How do teachers make judgments about ethical and unethical behaviors? Toward the development of a code of conduct for teachers

The authors examined the dimensions that underlie teachers' judgments about ethical versus unethical behaviors. 593 educators and teachers in training were administered a 41 item survey. For each item, respondents rated the extent to which they believed the behavior (a) occurred frequently and (b) represented a serious violation of professional standards. Four factors were identified: Personal Harm, Grade Inflation, Carelessness and Public/Private boundary violation. Personal Harm violations were rated as most serious and Carelessness violations most frequent. Professional educators viewed Carelessness violations as less serious than did teachers in training. Implications for a code of ethics for teachers were addressed.     

Implementation Effects of a Program for the Training of Coaching Skills with School Principals∗

In this study, the implementation effects of a program for the training of coaching skills to Dutch primary school principals are described. Coaching is a form of in‐class support intended to provide teachers with feedback on their own functioning, and thereby to stimulate self‐reflection and self‐analysis in order to improve instructional effectiveness. To assist school principals in their attempts to coach teachers, a training program was designed and evaluated. Based on the pre‐ and post‐training ratings of coaching conferences, a significant treatment effect was found for the coaching skills concerned with the development of autonomy (empowerment), feedback, and agreement on classroom observational goals. The pre‐ and post‐training ratings from the coached teachers themselves showed a significant treatment effect for the coaching skills concerned with the development of improvement plans. Although the training provided for the school principals was directed at the coaching functions of consulting and confronting, the majority of the school principals conducted coaching conferences that emphasized predominantly the function of consulting.

     

Completion of partially worked-out examples as a generation strategy for improving monitoring accuracy

Students’ Judgments of Learning (JOLs) are often inaccurate: students often overestimate their future test performance. Because of the consequences that JOL inaccuracy can have for regulating study activities, an important question is how JOL accuracy can be improved. When learning texts, JOL accuracy has been shown to improve through ‘generation strategies’, such as generating keywords, summaries, or concept maps. This study investigated whether JOL accuracy can also be improved by means of a generation strategy (i.e., completing blank steps in the examples) when learning to solve problems through worked example study. Secondary education students of 14–15 years old (cf. USA 9th grade) either studied worked examples or completed partially worked examples and gave JOLs. It was found that completion of worked examples resulted in underestimation of future test performance. It seems that completing partially worked-out examples made students less confident about future performance than studying fully worked examples. However, this did not lead to better regulation of study.     

Forthcoming events

The aims of this study were to quantify the effects of factors such as mode of exercise, body composition and training on the relationship between heart rate and physical activity energy expenditure (measured in kJ?·?min^?1) and to develop prediction equations for energy expenditure from heart rate. Regularly exercising individuals (n = 115; age 18?–?45 years, body mass 47?–?120?kg) underwent a test for maximal oxygen uptake ([Vdot]O_2max test), using incremental protocols on either a cycle ergometer or treadmill; [Vdot]O_2max ranged from 27 to 81?ml?·?kg^?1?·?min^?1. The participants then completed three steady-state exercise stages on either the treadmill (10?min) or the cycle ergometer (15?min) at 35%, 62% and 80% of [Vdot]O_2max, corresponding to 57%, 77% and 90% of maximal heart rate. Heart rate and respiratory exchange ratio data were collected during each stage. A mixed-model analysis identified gender, heart rate, weight, [Vdot]_2max and age as factors that best predicted the relationship between heart rate and energy expenditure. The model (with the highest likelihood ratio) was used to estimate energy expenditure. The correlation coefficient (r) between the measured and estimated energy expenditure was 0.913. The model therefore accounted for 83.3% (R ²) of the variance in energy expenditure in this sample. Because a measure of fitness, such as [Vdot]O_2max, is not always available, a model without [Vdot]O_2max included was also fitted. The correlation coefficient between the measured energy expenditure and estimates from the mixed model without [Vdot]O_2max was 0.857. It follows that the model without a fitness measure accounted for 73.4% of the variance in energy expenditure in this sample. Based on these results, we conclude that it is possible to estimate physical activity energy expenditure from heart rate in a group of individuals with a great deal of accuracy, after adjusting for age, gender, body mass and fitness.     

Local and national effects of a quality system in Dutch general practitioner specialty training: a qualitative study

A quality system (named GEAR; acronym for Combined Evaluation Audit Round in English), has been introduced in eight institutes of the Dutch general practitioner specialty training. This paper focuses on the local and national effects of GEAR. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with the directors and quality co-ordinators. At a local level, GEAR provided the institutes with insights into their current practice. The institutes designed and implemented several improvement plans based on feedback. Furthermore, GEAR addressed quality management more systematically, and it enhanced the quality culture. At a national level, the institutes formulated national priorities. In addition, GEAR stimulated collaboration as a result of more frequent contacts. Institutes differed in their perception of the extent to which GEAR offered added value. Integrating the quality system into the local policy was sometimes a problem. Despite some scepticism at the start, GEAR provoked enthusiasm that can contribute to the quality of medical education.     

The ideal research‐teaching nexus in the eyes of academics: building profiles

Research and teaching are supposed to be closely related in universities. Among academics the belief in a symbiotic relationship is strong. However, it is unclear what form this relationship can take. Several authors have presented categories and dimensions to clarify this relationship and the aim of this project was to contribute to this discussion by understanding what academics’ ideal research‐teaching nexus would look like. The ideal images of 30 academics were investigated using a mental visualisation assignment. Respondents were encouraged to describe in detail what for them the linkage between research and teaching would look like in the ideal situation. Five profiles of the research‐teaching nexus could be distinguished: teach research results; make research known; show what it means to be a researcher; help to conduct research; and provide research experience. These profiles are related to dimensions proposed earlier in the literature on the research‐teaching nexus.