Under Stress: The concerns and coping strategies of teacher education students

Two cohorts of teacher education students provided information on their teaching practicum concerns and the strategies they used to cope with these concerns. Data were analysed to: (1) test the psychometric properties of the survey instrument; (2) identify aspects of the practicum that concern students most and least; (3) examine students' experiences of stress in relation to gender, age, and degree status; (4) define strategies that students report help them cope with practicum stresses; and, (5) investigate the relationship between stress and teaching performance. The data yielded a consistent finding of significant reduction in stress from the first to the second practicum. The critical importance of the student/supervising teacher relationship for student success in the practicum emerged both from the students' reports that seeking support from the teacher was their principal coping strategy, and from the strong link found between stress in the relationship and teachers' poorer rating of the students' performance. Deux groupes d'étudiants en éducation ont fourni des informations sur les préoccupations relatives à leur stage pratique ainsi que sur les stratégies adoptées pour y faire face. Ces données ont été analysées dans le but de: (1) tester les propriétés psychométriques de l'instrument de l'étude; (2) identifier les aspects du stage pratique qui préoccupent le plus et le moins les étudiants; (3) étudier les expériences de stress éprouvées par les étudiants en fonction de leur sexe, âge, et niveau d'éducation; (4) définir les stratégies qui, selon les étudiants, les aident à faire face au stress engendré par les stages pratiques; (5) examiner la relation entre le stress et la qualité de l'enseignement. Les données ont clairement montré une réduction des niveaux de stress entre les premier et second stages pratiques. L'importance critique de la relation étudiant-professeur d'encadrement sur le succès des stages pratiques est ressortie tant des commentaires des étudiants, selon lesquels l'appui du professeur était leur principale stratégie d'adaptation, que du lien étroit existant entre une relation tendue et l'appréciation négative des résultats des étudiants par les professeurs. Dos grupos de estudiantes de magisterio proporcionaron información sobre sus preocupaciones respecto a la práctica de la enseñanza, y las estrategias que usaban para hacer frente a esas preocupaciones. Se analizó la información para: (1) probar las propiedades psicométricas del instrumento de encuesta; (2) identificar los aspectos de la práctica que preocupaban más a los estudiantes y los que los preocupaban menos; (3) examinar las experiencias de los estudiantes relacionadas con la tensión, en cuanto a su sexo, edad, y condición con respecto a su graduación; (4) definir las estrategias que, según los estudiantes, les ayudan a hacer frente a la tensión ocasionada por la práctica; y (5) investigar la relación que existe entre la tensión y el rendimiento en la enseñanza. Los datos indicaron consistentemente que existe una reducción importante de la tensión entre la primera y la segunda práctica. La importancia crítica de la relación estudiante/profesor supervisor para que el estudiante tuviera éxito en la práctica se hizo evidente tanto en los informes de los estudiantes, de que la estrategia principal para hacer frente a la tensión era pedir apoyo al profesor, como del marcado vínculo que existe entre la tensión en la relación y las malas calificaciones que los profesores dan al rendimiento de los estudiantes. Zwei Gruppen von Pädagogikstudenten gaben Informationen über Probleme, die während des Lehrpraktikums auftraten, und über Strategien, die sie zur Bewältigung dieser Probleme benutzten. Die Daten wurden anhand folgender Gesichtspunkte analysiert: (1) Prüfung der psychometrischen Eigenschaften des Untersuchungsinstruments; (2) Identifikation der wichtigsten und unwichtigsten Probleme von Studenten im Lehrpraktikum; (3) Untersuchung der Stresserfahrungen der Studenten in Bezug auf Geschlecht, Alter und Studienfortschritt; (4) Definition der Strategien, die laut Angaben der Studenten bei der Bewältigung von Praktikumsstress behilflich sind; (5) Untersuchung der Beziehung zwischen Stress und Lehrleistung. Die Daten zeigten eindeutig eine signifikante Verringerung des Stressvolumens im zweiten Lehrpraktikum verglichen mit dem ersten Lehrpraktikum. Die entscheidende Bedeutung der Beziehung zwischen Studenten und praktikumsleitendem Lehrer für den Praktikumserfolg wurde sowohl aus den Angaben der Studenten, in denen die Bitte um Unterstützung durch den Lehrer als wichtigste Bewältigungsstrategie genannt wurde, als auch aus der eindeutig festgestellten Verbindung zwischen Stress in dieser Beziehung und der schlechteren Bewertung der Studentenleistung durch die Lehrer deutlich.     

Teachers as Inquiry Learners

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Teaching civic education for a civil, democratic society

Most countries of the world have experienced a revival in civic education in recent years. Issues of globalization, migration, national identity, citizenship, democracy, and civil society have forced them to devise, or reflect upon, some form of civic education for their schools. This is certainly the case for many countries in the Asian region. We have sought to identify appropriate pedagogy for teaching civics and citizenship in schools across the Asian region. From the literature it was possible to identify four categories of pedagogical strategies for civics and citizenship education which are applicable to the great variety of Asian schools. The categories are: 1) class-based, passive — cognitive pedagogies; 2) school-based, passive — cognitive pedagogies; 3) class-based, participative-active pedagogies; and 4) school-based, participative-active pedagogies. Some of these strategies appear more promising than others in Asian schools given that traditional, didactic teaching strategies dominate. What looks most promising include: whole school pedagogical strategies; critical thinking, particularly through group work; a variety of cooperative learning strategies including group problem-solving exercises; school-based activity learning; and the use of a technology such as CD ROMs as a resource. It is unlikely only one pedagogical strategy will prove to be singularly effective with civics. A more probable outcome will be that a combination of strategies will be most effective. Future research will provide suggestions as to the composition of that set of pedagogical strategies.     

Estimating Average Domain Scores

A simulation study was performed to determine whether a group's average percent correct in a content domain could be accurately estimated for groups taking a single test form and not the entire domain of items. Six Item Response Theory based domain score estimation methods were evaluated, under conditions of few items per content area perform taken, small domains, and small group sizes. The methods used item responses to a single form taken to estimate examinee or group ability; domain scores were then computed using the ability estimates and domain item characteristics. The IRT-based domain score estimates typically showed greater accuracy and greater consistency across forms taken than observed performance on the form taken. For the smallest group size and least number of items taken, the accuracy of most IRT-based estimates was questionable; however, a procedure that operates on an estimated distribution of group ability showed promise under most conditions.     

Enhancing Cultural Humility Through Critical Service-Learning in Teacher Preparation

To provide opportunities for preservice teachers to move beyond the limitations of their life experiences, the teacher preparation program at the University of Vermont has worked to advance service-learning experiences that push preservice teachers to examine their own identities and biases by providing them with opportunities to interact with others whose life experiences are different than their own. The goal of these experiences is to assist the preservice teachers in recognizing how their emerging practice, which is entrenched within their own positionality, impacts individuals that they work with as well as the broader community. This interpretive study examined outcomes of the experience through the lens of cultural humility. This study affirms the need to be explicit about practice, particularly as it relates to critical pedagogy to advance social justice. It also offers a glimpse into how teacher preparation programs may construct learning experiences to support the development of cultural humility.     

Failure to meet the reserve price: the impact on returns to art

This article presents an empirical study of paintings that have failed to meet their reserve price at auction. In the art trade, it is often claimed that when an advertised item goes unsold at auction, it will sell for less in the future. We have constructed a new dataset specifically for the purpose of testing this proposition. To preview our results, we find that paintings which come to auction and failed return significantly less when they are eventually sold than those paintings that have not been advertised at auction between sales. These lower returns may occur because of common value effects, idiosyncratic downward trends in tastes, or changes in the seller’s reserve price.

Northwestern Ontario Indian children and the WISC

100 Cree and Ojibwa children, ages 6–15, were administered the WISC. The mean Performance IQ (PIQ) was in the normal range at all ages; the verbal IQ (VIQ) was in the mentally deficient or dull-normal range. The PIQ-VIQ difference diminished with age. Familiarity with the English language increased VIQs but had little effect on PIQs. A significant correlation between IQs and school grades was found only for 9–10-year-olds. A comparison of Indian IQ norms with original WISC normative data is given.