A comparative study: English and Turkish teachers' conceptions of their professional responsibility

This paper discusses some of the findings pertaining to how teachers see their work, produced by a comparative study of 120 English and 120 Turkish primary school teachers. The sample was drawn from schools in four different types of matched catchment areas—rural, inner city, suburban and affluent suburban—in Leicestershire. England, and in Erzurum, Turkey. Four major dimensions of difference between the two national contexts are identified in terms of the range of professional activities undertaken, the ambiguity of relative importance to teachers of the process as against the products of learning. Against a background of contemporary policy changes which seem likely to effect different teaching and learning activities in the two countries, the paper argues that attempts to change teachers' practice without due regard to those conceptions of professional responsibility which are deeply rooted in particular national traditions, as well as more general classroom realities, will result in a lowering of morale and decreased effectiveness.     

Knowledge practices and relations in professional education

ABSTRACT

The dynamics of knowledge in society have transformed the conditions of professional work and learning. Professional expertise has become increasingly specialised, and practitioners are challenged to keep up with rapid developments in their fields. At the same time, the complexity of professional work requires the integration of different forms of knowledge and knowing. Against this background, the knowledge settings in which learners engage and the practices and resources these offer are of vital importance. This article addresses professional education as embedded in profession-specific ‘machineries of knowledge construction’, that is, the set of practices and arrangements through which knowledge and ways of knowing in a profession are generated. It is argued that such machineries span settings in education and work. Examples from research in three professional programmes are used to discuss how students are introduced to epistemic practices and resources in selected knowledge settings. Analytical attention is given to the dynamic interplay between people, practices, knowledge resources and educational arrangements as well as to how connections to work and the epistemic machinery are made. Taking these linkages into account is important for our understanding of what learning entails in different areas of expertise and how this may change over time.     

The mediating effects of metacognition and creative thinking on the relationship between teachers' autonomy support and teachers' self-efficacy

A bulk of research has shown strong relationships between metacognition, creative thinking, autonomy support, and self-efficacy among teachers. However, we could not find research with a large sample of teachers exploring the mediating effects of creative thinking and metacognition on the relationship between autonomy support and self-efficacy. A need for a novel structural equation model (Covariance-based) underlying psychological rationality of said relationships was deemed actual. To that end, firstly the effects of teachers' autonomy support (opportunity and decision-making) on teachers' creative thinking, metacognition, and self-efficacy were tested. Then, the mediating effects of metacognition and creative thinking on the relationship between teachers' autonomy support and teachers' self-efficacy were explored. A simple random-sampling method was utilized to gather 787 teachers' data. The results revealed that decision-making and autonomy opportunity predicted creative thinking, metacognition, and self-efficacy positively and meaningfully. Subsequently, creative thinking as well as metacognition had mediating effects on the effects of autonomy opportunity and decision-making on self-efficacy. In closing, for boosting teachers' skills in autonomy support and self-efficacy, attention should be given to fostering their creative thinking as well as metacognition. The study provides implications and suggestions for research on school psychology and improvement.     

Characteristics of teachers' conversations about teaching mean,median, and mode

The study analyzed a conversation among a group of teachers responsible for teaching the concepts of mean, median, and mode. After reading an article describing some specific student difficulties in learning the concepts, teachers were asked to discuss how the teaching of the concepts could be improved. Several claims pertinent to improving teaching practice were offered. Claims focused on the appropriate age at which to introduce statistical concepts, the influence of the state-prescribed curriculum on teaching practice, content-specific teaching strategies, and content-independent teaching strategies. Teachers' claims were discussed in terms of points of departure and agreement with existing empirical research.     

Let's lunch and learn: Professional knowledge sharing in teachers' lounges and other congregational spaces

Teachers' lounges are often thought as places that breed negativity. This two-year ethnography conducted in the United States explored teachers' interactions within teachers' lounges and congregational spaces. This article discusses that an important occurrence in these spaces, professional knowledge sharing, took place instead of perpetual negativity which is the common perception. I present suggestions for how teacher education programs can highlight the importance of congregational spaces, while providing a more complete account of them.     

Secondary teachers' conceptual metaphors of teaching and learning: Changes over the career span

Much has been written about the persistence of teacher beliefs upon entering and exiting preservice teacher education programs. Little research has explored teacher beliefs over the career span. Through an online survey instrument teachers (n = 110) choose which teaching metaphors most closely match their own under three conditions: upon first entering the profession, at present, and ideally. Analysis indicates that 63% of teachers changed their conception of teaching over time. While very experienced teachers began teaching with teacher-centered conceptual metaphors, over the course of their careers some move toward student-centered metaphors. Newer teachers have a tendency to begin with and aspire to student-centered conceptual metaphors. Teachers whose metaphors for current and desired practice differed identified obstacles to, and suggestions for, a better fit.     

Australian and Maltese teachers' perspectives about their capabilities for mental health promotion in school settings

Policy makers identify schools as settings for promoting students' positive mental health. However, mental health promotion is not typically addressed in pre- or in-service teacher education. This paper reports 1029 Australian and Maltese teachers' perspectives about their capabilities for mental health promotion. Although participants reported favourable attitudes, many indicated concerns about capabilities such as Knowledge, Parenting Support and Self-efficacy. Multilevel modelling showed differences between county, gender and year level, but not between years of teaching experience. Curriculum initiatives for mental health promotion require opportunities for teachers to build their capabilities in this relatively new domain of school and teacher responsibility.     

Development of Items for a Pedagogical Content Knowledge Test Based on Empirical Analysis of Pupils' Errors

In view of the lack of instruments for measuring biology teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), this article reports on a study about the development of PCK items for measuring teachers' knowledge of pupils' errors and ways for dealing with them. This study investigated 9th and 10th grade German pupils' (n?=?461) drawings in an achievement test about the knee-jerk in biology, which were analysed by using the inductive qualitative analysis of their content. The empirical data were used for the development of the items in the PCK test. The validation of the items was determined with think-aloud interviews of German secondary school teachers (n?=?5). If the item was determined, the reliability was tested by the results of German secondary school biology teachers (n?=?65) who took the PCK test. The results indicated that these items are satisfactorily reliable (Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.60 to 0.65). We suggest a larger sample size and American biology teachers be used in our further studies. The findings of this study about teachers' professional knowledge from the PCK test could provide new information about the influence of teachers' knowledge on their pupils' understanding of biology and their possible errors in learning biology.     

Using activity theory to understand prospective teachers' attitudes to and construction of special educational needs and/or disabilities

Appropriate professional development, including that initial teacher training, is regarded as a cornerstone of the development of inclusive education. This research is concerned with prospective teachers' conceptualisations of terms such as ‘disability’ and ‘special education’. Activity theory is proposed as a lens through which to consider the complexities involved. In the context of the English systems, this research, using data collected through word association and analysed using activity theory, explored the trainees' conceptualisations. The findings highlight both heterogeneity and homogeneity within a cohort of students, changes over time and implications for those involved in teacher education.     

知识型CAPP系统工艺知识的获取与表达

知识型CAPP(专家系统)是智能化CAPP的发展方向．本文主要研究知识型CAPP的核心问题；知识的获取与表达，并提出用多层次及多种表达模式的有机集合的知识表达方法．     

关于自然知识与人文知识作用的再思考

自然知识只能解决物与物的关系,是对人类生存条件的理性探索,而人文知识却能使主体自身正确或比较正确地解决人与人之间的关系,认识社会历史领域的法则、秩序和规律,两者相互作用,从而使整个社会构成一个有意义的文化世界和生活世界。     

教师知识研究的进展与启示

20世纪80年代以来的教师知识研究主要聚焦于"教师知识结构"研究和"教师实践性知识"研究两大主题。本文梳理了这两类研究的代表性成果和最新进展,分析了教师知识研究对于教师教育的启示。     

Perceived school support as a predictor of Singapore preschool teachers' inclusion of children with developmental needs

Teachers are more likely to include children with developmental needs (DN) in their classroom when they perceive that important people around them, such as principals, colleagues, and parents of children with and without DN, endorse inclusive education. Adequacy of resources and availability of training opportunities may also affect how teachers perceived being supported. This study examines Singapore preschool teachers' perception of support received from their working environment to include children with DN and how this predicts their intention to practice inclusive education and self-reported implementation of inclusive practices in the classroom. The original Perceived School Support for Inclusive Education (PSSIE) scale, developed in Bangladesh, was reviewed for relevance and clarity by a panel of six experts familiar with Singapore preschool inclusion. 211 preschool teachers in Singapore completed the new 11-item revised PSSIE – Singapore Version online. Perceived school support was found to be a single construct that significantly and reliably predicts both intention and self-reported practices (alpha = 0.929). Stakeholders in Singapore can now use this newly validated instrument to reliably understand the support received by teachers and to re-examine the strategies provided to support preschool teachers in this journey towards quality inclusive education.     

Presidential address: Power and privilege in education: The perpetual problem of social class

Abstract

... white settlers require native servants, they can only ensure a continuous supply by seeing to it that the servants are kept in a state of decided educational inferiority. To educate them ... (would) inculcate such mischievous and intolerable ideas as democracy, the brotherhood of man, human freedoms and the like (Wellington, 1967, p. 391)

In 1990, after sixty‐seven years of apartheid rule Namibia gained independence from South Africa. The quote above illustrates the influences of political, socio‐economic and ideological factors on the development of Bantu education in Namibia [and South Africa], which sought to entrench and maintain the system of apartheid. The paper will explore the influences of these macro‐factors, specifically on teaching and learning, on the Bantu and other phases of education throughout Namibian history i.e. indigenous education, missionary education and education for all.     

教师实践性知识研究历程与前瞻

自20世纪80年代以来,教师实践性知识研究已经有近30年的历程,可分为萌芽期、成长期和发展期三个阶段。研究内容主要涉及教师实践性知识的定义、特征、构成、表征方式以及获得与产生等方面。从研究内容、研究方法和研究对象上看,其研究还存在一些需要注意和改进的问题。未来应有的研究方向与重点是继承与发扬本土研究优势、持续跟踪引进与借鉴国外相关研究成果;运用科学化与综合化的研究方法;加强教师实践性知识理论基础、基本理论和创生机制等三个取向的研究。     

大学自治的条件与形态:知识的视角

大学自治的理论根基在于大学的知识本性,知识生产内蕴的个体性与社会性、合理性与合法性矛盾是大学自治制度存在的必要前提。知识的社会功用决定了大学自治的内在限度,国家能力的强弱则是大学自治的外部条件,内外因素的交互作用,决定了大学自治的三种历史形态,而处于演变中的大学自治制度是大学能够基业常青的重要保证。     

Direct and indirect effects of Key2Teach on teachers' sense of self-efficacy and emotional exhaustion,a randomized controlled trial

The effects of Key2Teach on teachers' sense of self-efficacy and emotional exhaustion related to students with externalizing problem behaviour were investigated using an RCT-design. 103 teachers were randomly assigned to an intervention or control condition and followed during a school-year. Data were collected at three time-points. Self-efficacy for instructional strategies improved at post-test and emotional exhaustion decreased at follow-up as a result of Key2Teach. Self-efficacy did not mediate the effect on emotional exhaustion. The effect of Key2Teach on self-efficacy concerning student engagement and classroom management was mediated by an increase in closeness. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Roles,requirements and autonomy of academic researchers

As an indicator of nations' prosperity and economic competitiveness, research impacts the mounting roles and requirements placed upon academic researchers. Internationally, researchers are expected to effectively operate in the fast-changing and demanding research environment. Such effectiveness corresponds mainly to their ability to establish international and interdisciplinary collaborations, secure internal and external grants, and most importantly deliver tangible research outputs. As such, this desired research excellence impacts researchers' academic appointments, recognitions and promotions. Driven by research productivity and pursuit of academic excellence, researchers' individual autonomy may become restricted. This work is based on (a) an international study exploring research productivity within higher education institutions across 15 countries and (b) a relevant international literature review. The voices of 32 participants portray competencies required from and requirements placed upon academic researchers at their respective universities. Findings show that the role of academic researchers is changing and the requirements pose challenges to researchers' autonomy. The research productivity quest along with opportunity-driven decisions may not only restrict researchers' autonomy but also compromise their academic integrity.