A Multidimensional Assessment of Teachers’ Knowledge of Algebra for Teaching: Developing an Instrument and Supporting Valid Inferences

Numerous researchers have suggested that there are multiple mathematical knowledge and skill areas needed by teachers in order for them to be effective teachers of mathematics: knowledge of the mathematics that are the goals of instruction, advanced mathematics beyond the instructional material, and mathematical knowledge that is specific to what is needed to teach students. The research reported here is about the development of a test of teachers’ knowledge in these three areas related to the teaching of algebra. The test development process is described and the results of several analyses are reported that had the goal of checking whether valid inferences can be made about the hypothesized components of teacher knowledge.     

Effects of Individualized Instruction on Control Expectancy: A Field Test

Abstract

This study was conducted in order to determine whether or not one semester of individualized instruction is enough time to create in students an increased sense of being able to control payoffs in life and to lead students to develop a more realistic appraisal of their ability to control payoffs in an academic environment. Paradoxically, the converse may occur. When first confronted with a success-oriented instructional process and opportunities for self-pacing, students with failure histories may become more external, anxious, or uncertain. In order to examine these notions, a sample of 126 educationally deficient students who were beginning their first semester of study in a community college were selected from 18 different sections of math, English, and history and tested twice—once at the beginning of the term and again late in the term just prior to finals.     

Perceptions of Barriers Concerning Effective Online Teaching and Policies: Florida Community College Faculty

This study's purpose was to examine the perceptions of Florida's full-time community college faculty members who teach by distance learning concerning the ten policy areas set forth by Berge and Muilenburg (2000 Berge , Z. L. & Muilenburg , L. Y. ( June 2000 ). Barriers to distance education as perceived by managers and administrators . In M. Clay (Ed.), Distance Learning Administration Annual 2000 . Callaway Gardens , GA : Routledge . Retrieved May 3, 2001, from http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~berge/man_admin.html  [Google Scholar]). Focus group sessions indicated that faculty members felt certain barriers related to their online experiences. Faculty time and compensation, which deals with how much time faculty members spend and how much they are compensated, seemed to be the greatest barrier while access seemed to cause faculty members the least amount of concern. But factors such as training, size of the institutions, and complexity of the programs seemed to play a role in their perceptions.     

THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR AS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: SHARED AUTHORITY IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEPARTMENT

The department chair position is vital to the effective administration of both the academic unit and the entire college. Inherent in the roles and tasks of the individual position is a responsibility for consensus development, which in turn requires the involvement of faculty in decision-making activities. This consensual development dictates that faculty who are specialists in their particular academic disciplines be involved in decisions ranging from admissions and grading to institutional policy formation and cross-disciplinary curricula development. The current study was conducted to examine the perceptions of department chairs in the involvement of faculty in departmental decision-making.