我国教师领导力现状及其影响因素的调查研究——以广东省为例

利用自编的专家效度问卷,就教师领导力的现状及其影响因素对广东省内756名中小学骨干教师进行了问卷调查。结果显示:教师在参与学校事务决策过程中不具有相应影响力,学校的垂直管理体制和教师参与学校事务的渠道单一,导致教师较少有参与学校事务决策的机会;优秀教师在同事中具有较高的威信和明显的影响力,良好的人际关系、教学能力、品德与人格魅力是教师在同事中建立个人威信的重要条件;教师普遍对自己的教育教学工作驾驭力感到自信,"学校欠缺激励性的制度文化"和"教学的反思与研究能力不足"是制约教师教育教学能力发挥的重要因素;环境因素是影响教师领导力的主因,样本教师将教师领导力的现状首先归因于外部的和环境的因素,其次才归因于内部的和自身的因素。     

Ability grouping in the secondary school: attitudes of teachers of practically based subjects

This research aimed to explore the attitudes of teachers of practically based subjects (arts and sports) towards ability grouping. Teachers from 45 secondary schools adopting different levels of ability grouping completed a questionnaire which elicited their responses to statements of beliefs about ability grouping and its effects. Overall, the physical education teachers exhibited the most positive attitudes towards ability grouping, drama teachers the least, with the music and art teachers in between. The best predictor of teachers’ attitudes was the subject that they taught. These findings support the notion that, overall, teachers of practical subjects have positive attitudes towards mixed‐ability teaching.     

School partnerships as the base for theory as well as practice

A questionnaire assessing attitudes toward small‐group teaching (SGT) was administered to 442 elementary and secondary school teachers from 26 randomly selected schools in Israel. Data was collected on teachers’ prior experience with SGT, their knowledge of the basic characteristics of this approach and their perception of colleagues’ support for the use of innovative teaching techniques. Teachers expressed somewhat negative attitudes toward SGT on a scale dealing with teacher control of the class, but they were distinctly positive on a scale about the efficiency of SGT for presenting subject matter, and most positive regarding the effect of SGT on pupil development. Teachers experienced with SGT were more positive on 2 out of 3 attitude scales than were those with no experience. Data from measures of teachers’ understanding of SGT characteristics, their perception of colleagual support for innovative teaching and prior experience with SGT accounted for 30 per cent of the variance (canonical R = 0.55) in their responses to the three attitude scales. Findings were discussed in terms of their implications for a model of instructional innovation.     

Bullying: teachers’ views and school effects

Fifty‐one teachers completed a questionnaire and 20 teachers were interviewed about bullying. The teachers taught at two Outer London schools with high proportions of ethnic minority pupils where pupils had previously reported significantly different incidences of bullying. Analyses of the teachers’ responses indicated that at the school where pupils had reported a higher incidence of bullying, teachers were significantly more likely to perceive behaviour as bullying, observe bullying and have pupils report bullying to them. The majority of teachers interviewed endorsed gender differences in type of bullying. Only a minority of teachers believed that there were clear‐cut bully typologies but most believed that there were typical victim personalities. These results are discussed within a phenomenological approach to bullying.     

Towards state‐mandated testing in Germany: how do teachers assess the pedagogical relevance of performance feedback information?

The paper analyses how teachers view state‐mandated tests in Baden‐Württemberg, a large state in the south‐west of Germany. For the first time in 2006, public secondary schools were bound by law to administer Vergleichsarbeiten [state‐wide tests] in up to three relevant subjects after Grade 6. Scholars in the field of school improvement emphasise that there is a gap between performance feedback provided by external tests and how this information is internally processed. To bridge this gap, a crucial precondition is that teachers must accept state‐wide testing as a useful instrument for improving the performance of schools. To examine how teachers view the pedagogical relevance of performance feedback information, 256 secondary schools were approached, and an anonymous questionnaire was completed by a representative sample of 307 teachers with Grade 6 classes. Analysis of the quantitative data reveals that teachers in general secondary schools (the lower level of the academically streamed secondary system) are more open‐minded towards the tests than their colleagues in intermediate schools or in grammar schools (the highest level). Even so, only a small percentage of teachers in general secondary schools acknowledge the pedagogical relevance of performance feedback information for improving teaching strategies. This result suggests that state‐mandated testing in Baden‐Württemberg is highly unlikely to initiate or support school improvement activities for the time being.     

A teacher competence development programme for supporting students’ reflection skills

The Teachers of Promise study has followed the work histories of 57 primary and secondary teachers who had been identified at the beginning of their third year of teaching as having the potential to make a significant contribution to the profession. Using data from surveys and interviews, this paper reports on what sustained or inhibited their initial commitment to and enthusiasm for ‘making a difference’, six years later, both in the classroom and in broader school leadership roles. Satisfaction with their day-to-day experiences in their schools was a particularly strong driver of teachers’ career decisions over time. Thirty-four teachers responded to survey items that were used to identify three different groups of teachers: a group of 10 primary school teachers with the highest levels of job satisfaction who were ‘fulfilling their promise’; a group of 21 primary and secondary teachers who were ‘persevering and coping’; and three teachers who were ‘detached and disengaged’. The group with the highest levels of job satisfaction taught in primary schools where they felt respected and valued, and supported to develop their teaching and leadership expertise. School leadership practices and school cultures in the other two groups diminished teachers’ overall job satisfaction and contribution to collective knowledge building in their schools. Almost all of the teachers had retained their commitment to students, to their current schools and to teaching as a career, including those with lower levels of satisfaction. Although these teachers reported ‘collegial’ relationships with their peers, individualistic school cultures, most often in secondary schools, impacted on their opportunities to learn with and from their colleagues. Few secondary school teachers felt appreciated, and included in school decision-making or had found it possible to combine high standards of classroom teaching with management responsibilities. The study indicates that while most promising teachers were still satisfied with teaching after nine years, relatively few were in schools where they were able to make the impact that had been predicted for them early in their careers.     

The attitudes and opinions of Cypriot primary teachers about the use of the Internet for their professional development and as an educational tool

This article explores the attitudes and opinions of Cypriot primary teachers about the use of the Internet for their personal development and as an educational tool. It also examines the teachers’ concerns about the implementation of the Internet in schools and their opinions about what has to be done in order to ensure its effective integration into the educational settings. The research revealed that Cypriot primary teachers had positive attitudes towards using the Internet both for their professional development and as an educational tool. The only factor that appeared to have a significant positive relationship with the attitudes of the teachers was the degree of confidence in using the Internet. Additionally, teachers considered training in the use of the Internet as the most important need for its effective implementation in primary schools.     

Departmental differences in attitudes to special educational needs in the secondary school

As trends in favour of inclusion continue, questions arise concerning the extent to which teachers in mainstream schools feel prepared for the task of meeting pupils' special educational needs. Little previous research has considered how the subject taught impacts upon the attitudes of mainstream teachers towards pupils with special educational needs. In this article, Jean Ellins, research fellow at the University of Birmingham, and Jill Porter, senior lecturer at the University of Bath, report on their research into the attitudes of teachers in one mainstream secondary school. Building a detailed case study using documents, records of pupil progress, an interview and a questionnaire using a Likert-type attitude scale and open-ended questions, these researchers set out to explore distinctions between the attitudes of teachers working in different departments. Their findings suggest that the teachers of the core subjects, English, mathematics and science, had less positive attitudes than their colleagues. Further, pupils with special educational needs made least progress in science where teacher attitudes were the least positive. Jean Ellins and Jill Porter review the implications of these findings and make recommendations for future practice and further enquiry.     

Behaviours of Concern to Teachers in the Early Years of School

Teachers of students aged from five to eight years at 21 primary schools in western Sydney were surveyed about child behaviour that concerned them and their needs for support in dealing with such behaviour. Although most teachers were confident of their ability to manage classroom behaviour, teachers reported a need for support in dealing with distractibility and concern about aggressive behaviours. Less confident teachers expressed higher levels of concern about aggression, distractibility, and disobedience and wanted more support for dealing with distractibility and disobedience. No relationships were found between teacher concerns or support needs and teacher experience, class level or size, Local Government Area income grouping, and whether or not the school received additional funding for disadvantaged schools.     

Exchange of information about physical education to support the transition of pupils from primary and secondary school

The purpose of this study was to identify how information about physical education is exchanged between secondary schools and their respective feeder primary schools, what information is exchanged and how this information is used. A secondary purpose was to look at whether there is any relationship between schools engaging in liaison activities and exchanging information about physical education, and between exchanging information and the number of associated secondary schools to which pupils are sent or feeder primary schools from which pupils are received. Questionnaires were sent to 177 secondary and 538 feeder primary schools. Responses from 80 secondary schools and 299 primary schools showed that the highest percentage of teachers exchanged information through written documentation, followed by discussion at cross phase liaison meetings. The type of information exchanged by the highest percentage of teachers was identified as generic information about key stage 2 and 3 of the National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE) areas of activity and schemes of work, rather than information about the specific physical education content covered or information about individual pupils, such as levels of attainment or ability. Further, results suggest that information may be used for pastoral purposes and that only a small percentage of teachers used the information exchanged to plan for continuity and progression in the physical education curriculum. There was a significant positive relationship between engagement in liaison activities and information received about the physical education curriculum followed by pupils, but a significant negative relationship for primary teachers between the number of different secondary schools to which pupils' progress and knowledge about the key stage 3 schemes of work that Year 6 pupils will follow in their associated secondary schools. These results are discussed in relation to continuity and progression in physical education in the transfer of pupils from primary to secondary schools.     

Teachers' self-esteem and self-efficacy

A web-based questionnaire was sent to all elementary and middle school teachers in Iceland. The population list, with e-mail addresses, was obtained from the teaching union. The teachers were asked to indicate their major, as well as their experience in teaching Icelandic as classroom teachers or subject teachers. They then rated their competence in teaching Icelandic on a scale from 1–10. Responses were received from 1033 elementary and middle school teachers. Of all teachers, 83.9% had taught Icelandic as classroom teachers and 37.3% had taught Icelandic as subject teachers. All teachers rated their competence as high. Statistically, Icelandic majors and older teachers were significantly more efficacious than others in teaching Icelandic. Those with the lowest competence ratings in teaching Icelandic were sports and home studies majors. However, teachers from all majors had taught Icelandic as classroom teachers, and a significant number of them had taught Icelandic as a subject.     

Teachers' approaches to finding and using research evidence: an information literacy perspective

Background The use of research evidence produced by others is seen as central to the reflective practice of school teachers. There have been many recent UK initiatives aimed at improving access to research evidence, but there are still concerns about the lack of engagement by teachers. Previous research has looked at this issue from different perspectives, including the content and relevance of educational research, the relationships between researchers and teachers, accessibility and presentation of research and the culture of the school. The research presented here seeks to make a contribution to understanding the diffusion of research in the teaching profession by examining the issues from an information literacy perspective.

Purpose This paper examines the use of research information by UK school teachers, placing an emphasis on their information literacy—i.e. teachers' strategies and confidence in their abilities to find, evaluate and use research information, which is defined as the published output of a planned piece of research.

Sample Survey data were collected from 312 teachers and 78 head teachers from nursery, primary and secondary schools in Scotland, England and Wales. The sample included a wide range of teaching experience, ages, subject responsibilities, school locations and sizes, although there was a bias towards teachers who were motivated to use research evidence. Interviews were conducted with 28 teachers from primary, secondary, nursery and special education schools, and a further 15 teachers took part in group exercises. Interview and group exercise samples were more varied in their levels of research involvement.

Design and methods A mixed methodology was used. The questionnaire survey sought background data on more general attitudes towards research, as well as data on information access and confidence in finding and using general and research information. This was supplemented by qualitative evidence on information strategies and experiences from scenario or vignette interviews. Group exercises in which teachers discussed their responses to specific examples of research information were useful in focusing on strategies for evaluating information.

Results While survey respondents were, on balance, positively motivated towards the use of research evidence, their actual use of information from research was limited. They considered the most prominent barriers to their use of research information were associated with lack of time and lack of ready access to sources. This is likely to be a limiting factor in terms of the development of teacher confidence in finding, evaluating and using the kinds of information sources which are increasingly available to support their professional development. In fact survey evidence from the more research-motivated sample indicated that teachers were considerably less confident in finding and using research information than general information. Their confidence was slightly higher in finding research information (e.g. 67.1% and 60.9% were either confident or very confident in defining information needs and locating information respectively) compared to using research information (for example, 56.5% were either confident or very confident in organizing and synthesizing information). However, evidence from the more mixed interview and group exercise samples also revealed a range of concerns about lack of skills and knowledge needed to search and evaluate information effectively.

Conclusions The findings suggest that information literacy may be a factor in limiting the use of research information, exacerbating the perceived challenges of lack of time and lack of ready access to information sources. From an information perspective, teachers' use of research evidence is likely to be enhanced by greater development of information literacy; more attention to local information dissemination strategies; and the development of an information culture and ethos within schools.     

河南省农村中职学校教师心理健康状况的调查研究

为了解河南省农村中等职业学校教师的心理健康状况,文章采用SCL-90临床症状自评量表与自编的"河南省农村中等职业学校教师压力问卷"对河南省部分农村中职学校教师进行调查,结果显示:第一,与全国常模相比,农村中等职业学校教师各个因子的得分均显著高于全国常模,说明他们的心理健康水平低于全国常模;第二,恐怖、躯体化、强迫症状和抑郁是教师的主要心理问题;第三,农村中等职业学校教师的压力主要来自于职业认同、经济、职称评定等方面。由此文章建议建立农村中职教师心理健康的多维教育、预防和维护体系,以提高农村中职学校教师的心理健康水平。     

Adapt or die: The views of Unisa student teachers on teaching practice at schools

Abstract

In order to expand the knowledge base on learner misbehaviour and disciplinary strategies in Lesotho, the present study reports on findings from an inquiry on how school levels, school control and school size relate to disciplinary strategies. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from Lesotho teachers. The data were analysed by means of frequencies and the one-way ANOVA test. The frequency tables illustrate that there are some differences in the popularity of 22 disciplinary strategies among the different school levels, types of school control and school sizes concerning the teachers who took part in the study. A comparison of the popularity of the overarching categories (traditional and progressive disciplinary strategies) shows firstly, that primary school respondents use a statistically significantly larger number of progressive strategies than respondents from combined and secondary schools and secondly, that participants from schools with 250-499 learners use statistically significantly more traditional and progressive strategies than their colleagues from smaller and larger schools. The results from the statistical analysis lastly reveal that school control type does not have a statistically significant influence on the preference of both traditional and progressive disciplinary strategies. Although this study was guided by the critical rationalist paradigm, the results are discussed within Lesotho's socio-educational context.     

Children's views of Teaching Assistants in primary schools

This study reports primary children's perceptions of the role of the Teaching Assistant (TA) in three state primary schools in South West England. Through the use of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, an exploration was made of how children view TAs, who are commonly found delivering the curriculum alongside the teacher in the classroom. A simple questionnaire was completed by 419 junior children and 86 infant and junior pupils were interviewed, giving children a ‘voice’ about an environment which they inhabit for a substantial proportion of their lives. The results show that children between the ages of 5–11 perceive the role of the TA to be of value and their work to be useful and helpful. Their accounts of the TAs' work in general and in relation to themselves, in particular, were clear and insightful. They distinguish between teacher and TA in terms of training, vocation and responsibility. Most children consider themselves to be confident and willing to ask for help but a significant minority reported that they preferred not to ask for help. The implications of the findings for further research on children's views and for educational practice are discussed.     

Using technology to educate deaf and hard of hearing children in rural Alaskan general education settings

Teachers in Alaskan rural schools were surveyed on their use of instructional technology. The surveyed teachers included the entire population of certified elementary and secondary school classroom teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students in these schools. Respondents generally were older, more experienced, elementary level female teachers who were relatively well educated. Almost half of the respondents held special education certification; about 25% had an endorsement in deaf education. Data analysis indicates that educators who use instructional technology, either in curriculum or broad agenda formats, may be older, hold an advanced degree and secondary education certification, benefit from in-service training on site, are connected to the Internet, and actively use the technology available at their schools. Most of the surveyed educators identified lack of training in the use and integration of software as a barrier to increased classroom use of technology. Based on the study findings, recommendations are made concerning the training needs of teachers in rural Alaska.     

Professional Conversations and Professional Growth

A professional development program for 18 teachers was conducted over a two-year period. The participating teachers taught in intermediate schools (students aged 11–13) and secondary schools. The teachers worked collaboratively to improve their mathematics teaching, with encouragement to reflect on their practice but with minimal instruction from the researchers. Results, as defined by change in teaching practices, beliefs, and reflections, and student achievement, indicated that the collaborative program was particularly useful for experienced secondary school teachers but less useful for intermediate school teachers. We concluded that this type of professional development was most useful for teachers who had sufficient knowledge of mathematics; these teachers were able to focus on pedagogy and to draw connections between aspects of the mathematics they taught, without recourse to a specialist's advice. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Teachers, equity, and computers for secondary mathematics learning

The findings presented in this article were derived from a 3- year study aimed at examining issues associated with the use of computers for secondary mathematics learning in Victorian (Australia) schools. Gender and other equity factors were of particular interest. In this article, the focus is on the participating mathematics teachers. Data on their perceived competence levels with technology, and their use of and beliefs about computers for their male and female students’ mathematics learning were gathered. A clear majority of teachers felt comfortable about, and did use, computers for teaching mathematics, and believed that computers helped students’ mathematical learning. Generally, the teachers considered boys to be more confident and capable than girls with computers. The results have implications for pre-service education programs and for the professional development of practicing secondary mathematics teachers.Various findings included in this article have been presented at a range of mathematics education conferences including: AAMT (2003), MAV (2003), and ICME 10 (2004).     

STUDENT ATTITUDES AND TEACHER TRAINING PERFORMANCE

A national survey of teachers’ needs with respect to children with learning difficulties being taught in Welsh is reported. Using a cluster sample of one in three primary schools and all appropriate secondary schools in Wales, 80 per cent of schools responded to the postal questionnaire. Both secondary and primary teachers gave first priority to the development of a reading scheme, with graded reading books the most desired hardware. Analysis of themes desired in language materials revealed a preference for the values of reality and stability rather than escapism and change. A Welsh comprehension test was given highest priority amongst choice of tests. The relationship between tests and materials and the role of a survey in policy making is discussed.