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.     

Workplace Bullying in Schools: Teachers’ Perceptions of Why They Were Mistreated

This article explores teachers’ perceptions of why their administrators bullied them. Data sources included surveys collected from 250 teachers and interviews with 26 teachers. Survey data indicated the main reasons teachers felt bullied were: their age, their association with a teacher union, and their behaviors. Qualitative results showed teachers felt their administrators bullied them out of jealousy, power, because a previous administrator hired them, teacher traits, and differences in teaching styles.     

Classroom practices of cooperating teachers and their relationship to collaboration quality and time: perceptions of student teachers

This study examined the complexities of the collaborative relationship between student teachers and cooperating teachers in secondary mathematics from the perspectives of the student teachers. Four cohorts of student teachers (N = 170) in secondary mathematics were surveyed using a questionnaire that measured their perceptions of two dimensions of their student teaching experience: collaboration with their cooperating teachers and the classroom practices of their cooperating teachers. Although analysis of the responses revealed that student teachers were generally satisfied with the amount and quality of the collaboration, two important results were revealed. First, about half of the respondents reported spending less than an hour collaborating weekly with their cooperating teacher in various contexts. Second, certain classroom practices of the cooperating teachers were found to be significantly associated with whether they spent more or less than an hour collaborating with their student teachers, and were significantly correlated in most cases. This explicit linkage suggests that the classroom practices of cooperating teachers may extend to the mentoring approach they take when working with student teachers. Suggestions for teacher education programs and cooperating teacher support are shared.     

Two profiles of schoolteachers: a discriminant analysis of job satisfaction

Using discriminant analysis, this study attempts to construct profiles of two types of teachers: those with a low level of job satisfaction and those with a high level of job satisfaction. In addition to their background and demographic characteristics, teachers’ perceptions of their occupation and of their principals’ leadership styles (transformational or transactional) are examined as predictors that discriminate between teachers with low and high levels of satisfaction. The results suggest that teachers with a low level of satisfaction can be reliably distinguished from teachers with a high level of satisfaction by their occupational perceptions, principals’ leadership styles, and a number of their demographic characteristics. Implications of the findings for school principals and teachers are discussed.     

中小学教师社会地位状况调查研究——以山西省为例

采用问卷调查和访谈等研究方法,以山西省中小学教师为研究对象,对山西省中小学教师社会经济地位的整体状况和内部差异情况进行调查和分析表明:中小学教师群体的社会经济地位在逐步提高,但仍存在一定的内部分化现象,教师对目前的社会经济地位状况满意度不高。主要表现为:教师对教育系统内部政治权利内容规定的满意度不高,权利意识比较淡薄;教师政治参与程度较低,参与内容和方式比较单一;不同职务教师的政治参与程度存在较大差异,专任教师政治参与程度偏低;教师工资基本能够按时发放,但总体经济收入水平低于期望值;教师群体内部收入差距大,不同类型教师之间存在一定的不平衡现象;教师对有关教师专业权利的规定比较认同,但不能全部拥有和实现;教师对自身专业水平的满意度不高,专业地位有待进一步提高。     

The communicative competences of students and teachers in different levels of education in North Cyprus

This study was conducted in order to determine the beliefs of students and teachers in different levels of education about their communicative competences. The study group of this research is consisted of 600 secondary school, high school and undergraduate students and 41 of their teachers. In this study, it is observed that not a significant correlation at a considerable degree exists in the communicative competences of students with their teachers, who are from different nationalities, gender and levels. Furthermore, regarding students, educated at different levels, no relation has been observed in their communicative competences with their teachers. Moreover, while students consider their communicative competences with their teachers to be moderately adequate, teachers consider their communicative competences with their students to be adequate in general.     

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.     

澳门幼师被同侪拒绝：自尊的影响及应付方法

当幼师发现同侪在工作上遇到困难时,多会向他们提供帮助,例如教学方法和其他信息的分享。但提供帮助时若被同侪拒绝,幼师会有何反应呢？我们基于一项有关助人被拒的理论为蓝本,透过问卷探讨229位幼师当向同侪提出帮助时被拒的感受和反应。我们预测幼师连番被拒将引致自尊受损,而自尊心较高的幼师,其自尊心受损的程度比自尊心较低的幼师更强烈。本研究亦探讨自尊心高或低的幼师采用什么方法面对被拒的窘境。结果显示幼师的反应大致符合我们的预测。     

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.     

公、私立幼儿园教师工作满意度调查研究

通过对300名公、私立幼儿教师工作满意度调查分析,公、私立幼儿教师普遍认为工作繁重;工作环境满意度较为一般、对工作考评满意度较高、工作认同感和工作积极性不高、参与幼儿园管理意愿较高、对幼儿园提供进修机会较少不满、集体荣誉感普遍较高,但对领导干涉工作不满;主要的差异有：公立幼儿教师在福利待遇、人际环境、工作稳定和工作成就感等满意度方面比私立幼儿教师高;私立幼儿教师在工作环境、教师晋升、参与幼儿园管理等满意度方面比公立幼儿教师高。针对这种差异,要有效进行幼儿园管理,应采取以下应对措施：坚持以人为本的激励策略、重视幼儿教师专业发展、提高私立幼儿教师待遇、改革公立幼儿教师晋升制度、改善工作环境等。     

Mathematics teachers’ representations of authority

Issues of authority abound in education and schooling but have not been interrogated sufficiently. We describe a tool that we have developed to initiate dialogue with teachers about authority in their classrooms—using a diagram to represent authority in their classrooms. Our analysis of the diagrams mathematics teachers created and discussed in our work with them illustrates the importance of understanding teachers’ perspectives about authority. To understand better how mathematics teachers think about the authority in their classrooms, we investigated what sources of authority they represented in their diagrams, and how the teachers related these sources to each other. The diversity in the teachers’ representations exceeded our anticipations, indicating that research on authority in classrooms has merely scratched the surface of understanding the ways mathematics teachers think about authority in their classrooms.     

Novice teachers as organisational people: expectations of a professional work environment,collegiality, recognition and respect

This study introduces a model of novice teachers’ expectations together with supporting empirical evidence. The model is sectorial, distinguishing novice teachers’ expectations according to their reciprocal relations with their partners in the school. The study investigated 237 teachers attending internship programmes at five large teachers training colleges in Israel, using a self‐report questionnaire. The findings revealed that: (1) the expectations of novice teachers are based on a sectorial organisational view of the school, as proposed by role theory; (2) novice teachers have very high expectations of their organisational work environment; and (3) their highest expectations are for public recognition of the importance of teaching, while the lowest expectations are for receiving support and backing from the partners in the educational process. The article discusses novice teachers’ views of their function as organisational people and of the school as an arena for developing and nurturing their organisational selves.     

How common are inclusive educational practices among Finnish teachers?

Several instructional strategies have been recommended for use in heterogeneous classrooms, but the frequency of their actual use has remained largely unknown. Therefore, an electronic survey was sent to Finnish comprehensive school teachers (N?=?2276) in order to assess the prevalence of three selected inclusive strategies: co-teaching, group work, and differentiation. The results showed that co-teaching was used by 42% and group work by 43% of the teachers at least on a weekly basis, while differentiation was used regularly by 83% of teachers. The application of all strategies was strongly associated with teacher category, with subject teachers using them less frequently than classroom teachers or special education teachers. There was a linear trend indicating that these teaching strategies were more prevalent in bigger municipalities and among younger teacher groups. Their use was also more prevalent among female than male teachers. Additionally, among classroom teachers, their usage was associated with a more positive attitude towards inclusive education. Among classroom and subject teachers, their use was also associated with a higher sense of teacher efficacy. It is suggested that subject teachers in particular need to use more versatile teaching strategies to strengthen their ability to cope with student diversity.     

小学教师工作满意度的调查研究

小学教师工作满意度调查结果显示:(1)小学教师的结构基本趋于合理,对工作基本满意,满意度与教师的年龄、教龄存在着显著差异。(2)刚参加工作的教师在工作报酬满意方面显著高于教龄长的教师。(3)年龄与工作满意的关系是一种“U”形关系,与Herzber(1959)的研究结果相似。     

Tensions in beginning teachers’ professional identity development,accompanying feelings and coping strategies

This study examined tensions encountered by 182 beginning teachers during their professional identity development, the feelings that accompanied these tensions and the ways they tried to cope with these. Professional identity tensions stem from an unbalanced personal and professional side of (becoming) a teacher. Tensions that are often mentioned by beginning teachers concerned conflicts between what they desire and what is possible in reality. Female teachers reported more tensions than their male colleagues, while final-year student teachers did not differ from first-year in-practice teachers in the number of tensions they experienced. Tensions were often accompanied by feelings of helplessness, anger or an awareness of shortcomings. Most beginning teachers tried to cope with their tensions by speaking to their significant others or by searching for a solution themselves. Insights into professional identity tensions experienced by beginning teachers are important in order to form a better understanding of the support they need.     

教师情感智力现状调查及对策研究——以六安地区小学教师为例

教师的情感智力是指教师监控自己及他人的情绪和情感,并识别、利用这些信息指导自己的思想和行为的能力。通过问卷调查发现教师情感智力水平居中,城镇教师和农村教师在情绪调控能力方面有差异,文科教师理科教师在情感智力水平上有差异,学历为专科水平和教师学历为本科的教师在情感智力水平上有差异,教龄在5年以下和教龄在15年以上的教师在人际关系处理方面显著高于教龄在5年到15年的教师。在调查的基础上提出了改变教师培养模式、提高教师待遇、满足教师各种需要等提高教师情感智力的有效对策。     

Key experiences in student teachers’ development

This study focuses on the question of why student teachers stay in teaching even after a profound ‘practice shock,’ i.e., a shock that in itself seems to characterize the complex and emotionally challenging first year of student teaching. Using a line drawing technique, the study investigates student teachers’ views of their first year of teaching by examining how they picture their development, their key experiences during that development, and the ways in which they coped with these experiences. The results suggest that most student teachers perceive their own development not as a steadily ascending line as is often suggested by research on the development of teachers’ professional identity. Instead, we now surmise that most student teachers view their development as a path with highs and lows that include transformative moments or periods. This relates to the idea of transformative learning and to theories on identity development that suggest people need a crisis for identity development to occur. During such a crisis, we saw that student teachers explicitly reconsidered their connections to teaching and that this reconsideration led to a regained motivation for teaching. It appeared that supervisors or mentor teachers played a significant role in first‐year (student) teachers’ regaining motivation for teaching.     

新手—熟手—专家型教师的教师文化比较研究

立足于教师文化,从生态取向的角度研究教师成长,采用访谈法和问卷法,随机选取387名中学教师,考察教师文化对教师成长的影响。结果表明：（1）新手型教师能感受到学校领导的关心和支持;对学校的经济条件较满意;有良好的新老教师互动。（2）熟手型教师需要领导对其专业发展给予更多的支持和帮助;考虑到学校经济条件对其成长的支持不足;有了自己比较稳定的人际圈子,同事之间的互动不够。（3）专家型教师得到领导的高度关注和大力支持;对学校的物质支持感到满意;学校的人际关系融洽,与同事实现了积极的互动。（4）总体上看,熟手型教师的教师文化水平低于新手和专家型教师。     

Trainee teachers with dyslexia: personal narratives of resilience

This paper tells the stories of two trainee teachers and their personal experiences of dyslexia. Both informants were English and training to be primary school teachers in England. Through drawing on their own experiences of education, the stories illustrate how dyslexia has shaped the self‐concept, self‐esteem and resilience of each informant. The narratives presented in this paper illustrate powerfully the ways in which teachers can have a positive or negative impact on the self‐concepts of students with dyslexia. Both had been inspired by teachers they had met, and these positive role models had given them the confidence to pursue their own ambitions. However, both had encountered teachers who lacked empathy and patience, and these teachers had a detrimental impact on their self‐concepts. For both of these trainee teachers, personal experiences of dyslexia also shaped their professional identities as teachers. Both trainees described themselves as caring and empathic teachers, suggesting that personal experiences of dyslexia had a positive impact on teacher professional identity.     

Helping students with LD to succeed: the role of teachers’ hope,sense of coherence and specific self-efficacy

Teachers play a critical role in facilitating the academic achievements of students with learning disabilities (LD). The personal resources of teachers, such as sense of coherence (SOC) and hopeful thinking, may predict self-perception of the competency and efficacy they possess to help students with LD acquire needed learning skills. Several studies have shown the importance of SOC and hope to the success of students with LD, but research has not focused on how the hope of their teachers may help these students succeed in inclusive classrooms. The goal of the current study was to identify profiles of teachers, based on their personal resources of SOC and hope, and to examine their self-efficacy (SE) in helping students with LD acquire learning skills. The sample consisted of 624 teachers (567 females and 57 males) from inclusive classes; 143 teachers in this sample had special education training. Using cluster analysis four distinct clusters were identified suggesting that both SOC, as a global personality measure, and hope, as a measure of future expectations, contributed to the SE of teachers: their belief in their ability to help the students with LD acquire learning skills. In each cluster, teachers with special education training had higher levels of hope and SE. The results highlight the important role of teachers’ personal resources in predicting their belief in their professional ability to help students with LD.