the systemic appraisal of teachers’ compensation. The study aims to probe the components of teachers’ pay satisfaction and verify this construct in primary and secondary schools in China. In-depth interviews with 24 teachers were conducted to propose a construct model for teachers’ pay satisfaction. A survey of 1,218 teachers was conducted to verify the teachers’ pay satisfaction construct, including its reliability and validity, with subjects recruited from 45 primary and secondary schools in 6 cities and counties. Another survey of 364 teachers sampled from 6 provinces was used to compare the proposed two-order model with Heneman’s four-dimensional model. Teachers’ pay satisfaction comprises pay results satisfaction and pay management process satisfaction. The former includes pay level and increase, promotion and training. The latter includes teachers’ engagement, openness and transparency of pay distribution, as well as the reasonableness of distribution rules. Teachers assign greater importance to relative pay than do workers in other occupations. Chinese teachers attach great importance to pay management process satisfaction.     

Vocational knowledge in motion: rethinking vocational knowledge through vocational teachers’ professional development

The paper presents empirical data to consider some of the current debates concerning the nature of vocational knowledge taught in Further Education colleges to students following craft, vocational and occupational courses. The concept of ‘knowledge in motion’ and workplace learning theories are employed as a conceptual framework to examine the continuing professional development (CPD) activities of vocational teachers. This is used to shed light on the ways in which teachers use CPD as a means of accessing and transporting vocational knowledge from occupations to classrooms. Empirical data were gathered through questionnaire, in-depth interviews and participant observation. The findings are presented around five themes: (1) the range of CPD engaged with by vocational teachers; (2) the limitations of propositional, explicit knowledge; (3) engaging with and capturing tacit knowledge; (4) managing the temporality of vocational knowledge; and (5) networking within and to the occupation. Findings suggests that vocational knowledge is distributed and networked and this conceptualisation makes visible some of the ways teachers are able, through CPD activity, to transport vocational knowledge from occupations to classrooms.     

Exploring elementary english teachers’ practical knowledge: A case study of EFL teachers in Taiwan

Teaching English in elementary schools has been an important educational policy in Asian countries over the past several decades. This study investigates how in-service teachers in elementary schools conceptualize their practical knowledge about English teaching in Taiwan. It provides examples of experiences and practical knowledge that English teachers have developed in their own contexts. The practical knowledge of teachers was investigated using a qualitative case study. Three in-service teachers participated in this study. Data include interviews, classroom observations, teachers’ reflective journals, and teaching materials. The study provides practical principles and rules of practice for elementary EFL teachers. It offers insights that policy makers need to consider in setting up a sound English teaching and learning program for elementary schools in EFL contexts.     

In pursuit of beginning teachers’ competence in promoting reading motivation: A mixed-methods study into the impact of a continuing professional development program

As teachers’ reading motivation and self-efficacy for promoting reading motivation can be considered vital for their reading-oriented promotive teaching practices and students’ reading motivation, this study evaluated the impact of a year-long CPD program for beginning primary school teachers. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design with repeated measures was established, including a comparison and two CPD conditions (group vs. individually-oriented). Based on the quantitative results only no clear impact of and differences between the conditions could be observed. The qualitative analysis, however, showed growth in teachers’ reading motivation and self-efficacy at a different pace and level of intensity for both CPD conditions.