Effects of social persuasion from parents and teachers on Chinese students’ self-efficacy: an exploratory study

This study compared the effects of social persuasion from parents and teachers on students’ self-efficacy in reading comprehension in English as a foreign language. Ninety-nine Grade 8 Chinese students in a secondary school in Hong Kong completed a questionnaire with six scenarios which tapped their self-efficacy after receiving positive and negative feedback that were described as coming from their teacher, mother and father. Students decreased their self-efficacy after receiving negative feedback and the source of feedback did not make a statistically significant difference. Conversely, positive feedback led to an increase in self-efficacy with the mother’s positive feedback leading to a higher increase in self-efficacy than feedback from the teacher and the father. No statistically significant difference was noted in the change in self-efficacy after receiving feedback from the father and the teacher. Parents and teachers should increase the use of positive feedback and decrease that of negative feedback. Implications for collaboration between teachers and parents in providing positive feedback on students’ academic performance were discussed.     

转识成智 培育理论与实践智慧——以师范院校学前教育专业课程教学为例

"转识成智"是素质教育背景下师范院校教学改革的必然取向,而师范院校教育专业课程教学实现"转识成智"的有效路径主要有二:一是通过智慧范型的教育,引导未来教师在建构式学习中化"公共知识"为"个人知识",培育其理论智慧;二是为师范生提供丰富的实践时空与有效的实践指导,努力将他们置身于未来将要面对的丰富多彩的教育生活中进行实际操练,培育其实践智慧。     

Individual differences in self-efficacy development: The effects of goal orientation and affectivity

This study examined the moderating role of the individual differences of goal orientation and affectivity on self-efficacy development. Consistent with hypotheses, results indicate that both positive and negative affectivity moderate the impact of an enactive mastery training program on efficacy development, with those higher in positive affectivity having greater change in self-efficacy as a result of training than those lower in positive affectivity, and those lower in negative affectivity having greater change in self-efficacy as a result of training than those higher in negative affectivity. The moderating impact of mastery and performance goal orientation appears to be much more complex, with initial levels of self-efficacy playing an important role in the interaction between goal orientation and efficacy development. Overall, results suggest self-efficacy development resulting from training varies depending on disposition of trainees and initial levels of efficacy.     

The Impact of Personality,Goal Orientation and Self-Efficacy on Participation of High School Teachers in Learning Activities in the Workplace

This study examines the influence of personality traits, goal orientation and self-efficacy on high school teachers’ participation in learning activities in the workplace (i.e. experimentation, informal interaction with colleagues, self-regulation and avoidance behaviour). A convenience sample of 95 teachers from six high schools in Flanders (Belgium) participated in this exploratory study. They completed a questionnaire consisting of different instruments to map their personality (NEO-FFI), goal orientation (adaptation of Achievement Goal Questionnaire), self-efficacy (Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale) and participation in learning activities (adaptations from different scales). Results of multivariate regression analyses indicate that conscientiousness, extraversion and openness have a positive effect on teachers’ participation in learning activities in the workplace. However, learning orientation and self-efficacy are found to be better predictors for participation in experimentation, informal interaction and selfregulation. Analysis using structural equation modeling reveals an indirect relationship between extraversion and self-regulation, mediated by self-efficacy. Learning orientation mediates the impact of conscientiousness on informal interaction. As teachers’ goal orientation and self-efficacy can be influenced, school policy makers should reflect upon ways on how teachers’ goal orientation and self-efficacy can further be enhanced.     

Teachers’ beliefs about feedback practice as related to student self-regulation,self-efficacy,and language skills in teaching English as a foreign language

This study examines lower-secondary teachers’ beliefs about feedback practice as related to beliefs about student self-regulation, self-efficacy, and language skills while teaching English as a foreign language. Data analysis of ten individual interviews was carried out using the constant comparative method. Most of the teachers connected own feedback practice to an awareness of assessment for learning through the teaching of language skills. However, a hidden accountability system seemed to overshadow the full potential of assessment for learning for the teachers with its emphasis on testing. Aspects of marking, student involvement, and dialogic feedback were considered challenging to the feedback practice of half of the teachers. The teachers were further divided as to the relevance of feedback for self-regulation and strategy training. Although most teachers discussed feedback as important for students’ self-efficacy, unrealistic expectations and marks were considered impediments to student learning. Implications for teaching and professional learning are discussed.     

教师参与学校治理意愿影响因素的实证研究--计划行为理论框架下的分析

促进包括教师在内的多元主体参与是学校治理现代化的必然要求。本研究基于上海市442名中学教师的问卷调查,在计划行为理论框架下,对影响教师参与学校治理意愿的机制进行了实证分析。结果发现:(1)主观规范、知觉行为控制、参与治理态度和教师参与学校治理意愿显著正相关;(2)主观规范、知觉行为控制不仅可以直接正向预测教师参与学校治理意愿,还可以通过参与治理态度间接作用于教师参与学校治理意愿;(3)教师身份和教龄对主观规范通过参与治理态度影响教师参与治理意愿的中介效应有调节作用,非教代会代表、新手教师的效应更明显。需要加强参与理念宣传,营造良好参与氛围;注重意见反馈,提高教师参与效能感;用好激励机制,转变教师参与治理的态度;拓展参与范围,尤其注重新教师和非教代会代表在学校治理中的参与。     

Understanding and using feedback – A review of empirical studies concerning feedback from external evaluations to teachers

To improve the quality of teaching, educational accountability needs to include periodic external evaluations of students’ performance. This requires evaluation formats which support the development of the educational process and provide information which is understandable for teachers. The aims of this study were to review: (i) how teachers understand the feedback they receive from external evaluations; (ii) how they use the feedback; and (iii) how teachers’ understanding and use of such feedback affects the achievement of their students. None of the papers included contained simultaneous a study with all three of these aspects of external evaluations; the review shows that teachers have many problems understanding feedback and mainly focus their use of it on developing strategic teaching tactics. Research that focuses on teachers’ understanding of external evaluation, their use of it, and how the use of the feedback can foster student achievement is needed.     

Primary teachers conducting inquiry projects: effects on attitudes towards teaching science and conducting inquiry

ABSTRACT

This study used an experimental, pretest-posttest control group design to investigate whether participation in a large-scale inquiry project would improve primary teachers’ attitudes towards teaching science and towards conducting inquiry. The inquiry project positively affected several elements of teachers’ attitudes. Teachers felt less anxious about teaching science and felt less dependent on contextual factors compared to the control group. With regard to attitude towards conducting inquiry, teachers felt less anxious and more able to conduct an inquiry project. There were no effects on other attitude components, such as self-efficacy beliefs or relevance beliefs, or on self-reported science teaching behaviour. These results indicate that practitioner research may have a partially positive effect on teachers’ attitudes, but that it may not be sufficient to fully change primary teachers’ attitudes and their actual science teaching behaviour. In comparison, a previous study showed that attitude-focused professional development in science education has a more profound impact on primary teachers’ attitudes and science teaching behaviour. In our view, future interventions aiming to stimulate science teaching should combine both approaches, an explicit focus on attitude change together with familiarisation with inquiry, in order to improve primary teachers’ attitudes and classroom practices.     

形成性评价中的教师角色与策略研究

形成性评价对学习的促进作用在我国各学段的教育教学中受到重视。在实际教学中,该评价方法引起教师角色的变化和具体的评价实施策略是实现形成性评价促学价值的关键。教师需要改变传统教学中知识传授者的角色,转变为教学与评价活动的设计者和组织者,学生表现的观察者和诊断者,以及提高学生学习的推动者。通过师生共设与分享学习目标和评价标准,全面收集和准确解读学生信息,做出学生乐于接受并据此调整学习的有效反馈等策略,提升学生学习效果和促进其终身学习能力的发展。     

Instructors’ teaching styles: relation with competences,self-efficacy,and commitment in pre-service teachers

Instructors’ teaching styles in higher education are an issue of major importance because these interactions affect students’ self-perceptions, involvement, and achievement. This study aimed to test a theoretical model of relations between perceived teaching styles (autonomy support, structure, and control) and competences, self-efficacy, and commitment in pre-service teachers; to assess the invariance of the model in two samples; and to analyze the mediated relations between these variables. Measures were collected from 842 Spanish pre-service teachers. As main research implications, teaching styles predicted acquired competences, competences predicted teaching self-efficacy, and self-efficacy predicted commitment to the profession. This model was equivalent in two samples of childhood and primary education pre-service teachers. Competences and self-efficacy mediated the relationships between variables. As practical implications, this study clearly shows the need for different interventions to enhance adequate instructors’ teaching styles and to foster among novice pre-service teachers the acquisition of professional competences, initial self-efficacy, and a good level of commitment to their profession.     

Inspiring Instructional Change in Elementary School Science: The Relationship Between Enhanced Self-efficacy and Teacher Practices

This longitudinal study examined the extent to which teachers’ participation in a 3-year professional development program enhanced their self-efficacy and prompted changes in science instruction in the early elementary grades. The study used a mixed-methods design, and included 39 teachers who taught in kindergarten, first grade, or second grade classrooms in rural school districts. Data sources, administered pre-program and at the end of each year, included a self-efficacy assessment and teacher survey. Interviews and classroom observations provided corroborating data about teachers’ beliefs and science instruction. Results showed significant increases in teachers’ overall self-efficacy in teaching science, personal efficacy, and outcome expectancy efficacy during the 3 years. Gains in self-efficacy were correlated with changes in reported instructional practices, particularly student participation activities. However, changes in self-efficacy tended not to be correlated with changes in instructional time. Contextual factors beyond teachers’ direct control, such as curricular and testing requirements in mathematics and language arts influenced time allotted to science instruction.     

Principal's Leadership as a Critical Factor for School Performance: Evidence from Multi‐Levels of Primary Schools 1

This study aims to investigate how principal's leadership is related to school performance in terms of multi‐level indicators such as school's organizational characteristics, teachers’ group‐level and individual‐level performances, and students’ performances. In the study, strong leadership represents that a principal can be supportive and foster participation for teachers, can develop clear goals and policies and hold people accountable for results, can be persuasive at building alliances and solving conflicts, can be inspirational and charismatic, and can encourage professional development and teaching improvement. The strong leadership is found associated with high organizational effectiveness, strong organizational culture, positive principal‐teachers relationship, more participation in decision, high teacher esprit and professionalism, less teacher disengagement and hindrance, more teacher job satisfaction and commitment, and more positive student performance particularly on attitudes to their schools and learning. The findings support that principal's leadership is a critical factor for school performance at multi‐levels. Implications are advanced for further study and development of leadership.

     

高校学生评教的有效性问题及优化策略

在高等教育大众化的背景下,如何促进教学质量的整体提高,已成为社会各界普遍关注的重要问题。学生评教是高校教学质量监控的重要环节,对教学质量的提高起到积极的促进作用。但是,学生评教指标体系尚存不合理,学生对评教意义认识不足,受情感因素影响较大,学生评教结果的反馈不及时等问题影响着学生评教的有效性。因此,完善学生评教指标体系,提高学生评教参与率,合理统计和客观分析学生评教结果,及时将评教结果反馈给师生,是提高学生评教有效性的重要措施。     

Examining the Relationship between Teachers’ Self-Efficacy,their Digital Competence,Strategies to Evaluate Information,and use of ICT at School

Research indicates that self-efficacy in teaching is a key issue for carrying out good teaching practice. The aim of this paper was to examine the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy in information and communication technologies (ICT), their strategies to evaluate information, their digital competence, and use of ICT at school. A sample of 332 teachers participated in a survey. The teachers answered self-report questions and responded to a multiple-choice test on digital competence. Structural equation modelling was used to test a hypothesized model of the relationship between self-efficacy in basic ICT, self-efficacy in online collaboration, strategies to evaluate information, digital competence, and the use of ICT. The analysis confirmed that the empirical data supported the hypothesized model. Significant factor loadings and positive relationships between the factors were found. Overall, the factors in the model explained 41% of teachers’ digital competence, 49% of their self-efficacy in online collaborative, and 36% of their use of ICT at school.     

Improving teaching self-efficacy for teachers in inclusive classrooms in Hong Kong

This study investigated changes in teacher self-efficacy for inclusive practice using a mixed method research design. Participants were 417 in-service teachers in Hong Kong taking a 1-week basic teacher-training course about inclusive education. Data were collected pre and post participation in the course using the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices Scale (TEIP). A series of five in-depth focus-group interviews provided greater clarification of the perceptions and efficacy issues of teachers. The best predictors to participants’ teaching self-efficacy were confidence in teaching students with special education needs (SEN) and knowledge of legislation and policies for inclusive practice. From the focus-groups, results demonstrated a more positive attitude change towards students with SEN with a number of essential factors emerging as highly beneficial for inclusive teaching in Hong Kong (i.e. caring and love, school environment and curriculum adaption). The discussion considers the role of short training programmes as an appropriate means to improving self-efficacy for teaching within inclusive classrooms in Hong Kong.     

Investigating the Influence of a Mixed Face-to-Face and Website Professional Development Course on the Inquiry-Based Conceptions of High School Science and Mathematics Teachers

The purposes of this study are to report the influences of a mixed delivery professional development [PD] course involving face-to-face classes and the mentoring assisted inquiry-based teaching [MAIT] website that addressed the conceptual change and self-efficacy of high school mathematics and science teachers’ conceptions of inquiry-based teaching. Twenty-five in-service high school science and mathematics teachers participated in a 9 weeks, 4 h per week PD course. Data collection included the pre-post Inquiry Teaching Efficacy Questionnaire [ITEQ], teachers’ reflective journals posted on the MAIT website, teachers’ assignments requested by the course instructor, and follow-up teachers’ interviews. Findings revealed that both mathematics and science teachers’ conceptions of inquiry teaching show significant improvements after the course. The mixed delivery PD course had the same influence on science and mathematics teachers. The authentic video clips and lesson plans provided on the MAIT website and the specific feedback toward teachers’ performance are the main factors that shaped teachers’ inquiry-based teaching conceptions.     

从视频研究透视课堂教学对学生学习的影响及其路径——基于GTI视频研究上海数据的实证分析

教学的有效性是教育研究的一个核心议题,而相关的课堂教学研究大多基于间接性的课堂数据,使得教师效应长期处于“黑箱”状态.本研究利用OECD发布的全球教学洞察(GTI)视频研究对教师和学生的课堂行为进行的教学视频观测而生成的实证数据,聚焦中国上海的初中数学课堂,探析特定的教师课堂教学实践对其学生的学习兴趣、自我效能和成绩的...     

Student perceptions of assessment and student self-efficacy in competence-based education

The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the interplay between student perceptions of competence-based assessment and student self-efficacy, and how this influences student learning outcomes. Results reveal that student perceptions of the form authenticity aspect and the quality feedback aspect of assessment do predict student self-efficacy, confirming the role of mastery experiences and social persuasions in enhancing student self-efficacy as stated by social cognitive theory. Findings do not confirm mastery experiences as being a stronger source of self-efficacy information than social persuasions. Study results confirm the predictive role of students’ self-efficacy on their competence outcomes. Mediation analysis results indicate that student’s perceptions of assessment have an indirect effect on student’s competence evaluation outcomes through student’s self-efficacy. Study findings highlight which assessment characteristics, positively influencing students’ learning, contribute to the effectiveness of competence-based education. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are indicated.     

教师课堂教学行为与学生课堂参与的关系——基于问卷调查的心理学实证研究

本研究通过对411名高中生进行了团体问卷调查,探讨了各类教师课堂教学行为对学生课堂参与行为的影响。结果发现：①教师的积极教学行为对学生课堂参与有显著的预测作用,其中教学技能、支持帮助维度预测力最大;②教师教学行为对不同学习效能感水平学生的课堂参与作用不同。低效能感学生的课堂参与受教师的消极教学行为尤其是不公平行为的负性影响更多,受教师积极教学行为的积极影响较少。