Assessment of the Motivational Reactions of Teachers to a School-Based Performance Award Program

The Charlotte–Mecklenburg Schools school-based performance award program (SBPA) for teachers and classified staff is an accountability program that measures and sets goals for student achievement, provides numerous performance enablers for teachers (such as professional development and information about best practices), and awards monetary bonuses to teachers and staff in schools that meet their goals. Based on expectancy and goal-setting theory, an interview protocol was used to assess teachers motivational reactions to the program. Teachers reported that the goals were specific, understandable, focused, and challenging; there were concerns, however, about being able to meet ever higher future goals. The usefulness of the performance enablers received mixed reactions. Bonuses were viewed as appropriate and an appreciated form of recognition, though of too small an amount. Helping students learn and seeing them meet achievement goals were reported to be more potent motivators than the bonus per se. Comparison of these reactions to those from teachers under the Kentucky SBPA showed both common and contrasting impacts. Numerous implications for future research, and for the design and implementation of SBPA programs, were suggested.     

Characteristics of Teacher Induction Programs and Turnover Rates of Beginning Teachers

The federal School and Staffing Survey (SASS) and Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS) were used to examine the impacts of induction activities on beginning teacher turnover. This study excluded those teachers who moved or left schools for unavoidable and involuntary reasons, a confounding factor in previous research. This analysis revealed that three induction activities are beneficial in significantly reducing turnover rates for beginning teachers: seminars, common planning time, and extra classroom assistance.     

基于网络的校本培训--教师继续教育的理想模式

目前,我国中小学教师队伍总体上还不能适应新时期教育改革发展的需要,尤其是农村教师队伍整体素质亟待提高.持续不断地对教师进行继续教育,无疑是改变上述现状的必由途径.然而,采用何种模式方能提高继续教育效果,使其达到预期的目标?本文在进行三年多的相关课题研究与实践的基础上,提出了"基于网络的校本培训"这一教师继续教育模式,并从理论、内容和操作方法等方面加以阐述.     

The Impact of Teacher Education Programs on In-service Teachers in China and USA

Beliefs about knowledge, learning and teaching are assumed to impact teachers＇ practice （Brownlee, 2004; N. Entwistle, Skinner, D. Entwistle, ＆ Orr, 2000）. A change of beliefs is an important step for teacher learning, but it is often seen as difficult if not impossible （Cooney, Shealy, ＆ Arvold, 1998）. This study investigated the impact some teacher education programs from China and the USA had on the teachers＇ beliefs and teaching strategies and how these teachers integrated the acquired knowledge and teaching strategies in their practice. Researchers were particularly interested in investigating teachers＇ ability and willingness to use the strategies congruent with constructivist learning theory in their classrooms.     

Breaking Down Barriers for 1st-Year Teachers: What Teacher Preparation Programs Can Do

A developmentally appropriate learning environment for young children is vital for successful learning. However, implementing developmentally appropriate practices can be a challenge for 1st-year teachers because of the pressures of standardized testing. The purpose of this study was to examine the struggles teachers encounter in implementing developmentally appropriate practices in their 1st year and to identify what helped them overcome those obstacles. We conclude with several ideas for teacher preparation programs as well as suggestions for 1st-year teachers.     

Closing the Gap Between Attitudes and Perceptions About ICT-Enhanced Learning Among Pre-service STEM Teachers

The goal of this study was to examine pre-service STEM teachers’ attitudes and perceptions about the effectiveness of various learning methods and, in specific, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) as means for enhancing progressive education. The study was conducted among two cohorts of pre-service STEM teachers (N = 103) in the years 2006 and 2012. The mixed method approach was used to compile data from two research tools: an attitudes questionnaire and reflective drawings. The findings of the first cohort indicated a conflict between the participants’ declared attitudes and their perceptions, suggesting a gap between their inclination to coincide with educational trends, and their actual views about the use of ICTs in the classrooms. The first cohort’s drawings illustrated ICTs as distractive technologies, ineffective tools for teaching and learning, impairing teachers’ authority, and distancing teachers and students from each other. Findings of the second cohort indicated that the gap between attitudes and perceptions was narrowed in such a way that preservice STEM teachers did not see ICTs as threatening, but they perceived them as instrumental for leveraging progressive education.     

高校教师教学评价的问题与改进

教学评价是教师评价的核心,在教师评价中的重要性显然是不言而喻的。但在实际操作过程中,却存在不少问题。因此,有必要对教师的教学评价问题进行系统思考。突出教师在教学评价中的主体地位,从学、评、教三个方面进行改进,较好地解决存在的问题。     

论关怀主义教育哲学的教师观及其对教师教育的影响

产生于20世纪七八十年代的关怀主义教育哲学从师生关系、课程中的教师角色、教师素质、教师德育能力、教师关怀方法等方面阐述了丰富而独特的教师观,从而影响了教师教育领域内的课程设置、教师专业标准、初任教师培养模式等方面,成为当今教师教育思想的一个重要来源。     

Development of a Questionnaire Assessing Teacher Perceived Support for and Attitudes About Social and Emotional Learning

Research Findings: In the past 20 years school districts have increasingly adopted classroom-based social and emotional development programs. The dissemination of these programs, however, has surpassed our understanding of and ability to assess factors that influence program implementation. The present study responded to this gap by developing a questionnaire that focuses on teacher perceptions of implementation support and teacher attitudes about social–emotional learning and by assessing its psychometric properties. One hundred forty-five Baltimore City Head Start preschool teachers completed the questionnaire. Factor analyses suggested 6 underlying constructs, which we termed administrative support, training, competence, program effectiveness, time constraints, and academic priority. Several of these scales predicted teacher reports of program implementation. Practice or Policy: The questionnaire holds significant promise as a tool for assessing readiness and barriers to social and emotional program implementation.     

Student Authoritarianism and Teacher Authoritarianism as Factors in the Determination of Student Performance and Attitudes

Recent investigations designed to elucidate the teacher behaviors which are facilitative of positive student attitudes and increased student performance have presented inconsistent results. It is hypothesized that the inconsistency between studies may be due to an interaction between teacher characteristics and student characteristics in the determination of the dependent variables involved. To test this hypothesis, teachers and students in a West Coast high school were administered a revised version of the California F-Scale (a measure of authoritarianism). High- and Low-F groups of both teachers and students were selected, and students’ grades and attitudes toward their teachers were observed. It was found that High-F students exposed to Low-F teachers showed particularly low attitudes toward their teachers and particularly low grades. Data for other combinations of student and teacher characteristics were essentially equivalent.     

Measuring Educators' Attitudes and Beliefs About Evaluation: Construct Validity and Reliability of the Teacher Evaluation Experience Scale

This study presents the reliability and validity of the Teacher Evaluation Experience Scale–Teacher Form (TEES-T), a multidimensional measure of educators' attitudes and beliefs about teacher evaluation. Confirmatory factor analyses of data from 583 teachers were conducted on the TEES-T hypothesized five-factor model, as well as on alternative models. The five- and four-factor model yielded acceptable fit to the data. Information-theory-based indices of relative fit (i.e., AIC₀, BCC₀, and BIC₀) indicated that the TEES-T four-factor model yielded superior fit to either the five-factor or one-factor models. The TEES-T evidenced good internal consistency, freedom from item bias, and convergent validity with the Collective Efficacy Scale. Implications are discussed.     

Professional Development Programs for Elementary Science Teachers: An Analysis of Teacher Self-Efficacy Beliefs and a Professional Development Model

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

The Implementation of an Electronic Performance Support System for Teachers: An Examination of Usage,Performance, and Attitudes

This study investigated how teachers used an electronic performance support system (EPSS) and whether the usage of this EPSS affected their work performance and attitudes toward computer technology. The findings suggested a framework for the implementation of an EPPS in an educational setting, specifically at a middle school. The data were collected through observations, questionnaires, anecdotal logs, database records, and interviews. Four middle school teachers used the EPSS primarily for completing student progress reports wherein the results indicated that the EPSS decreased the amount of time to perform this task. Computer usage, performance, and attitudes were affected by work responsibilities, accessibility to computers, the change agent, the technology support personnel, as well as the specific characteristics of the EPSS. The teachers' attitudes toward the EPSS and technology in general were affected by their performances when using the system, by interactions with the person responsible for technology support, and by the ability to customize the computer program to fit their needs.     

基础教育教师培训的问题探源与体制改革——基于对X省参培教师的调查分析

始于20世纪末期的教师教育体制改革完全肢解了既往承担基础教育阶段在职教师的培训体制。当前承担基础教育教师职后教育的机构主体主要是高等院校,师资主体主要是高校教师。基于高校机构的教师在职培训,其浓厚的学术主义色彩导致了当前基础教育阶段教师培训的供给与需求偏差、理论距实践遥远、管理和现实脱节。改革当前基础教育阶段教师培训体制,需要完善教师培训基地的机构体系,优化培训师资的类型结构,创新教师培训的管理模式,保障参培教师的选择权利。     

Social Studies Teachers’ Attitudes and Beliefs About Immigration and the Formal Curriculum in the United States South: A Multi-Methods Study

Teachers’ beliefs and awareness regarding immigration policy is an area of research that has been largely unexplored in the broader discussion of socio-political consciousness and critical social studies education. This study is based on a multi-methods methodology, particularly a partially mixed sequential equal status design (Leech and Onwuegbuzie in Qual Quant 43(2):265–275, 2009). The quantitative portion of this study is based on a survey conducted in 2017 among K-12 teachers nationwide (n?=?5190) and a nested sample of 200 Southern Social Studies teachers. (McCorkle in The awareness and attitudes of teachers towards educational restrictions for immigrant students. Doctoral dissertation, Clemson University, 2018a). The qualitative sample is a content analysis from an examination of South Carolina social studies textbooks (n?=?8). The quantitative analysis revealed a concerning pattern of unawareness of immigration policy among many teachers as well as a strong relationship between embrace of false immigration narratives and exclusionary attitudes towards immigrant students. The analysis of the textbooks showed little in the formal curriculum that would problematize false immigration narratives and instead demonstrated a tendency to bolster these narratives. The results reveal a need of teacher education programs and additional professional development to help critique these “common-sense” (mis)understandings about immigration that are factually incorrect and help contribute to the larger patterns of xenophobia in the society.

     

试论新课程理念下的说课——在继续教育及校本培训的环境下

继续教育培训实践表明,说课对提高教育教学质量,提升教师素质起着重要作用,它是校本培训中一种行之有效的方法。文章针对两轮培训中,开展说课活动时存在的问题,对说课是“什么”及怎样“说”作了概括性阐述,同时指出了在说课中应注意的事项,以使说课活动更加规范、有效。