The relationship between individual instructional characteristics and the overall assessment of teaching effectiveness across different instructional contexts

There is an ongoing debate in the student evaluation of teaching literature about whether an overall rating or factorial dimensions of teaching effectiveness should be used in personnel decisions. Marsh and his colleagues have advocated the use of a weighted average approach to computing overall evaluations. A policy-capturing experiment was carried out where students in three different instructional contexts made overall evaluations of hypothetical instructors based on a manipulation of the teaching factors in Marsh's SEEQ. The results indicated (1) amount learned was consistently the most important factor affecting overall evaluations; (2) course difficulty was consistently the least important factor affecting overall evaluations; and (3) there was a strong similarity among the three groups in the relative importance of the various teaching factors in arriving at an overall evaluation. The implications of this research are discussed, as well as directions for future research.     

Academic and Extracurricular Support for Refugee Students in the US: Lessons Learned

This article examines students’ experiences as resettled refugee and asylee students in international schools in New York City. Specifically, it looks at how teachers and school leaders provide critical academic and extracurricular support to facilitate students’ adjustment to academic environments that differ markedly from those compared in their countries of origin or the countries of asylum visited prior to their arrival in the United States. Drawing on a qualitative study conducted in New York City at two international schools, as well as program staff from an outside organization that often collaborates with international schools hosting refugee and asylee students, the article documents promising practices and offers practical recommendations for teachers working with refugee students.     

Increasing the impact of a Master’s programme on teacher leadership and school development by means of boundary crossing

In this case study, we investigate how the development and impact of teacher leadership through a Master’s programme can be supported by a design that encourages boundary crossing activities between schools and universities. The case study focuses on 42 experienced teachers from three vocational colleges who were promoted to senior teacher positions and participated in a Master’s programme. Through individual and focus group interviews, data were collected on how boundary crossing activities can connect professional development and school development, and on favourable conditions for effective boundary crossing. The study shows that strategic alignment and shared ownership between university and school, a collective approach with multiple participants from one school, and the use of boundary objects, created the conditions through which the Master’s programme could serve as a catalyst, stimulating innovation of work practices and development of new leadership practices. The leadership of the senior teachers initiated a development process that shifted from formally mandated forms of leadership to more culturally embedded forms of leadership. This case study leads to a new understanding of design criteria for Master’s programmes and boundary objects that can support the process of developing teacher leadership within schools by facilitating boundary crossing between university and school.     

Toward cultural competency in diagnosis

Most counselors recognize the importance ofcultural competence in their work. As part ofeffective treatment, skills in accuratelydiagnosing clients from diverse backgrounds areessential, yet specific techniques addressingcultural differences to aid in the diagnosisprocess are underrepresented in the counselingliterature. The purpose of this article is tooffer one step toward the development ofdiagnostic methods suitable for an increasinglydiverse client base. The importance ofcultural competency during the diagnostic phaseof counseling is discussed, the nature ofculture and its influence on diagnosis isreviewed, and a practical conceptual frameworkthat can assist counselors in makingsystematic, culturally sensitive diagnosis ispresented.     

Mothers' Perspectives of the Peer-Related Social Development of Young Children with Developmental Delays and Communication Disorders

Mothers' perspectives of children's peer-related social development were obtained from matched groups of young children with developmental delays, communicative disorders, and typically developing children. Structured interviews elicited information on numerous issues including mothers' views of the importance of children's social skills development, rationales with respect to why children succeed or had difficulties on specific social tasks, and the socialization strategies mothers employ to promote children's peer-related social development. Mothers also reported on their efforts to arrange play with peers for their child and the degree to which they monitored that play. Results indicated that mothers rated children's social development as highly important, offered primarily internal rationales (e.g., traits, dispositions) for success or difficulties in achieving social tasks, and endorsed moderate and low power socialization strategies. Differences across the three groups were minimal. Mothers arranged play with peers least often for children with developmental delays and communication disorders, but monitored play more extensively for children with delays. These finding were discussed in terms of mothers adopting a developmental orientation to understand children's social development and their implications for maternal participation in peer competence intervention programs.