Guglielmino's self-directed learning readiness scale: A validation study

The attributes of self-direction in learning are becoming increasingly important as the need for lifelong learning grows in strength. Educators are challenged to assist in the development of self-directed learning skills and to encourage learners to more freely use self-direction in their learning activities. Unfortunately, there are few validated procedures for identifying the self-directed learners. Guglielmino's Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale is one of the few instruments identified in the literature for the purpose of measuring self-direction in learning. Even though the scale has been widely used, additional validation is needed. This study was designed to use a multitrait-multimethod procedure for determining the validity of the SDLRS. The sample included 136 college students from two different colleges: 63 black students, 70 white students and 3 students of other nationalities (other than USA). Thirty-seven specific hypotheses were tested. Findings concerning selected hypotheses are discussed. Three general conclusions concerning the validity of the SDLRS are as follows: (1) The findings are supportive of the validity of the SDLRS; (2) Significant differences were noted in faculty ratings according to racial composition and student scores on the SDLRS; (3) Significant associations exist between the SDLRS scores and variables such as age, educational level and ARS (agreement response set).     

Turkish classroom teachers' views on school readiness: a phenomenological study

In a democratic education system, it is important to provide equal opportunity to every child. Both educators and researchers acknowledge a gap between students who attend school ready to learn and those who do not. School readiness prepares students for this learning. The purpose of the study was to ascertain Turkish classroom teachers’ expectations of first-grade students in terms of school readiness. To achieve this goal, Turkish classroom teachers’ views on school readiness were collected. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with nine Turkish classroom teachers. Data were analysed using phenomenological study techniques. Seven major themes were derived from the data analysis: health screening, fine motor skills, self-confidence, self-expression, willingness to learn, toilet habits and negative transfer. Implications are discussed and recommendations are made for future studies.     

Teacher-pupil compatibility and teachers' ratings of children's behavior

Canonical variate analysis of the relationships between teachers' ratings of children's behavior and an index of teacher-pupil compatibility objectively demonstrated a significant relationship between behaviors representative of serious psychopathology and teacher-pupil compatibility. Previous multivariate analyses of variance had failed to identify meaningful relationships between teacher-pupil compatibility and teacher nomination of a child as a behavior problem. This study provides inferential support for the contention that school behavior problems and emotional disturbances are separate nosological entities.     

The usefulness of teachers' characteristics in predicting teachers' ratings of racially and linguistically different students

The study was designed to determine whether professional experiential characteristics or stereotyped expectations best predict teachers' ratings of racially and linguistically different children. Sixty-eight white elementary school teachers rated 12 speakers who differed in race and dialect. Biographical information concerning teachers' training experience teaching black students was collected as were stereotyped expectancies. Results of maximum R² improvement techniques revealed that professional characteristics were unrelated to teachers' ratings, but that stereotyped attitudes predicted the teachers' performance. The results are discussed with reference to the implication for success of disadvantaged children in the educational system and for future in-depth research.     

Developing an instrument to assess student readiness for online learning: a validation study

Given the continued growth in online learning as well as reports of high attrition rates in it, understanding student readiness for online learning is necessary. Over the years several surveys have been developed to assess student readiness as a predictor of success in online programs; however, a review of the literature yielded limited results of their translation and criterion‐referenced validity. The researchers of this article sought to develop a more rigorous survey instrument for students to self‐assess readiness for online learning. The authors report on findings from a three‐phase study during which the instrument was developed, evaluated, and validated. Through the process of validation, the researchers systematically engaged in an iterative process to refine the instrument, which resulted in not only a more rigorous instrument but one that more clearly defines ready and situates it within the literature on learner characteristics, digital divide, and information and communications technology (ICT) engagement.     

Convergence of deaf children's sociometric scores and teachers' behavioral ratings

Twenty-four deaf children judged each other, using a standard sociometric technique, and were rated by their teachers. The correlations between the two sources at four assessment periods replicated previous findings of substantial convergence of teachers' behavioral ratings and children's sociometric scores, thereby extending this relationship to the population of language-impaired deaf children in residential school settings.     

Consensus and dissensus in mentor teachers' judgments of readiness to teach

Deciding whether a teacher candidate is ready to teach is a significant judgment about which little is known. In this study, Social Judgment Theory's lens model is used to analyse grade decisions made by 18 primary school mentor teachers who were provided with four vignettes of fictional teacher candidates' practicum performance. Mentor teachers' grade decisions, and their reasoning, showed evidence of some consistency but also significant dissensus. We argue that such dissensus is inevitable in complex social decision-making and therefore needs to be used productively to help make more reliable judgments.     

Construction and validation of a questionnaire to study future teachers' beliefs about cultural diversity

The article presents the construction and validation process of a questionnaire designed to study student teachers' beliefs about cultural diversity. The study, beyond highlighting the complexity involved in the study of beliefs, emphasises their relevance in implementing inclusive educational processes that guarantee the right to a good education for all. The questionnaire was administered to 1464 students from the different Teacher Education specialties. The results show that the instrument has a satisfactory internal consistency and is structured in seven components that largely correspond to the theoretical proposals used as the basis for constructing the questionnaire. The actions and analyses performed in the process of elaborating this inventory represent an advance compared to other similar studies in this line of research. From a methodological point of view, they provide detailed information about the questionnaire's psychometric characteristics, reliability and validity, with particular emphasis on the empirical data stemming from its application. From a conceptual point of view, the study incorporates beliefs related to different theoretical models of attention to cultural diversity, as well as their possible practical derivations at different levels of specificity.     

Assessment of attention in school children: teachers' ratings related to tests of attention

The paper provides (1) a teacher-administered rating instrument for inattention without confounding the rating with hyperactivity and conduct disorder, and (2) evidence that the ratings correlate with the scores obtained from cognitive tests of attention. In Study I, the first objective was to investigate the construct validity and the inter-rater reliability of the Attention Checklist (ACL) by factor analysing the teacher ratings of 110 Grade 4 children, obtained by using the ACL. The second objective was to investigate the predictive validity of the ACL by examining the relationship between the scores obtained for the participants from teachers' ratings using the ACL and the scores obtained by participants in the lab-type attention tests. The results of factor analysis showed that a single factor labelled ‘inattention’ underlies the 12 items in the ACL. Examining the differences in performance on attention tests, the ‘low attention’ children as rated by the teachers on the ACL scored lower than the ‘high attention’ children on the objective tests of attention. These findings were replicated in Study II, which was conducted to test further the construct validity and predictive validity of the ACL. This time, only those two tests (Auditory Attention and Visual Attention) that had shown relatively poor discrimination between the high and low attention groups in Study I were, again, administered to another cohort of 97 Grade 4 children, as it was our intention to further challenge the reliability of the ACL. Overall, the results of both studies suggest that comprehensive assessment of attention skills should include both ACL and objective measures of selective attention.     

Cognitive preferences: A validation study

In 1964 Health introduced the cognitive preference construct and used it to evaluate a new science curriculum. Since then the construct, adapted from research on cognitive styles, has been used in many research and evaluation studies. More recently, however, a number of questions have been raised concerning the validity of findings and analytical techniques employed in these studies. Ultimately the validity of the cognitive preference construct itself is being questioned.In this article a framework for examining validity evidence for the cognitive preference construct is developed; the literature on cognitive preferences in the context of this framework is reviewed, and the validity evidence developed in one recent study is presented and discussed.     

高职教师的职业倦怠与工作压力的关系研究

近年来,大力发展职业教育的号角已经吹响。高职作为职业教育的“领头羊”,其教师的工作状态备受关注。同时,教师工作压力和职业倦怠问题是近年来心理学界研究的焦点之一。因此,研究高职教师职业倦怠与工作压力的关系,对高职教育的健康发展大有裨益。     

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,behavioural and emotional problems in children excluded from mainstream education: a preliminary study of teachers' ratings

The aim of this study was to measure the rates of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and behavioural and emotional problems in children attending Behavioural Support Units (BSUs), as rated by teachers. Children (N=45) were selected from two Behavioural Support Units (primary and secondary education). Teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the ADHD Rating Scale. The levels of hyperactivity and emotional problems were high among primary school age children. Children attending primary school age BSUs had significantly higher hyperactivity and emotional scores than their older counterparts. The findings are discussed in relation to the literature on ADHD and other mental health problems in children. The implications for the provision of services for children excluded from mainstream education are also discussed.     

School leadership and school improvement: an examination of school readiness factors

ABSTRACT

This article reports on an investigation into the influence stemming from school leadership as an important consideration in relation to school improvement. School readiness, based on [Schiemann, W. A. 2014. “From Talent Management to Talent Optimization.” Journal of World Business 49 (2): 281–288. doi:10.1016/j.jwb.2013.11.012]. Accountability, Capability and Engagement (ACE) leadership model, was assessed through self-reported school leader behaviours, attitudes, perceptions, and school improvement attributes. To clarify, school readiness refers to how a school principal optimises staff and other school resources to best achieve school improvement agendas. School readiness survey results and student achievement outcomes for one entire school district were analysed, indicating that school readiness did indeed impact student achievement. Findings reveal a need for school leaders to focus more clearly on overall school alignment and optimisation behaviours, and these are discussed in relation to specific leadership recommendations and how leadership can better support and encourage school improvement in terms of educational accountability.     

The effect of methylphenidate on teachers' behavioral ratings in specific school situations

Fifty-seven students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were treated with 5 and 15 mg of methylphenidate (MPH) twice a day, and ratings of their behavior were compared to placebo on the School Situations Questionnaire (SSQ). SSQ ratings improved with MPH treatment in all situations related to task performance (i.e., arriving at school, during individual seat work, small group activities, and lectures) but less so in non-task or unstructured situations. Many change scores were large enough to be clinically meaningful. Use of SSQ by school psychologists was discussed as a means of efficiently providing contextual information not available from ADHD dimensional rating scales. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Beginning teachers' situated emotions: A study of first classroom experiences

Using Peirce's three categories of experience (1931-1935), the authors categorized a group of teachers' emotions into different affective states. During ordinary teaching situations contradictory emotions were observed. The nature of the emotions was related to the teachers' level of dependence on the lesson plan and the need to maintain student activity and underlined the importance of emotions in learning to teach.     

School teachers' control and involvement in their own evaluation

Summary For the technical, sociological-psychological, and political benefits of teacher participation in evaluation to occur, new structures and policies concerning evaluation must be put into place. Teachers must be given stagewise support in developing increased involvement and control. But finally, those policy makers, evaluation program designers and researchers who plan for teacher evaluation must act to more completely include teachers in their own evaluation. A great deal of good is at stake in the opportunity to increase teacher participation in teacher evaluation.     

A study on motivating learners through teachers' questioning

Teachers'questioning is quite significant on motivating learners. When asking questions, teachers need to find a balance between convergent and divergent questions. Wait-time is also very important when questioning. This study was based on a survey of 34 students who were taking academic English language courses in a UK university (the University of Hertfordshire) and also suggested that three to five seconds is the most suitable wait-time for students.