The social conflict inventory (SCI): A measure of beliefs about classroom peer conflicts

Abstract

This study describes the development of the Social Conflict Inventory (SCI), a self‐report teacher belief scale for assessing beliefs about young children's classroom peer conflicts. Three phases were involved in the construction of the SCI: item development, initial testing with one sample (n = 218), and follow‐up field test with a second sample (n = 395) that also addressed the convergent and concurrent validity of the instrument. Reliability and factor analyses conducted during the initial field test resulted in a reduction to 20 items (Cronbach’ s α = .87) with three subscales: General Orientation to Peer Conflict (α = .81), Cessation (α = .84), and Facilitation (α = .65). Similar patterns of factor loadings and reliabilities resulted from analyses of the follow‐up field test data. Overall, the SCI proved to be a reliable instrument for assessing the beliefs concerning the role of classroom conflicts in children's development and for differentiating among groups of teachers. Further use of the SCI in conjunction with other measures of teacher beliefs will contribute to a better understanding of its concurrent validity. Finally, the potential for its use in future studies to clarify the relationship between beliefs and actual classroom practices and as an instrument for assessing the effectiveness of specific classroom management training programs is discussed.     

Phonological and phonemic awareness: Their impact on learning to read prose and to spell

Abstract

The three'Cueing system is well‐known to Australian teachers. What is less well known is that it arose not as a result of advances in knowledge concerning reading development, but rather in response to an unfounded but passionately held belief. Despite its largely uncritical acceptance by many within the education field, it has never been shown to have utility, and in fact, it is predicated upon notions of reading development that have been demonstrated to be false. Thus, as a basis for decisions about reading instruction, it is likely to mislead teachers and hinder students’ progress.     

The Impact of a Professional Development Program on Teachers' Understandings about Watersheds,Water Quality,and Stream Monitoring

Abstract

Professional development programs should provide teachers with experiences that develop their knowledge and skills to integrate environmental field studies into their school curriculum. This article reports on a professional development model that engaged teachers in designing and conducting local environmental science research projects. An overview of the professional development model is provided and evaluation data are reported, detailing the impact of the professional development model on teachers' understandings about watersheds, water quality, and stream monitoring.     

The Classroom Behavior of Teachers During Compensatory Reading Instruction1

Abstract

This article focuses on the classroom behavior of 135 teachers in compensatory reading programs (grades 2, 4, 6) in twenty-one cities. A special observation instrument was designed to categorize teacher behavior during reading instruction and reliability data are reported for the forty-six observers who were trained to use this instrument. Each class was visited on nine different occasions for 15 minutes of coding during each visit, and data are reported in terms of the average amount of time spent in each mode and content activity across the teachers in these programs.     

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.     

Action Research,Master of Arts in Teaching Interns and a University/School Partnership: A win,win, win situation

This paper discusses a 2-year study conducted in a professional development school involving Master of Arts in Teaching intern teachers and at-risk readers in Grades 2-6. A reading club for the at-risk readers provided the setting for intern teachers to conduct action research. The premise of the work was twofold: to develop intern teachers' action research skills, and to improve the reading skills of at-risk readers. Results indicate that intern teachers became more reflective and effective teachers through working with students in the club, and the students showed gains in reading skills and a more positive self-perception.     

Attitudes toward Reading and the Teaching of Reading in a Group of Student Teachers

Abstract

There are widespread assumptions and convictions about the importance of positive attitudes for the acquisition of reading skills, and the importance of the teacher in promoting such attitudes in pupils. But the teacher and his/her attitudes are relatively neglected variables in the massive reading research literature. This paper reports the construction of a semantic differential instrument to assess primary school teachers' attitudes toward reading and the teaching of reading. The instrument was administered to 317 final year prospective primary school teachers from five Victorian teachers' colleges. The semantic differential data were analyzed in two different ways and the correlational patterns obtained from each analysis are discussed. Components of the attitude instrument were found to be related to reading achievement.     

Development and evaluation of a screening instrument for cooperating teachers

Abstract

In order to recruit, retain, and train quality cooperating teachers, a 35‐item instrument was devised to screen for attitudes toward systematic supervisory behavior, perceptions of factors that impact supervision, and beliefs about preferences for and styles of supervision. After pilot testing, the instrument was completed by 76 physical education cooperating teachers who supervised various field‐practicum students for a large southwestern university. Employing MANOVA followed by ANOVA, differences between groups of cooperating teachers were noted for one subscale: cooperating teachers who coached, taught at the high school level, or did not possess a postgraduate degree had less favorable attitudes toward systematic supervisory behavior. Gender and experience supervising did not differentiate subscale responses. Explanations for noted differences are presented as functions of teacher/coach role conflict, exposure to supervisory training, and the status of secondary physical education. Suggestions for refining the measurement instrument and using it to screen potential cooperating teachers are offered.     

Ability Grouping of Junior High-School Pupils in Cleveland: Some Practical Aspects of the Problem

Abstract

The study investigated teacher attitudes toward measurement (testing) as it is routinely used for classroom instructional purposes. Data were collected from a stratified random sample of elementary and secondary teachers in a rural mid western state. Results are reported for six major attitudinal areas: teachers’ knowledge, information desired by the teacher, student acceptance/support, external constraints on the testing situation, the nature and quality of information yielded by tests, and the evaluative uses made of tests. The results depict teachers as: heavy users of tests, supportive of tests but concerned about the evaluative merits of tests, and limited in their testing expertise.     

The development of a questionnaire on metacognition for students in higher education

Interest in the role of metacognition has been steadily rising in most forms of education. This study focuses on the construction of a questionnaire for measuring metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive regulation and metacognitive responsiveness among students in higher education and the subsequent process of testing to determine its validity.

Purpose

The aim of the study was to construct an original instrument for measuring features of metacognition, henceforth referred to as the Awareness of Independent Learning Inventory (AILI), and further to establish the similarities and differences between this model and existing instruments for measuring metacognition.

Sample

The AILI questionnaire was distributed to 1058 students in various types of Teacher Training Institutes in the Netherlands and Belgium. The abridged English version of the questionnaire was administered to another sample of 729 students reading Economics and Business Administration at the University of Maastricht in the south of the Netherlands.

Design and methods

The AILI instrument was constructed on the basis of a facet design along two dimensions: components of metacognition and topics of concern to students in higher education. The data gathered with the instrument was analyzed by means of a generalisability study and a decision study, respectively. The validity of the instrument was investigated by using confirmatory factor analysis.

Results

The generalisability study showed that the reliability of the instrument was satisfactory. The decision study revealed that the number of items included in the questionnaire could be reduced substantially by leaving out two components of one of the dimensions in the facet design, without losing too much generalisability. The validity study showed that there was a considerable level of congruity between parts of the AILI questionnaire and the relevant parts of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ).

Conclusions

The AILI questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring metacognitive knowledge, regulation and responsiveness. It is suitable for use in the evaluation of the effects of interventions that purport to increase metacognitive knowledge, regulation and responsiveness of students in higher education.     

The Development of Subject Knowledge in Secondary Initial Teacher Education: A case study of physical education student teachers and their subject mentors

This article presents a case study of student teachers of secondary school physical education (PE) and their subject mentors in subject knowledge development. Grenfell's (1996) application of Bourdieu's notions of 'field' and 'habitus' in relation to initial teacher education (ITE) is applied to interview data to argue that student teachers show varying dispositions to develop subject knowledge at the field sites of university and school. Furthermore, such dispositions are suggested to be enacted by student teachers through the development and exchange of subject knowledge as 'capital'. Thus a dynamic for subject knowledge development, which is neither specific to field site or difference between field sites is conceptualised. The article concludes that student dispositions to learn, in context, should be considered to assist understanding about the development of PE student teachers' subject knowledge. It calls for a redefinition of nationally prescribed subject knowledge in relation to learning how to teach.     

Teachers’ scaffolding science reading comprehension in low-income schools: how to improve achievement in science

ABSTRACT

Reading is a tool that promotes the learning of science across schooling. Scientific texts are conceptually and linguistically complex, especially for students from low-income contexts because they have neither the experience with the language nor the literacy skills to face the challenges of scientific knowledge. This study used a mix method approach to compare the cognitive scaffolding practiced by teachers during science reading activities in high- and low-performing schools. Three teachers and 141 fourth grade students from low socioeconomic background schools participated in 48 class sessions. Classes were video-recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed using Sanchez’ Pedagogic Practice Analysis System. The results show that teachers from both types of schools continuously use reading as a tool for learning. The effective teacher uses reading with non-invasive scaffolding and varied verbal participation to elaborate knowledge, promoting literal and inferential comprehension and more opportunities for the students to construct knowledge. By contrast, less effective teachers use reading with invasive scaffolding and little verbal participation of the students to consolidate knowledge, promoting mainly literal comprehension. This study shed light on different approaches teachers use to foster reading comprehension for science learning.     

Teacher knowledge about oral English instruction and teacher profiles: an EFL perspective

Teacher knowledge, as an important cognitive basis of teaching, has attracted tremendous attention in educational research in the last few decades. This study examines whether teachers’ self-perceived knowledge about oral English teaching differs with regard to their professional profiles in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context in China. A sample of 527 teachers from 56 universities in 29 cities across the country responded to a self-report questionnaire. Thirty teachers were interviewed. Teachers’ self-perceived knowledge was assessed by two factors: pedagogical content knowledge about oral English teaching (PCK) and knowledge of students’ oral English characteristics (KOS). The reliability and validity of the instrument are tested and presented. Results showed that EFL teachers generally reported having insufficient PCK and KOS. ANOVA and t-tests revealed no significant knowledge difference among teachers with different teaching experiences, training and overseas exposure. However, teachers’ learning experiences, self-perceived speaking ability and familiarity with teaching methodologies were found to influence teacher knowledge in a significant way. The findings highlight the need for the development of teacher knowledge about oral English teaching in the EFL contexts. Suggestions for further research are provided.     

Measuring characteristics of teacher professional development

The primary purpose of the study was to create and psychometrically test an instrument which measured teachers’ perceptions of characteristics of professional development. The sample consisted of elementary teachers from five school districts in Washington State participating in a district improvement initiative. Results of exploratory factor analysis resulted in a five-component solution which provided evidence of construct validity. All components/subscales had moderate to strong internal consistency as measured by Cronbach’s alpha. The secondary purpose was to determine if characteristics of professional development predicted teachers’ use of new knowledge and skills, and student learning outcomes, thus contributing to the predictive validity of the instrument. There was a slight, but significant, correlation between Active Learning in Classroom and teachers’ use of new knowledge and skills, as measured by classroom observation scores. A small negative correlation emerged between Collective Participation and student learning, as measured by student scores on the state’s mathematics assessment. Potential uses of the instrument, called Characteristics of Teacher Professional Development (CTPD), are discussed.     

Just knowing how to read isn't enough! Assessing knowledge for teaching reading

Debates persist over the knowledge needed to teach elementary reading effectively. In one commonly held view verbal ability is what matters most and the best approach to improving teacher quality is to recruit teachers who themselves are good readers. Others argue that teachers need special forms of professional knowledge that differ substantially from common adult reading and verbal ability. These different assumptions about what teachers need to know are directly relevant to whether teaching reading demands specialized professional knowledge and they have lead to radically different policy recommendations for both teacher preparation and induction. This study presents preliminary evidence that elementary reading teachers can hold a special knowledge of language, text, and reading process that differs substantially from common reading and verbal ability. Implications for the measurement and study of teacher quality and related implications for teacher evaluation and teacher development are discussed.

A Method for Computing Accomplishment Quotients on the High-School and College Levels

Abstract

The study investigates relationships among pupil reading behaviors and teacher responses with a sample of 106 primary grade readers. With student background traits such as sex and prior reading achievement controlled, seven different reading behaviors and pupil responses accounted for significant increases in the prediction of teacher behaviors. Pupil reading behaviors had the greatest effect on teacher corrections and word pronunciations. Conversely, pupil background factors had the greatest association with the length of reading assigned and the numbers of grapho- phonemic and prereading cues teachers provided. In view of the findings, the authors suggest that future study of classroom interaction examine the notion that teacher expectations may be at least partially due to then- responses to specific aspects of pupil behavior.     

Using a Computer-Based Error Analysis Approach to Improve Basic Subtraction Skills in the Third Grade

Abstract

With the national move toward competency testing, publishers and educators have become increasingly concerned about test validity, item construction, and item readability. While a major effort is usually made by test developers to control the readability level of the test items, there is currently no validated measure of individual item readability.

It is commonly assumed that oral reading of test items by the teacher would ameliorate the readability problem for poor readers. Over 4,000 fifth-grade students were involved in this study aimed at determining the effect of teacher oral reading of test items to good and poor readers. The findings suggested that having teachers read test items aloud during the administration of standardized examinations yielded, overall, higher scores than having students read the items for themselves. However, this intervention did not benefit poor readers more than good readers. Both of these groups reflected similar gains under the influence of this intervention.     

Developing a Data-Driven Assessment for Early Childhood Candidates

ABSTRACT

Decision-making is essential for the work of teaching. Preservice teachers must learn to leverage knowledge about young readers’ strengths, needs, and interests in order to plan and teach guided reading lessons skillfully. However, limited research examines preservice teachers’ decision-making based on what they know about individual children. In this qualitative case study, we report findings from 12 preservice teachers enrolled in a reading methods course who used teacher knowledge to inform their teaching decisions for guided reading lessons with Kindergarteners. Findings reveal how participants used knowledge of learners to make planning as well as in-the-moment teaching decisions. The data show that most of these decisions were lesson planning decisions about text selection and word solving strategies, indicating that participants were beginning to engage in responsive teaching strategies. This study makes a new contribution to early childhood teacher education literature by underscoring the significance of learner knowledge in the context of authentic teaching practice while learning to teach guided reading to young children.     

The Effect of Mental-Set or Attitude on the Reading Performance of High-school Pupils

Abstract

This study explored relationships of performance assessments for student teachers among three groups of raters. A 78-item evaluation instrument was administered to 47 student teachers and to their academic and field supervisors. Analysis of the seven subsections of the instrument revealed that student teachers’ self-evaluations were significantly higher, for most categories, than either academic or field supervisors’ ratings. The high degree of agreement between the two types of supervisory ratings on all categories suggest the presence of halo effects.     

Relationships between teachers’ metacognitive knowledge and students’ metacognitive knowledge and reading achievement

The study examined the relationships between teachers’ metacognitive knowledge of reading strategies and their students’ metacognitive knowledge and reading comprehension. The study was carried out among language art teachers (N?=?34) and their students (N?=?534) in the last year of primary school (ninth grade) in Estonia. Multilevel modeling was used to test the hypotheses of relationships between students’ metacognitive knowledge and reading comprehension, while controlling for students’ previous reading comprehension (in eighth grade) as well as the relations between teachers’ metacognitive knowledge of reading strategies and students’ metacognitive knowledge and comprehension. The results showed that students’ metacognitive knowledge of reading strategies related to their reading comprehension, concurring with previous findings. The main finding was that teachers’ metacognitive knowledge of reading strategies significantly related to their students’ metacognitive knowledge, but not to reading comprehension. These results indicate that students’ reading comprehension may be supported by improving their metacognitive knowledge of reading strategies. In addition, the findings highlight the importance of teachers’ metacognitive knowledge in students’ metacognitive knowledge.