Identifying exemplary science teachers through their students’ perceptions of the assessment process

This paper reports on part of a large‐scale study aimed at examining students’ perceptions of assessment. This paper will report on a study utilising mixed methodology in 150 Australian middle school classrooms. The purpose of the study described in this paper was to use the Students’ Perceptions of Assessment Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (SPAQ) to identify and describe exemplary science teachers. With a sample of over 3000 science students, the reliability of the SPAQ scales ranged from 0.62 to 0.82. The exemplary teachers were identified as those whose students’ perceptions were more than one standard deviation above the mean on three of the five scales of Congruence with planned learning, Transparency, Authenticity, Student consultation, and Diversity. The construct validity of the SPAQ to identify these exemplary teachers was confirmed through interviews with students and these views are reported in the article.     

Identifying exemplary science teachers through students’ perceptions of their learning environment

The purpose of this study was to examine students’ psychosocial perceptions of their science classroom learning environment in order to identify exemplary teachers. This mixed-method study used the valid and reliable What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire with over 3,000 middle school students in 150 classrooms in Australia. Exemplary teachers were defined as those whose students’ perceptions were more than one standard deviation above the mean for three of the five scales of Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Involvement, Task Orientation and Equity. The reliability of the WIHIC scales ranged from 0.75 to 0.87. Eta² showed that the WIHIC was able to distinguish between the perceptions of the students in the classroom. The construct validity of the WIHIC for identifying these exemplary teachers was confirmed through interviews with students and these views are reported in the article.     

Teacher-student classroom interactions among science students of different sex and cultural background

The purpose of this study was to determine associations between science students' perceptions of their interactions with their teachers, the cultural background of students and their attitudinal and cognitive achievement outcomes. A sample of 3,215 students from 158 secondary school science classes in 43 schools completed a survey including the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI), an attitude to calss scale, an enquiry skills scale and questions relating to cultural background. The sample was chosen in order tobe representative, though only coeducational classes were used in order to permit an unconfounded test of sex differences. Statistical analyses confirmed the reliability and validity of the QTI for secondary school science students. Generally, the dimensions of the QTI were found to besignificantly associated with student attitude scores. In particular, students' attitude scores were higher in classrooms in which students perceived greater leadership, helping/friendly, and understanding behaviours in their teachers. Correlations between cognitive achievement and interpersonal behaviour were not as strong, but there were positive associations with cooperative behaviours and negative associations with oppositional behaviours. Females perceived their teachers in a more positive way than did males and students from an Asian background tended to perceive their teachers more positively than those from the other cultural groups identified in the study.     

An Application of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction and College and University Classroom Environment Inventory in a Multicultural Tertiary Context

The research reported in this inquiry consisted of the application of two classroom learning environment questionnaires developed in a Western context to a culturally diverse context, namely, the Pacific Islands. The College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) instruments were administered to intact classes of first- and second-year science students ( n= 257) at a regional university in the Pacific Islands, containing a total of 12 ethnicities. The data reveal that the QTI instrument holds good reliability for all scales, whereas the CUCEI holds reliability for only two scales. This may be due to the simple nature of the questions on the QTI whereas the questions on the CUCEI require more interpretation, the latter exacerbated by the fact that English is a second or third language for most participants. Surprisingly, there were few differences in perceptions of teacher student interaction based on ethnicity, but substantial differences based on gender. As reported in previous classroom environment research at the secondary school level, in this study, females perceived their environment more favourably than males. The data for the QTI reveal that the students perceive their classrooms to be highly teacher dominated, consistent with previous naturalistic studies of secondary schools and exploratory studies at the tertiary level in Fiji. Since almost all the graduates from this institution become science teachers, a cycle is completed.     

Secondary school students’ perceptions of teacher–student interaction and students’ attitudes towards project work

Project work (PW) provides one of the pathways for students’ self-inquiry learning and collaboration in Singapore schools. In this context, PW teachers function as facilitators. This study investigated quantitatively how a group of 270 secondary-school students (aged 14 years) perceived their seven PW teacher-facilitators’ face-to-face interactions with students based on the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI), and whether their perceptions of teacher–student interaction during PW classrooms were related with their attitudes towards PW learning as a whole. Seven out of eight QTI scales were associated with Enjoyment of Project Work Lessons and two QTI scales were associated with Attitude to Inquiry in Project Work. The findings are discussed in terms of how teachers who function as facilitators can translate their interpersonal behaviours into effective teaching strategies for communicating with students and facilitating students’ learning in PW classrooms.     

Teacher–student interpersonal relationships in Indonesian lower secondary education: Teacher and student perceptions

This study investigated firstly the reliability and validity of an Indonesian version of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI). Second, perceptions of Indonesian secondary school teachers?? interpersonal behaviour as perceived by students and teachers were studied with the QTI. Third, differences between students?? and teachers?? perceptions regarding interpersonal teacher behaviour were compared. The QTI itself is based on the Model of Interpersonal Behaviour which maps teacher behaviour in terms of Influence (Dominance?CSubmission) and Proximity (Cooperation?COpposition). In this study, an Indonesian version of the QTI was constructed and distributed to 2,380 students of 69 teachers from 85 classes (grade 7?C9) from 12 public lower secondary schools in Indonesia. The results showed high reliability and validity for the instrument. Students?? and teachers?? average ratings on Influence were similar, while teacher??s ratings of Proximity were higher than those of students.     

Tracking Pre-service Teachers’ Changing Conceptions of Good Science Teaching: The Role of Progressive Reflection with the Same Video

A CD-ROM consisting of videos of two lessons by different teachers demonstrating exemplary science teaching was used to elicit, develop and track the changing conceptions of good science teaching of student teachers enrolled for the one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) at several stages during the programme. It was found that the videos acted as an effective probe to elicit student teachers’ conceptions and had significant impact on those conceptions at different stages of the programme through the provision of teacher models demonstrating exemplary teaching. The experience has extended novice teachers’ awareness of alternative teaching methods and approaches not experienced in their own schooling, broadened their awareness of different classroom situations, provided proof of existence of good practices and prompted them to reflect on their current conceptions of good science teaching. Most importantly, the strategy of asking student teachers to watch the same videos on three separate occasions at different times of the course was recognized by them as a crucial element in facilitating their reflection on their changing conceptions of good science teaching. PGDE is the standard form of pre-service teacher education in Hong Kong. It provides qualified teacher status within Hong Kong. Student teachers enrolled for the PGDE have completed a relevant undergraduate degree.     

Students’ perceptions of primary teachers’ interpersonal behavior and of cultural dimensions in the classroom environment

Within the domain of learning environments research many studies have investigated students’ perceptions of their teachers’ interpersonal behavior. The present study adds to this line of research by (a) focusing on primary education, rather than secondary education, (b) establishing associations between perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior and perceptions of cultural elements of the learning environment rather than uniquely focusing on interpersonal behavior, (c) linking perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior to affective student outcomes taking into account perceptions of cultural elements of the learning environment.Results of correlation analyses and multilevel analyses of variance, conducted on perception and outcome data of a sample of 2178 Australian years 5, 6 and 7 students in 103 primary classrooms are presented. Students’ perceptions of their learning environment were mapped with the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) and a primary version of the Cultural Learning Environment Questionnaire (CLEQ).Results indicate that, after correction for covariates, teacher proximity (QTI) and congruence (CLEQ) are significantly associated with students’ enjoyment in science. Also, strong associations were found between teacher proximity and all of the CLEQ scales.     

Development and evaluation of a Chinese version of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI)

Teacher–student interpersonal relationships play an important role in education. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) was designed to measure students’ interpersonal perceptions of their teachers. There are two Chinese versions of the QTI for student use, and that inherited the weaknesses of the previous English versions, such as items that focus on class behaviour, instead of teacher behaviour, or that include conditionals and negations. The present study aimed to develop an improved Chinese version of the QTI which is conceptually parallel with the original QTI and with the use of optimal item wording. The process contained several steps, including expert panels and student and teacher interviews. New items were also created based on the Chinese secondary classroom context, rather than only using translations of English items. The final version of the Chinese version of the QTI presented in this paper was evaluated with a sample of 2000 students from 4 secondary schools in mainland China who rated a total of 80 teachers. The resulting version of the Chinese QTI had adequate validity and reliability, and it distinguished clearly between teachers. The predictive validity was supported by the relation between the students’ perceptions of their teachers and their academic emotions in class. Although further improvement of the instrument is recommended, it can be used to study interpersonal teacher behaviour in China and to help to improve Chinese teachers’ teaching practices.     

Students’ perceptions and teachers’ self-ratings of modelling civic virtues: an exploratory empirical study in Dutch primary schools

This is a study of teachers’ modelling of civic virtues in the classroom. It focusses on three virtues of good citizenship: justice, tolerance and solidarity. The aim is to explore the extent to which teachers can be regarded as models of these virtues. Questionnaires were developed for both students and teachers. Factor analyses showed that the three virtues could be empirically distinguished in teachers’ behaviour. The students rated their teachers higher on the justice and solidarity scales than on the tolerance scale. The teachers rated themselves as less just, but more tolerant than they were rated by their students. Furthermore, the correspondence between students’ perceptions and teachers’ self-ratings was not high: correlations were only found between ratings of teachers’ level of justice. The results of the study indicate that teachers need to become more aware of their exemplary function and the way they are perceived by their students.     

Interpersonal behaviour styles of primary education teachers during science lessons

This study reports the first development in Australia of primary science teacher typologies of teacher–student interpersonal behaviour, which was measured by students’ perceptions using the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI). Earlier work with the QTI in The Netherlands has revealed eight different interpersonal styles, which were later confirmed with an American sample of secondary-school teachers and which were similar to types found with Australian secondary-school science teachers. The present study investigated the extent to which typologies found in earlier studies also apply to primary teachers. A cluster analysis was used to determine Australian typologies and to compare these with earlier findings. Prior typologies could only be partially confirmed, and the found typology of six styles was able to explain variance in both student outcomes and perceptions of cultural elements of the learning environment.     

Implications of a comparative assessment of exemplary and novice elementary teachers

Conclusion This study points to the fact that it would be practical to compare and assess the instructional strategies of exemplary and novice elementary science teachers using a set of criteria derived from published teacher effectiveness studies. According to this study there are differences ranging from significant to null between the instructional behaviors of exemplary and novice teachers, and it indicates that it may not be appropriate to rely entirely upon the findings of individual teacher effectiveness studies to prepare effective preservice teachers. Science teacher educators need to focus more directly on the differences in instructional strategies between the exemplary and novice teachers and inquire further into determining the causes for the differences. Hurd (1982) reported that about half of the elementary teachers studied believe that their preservice education failed to prepare them to teach science in real classrooms. If what separates exemplary teachers from novices can be clearly identified, then the science teacher educator’s task of preparing effective preservice teachers will be an easier one. Then it would be also possible to develop effective preservice science teacher education programs more congruent with exemplary science teaching practices and augment the existing science teacher education knowledge base through further research.     

The Australian Science Teacher: A Typology of Teacher–Student Interpersonal Behaviour in Australian Science Classes

This study reports the first development in Australia of science teacher typologies of teacher–student interpersonal behaviour. Students' perceptions of teacher–student interpersonal behaviour were measured using the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI). Earlier work with the QTI in The Netherlands has revealed eight different interpersonal styles, which were later confirmed with an American sample of secondary school teachers. The present study investigated the extent to which typologies found in earlier studies also apply to a sample of Australian secondary school science teachers. Data were first checked to examine whether the eight profiles found in The Netherlands and the USA were also present in the Australian data. A cluster analysis using various clustering methods and procedures was used to determine Australian typologies and compare these with earlier Dutch findings. Results of the cluster analyses were verified by analyses of variance, by plotting QTI scale scores graphically, and by presenting a set of sector graphics to two independent researchers and having them sort these into different profiles as found in the statistical analyses. The resultant typologies and implications for professional development and research are presented.     

Understanding science teaching effectiveness: examining how science-specific and generic instructional practices relate to student achievement in secondary science classrooms

ABSTRACT

In order to create conditions for students’ meaningful and rigorous intellectual engagement in science classrooms, it is critically important to help science teachers learn which strategies and approaches can be used best to develop students’ scientific literacy. Better understanding how science teachers’ instructional practices relate to student achievement can provide teachers with beneficial information about how to best engage their students in meaningful science learning. To address this need, this study examined the instructional practices that 99 secondary biology teachers used in their classrooms and employed regression to determine which instructional practices are predictive of students’ science achievement. Results revealed that the secondary science teachers who had well-managed classroom environments and who provided opportunities for their students to engage in student-directed investigation-related experiences were more likely to have increased student outcomes, as determined by teachers’ value-added measures. These findings suggest that attending to both generic and subject-specific aspects of science teachers’ instructional practice is important for understanding the underlying mechanisms that result in more effective science instruction in secondary classrooms. Implications about the use of these observational measures within teacher evaluation systems are discussed.     

The importance of teacher interpersonal behaviour for student attitudes in Brunei primary science classes

This study investigated relationships between students' perceptions of their teachers' interpersonal behaviour and their subject‐related attitude in primary science classes in Brunei. Teacher–student interpersonal behaviour was mapped with the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) and reported in terms of two independent dimensions called Influence (teacher dominance vs submission) and Proximity (teacher cooperation vs opposition). While prior research using the QTI mainly focused on secondary education, the present study was one of the first in Brunei and in primary education and one of few studies to use multilevel analysis. Data from 1305 students from 64 classes were used in this study. Results indicated strong and positive effects of Influence and Proximity on students' enjoyment of their science class and supported findings of earlier work with the QTI.     

Science teachers and scientific argumentation: Trends in views and practice

Current research indicates that student engagement in scientific argumentation can foster a better understanding of the concepts and the processes of science. Yet opportunities for students to participate in authentic argumentation inside the science classroom are rare. There also is little known about science teachers' understandings of argumentation, their ability to participate in this complex practice, or their views about using argumentation as part of the teaching and learning of science. In this study, the researchers used a cognitive appraisal interview to examine how 30 secondary science teachers evaluate alternative explanations, generate an argument to support a specific explanation, and investigate their views about engaging students in argumentation. The analysis of the teachers' comments and actions during the interview indicates that these teachers relied primarily on their prior content knowledge to evaluate the validity of an explanation rather than using available data. Although some of the teachers included data and reasoning in their arguments, most of the teachers crafted an argument that simply expanded on a chosen explanation but provided no real support for it. The teachers also mentioned multiple barriers to the integration of argumentation into the teaching and learning of science, primarily related to their perceptions of students' ability levels, even though all of these teachers viewed argumentation as a way to help students understand science. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 1122–1148, 2012     

Assessing Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Students with Mental Health Disorders in 16 Postsecondary Institutions in Quebec

The number of students with mental health disorders (MHDs) in postsecondary institutions is increasing. Teachers’ attitudes are among the main factors that influence these students’ academic success. Unfortunately, their attitudes are little studied, in part because of lack of validated scales. Therefore, this article has two purposes: (1) analyse the construct validity of new scales assessing teachers’ attitudes, as well as existing scales without an established construct validity; and (2) report the correlations between the variables assessed in these scales, with a special focus on two variables: (a) teachers’ negative attitudes; and (b) the measures offered to students by teachers. The participants are 232 teachers from 16 French and English CEGEPS in Quebec, Canada. The questionnaire includes three scales created by the research team and three scales from the Mental Illness Awareness Survey. Correlational and factor analyses were conducted. The scales present good construct validity. Four variables were associated with the two variables of interest: confidence in one’s ability to convince a student to seek help; familiarity with MHDs; knowledge and understanding of MHDs; favourable perception of the accommodations offered by adapted and psychosocial services. Based on these results, strategies are proposed to improve teachers’ attitudes.     

Learning Environment, Attitudes and Achievement among Middle-school Science Students Using Inquiry-based Laboratory Activities

This study compared inquiry and non-inquiry laboratory teaching in terms of students’ perceptions of the classroom learning environment, attitudes toward science, and achievement among middle-school physical science students. Learning environment and attitude scales were found to be valid and related to each other for a sample of 1,434 students in 71 classes. For a subsample of 165 students in 8 classes, inquiry instruction promoted more student cohesiveness than non-inquiry instruction (effect size of one-third of a standard deviation), and inquiry-based laboratory activities were found to be differentially effective for male and female students.     

Enhancing literacy practices in science classrooms through a professional development program for Canadian minority-language teachers

Literacy in the Science Classroom Project was a three-year professional development (PD) program supporting minority-language secondary teachers’ use of effective language-based instructional strategies for teaching science. Our primary objective was to determine how teacher beliefs and practices changed over time and how these were enacted in different classrooms. We also wanted to identify the challenges and enablers to implementing these literacy strategies and practices at the classroom, school, and district levels. Data collection involved both qualitative and quantitative methodologies: student questionnaires; interviews with teachers, principals, and mentor; and focus groups with students. The findings suggest that the program had an impact on beliefs and practices commensurate with the workshop participation of individual teachers. These language-enhanced teacher practices also had a positive impact on the use of talking, reading and writing by students in the science classroom. Finally, continuing PD support may be needed in certain jurisdictions for strengthening minority-language programs given the high teacher mobility in content-area classrooms evident in this study.