Educator Perceptions and Use of Technology in South African Schools

ABSTRACT

South African schools experience diverse access to educational technology. Further, South African educators have limited opportunities to attend educator professional development workshops focused on technology integration. These differences can have a tremendous impact on students’ educational experiences and educators’ levels of self-efficacy toward implementing technology in their school settings. To provide further support and training opportunities to educators in South African township schools, administrators are able to partner with nongovernmental organizations and institutions of higher education. This article provides an overview of South African educational contexts and how partnerships can be formed to provide educator support to integrate educational technology in township schools.     

South Asians in College Counseling

The goal of this article is to provide information on the assessment and treatment of South Asian college students for mental health practitioners. We provide a brief historical review of the cultures from which these students come and the process of migration to the United States and also make recommendations for work with these students in the college counseling setting. Topics addressed include family dynamics, arranged marriage, ethnic identity development, and suicide.     

Teacher Appraisal in Special Schools

From September onwards the phased introduction of teacher appraisals will begin in schools. So far, in the six areas where DES pilot schemes are being run, special schools have not been to the fore. In this article, however, the authors concentrate on issues which are relevant to special schools. They draw on a survey of 32 headteachers in special schools in the north west of England and also suggest some guidelines for an effective and fair system. Kath Williams is deputy head, Underlea Special School, Liverpool, and Ian Petrie is a lecturer in special education at Liverpool University and honorary editor of this Journal.     

On Teacher Quality in Independent Schools

Independent schools pride themselves on providing a unique educational experience for students, one that is robust and mission-driven and capitalizes on lower student-to-teacher ratios that allow for more personalized learning and high-quality teachers. Numerous studies measure teacher effectiveness in public schools, yet there is little research on teacher quality in independent schools. This study finds that independent schools use four key characteristics to describe high-quality teachers: (a) strong relationships with students, (b) strong pedagogical knowledge and content expertise, (c) a growth mind-set, and (d) the ability to fit well within the school's culture. We also examine school practices and find that some commonly used activities for recruitment and selection are intended to identify the key characteristics of high-quality teachers. Administrators use demonstration lessons and interviews to assess candidates’ abilities to develop strong relationships with students and their pedagogical knowledge and content expertise. However, we find that practices around teacher evaluation are inconsistent.     

Student Teacher Efficacy in Inner-City Schools

The resolution of five middle-class student teachers' conflict and growth toward efficacy during their year interning in an inner-city school is described in this qualitative study. Analysis of 4 interviews, 12 written reflections, and 7 transcribed group discussions revealed a sense of culture shock felt by interns upon entering the inner-city schools. In particular, their concerns focused on problems in the children's home lives. Aggravating their worries were the normal concerns of student teachers about getting along with their collaborating teachers and their students and coping with doubts about their own abilities and values. Growth in self-efficacy began as the interns attempted to manage problems and take risks.     

Perceptions in Role Change from Teacher to Counselor

12 school counselors, former teachers who had been counseling no more than 2 years, were interviewed on how they experienced the processes of role change from teacher to counselor. Theoretical constructs from sociological research on role and reference groups were used in the analysis. Anticipatory socialization was found not to have been engaged in by the new counselors. Having been a teacher was found to be dysfunctional to the extent that (a) it gave rise to ambivalence between the two roles, (b) demanded change in perspective toward the student, the school system, and the teachers, and (c) caused conflict by the necessity of changing the compliance system used with students. Having been a teacher was found to be functional to the counselor role in understanding and working with counselees and teachers on student-teacher problems. The dysfunctional aspects of having taught outweighed the functional aspects and inhibited positive identification with, as well as impeding adjustment to, the new role of counselor.     

Learning Networks in German Schools and Teacher Education

In the nationwide project “Schulen ans Netz” in Germany a network will be created to give a support for information, communication and collaboration of schools, universities and institutes. In the IKARUS project at the University of Dortmund a multimedia learning environment is being developed and evaluated to educate teacher students on the topic of Information and Communication Technology. It integrates the information, communication and collaboration aspects of the media in a study laboratory.     

Teacher Candidates' Perceptions About Grading and Constructivist Teaching

The Survey of Assessment Beliefs (SAB) was developed to measure teacher candidates' perceptions about grading practices. After piloting, the SAB was administered to 222 teacher candidates at a large northeastern urban university, along with a measure of their beliefs about teaching. Candidates were found to support many grading practices not recommended by professional standards. Support for grading practices that deviate from professional recommendations was positively associated with support for constructivist approaches. Significant differences were found in grading and teaching attitudes between elementary and secondary education teacher candidates. Teacher candidates became more moderate in endorsing nonstandard grading practices following coursework in classroom assessment but on average maintained a tendency to approve academically enabling grading practices. This study provides empirical evidence about possible areas of tension between constructivist learning theory and principles of educational measurement, and it helps classroom assessment teachers understand the needs of their target audiences.     

Faculty Members' Perceptions of Teacher Preparation Programs

This research study examined faculty members' reaction to criticisms about the quality and design of teacher preparation programs at schools and colleges of education. The researchers found that there is confusion among teacher preparation professionals about their programs and research. The study also showed that, in general, teacher educators are resistant to change.     

Ten Years of Teacher Workshops in an Environmental Problem-Solving Model: Teacher Implementation and Perceptions

Abstract

In this study, the authors focus on quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the training model for Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions (IEEIA). The authors examined (a) the relationship between IEEIA implementation rates and type of training; (b) workshop participants' perceptions of support for their use of IEEIA and the relationship between those perceptions and implementation; and (c) workshop participants' perceptions about the impact of the instructional approach on themselves, students, administrators, colleagues, parents, and the community. A direct-mailed questionnaire was used to collect data from 132 teachers who had participated in IEEIA training between 1990 and 1999. Interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 8 workshop participants. More than half of the teachers used the approach. Participants of extended or multiple trainings tended to use IEEIA more than their counterparts. Support after the workshop was important to implementation; IEEIA teachers perceived that it had positive impacts on themselves, students, and others.     

Test Preparation: Examining Teacher Perceptions and Practices

This study analyzed questionnaire and interview data on teachers' practices and perceptions with respect to test preparation. Questionnaire respondents were asked to rate the ethicality of various test-preparation practices and indicate the extent to which they utilize these practices in their instruction. On the basis of questionnaire results, interviews were conducted with a smaller sample of teachers to determine their views on the appropriateness of particular test-preparation practices, and to determine the factors affecting teacher perceptions about a given activity. Contrary to previous empirical work, questionnaire results indicated that neither use of a given practice nor teacher perceptions of the ethicality of the practice vary across levels of student achievement. On the other hand, consistent with previous empirical work, both use and perceptions varied across grade-level configuration. Estimates of the prevalence of particular teacher practices and perceptions were obtained and compared with those from the literature. In addition, dimensions of teacher reasoning were explored, indicating that when considering the appropriateness of a given practice, teachers consider the following factors: score meaning, learning, the potential for raising student scores, professional ethics, equity, and external perceptions.     

独立学院的教师发展刍议

近年来,随着独立学院的快速发展,对教师数量与质量的要求也在增加。由于独立学院目标定位与运行模式的特殊性,其教师队伍结构及教育发展取向相对于一般普通本科院校有所不同。要更加注重从教师队伍的稳定性、教师的专业发展与教师结构调整等方面加强独立学院的教师队伍建设。     

Relations of Student Perceptions of Teacher Oral Feedback With Teacher Expectancies and Student Self-Concept

In this article, the authors investigated the relations of students’ perceptions of teachers’ oral feedback with teacher expectancies and student self-concept. A sample of 1,598 Taiwanese children in Grades 3 to 6 completed measures of student perceptions of teacher oral feedback and school self-concept. Homeroom teachers identified students for whom they had high or low expectancies. Discriminant analysis indicated student perceptions of positive and negative academic oral feedback were more important than nonacademic feedback in predicting teacher expectancies. A 2-way multivariate analysis of variance showed that boys perceived more negative oral feedback than did girls, and fifth-grade students perceived more negative oral feedback on academic and nonacademic domains than did the third- and fourth-grade students. Furthermore, structural equation modeling results indicated a particularly strong relation between positive academic oral feedback and academic self-concept.     

Mathematics Teacher Educators' Perceptions and Use of Cognitive Research

Instructors (N = 204) of elementary mathematics methods courses completed a survey assessing the extent to which they value cognitive research and incorporate it into their courses. Instructors' responses indicated that they view cognitive research to be fairly important for mathematics education, particularly studies of domain‐specific topics, and that they emphasize topics prominent in psychology studies of mathematical thinking in their courses. However, instructors reported seldom accessing this research through primary or secondary sources. A mediation analysis indicated that mathematics methods instructors' perception of the importance of the research predicts their incorporation of it in their courses, and that this relation is partially mediated by their accessing of it. Implications for psychologists who have an interest in education and recommendations for facilitating the use of cognitive research in teacher preparation are discussed.