Teacher locus of control and classroom climate: A cross-lagged correlational study

The Locus of Control Scale for Teachers was given to 13 middle school teachers, and the Origin-Climate Questionnaire was given to 78 of their students. Results indicated a moderate relationship between teachers' locus of control and students' perception of classroom climate. The difference between the cross-lagged correlations suggested that teachers' locus of control has a causal impact on classroom climate.     

Prekindergarten screening: How well does it predict readiness for first grade?

Construction of different predictive models for readiness for first grade, using data from prekindergarten screening, was examined. Instruments included Hainsworth Preschool Screening System, parent and teacher questionnaires, and Quincy Observation Scale. Readiness for first grade was rated by teachers at end of kindergarten for 601 students. Predictor variables included information processing, verbal reasoning, mother's education, ratings of motor activity, and parental ratings of attention, aggression, and speech development. From 45.6% to 75.9% of the children were correctly classified. Results indicate that less emphasis should be given to collecting historical screening data. Additionally, many social/emotional problems may go undetected or be mislabeled.     

Creating Meaning for and with the Graphing Calculator

In this study, we seek to describe how the meaning of a tool was co-constructed by the students and their teacher and how the students used the tool to construct mathematical meaning out of particular tasks. We report the results of a qualitative, classroom-based study that examined (1) the role, knowledge and beliefs of a pre-calculus teacher, (2)how students used graphing calculators in support of their learning of mathematics, (3) the relationship and interactions between the teacher's role, knowledge and beliefs and the students' use of the graphing calculator in learning mathematics, and (4) some constraints of the graphing calculator technology that emerged within the classroom practice. We found five patterns and modes of graphing calculator tool use emerged in this practice: computational tool, transformational tool, data collection and analysis tool, visualizing tool, and checking tool. The results of this study suggest that nature of the mathematical tasks and the role, knowledge and beliefs of the teacher influenced the emergence of such rich usage of the graphing calculator. We also found that the use of the calculator as a personal device can inhibit communication in a small group setting, while its use as a shared device supported mathematical learning in the whole class setting.This revised version was published online in September 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Success or Failure in a Core University Unit: What makes the difference?

Factors which have been identified as contributing to student academic success at the degree and program level in tertiary study include mode of study, student age, previous tertiary qualifications and past academic performance. Limited published Australian research is available, however, on student academic success in individual subjects. This study investigated identifiable patterns related to the academic success of three separate cohorts of students in an Early Childhood second-year Language, Literature and Literacy unit (N = 601). The data support previous research findings with regard to the effect of mode of study, previous university qualifications and past academic performance on academic success in this subject. In contrast with most previous studies, this study found a significant relationship between previous study at TAFE (college study at a Technical and Further Education institute) and failure in an academic unit, perhaps due to the timing of this unit in the students' overall program. Further implications for Early Childhood teacher education are discussed.     

Development of orthographic skills in Chinese children

This study investigates possible developmental trends in children's invented spelling (or spelling errors) in Chinese elementary schools. The entire study consists of two substudies, Study A and Study B. Study A analyzes over 7000 invented spellings collected from the writing samples of 1200 children. Study B analyzes 3995 invented spellings that were collected from the spelling tests of 300 children. These invented spellings are sorted initially according to emerging patterns according to the way the invented spellings deviate from standard spellings; they are then further subsumed into three general categories according to the linguistic principles of Chinese characters - phonologically based spelling errors, graphemic spelling errors, and semantic spelling errors. Qualitative analysis of the invented spellings of these three categories indicates that children's spelling errors are not random; rather they reflect the development of children's orthographic knowledge. Regression analysis for linear trend shows that a developmental trend in the use of spelling strategies exists: at the lower elementary level, phonological strategies predominate; as grade level advances, the use of graphemic and semantic strategies increases.     

Teachers designing curriculum as professional development: A model for transformational science teaching

We have designed a model for transformational science teaching focused on linking theory and practice through curriculum decision making that has been the framework for professional development sessions for middle-grade science teachers during the past 5 years. Interviews with teachers revealed that their experiences with curriculum development were of significant value in making decisions concerning the design of classroom environments. As teachers reflected on current research about teaching and learning, in collaboration with university scientists and science educators, they were informed by theoretical perspectives which held implications for their practice. Curriculum development became a vehicle for professional development and school reform; however, it was vital that the teachers were in clear communication with their administrators and communities concerning reform issues. Students and teachers from schools implementing the model and from control sites were interviewed to determine the model's influence on instructional practices and student attitude and achievement in science. The five-phase model for transformational science teaching is discussed here, accompanied by teacher comments about tensions experienced at each phase. This discussion is followed by an analysis of teacher and student interview data that reveals teachers' use of instructional strategies and students' attitudes toward science. Results and analysis of student performance on a mandated end-of-grade science test are also included. From this evidence, we recommend a new design for professional development opportunities for teachers that engages them in decision making as they reflect about the connections between theory and practice and the value of continually testing, revising, and reevaluating curriculum and instructional issues. J Res Sci Teach 34: 773–789, 1997.