Self‐reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behaviour

This study investigated the relationship between primary school teachers’ self‐reported and actual use of classroom management strategies, and examined how the use of proactive and reactive strategies is related to teacher stress and student behaviour. The total sample consisted of 97 teachers from primary schools within Melbourne. Teachers completed four questionnaires which gathered information on demographics, disruptive student behaviour, teacher management strategies, and teacher self‐reported stress. In addition, 20 of the 97 teachers were observed in their classrooms while teaching, with teacher behaviour management strategies and student on‐task behaviour recorded. Observation and questionnaire data were then matched. The findings indicated that teacher self‐reports accurately reflect actual practice, that relatively minor forms of student misbehaviours are a common concern for teachers, and that teachers are spending a considerable amount of time on behaviour management issues. The findings also revealed that the use of predominantly reactive management strategies has a significant relationship with elevated teacher stress and decreased student on‐task behaviour. These findings have important implications for teaching practices and student learning.     

Values—— A study of teacher and student perceptions in four countries

The study aimed to assess and compare the values prevalent among the students and teachers of Universities in Bangladesh, Japan, USA and Germany. The sample consisted of 480 students and 236 teachers. The sample included 120 undergraduate students Japan; 120 undergraduate students from Bangladesh; 120 undergraduate students from USA, and 120 undergraduate students from Germany. The faculty sample included 60 teachers from Japan, 60 teachers from Bangladesh; 60 teachers from USA, and 56 teachers from Germany. To identify the value preferences of the individuals a list of 10 values, pro-social, achievement, power over others, security, self direction, otherworldliness, fatalism, narcissism, inner directed, and conservative, based on previous values studies by Singh and Parek were prepared. The first five values were identified in previous studies as functional （Singh, 1975） and other five were identified as dysfunctional （Parek, 1988） in the context of national development of Asian cultures. The results revealed that Bangladeshi students held stronger preferences for values identified as functional values than for those identified as dysfunctional. Japanese students indicated stronger preferences for the values identified as functional values except narcissism. The American students indicated a preference for three of the five values identified as functional but also ranked narcissism and other worldliness as third and fifth preferred values respectively. German student showed a preference for functional values, except narcissism which they also ranked as third. Bangladeshi teachers＇ preferences for functional values were higher than dysfunctional values. Japanese teachers indicated a preference for functional values except narcissism. American teachers preferred functional values except other worldliness. German teachers＇ value preferences were also functional, except for narcissism which they ranked as fifth. Students and teachers in the four countries sampled indicate preferences for values identified as functional with few exceptions. This research suggests that value preferences among university students and teachers are more similar than different, suggesting a homogenizing effect （Boli, 2005） on human values.     

What effect does flipping the classroom have on undergraduate student perceptions and grades?

There is a lack of consensus of the effects on student perceptions and performance in flipping the classroom and its possible value over the traditional face-to-face (FTF) classroom approach. This research examines the expectation that flipping an undergraduate, introductory level, information concepts and skills class would benefit student learning and evaluates the results of flipping this type of course. The study showed a significant difference in student perceptions about the course itself between web-enhanced, FTF and hybrid, flipped classrooms, but this may be dependent upon the level of technology integration rather than the approach. In addition, students who were required to work in groups on a weekly basis had more positive responses toward the flipped classroom improving their soft skills than those who did not. Finally, for written content exams it seems the flipped class approach is at least as effective as the traditional classroom in terms of grades. However, it appears teaching software skills may be better with at least some direct instruction over just the use of simulation software.     

Is dealing with errors in the classroom specific for school subjects? A study of the error climate in mathematics,German, and English

A frequent observation in the school context is that opportunities to learn from errors are often missed. However, a positive error climate may support learning from errors. For the school subject of mathematics, some findings about characteristics of the error climate already exist. But, a comparison of the error climate between different school subjects is still pending. In the present study, it is analyzed whether the error climate differs in different school subjects and whether the same interrelations between the ways in which individuals deal with errors can be found in these different school subjects. In a study with 937 students from 48 classrooms from grades 5 to 7, in different secondary schools in Germany and Austria, we assessed the error climate and individual reactions following errors in mathematics, German, and English. Small mean differences between mathematics and the two language subjects were yielded. In addition, we found medium-sized correlations between the error climate measures in the three school subjects. However, the same pattern of interrelations between error climate and the way individuals deal with errors for all three school subjects could be shown. The results suggest that the perception of the error climate is rather similar in different school subjects. This has implications, for instance, for interventions that aim at fostering the error climate.

     

The impact of student teaching experience on pre-service teachers’ readiness for technology integration: A mixed methods study with growth curve modeling

Adopting a two-phase explanatory sequential mixed methods research design, the current study examined the impact of student teaching experiences on pre-service teachers’ readiness for technology integration. In phase-1 of quantitative investigation, 2-level growth curve models were fitted using online repeated measures survey data collected from 68 pre-service teachers doing their student teaching. The results revealed significant progress in readiness for technology integration during student teaching and significant variability in individual change trajectories of readiness for technology integration. Two dummy variables, prior-teaching (0 = “having no prior teaching experience”; 1 = “having prior teaching experience”) and grade-level (0 = “elementary level”; 1 = “secondary level”), were identified as significant in predicting the shape of individual change trajectories of readiness for technology integration. In phase-2 of qualitative investigation, follow-up interview data were collected from 11 pre-service teachers among those who participated in the online surveys. The interview data was analyzed both deductively and inductively yielding clues and insights for interpreting and understanding the quantitative results from phase-1. Based on its quantitative and qualitative results, this study made recommendations for future technology integration research and for improving pre-service teachers’ technology use experience during student teaching.     

The effect of time‐on‐task on student grades and grade expectations

The effects of students’ attitudes on time devoted to a course (i.e. time‐on‐task), and the subsequent effects of this time‐on‐task on their performance in the course and their overall grade point average (GPA) were studied. Over a three‐year period, engineering students (N = 231) were surveyed in weeks one, three, seven (after midterms) and 10 (before finals) of a 10‐week quarter in six sophomore and junior engineering classes (eight different sections). Results of this study show that most students are optimistic about their future performance in a new course, regardless of their previous overall GPA. All students appear to devote a relatively high and equal amount of time‐on‐task during the first week of the term. The students who earned grades between ‘B+’ and ‘A’ appear to optimise this time by the third week. Students who earned a final grade of ‘B’ study similar to ‘A’ students before midterms but significantly increase their efforts after midterms while the ‘C’ students decrease their time devoted to the course. This study finds that ‘A’ students know they will earn an ‘A’ as long as they do the work. In contrast, ‘C’ students are resigned to the fact that they will earn a ‘C’ and, thus, devote far less time to a course. The ‘B’ students want better grades and will devote the most effort towards achieving these grades.     

Stopping to thinks school‐based and higher education‐based primary student teachers' reflections on their learning

This paper examines trainees' perceptions of the impact, on secondary mathematics trainees, of collaborative school‐based work involving small groups of trainees, a university tutor and a class teacher. The findings suggest that trainees' become better able to plan and deliver a coherent yet diverse sequence of lessons, that their awareness of children's learning styles and misconceptions was raised and that preconceived notions about teaching and learning were challenged and mediated. A few trainees found the experience unhelpful and threatening. The role of the tutor was found to influence trainees' responses to the program and, to an extent, moderate the effects of variations in teacher involvement. Some implications are discussed.     

Factors associated with Chinese undergraduates’ perceptions of the ethical issues in classroom assessment practices—a mixed methods study

Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability - Although studies have been conducted on educators’ perceptions of assessment practices, few studies explored students’...     

The impact of multimedia cases on preservice teachers' learning about literacy teaching: A follow‐up study

Abstract

Using surveys and interviews as a data set, this study explored the influence of multimedia cases in preservice literacy methods courses by following a set of preservice teachers into their first years of teaching. Analysis of the survey and interview data yielded three salient themes. First, respondents reported that their methods courses had positively influenced their teaching. Second, respondents reported several factors (e.g., active involvement during class time, the enthusiasm of the instructor) as influential in their recall of course content. Third, respondents reported that the use of the multimedia cases influenced their learning, both during their teacher education program and in their current teaching. This follow‐up study offers insight into the connections teachers make between their teacher education programs and their later teaching and serves as an impetus for future research into the potential benefits of using multimedia cases as a way to situate preservice teacher learning in real problems.     

International perspectives on student awareness,experiences and perceptions of research: implications for academic developers in implementing research‐based teaching and learning

This paper explores the implications of the effective integration of research, teaching and learning for academic development through the lens of an international multi‐institutional comparison of student perceptions of research and its impact on their learning environment. The study, with a sample of over 500 final‐year undergraduate students across three institutions in the UK and Canada, represents a spectrum of research and teaching intensive universities and is one of the largest exploring undergraduate student perceptions of research in the linking teaching and research literature. The results indicate a complex relationship between student perceptions and experiences of research and the type of institution, as well as the individual, institutional and national context. They also inform the discussion of particular issues that academic developers face and the strategies they use to improve the integration of research and teaching to benefit the undergraduate learning experience in their institution.

Cet article explore les implications, pour le développement pédagogique, de l’intégration effective de la recherche, de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage à l’aide de la lentille d’une comparaison internationale multi institutionnelle des perceptions étudiantes à l’égard de la recherche et de leur impact sur l’environnement d’apprentissage. L’étude, reposant sur un échantillon de plus de 500 étudiants en dernière année de 1^er cycle, provenant de trois institutions au Royaume‐Uni et au Canada, représente un spectre d’universités centrées sur l’enseignement ou sur la recherche. L’étude constitue une des recherches les plus importantes au sujet des perceptions étudiantes à l’égard de la recherche dans la littérature portant sur le lien entre l’enseignement et la recherche. Les résultats indiquent une relation complexe entre les perceptions et les expériences des étudiants, et le type d’institution, de même qu’avec les contextes individuel, institutionnel et national. Les résultats contribuent aussi à la discussion de questions particulières auxquelles les conseillers pédagogiques font face ainsi que les stratégies que ceux‐ci utilisent en vue d’améliorer l’intégration de la recherche et de l’enseignement de façon à en faire bénéficier l’expérience d’apprentissage au 1^er cycle au sein de leur institution.     

A study on the application of laozi ’s thoughts on educational leadership and management

This paper attempts to apply historical methods to help understand the relationship between the philosophy espoused in the works of Laozi or Tao De Ching and educational leadership. The objective is to study the thought of Laozi regarding leadership, to identify ideas and solutions that can be applied in modern educational management, as well as to provide a new definition and values to the ideas of Laozi. Laozi lived in ancient times, meaning that the works describing his thought are difficult to understand. The present study is primarily based on English sources written on Laozi by Ju-Chou Yang and on the commentary on Laozi by Bi Wang. Additionally, this article also refers to and compares other comments on the ideas of Laozi regarding management. This study finds that Laozi had varied ideas on management and philosophy. Laozi ’s views regarding organization are still relevant today. He stressed flexibility and the importance of adapting to the environment. As regards leadership, Laozi emphasized non-action, softness, humility, calmness and the elimination of desire. Furthermore, in his art of employment, Laozi insisted that leaders must overcome their personal likes and dislikes in relation to individuals to ensure the full utilization of their potential.     

The effect of school‐based practice on student teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education in Northern Ireland

This study seeks to discover the attitudes to inclusion of those about to embark on initial teacher education in Northern Ireland and the extent to which an extended teaching practice in a non‐selective placement school can influence attitude change. A cohort of 125 student teachers responded to a survey that explored their attitudes towards a range of issues relating to inclusive education in the context of Northern Ireland. The findings indicate that student teachers in Northern Ireland show positive attitudes towards the principles of inclusion, with teaching practice experience in a non‐selective school appearing to confirm and increase these positive attitudes. However, despite displaying increasingly positive attitudes towards inclusion post‐teaching practice, there are indications that student teachers continue to show strong attachment to current organisational practices strongly related to academic selection.     

A comparative study of Chinese and United States pre-service teachers’ perceptions about ethical issues in classroom assessment

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of pre-service teachers in the United States and China about ethics of classroom assessment practices. To investigate pre-service teachers’ perceptions, we developed 36 scenarios that described teachers’ actions or thoughts related to ethics and assessment practices. Participants were 173 pre-service teachers in the U.S. and 174 pre-service teachers in China. Overall, the perceptions of Chinese and American respondents were divided within countries on different scenarios. In addition, chi-square analyses contrasting Chinese responses with American responses indicated that the pre-service teachers had statistically significant differences in their opinions on 22 out of 36 scenarios, but only 13 had practical significance (effect size ≥ .3). Chinese and American pre-service teachers had similar perceptions on 14 scenarios. In some instances, respondents’ perceptions of the ethics of assessment practices depicted in the scenarios did not agree with the literature on classroom assessment. The findings offer insights for developing ethical guidelines in classroom assessment in both cultures. In addition, we recommend that cultural issues as related to ethics should be included in assessment courses for pre-service teachers.     

Beliefs about teaching: Persistent or malleable? A longitudinal study of prospective student teachers' beliefs

This longitudinal study focused on change in university students' beliefs about the role of teachers. The students (n = 80) were Estonian undergraduates, whose beliefs were investigated in the first and third years of their studies and followed up to the point at which the students either entered teacher education or chose other paths. Beliefs about teaching were neither unambiguously persistent nor malleable. Students who continued in teacher education exhibited stronger beliefs about the teacher as pedagogue and aligned less with the belief that the teacher's role is to be a subject matter expert than peers who did not choose teacher education.     

Learning‐to‐learn and learning‐to‐teach: the impact of disciplinary subject study on student‐teachers’ professional identity

A coherent view of student‐teachers’ preparation and the learning experiences to which they are exposed are key to sustaining the relevance of university‐based teacher‐education programmes. Arguably, such coherence is lacking and the research base to an understanding of the student‐teacher experience is still a relatively limited one. This paper takes the view that student‐teachers’ epistemological growth is a key component of their professional development, their sense of identity as intending teachers, and their successful entry into a teaching career. In adopting a phenomenographic approach it explores a chain of evidence which demonstrates that immersion in the processes of learning and knowing, within a specific disciplinary context, had a significant impact on students’ emerging professional identities and on their values as teachers which extends beyond the subject matter itself. Arguably, the findings of this case‐study hold important implications for a teacher‐education programme and for effective pedagogic practice.     

Technology and engineering education students’ perceptions of hands‐on and hands‐off activities

Technology and engineering education students responded to a survey regarding hands‐on and hands‐off activities. First, the students listed hands‐on and hands‐off activities and what characterized the two types of activities. Activities such as building or assembling something as well as working manually with tools were viewed as hands‐on. Passive activities such as listening or watching were perceived as hands‐off. Then, the students rated 30 different activities on a bipolar scale ranging from 1 (high degree hands‐off) to 7 (high degree hands‐on). A Principal Components Factor Analysis of the 30 activities revealed two independent factors. The hands‐off factor consisted of many modern technological activities such as computer‐aided design, using a three‐dimensional printer, and constructing functional prototypes using stereo‐lithography technology. The hands‐on factor consisted of more traditional activities such as rebuilding an engine and using a screwdriver. These results suggest that students perceive traditional activities as more hands‐on than modern activities.     

Mentors' written lesson appraisals: the impact of different mentoring regimes on the content of written lesson appraisals and the match with pre‐service teachers' perceptions of content

Teacher education in the United Kingdom, especially in England, has changed considerably over the past 20 years or so. The main purpose of this article is to analyse the direction and nature of these changes, using primary English work as a focus. The article uses snapshots of the provision in three institutions, each at a different time point, as the basis for the development of a number of themes describing the nature of the changes. It goes on to tackle the major question of whether or not such changes can be described as progress.     

A cross-sectional study of student teachers’ behaviour management strategies throughout their training years

Despite the importance of behaviour management, many student teachers report being inadequately trained in this area. The aim of this study was to identify the strategies, confidence and reported levels of success in regard to various behaviour management strategies, across 509 first, second, third and fourth year student teachers training to be primary teachers. The most significant differences were found between first and second year student teachers in regard to their use of, and confidence in, initial and later corrective strategies, and between second and third year student teachers in terms of their use of, and confidence in, differentiating curriculum and preventive strategies. The findings have implications for teacher training programs and future research.