Especially for High School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Howell, J. Emory

1999-07-01

Secondary School Feature Articles * Super Science Connections, by Patricia B. McKean, p 916 * A pHorseshoe, by Roger Plumsky, p 935 National Conferences in Your Part of the Country For the past several months, considerable space in this column has been devoted to forthcoming national conferences and conventions and to highlights of conferences past. For some of us, location is fairly unimportant; but for most of us travel costs and time are both factors to consider when choosing a conference. The community of high school chemistry teachers is favored by the number of national conventions and conferences that are held each year in different locations. In 1999, for example, the spring National Meeting of the American Chemical Society was in Anaheim and the National Science Teachers Association National Convention was in Boston. This summer CHEMED '99 will be held in Fairfield, CT, August 1-5, and the fall National ACS Meeting will be in New Orleans. Teachers from the mid-South especially should consider attending the High School Program at New Orleans, described below by Lillie Tucker Akin, Chairperson of the Division's High School Program Committee. The event will be held on Sunday to minimize conflicts with the beginning of the school year. JCE at CHEMED '99 Stop by the JCE booth at CHEMED '99 in the exhibits area to learn more about the wide array of print and nonprint resources you can use in your classroom and laboratory. Members of the editorial staff will be on hand to talk with you. You are invited to participate in a workshop, "Promoting Active Learning through JCE Activity Sheets and Software", on Monday, August 1, 8:30-10:30. The free hands-on workshop is number WT11 and we encourage you to include it among your choices in the blanks provided on the third page of the registration form. We will also conduct an interactive session to listen to ideas for making the Journal more useful to you. Check the final program for location and time or inquire at the JCE

The Effect of Teacher Performance in Implementation of The 2013 Curriculum Toward Chemistry Learning Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Dewi, L. P.; Djohar, A.

2018-04-01

This research is a study about implementation of the 2013 Curriculum on Chemistry subject. This study aims to determine the effect of teacher performance toward chemistry learning achievement. The research design involves the independent variable, namely the performance of Chemistry teacher, and the dependent variable that is Chemistry learning achievement which includes the achievement in knowledge and skill domain. The subject of this research are Chemistry teachers and High School students in Bandung City. The research data is obtained from questionnaire about teacher performance assessed by student and Chemistry learning achievement from the students’ report. Data were analyzed by using MANOVA test. The result of multivariate significance test shows that there is a significant effect of teacher performance toward Chemistry learning achievement in knowledge and skill domain with medium effect size.

Framing a program designed to train new chemistry/physics teachers for California outlying regions

Science.gov (United States)

Bodily, Gerald P., Jr.

The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines for a new high school chemistry and physics teacher training program. Eleven participants were interviewed who attended daylong workshops, every other Saturday, for 10 months. The instructors used Modeling Instruction pedagogy and curriculum. All the instructors had high school teaching experience, but only one possessed a doctorate degree. The interview questions focused on four themes: motivation, epistemology, meta-cognition, and self-regulation; and the resulting transcripts were analyzed using a methodology called Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. The cases expressed a strong preference for the program's instruction program over learning subject matter knowledge in university classrooms. The data indicated that the cases, as a group, were disciplined scholars seeking a deep understanding of the subject matter knowledge needed to teach high school chemistry and physics. Based on these results a new approach to training teachers was proposed, an approach that offers novel answers to the questions of how and who to train as science teachers. The how part of the training involves using a program called Modeling Instruction. Modeling instruction is currently used to upgrade experienced science teachers and, in the new approach, replaces the training traditionally administered by professional scientists in university science departments. The who aspect proposes that the participants be college graduates, selected not for university science training, but for their high school math and science background. It is further proposed that only 10 months of daily, face-to-face instruction is required to move the learner to a deep understanding of subject matter knowledge required to teach high school chemistry and physics. Two outcomes are sought by employing this new training paradigm, outcomes that have been unachievable by current educational practices. First, it is hoped that new chemistry and physics teachers can

Prospective Chemistry Teachers' Misconceptions about Colligative Properties: Boiling Point Elevation and Freezing Point Depression

Science.gov (United States)

Pinarbasi, Tacettin; Sozbilir, Mustafa; Canpolat, Nurtac

2009-01-01

This study aimed at identifying prospective chemistry teachers' misconceptions of colligative properties. In order to fulfill this aim, a diagnostic test composed of four open-ended questions was used. The test was administered to seventy-eight prospective chemistry teachers just before qualifying to teaching in secondary schools. Nine different…

WebQuest experience: Pre-Service secondary maths and chemistry teachers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erdoğan Halat

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the impact of developing WebQuests on the attention, confidence, relevance and satisfaction, or motivation, of pre-service secondary mathematics and chemistry teachers in the instructional technologies and material design course. There were a total of 67 pre-service teachers, 32 pre-service secondary mathematics teachers and 35 pre-service secondary chemistry teachers involved in this study, which took place over seven weeks. The pre-service teachers in both groups designed their WebQuests suitable for the level of high-school students. The researcher used a questionnaire in the collection of the data to find the motivational level of the participants. It was given to the participants by the researcher before and after the instruction during a single class period. The paired-samples t-test, independent samples t-test and ANCOVA were used in the analysis of the quantitative data. The study showed that designing WebQuests had more effect on the attention, confidence and relevance of the pre-service chemistry teachers than of the pre-service mathematics teachers. However, in general, although developing WebQuests had positive effects on the motivational levels of both pre-service secondary maths and chemistry teachers, there were no statistically significant differences found in relation to the motivational levels of both groups.

Does Teaching Sequence Matter When Teaching High School Chemistry with Scientific Visualisations?

Science.gov (United States)

Fogarty, Ian; Geelan, David; Mukherjee, Michelle

2012-01-01

Five Canadian high school Chemistry classes in one school, taught by three different teachers, studied the concepts of dynamic chemical equilibria and Le Chatelier's Principle. Some students received traditional teacher-led explanations of the concept first and used an interactive scientific visualisation second, while others worked with the…

Especially for High School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Howell, J. Emory

1999-08-01

Ocean-Stating the Case for Chemistry, by Paul J. Scheuer, p 1075 * Distillation Apparatuses Using Household Items, by Danielle R. D. Campanizzi, Brenda Mason, Christine K. F. Hermann, p 1079 New Orleans Concurrent Workshops, High School Program 8:30 a.m.-9:20 a.m. A. A Teaching Resource for You: The Journal of Chemical Education, J. E. Howell, J. W. Moore, and A. M. Sarquis B. Electrical Conductivity, J. M. Manion and P. F. Krause, and The Properties of Gases, J.-M. Whitfield and K. A. Woodling C. Chemistry with Calculators for Beginners, P. Sconzo (3 hours) D. Spectrum of Activities for Chemistry Teachers, Carolina Biological Supply, S. Mitchell, F. Cherry, and L. Akin (3 hours) 9:30 a.m.-10:20 a.m. A. Applying Chemical Education Research to the Classroom, L. Akin and J. Valasek B. Another Look at the Deflection of Falling Liquids, H. H. Harris and J. Newstrum, and Encouraging Students to Investigate Acids and Bases Using Plant Indicators, P. K. Kerrigan C. Chemistry with Calculators (continued) D. Spectrum of Activities (continued) E. Science Education for Public Understanding (SEPUP) and Chemistry, Health, Environment, and Me, M. Koker and L. Akin (2 hours) 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. A. Increasing Aptitude and Interest of High School Students through Summer Camp, C. E. Fulton, and Energy Teaching Introduction to High School Chemistry, L.-M. Trejo B. Chemistry in Science Museum Exhibits: Opportunities and Challenges and Cooking with Chemistry, D. Katz C. Chemistry with Calculators (continued) D. Spectrum of Activities (continued) E. SEPUP (continued) 12:00 noon-1:15 p.m., High School Luncheon Educating High School Teachers for the 21st Century, Glenn Crosby 1:30 p.m.-2:20 p.m. A. Customized Mastery Learning in First-Year Chemistry and Computer Software for Chemistry Teachers Who Require Mastery Learning of Their Students, J. Bedenbaugh and A. Bedenbaugh B. Can One Teach Chemistry with Everyday Substances? A. Sae, and SourceBook Activities Using Everyday Substances, C

Preparing Physics and Chemistry Teachers at the University of Arizona

Science.gov (United States)

Novodvorsky, Ingrid

2006-04-01

Beginning in 2000, science majors at the University of Arizona who wish to teach in middle or high schools have enrolled in the College of Science Teacher Preparation Program (CoS TPP). Students in the program take General Education courses, content courses, and science pedagogy courses that make them eligible for teacher certification. Students can remain in their science degree programs, and take the required science pedagogy courses, or they can enroll in a BS in Science Education degree that includes the pedagogy courses, with concentrations available in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics. Science educators from six different departments, two permanent Adjunct Instructors, and two Teachers in Residence teach the program's courses. (One of the Teachers in Residence is supported by the PhysTEC project.) Most of the pedagogy courses include field experiences in area science classrooms; the program works with some 115 mentor teachers from throughout the Tucson area, who host preservice teachers in their field experiences. In the first six years of the program, 14 program graduates have been chemistry and physics teachers. This compares to a total of six chemistry and physics teachers produced by the College of Education program in the four years preceding the creation of the CoS TPP. In this presentation, I will describe the unique features of the courses that prospective chemistry and physics teachers take and the field experiences in which they participate. In addition, I will describe how PhysTEC-supplied resources have been used to improve the program, and the ways in which we are assessing the program's success.

High School Science Teachers' Views on Science Process Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Gultepe, Nejla

2016-01-01

The current research is a descriptive study in which a survey model was used. The research involved chemistry (n = 26), physics (n = 27), and biology (n = 29) teachers working in Science High Schools and Anatolian High Schools in Turkey. An inventory that consisted of seven questions was designed to ascertain what teachers' think about the…

Learning How to Teach Chemistry with Technology: Pre-Service Teachers' Experiences with Integrating Technology into Their Learning and Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Chittleborough, Gail

2014-06-01

The Australian Government initiative, Teaching Teachers for the Future (TTF), was a targeted response to improve the preparation of future teachers with integrating technology into their practice. This paper reports on TTF research involving 28 preservice teachers undertaking a chemistry curriculum studies unit that adopted a technological focus. For chemistry teaching the results showed that technological knowledge augmented the fundamental pedagogical knowledge necessary for teaching chemistry content. All the pre-service teachers demonstrated an understanding of the role of technology in teaching and learning and reported an increased skill level in a variety of technologies, many they had not used previously. Some students were sceptical about this learning when schools did not have technological resources available. This paper argues that teacher education courses should include technological skills that match those available in schools, as well as introduce new technologies to support a change in the culture of using technology in schools.

Biodiesel and Integrated STEM: Vertical Alignment of High School Biology/Biochemistry and Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Burrows, Andrea C.; Breiner, Jonathan M.; Keiner, Jennifer; Behm, Chris

2014-01-01

This article explores the vertical alignment of two high school classes, biology and chemistry, around the core concept of biodiesel fuel production. High school teachers and university faculty members investigated biodiesel as it relates to societal impact through a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Teachers. Using an action…

A Case Study of the Common Difficulties Experienced by High School Students in Chemistry Classroom in Gilgit-Baltistan (Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takbir Ali

2012-05-01

Full Text Available This article reports a research study conducted with four chemistry teachers in three high schools (two government schools and one private school in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The study investigated questions concerning common difficulties high school (Grades 9 and 10 students experience in chemistry classroom, the possible reasons for these difficulties, and the ways in which teachers help students overcome these difficulties. A qualitative case study method was used to investigate the questions, which used in-depth interviews with teachers, classroom observation, and postobservation discussion with the teachers, as main data collection tools. The key findings of the study allude to a huge gap between what is intended in the National Curriculum in terms of students’ learning in chemistry and what actually happens in the classroom where students learn chemistry. Promoting in-depth learning appeared to be an uphill task for the teachers. The main hurdle lies in students’ inability to demonstrate a good understanding of very basic concepts of the subject. Despite faced with such a challenge, the teachers appear to be committed to teaching their subject. The implications of the results of the study are explained in the context of schools, teachers, and other educational stakeholders by emphasizing the need for synchronization and integration of efforts on the part of schools.

The Case of Middle and High School Chemistry Teachers Implementing Technology: Using the Concerns-Based Adoption Model to Assess Change Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Gabby, Shwartz; Avargil, Shirly; Herscovitz, Orit; Dori, Yehudit Judy

2017-01-01

An ongoing process of reforming chemical education in middle and high schools in our country introduced the technology-enhanced learning environment (TELE) to chemistry classes. Teachers are encouraged to integrate technology into pedagogical practices in meaningful ways to promote 21st century skills; however, this effort is often hindered by…

Chemistry Teachers' Views of Creativity

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Akkanat, Çigdem; Gökdere, Murat

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine chemistry teachers' views of creativity. In this study, phenomenology method, one of the qualitative research patterns, was used. The participants of this study were 13 chemistry teachers working in Amasya. A semi-structured interview form was used for data collection. By using NVivo 9 qualitative…

Distributed scaffolding: Wiki collaboration among Latino high school chemistry students

Science.gov (United States)

O'Sullivan, Edwin Duncan, Jr.

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate if wiki collaboration among Latino high school chemistry students can help reduce the science achievement gap between Latino and White students. The study was a quasi-experimental pre/post control group mixed-methods design. It used three intact sections of a high school chemistry course. The first research question asked if there is a difference in academic achievement between a treatment and control group on selected concepts from the topics of bonding, physical changes, and chemical changes, when Latino high school chemistry students collaborate on a quasi-natural wiki project. Overall results for all three activities (Bonding, Physical Changes, and Chemical Changes) indicated no significant difference between the wiki and control group. However, students performing the chemical changes activity did significantly better than their respective control group. Furthermore, there was a significant association, with large effect size, between group membership and ability to overcome the misconception that aqueous ionic reactants in precipitation reactions exist as molecular pairs of ions. Qualitative analysis of classroom and computer lab dialogue, discussion board communication, student focus groups, teacher interviews, and wiki content attributes the better performance of the chemical changes wiki group to favorable differences in intersubjectivity and calibrated assistance, as well as learning about submicroscopic representations of precipitation reactions in multiple contexts. Furthermore, the nonsignificant result overall points to an aversion to peer editing as a possible cause. Drawing considerably on Vygotsky and Piaget, the results are discussed within the context of how distributed scaffolding facilitated medium levels of cognitive conflict. The second research question asked what the characteristics of distributed metacognitive scaffolding are when Latino high school chemistry students collaborate on a quasi

Especially for High School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Emory Howell, J.

1999-11-01

More Feature Articles This Month This issue contains a larger-than-usual number of Secondary School Chemistry feature articles (see side-bar). Mary Harris, who teaches in St. Louis, Missouri, and her student, Lauren Picard, contributed an account of student research on the cuprammonium rayon process (p 1512). In addition to being informative and interesting, the article provides a model for student-teacher interaction in carrying out an independent research project. Two North Carolina teachers, Charles Roser and Catherine McCluskey, describe how to use a Calculator Based Laboratory (interface) to measure the kinetics of the reaction that occurs when a lightstick is activated (p 1514). The method and the easy-to-construct device they made could be used with other systems, as well. Don't Throw Away the Carrier Sheet All areas of JCE Online are now accessible to all JCE subscribers. To find out how you can benefit, read the article appearing on p 1599, Now That I Have It, What Can I Do with It? Jon Holmes, Editor of JCE Online, explains in the article how you can use this resource most effectively. Access to several areas, such as full text access to articles, requires that you log in. The mailing label on the carrier sheet that accompanies your Journal each month contains a password that you need to log in. That is why you need to keep the carrier sheet, at least until you have logged in for the first time and either memorized the number or written it in a safe place. Detailed instructions for logging on are found by clicking on the "How to Log On" link, which appears near the upper left corner of the JCE Online Home Page, jchemed.chem.wisc.edu. If you read a school library copy you need to ask your librarian what password you need to log in. Congratulations Among the recipients of the most prestigious American Society Awards (p 1481) are two individuals who have given generously of their time and energy to the cause of chemical education. Both are familiar names to

Teachers and Students' Conceptions of Computer-Based Models in the Context of High School Chemistry: Elicitations at the Pre-intervention Stage

Science.gov (United States)

Waight, Noemi; Gillmeister, Kristina

2014-04-01

This study examined teachers' and students' initial conceptions of computer-based models—Flash and NetLogo models—and documented how teachers and students reconciled notions of multiple representations featuring macroscopic, submicroscopic and symbolic representations prior to actual intervention in eight high school chemistry classrooms. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 32 students and 6 teachers. Findings revealed an interplay of complex factors that functioned as opportunities and obstacles in the implementation of technologies in science classrooms. Students revealed preferences for the Flash models as opposed to the open-ended NetLogo models. Altogether, due to lack of content and modeling background knowledge, students experienced difficulties articulating coherent and blended understandings of multiple representations. Concurrently, while the aesthetic and interactive features of the models were of great value, they did not sustain students' initial curiosity and opportunities to improve understandings about chemistry phenomena. Most teachers recognized direct alignment of the Flash model with their existing curriculum; however, the benefits were relegated to existing procedural and passive classroom practices. The findings have implications for pedagogical approaches that address the implementation of computer-based models, function of models, models as multiple representations and the role of background knowledge and cognitive load, and the role of teacher vision and classroom practices.

Computer-Based Molecular Modelling: Finnish School Teachers' Experiences and Views

Science.gov (United States)

Aksela, Maija; Lundell, Jan

2008-01-01

Modern computer-based molecular modelling opens up new possibilities for chemistry teaching at different levels. This article presents a case study seeking insight into Finnish school teachers' use of computer-based molecular modelling in teaching chemistry, into the different working and teaching methods used, and their opinions about necessary…

Especially for High School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Howell, J. Emory

1999-12-01

Chemistry and the Environment This issue contains more than 20 articles relating to the environment. Several articles of potential interest are indicated in the Table of Contents with the SSC mark (). Others are not so indicated because they depict use of expensive instrumentation or costly procedures, but if you have an interest in environmental chemistry you may wish to examine all the environmentally related articles. While many of the articles, both marked and unmarked, are targeted to college-level environmental chemistry curricula or to introductory courses for non-major, the methods described in several could be readily adapted to high school chemistry courses. One article likely to be of interest to teachers is found in News from Online, pp 1608-1609. The author explains how to use the U.S. Environment Protection Agency's EnviroMapper Web site to view and query environmental information. She mentioned finding a hazardous waste handler located near her home, so I decided to check the area near my home. I quickly located a natural gas salt dome storage facility marked on the map and, with a few more mouse clicks, I found information that included status of compliance with regulations, amounts of each compound released to the air in tons per year, and how to contact the corporation owning the site. Email and Web site addresses were included for the convenience of anyone wishing to contact the corporation. Students could learn a great deal about where they live that is relevant to chemistry by using the EPA site. Additional Web sites dealing with environmental issues and chemistry are cited in the sidebar at the bottom of p 1609. Among the articles that could be adapted to an advanced high school chemistry class or possibly even to an introductory class is one titled Bridge of Mandolin County (pp 1671-1672). It describes a case-study strategy similar to the scenarios used in ChemStudy. Students analyze information from various sources, including laboratory

Canonical Pedagogical Content Knowledge by Cores for Teaching Acid-Base Chemistry at High School

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarado, Clara; Cañada, Florentina; Garritz, Andoni; Mellado, Vicente

2015-01-01

The topic of acid-base chemistry is one of the oldest in general chemistry courses and it has been almost continuously in academic discussion. The central purpose of documenting the knowledge and beliefs of a group of ten Mexican teachers with experience in teaching acid-base chemistry in high school was to know how they design, prepare and…

Modern Information Technologies in Chemical Education: Research, Analyses and Prospects for Chemistry Teachers Training [In Bulgarian

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Kirova

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The present review paper describes the present state-of-art of two areas of the contemporary science education – the use of interactive media in teaching and learning chemistry in secondary schools and the competences of chemistry teachers for application of electronic education in these schools. A review of the current literature in those topics is presented in some details. The own contributions of the author in these areas are emphasized.

Grounding formative assessment in high-school chemistry classrooms: Connections between professional development and teacher practice

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Cisterna Alburquerque, Dante Igor

This study describes and analyzes the experiences of two high-school chemistry teachers who participated in a team-based professional development program to learn about and enact formative assessment in their classrooms. The overall purpose of this study is to explain how participation in this professional development influenced both teachers' classroom enactment of formative assessment practices. This study focuses on 1) teachers' participation in the professional development program, 2) teachers' enactment of formative assessment, and 3) factors that enabled or hindered enactment of formative assessment. Drawing on cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and using evidence from teacher lessons, teacher interviews, professional development meetings as data sources, this single embedded case study analyzes how these two teachers who participated in the same learning team and have similar characteristics (i.e., teaching in the same school, teaching the same courses and population of students, and using the same materials) differentially used the professional development learning about formative assessment as mediating tools to improve their classroom instruction. The learning team experience contributed to both teachers' development of a better understanding of formative assessment---especially in recognizing that their current grading and assessment practices were not appropriate to promote student learning---and the co-creation of artifacts to gather evidence of students' ideas. Although both teachers demonstrated understanding about how formative assessment may serve to promote student learning and had a set of tools available to utilize for formative assessment use, they did not enact these tools in the same way. One teacher appropriated formative assessment as mediating tool to verify if the students were following her explanations, and to check if the students were able to provide the correct response. The other teacher used the mediating tool to promote

How science teachers' concerns about school-based assessment of practical work vary with time: the Hong Kong experience

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Derek; Yip, Din-Yan

2004-02-01

School-based assessment of science students' practical skills has two important roles--as a complement to written papers in public examinations and as a catalyst for enriching the science curriculum in schools. This article describes a quantitative study of the concerns chemistry and biology teachers experience as they engage in the process of implementation of a school-based assessment scheme for practical work. A 23-item questionnaire was developed to measure five categories of teacher concern: evaluation, information, management, consequence and refocusing. The nature of each category of teacher concern is discussed in relation to innovation adoption and implementation. Data were collected from 400 chemistry and 412 biology teachers in Hong Kong. Teachers' information and management concerns lessened in intensity when they became experienced users of a school-based assessment scheme. However, teaching experience alone could not motivate teachers to think more about the impact of school-based assessment on student learning, their professional development in student assessment and the possible refinements in their school-based assessment scheme. Concerns-based interventions are suggested to help teachers grow professionally.

An Exemplary Program in Higher Education for Chemists, Engineers, and Chemistry Teachers.

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Ayers, Jerry B.; And Others

This paper presents the rationale, structure, and specifications for a model program for the preparation of chemists, chemical engineers, and high school chemistry teachers. The model (an application of systems technology to program development in higher education) is based on the structure provided by the Georgia Educational Model Specifications…

Especially for High School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Howell, J. Emory

1999-10-01

Writing Across the Curriculum The notion that student learning is enhanced through writing is widely accepted at all educational levels if the product is fairly assessed and the learner is provided with feedback. Finding the time to critically evaluate student papers is difficult at best and competes with time needed to prepare laboratory investigations. A few weeks ago a teacher who has extensive extracurricular responsibilities that include extensive interaction with parents and community members shared with me his frustration in not being able to grade written reports. This teacher is the head football coach at his school, but many readers experience the same difficulties due to a variety of duties. There are no easy or completely satisfying answers to this problem, but this issue contains an account of a successful approach (Writing in Chemistry: An Effective Learning Tool, pp 1399-1403). Although they are based on experience in college courses, several ideas described in the article could be applied in high school chemistry courses. In another article, the author of Precise Writing for a Precise Science (pp 1407-1408) identifies 20 examples of familiar, but incorrect, grammatical constructions and explains how to phrase each one correctly. Chemical Education Research: Improving Chemistry Learning The results from research on how students learn have greatly increased our understanding of cognition in recent years. However, the results are often published in the science education research literature and are not readily accessible to the classroom teacher. Additionally, the research reports are couched in specialized terminology. This issue contains a Viewpoints article (pp 1353-1361) that bridges the gap between research results and classroom application. It was written by two veteran chemical educators, Dudley Herron and Susan Nurrenbern. The shift from behaviorism to constructivism as the dominant theory of learning is described briefly to provide a context

Critical Chemistry Education in a Private, Suburban High School

Science.gov (United States)

Ashby, Patrick; Mensah, Felicia Moore

2018-01-01

This critical ethnography documents how a group of 25 students and their teacher/researcher in a suburban, private school setting, the vast majority from the dominant cultural background, engaged with and enacted a critical chemistry education together. Critical chemistry education contextualizes chemistry in socially relevant issues and problematizes participants' conceptual frameworks for understanding the intersections between chemistry and our capitalist society by identifying the shortcomings of traditional scientific language to sufficiently interrogate privilege and oppression. Qualitative data from teacher/researcher field notes and journal, classroom video transcripts, questionnaires, focus group interviews, and student artifacts document that while it is difficult for the teacher/researcher and the students of this setting to reflect upon their own positions of privilege, together they interpreted and made meaning of their experience by (1) developing the ability to critically analyze the products of science for the potential of oppression, (2) developing an understanding of inequity in science, and (3) evaluating and respecting diverse knowledge bases. Based on the findings, we suggest students should be encouraged to problematize socially situated science issues related to settings close to their own communities, students should participate in structured and purposeful journaling to improve their metacognition and critical reflexivity, and critical pedagogues must be explicit with students in their Marxist-based interpretation of the global capitalist super structure.

Especially for High School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Howell, J. Emory

1999-09-01

Secondary School Feature Articles * Authentic Research within the Grasp of High School Students, by Annis Hapkiewicz, p 1212 * JCE Classroom Activity #19: Blueprint Photography by the Cyanotype Process, by Glen D. Lawrence and Stuart Fishelson, p 1216A Author Recognition A new program has been instituted to recognize high school teachers who are authors or coauthors of manuscripts published in the Journal. In May, letters were sent to teachers who wrote articles published in JCE beginning with Volume 74 (1997). If you were an author, you should have received a letter from us in late May or early June stating that your high school principal has been sent a Certificate of High School Author Recognition to be presented to you at a suitable occasion. Because the letters were sent late in the school year, you may not see the certificate until fall, or you may not receive your letter until then if we had only your school address. If you have authored or coauthored an article published in JCE and did not receive a letter, please contact me using the information about the Secondary School Chemistry Editor appearing on the Information Page in this issue. Syllabus Swap In the August issue, this column contained an invitation to exchange high school syllabi. The day after my copy of the August issue arrived, I received an email from a teacher indicating an interest in participating in an exchange. If you are interested, check the August "Especially for High School Chemistry Teachers" column for a brief discussion of the informal exchange program, or contact me. Research Conducted by High School Students In his June 1999 editorial "Learning Is a Do-It-Yourself Activity", p 725, John Moore wrote about the need to engage students actively in the learning process. As I have mentioned in this column previously, research conducted by students is one means of accomplishing this goal. In this issue, p 1212, Annis Hapkiewicz explains how she has drawn her Okemos [Michigan] High School

Some perceptions of participants PIBID/Chemistry/UEL about teaching and teacher education

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Fabiele Cristiane Dias Broietti

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This study aims to investigate the perception of individuals involved in the Institutional Program of Teaching Initiation Scholarship (PIBID developed at the Chemistry Teaching Course from the State University of Londrina (UEL, in relation to project development. The subproject PIBID/Chemistry/UEL aims to develop learning activities that include reading, contextualization and experimentation to develop scientific knowledge, as well as discussions about the theoretical referential that underlie the research in Science Teaching. From this perspective was proposed and elaborated a questionnaire to high school students, scholars and supervisors participants. Through the results obtained evidenced a growing interest among high school students in relation to the teaching of chemistry, when they experience different activities. The scholars and supervisors was made possible a space for discussion and reflection about the initial and continuing teachers education.

Students' Hands-on Experimental Work vs Lecture Demonstration in Teaching Elementary School Chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Logar, Ana; Ferk-Savec, Vesna

2011-12-01

Science educators have suggested many benefits that accrue from engaging students in experimental activities, therefore, experimental work has a long and distinctive role in chemistry curriculum since. The presented empirical study focuses on the valuation of effectiveness of different forms of experimental work - students' hands-on experimental work vs teacher's lecture demonstration - from the viewpoint of the quality of content knowledge acquisition and knowledge retention in teaching primary school chemistry. 106 primary school students (age 14-15 years) participated in the study. The data was collected via pre- and post- test protocol and two delayed post tests. Additionally 16 students selected from the sample were interviewed. The results indicate that students' content knowledge gained through teacher's demonstration of experiment is better and better knowledge retention takes place in comparison to students' knowledge gained through students' hands-on experimental work. However, most of the inteviewed students stated that they prefered conducting of experiments by themselves in comparison to observation of teacher's demonstration.

Scholarships for High School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Hach, Bryce

2007-12-01

The Hach Scientific Foundation 's mission is very focused and very simple: supporting chemistry education, primarily at the K 12 level. Through the recruitment of new teachers, addressing the issues of existing teacher retention, and supporting the best instruction and assessment strategies in chemistry education, the Foundation has a firm commitment to making the life of the chemistry student and teacher the most positive and educational experience possible. Although the Foundation's charter has its roots firmly planted in chemistry, the outgrowth of Hach Co. cofounder Clifford Hach's love of the "central science", it took more than 20 years before the Foundation announced it would narrow its aim singly on chemistry education.

How Slovenian Chemistry Teachers Meet their Needs for Professional Development in the System of Further Education and Training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darinka Sikošek

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The primary purpose of further education and training, as a form of lifelong learning, is to provide professional development and professional and personality growth of different professional profiles, including teachers. The type and quality of programmes intended for further education and training of professionals in education and training, especially of chemistry teachers, precisely is the central theme of this contribution. Based on the results of an empirical research carried out on a sample of chemistry teachers in Slovenian basic and secondary schools during the 2009/10 school year, we find that the desire to develop skills is the main motive power (Lat. nervus rerum of their participation in the programmes published in the Catalogue of Further Education and Training (FET Programmes, and inadequate time of implementation of programmes—regarding teachers’ teaching duties—the fundamental obstacle. The most frequently teachers of course attend modernisation programmes, followed by programmes not published in the Catalogue.

Achievement goals in the classroom and their possible influence on motivational patterns for chemistry learning in two Brazilian high schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denilson Mendes de Oliveira

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Classroom structures constitute motivational aspects to learn, which can be easily manipulated by teachers during mediation of scientific knowledge to ensure students’ engagement. Organization of learning activities, evaluation and autonomy are some examples of such structures. Two types of goals may be developed in classrooms due to different instructional strategies: performance goals and mastery goals. This work’s objectives were to compare instructional strategies of two high school chemistry teachers (Teacher A and Teacher B from two public schools located in Viçosa (Brazil and infer possible motivational patterns found among students. The comparison was based on the achievement goal theory and organized within the three classroom structures. Data were gathered through field notes from participant observation in two Chemistry classes and semi-structured interviews with both of the teachers. It was verified that Teacher A utilized strategies aligned with mastery goals, while Teacher B utilized instructional strategies that were consistent with the two types of goals. It is concluded that this can influence student engagement during Chemistry classes, considering that teachers have an important role in the orchestration of classroom structures, articulating instructional strategies that favor learning and mediation of the scientific knowledge.

The Role of Teacher Questions in the Chemistry Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Dohrn, Sofie Weiss; Dohn, Niels Bonderup

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate how a chemistry teacher's questions influence the classroom discourse. It presents a fine-grained analysis of the rich variety of one teacher's questions and the roles they play in an upper secondary chemistry classroom. The study identifies six different functions for the teacher's questions:…

Online Resources for High School Teachers--A CLIC Away

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, Jon L.

2000-04-01

"I'm a high school teacher. I don't have time to sift through all of JCE to find what I need. I don't have enough time as it is!" If you need to find things in a hurry, go to JCE HS CLIC, the JCE High School Chemed Learning Information Center, http://JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu/HS/. You will find good solid, reliable information, and you will find it fast. CLIC is open 24 hours every day, all over the world. What You Will Find at JCE CLIC We know teachers are pressed for time. During the few minutes between classes or at the end of the day, information needs to be found very quickly. Perhaps you are looking for a demo that illustrates electrochemistry using Cu, Mg, orange juice, and a clock; or a student activity on chromatography that is ready to copy and hand out; or a video to illustrate the action of aqua regia on gold, because you can't use aqua regia and can't afford gold. You can find each of these quickly at CLIC. The Journal has always provided lots of articles designed with high school teachers in mind. What the new JCE HS CLIC does is collect the recent materials at one address on JCE Online, making it quicker and easier for you to find them. Information has been gathered from both print and online versions of the Journal, from JCE Software, and from JCE Internet. It is organized as shown at the bottom of the page. Getting Access to Information You have located something that interests you, perhaps a list of tested demonstrations that pertain to consumer chemistry. Now it is time to get it. JCE subscribers (individuals and libraries) can read, download, and print the full versions of the articles as well as all supplemental materials, including student handouts and instructor's notes. You will need the username and password that are on the mailing label that comes with your Journaleach month. JCE HS CLIC home page: http://JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu/HS/ Your Suggestions, Please Our plans for JCE HS CLIC do not end with what you find now. Other resources and features

Didactical design based on sharing and jumping tasks for senior high school chemistry learning

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Fatimah, I.; Hendayana, S.; Supriatna, A.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this research is to develop the didactical design of senior high school chemistry learning based on sharing and jumping tasks in shift equilibrium chemistry. Sharing tasks used to facilitate students slow learners with help by other students of fast learners so they engage in learning. While jumping tasks used to challenge fast learners students so they didn’t feel bored in learning. In developing the didactic design, teacher activity is not only to focus on students and learning materials but also on the relationship between students and learning materials. The results of the analysis teaching plan of shift equilibrium chemistry in attached Senior High School to Indonesia University of Education showed that the learning activities more focus on how the teacher teaches instead of how the process of students’ learning. The use of research method is didactical design research (DDR). Didactical design consisted of three steps i.e. (a) analysing didactical condition before learning, (b) analyzing metapedadidactical, and (c) analyzing retrospective. Data were collected by test, observations, interviews, documentation and recordings (audio and video).The result showed that the didactical design on shift equilibrium chemistry was valid.

The effects of experience and attrition for novice high-school science and mathematics teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, Gary T; Fortner, C Kevin; Bastian, Kevin C

2012-03-02

Because of the current high proportion of novice high-school teachers, many students' mastery of science and mathematics depends on the effectiveness of early-career teachers. In this study, which used value-added models to analyze high-school teachers' effectiveness in raising test scores on 1.05 million end-of-course exams, we found that the effectiveness of high-school science and mathematics teachers increased substantially with experience but exhibited diminishing rates of return by their fourth year; that teachers of algebra 1, algebra 2, biology, and physical science who continued to teach for at least 5 years were more effective as novice teachers than those who left the profession earlier; and that novice teachers of physics, chemistry, physical science, geometry, and biology exhibited steeper growth in effectiveness than did novice non-science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers.

Development of Chemistry Triangle Oriented Module on Topic of Reaction Rate for Senior High School Level Grade XI Chemistry Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Sari, D. R.; Hardeli; Bayharti

2018-04-01

This study aims to produce chemistry triangle oriented module on topic of reaction rate, and to reveal the validity and practicality level of the generated module. The type of research used is EducationalDesign Research (EDR) with development model is Plompmodel. This model consists of three phases, which are preliminary research, prototyping phase, and assessment phase. The instrument used in this research is questionnaire validity and practicality. The data of the research were analyzed by using Kappa Cohen formula. The chemistry triangle oriented module validation sheet was given to 5 validators consisting of 3 chemistry lecturers and 2 high school chemistry teachers, while the practicality sheet was given to 2 chemistry teachers, 6 students of SMAN 10 Padang grade XII MIA 5 on the small groupevaluation and 25 students of SMAN 10 Padang grade XII MIA 6 on the field test. Based on the questionnaire validity analysis, the validity level of the module is very high with the value of kappa moment 0.87. The level of practicality based on teacher questionnaire response is very high category with a kappa moment value 0.96. Based on the questionnaire of student responses on small group evaluation, the level of practicality is very high category with a kappa moment 0.81, and the practicality is very high category with kappa moment value 0.83 based on questionnaire of student response on field test.

Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Students' Misconceptions in Learning Chemistry

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Naah, Basil Mugaga

2015-01-01

Preservice teachers enrolled in a modified introductory chemistry course used an instructional rubric to improve and evaluate their understanding of students' misconceptions in learning various chemistry concepts. A sample of 79 preservice teachers first explored the state science standards to identify chemistry misconceptions associated with the…

Teaching Reaction Stoichiometry: Exploring and Acknowledging Nigerian Chemistry Teachers Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayoade Ejiwale Okanlawon

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Although there is a growing interest in studies of students’ problem-solving strategies and difficulties, and misconceptionsregarding stoichiometry, little is known about the way teachers understand and teach reaction stoichiometry. This articlepresents a case study of pedagogical content knowledge put into actions by chemistry teachers when teaching the topic ofstoichiometry to second year senior secondary school students. Fourteen chemistry teachers with teaching experience rangingfrom 5 to 20 years were involved in this study. Research data were obtained from classroom observations and videotapedrecordings of classroom practice. Analyses of the teachers’ teaching activities revealed their skillfulness, resourcefulness, andweaknesses in terms of pedagogical content knowledge displayed when teaching stoichiometry. The results of this exploratorystudy offer insight into the knowledge systems that need to be expanded, enriched, and elaborated for teaching stoichiometry.To better understand the findings of this study, the results obtained were presented under two separate sections: (1 resultsconcerning introducing reaction stoichiometry to students and (2 results concerning leading students to identify limitingreagents. Implications for instruction and teachers’ professional development are offered.

Determination of validity and reliability of performance assessments tasks developed for selected topics in high school chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Zichittella, Gail Eberhardt

The primary purpose of this study was to validate performance assessments, which can be used as teaching and assessment instruments in high school science classrooms. This study evaluated the classroom usability of these performance instruments and establishes the interrater reliability of the scoring rubrics when used by classroom teachers. The assessment instruments were designed to represent two levels of scientific inquiry. The high level of inquiry tasks are relatively unstructured in terms of student directions; the low inquiry tasks provided more structure for the student. The tasks cover two content topics studied in chemistry (scientific observation and density). Students from a variety of Western New York school districts who were enrolled in chemistry classes and other science courses were involved in completion of the tasks at the two levels of inquiry. The chemistry students completed the NYS Regents Examination in Chemistry. Their classroom teachers were interviewed and completed a questionnaire to aid in the establishment their epistemological view on the inclusion of inquiry based learning in the science classroom. Data showed that the performance assessment tasks were reliable, valid and helpful for obtaining a more complete picture of the students' scientific understanding. The teacher participants reported no difficulty with the usability of the task in the high school chemistry setting. Collected data gave no evidence of gender bias with reference to the performance tasks or the NYS Regents Chemistry Examination. Additionally, it was shown that the instructors' classroom practices do have an effect upon the students' achievement on the performance tasks and the NYS Regents examination. Data also showed that achievement on the performance tasks was influenced by the number of years of science instruction students had received.

Especially for High School Teachers

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Howell, J. Emory

2000-02-01

Secondary School Feature Articles JCE Classroom Activity: #24. The Write Stuff: Using Paper Chromatography to Separate an Ink Mixture, p 176A Teaching Chemistry in the Midwinter Every year, forecasters around the world provide us with long-range predictions of what the seasons will afford us in the coming year. And each year, the weather provides a few surprises that the forecasters did not predict - such as a record amount of snow or record heat indexes, depending on where you live. Although the weatherman didn't predict it, we still must pull out our snow shovels or sun block and take the necessary steps to adapt to the situation. As teachers, we make predictions of teaching and learning goals that we aspire to achieve during a given year, and like the weather, the year brings surprises that aren't in line with our predictions. With that in mind, I would like to offer JCE as the scholastic snow shovel or sun shield you need to jump-start your class and reach the goals you have set. So find a warm (or cool) place, get comfortable, and spend some time with the February issue of JCE. Articles of General Interest in This Issue For readers living where snow falls, Williams's article on page 148 offers some historical background on the use of calcium chloride as a deicer. A diver that depends for its buoyancy upon gas given off by a chemical reaction is described by Derr, Lewis, and Derr in the article beginning on page 171. In her article appearing on pages 249-250, Wang describes a laboratory exercise that makes the mastery of solution preparation skills fun. The students' skill is tested by using the solutions they make to carry out the Briggs-Rauscher oscillating reaction. For high school class applications I recommend use of 3% hydrogen peroxide, described as an option in the article. A well-organized approach to separating an ink mixture, with some possibly new twists, is laid out in the student- and teacher-friendly format of JCE Classroom Activity: #24, pages

Turkish Prospective Chemistry Teachers' Alternative Conceptions about Acids and Bases

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Boz, Yezdan

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to obtain prospective chemistry teachers' conceptions about acids and bases concepts. Thirty-eight prospective chemistry teachers were the participants. Data were collected by means of an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of data indicated that most prospective teachers did not have…

Negligence Liability of K-12 Chemistry Teachers: The Need for Legal Balance and Responsible Action

Science.gov (United States)

Zirkel, Perry A.; Barnes, Marianne B.

2011-01-01

The science education community promotes inquiry teaching and learning enhanced by the school laboratory experience, and this emphasis is reflected in state and national science education standards. However, science teachers, especially those in chemistry settings, have been known to avoid laboratory activities because of fear of legal liability…

Astronomy Matters for Chemistry Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Huebner, Jay S.; Vergenz, Robert A.; Smith, Terry L.

1996-11-01

The purpose of this paper is to encourage more chemistry teachers to become familiar with some of the basic ideas described in typical introductory astronomy courses (1 - 9), including those about the origin of elements and forms of matter. These ideas would enrich chemistry courses and help resolve some basic misconceptions that are expressed in many introductory texts (10 - 16) and journal articles for chemistry teachers (17, 18). These misconceptions are typified by statements such as "we can classify all substances as either elements or compounds," and "nature has provided 92 elements out of which all matter is composed." If students accept these misconceptions, they could be deprived of (i) an appreciation of the history of elements and knowing that the elemental composition of the universe continues to evolve, (ii) knowing that of the first 92 elements in the periodic table, technetium and promethium do not occur naturally on Earth, and (iii) understanding that there are forms of matter other than elements and compounds. This paper briefly explores these ideas.

Impact of Chemistry Teachers' Knowledge and Practices on Student Achievement

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Scantlebury, Kathryn

2008-10-01

Professional development programs promoting inquiry-based teaching are challenged with providing teachers content knowledge and using pedagogical approaches that model standards based instruction. Inquiry practices are also important for undergraduate students. This paper focuses on the evaluation of an extensive professional development program for chemistry teachers that included chemistry content tests for students and the teachers and the impact of undergraduate research experiences on college students' attitudes towards chemistry. Baseline results for the students showed that there were no gender differences on the achievement test but white students scored significantly higher than non-white students. However, parent/adult involvement with chemistry homework and projects, was a significant negative predictor of 11th grade students' test chemistry achievement score. This paper will focus on students' achievement and attitude results for teachers who are mid-way through the program providing evidence that on-going, sustained professional development in content and pedagogy is critical for improving students' science achievement.

Authoritative school climate, aggression toward teachers, and teacher distress in middle school.

Science.gov (United States)

Berg, Juliette K; Cornell, Dewey

2016-03-01

Aggression toward teachers is linked to burnout and disengagement from teaching, but a positive school climate may reduce aggression and associated teacher distress. Using authoritative school climate theory, the study examined whether schools with high disciplinary structure and student support were associated with less aggression and less distress. The sample of 9,134 teachers in 389 middle schools came from the Virginia Secondary School Climate Survey, a statewide survey administered to all public schools with 7th and 8th grade enrollment. The majority of teachers (75%) were female. More than half (53%) reported that they had more than 10 years of teaching experience; 23% reported 6 to 10 years; 24% reported 1 to 5 years. Students reported on the degree to which their schools were structured and supportive. Teachers reported on their experiences of aggression by students, their level of distress, and their feelings of safety. Staff-related infractions computed from Department of Education records were also used. Multilevel modeling revealed that teachers in authoritative schools experienced less aggression and felt safer and less distressed. Lower aggression by students mediated the association between more authoritative schools and lower distress such that more structured and supportive schools had greater teacher safety and, in turn, less distress. The findings support the idea that more structured and supportive schools relate to greater safety for teachers and, in turn, less distress. Research limitations and implications for practice are discussed. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Subject Knowledge Enhancement Courses for Creating New Chemistry and Physics Teachers: The Students' Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Tynan, Richard; Jones, Robert Bryn; Mallaburn, Andrea; Clays, Ken

2016-01-01

Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses are one option open in England to graduates with a science background whose first degree content is judged to be insufficient to train to become chemistry or physics teachers. Previous articles in "School Science Review" have discussed the structure of one type of extended SKE course offered at…

Teachers' Perceptions of the Teaching of Acids and Bases in Swedish Upper Secondary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Drechsler, Michal; Van Driel, Jan

2009-01-01

We report in this paper on a study of chemistry teachers' perceptions of their teaching in upper secondary schools in Sweden, regarding models of acids and bases, especially the Bronsted and the Arrhenius model. A questionnaire consisting of a Likert-type scale was developed, which focused on teachers' knowledge of different models, knowledge of…

Teacher community in elementary charter schools.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marisa Cannata

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The organizational context of charter schools may facilitate the formation of a strong teacher community. In particular, a focused school mission and increased control over teacher hiring may lead to stronger teacher professional communities. This paper uses the 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey to compare the level of teacher community in charter public and traditional public schools. It also estimates the effect of various charter policy variables and domains of school autonomy on teacher community. Charter school teachers report higher levels of teacher community than traditional public school teachers do, although this effect is less than one-tenth of a standard deviation and is dwarfed by the effect of a supportive principal, teacher decision-making influence, and school size. Charter public schools authorized by universities showed lower levels of teacher community than those authorized by local school districts. Teachers in charter schools that have flexibility over tenure requirements and the school budget report higher levels of teacher community. This study reveals that charter schools do facilitate the formation of strong teacher communities, although the effect is small. The analysis also suggests that the institutional origin of the charter school and specific areas of policy flexibility may influence teacher community.

Chemistry Teachers' Knowledge and Application of Models

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zuhao; Chi, Shaohui; Hu, Kaiyan; Chen, Wenting

2014-01-01

Teachers' knowledge and application of model play an important role in students' development of modeling ability and scientific literacy. In this study, we investigated Chinese chemistry teachers' knowledge and application of models. Data were collected through test questionnaire and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The result indicated…

A teacher preparation course in the social representation construction concerning being teacher of Chemistry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Camila Lima Miranda

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The role of a pre-service teacher education in a construction of social representation about being teacher is the topic of this study, which included the participation of 44 first year and 27 last year undergraduate students from a course of chemistry. The theoretical lens used was Theory of Social Representation. Open questionnaires in which students had to write about their personal view about working as Chemistry teacher were used. In their answers were observed two categories: characteristics and vision of teaching. Comparing the characteristics that those students propose to the achievement of teaching and learning processes was perceived that the attitudes and pedagogical practices were suggest by both groups, what reinforces the many representations about teaching built even before start pre-service teacher education. In the social representation of last year students was observed that the characteristics and vision of teaching no longer centered on the teacher. In addition, was identified the expansion of the components of representation, by adding speeches and contents related to chemistry teaching (particularly the use of everyday life, the understanding phenomena, approached during graduation.

Predictors of Teachers' Use of ICT in School--The Relevance of School Characteristics, Teachers' Attitudes and Teacher Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Drossel, Kerstin; Eickelmann, Birgit; Gerick, Julia

2017-01-01

This paper is based on the research question of what predictors (school characteristics, teachers' attitudes, teacher collaboration and background characteristics) determine secondary school teachers' frequency of computer use in class. The use of new technologies by secondary school teachers for educational purposes is an important factor…

Chemistry teacher professional development using the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Chemistry teacher professional development using the technological pedagogical content knowledge(TPACK) framework. ... But with the advent of modern technologies, information and communication ... [AJCE 4(3), Special Issue, May 2014] ...

Designing an educative curriculum unit for teaching molecular geometry in high school chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Makarious, Nader N.

Chemistry is a highly abstract discipline that is taught and learned with the aid of various models. Among the most challenging, yet a fundamental topic in general chemistry at the high school level, is molecular geometry. This study focused on developing exemplary educative curriculum materials pertaining to the topic of molecular geometry. The methodology used in this study consisted of several steps. First, a diverse set of models were analyzed to determine to what extent each model serves its purpose in teaching molecular geometry. Second, a number of high school teachers and college chemistry professors were asked to share their experiences on using models in teaching molecular geometry through an online questionnaire. Third, findings from the comparative analysis of models, teachers’ experiences, literature review on models and students’ misconceptions, the curriculum expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards and their emphasis on three-dimensional learning and nature of science (NOS) contributed to the development of the molecular geometry unit. Fourth, the developed unit was reviewed by fellow teachers and doctoral-level science education experts and was revised to further improve its coherence and clarity in support of teaching and learning of the molecular geometry concepts. The produced educative curriculum materials focus on the scientific practice of developing and using models as promoted in the Next Generations Science Standards (NGSS) while also addressing nature of science (NOS) goals. The educative features of the newly developed unit support teachers’ pedagogical knowledge (PK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The unit includes an overview, teacher’s guide, and eight detailed lesson plans with inquiry oriented modeling activities replete with models and suggestions for teachers, as well as formative and summative assessment tasks. The unit design process serves as a model for redesigning other instructional units in

Teacher's Guide to SERAPHIM Software V. Chemistry: The Central Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Bogner, Donna J.

Designed to assist chemistry teachers in selecting appropriate software programs, this publication is the fifth in a series of six teacher's guides from Project SERAPHIM, a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. This guide is keyed to the chapters of the text "Chemistry: The Central Science." Program suggestions are…

Especially for High School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Howell, J. Emory

2000-01-01

Classroom Activity #23 (pp 40A-40B) and in an article by Robert Goldsmith (p 41). The 1999 Nobel Prize in chemistry and the research that led to the awards are discussed in an article beginning on p 14. An account of the 1998 winners appeared in last January's issue (5), providing the basis for another convenient resource file. Water droplets on a surface of Magic Sand. For many students electrochemistry is among the least favorite of the topics included in first- or second-year high school chemistry - despite the many interesting applications that students encounter every day. There are many reasons why students find the topic difficult, but misconceptions about current flow seem to present the largest obstacle to developing a conceptual understanding of electrochemical processes. Two university faculty members and a high school teacher, Huddle, White, and Rogers, have developed a teaching model to help students confront and overcome their misconceptions (pp 104-110). They have conducted studies of the impact of the model's use on student learning in both high school and introductory college chemistry courses. Particularly encouraging were the learning gains made by students with weak academic backgrounds. An action research project focused on student perspectives of small-group learning is described by Towns, Kreke, and Fields (pp 111-119). Although the project involved upper-division undergraduate university students, action research can be useful to any chemistry teacher who wishes to systematically examine and improve instructional methods and strategies. This article may be especially interesting to readers who frequently employ small-group learning techniques in their classroom. Advances in the technology of multimedia delivery are having an impact on the format in which new JCE Software releases are available. In particular, CD-ROM and Internet browsers are becoming increasingly important as the medium and method of access respectively. To better understand what is

Does a Course on the History and Philosophy of Chemistry Have Any Effect on Prospective Chemistry Teachers' Perceptions? The Case of Chemistry and the Chemist

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Sendur, G.; Polat, M.; Kazanci, C.

2017-01-01

The creative comparisons prospective chemistry teachers make about "chemistry" and the "chemist" may reflect how they perceive these concepts. In this sense, it seems important to determine which creative comparisons prospective teachers make with respect to these and how these can change after the history of chemistry is…

Effects of Storylines Embedded within the Context-Based Approach on Pre-Service Primary School Teachers' Conceptions of Matter and Its States

Science.gov (United States)

Demircioglu, Hülya; Ayas, Alipasa; Demircioglu, Gökhan; Özmen, Haluk

2015-01-01

In this study, the effect of the context-based approach on pre-service primary school teachers' understanding of matter and its states and their attitude towards chemistry was investigated. Using a simple experimental design, the study was conducted with 35 pre-service primary school teachers who were exposed to context-based material with…

Preservice Science Teachers' Attitudes towards Chemistry and Misconceptions about Chemical Kinetics

Science.gov (United States)

Çam, Aylin; Topçu, Mustafa Sami; Sülün, Yusuf

2015-01-01

The present study investigates preservice science teachers' attitudes towards chemistry; their misconceptions about chemical kinetics; and relationships between pre-service science teachers' attitudes toward chemistry and misconceptions about chemical kinetics were examined. The sample of this study consisted of 81 freshman pre-service science…

Authoritative School Climate, Aggression toward Teachers, and Teacher Distress in Middle School

Science.gov (United States)

Berg, Juliette K.; Cornell, Dewey

2016-01-01

Aggression toward teachers is linked to burnout and disengagement from teaching, but a positive school climate may reduce aggression and associated teacher distress. Using authoritative school climate theory, the study examined whether schools with high disciplinary structure and student support were associated with less aggression and less…

The role of teacher questions in the chemistry classroom

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dohrn, Sofie Weiss; Dohn, Niels Bonderup

2018-01-01

, the students become highly accomplished in recalling facts but have difficulties when higher order thinking is required. The findings suggest that an interactive classroom can be created by using many engaging teacher questions. The six different categories of questions promote the students' learning process......The purpose of this study was to investigate how a chemistry teacher's questions influence the classroom discourse. It presents a fine-grained analysis of the rich variety of one teacher's questions and the roles they play in an upper secondary chemistry classroom. The study identifies six...... different functions for the teacher's questions: Student Knowledge, Request, Monologic Discourse, Clarification, Relations and Interaction of Contexts. Overall, these questions create a safe and interactive learning environment. However, the questions are predominantly closed in form. As a result...

Teacher Assessment of Practical Skills in A-Level Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, R.; Ferguson, Carolyn M.

1975-01-01

Discusses a two-year assessment undertaken to evaluate the Nuffield A-Level chemistry course. Secondary teachers selected chemistry experiments for assessment purposes and assessed their students in manipulative skills, observational skills, interpretation skills, creative skills, and attitudes. (MLH)

What influences on demonstration experimental work in chemistry classroom?

OpenAIRE

Logar, Ana; Ferk Savec, Vesna

2016-01-01

Teachers and researchers agree that experimental work has a crucial role in teaching and learning of science. The article presents results of a qualitative investigation dealing with factors that influence on the efficiency of primary school students` experimental work in chemistry classroom. The sample consisted of 9 chemistry teachers and 141 randomly selected primary school students (age 13-14 years). Based on the research results a model for effective planning and integration of students`...

Cooperative studyware development of organic chemistry module by experts, teachers, and students

Science.gov (United States)

Dori, Yehudit J.

1995-06-01

Experts, teachers, and students took active part in a process of organic chemistry studyware development. A unique characteristic of this process was the active involvement of three different groups of people in the authoring process: science educators, chemistry teachers, and chemistry students studying towards an education certificate. The science educators—the experts—advised the team on new methods of presenting the subject matter in an appealing way, using 3D computerized molecular modeling. The in-service chemistry teachers contributed from their rich field experience to constructing the studyware. This mutual development helped maintain the balance between expert requirements and expectations from students on one hand, and the actual student capabilities, as perceived by teachers through constant contact with the students, on the other. Finally, the preservice teachers—the undergraduate chemistry students—were often zealous, enthusiastic, and willing to put in the extra time and effort needed to produce quality studyware, while following the guidelines of the experts and teachers. Feedback on the qualities and shortcomings of the studyware was obtained in two cycles. The first one was done while the studyware was still under development by peers, and the second by individual target students, serving as a beta-site. This double feedback helped improve the studyware, mainly by elaborating on portions that require more detail and explanation. The paper describes the process as well as representative parts of the studyware. The combination of experts, teachers, and students in the development team seems to have the potential to yield studyware that is appropriate for effective science education in general and chemistry teaching in particular.

Chemistry teaching in different social contexts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Ferreira dos Santos

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article presents the development of a research program on the teaching of chemistry guided by a theoretical framework of the Sociology of Education, and discusses its main results. Under a comparative analysis perspective, the pedagogical practices of teachers of chemistry teachers who teach in schools of different social contexts were been characterized by a set of indicators related to the rules of pedagogical discourse and were associated to the macrossocial issues of power and control, according to the theory by Basil Bernstein. The article presents the most relevant results obtained, highlighting the characteristics less favorable to the acquisition of scientific knowledge and skills, and which often constitute the practices observed in the schools where study the most needy students of the social spectrum. On the other hand, some results also show that, by altering some of these characteristics, teachers can increase student’s performance. These results have implications for the education of chemistry teachers and for public policies. The final part discusses the further unfolding and new directions for future research related to this program.

Sign me up! Determining motivation for high school chemistry students enrolling in a second year chemistry course

Science.gov (United States)

Camarena, Nilda N.

A sample of 108 Pre-AP Chemistry students in Texas participated in a study to determine motivational factors for enrolling in AP Chemistry and University Chemistry. The factors measured were academic attitude, perceptions of chemistry, confidence level in chemistry, and expectations/experiences in the chemistry class. Students completed two questionnaires, one at the beginning of the year and one at the end. Four high school campuses from two school districts in Texas participated. Two campuses were traditional high schools and two were smaller magnet schools. The results from this study are able to confirm that there are definite correlations between academic attitudes, perceptions, confidence level, and experiences and a student's plans to enroll in AP and University Chemistry. The type of school as well as the student's gender seemed to have an influence on a student's plan to enroll in a second year of chemistry.

Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Beliefs about Teaching and Their Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Oskay, Ozge Ozyalcin; Erdem, Emine; Yilmaz, Ayhan

2009-01-01

In this study the relationship between pre-service chemistry teachers' beliefs about teaching and their pedagogical content knowledge were investigated. The sample of the study consists of 99 pre-service chemistry teachers attending Hacettepe University, Faculty of Education. As data collection tools the adapted form of "Beliefs About…

Whither Constructivism?--A Chemistry Teachers' Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Niaz, Mansoor

2008-01-01

Constructivism in science education has been the subject of considerable debate in the science education literature. The purpose of this study was to facilitate chemistry teachers' understanding that the tentative nature of scientific knowledge leads to the coexistence and rivalries among different forms of constructivism in science education. The…

Prospective Chemistry and Science Teachers' Views and Metaphors about Chemistry and Chemical Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Onen Ozturk, Fatma; Aglarci, Oya

2017-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the metaphors created by prospective chemistry and science teachers and their views about how the studies in the field of chemistry are carried out in relation to the grade level and department. Research Methods: Case study as a qualitative research design was used. Participants in the study included…

The Contribution of Constructivist Instruction Accompanied by Concept Mapping in Enhancing Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of Chemistry in the Laboratory Course

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Aydin, Sevgi; Aydemir, Nurdane; Boz, Yezdan; Cetin-Dindar, Ayla; Bektas, Oktay

2009-01-01

The present study aimed to evaluate whether a chemistry laboratory course called "Laboratory Experiments in Science Education" based on constructivist instruction accompanied with concept mapping enhanced pre-service chemistry teachers' conceptual understanding. Data were collected from five pre-service chemistry teachers at a university…

Creating an In-School Pastoral System for Student Teachers in School-Based Initial Teacher Education

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Philpott, Carey

2015-01-01

Recent developments in initial teacher education (ITE) have produced a number of school-centred models. These mean that student teachers may now spend more of their time in schools than has historically been the case. In some of these models, student teachers are more clearly part of the school as an institution than might be the case in more…

Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Competencies in the Laboratory: A Cross-Grade Study in Solution Preparation

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Karatas, F. O.

2016-01-01

One of the prerequisites for chemistry teacher candidates is to demonstrate certain laboratory skills. This article aims to determine and discuss the competencies of pre-service chemistry teachers in a chemistry laboratory context working with solution chemistry content. The participants in this study consisted of a group of pre-service chemistry…

Misconception of pre-service chemistry teachers about the concept of resonances in organic chemistry course

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Widarti, Hayuni Retno; Retnosari, Rini; Marfu'ah, Siti

2017-08-01

A descriptive quantitative research has been done to identify the level of understanding and misconceptions of the pre-service chemistry teachers related to the concept of resonance in the organic chemistry course. The subjects of the research were 51 students of State University of Malang, majoring Chemistry Education, currently in their fourth semester, 2015-2016 academic year who have taken the course of Organic Chemistry I. The instruments used in this research is a combination of 8 numbers of multiple choice tests with open answer questions and certainty of response index (CRI). The research findings revealed that there are still misconceptions found in the organic chemistry course, especially about the concept of resonance. There were several misconceptions of the pre-service chemistry teachers, such as resonance structures are in equilibrium with each other; resonance structures are two or more Lewis structures with different in arrangement of both atom and electron; resonance structures are only structures containing charged atoms; formal charge and resonance structures are not related; and the stability of resonance structures are only determined by location of charges in atoms found in such structures. There is also a lack of understanding of curved arrows notation to show electron pair movement.

Writing Chemistry Jingles as an Introductory Activity in a High School Chemistry Class

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Heid, Peter F.

2011-01-01

Starting the school year in an introductory high school chemistry class can be a challenge. The topic and approach is new to the students; many of the early chapters in the texts can be a bit tedious; and for many students the activities are uninspiring. My goal in the first few weeks of school is to hook the students on chemistry by getting them…

Unraveling Gender Bias from Student Evaluations of their High School Physics Teachers

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Hazari, Zahra; Potvin, Geoff; Tai, Robert; Sadler, Philip

2009-05-01

In this talk, the evaluation of high school physics, chemistry, and biology teachers by their students is examined according to the gender of the student and the gender of the teacher. Female teachers are rated significantly lower than male teachers by male students in all three disciplines, while female students under-rate female teachers only in physics. Interestingly, physics is also the field that suffers the greatest lack of females and has been criticized most for its androcentric culture. The gender bias in teacher ratings persists even after accounting for academic performance, classroom experiences, and family support. Further, male and female teachers in each discipline appear equally effective at preparing their students for future science study in college, suggesting that students have a discipline-specific gender bias. Such a bias may negatively impact female students and contribute to the loss of females in STEM fields.

Chronic Teacher Turnover in Urban Elementary Schools

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Kacey Guin

2004-08-01

Full Text Available This study examines the characteristics of elementary schools that experience chronic teacher turnover and the impacts of turnover on a school’s working climate and ability to effectively function. Based on evidence from staff climate surveys and case studies, it is clear that high turnover schools face significant organizational challenges. Schools with high teacher turnover rates have difficulty planning and implementing a coherent curriculum and sustaining positive working relationships among teachers. The reality of these organizational challenges is particularly alarming, given that high turnover schools are more likely to serve low-income and minority students. The negative relationship between teacher turnover and school functioning, and the fact that turbulent schools are disproportionately likely to serve lowincome and minority students have important implications for both district and school-level policies. Specifically: Teacher turnover rates are one indicator of school health, which school districts should consider when focusing on school improvements. Districts need to begin by developing the means to identify individual schools that experience high levels of teacher turnover. Current district policies in implementing professional development for teachers in low-performing schools are inefficient when teachers do not remain in the schools in which they are trained. In order for low-performing schools to improve, districts need to consider providing incentive programs so that high quality teachers apply for, and remain in, these schools. Future research is needed to address the causal link between turnover, organizational functioning and student outcomes. Additionally, there is a need for research examining district policies that may facilitate teacher turnover within a district, including how districts place and transfer teachers, as well as how teachers’ salaries are budgeted.

Job satisfaction of Jamaican elementary school teachers

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Rodgers-Jenkinson, Fay; Chapman, David W.

1990-09-01

This study investigated correlates of job satisfaction among public (N=190) and private (N=100) Jamaican elementary school teachers. Emphasis was on the identification of factors that could be affected through administrative intervention. Results indicated that the quality of school working conditions and respondents' relationships with other teachers were significantly related to satisfaction for both public and private school teachers. School prestige and parental encouragement were also significant predictors for public school teachers; leadership style, organizational structure, and teacher-parent relationships predicted job satisfaction for private school teachers. Implications of these findings for Jamaican education are discussed.

Teaching schools as teacher education laboratories

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Sarah Gravett

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This study emanated from the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development in South Africa. This Framework proposes that teaching schools should be established in the country to improve the teaching practicum component of pre-service teacher education. A generic qualitative study was undertaken to explore the affordances of a teaching school to enable student teacher learning for the teaching profession. The overarching finding of the study is that a teaching school holds numerous affordances for enabling meaningful student teacher learning for the teaching profession. However, the full affordances of a teaching school will not be realised if a teaching school is viewed merely as a practicum site. Foregrounding a laboratory view of practice work in a teaching school could enable true research-oriented teacher education. A teaching school as a teacher education laboratory would imply a deliberate inclusion of cognitive apprenticeship and an inquiry orientation to learning in the schoo

Building an Understanding of How Model-Based Inquiry Is Implemented in the High School Chemistry Classroom

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Dass, Katarina; Head, Michelle L.; Rushton, Gregory T.

2015-01-01

Modeling as a scientific practice in K-12 classrooms has received a wealth of attention in the U.S. and abroad due to the advent of revised national science education standards. The study described herein investigated how a group of high school chemistry teachers developed their understanding of the nature and function of models in the precollege…

Chemistry teachers and their senior secondary students' answers to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The purpose of the study was to compare chemistry teachers' answers in a question related to evaporation with that of their senior secondary students. Two hundred and seventy six senior secondary students and their seven teachers participated in the study. The main data collecting instrument was the pictorial and verbal ...

Attitude of Nigerian Secondary School Teachers to Peer Evaluation of Teachers

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Joshua, Monday T.; Joshua, Akon M.; Bassey, Bassey A.; Akubuiro, Idorenyin M.

2006-01-01

The study investigated the general attitude of Nigerian secondary school teachers toward peer evaluation of teachers. It also sought to determine whether teacher characteristics such as gender, school geographical location, academic qualification and teaching experience affected Nigerian teachers' attitude toward peer evaluation of teachers. To…

Enhancing prospective chemistry teachers cognitive structures in the topics of bonding and hybridization by internet-assisted chemistry applications

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Özge Özyalçın Oskay, Sinem Dinçol

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of internet-assisted chemistry applications on prospective chemistry teachers’ cognitive structures in the topics of bonding and hybridization. The sample of the study consisted of 36 prospective chemistry teachers attending Hacettepe University, Faculty of Education, the Department of Chemistry Education in 2010-2011 academic year and taking Basic Chemistry I lesson. In the study, students were separated into experimental and control gr...

Teacher beliefs, teacher characteristics, and school contextual factors: what are the relationships?

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Rubie-Davies, Christine M; Flint, Annaline; McDonald, Lyn G

2012-06-01

There is a plethora of research around student beliefs and their contribution to student outcomes. However, there is less research in relation to teacher beliefs. Teacher factors are important to consider since beliefs mould thoughts and resultant instructional behaviours that, in turn, can contribute to student outcomes. The purpose of this research was to explore relationships between the teacher characteristics of gender and teaching experience, school contextual variables (socio-economic level of school and class level), and three teacher socio-psychological variables: class level teacher expectations, teacher efficacy, and teacher goal orientation. The participants were 68 male and female teachers with varying experience, from schools in a variety of socio-economic areas and from rural and urban locations within New Zealand. Teachers completed a questionnaire containing items related to teacher efficacy and goal orientation in reading. They also completed a teacher expectation survey. Reading achievement data were collected on students. Interrelationships were explored between teacher socio-psychological beliefs and the teacher and school factors included in the study. Mastery-oriented beliefs predicted teacher efficacy for student engagement and classroom management. The socio-economic level of the school and teacher gender predicted teacher efficacy for engagement, classroom management, instructional strategies, and a mastery goal orientation. Being male predicted a performance goal orientation. Teacher beliefs, teacher characteristics, and school contextual variables can result in differences in teacher instructional practices and differing classroom climates. Further investigation of these variables is important since differences in teachers contribute to differences in student outcomes. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Influence of teachers' competence on students academic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated the influence of teachers' competence on students; academic performance in senior secondary school chemistry. A random sampling technique was used to select 6 secondary schools out of 12 secondary schools in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State. 200 students, 20 teachers and 6 ...

influence of teachers' competence on students academic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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This study investigated the influence of teachers' competence on students; academic performance in senior secondary school chemistry. A random sampling technique was used to select 6 secondary schools out of 12 secondary schools in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State. 200 students, 20 teachers and 6 ...

Especially for High School Teachers

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Howell, J. Emory

1999-05-01

antidote to "why do we have to learn this stuff" and it doesn't directly relate atomic spectra to quantum theory. It does, however, deal with energy-matter interactions in a topic that is more relevant to students' daily lives. And in turn, the concept of electromagnetic radiation interacting with matter may be more important for most students to understand than is the quantum mechanical explanation of electronic configuration. This issue contains several other articles from which useful examples connecting chemistry and biology can be drawn. Most of these are not indicated in the table of contents with the high school mark (*) because they are written primarily for college biochemistry faculty members. However, many high school teachers who read this column have strong backgrounds in biology and can find useful information in some of these articles. A keyword search for "enzyme" using the online index (http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/Journal/Search/ ) yielded 75 articles published between January 1990 and the present, illustrating that a great deal about this topic alone has been published in this Journal. Other "biochemical" keywords that can be used to search the index include amino acids, biotechnology, hormones, lipids, metabolism, nucleic acids/DNA/RNA, and proteins/peptides. Other biological connections are evidenced through keywords such as drugs/pharmaceuticals, food science, medicinal chemistry, nutrition, and vitamins. Chemical Mysteries Revealed Online Ron DeLorenzo, editor of the Applications and Analogies feature, recently sent an email message describing a resource of interest to high school teachers. The Greenwich Science Education Center, Greenwich, Connecticut, is now displaying on their Web site (http://www.educationcenter.org) about 100 of DeLorenzo's interesting mystery articles. Anaheim and Boston To those readers who stopped by the JCE booth at the ACS National Meeting in Anaheim or at the NSTA convention Boston we wish to say thank you. Also, thank you

Effectiveness of Case-Based Learning Instruction on Pre-Service Teachers' Chemistry Motivation and Attitudes toward Chemistry

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Çam, Aylin; Geban, Ömer

2017-01-01

Background: The development of primary pre-service teachers' chemistry motivation and attitudes toward chemistry were examined in order to develop their science literacy using case-based learning. Students' ideas were emphasized, real-life situations were discussed, and students could share their ideas and knowledge with peers; as a result,…

Language Teacher Burnout and School Type

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Mukundan, Jayakaran; Zare, Pezhman; Zarifi, Abdolvahed; Manaf, Umi Kalthom Abdul; Sahamid, Husniah

2015-01-01

The present study was an attempt to explore the level of burnout among primary school teachers in Malaysia. In addition, the study tried to determine if the school type has any significant influence on teachers' burnout level. To this end, 714 primary school teachers participated in the study. They were teaching at Malay (SK), Tamil (SJKT), and…

Effectiveness of Student Learning during Experimental Work in Primary School.

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Logar, Ana; Peklaj, Cirila; Ferk Savec, Vesna

2017-09-01

The aim of the research was to optimize the effectiveness of student learning based on experimental work in chemistry classes in Slovenian primary schools. To obtain evidence about how experimental work is implemented during regular chemistry classes, experimental work was videotaped during 19 units of chemistry lessons at 12 Slovenian primary schools from the pool of randomly selected schools. Altogether 332 eight-grade students were involved in the investigation, with an average age of 14.2 years. Students were videotaped during chemistry lessons, and their worksheets were collected afterward. The 12 chemistry teachers, who conducted lessons in these schools, were interviewed before the lessons; their teaching plans were also collected. The collected data was analyzed using qualitative methods. The results indicate that many teachers in Slovenian primary schools are not fully aware of the potential of experimental work integrated into chemistry lessons for the development of students' experimental competence. Further research of the value of different kinds of training to support teachers for the use of experimental work in chemistry teaching is needed.

Competition for Private and State School Teachers

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Green, Francis; Machin, Stephen; Murphy, Richard; Zhu, Yu

2008-01-01

We analyse the role of private schools in the teachers' labour market. Private schools employ an increasingly-disproportionate share of teachers in Britain, relative to the number of their pupils. Their teachers are more likely than state school teachers to possess post-graduate qualifications, and to be specialists in shortage subjects.…

A case study of the effects of social experiences on the science identity formation of Mexican American females in high school chemistry

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Beeton, Renee P.

Mexican Americans are a rapidly growing ethnic group in the United States. However, they are noticeably absent from physical science fields. Little research has explored the experiences of Mexican American girls in high school chemistry. The theories of identity based on communities of practice and multicultural feminism framed this year-long case study of nine Mexican American girls in a high school chemistry course. This study explored the social encounters and experiences that shaped the participants' identities and how their views of themselves affected their attitudes towards high school chemistry and future science careers. Data collection included a focus group and in-depth interviews with the participants, classroom observations, and teacher interviews. Five main identities influenced the participants' potential to become a scientist: ethnic, gender, science, student, and college. Mexican ethnic identity was the overarching identity; however gender also influenced the participants' other identities. The participants were aware of ethnic gender stereotypes that might hinder them from being successful in science. Also, ethnic factors, such as citizenship and abilities to receive financial aid limited their views of themselves as chemists. Participatory science, student, and school identities were all needed in order for the participants to be potential scientists. Family expectations, authentic relationships with teachers, and personal connections were important factors in the development of these participatory identities.

Leadership that promotes teacher empowerment among urban middle school science teachers

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Howard-Skipper, Joni

In this study, the focus was on determining leadership strategies that promote teacher empowerment among urban middle school science teachers. The purpose of the paper was to determine if leadership strategies are related to teacher empowerment. The emphasis was on various forms of leadership and the empowerment of teachers in context in restructuring the democratic structure. An effective leadership in science education entails empowering others, especially science teachers. In this regard, no published studies had examined this perspective on empowering teachers and school leadership. Therefore, this study determined if a relationship exists between leadership strategy actions and teacher empowerment. The significance of the study is to determine a relationship between leadership strategies and teacher empowerment as a positive approach toward developing successful schools. Empowerment is essential for implementing serious improvements. Empowering others in schools must form a major component of an effective principal's agenda. It is becoming clearer in research literature that complex changes in education sometimes require active initiation. For this study, a quantitative methodology was used. Primary data enabled the research questions to be answered. The reliability and validity of the research were ensured. The results of this study showed that 40% of the administrators establish program policies with teachers, and 53% of teachers make decisions about new programs in schools. Furthermore, the findings, their implications, and recommendations are discussed.

Especially for High School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Howell, J. Emory

1999-02-01

Secondary School Feature Articles * Building the Interest of High School Students for Science-A PACT Ambassador Program To Investigate Soap Manufacturing and Industrial Chemistry, by Matthew Lynch, Nicholas Geary, Karen Hagaman, Ann Munson, and Mark Sabo, p 191. * Promoting Chemistry at the Elementary Level, by Larry L. Louters and Richard D. Huisman, p 196. * Is It Real Gold? by Harold H. Harris, p 198. * The "Big Dog-Puppy Dog" Analogy for Resonance, by Todd P. Silverstein, p 206. * The Fizz Keeper, a Case Study in Chemical Education, Equilibrium, and Kinetics, by Reed A. Howald, p 208. Staying on Top: Curricular Projects, Relativistic Effects, and Standard-State Pressure You may wonder why some articles are identified with the Secondary School Chemistry logo (*) this month even though at first glance they appear to be of greater interest to college faculty.1 The three articles discussed below are representative of three broad categories: (i) the interrelatedness of science teaching and learning, K-16+; (ii) new understandings of chemical phenomena; and (iii) information about the use of SI units. For each article I have highlighted the major point(s) and the reasons it may be of interest to high school teachers. First, the article "The NSF 'Systemic' Projects- A New Tradition" (G. M. Barrow, p 158) is a commentary on changes in post-secondary introductory chemistry courses in which a distinction is drawn between information management and individual understanding. The author is of the opinion that most students expect the former and that the NSF-funded systemic projects "will thrive only if they are consistent with their information-management mission". Three individuals provided responses to the commentary from their perspective. Has a student asked you why mercury is a liquid, or why gold is the most electronegative metal? "Gold Chemistry: The Aurophilic Attraction" by J. Bardají and A. Laguna (p 201) and "Why Gold and Copper Are Colored but Silver Is Not" by

A Cross-Age Study of Science Student Teachers' Chemistry Attitudes

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Çalik, Muammer; Ültay, Neslihan; Kolomuç, Ali; Aytar, Ayse

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of some variables (gender and year of study) on science student teachers' (SSTs) chemistry attitudes. An adapted version of Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences Questionnaire was administered to 983 SSTs drawn from four different universities in the region of Eastern Black Sea, Turkey. Significant…

chemistry teachers and their senior secondary students' answers

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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STUDENTS' ANSWERS TO PICTORIAL AND VERBAL QUESTIONS IN. EVAPORATION ... chemical education have since changed focus along this direction. ... achievement on the conceptual understanding test in chemistry. Teachers feel ..... Nurrenbern, S. C. & Pickering, M. (1987) Two Kinds of Conceptual Problems in.

Fostering the Development of Chemistry Teacher Candidates: A Bioecological Approach

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Lewthwaite, Brian; Wiebe, Rick

2012-01-01

This ongoing research inquiry investigates through the analysis of teacher candidate experiences the factors influencing two groups of chemistry teacher candidates' development during their extended practica in their second and final year of an after-degree bachelor of education at a university in central Canada. The tenets of Bronfenbrenner's…

Towards Treating Chemistry Teacher Candidates as Human

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Lewthwaite, Brian Ellis

2008-01-01

This research inquiry investigates the factors influencing chemistry teacher candidates' development during their extended practica in the second and final year of an After-Degree Bachelor of Education at a university in central Canada. A variety of data sources are used to identify the risk and protective factors impeding and contributing to the…

EXPERIENCE OF USING THE “ANTI-PLAGIARISM. HIGHER SCHOOL INSTITUTION” SYSTEM IN THE COURSE OF CHEMISTRY FOR STUDENTS OF ENGINEERING ACADEMY RUDN

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Елена Юрьевна Невская

2017-12-01

Full Text Available When checking the written work of students each teacher faced with the problem of determining the originality of the work. At the department of General Chemistry RUDN University the system “Anti-plagiarism. Higher School Institution” is used for this purpose. Using this system when checking the work for borrowings from online sources, saves the teacher the routine of searching for matching blocks. In addition, the using of this system is aimed at improving the implementation of a culture of scientific citation, without which no research project in chemistry can be done, is aimed at increasing the level of scientific educational process of the students.

Bend It, Stretch It, Hammer It, Break It: Materials Chemistry Applied

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Neff, Grace A.; Retsek, Jennifer; Berber-Jimenez, Lola; Barber, Nicole; Coles, Monica; Fintikakis, Christina; Huigens, Brent

2010-01-01

Making chemistry both accessible and interesting to middle and high school students can be difficult. Convincing middle and high school teachers that they will learn something new and applicable from a professional development workshop in chemistry can be equally challenging. This paper describes the use of material science as a means to enhance…

Towards a framework for a professional development programme: empowering teachers for context-based chemistry education.

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Stolk, M.; Bulte, A.M.W.; de Jong, O.; Pilot, A.

2009-01-01

The aim of this study is to develop a framework for professional development programmes that empowers chemistry teachers to teach and design context-based chemistry curricula. Firstly, teachers involvement, their concerns and their professional development in several context-based curriculum

Education-oriented Physics-Chemistry for Universities

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B. Spoelstra

1985-03-01

Full Text Available The shortage of well-qualified Science teachers is discussed, and possible contributing factors are mentioned. The need for an education-oriented university education in Physics and Chemistry, parallel to the existing courses in Physics and Chemistry, is justified. At the University of Zululand a subject called “Physical Science” (“Natuurwetenskap” was established, bearing in mind the specific requirements of a teaching career in Physical Science at secondary level. “Physical Science” is offered at second and third year level and the syllabus covers equal amounts of Chemistry and Physics. A less formal-mathematical and more descriptive approach is followed, and as wide a field as possible is covered which includes new developments in the physical sciences. We believe that this new course will enhance the training of well-prepared teachers of Physical Science for secondary schools, where a severe shortage prevails. Special reference is made here to the situation in Black schools.

Pre-Service Physics and Chemistry Teachers' Conceptual Integration of Physics and Chemistry Concepts

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Tuysuz, Mustafa; Bektas, Oktay; Geban, Omer; Ozturk, Gokhan; Yalvac, Bugrahan

2016-01-01

This study examines the pre-service teachers' opinions about conceptual integration (CI) and their understanding of it. A qualitative phenomenology design was used in the study. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews comprising ten guiding questions. Three pre-service physics and three pre-service chemistry teachers…

The Organizational Health of Urban Elementary Schools: School Health and Teacher Functioning.

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Mehta, Tara G; Atkins, Marc S; Frazier, Stacy L

2013-09-01

This study examined the factor structure of the Organizational Health Inventory-Elementary version (OHI-E; Hoy, Tarter, & Kottkamp, 1991) in a sample of 203 teachers working in 19 high-poverty, urban schools and the association of organizational school health with teacher efficacy, teacher stress, and job satisfaction. Results indicated a similar factor structure of the OHI-E as compared with the population of schools in the original sample (Hoy et al., 1991), and that specific components of organizational health, such as a positive learning environment, are associated with teacher efficacy, stress, and satisfaction. Overall, teachers' relations with their peers, their school leadership, and their students appear especially critical in high-poverty, urban schools. Recommendations for research and practice related to improving high-poverty, urban schools are presented.

Teachers' Competence and Students' Academic Performance in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated the influence of teacher's competence on students; academic performance in senior secondary chemistry. A random sampling technique was used to select 6 secondary schools out of 10 secondary schools in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State. 200 students, 20 teachers and 6 principals ...

Teaching Chemistry in Secondary Schools: A Case for Cooperative ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study investigated the relative effectiveness of cooperative instructional strategy on students' performance in secondary school chemistry. Two hundred and fifty (250) Senior Secondary two (SS II) chemistry students were purposively sampled from three public secondary schools in Ilesa Local Government Area of Osun ...

Teachers' and School Administrators' Attitudes and Beliefs of Teacher Evaluation: A Preliminary Investigation of High Poverty School Districts

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy, Linda A.; Dudek, Christopher M.; Peters, Stephanie; Alperin, Alexander; Kettler, Ryan J.; Kurz, Alexander

2018-01-01

This study examined attitudes and beliefs regarding teacher evaluation of teachers and their school administrators in the state of New Jersey, USA. The sample included 33 school administrators and 583 Pre-K through 12th grade teachers from four high-poverty urban school districts (22 schools). Participant attitudes and beliefs were assessed using…

Using Diagnostic Assessment to Help Teachers Understand the Chemistry of the Lead-Acid Battery

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Cheung, Derek

2011-01-01

Nineteen pre-service and in-service teachers taking a chemistry teaching methods course at a university in Hong Kong were asked to take a diagnostic assessment. It consisted of seven multiple-choice questions about the chemistry of the lead-acid battery. Analysis of the teachers' responses to the questions indicated that they had difficulty in…

Secondary-school chemistry textbooks in the 19th century

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Milanović Vesna D.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The teaching of chemistry in Serbia as a separate subject dates from 1874. The first secondary-school chemistry textbooks appeared in the second half of the 19th century. The aim of this paper is to gain insight, by analysing two secondary-school chemistry textbooks, written by Sima Lozanić (1895 and Mita Petrović (1892, into what amount of scientific knowledge from the sphere of chemistry was presented to secondary school students in Serbia in the second half of the 19th century, and what principles textbooks written at the time were based on. Within the framework of the research conducted, we defined the criteria for assessing the quality of secondary-school chemistry textbooks in the context of the time they were written in. The most important difference between the two textbooks under analysis that we found pertained to the way in which their contents were organized. Sima Lozanić’s textbook is characterized by a greater degree of systematicness when it comes to the manner of presenting its contents and consistency of approach throughout the book. In both textbooks one can perceive the authors’ attempts to link chemistry-related subjects to everyday life, and to point out the practical significance of various substances, as well as their toxicness.

Development of Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

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Cetin-Dindar, Ayla; Boz, Yezdan; Sonmez, Demet Yildiran; Celep, Nilgun Demirci

2018-01-01

In this study, a mixed-method design was employed to investigate pre-service chemistry teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) development. For effective technology integration in instruction, knowledge about technology is not enough; teachers should have different knowledge types which are content, pedagogical, and…

Science Teachers' Understanding and Practice of Inquiry-Based Instruction in Uganda

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Ssempala, Fredrick

High school students in Uganda perform poorly in science subjects despite the Ugandan government's efforts to train science teachers and build modern science laboratories in many public high schools. The poor performance of students in science subjects has been largely blamed on the inability by many science teachers to teach science through Inquiry-Based Instruction (IBI) to motivate the students to learn science. However, there have been no empirical studies done to establish the factors that influence science teachers' understanding and practice of IBI in Uganda. Most of the published research on IBI has been conducted in developed countries, where the prevailing contexts are very different from the contexts in developing countries such as Uganda. Additionally, few studies have explored how professional development (PD) training workshops on inquiry and nature of science (NOS) affect chemistry teachers' understanding and practice of IBI. My purpose in this multi-case exploratory qualitative study was to explore the effect of a PD workshop on inquiry and NOS on chemistry teachers' understanding and practice of IBI in Kampala city public schools in Uganda. I also explored the relationship between chemistry teachers' NOS understanding and the nature of IBI implemented in their classrooms and the internal and external factors that influence teachers' understanding and practice of IBI. I used a purposive sampling procedure to identify two schools of similar standards from which I selected eight willing chemistry teachers (four from each school) to participate in the study. Half of the teachers (those from School A) attended the PD workshop on inquiry and NOS for six days, while the control group (those from School B) did not. I collected qualitative data through semi-structured interviews, classroom observation, and document analysis. I analyzed these data by structural, conceptual and theoretical coding approach. I established that all the participating chemistry

The Effect of Teacher Psychological and School Organizational and Leadership Factors on Teachers' Professional Learning in Dutch Schools

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Geijsel, Femke P.; Sleegers, Peter J. C.; Stoel, Reinoud D.; Kruger, Meta L.

2009-01-01

In this study we examined the relative importance of teachers' psychological states, school organizational conditions (teacher collaboration and participative decision making), and the leadership practices (vision, individual consideration, and intellectual stimulation) of principals at their schools in explaining variation in teachers'…

Credentialing high school psychology teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Weaver, Kenneth A

2014-09-01

The National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula (American Psychological Association, 2013b) require a teacher with considerable psychology content knowledge to teach high school psychology courses effectively. In this study, I examined the initial teaching credential requirements for high school psychology teachers in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Thirty-four states (the District of Columbia is included as a state) require the social studies credential to teach high school psychology. An analysis of the items on standardized tests used by states to validate the content knowledge required to teach social studies indicates little or no presence of psychology, a reflection of psychology's meager presence in the social studies teacher preparation curricula. Thus, new teachers with the social studies teaching credential are not prepared to teach high school psychology according to the National Standards. Approval of The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K-12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History (National Council for the Social Studies, 2013) presents an opportunity to advocate for establishing a psychology credential in the 34 states. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Inclusive Education in Government Primary Schools: Teacher Perceptions

OpenAIRE

Itfaq Khaliq Khan; Shujahat Haider Hashmi; Nabeela Khanum

2017-01-01

The perceptions of primary school teachers towards inclusive education was investigated in mainstream government schools of Islamabad capital territory where inclusive education was being supported by Sight savers and other international organizations. The study was carried out involving 54 teachers in six randomly selected primary schools. The sampled group comprised both, teachers trained in inclusive education and teachers working in same schools, but not trained in inclusive education. Pu...

Teacher training in Chile: perceptions of teachers in the school system and university teachers

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Claudio H. Díaz Larenas

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This article presents the results of research on perceptions of teacher training. The study design is transactional and descriptive, for which an ad hoc survey of two groups was developed: the school sysrtem teachers and academics in the region of Bio Bio in Chile. Its aim is to analyze the perception of these groups on six themes: evaluation, learning, innovation, research, development and relationship university / school / community. The main results show a high evaluation of assessment practices, introducing innovations in the classroom and refinement. The reasearch is carried out by both teachers and university profressors in the school system, although at different frequencies. The university / school / community relations are considered relevant but are not consolidarted. Finally some thoughts arise that link the themes discussed in terms of improving teacher education.

An Analysis of Prospective Chemistry Teachers' Cognitive Structures through Flow Map Method: The Subject of Oxidation and Reduction

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Temel, Senar

2016-01-01

This study aims to analyse prospective chemistry teachers' cognitive structures related to the subject of oxidation and reduction through a flow map method. Purposeful sampling method was employed in this study, and 8 prospective chemistry teachers from a group of students who had taken general chemistry and analytical chemistry courses were…

Teacher Empowerment: School Administrators' Roles

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Balyer, Aydin; Özcan, Kenan; Yildiz, Ali

2017-01-01

Purpose: Teacher empowerment involves investing teachers with the right to participate in the determination of school goals and policies as informed by their professional judgment. By empowering teachers, teachers can discover their potential and limitations for themselves as well as developing competence in their professional development. This…

Interpersonal relationships of high schools' teachers and teachers' profiles

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Telli, S.; Cakiroglu, J.; Brok, den P.J.

2009-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examnine associations between Turkish high school students'perceptions of their teacher's interpersonal behavior and drawn attention to the relationship between students'affective outcomes and teachers' interpersonal behavior. The Questionnaire on Teacher

School Culture's Influence on Beginning Agriculture Teachers' Job Satisfaction and Teacher Self-Efficacy

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Hasselquist, Laura; Herndon, Kevin; Kitchel, Tracy

2017-01-01

This study explored first and second year agriculture teachers' job satisfaction and teacher selfefficacy through their perceived levels of school culture support. Prior research indicated one possible contributor to poor teacher retention is a lack of belonging teachers feel to their schools. Data were collected from beginning teachers in three…

Greenhouse Schools: How Schools Can Build Cultures Where Teachers and Students Thrive

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TNTP, 2012

2012-01-01

Successful teachers make successful schools. Yet some schools are better than others at accelerating student learning by developing and keeping great teachers, even compared to schools that serve the same population of students and have access to the same resources. These schools are called "greenhouse schools"--schools with carefully…

Especially for High School Teachers

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Howell, J. Emory

2001-05-01

Literature Cited National Science Education Standards; National Academy Press: Washington, DC, 1996; http://www. nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/. Principles and Standards for School Mathematics; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Washington, DC, 2000; http://standards.nctm.org/. Visit CLIC, an Online Resource for High School Teachers at http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/HS/

Investigating Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Problem Solving Strategies: Towards Developing a Framework in Teaching Stoichiometry

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Espinosa, Allen A.; Nueva España, Rebecca C.; Marasigan, Arlyne C.

2016-01-01

The present study investigated pre-service chemistry teachers' problem solving strategies and alternative conceptions in solving stoichiometric problems and later on formulate a teaching framework based from the result of the study. The pre-service chemistry teachers were given four stoichiometric problems with increasing complexity and they need…

The Potential of Non-Formal Laboratory Environments for Innovating the Chemistry Curriculum and Promoting Secondary School Level Students Education for Sustainability

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Nicole Garner

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Developing skills and attitudes among students in terms of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD requires that educators address issues of sustainability in both formal and non-formal education. However, up to now, ESD seems to have been insufficiently implemented in secondary science education in many countries in general, and in high school chemistry learning in particular. A lack of suitable experiments, coupled with missing teaching and learning materials and insufficient teacher professional development have been identified as the reasons for this gap. This paper describes a project of innovation and research in the field of ESD for secondary school chemistry education. Within the project, both half- and full-day learning environments have been developed for non-formal, laboratory-based learning of secondary level students at the university. The research-based development focuses on teaching-learning modules which link formal and non-formal learning. The pedagogy employed is both learner-centered and inquiry-based. All the modules focus on sustainability issues in chemistry-related contexts. Data was collected by questionnaires from teachers and students both prior to and after the visit of the non-formal learning environment. Likert-items were analyzed statistically and the evaluation of the open-ended questions was done by Qualitative Content Analysis. An overview of the project, a case from the non-formal laboratory setting, and findings from accompanying research and evaluation are discussed in this paper. Potential impacts on teacher professional development and curriculum innovation are also outlined.

Interpersonal relationship of high schools' teachers and teachers profile

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Telli, Sibel; Cakiroglu, Jale; den Brok, Perry

2009-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine associations between Turkish high school students' perceptions of their teachers' interpersonal behavior and drawn attention to the relationship between students' affective outcomes and teachers' interpersonal behavior. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction

Exploring Teacher Trust in Technical/Vocational Secondary Schools: Male Teachers' Preference for Girls

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Van Houtte, Mieke

2007-01-01

This article explores whether teachers' trust in pupils in technical/vocational schools is associated with teachers' and pupils' gender. As for the teachers, besides gender, age, socioeconomic origin, and subject taught are considered and, as for the pupils, the gender composition of the school (proportion of girls at school), the socioeconomic…

Becoming a science teacher: The competing pedagogies of schools and teacher education

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Rozelle, Jeffrey J.

A culminating student teaching or internship experience is a central component of nearly every teacher education program and has been for most of teacher education's history. New teachers cite field experience and student teaching as the most beneficial, authentic, or practical aspect of teacher education. Teacher educators, however, have cause to view student teaching skeptically; student teachers often move away from the reform-minded practices espoused in teacher education. This multi-site ethnographic study investigated a full-year internship experience for six science interns at three diverse high schools as part of a teacher preparation program at a large state university. In taking an ecological perspective, this study documented the dynamic and evolving relationships between interns, cooperating teachers, teacher educators, and the school and classroom contexts. The goals of the study were to describe the changes in interns throughout the course of a year-long internship as a science teacher and to determine the relative influences of the various aspects of the ecology on interns. Data include fieldnotes from 311 hours of participant observation, 38 interviews with interns, cooperating teachers, and teacher educators, and 190 documents including course assignments, evaluations, and reflective journals. Interns' teaching practices were strongly influenced by their cooperating teachers. During the first two months, all six interns "used their mentor's script." When teaching, they attempted to re-enact lessons they witnessed their cooperating teachers enact earlier in the day. This included following the lesson structure, but also borrowing physical mannerisms, representations, anecdotes, and jokes. When interns could no longer follow their cooperating teacher due to an increased teaching load, they "followed their mentors' patterns"---implementing instruction that emphasized similar strategies---regardless of whether they were experiencing success in the

Urban Teachers' Perceptions of School Violence

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Church, Gregory L.

2011-01-01

Teachers may not be trained on how to prevent or address school violence and/or may lack the skills necessary to provide adequate intervention strategies. The purpose of this study was to explore urban K-6 teachers' perceptions of school violence at one metropolitan school. The conceptual framework for this study was supported by Bronfenbrenner's…

Teacher ambivalence towards school evaluation : promoting and ruining teacher professionalism

OpenAIRE

Hult, Agneta; Edström, Charlotta

2016-01-01

Today’s evaluation society makes teachers participate in a stream of external evaluations. How teachers experience evaluation in school and how this affects their work and professionalism is the focus of this article. Teachers’ views of external and internal evaluations and of the consequences for school practice are described and analysed. The interviewed teachers emphasised the importance of internal evaluations performed close to daily teaching practice and jointly with students and collea...

Teleology in biology, chemistry and physics education: what primary teachers should know

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KOSTAS KAMPOURAKIS

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Recent research in cognitive psychology suggests that children develop intuitions that may clash with what is accepted by scientists, thus making certain scientific concepts difficult to understand. Children possess intuitions about design and purpose that make them provide teleological explanations to many different sorts of tasks. One possible explanation for the origin of the bias to view objects as made for something derives from an early sensitivity to intentional agents and to their behavior as intentional object users and object makers. What is important is that teleological explanations may not be exclusively restricted in biological phenomena, as commonly assumed. Consequently, primary school teachers should take that into account when teaching biology, chemistry or physics concepts and try to refrain from enforcing students’ teleological intuitions.

Teachers' Work and Schooling in Bali

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Nilan, Pam

2003-11-01

This study addresses educational reform in Indonesia with reference to one of the most important potential agents of change in any national system of schooling - its teachers. The empirical data on secondary teachers and trainee teachers used here are taken from a larger case study of the attitudes and opinions of stakeholders in the education system of North Bali. Secondary teachers in Bali, as elsewhere in Indonesia, are seriously underpaid, but not necessarily undervalued in the community. They take on other jobs to support themselves and their families, yet they do not lack commitment to the professional task of teaching. It is argued that financial pressure on teachers to find other sources of remuneration militates against their capacity to act as agents of change in the rapidly reforming Indonesian state. Furthermore, teaching is not often seen as a financially rewarding profession by a new generation of secondary-school graduates. The author recommends that teachers' salaries be raised and infrastructure support for schools increased.

Violence in public school: reports of teachers

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Renata Carneiro Ferreira

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess the perception of violence from the reports of teachers of elementary and high school in a public state school in Fortaleza, Ceará. Method: A qualitative descriptive study conducted with 26 teachers, in the period from January to May 2006. To collect the data we adopted the following procedures: the discussion on school violence during the meetings of the teacher training week; the reading of the school regulations and the distribution of an instrument with the guiding question about the concept of violence as from the school reality, among the participants of the study. Afterwards, the thematic analysis of the reports was carried out. Results: Through the reports of teachers emerged the following categories: physical aggression, verbal aggression and fights as the most cited; to hide personal belongings, cursing, shoving and disrespect for the teacher and pranks were also mentioned. Conclusion: From the reports it appears that violence is perceived in physical, dimension moral and symbolic, and these “typologies” corroborate the descriptions found in literature as bullying or incivility, which dominate the school context.

Preservice Teachers' Epistemological Beliefs in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology: A Mixed Study

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Topcu, Mustafa Sami

2013-01-01

The purposes of the study were to assess preservice teachers' domain-specific epistemological beliefs and to investigate whether preservice teachers distinguish disciplinary differences (physics, chemistry, and biology) in domain-specific epistemological beliefs. Mixed-method research design guided the present research. The researcher explored…

School Competition and Teacher Labor Markets: Evidence from Charter School Entry in North Carolina

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C. Kirabo Jackson

2011-01-01

I analyze changes in teacher turnover, hiring, effectiveness, and salaries at traditional public schools after the opening of a nearby charter school. While I find small effects on turnover overall, difficult to staff schools (low-income, high-minority share) hired fewer new teachers and experienced small declines in teacher quality. I also find evidence of a demand side response where schools increased teacher compensation to better retain quality teachers. The results are robust across a va...

Primary School Teachers' Knowledge, Attitude and Perceived ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study endeavored to investigate primary school teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and perceived practices of continuous assessment (CA). Ninety-five primary school teachers from three primary schools in West Gojjam, Ethiopia, were randomly selected for the study. Questionnaire, interviews and content analyses were ...

Teacher Participation in Decision Making and Its Impact on School and Teachers

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Sarafidou, Jasmin-Olga; Chatziioannidis, Georgios

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine teacher involvement in different domains of decision making in Greek primary schools and explore associations with school and teacher variables. Design/methodology/approach: A survey employing self-administered questionnaires, with a Likert-type scale assessing teachers' actual and desired…

Enhancing prospective chemistry teachers cognitive structures in the topics of bonding and hybridization by internet-assisted chemistry applications

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Özge Özyalçın Oskay, Sinem Dinçol

2011-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of internet-assisted chemistry applications on prospective chemistry teachers’ cognitive structures in the topics of bonding and hybridization. The sample of the study consisted of 36 prospective chemistry teachers attending Hacettepe University, Faculty of Education, the Department of Chemistry Education in 2010-2011 academic year and taking Basic Chemistry I lesson. In the study, students were separated into experimental and control groups according to their pre-cognitive structures. Students were requested to answer two open ended questions. Answers by each student were gathered and evaluated by flow map method. “Bonding and hybridization” topics were taught to control group with traditional teaching method and to experimental group besides traditional method internet-assisted applications were conducted. The same open-ended questions were given to both groups and their cognitive structures were examined once more. The differences between control and experimental groups’ cognitive structures were examined. A significant difference was identified in favour of experimental group (p<0, 05. The mean score of the Experimental group was X=19.94, and the mean score of the Control group was X=13.88. In addition, subsequent to internet assisted chemistry applications differences in terms of concepts and descriptions in prospective chemistry teachers’ in experimental and control group cognitive structure have been determined. When post flow maps of prospective chemistry teachers in experimental group, on whom internet assisted chemistry applications were made, are formed, it has been determined that there are more statements about hybridization, hybridization types, molecule geometry and bond angles compared to control grou

The Organizational Health of Urban Elementary Schools: School Health and Teacher Functioning

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Mehta, Tara G.; Atkins, Marc S.; Frazier, Stacy L.

2013-01-01

This study examined the factor structure of the Organizational Health Inventory-Elementary version (OHI-E; Hoy, Tarter, & Kottkamp, 1991) in a sample of 203 teachers working in 19 high-poverty, urban schools and the association of organizational school health with teacher efficacy, teacher stress, and job satisfaction. Results indicated a similar factor structure of the OHI-E as compared with the population of schools in the original sample (Hoy et al., 1991), and that specific components of organizational health, such as a positive learning environment, are associated with teacher efficacy, stress, and satisfaction. Overall, teachers’ relations with their peers, their school leadership, and their students appear especially critical in high-poverty, urban schools. Recommendations for research and practice related to improving high-poverty, urban schools are presented. PMID:23935763

High School Teacher Perceptions of Empowerment

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Jacobs, Tricia Susan

2014-01-01

As the responsibilities of principals become more complex and as accountability becomes more evident in K-12 cultures, it becomes increasingly important that high school principals be trained to empower teachers. This paper examined the research concerning the conditions of the empowerment of teachers. More specifically, it measured high school teachers' perspectives concerning their levels of empowerment by their principals based on the four domains of empowerment: meaning, competence, sel...

Program Development for Primary School Teachers' Critical Thinking

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Boonjeam, Waraporn; Tesaputa, Kowat; Sri-ampai, Anan

2017-01-01

The objectives of this research were: 1) to study the elements and indicators of primary school teachers' critical thinking, 2) to study current situation, desirable situation, development technique, and need for developing the primary school teachers' critical thinking, 3) to develop the program for developing the primary school teachers'…

What Teachers Want: Supporting Primary School Teachers in Teaching Science

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Fitzgerald, Angela; Schneider, Katrin

2013-01-01

Impending change can provide us with the opportunity to rethink and renew the things that we do. The first phase of the Australian Curriculum implementation offers primary school teachers the chance to examine their approaches to science learning and teaching. This paper focuses on the perceptions of three primary school teachers regarding what…

How Does the Science Writing Heuristic Approach Affect Students' Performances of Different Academic Achievement Levels? A Case for High School Chemistry

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Kingir, Sevgi; Geban, Omer; Gunel, Murat

2012-01-01

This study investigates the effects of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH), known as an argumentation-based science inquiry approach, on Grade 9 students' performance on a post-test in relation to their academic achievement levels. Four intact classes taught by 2 chemistry teachers from a Turkish public high school were selected for the study; one…

The Challenge of Effective Teaching of Chemistry: A Case Study

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Abraham AVAA

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Chemistry education has been identified to be one of the major bedrock for the transformation of our national economy, and hence must be accorded adequate attention. In this study, an attempt was made in ascertaining the remote causes for the poor performances reported in recent times in chemistry at the senior secondary level of education. About 80 persons were interviewed in the course of this work ranging from ex-students, students to teachers. Teacher variables, student variables and environment-related variables were investigated and the findings showed that these all contribute greatly to the poor performances of students in science subjects and chemistry in particular. The chemistry teacher, students, parents, senior secondary school administrators, curriculum planners, and the government are therefore faced with the daunting challenge of re-awaking interest and providing enabling environment for the effective teaching of chemistry in particular and the sciences in general.

The Relationships between Teachers' Perceptions of Principal Leadership and Teachers' Perceptions of School Climate

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Pulleyn, Janet L.

2012-01-01

This research considered relationships among teachers' perceptions of principal leadership and teachers' perceptions of school climate by using the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) survey and the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (Revised) for Middle Schools (OCDQ-RM) survey. Teachers from six middle schools in the same district…

Experience and the arts: An examination of an arts-based chemistry class

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Wunsch, Patricia Ann

Many high school students are either intimidated or unmotivated when faced with science courses taught with a traditional teaching methodology. The focus of this study was the integration of the arts, specifically the Creative Arts Laboratory (CAL) approach, into the teaching methodology and assessment of a high school chemistry class, with particular interest in what occurs from the point of view of the students and the teacher throughout the integration. Using a case study design, research questions were developed that looked at the effects of arts-integration on the students and teacher in a high school chemistry class; what strategies of arts integration were viewed positively and negatively by the students and teacher; and what role the arts may play in the formation of a new approach to the high school science curriculum. The levels of student engagement and participation were changed and thusly viewed positively by both students and teacher. Specifically, group work that allowed students to choose various arts elements to depict chemistry concepts was considered most favorably. The role of the teacher shifted from a teacher-centered design to a more student-centered environment. Classroom activities that garnered the most student engagement included peer-to-peer review through the critique process and the reinforcement of vocabulary definitions through movement activities. Negative student reviews of the integration were noted when time constraints prevented them from completing their projects to their own standards of satisfaction. However, within this study, the arts allowed many students of varying learning abilities to potentially grasp and understand scientific concepts in new and individual ways, which reinforces an inquiry-based scientific method. Further research is necessary to determine how to prepare teachers to use varying teaching methodologies including the CAL method. Moreover, high school science curricula need to be reviewed to potentially

Charter Schools and the Teacher Job Search

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Cannata, Marisa

2011-01-01

This article examines the position of charter schools in prospective elementary teachers' job search decisions. Using a labor market segmentation framework, it explores teacher applicants' decisions to apply to charter schools. The data come from a mixed-methods longitudinal study of prospective teachers looking for their first job. This article…

Talking about science: An interpretation of the effects of teacher talk in a high school science classroom

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Moje, Elizabeth B.

This paper builds on research in science education, secondary education, and sociolinguistics by arguing that high school classrooms can be considered speech communities in which language may be selectively used and imposed on students as a means of fostering academic speech community identification. To demonstrate the ways in which a high school teacher's language use may encourage subject area identification, the results of an interactionist analysis of data from a 2-year ethnographic study of one high school chemistry classroom are presented. Findings indicate that this teacher's uses of language fell into three related categories. These uses of language served to foster identification with the academic speech community of science. As a result of the teacher's talk about science according to these three patterns, students developed or reinforced particular views of science. In addition, talking about science in ways that fostered identity with the discipline promoted the teacher as expert and built classroom solidarity or community. These results are discussed in light of sociolinguistic research on classroom competence and of the assertions of science educators regarding social and ideologic implications of language use in science instruction.Received: 23 September 1993; Revised: 15 September 1994;

Chinese Middle School Teacher Job Satisfaction and Its Relationships with Teacher Moving

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Chen, Junjun

2010-01-01

This study examined teacher job satisfaction in Chinese middle schools from the aspects of school, community, and life and the relationships between these factors and teacher moving. A convenience sample of 294 teachers was approached through a 35-item questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Three major results were found: (1) Chinese middle…

The Teacher Labour Market, Teacher Turnover and Disadvantaged Schools: New Evidence for England

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Allen, Rebecca; Burgess, Simon; Mayo, Jennifer

2018-01-01

We study the market for teachers in England, in particular teacher turnover. We show that there is a positive raw association between the level of school disadvantage and the turnover rate of its teachers. This association diminishes as we control for school, pupil and local teacher labour market characteristics, but is not eliminated. The…

School Principals' Authentic Leadership and Teachers' Psychological Capital: Teachers' Perspectives

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Feng, Feng-I

2016-01-01

This study examined teachers' perceptions of principals' authentic leadership and the relationship of authentic leadership to teachers' psychological capital in Taiwan. A total of 1,429 elementary and secondary school teachers were surveyed. The results showed that teachers perceived their principals' authentic leadership as moderate and that the…

Head Teachers and Teachers as Pioneers in Facilitating Dyslexic Children in Primary Mainstream Schools

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Fahima Salman Jaka

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This study explores the perceptions of school heads and teachers in facilitating young dyslexic children in primary mainstream schools of Pakistan. Through purposive sampling, the researcher selected eight participants: Four primary school heads and four primary teachers from elite schools of Karachi. The research instrument selected for this study was in-depth interviews to get a deeper insight of school heads and teachers perceptions regarding the facilitation of dyslexic children. The findings revealed that children with dyslexia face many emotional and academic problems and only a few elite schools provide policy to facilitate them in mainstream education. Findings showed that some schools hired remedial teaching services or special education services and the school heads and primary teachers put in immense effort in preparing intervention plans and evaluation plans to suit individual and young dyslexic children needs. It was also suggested that positivity of the learning environment depends upon the teachers. The findings further disclosed that unlike the more developed nations, apart from a few elite schools in Pakistan, there is no importance paid to professional training related to dyslexia.

High School Teachers' Identities: Constructing Civic Selves

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Obenchain, Kathryn M.; Balkute, Asta; Vaughn, Erin; White, Shannon

2016-01-01

Research suggests that teachers play a role in the type of citizenship education implemented in schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how two high school teachers understood and enacted their civic identities as a dimension of their teacher identities. Findings suggest that factors contributing to an individual's civic…

Teacher Stress and Guidance Work in Hong Kong Secondary School Teachers.

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Hui, Eadaoin, K. P.; Chan, David W.

1996-01-01

Sources of stress in Hong Kong teachers were investigated, with specific reference to guidance work as a potential source of stress. A survey of 415 secondary school teachers revealed guidance-related aspects of work constituted a major dimension of stress, with guidance teachers, female teachers, younger teachers and junior teachers perceiving…

Development and Nature of Preservice Chemistry Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Nature of Science

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Demirdöğen, Betül; Hanuscin, Deborah L.; Uzuntiryaki-Kondakci, Esen; Köseoğlu, Fitnat

2016-08-01

The purpose of this case study is to delve into the complexities of the early development of preservice chemistry teachers' science teaching orientations, knowledge of learners, knowledge of instructional strategies, and knowledge of assessment during a two-semester intervention designed to enhance their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching nature of science (NOS). Thirty preservice chemistry teachers enrolled in a Research in Science Education course participated in the study. Qualitative data sources included responses to an open-ended instrument, interviews, observations, and artifacts such as lesson plans and reflection papers. Through the in-depth analysis of explicit PCK and constant comparative method of analysis, we identified the influence of the intervention on participants' PCK for NOS. Analysis of data revealed four major themes related to the nature of preservice chemistry teachers' NOS teaching practices and their PCK for NOS: (1) prerequisite knowledge and beliefs are necessary to teach NOS, (2) there is a developmental progression of PCK for NOS from knowledge to application level, (3) teachers need some comfort in their NOS understanding to teach NOS, and (4) the higher integration of PCK components leads to successful NOS teaching practices. Implications for science teacher education and research are discussed.

School Ethical Climate and Teachers' Voluntary Absence

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Shapira-Lishchinsky, Orly; Rosenblatt, Zehava

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to offer a theoretical framework for linking school ethical climate with teachers' voluntary absence. The paper attempts to explain this relationship using the concept of affective organizational commitment. Design/methodology/approach: Participants were 1,016 school teachers from 35 high schools in Israel. Data were…

Teacher Accountability at High Performing Charter Schools

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Aguirre, Moises G.

2016-01-01

This study will examine the teacher accountability and evaluation policies and practices at three high performing charter schools located in San Diego County, California. Charter schools are exempted from many laws, rules, and regulations that apply to traditional school systems. By examining the teacher accountability systems at high performing…

Knowledge and Attitude of Secondary School Teachers towards ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Knowledge and Attitude of Secondary School Teachers towards Reproductive Health Education in Schools. ... PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH ... A study was carried out among secondary school teachers in Ilorin, Kwara ...

Perception of primary school teachers to school children's mental health problems in Southwest Ethiopia.

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Kerebih, Habtamu; Abrha, Hailay; Frank, Reiner; Abera, Mubarek

2016-11-12

Teachers perception of child mental health problems and their attitude to school-based mental health services helps in designing early intervention strategies aimed at promoting the service. However, little is known in this regard among primary school teachers in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study assessed perceptions and attitude of primary school teachers to child mental health problem and school-based mental health programs in Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia in 2013. A cross-sectional study design was implemented among 568 primary school teachers in Jimma town, from 1 to 30 October 2013. Perceptions and attitude of teachers to children with mental health problems and school mental health related information were assessed using a structured self- administered questionnaire. About 40% of teachers recognized the list of psychopathology items presented to them as child mental health problems while 54.4% of them rated child mental health problem as severe. Externalizing behaviors were perceived as the most severe problems. Teaching experience and teaching in public schools were significantly associated with the perception of severe type of child mental health problems. About 95% of teachers acknowledged that school-based mental health programs are important but limited availability was reported. Despite the high problem severity ratings, teachers' perception of the psychopathology as a mental health problem in children was low. There was also a favorable attitude on the importance and the need of school-based child mental health programs. Thus, creating mental health awareness for teachers and establishing school mental health services to intervene in child mental health problem is crucial.

How Effective are Schools According to Teachers?

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Hasan Basri MEMDUHOĞLU

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to determine the perceptions of teachers about the effectiveness of the schools they work in based on various variables. The research was designed in the descriptive scanning model. The sample of the study is composed of 316 teachers working at Turkish high school in the Ağrı provincial center and local districts during the 2015-2016 academic years. The “Effective School Scale” developed by Abdurrezzak (2015 was used to collect data in the study. The data of the study were analyzed by descriptive statistics and parametric tests. According to the findings of the study, teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the schools they work in are at a “medium” level. While teachers’ perceptions of effective school administrators, teachers and school atmosphere sub-dimensions are at a “medium” level, their perceptions on effective school students, and parents were determined as at a “low” level. It was determined that teachers’ perceptions of school effectiveness were not significantly different according to gender, marital status, education status and duration of service variables. However, significant differences were found between the perceptions of teachers about the dimensions of effective schools according to the type of school they worked in and the branch variable.

Charter School Teacher Job Satisfaction

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Roch, Christine H.; Sai, Na

2017-01-01

We examine whether working conditions in charter schools and traditional public schools lead to different levels of job satisfaction among teachers. We distinguish among charter schools managed by for-profit education management organizations (EMOs) and non-profit charter management organizations (CMOs) and stand-alone charter schools. We…

Comparison between Primary Teacher Educators' and Primary School Teachers' Beliefs of Primary Geography Education Quality

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Bent, Gert Jan; Bakx, Anouke; den Brok, Perry

2016-01-01

In this study teacher educators' beliefs concerning primary geography education have been investigated and compared with primary school teachers' beliefs. In this study 45 teacher educators and 489 primary school teachers completed a questionnaire, and nine teacher educators have been interviewed as well. It has been found that teacher educators…

Career Mobility Patterns of Public School Teachers

OpenAIRE

Vera, Celia Patricia

2013-01-01

One issue that has pervaded policy discussions for decades is the difficulty that school districts experience in retaining teachers. Almost a quarter of entering public school teachers leave teaching within the first three years and empirical evidence has related high attrition rates of beginner teachers to family circumstances, such as maternity or marriage. I examine female teachers' career choices and inquire about the effects that wage increases and child care subsidies have on their empl...

SCHOOL VIOLENCE: THE PRACTICE TEACHERS AND SCHOOL LEAVING

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Luz María Esperanza Alegría-Rivas

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this article, result of research from ethnography for peace, we reflect on the manifestations of violence in the educational practices in School Education in the State of Mexico which may be determining the school leaving. The purpose of this research is based on the idea that teachers can give a full sense of their teaching practices, opening spaces where teachers analyze whether there are demonstrations of violence in their teaching practice, and amend them to practice peace, which could positively influence learning processes of students with low valuations and thus reduce dropouts. Methodologically starts from ethnography to peace around context and manifestations of violence that occur in the classroom between teacher-student.

K-12 Teachers' Perceptions of School Policy and Fear of School Violence

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Ricketts, Melissa L.

2007-01-01

Since the 1990s, schools have focused their attention on policies designed to improve school safety. Most researches on school violence policies have concentrated on the needs of students and administrators. This study investigated the impact of school violence policies on K-12 teachers' fear. Using self-report data from 447 K-12 teachers from a…

TEACHER TRAINING IN COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: THE CASE OF A GROUP OF PRE-SERVICE CHEMISTRY TEACHERS

OpenAIRE

Santos, Valéria C.; Arroio, Agnaldo

2015-01-01

This work deals with communities of practice and their contribution to pre-service teacher training. A group of eight pre-service chemistry teachers was accompanied during their participation in the PIBID program. Based on their interaction in planning teaching activities, the group was characterized as a community of practice. For this characterization the three dimensions of communities of practice were observed: mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoire. The results showed ...

Comparison of public and private school teachers and school principals’ opinions in Abuja, Nigeria

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Deniz Ozcan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This study aims to examine public and private school teachers’ opinions on different aspects of their professional associations and provisions and also asks principals about teachers’ conduct and their views on the Nigerian curriculum. To conduct this study, qualitative and quantitative research models were used to investigate differences between the two organizations. Quantitative data was collected by distributing questionnaires to 118 teachers in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC, Nigeria. To conduct the qualitative analysis, 15 teachers from two schools were selected (a total of 30 teachers to answer 5 discussion questions concerning their views on the Nigerian educational system. The findings revealed that private school teachers are at an advantage when it comes to provision of resources and technology, professional development and to some degree salaries. Both public and private school teachers felt being a teacher did not bring them respect in their community. Government policy makers need to study private schools and how they operate to see how they can make changes to produce the revolutionary reform needed in education. 30 principals’ interviews revealed that public school teachers are not easily held accountable for misconduct due to the structure of leadership, while private school teachers are held accountable and any form of unprofessionalism easily leads to termination of employment.

Melinda: De Facto Primary School Music Teacher

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de Vries, Peter

2013-01-01

A series of reviews dating back to the 1960s and a body of research literature points to the inadequate delivery of music education by generalist primary school teachers in Australian schools. Despite recommendations for specialist music teachers to teach music in all Australian primary schools to counter this ongoing trend, such an approach has…

Centauri High School Teacher Honored as Colorado Outstanding Biology

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Teacher Centauri High School Teacher Honored as Colorado Outstanding Biology Teacher For more information contact: e:mail: Public Affairs Golden, Colo., May 2, 1997 -- Tracy Swedlund, biology teacher at Centauri High School in LaJara, was selected as Colorado's 1997 Outstanding Biology Teacher and will be

Normal Science Education and Its Dangers: The Case of School Chemistry.

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Van Berkel, Berry; De Vos, Wobbe; Verdonk, Adri H.; Pilot, Albert

2000-01-01

Attempts to solve the problem of hidden structure in school chemistry. Argues that normal chemistry education is isolated from common sense, everyday life and society, the history and philosophy of science, technology, school physics, and chemical research. (Author/CCM)

Characteristics of Israeli School Teachers in Computer-based Learning Environments

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Noga Magen-Nagar

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to investigate whether there are differences in the level of computer literacy, the amount of implementation of ICT in teaching and learning-assessment processes and the attitudes of teachers from computerized schools in comparison to teachers in non-computerized schools. In addition, the research investigates the characteristics of Israeli school teachers in a 21st century computer-based learning environment. A quantitative research methodology was used. The research sample included 811 elementary school teachers from the Jewish sector of whom 402 teachers were from the computerized school sample and 409 were teachers from the non-computerized school sample. The research findings show that teachers from the computerized school sample are more familiar with ICT, tend to use ICT more and have a more positive attitude towards ICT than teachers in the non-computerized school sample. The main conclusion which can be drawn from this research is that positive attitudes of teachers towards ICT are not sufficient for the integration of technology to occur. Future emphasis on new teaching skills of collective Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge is necessary to promote the implementation of optimal pedagogy in innovative environments.

Professional Identity and Burnout among Pre-School, Elementary, and Post-Elementary School Teachers in Israel

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Fisherman, Shraga

2015-01-01

The novelty of the present study is its attempt to distinguish between pre-school, elementary, and post-elementary school teachers, regarding the relationship between professional identity and burnout. Two hundred and forty teachers responded to two questionnaires: professional identity and teacher burnout scales. Pre-school teachers were found to…

Portrait of a Teacher-Led School

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Nazareno, Lori

2013-01-01

Imagine a school with no principal and with a leadership structure that holds teachers accountable for the learning of all students. About 50 such teacher-led schools currently operate across the United States, and this article tells the story of one of them. The Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy (MSLA) in Denver, Colorado, serves about…

Teachers' and School Administrators' Perceptions and Expectations on Teacher Leadership

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Semra Kıranlı

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In this study it is aimed to find out primary school teachers’ and principals’ expectations and perceptions related to teachers’ leadership. The population of this survey consists of primary school teachers and principals in Odunpazarı, one of the two central municipalities in Eskişehir, in 2011-2012 educational year. Teachers and principals of eight primary schools were taken as a sample among low, middle, high socio-economic level primary schools in Odunpazarı. 195 teachers and principals participated in this study. In this study a data device which consisted of two sections was used to accomplish the purpose of the study. A personal information form to define teachers’ and principals’ demographical features made the first section, whereas “The Questionnaire of Expectations and perceptions of Teacher Leadership Roles” developed by Beycioğlu (2009 and consisting of 25 items made the second section. Each item in the questionnaire has a five scale Lykert type evaluation and belongs to one of the three dimensions of both perception and expectation. These dimensions are institutional development, professional development and collaboration with colleagues.

Readiness of primary school teachers to accept disabled children

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Đević Rajka

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of the research with the basic goal to study the readiness of primary school teachers to accept disabled students. Research participants were 205 teachers from primary schools at the territory of Serbia. The goal was accomplished through: (a studying attitudes towards joint education of disabled students and their peers; (b studying teachers' experiences in working with disabled students; and (c studying teachers' readiness to accept disabled students, depending on their involvement/non-involvement in projects of inclusive education. Teachers express supportive attitudes towards joint schooling, but more than one half of them think that a selective approach is necessary in that process, according to the kind and degree of developmental disability. They support joint schooling from the humanistic point of view, but express concerns about the academic achievement of classes that include disabled students. The majority of teachers had experience in working with disabled students and based on that provided interesting suggestions for improving joint schooling. Higher readiness for accepting disabled students was demonstrated by teachers whose schools were involved in the projects of inclusive education. That implies the need for involving schools in similar projects and enabling teachers' immediate contact with students with developmental disabilities.

The Characteristics of a Good Mathematics Teacher in Terms of Students, Mathematics Teachers, and School Administrators

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Yesildere-Imre, Sibel

2017-01-01

This qualitative research aims to examine the opinions of school administrators, teachers, and middle school students about what makes a good mathematics teacher. Interviews were conducted with thirty-five participants: ten school administrators, ten mathematics teachers, and fifteen middle school students. A semi-structured interview form…

The Great Depression and Elementary School Teachers as Reported in "Grade Teacher" Magazine

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Field, Sherry L.; Bellows, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

This study focuses on elementary school teachers during the Great Depression and the role that they played to sustain everyday school activity. The authors draw evidence primarily from the pages of "Grade Teacher" magazine, through teachers' letters written to its editor, Florence Hale, and her responses to them. Opportunities to study…

Content knowledge of prospective elementary school teacher for fractional concepts

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Pattimukay, N.; Juniati, D.; Budiarto, M. T.

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to describe the content knowledge especially the concept of fraction of prospective elementary school teacher. The purpose of this study is to describe the content knowledge, especially the concept of fraction of prospective elementary school teacher. The subject of the study was one of prospective elementary school teacher of Pattimura University. This research is qualitative research. Data were collected through the provision of tests to explore the knowledge content of primary school teacher candidates about fractional concepts. Then continued with qualitative data analysis. The results of this study are as follows: that the prospective primary school teacher defines fractions as part of the whole if an object is divided into equal parts, so that the part that has been divided is part of the whole. Furthermore, the prospective elementary school teacher understood the fractions as division shown in two ways, namely the prospective elementary school teacher understood the fraction as a division operation, the primary school teacher candidate interpreted the fraction as a division when an object is divided be part of the same. Meanwhile, the fraction as a ratio is interpreted as the relationship between a pair of numbers. Then, the denominations are interpreted as a ratio between the numerator and the denominator of the same value. The prospective elementary school teacher also understands fractions of value when simplifying fractions. Primary school teacher candidates understand the concept of fractional operations.

Secondary school teachers' attitudes towards and beliefs about ability grouping.

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Hallam, Susan; Ireson, Judith

2003-09-01

Internationally and historically considerable research has been undertaken regarding the attitudes of secondary school teachers towards different types of ability grouping. There has been no recent research taking account of the changing educational context in the UK. This paper aims to explore secondary school teachers' attitudes and beliefs about ability grouping taking account of school type, gender, experience and qualifications. The sample comprised over 1,500 teachers from 45 schools divided into three groups based on their ability grouping practices in years 7-9 (the students were aged 11-14). The sample included all the lower school teachers of mathematics, science and English and a random sample of teachers from other subjects in each school. Teachers responded to a questionnaire which explored their attitudes towards ability grouping through the use of rating scales and open-ended questions. The findings showed that the teachers' beliefs broadly reflected research findings on the actual effects of ability grouping, although there were significant differences relating to the type of school they taught in and the subject that they taught. Separate analysis of school types showed that length of time teaching, individual school differences and teacher qualifications were also significant predictors of attitudes. Teachers' beliefs about ability grouping are influenced by the type of groupings adopted in the school where they work, the subject that they teach, their experience and qualifications. As pedagogical practices are known to be influenced by beliefs these findings have important implications for teacher training.

A framework for teaching scientific inquiry in upper secondary school chemistry

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van Rens, L.; Pilot, A.; van der Schee, J.A.

2010-01-01

A framework for teaching scientific inquiry in upper secondary chemistry education was constructed in a design research consisting of two research cycles. First, in a pilot study a hypothetical framework was enriched in collaboration with five chemistry teachers. Second, a main study in this

A comparison of teacher stress and school climate across schools with different matric success rates

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Karen Milner

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Our aim was to investigate differences in teacher stress and perceptions of school climate among teachers from schools with differing matriculation success rates in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Two schools with matric pass rates of 100% and two schools with matric pass rates of less than 25% were selected from a list of schools provided by the province's Educational District Circuit. The schools were matched in terms of area, size, resources, and equipment. Thirty-three teachers from the high performing schools and forty-two teachers from the poor performing schools participated in the study. Student's t tests were used to assess the differences between the schools on the variables under investigation, and the results showed the teachers' experience of stress across the different schools was not significantly different, but significant differences did emerge with regard to school climate. The implications of these findings for the study population are discussed.

Teacher Preferences for Alternative School Site Administrative Models

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Hewitt, Paul M.; Denny, George S.; Pijanowski, John C.

2012-01-01

Public school teachers with high leadership potential who stated that they had no interest in being school principals were surveyed on their attitudes about six alternative school site administrative organizational models. Of the 391 teachers surveyed, 53% identified the Co-Principal model as the preferred school site administrative structure. In…

Problems in Teaching the Topic of Redox Reactions: Actions and Conceptions of Chemistry Teachers

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de Jong, Onno; Acampo, Jeannine; Verdonk, Adri

Although there is growing interest in studies of teachers' actions and conceptions, little is known about content-related teaching problems arising in science classrooms. This article presents a case study of problems which can occur when teaching the topic of redox reactions to Grade 11 students. Two chemistry teachers, a senior and a junior teacher, were involved in the study. Their reflective comments on the teaching problems were also investigated. Research data were obtained from classroom observations and audiotaped recordings of classroom practice. After the lessons, we conducted semistructured interviews with the teachers. The teaching problems are reported in terms of teaching activities causing difficulties for students in considering new conceptions to be necessary, intelligible, plausible, or fruitful. Analyses of the teachers' comments on these teaching activities clarifies a number of reasons why they acted as they did. It can be concluded that teachers' scientific expertise is an important source of difficulties when teaching redox reactions. Implications for an improvement of current chemistry classroom practice and content-related teacher training are offered.Received: 11 April 1994; Revised: 5 June 1995;

A Study of Teacher Stereotypes: How Do Tuition-Free Teacher Candidates and General Undergraduates Think about Middle School and University Teachers in China?

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Zuo, Youxia; Zhao, Yufang; Peng, Chunhua; Chen, Youguo

2017-01-01

A tuition-free teacher candidate is an undergraduate who receives tuition-free teacher education and must work as a teacher in a middle school after their graduation. Tuition-free candidates are of the focus of many researchers; however, no study reports how tuition-free teacher candidates think about teachers. The present study explored stereotypes about middle school and university teachers held by teacher candidates. Specifically, we looked for the differences between the stereotypes held by the teacher candidates and general undergraduates. This study attempted to provide a potential tool to predict the actual willingness of teacher candidates to work as middle school teachers. University and middle school teachers were evaluated using descriptive phrases or words on a five-point Likert scale by 116 tuition-free teacher candidates and 155 general undergraduates. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a three-factor stereotype model including occupational cognition, occupational personality, and occupational emotion. Compared with general undergraduates, teacher candidates held more positive occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers; they held more negative occupational emotions toward university teachers. Further, the undergraduates' willingness to be middle school teachers positively correlated with positive occupational emotions and negatively correlated with negative occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers. This supported previous studies that individuals' professional willingness were influenced by their stereotypes about professions. PMID:28469587

A Study of Teacher Stereotypes: How Do Tuition-Free Teacher Candidates and General Undergraduates Think about Middle School and University Teachers in China?

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Zuo, Youxia; Zhao, Yufang; Peng, Chunhua; Chen, Youguo

2017-01-01

A tuition-free teacher candidate is an undergraduate who receives tuition-free teacher education and must work as a teacher in a middle school after their graduation. Tuition-free candidates are of the focus of many researchers; however, no study reports how tuition-free teacher candidates think about teachers. The present study explored stereotypes about middle school and university teachers held by teacher candidates. Specifically, we looked for the differences between the stereotypes held by the teacher candidates and general undergraduates. This study attempted to provide a potential tool to predict the actual willingness of teacher candidates to work as middle school teachers. University and middle school teachers were evaluated using descriptive phrases or words on a five-point Likert scale by 116 tuition-free teacher candidates and 155 general undergraduates. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a three-factor stereotype model including occupational cognition, occupational personality, and occupational emotion. Compared with general undergraduates, teacher candidates held more positive occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers; they held more negative occupational emotions toward university teachers. Further, the undergraduates' willingness to be middle school teachers positively correlated with positive occupational emotions and negatively correlated with negative occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers. This supported previous studies that individuals' professional willingness were influenced by their stereotypes about professions.

Developing teacher leadership and its impact in schools

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Snoek, M.

2014-01-01

Leadership of teachers is considered as one of the key factors for innovation and quality improvement in schools. However, as leadership qualities are not a standard element in initial teacher education programs, arrangements for professional development of teachers in schools needs to address the

Impact of Teacher Supports and Workplace Settings on Retaining Teachers in New Jersey Schools

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Cheasty, Michelle E.

2011-01-01

Teacher turnover in New Jersey public schools continues to grow every year. As a result, schools and school districts are continuously seeking ways to ensure that every position available is staffed with highly qualified teachers. In addition, schools seek to provide familiarity and stability to those involved with the schools. In an effort to…

Knowledge needed for a good teacher: sayings of undergraduates and School Students

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Franciele Kollas

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This study presents comparative reflection results of factors that undergraduates and school students find essential and important for the good teacher. We believe that processes of teaching and learning go beyond the expertise of faculty. Such processes impose the establishment of non-cognitive order interactions, which can be affective, motivational or developed through dialogues between theparticipants. Therefore, we present and discuss issues related to skills and knowledge needed to develop an education that promotes conditions for a real learning. The research methodology consisted of questionnaires given to those graduated on Chemistry, Physics and Biological Sciences courses and the Basic Education students. The results indicate that, beyond the knowledge of those who teach, affection, dialogue and motivation are essential for the development of teaching practice and the establishment of the professional teacher.

Principal Leadership Style and Teacher Commitment among a Sample of Secondary School Teachers in Barbados

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Ian Alwyn Marshall

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In Barbados, the issue of principal leadership and teacher productivity has occupied the attention of teacher unions and educational authorities alike.  The teachers have been calling for principals to be removed while the principals have been arguing for greater autonomy to discipline teachers. This state of affairs has, understandably, adversely impacted teacher commitment levels.  In the literature there is a clear correlation between principal leadership style and teacher commitment, however, it is important to know whether or not the relationship holds true in the context of Barbadian schools. This author is of the view that if teacher commitment levels are to return to those in evidence in effective schools, then attention must be given to the way in which principals exercise their leadership functions. This study was therefore designed to examine in greater detail the relationship between principal leadership style and teacher commitment.  The author employed purposive sampling to survey a cohort of ninety (90 teachers and eleven (11 principals drawn from eleven secondary schools. Results confirmed the relationship between principal leadership style and teacher commitment, and a statistically significant difference in the level of commitment reported by teachers at newer secondary schools and teachers at older secondary schools. Results also indicated that biographical variables moderated the relationship between principal leadership style and teacher commitment. Additionally, the regression model indicated that the principal leadership style sub-variables, in combination, accounted for some variance in the commitment demonstrated by teachers.

Teacher Performance Trajectories in High- and Lower-Poverty Schools

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Xu, Zeyu; Özek, Umut; Hansen, Michael

2015-01-01

This study explores whether teacher performance trajectory over time differs by school-poverty settings. Focusing on elementary school mathematics teachers in North Carolina and Florida, we find no systematic relationship between school student poverty rates and teacher performance trajectories. In both high- (=60% free/reduced-price lunch [FRPL])…

Do Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers Reflect Their Beliefs about Constructivism in Their Teaching Practices?

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Uzuntiryaki, Esen; Boz, Yezdan; Kirbulut, Demet; Bektas, Oktay

2010-01-01

This study aimed to explore pre-service chemistry teachers' beliefs about constructivism and the influence of their beliefs in their teaching practice. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were carried out with eight pre-service teachers in order to understand their belief structures. Pre-service teachers' beliefs about constructivism were…

Professional Development Urban Schools: What Do Teachers Say?

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Green, Tanya R.; Allen, Mishaleen

2015-01-01

This quantitative causal-comparative study compared perceptions of professional development opportunities between high-achieving and low-achieving elementary-middle school teachers in an urban school district using the Standards Assessment Inventory (SAI). A total of 271 teachers participated including 134 (n = 134) teachers from high-achieving…

Inclusive Education in Government Primary Schools: Teacher Perceptions

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Itfaq Khaliq Khan

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The perceptions of primary school teachers towards inclusive education was investigated in mainstream government schools of Islamabad capital territory where inclusive education was being supported by Sight savers and other international organizations. The study was carried out involving 54 teachers in six randomly selected primary schools. The sampled group comprised both, teachers trained in inclusive education and teachers working in same schools, but not trained in inclusive education. Purposive sampling method was used to select the teachers. Structured questionnaire (Likert Scale and structured interview method was used for data collection. The results of the study revealed that inclusive education is considered to be a desirable practice. The teachers believed that all learners regardless of their disabilities should be in regular classrooms and they showed more favorable attitude towards children with mild disabilities, but were not very optimistic about children with severe disabilities. The study also recognized teachers’ capacity as an essential component of inclusive education and recommends that inclusive education should be a part of pre and in-service teacher education.

Greenhouse Schools: How Schools Can Build Cultures Where Teachers and Students Thrive. Executive Summary

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TNTP, 2012

2012-01-01

Successful teachers make successful schools. Yet some schools are better than others at accelerating student learning by developing and keeping great teachers, even compared to schools that serve the same population of students and have access to the same resources. These schools are called "greenhouse schools"--schools with carefully fostered…

Australian Lesbian Teachers--A Reflection of Homophobic Harassment of High School Teachers in New South Wales Government Schools.

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Ferfolja, Tania

1998-01-01

Examines the homophobic harassment of lesbian teachers working in government high schools in Sydney (Australia). The experiences of six lesbian teachers show that harassment based on sexual orientation is often an invisible issue in schools, as is homosexuality in general. Recommendations are made for teaching about homosexual tolerance. (SLD)

The Identity of Catholic Schools as Seen by Teachers in Catholic Schools in Queensland

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Gleeson, Jim; O'Gorman, John; O'Neill, Maureen

2018-01-01

This paper reports on the opinions of teachers in Queensland Catholic schools regarding the identity, purposes and characteristics of Catholic schools. It draws on survey data from 2287 teachers in Catholic schools as well as semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers. Respondents were asked about their reasons for working in Catholic Education…

Validity of Scientific Based Chemistry Android Module to Empower Science Process Skills (SPS) in Solubility Equilibrium

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Antrakusuma, B.; Masykuri, M.; Ulfa, M.

2018-04-01

Evolution of Android technology can be applied to chemistry learning, one of the complex chemistry concept was solubility equilibrium. this concept required the science process skills (SPS). This study aims to: 1) Characteristic scientific based chemistry Android module to empowering SPS, and 2) Validity of the module based on content validity and feasibility test. This research uses a Research and Development approach (RnD). Research subjects were 135 s1tudents and three teachers at three high schools in Boyolali, Central of Java. Content validity of the module was tested by seven experts using Aiken’s V technique, and the module feasibility was tested to students and teachers in each school. Characteristics of chemistry module can be accessed using the Android device. The result of validation of the module contents got V = 0.89 (Valid), and the results of the feasibility test Obtained 81.63% (by the student) and 73.98% (by the teacher) indicates this module got good criteria.

Job Satisfaction, School Rule Enforcement, and Teacher Victimization

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Kapa, Ryan; Gimbert, Belinda

2018-01-01

Job satisfaction is an essential component of teacher motivation, performance, and retention. Teacher job satisfaction is primarily affected by workplace conditions. This paper analyzes data from over 37,000 public school teachers from the 2011--2012 Schools and Staffing Survey. Hierarchical ordinal logistic regression was utilized to analyze…

Occupational Stress and Professional Development of Primary School Teachers

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Mateja Modrej

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The occupation of primary school teachers is considered one of the most stressful professions. The survey was used to determine the incidence of stress in 110 primary school teachers in urban and rural schools in Slovenia, depending on seniority. Its aim was to learn about stress symptoms, stressful situations and strategies to manage stress among teachers. The results show that teachers evaluate their work as a very responsible one and in majority do not think about changing their job. Teachers most often perceive physical and emotional symptoms of stress. They are faced with stressful situations when working with pupils, at their professional work, and in relations with colleagues, school management, and parents. When difficulties arise in their work, teachers most often turn for help to a colleague or the school management; and they manage their stress by going for a walk and talking to their friends.

Teaching Chemistry in a Spiral Progression Approach: Lessons from Science Teachers in the Philippines

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Orbe, Joymie R.; Espinosa, Allen A.; Datukan, Janir T.

2018-01-01

As the Philippines moves towards implementing the K-12 curriculum, there has been a mismatch in teacher preparation in science. The present teacher education curriculum prepares science teachers to specialise in a specific field (e.g. integrated science, biology, chemistry, and physics). However, in the K-12 curriculum, they are required to teach…

Developing Inclusive Pre-Service and In-Service Teacher Education: Insights from Zanzibar Primary School Teachers

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Juma, Said; Lehtomäki, Elina; Naukkarinen, Aimo

2017-01-01

Developing inclusive teacher education to improve learning and schooling for all children is attracting increasing interest worldwide. This study examined teachers' insights into the development of inclusive teacher education by drawing on collaborative action research conducted by 20 primary school teachers in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The data were…

School Library Media Specialist-Teacher Collaboration: Characteristics, Challenges, Opportunities

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Cooper, O. P.; Bray, Marty

2011-01-01

The most successful school library media specialists are those who collaborate with teachers as full partners in the instructional process. Without assertive action by the school library media specialist, however, school administrators and teachers are likely to be more aware of the media specialist's administrative role than the roles of teacher,…

Secondary school teachers' experiences of teaching pregnant ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... learners, and this requires a health facilitation model to enable teachers to assist pregnant learners such that they might better benefit from their schooling, and experience a positive health outcome. Key words: high risk pregnancy; learner pregnancy; school health services; teacher experiences; teenage pregnancy ...

High School Band Students' Perspectives of Teacher Turnover

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Kloss, Thomas E.

2013-01-01

Teacher turnover remains an important issue in education. The least researched perspectives, though, are those of the students who experience teacher turnover. The purpose of this study was to examine how high school band students experience teacher turnover. A total of twelve students were interviewed, representing three schools that experienced…

CRITERIA OF FORMATION OF SOCIAL-PEDAGOGICAL COMPETENCE OF FUTURE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN INCLUSIVE SECONDARY SCHOOL

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Zoia Shevtsiv

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The article aims to justify the formation of criteria and indicators of social-pedagogical competence of the future teachers of primary school of inclusive comprehensive school and to determine its level of development. The objectives are to determine the status of the development problems of professional competence of teachers in inclusive education; essence and structural components of social-pedagogical competence of future primary school teacher of inclusive comprehensive school; criteria, indicators and levels of social-pedagogical competence of future primary school teacher of inclusive comprehensive schools. The education system in Ukraine is gradually transition to inclusive education. Inclusive comprehensive school is being created. It requires a highly qualified primary school teacher who co-teaches regulatory children and children with disability. The article is grounded the necessity of social-pedagogical competence of future teachers of primary school of inclusive comprehensive schools. The essence of social-pedagogical competence of future primary school teacher of inclusive comprehensive schools is defined. The structural components of social-pedagogical competence are characterized. Scientific papers on the issue of formation of competence of experts in various fields are analyzed. The pronunciation for selection and justification criteria and parameters of formation of professional competence is overviewed. The group of the criteria suggested by various scientists from the evaluation of the formation of professional competence of specialists in different fields is considered. The criteria and parameters of evaluating the levels of social-pedagogical competence of future teachers of primary school in inclusive comprehensive schools are selected on the base of the analysis of modern achievements of scientists. Future prospects of research is in developing of a method of diagnosing the levels of social-pedagogical competence of

Estimating Cause: Teacher Turnover and School Effectiveness in Michigan

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Keesler, Venessa; Schneider, Barbara

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is investigate issues related to within-school teacher supply and school-specific teacher turnover within the state of Michigan using state administrative data on Michigan's teaching force. This paper 1) investigates the key predictors of teacher turnover and mobility, 2) develops a profile of schools that are likely to…

Especially for High School Teachers

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Howell, J. Emory

1999-04-01

Secondary School Feature Articles * Amino Acid Wordsearch, by Terry L. Helser, p 495. Games, Puzzles, and Humor In honor of April Fools' Day this issue contains 22 pages devoted to games and puzzles that can be used to teach aspects of chemistry. Most are designed for high school and first-year college students. The lead article, p 481, contains an annotated bibliography of chemistry games, complete with a vendor list. Many of the annotated games must be purchased, but the other articles that follow in this issue describe some games and puzzles that require minimal preparation using a word processor and readily available materials. Actually, JCE has a long tradition of publishing games and puzzles for chemistry teachers and their students. Read the letter by Helser and the Editor's response, p 468, for some recent background. Not having counted articles over past years, I became curious and turned to the online index, accessed by way of http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/. Because I wanted to search the entire 75-year life of the Journal, I searched titles for the words "game", "puzzle", and "humor" and obtained a total of 85 hits from the three searches. After eliminating titles of articles that were not applicable, I found that at least 25 games, 48 puzzles, and 5 humor articles have appeared during the past 75 years. At an average of one per year, the JCE editors hardly can be accused of frivolity, but game, puzzle, and humor articles have been published. The term "game" did not appear in any titles during 1945-1970, "puzzle" did not appear from 1927 to 1953, and there was no mention of humor (in the titles) prior to 1974. What appears to be the earliest article (1929) about a game was authored by an undergraduate student at the University of Colorado (1). It was titled "Chemical Bank", and the game pieces were tokens cut from cork stoppers. Wire hooks were inserted in the side of the token to represent valence electrons available for bonding. Carbon contained 4 hooks

Inclusive Education in Government Primary Schools: Teacher Perceptions

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Khan, Itfaq Khaliq; Hashmi, ShujahatHaider; Khanum, Nabeela

2017-01-01

The perceptions of primary school teachers towards inclusive education was investigated in mainstream government schools of Islamabad capital territory where inclusive education was being supported by Sight savers and other international organizations. The study was carried out involving 54 teachers in six randomly selected primary schools. The…

The Effects of Teacher Perceptions of Administrative Support, School Climate, and Academic Success in Urban Schools

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Robinson, Lakishia N.

2015-01-01

Teacher turnover refers to major changes in teachers' assignments from one school year to the next. Past research has given an overview of several factors of teacher turnover. These factors include the school environment, teacher collaborative efforts, administrative support, school climate, location, salary, classroom management, academic…

Analogies in high school Brazilian chemistry textbooks

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Rosária Justi

2000-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents and discusses an analysis of the analogies presented by Brazilian chemistry textbooks for the medium level. The main aim of the analysis is to discuss whether such analogies can be said good teaching models. From the results, some aspects concerning with teachers' role are discussed. Finally, some new research questions are emphasised.

Application of workshop oriented with new trends of teaching to technical course in chemistry: a partnership between university and public school

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marilde Beatriz Zorzi Sá

2013-08-01

Full Text Available With purpose to provide better training to citizens who have completed high school and they need better training to join the labor market, was created following courses, among them the Technical Course in Chemistry (CTQ. The structure consists of a formation that coordinates work, culture, science and technology as principles that summarize the training process whole. On a visit a public school in Maringá (PR, which implemented the CTQ, it was found that teachers were faced with several difficulties: lack of knowledge in technical skills early, how to articulate theory and practice, shortages of materials and reference theoretical, limitation of laboratories, lack of equipment and difficulties in developing practical activities for the course. Faced with this situation had the idea of support for these teachers and consequently their students. Thus, a group of academics after carry a survey in school in order to known the reality of the course and aspirations of students and teachers, it was developed a workshop with theme generator about the “milk”. These academics develop low-cost materials in aiding the practice of teachers. In addition, further research was conducted to check the results of the activity with the purpose of developing a new workshop looking for teaching strategies to contribute effectively to the course.

HEADMASTER POLICY OF SENIOR ISLAMIC SCHOOL TO INCREAS TEACHER PROFESIONALISM AT STATE SENIOR ISLAMIC SCHOOL 2 MODEL MEDAN

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Muhammad Arifin Tanjung

2017-09-01

Full Text Available State Senior Islamic School 2 Model Medan oh of famous Islamic schools in North Sumatera. The issues in this writing are what are the formulation, organization, application, and evaluation of headmaster Policy of Senior Islamic School to Increase Teacher Professionalism at State Senior Islamic School 2 Model Medan. To explain the main issue in this writings, I have to observe and interview the Moslem population. Data has been collected will be explained detailly and analyzed by Islamic education management. Based on research, formulation of headmaster Policy of Senior Islamic School to Increase Teacher Professionalism at State Senior Islamic School 2 Model Medan is bottom up which ideas from teachers, beginning from teachers meeting in one subject, teachers meeting in one program, annual meeting in a month and annual meeting in a year, and finally in teamwork, for example, anual teachers meeting, seminar, workshop, coffee morning, study comparison to university and another school. It will motivate teacher in teaching, activity, and anything. Besides it, headmaster facilitates everything whatever teacher need it, for example, infocus, laptop, and everything. And the organization of headmaster Policy of Senior Islamic School to Increase Teacher Professionalism at State Senior Islamic School 2 Model Medan is cooperation with the school community and he helped by vices and head program and teachers and chairman of the student. The special of school organization is evaluation of teachers activity and relation to abroad. Headmaster states his position as a teacher who teaches students, a leader who leads teachers, a manager who manages, a motivator who motivate, a supervisor who supervise teachers activity, and facilitator for teachers. And finally evaluation of headmaster Policy of Senior Islamic School to Increase the Teacher Professionalism at State Senior Islamic School 2 Model Medan each level, beginning from teachers meeting in one subject

The Teacher Strike: School District Protection Procedures. A Manual for School District Officials on How to Handle a Teachers' Strike.

Science.gov (United States)

Igoe, Joseph A.; DiRocco, Anthony P.

This booklet is designed to give practical and realistic advice to school district officials faced with the possibility of a teachers' strike. It is intended for use both by school district administrators and school board members. The booklet is organized into four sections that focus in turn on signs of a pending teachers' strike, union…

Knowledge and attitude of secondary school teachers in Enugu to school based sex education.

Science.gov (United States)

Aniebue, P N

2007-12-01

To assess the knowledge and attitude to sex education among secondary school teachers in Enugu. A cross sectional study of 300 teachers drawn from nine randomly selected secondary schools in Enugu metropolis was carried out. Pre-tested self administered structured questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. Three hundred teachers, 215 females and 85 males were interviewed. The mean age of the teachers was 38.1+/-7.5 years. Sixty-nine (23.0%) had adequate knowledge of sex education and 282 (94.0%) approved the inclusion of sex education into the school curriculum. The commonest reason for disapproval of sex education was fear that it would lead to promiscuity amongst the students. Educational status and marital status of the teachers were significant determinants of positive attitude to sex education psex education according to the teachers is 11-15 years. Two hundred and thirty eight (79.3%) respondents were of the opinion that teachers needed to be trained to provide sex education to students and 244 (81.3%) admitted that sex education was not in the school curriculum. Secondary school teachers are in support of provision of sex education to students. However they need training and skills on how to present sex information in a positive manner to achieve the desired goal. There is need to include sex education in the school curriculum.

Problems of discipline in primary and secondary school: Teachers' opinions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Savović Branka B.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Investigations carried out in late 2001 in primary and secondary schools of Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš comprised students, teachers and associates. The aim of investigations was to get insight into the state-of-the-arts problems and needs of our primary and secondary schools. The paper is a part of investigations, related to the results obtained for students' opinions of their interrelations with teachers as well as opinions of teachers themselves. The sample comprised 727 students of 4th grade of secondary vocational and high schools, 562 students of 8th grade of primary schools 168 secondary school and 107 primary school teachers. We investigated their interrelationships and within this framework the level of potential or current aggressive behavior. The majority of teachers (51% estimated student-teacher relationships mediocre - neither good nor bad. The most frequent problem in students' behavior is, according to the teachers instruction disturbance. One-quarter of teachers find that students offend them, ridicule them, or mock at them in front of others, and 5 per cent complain of physical injury intimidation on the part of students. When a problem comes up, 18 per cent of teachers talk with a student, and nearly 10 per cent of teachers give lower grades in their subject, so as to punish a student for undisciplined behaviors. In teachers' opinion, society, school the least, is to be blamed for the situation.

School-based In-service Teacher training

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Hans Jørgen; Hadzibegovic-Bubanja, Elvira; Nielsen, Søren P.

-based initiatives as an integral part of modern teacher education programmes. The publication is an attempt to translate more academic reflections into action by being practice-oriented. However, not in the form of a classical tool kit or how-to-do guidelines which would wrongly give the impression...... of modern teacher education programmes. The publication is an attempt to translate more academic reflections into action by being practice-oriented. However, not in the form of a classical tool kit or how-to-do guidelines which would wrongly give the impression that it is possible to develop guidelines...... upper–secondary education). The philosophy of the Handbook is that teacher competence development becomes both more efficient and much cheaper if closely related to the actual job requirements of teachers, organised at school level and for teams of teachers with strong support from school leadership...

High school mathematics teachers' perspectives on the purposes of mathematical proof in school mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Dickerson, David S.; Doerr, Helen M.

2014-12-01

Proof serves many purposes in mathematics. In this qualitative study of 17 high school mathematics teachers, we found that these teachers perceived that two of the most important purposes for proof in school mathematics were (a) to enhance students' mathematical understanding and (b) to develop generalized thinking skills that were transferable to other fields of endeavor. We found teachers were divided on the characteristics (or features) of proofs that would serve these purposes. Teachers with less experience tended to believe that proofs in the high school should adhere to strict standards of language and reasoning while teachers with more experience tended to believe that proofs based on concrete or visual features were well suited for high school mathematics. This study has implications for teacher preparation because it appears that there is a wide variation in how teachers think about proof. It seems likely that students would experience proof very differently merely because they were seated in different classrooms.

Middle-School Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs in NCTM's Vision

Science.gov (United States)

Perrin, John Robert

2012-01-01

This study examined the extent to which seventh- and eighth-grade mathematics teachers are aware of National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards documents, Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics and Principles and Standards for School Mathematics and agree with NCTM's vision of school mathematics as expressed in…

Motivation and Job Satisfaction of Catholic School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Convey, John J.

2014-01-01

This article examines the relationship between Catholic school teachers' motivation and job satisfaction. The data are derived from a survey of 716 teachers in Catholic elementary and secondary schools in three dioceses in the US (Atlanta, GA; Biloxi, MS; and Cheyenne, WY). The school's academic philosophy and its environment were important…

Perceptions of elementary school teachers of their pupils\\' eye ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Perceptions of elementary school teachers of their pupils\\' eye health in ilorin, nigeria. ... PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH ... roles that school teachers are expected to play in school eye health programmes, their perceptions ...

Novice Teachers Learning from Others: Mentoring in Shanghai Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Salleh, Hairon; Tan, Charlene

2013-01-01

This paper explores critically the practice of teacher mentoring in Shanghai schools. It begins with a review of the literature on teacher mentoring, which is followed by an introduction to education and teacher mentoring in the schools. The next section critiques teacher mentoring in Shanghai and we highlight three key characteristics and…

Motivating Teachers' Commitment to Change through Transformational School Leadership in Chinese Urban Upper Secondary Schools

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Liu, Peng

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of transformational school leadership on teachers' commitment to change and the effects of organizational and teachers' factors on teachers' perception of transformational school leadership in the Chinese urban upper secondary school context. Design/methodology/approach: The paper mainly…

Prospective teachers' perceptions of the school psychologist's role

OpenAIRE

Poulou, Maria

2002-01-01

Acknowledging the importance of teachers’ implicit theories for the determination of school psychologist’s role, this study aims to elicit prospective teachers’ personal theories for the role of school psychologist. By using metaphoric pictures, 59 pre-service teachers described their perceptions of the school psychologist’s role in relation to other members of the school community, the expectations of both teachers and the school psychologist in relation to the role of the ...

High School Teachers' Understanding of Blackbody Radiation

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Balta, Nuri

2018-01-01

This study is a detailed look at the level of understanding of fundamental ideas about blackbody radiation (BBR) among physics teachers. The aim is to explore associations and ideas that teachers have regarding blackbody radiation: a concept used routinely in physics and chemistry, which is necessary to understand fundamentals of quantum physics.…

Exploring personality traits and well-being among pre-school and primary school teachers in Croatia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanja Tatalović Vorkapić

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Background Pre-school and primary school teachers are directly involved in the education of children. In addition to teachers’ competences, the quality of their work is significantly influenced by their psychological well-being. It is therefore important to focus on their well-being as well as on personality traits they have. The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between life satisfaction, happiness, optimism and personality traits of pre-school and primary school teachers in Croatia. Participants and procedure The study was conducted on a sample of 103 pre-school teachers and 117 primary school teachers who completed self-evaluated scales on personality traits, life satisfaction, happiness and optimism. Results The results demonstrated high levels of all personality traits in both samples. High levels of life satisfaction were positively associated with happiness and optimism. Personality traits were also positively associated with life satisfaction, happiness and optimism. There were no differences in life satisfaction, happiness, optimism or personality traits between pre-school and primary school teachers, except for openness to experience being higher in pre-school teachers. Emotional stability was a significant predictor of teachers’ well-being. Conclusions The results have significant implications for improvement of teaching practice at primary school and pre-school levels. The findings highlight the importance of teachers’ personality traits and their well-being for the quality of their work with children.

Qualifications of Subject Teachers in Special Education Schools

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Rasmussen, Meryem Uçar; Kis, Arzu

2018-01-01

Teacher qualifications are essential to be able to teach children with special needs efficiently. Therefore the aim of this study is to determine the qualifications of subject teachers in special education schools in Turkey. In the study 20 subject teachers within the field of music, art and sports who worked in special education schools in Turkey…

Exposure to Mobbing: Perceptions of Primary School Teachers

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Çeliköz, Mine; Çeliköz, Nadir

2017-01-01

The general purpose of the present research is to examine teachers' perceptions of being exposed to Mobbing. The population of the research, in which the screening model is used, consists of teachers working in private and public elementary schools during the 2015-2016 school year. The study group is formed with 305 teachers who were voluntarily…

Teachers' and School Leaders' Perceptions of Commercialisation in Australian Public Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Hogan, Anna; Thompson, Greg; Sellar, Sam; Lingard, Bob

2018-01-01

This paper explores teachers' and school leaders' perceptions of commercialisation in Australian public schools, reporting on findings from an open-ended survey question from an exploratory study that sought to investigate teacher and school leader perceptions and experiences of commercialisation. Commercialisation, for the purposes of this paper,…

TEACHING CHEMISTRY IN SCHOOLS: A CASE FOR ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR. ALUKO

strategy on students' performance in secondary school chemistry. Two hundred and fifty ... cooperative instructional strategy and conventional teaching method. The cooperative ..... students good problem-solvers. 2. The curricula of the ...

Middle School Science Teachers' Perceptions of Social Justice: A Study of Two Female Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Upadhyay, Bhaskar

2010-01-01

The focus of this qualitative study is to document two middle school science teachers' perceptions of social justice and how these teachers implement various aspects of social justice in their science instruction. The two teachers teach science in an urban school that serves students from low-income, immigrant, and ethnic minority families. The…

Elementary School Teachers and Teaching with Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Varol, Filiz

2013-01-01

This study aims to identify the relationship between elementary school teachers' ICT engagement with their attitudes towards technology. To this end, one hundred elementary school students were asked to fill out questionnaires related to their ICT knowledge, usage, and attitude towards technology. The results show that teachers' ICT knowledge and…

Students' Perceptions of Teaching in Context-based and Traditional Chemistry Classrooms: Comparing content, learning activities, and interpersonal perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Overman, Michelle; Vermunt, Jan D.; Meijer, Paulien C.; Bulte, Astrid M. W.; Brekelmans, Mieke

2014-07-01

Context-based curriculum reforms in chemistry education are thought to bring greater diversity to the ways in which chemistry teachers organize their teaching. First and foremost, students are expected to perceive this diversity. However, empirical research on how students perceive their teacher's teaching in context-based chemistry classrooms, and whether this teaching differs from traditional chemistry lessons, is scarce. This study aims to develop our understanding of what teaching looks like, according to students, in context-based chemistry classrooms compared with traditional chemistry classrooms. As such, it might also provide a better understanding of whether teachers implement and attain the intentions of curriculum developers. To study teacher behaviour we used three theoretical perspectives deemed to be important for student learning: a content perspective, a learning activities perspective, and an interpersonal perspective. Data were collected from 480 students in 24 secondary chemistry classes in the Netherlands. Our findings suggest that, according to the students, the changes in teaching in context-based chemistry classrooms imply a lessening of the emphasis on fundamental chemistry and the use of a teacher-centred approach, compared with traditional chemistry classrooms. However, teachers in context-based chemistry classrooms seem not to display more 'context-based' teaching behaviour, such as emphasizing the relation between chemistry, technology, and society and using a student-centred approach. Furthermore, students in context-based chemistry classrooms perceive their teachers as having less interpersonal control and showing less affiliation than teachers in traditional chemistry classrooms. Our findings should be interpreted in the context of former and daily experiences of both teachers and students. As only chemistry is reformed in the schools in which context-based chemistry is implemented, it is challenging for both students and teachers to

Teachers' Knowledge and Readiness towards Implementation of School Based Assessment in Secondary Schools

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Veloo, Arsaythamby; Krishnasamy, Hariharan N.; Md-Ali, Ruzlan

2015-01-01

School-Based Assessment (SBA) was implemented in Malaysian secondary schools in 2012. Since its implementation, teachers have faced several challenges to meet the aims and objectives of the School-Based Assessment. Based on these challenges this study aims to find the level of teachers' knowledge and readiness towards the implementation of…

Rural Elementary School Teachers' Technology Integration

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Howley, Aimee; Wood, Lawrence; Hough, Brian

2011-01-01

Based on survey responses from more than 500 third-grade teachers, this study addressed three research questions relating to technology integration and its impact in rural elementary schools. The first analyses compared rural with non-rural teachers, revealing that the rural teachers had more positive attitudes toward technology integration. Then…

Principals' and Teachers' Practices about Parent Involvement in Schooling

Science.gov (United States)

Erdener, Mehmet Akif

2016-01-01

Parent involvement has an influence on children's educational engagement for all school levels. The objective of this study was to examine public school principals' and teachers' practices for improving parent involvement in schooling. This study used a mixed method to identify the school administrators' and teachers' perceptions about parent…

Student-teacher relationships matter for school inclusion: school belonging, disability, and school transitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Crouch, Ronald; Keys, Christopher B; McMahon, Susan D

2014-01-01

For students with disabilities, the process of school inclusion often begins with a move from segregated settings into general education classrooms. School transitions can be stressful as students adjust to a new environment. This study examines the adjustment of 133 students with and without disabilities who moved from a school that served primarily students with disabilities into 23 public schools in a large urban school district in the Midwest. These students and 111 of their teachers and other school staff rated the degree that students felt they belonged in their new schools and the quality of their social interactions. Results show that students who experienced more positive and fewer negative social interactions with school staff had higher school belonging. Teachers accurately noted whether students felt they belonged in their new settings, but were not consistently able to identify student perceptions of negative social interactions with staff. Implications for inclusion and improving our educational system are explored.

Teacher Turnover in Charter Schools. Research Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Stuit, David; Smith, Thomas M.

2010-01-01

The current study aimed to contribute to a deeper understanding of the organizational conditions of charter schools by examining teacher turnover. Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and the Teacher Follow-Up Survey (TFS), researchers from the National Center on School…

Problem Solving Strategies among Primary School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Yew, Wun Thiam; Lian, Lim Hooi; Meng, Chew Cheng

2017-01-01

The purpose of this article was to examine problem solving strategies among primary school teachers. The researchers employed survey research design to examine their problem solving strategies. The participants of this study consisted of 120 primary school teachers from a public university in Peninsula Malaysia who enrolled in a 4-year Graduating…

Twelve Middle-School Teachers' Planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Deborah Sardo

1988-01-01

Case studies described 12 middle-school teachers' instructional yearly, unit, weekly, and daily planning on the basis of a background questionnaire, interview protocols, an analysis of written plans, think-aloud typescripts, and a questionnaire. A process model best characterized teachers long-term planning, while an agenda-formulation model fit…

Empowering Middle School Teachers with Portable Computers.

Science.gov (United States)

Weast, Jerry D.; And Others

1993-01-01

A Sioux Falls (South Dakota) project that supplied middle school teachers with Macintosh computers and training to use them showed gratifying results. Easy access to portable notebook computers made teachers more active computer users, increased teacher interaction and collaboration, enhanced teacher productivity regarding management tasks and…

Pedagogical Stances of High School ESL Teachers: "Huelgas" in High School ESL Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

del Carmen Salazar, Maria

2010-01-01

This article presents a qualitative case study of the pedagogical stances of high school English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers, and the subsequent responses of resistance or conformity by their English Language Learners (ELLs). The participants include three high school ESL teachers and 60 high school ESL students of Mexican origin. Findings…

Teachers' Perceptions and Experiences Consulting with School Counselors: A Qualitative Study

Science.gov (United States)

Cholewa, Blair; Goodman-Scott, Emily; Thomas, Antoinette; Cook, Jennifer

2016-01-01

School counselor-teacher consultation is an efficient strategy for school counselors to indirectly serve students on their caseload. Teachers' perceptions are crucial in examining this consultation process. This qualitative study examined elementary school teachers' perceptions and experiences of school counselor-teacher consultation. The…

Online workspaces to support teacher communities in secondary schools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Admiraal, W.; Heemskerk, I.M.C.C.; Roceanu, I.

2012-01-01

Teacher communities are claimed to contribute to the improvement in the practices of teaching and schooling as well as individual teacher development and the collective capacity schools. How to define, design and support teacher communities is however still unclear. In this expert study, experts

Teacher Reflective Practice in Jesuit High Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Klug, Joseph H.

2010-01-01

Teachers who engage in reflective practice are more effective and may encourage higher student achievement. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the methods that teachers use in order to engage in reflective practice. Further, it is essential to gain an understanding of how schools, including Jesuit high schools, promote reflective…

A Comparison of Middle School Teachers' Pupil Control Ideology

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Paul; Garner, Arthur E.

1978-01-01

Compares pupil control ideology--discipline policy--of middle school classroom teachers with the intent of finding what attributes are needed for middle school teachers and the particular type classroom environment that facilitates optimum learning conditions for middle school children. (Author/RK)

Principals' instructional management skills and middle school science teacher job satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Gibbs-Harper, Nzinga A.

The purpose of this research study was to determine if a relationship exists between teachers' perceptions of principals' instructional leadership behaviors and middle school teacher job satisfaction. Additionally, this study sought to assess whether principal's instructional leadership skills were predictors of middle school teachers' satisfaction with work itself. This study drew from 13 middle schools in an urban Mississippi school district. Participants included teachers who taught science. Each teacher was given the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS; Hallinger, 2011) and the Teacher Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (TJSQ; Lester, 1987) to answer the research questions. The study was guided by two research questions: (a) Is there a relationship between the independent variables Defining the School's Mission, Managing the Instructional Program, and Developing the School Learning Climate Program and the dependent variable Work Itself?; (b) Are Defining the School's Mission, Managing the Instructional Program, and Developing the School Learning Climate Program predictors of Work Itself? The Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analysis were utilized to examine the relationship between the three dimensions of principals' instructional leadership and teacher satisfaction with work itself. The data revealed that there was a strong, positive correlation between all three dimensions of principals' instructional leadership and teacher satisfaction with work itself. However, the multiple regression analysis determined that teachers' perceptions of principals' instructional management skills is a slight predictor of Defining the School's Mission only.

Setting a Standard for Chemistry Education in the Next Generation: A Retrosynthetic Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

A diverse and highly qualified chemistry teaching workforce is critical for preparing equally diverse, qualified STEM professionals. Here, we analyze National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data to provide a demographic comparison of the U.S. secondary chemistry teaching population in high-needs and non-high-needs public schools as well as private schools during the 2011–2012 academic year. Our analysis reveals that the chemistry teaching workforce is predominantly white and significantly lacks in-field degrees or certification across school types, though high-needs and private schools are most affected by this lack of teacher qualification. Given these results, we attempt to retrosynthetically identify the pathway yielding a qualified chemistry teaching workforce to draw attention to the various steps in this scheme where reform efforts on the part of individual faculty, academic institutions, and organizations can be concentrated. PMID:27924311

Attitudes of Nigerian Secondary School Teachers to Student Evaluation of Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Joshua, Monday T.; Joshua, Akon M.

2004-01-01

This study was designed to assess the attitudes of Nigerian secondary school teachers to student evaluation of teachers (SET), and to find out if the attitudes expressed were influenced by teacher characteristics such as gender, professional status, geographical location, academic qualification and teaching experience. The study was a survey, and…

Beginning and experienced secondary school teachers' self- and student schema in positive and problematic teacher-student relationships

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Claessens, Luce|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/357401530; van Tartwijk, Jan|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/112629385; Pennings, Heleen|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/323242588; van der Want, Anna; Verloop, Nico; den Brok, Perry; Wubbels, Theo|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/070651361

2016-01-01

The quality of teacher-student relationships is important for teachers' well-being in schools. In this interview study we investigated which cognitions comprise secondary school teachers' self- and student schema in positive and problematic teacher-student relationships. Frequency analyses of these

Perfectly Reasonable in a Practical World: Understanding Chemistry Teacher Responses to a Change Proposal

Science.gov (United States)

Westbroek, Hanna; Janssen, Fred; Doyle, Walter

2017-12-01

Curriculum ideals often get compromised as a curriculum moves through its various levels of representation. Across the different science reforms, this process of slippage is clearly present. Research shows that teacher subject matter knowledge, PCK, beliefs and context factors all influence implementation. Professional development arrangements focus on fixing deficiencies in teachers' knowledge, beliefs or work context. This approach has not solved the problem of slippage, as we still do not understand what mechanisms operate when teachers make decisions about change proposals. In this study, we unpacked the decision mechanisms of three highly qualified chemistry teachers who subsequently adapted an innovative context-based chemistry unit. In spite of a state of the art professional development arrangement and the teachers being highly qualified, slippage occurred. The teachers' goal systems were used to interpret their reasoning. A goal system is a context-dependent, within-person mental construct that consists of a hierarchy of a person's goals and means in pursuit of a task. We showed that all three teachers adopted or redesigned elements of the change proposals to meet their core goals, i.e., goals that had multiple connections with other goals. This indicated that the adaptations teachers made were perfectly reasonable ways to serve their professional goals. For change to happen, we contend that one should begin with ways to connect teachers' core goals with the lesson or unit goal demands of a proposed innovation. Change emerges from the adaptions teachers make in the service of their core goals.

Teachers discovering nuclear science for the 90's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otto, R.J.

1990-01-01

High school and junior high school teachers from across the country have rediscovered nuclear science through summer participation as teacher research associates at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. As a result of their new knowledge and awareness of the broad range of applications of nuclear science with obvious positive benefit to society, these teachers are putting nuclear chemistry and physics back into their curriculum. Through direct research participation teachers become a primary resource for students. The Department of Energy is now supporting over 150 teacher research associates in its TRAC program in all areas of science. The eight week teacher research associate appointments provide an in-depth experience for the teacher, and an opportunity for teachers and scientists to become engaged in new curriculum and materials development

INDIGENOUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS OPINION ON SEX EDUCATION IN A SCHOOL OF DOURADOS - MS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosaldo de Albuquerque Souza

2011-12-01

Full Text Available A large portion of the population consists of adolescents aged by 12 to 19 years. During this period of human life occur several behavioral factors involving sexuality that intrigues many researchers, teachers and parents and according to the Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais (PCNs, sex education must be taught in schools as a crosscutting theme. The aim of this study was to investigate perceptions and attitudes towards sexual education among elementary school Indigenous teachers in a rural school in Dourados-MS. Data collection was conducted through a questionnaire completed by individual teachers. The results show that teachers consider important to work with sex education in elementary schools involving different areas of knowledge and with the help of health professionals. Most teachers work or have worked this theme in his classes, and consider the students receptive and interested, however, some teachers have difficulty in approaching the subject. One of the difficulties encountered are related to the low acceptance of their parents, highlighting the need for guidance on the same theme. The Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais ensures that the sex education should begin in early school years.

HEGEMONY OF CHEMISTRY LEARNING IN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN BALI PROVINCE

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I Gusti Lanang Wiaratma

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This study was intended to explain the power and the struggle of meaning behind the hegemony taking place in the management of Chemistry learning in the senior high schools developed to be the ones with International status “rintisan sekolah bertaraf internasional” (SMA RSBI in Bali. This could be observed from the management of Chemistry learning in SMA RSBI in Bali Province which tended to develop the students’ competence in the cognitive domain. This was done to make the students able to pass the national examination and to be the winners in academic competitions. The main theory used in the present study was the theory of hegemony, eclectically supported by several other theories. The method used in the present study was the qualitative method in which the sample was purposively determined. The data were collected through observation, interview, and documentation. The instrument used was an interview guide. The data were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. The results of the study showed that the management of Chemistry learning was not optimal yet; it tended to be partially developed. The reason was that there was hegemony of the dominating class over the dominated class, hegemony of the teachers over the students. The students did not acquire maximum learning experience as prescribed in the curriculum. What was developed was the students’ competence in the cognitive domain. This took place due to the politics of image which maintained the status quo which tended to comodify education.

Teachers' perceptions of school nutrition education's influence on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Qualitative investigation can provide invaluable information towards understanding the influence of school nutrition education (NE). The study explored teachers' perceptions of the immediate impact of NE on learners' eating behaviours. Twenty-four primary school teachers in the Bronkhorstspruit district, Gauteng, South ...

Perceived collective teacher efficacy in low performing schools

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Education Management and Leadership, School for Professional Studies in ... enhance collective teacher efficacy, the challenge of low-performing schools ... Collective teacher efficacy, therefore, involves the combined perceptions of ... because greater efficacy leads to greater effort and ... One of the strategies for sharing.

Humor in High School and the Role of Teacher Leaders in School Public Relations

Science.gov (United States)

Kosiczky, Bonnie; Mullen, Carol A.

2013-01-01

How can public schools improve public relations strategies, particularly in communications between teachers and students? The purposes of this study were to investigate teacher leaders' perceptions of the use of humor in the high school classroom and discover how humor might bridge instruction to student learning and strengthen teacher-student…

School-University-Community Pathways to Higher Education: Teacher Perceptions, School Culture and Partnership Building

Science.gov (United States)

Alemán, Enrique, Jr.; Freire, Juan A.; McKinney, Ashley; Delgado Bernal, Dolores

2017-01-01

This article provides a snapshot in time of teacher perceptions, school culture, and partnership building. We delineate how teachers perceive our partnership's purpose and its role in transforming school culture. Second, we describe how teachers express the life expectations they have and the possibilities they hope for their students and the…

the relationship between primary school teachers extrinsic

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PROF EKWUEME

Primary School Teachers Motivation Questionnaire (PSTMQ) and objective test items in English Language, Mathematics and Primary Science to measure students' performance. ... Mathematics and Primary Science. ... teachers as those who mediate pupils learning and act as facilitators ..... Students' perception of teacher- ...

Factors That Influence Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Willingness to Collaborate with School Librarians

Science.gov (United States)

Schnabel, Stephanie L.

2017-01-01

Collaboration between school libraries and classroom teachers can have a powerful impact on student learning. School librarians routinely collaborate with English language arts and social studies curriculum and less frequently with areas in STEM education. This research examines middle school mathematics teachers' extent of or willingness to…

Examining Teachers' Motivation Level According to School Principals' Humor Styles

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Recepoglu, Ergun; Kilinc, Ali Cagatay; Cepni, Osman

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research is to examine the motivation level of teachers according to school principals' humor styles. The humor styles survey and job motivation scale were used to gather data from 305 randomly selected teachers employed in primary schools in Karabuk. Results indicated that 141 of the teachers claimed school principal had…

Spatial Reasoning and Understanding the Particulate Nature of Matter: A Middle School Perspective

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Cole, Merryn L.

This dissertation employed a mixed-methods approach to examine the relationship between spatial reasoning ability and understanding of chemistry content for both middle school students and their science teachers. Spatial reasoning has been linked to success in learning STEM subjects (Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009). Previous studies have shown a correlation between understanding of chemistry content and spatial reasoning ability (e.g., Pribyl & Bodner, 1987; Wu & Shah, 2003: Stieff, 2013), raising the importance of developing the spatial reasoning ability of both teachers and students. Few studies examine middle school students' or in-service middle school teachers' understanding of chemistry concepts or its relation to spatial reasoning ability. The first paper in this dissertation addresses the quantitative relationship between mental rotation, a type of spatial reasoning ability, and understanding a fundamental concept in chemistry, the particulate nature of matter. The data showed a significant, positive correlation between scores on the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test of Rotations (PSVT; Bodner & Guay, 1997) and the Particulate Nature of Matter Assessment (ParNoMA; Yezierski, 2003) for middle school students prior to and after chemistry instruction. A significant difference in spatial ability among students choosing different answer choices on ParNoMA questions was also found. The second paper examined the ways in which students of different spatial abilities talked about matter and chemicals differently. Students with higher spatial ability tended to provide more of an explanation, though not necessarily in an articulate matter. In contrast, lower spatial ability students tended to use any keywords that seemed relevant, but provided little or no explanation. The third paper examined the relationship between mental reasoning and understanding chemistry for middle school science teachers. Similar to their students, a significant, positive correlation between

The Sequencing of Basic Chemistry Topics by Physical Science Teachers

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Sibanda, Doras; Hobden, Paul

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to find out teachers' preferred teaching sequence for basic chemistry topics in Physical Science in South Africa, to obtain their reasons underpinning their preferred sequence, and to compare these sequences with the prescribed sequences in the current curriculum. The study was located within a pragmatic paradigm and…

Factors Affecting Teacher Satisfaction in an Urban School District

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Halpert, Michael A.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to distinguish factors that influence the satisfaction levels of teachers in urban school districts. This work also distinguished factors that directly impacted teachers' level of satisfaction towards their work and their attitude towards the administration of their schools. Forty-one teachers from two kindergarten…

The Impact of Professional Development Schools on Teacher Leadership

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Cosenza, Michael N.

2010-01-01

Although there is no common definition for teacher leadership, the concept is continually advanced as a key component for both the success of schools and professionalization of teachers. Studies have shown that teachers who feel empowered as leaders are more effective in the classroom. Professional development schools (PDSs) provide multiple…

Charter Schools and the Teacher Job Search in Michigan

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Cannata, Marisa

2010-01-01

This paper examines the position of charter schools in prospective elementary teachers' job search decisions. Using a labor market segmentation framework, it explores teacher applicants' decisions to apply to charter schools. The data come from a mixed-methods longitudinal study of prospective teachers looking for their first job. This paper finds…

Teachers' Perception of Team Teaching Middle School Mathematics in Urban Schools

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Serrano, Vanessa

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of team teaching middle school mathematics in urban schools. The research questions focused on student academic performance and the impact that team teaching may have from the perspective of teachers. The theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bruner formed the theoretical foundation…

Science and Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs of Pre-School Teachers

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Aydogdu, Bülent; Peker, Murat

2016-01-01

The aim of this research was to examine science and mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs of pre-school teachers in terms of some variables. The sample of the study was comprised of 191 pre-school teachers working in a city in Aegean Region of Turkey. Since it attempted to define self-efficacy beliefs of pre-school teachers toward science and…

Where Is Earth Science? Mining for Opportunities in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology

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Thomas, Julie; Ivey, Toni; Puckette, Jim

2013-01-01

The Earth sciences are newly marginalized in K-12 classrooms. With few high schools offering Earth science courses, students' exposure to the Earth sciences relies on the teacher's ability to incorporate Earth science material into a biology, chemistry, or physics course. ''G.E.T. (Geoscience Experiences for Teachers) in the Field'' is an…

A Comparison of Teacher Stress and School Climate across Schools with Different Matric Success Rates

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Milner, Karen; Khoza, Harriet

2008-01-01

Our aim was to investigate differences in teacher stress and perceptions of school climate among teachers from schools with differing matriculation success rates in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Two schools with matric pass rates of 100% and two schools with matric pass rates of less than 25% were selected from a list of schools provided…

Teachers perception of school

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

This paper is part of MA thesis in which primary school teachers' perceptions of was explored. The study was ... of relevance, management, and result in enhancement of students learning, and obstructions. ...... Professional Ethics, Counseling.

Chemistry Education: Ten Facets to Shape Us

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Talanquer, Vicente

2013-01-01

The chemistry knowledge that we want our students to develop is rich, complex, and multifaceted. However, some teachers and instructors at the secondary school and college levels approach it in rather rigid and unidimensional ways. The central goal of this contribution is to describe and discuss 10 different complementary perspectives or…

Examining the Relationship between Teacher Organizational Commitment and School Health in Turkish Primary Schools

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Sezgin, Ferudun

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between teachers' perceptions of organizational commitment and school health in Turkish primary schools. The Organizational Commitment Scale and the Organizational Health Inventory were used to gather data from 323 randomly selected teachers employed in 20 primary schools in Ankara.…

Teaching Thinking Skills in Context-Based Learning: Teachers' Challenges and Assessment Knowledge

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Avargil, Shirly; Herscovitz, Orit; Dori, Yehudit Judy

2012-04-01

For an educational reform to succeed, teachers need to adjust their perceptions to the reform's new curricula and strategies and cope with new content, as well as new teaching and assessment strategies. Developing students' scientific literacy through context-based chemistry and higher order thinking skills was the framework for establishing a new chemistry curriculum for Israeli high school students. As part of this endeavor, we developed the Taste of Chemistry module, which focuses on context-based chemistry, chemical understanding, and higher order thinking skills. Our research objectives were (a) to identify the challenges and difficulties chemistry teachers faced, as well as the advantages they found, while teaching and assessing the Taste of Chemistry module; and (b) to investigate how they coped with teaching and assessing thinking skills that include analyzing data from graphs and tables, transferring between multiple representations and, transferring between chemistry understanding levels. Research participants included eight teachers who taught the module. Research tools included interviews, classroom observations, teachers-designed students' assignments, and developers-designed students' assignments. We documented different challenges teachers had faced while teaching the module and found that the teachers developed different ways of coping with these challenges. Developing teachers' assessment knowledge (AK) was found to be the highest stage in teachers' professional growth, building on teachers' content knowledge (CK), pedagogy knowledge (PK), and pedagogical-content knowledge (PCK). We propose the use of assignments designed by teachers as an instrument for determining their professional growth.

Using Computational Chemistry Activities to Promote Learning and Retention in a Secondary School General Chemistry Setting

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Ochterski, Joseph W.

2014-01-01

This article describes the results of using state-of-the-art, research-quality software as a learning tool in a general chemistry secondary school classroom setting. I present three activities designed to introduce fundamental chemical concepts regarding molecular shape and atomic orbitals to students with little background in chemistry, such as…

Teacher Characteristics and School-Based Professional Development in Inclusive STEM-focused High Schools: A Cross-case Analysis

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Spillane, Nancy Kay

Within successful Inclusive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-focused High Schools (ISHSs), it is not only the students who are learning. Teachers, with diverse backgrounds, training, and experience, share and develop their knowledge through rich, embedded professional development to continuously shape their craft, improve their teaching, and support student success. This study of four exemplars of ISHSs (identified by experts in STEM education as highly successful in preparing students underrepresented in STEM for STEM majors in college and future STEM careers) provides a rich description of the relationships among the characteristics of STEM teachers, their professional development, and the school cultures that allow teachers to develop professionally and serve the needs of students. By providing a framework for the development of teaching staffs in ISHSs and contributing to the better understanding of STEM teaching in any school, this study offers valuable insight, implications, and information for states and school districts as they begin planning improvements to STEM education programs. A thorough examination of an existing data set that included site visits to four ISHSs along with pre- and post-visit data, provided the resource for this multiple case study with cross-case analysis of the teachers and their teacher professional development experiences. Administrators in these ISHSs had the autonomy to hire teachers with strong content backgrounds, philosophical alignment with the school missions, and a willingness to work collaboratively toward achieving the schools' goals. Ongoing teacher professional development began before school started and continued throughout the school day and year through intense and sustained, formal and informal, active learning experiences. Flexible professional development systems varied, but aligned with targeted school reforms and teacher and student needs. Importantly, collaborative teacher learning

Primary school teacher's knowledge and attitudes toward children with epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Abulhamail, Albaraa S; Al-Sulami, Fahad E; Alnouri, Mouneeb A; Mahrous, Najeeb M; Joharji, Dima G; Albogami, Maha M; Jan, Mohammed M

2014-04-01

Primary school teacher's knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy can have significant impact on the performance and psycho-social development of the child with epilepsy. Our objectives were to study teacher's knowledge and attitudes and identify areas in which further teacher training and education are required. A stratified random sample survey involving a group of primary school teachers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia included private/public schools designated for male and female students. A structured 37-item questionnaire was used to examine their demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and experience with epilepsy. Six hundred and twenty primary school teachers working in public (58%) or private (42%) schools were included with ages ranging between 21 and 59 years (mean 36). Most teachers (79%) were of Saudi Arabian nationality and 66% had a college or university degree. Their years of experience ranged from 1 to 35 (mean 13.5). Only 17% of the teachers felt very well informed about epilepsy. Teachers with higher education were more likely to have good knowledge (p=0.009). Teachers of Saudi nationality were also more likely to report good knowledge, independent of their educational level (p=0.013). Overall, teachers with good knowledge were less likely to have negative attitudes including minding to have an epileptic child in their class (p=0.028) or thinking that they should be placed in a special classroom (p=0.029). Primary school teacher's knowledge about epilepsy needs improvements. Their attitudes correlated highly with their knowledge. Educational campaigns about epilepsy are needed to develop a well informed and tolerant community. Copyright © 2014 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Burnout Syndrome in High School Teachers' in Bilecik, Bozuyuk

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Ahmet Topuzoglu

2009-06-01

Full Text Available AIM: Burnout syndrome is manifested by physical exhaustion, long lasting tiredness and feelings of hopelessness. And also it consists of individual’s negative attitudes towards to life, occupation and the other persons. Burnout frequently seen in the occupations who work face to face with people like doctors, polices, nurses and managers. Generally teachers’ burnout level is higher than other occupations. Our aim is to determine the burnout levels and related factors of teachers working in high school of Bilecik Bozuyuk. METHODS: Totally 228 teachers participated to this cross sectional study (participating rate is %90.4. To find out the burnout level in these teachers Maslach Burnout Inventory was used. RESULTS: Of the total participants 52.1% were women, median age of participants were 33.0 years (Quartiles: 28.0–40.0 years There was no relation between the burnout level and the years in the occupation, weekly working time and the school that they educated. Occupational high school teachers, unwilingly occupation choosing, bad physical work environment, violence experience in the school significantly had higher points from burn out scale. CONCLUSION: Burnout level was higher in high school teachers, who didn’t want to be a teacher and who were working at bad physical environment and who had violence experience. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2009; 8(3.000: 217-222

[Appraisal of occupational stress and strain in primary and secondary school teachers].

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Wang, Z; Lan, Y; Li, J; Wang, M

2001-09-01

This study was conducted to assess occupational stress and strain in primary and secondary school teachers. A test of occupational stress and strain was carried out by using Occupational Stress Inventory Revised Edition (OSI-R) in 1460 primary and secondary school teachers (teacher group) and 319 mental workers in non-educational area (non-teacher group as control). The results showed the level of occupational stress in role overload and physical environment in the teacher group was significantly higher than that in the non-teacher group (P < 0.05). In teacher group the level of occupational stress and strain increased with age; the occupational stress and strain in male teachers were significantly higher than those in female teachers (P < 0.01); the occupational stress and strain in secondary school teachers were significantly higher than those in primary school teachers. These results indicate: to protect and promote primary and secondary school teacher's health, particularly male teachers' health, to mitigate their work pressure and to raise the quality of education are important tasks in the area of occupational health.

Evaluation of a statewide science inservice and outreach program: Teacher and student outcomes

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Lott, Kimberly Hardiman

Alabama Science in Motion (ASIM) is a statewide in-service and outreach program designed to provide in-service training for teachers in technology and content knowledge. ASIM is also designed to increase student interest in science and future science careers. The goals of ASIM include: to complement, enhance and facilitate implementation of the Alabama Course of Study: Science, to increase student interest in science and scientific careers, and to provide high school science teachers with curriculum development and staff development opportunities that will enhance their subject-content expertise, technology background, and instructional skills. This study was conducted to evaluate the goals and other measurable outcomes of the chemistry component of ASIM. Data were collected from 19 chemistry teachers and 182 students that participated in ASIM and 6 chemistry teachers and 42 students that do not participate in ASIM using both surveys and student records. Pre-treatment Chi-Square tests revealed that the teachers did not differ in years of chemistry teaching experience, major in college, and number of classes other than chemistry taught. Pre-treatment Chi-Square tests revealed that the students did not differ in age, ethnicity, school classification, or school type. The teacher survey used measured attitudes towards inquiry-based teaching, frequency of technology used by teacher self-report and perceived teaching ability of chemistry topics from the Alabama Course of Study-Science. The student surveys used were the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) and a modified version of the Test of Integrated Process Skills (TIPS). The students' science scores from the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9) were also obtained from student records. Analysis of teacher data using a MANOVA design revealed that participation in ASIM had a significantly positive effect on teacher attitude towards inquiry-based teaching and the frequency of technology used; however, there was no

Summer Schools In Nuclear Chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, Sue; Herbert, Mieva; Mantica, Paul

2006-01-01

This the report for the 5 year activities for the ACS Summer Schools in Nuclear and Radiochemistry. The American Chemical Society's Summer Schools in Nuclear and Radiochemistry were held at Brookhaven National Laboratory (Upton, NY) and San Jose State University (San Jose, CA) during the award period February 1, 2002 to January 31, 2007. The Summer Schools are intensive, six-week program involving both a lecture component covering fundamental principles of nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry and a laboratory component allowing hands-on experience for the students to test many of the basic principles they learn about in lecture. Each site hosted 12 undergraduate students annually, and students received coursework credits towards their undergraduate degrees. Up to 7 student credit hours were earned at San Jose State University, and Brookhaven students received up to 6 college credits through BNL's management partner, SUNY Stony Brook. Funding from the award period covered travel, housing, educational expenses, and student stipends, for the 24 undergraduate participants. Furthermore, funding was also used to cover expenses for lecturers and staff to run the programs at the two facilities. The students were provided with nuclear and radiochemistry training equivalent to a three-hour upper-level undergraduate course along with a two-hour hands-on laboratory experience within the six-week summer period. Lectures were held 5 days per week. Students completed an extensive laboratory sequence, as well as radiation safety training at the start of the Summer Schools. The summer school curriculum was enhanced with a Guest Lecture series, as well as through several one-day symposia and organized field trips to nuclear-related research and applied science laboratories. This enrichment afforded an opportunity for students to see the broader impacts of nuclear science in today's world, and to experience some of the future challenges through formal and informal discussions with

Teachers' Perceptions about School Violence in One Turkish City

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Yavuzer, Yasemin; Gundogdu, Rezzan; Dikici, Ayhan

2009-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the types and frequencies of violence encountered by teachers in primary and high schools in Nide province in Turkey, and, in addition, to determine the perceptions of teachers regarding the reasons for and methods of prevention of violent actions at schools. One hundred forty-two teachers were chosen for this…

ACE: A Collaborative School Consultation Program for Secondary School Teachers

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Couture, Caroline; Massé, Line

2014-01-01

This article presents a description of ACE (Accompagnement collaboratif des enseignants (Collaborative teacher accompaniment)), a new program designed to guide secondary school teachers in integrating students with behavioral problems in their classrooms. ACE proposes collaborative accompaniment inspired by behavioral and mental health…

Trust in School: A Pathway to Inhibit Teacher Burnout?

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Van Maele, Dimitri; Van Houtte, Mieke

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to consider trust as an important relational source in schools by exploring whether trust lowers teacher burnout. The authors examine how trust relationships with different school parties such as the principal relate to distinct dimensions of teacher burnout. The authors further analyze whether school-level…

Mexican Parents' and Teachers' Views of Effective Elementary Schools

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Slate, John R.; Jones, Craig H.

2007-01-01

We surveyed 374 parents and 82 teachers in the Juarez, Mexico schools regarding their views of what makes an effective elementary school. The survey was a Spanish translation of an instrument used by Johnson (1998). Although both parents and teachers supported most of the factors associated with effective schools, they emphasized different aspects…

Transformational Leadership and Teacher Motivation in Southwestern Arizona High Schools

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Reynolds, Catherine L.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between transformational leadership and teacher motivation in Southwestern Arizona high schools. Teachers in a school district in Southwestern Arizona comprised of high schools were surveyed using two instruments, Leithwood and Jantzi's (1998) The Leadership and Management of Schools in…

Why Rural Schools Are Important for Pre-Service Teacher Preparation

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Blanks, Brooke; Robbins, Holly; Rose, Dana; Beasley, Loren; Greene, Michelle; Kile, Melissa; Broadus, Allison

2013-01-01

Rural schools are often overlooked in educational research. At least one in five children in the United States attends a rural school and one-third of all public schools are located in rural areas. Research on the effects of teacher education in rural schools on teacher candidates and the rural schools themselves is almost nonexistent. This…

The influence of professional teachers on Padang vocational school students' achievement

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Ramli Bakar

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This study determined: (1 the competency of professional teachers teaching in the classroom, (2 students' achievement in vocational schools in Padang, and (3 the influence of professional teachers on vocational school students' achievement in Padang. The population was 2,647 students in vocational schools. The sample, consisting of 160 students, was selected using a multistage, random sampling technique. Data were collected using questionnaires and documentation, and then analyzed and presented using the SPSS software. The results showed: (1 overall, the professional teachers of vocational schools in Padang had good qualifications in pedagogical competence, professional competence, social competence, and personal competence, (2 the learning process of vocational schools in Padang was going well and in general, student achievement was at a good level of performance, and (3 there was a significant influence of professional teachers on vocational school students' achievement in Padang. Keywords: professional teacher, student achievement, vocational school

Future Elementary School Teachers' Conceptual Change Concerning Photosynthesis

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Ahopelto, Ilona; Mikkila-Erdmann, Mirjamaija; Anto, Erkki; Penttinen, Marjaana

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine conceptual change among future elementary school teachers while studying a scientific text concerning photosynthesis. Students' learning goals in relation to their learning outcomes were also examined. The participants were future elementary school teachers. The design consisted of pre- and post-tests. The…

School Culture: Teachers' Beliefs, Behaviors, and Instructional Practices

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Hongboontri, Chantarath; Keawkhong, Natheeporn

2014-01-01

This mixed-methods research project documents the school culture of Hope University's Language Institute and reveals the reciprocal relationship between the school culture and the instructional practices of the English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in this particular institute. Altogether, 62 EFL teachers agreed to complete a questionnaire.…

Awareness on Learning Disabilities among Elementary School Teachers

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Menon K. P., Seema

2016-01-01

The study aims to find out the awareness on learning disabilities among elementary school teachers. The sample for the present study consisted of 500 elementary school teachers of Kerala. In this study the investigator used an Awareness Test on Learning Disabilities to measure the Awareness on Learning Disabilities among Elementary School…

Teachers' Views on the Impact of Teacher-Student Relationships on School Dropout: A Bourdieusian Analysis of Misrecognition

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Nairz-Wirth, Erna; Feldmann, Klaus

2017-01-01

Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's relational theory this paper shows that many teachers misrecognize the impact of teacher-student relationships on school dropout. The study is based on a series of 60 semi-structured interviews with teachers from Austrian secondary schools. The analysis of the empirical data reveals that many teachers attribute school…

The Role of the Perceptions of School Climate and Teacher Victimization by Students.

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Huang, Francis L; Eddy, Colleen Lloyd; Camp, Emily

2017-07-01

Violence directed toward teachers in schools is relatively understudied in comparison with other school-based forms of peer aggression (e.g., school bullying). Based on the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) 2011-2012, approximately 10% of K-12 public school teachers in the United States, received a threat in the past 12 months and 6% reported being physically attacked. The effects of teacher-directed violence are far reaching and affect not just the victimized teacher, but the larger community itself. In the current study, we used multilevel logistic regression models with state fixed effects to analyze the SASS data set. The analytic sample consisted of 24,070 K-12 teachers in 4,610 public schools and specifically excluded special education teachers and teachers in alternative settings (i.e., online schools, special education centers, juvenile correction facilities). Guided by authoritative school climate theory, we tested for the beneficial associations of disciplinary structure and administrative support with the reduced likelihood of a teacher being threatened or physically attacked by a student, while controlling for teacher (e.g., gender, years of experience, race/ethnicity), school (e.g., school size, percent minority enrollment), and state-level factors. Results indicated that teachers who felt supported by the administration and worked with others (i.e., the principal and other teachers) who enforced the rules consistently were less likely to be victims of threats of injury or physical attacks. Although school climate has been shown to have a positive effect on student outcomes, the current study also suggests that school climate, characterized by consistent rule enforcement and supportive administrators and teachers, may play a role in reducing the likelihood of teacher victimization.

Help provided by school counsellor to teachers and students in behaviour management at secondary school

OpenAIRE

Atıcı, Meral; Çekici, Ferah

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the views of teachers, school counsellors, and students on counsellor help for dealing with misbehaviour at school. Qualitative data were collected from counsellors, teachers and students using interviews to address the research questions. Five counsellors, 20 teachers and 35 students in five high schools with a low socioeconomic level in Adana, Turkey, participated in the study. Data were analysed by using a content analysis technique. Results sho...

Are elementary school teachers prepared to tackle bullying? : A pilot study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oldenburg, Beau; Bosman, Rie; Veenstra, Rene

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate to what extent elementary school teachers were prepared to tackle bullying. Interview data from 22 Dutch elementary school teachers (M age=43.3, 18 classrooms in eight schools) were combined with survey data from 373 students of these teachers (M

Investigation of the Work Motivation Levels of Primary School Teachers

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Ates, Hatice Kadioglu; Yilmaz, Perihan

2018-01-01

This study was conducted to examine the work motivation levels of primary school teachers working in primary school institutions located in Istanbul province, Kucukcekmece district. The descriptive survey model was used in this study. The population of the study consists of primary school teachers and primary school administrators working in state…

The influence of school leadership on teachers' perception of teacher evaluation policy

OpenAIRE

Tuytens, Melissa; Devos, Geert

2010-01-01

The understanding of teachers' perception of new educational policy is crucial since this perception shapes the policy's implementation. However, quantitative research in this area is scarce. This article draws on empirical data to investigate whether the school leader might influence his teachers' perception of the new teacher evaluation policy. The conceptualisation of teachers' perception consists of three policy characteristics: practicality, need and clarifying function. Our results indi...

Interpretation Awareness of Creativity Mathematics Teacher High School

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Mastuti, Ajeng Gelora; Nusantara, Toto; Purwanto; As'ari, Abdurrahman; Subanji; Abadyo; Susiswo

2016-01-01

The purposes of this study are: a) to investigate high school math teacher creativity equality, b) to investigate what factors can inhibit their creativity consciousness. The subjects of this study consisted of two high school math teacher who had a different experience academically. The results of the qualitative research show the relationship…

Explaining Teacher Turnover: School Cohesion and Intrinsic Motivation in Los Angeles

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Fuller, Bruce; Waite, Anisah; Irribarra, David Torres

2016-01-01

Lifting achievement in many schools depends on reducing the exit of effective teachers. We examine the extent to which teacher perceptions of school cohesion and intrinsic motivators stemming from two theoretical traditions contribute to the intent to leave one's school. We find that elementary teachers report higher levels of organizational…

Primary School Teachers' Perceptions of Mathematical Reasoning

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Loong, Esther Yook-Kin; Vale, Colleen; Bragg, Leicha A.; Herbert, Sandra

2013-01-01

Little is known about how Australian teachers interpret, enact and assess reasoning. This paper reports on primary teachers' perceptions of reasoning prior to observation and subsequent trialling of demonstration lessons in a primary school. The findings indicate that while some teachers were able to articulate what reasoning means, others were…

Home School Relationships: Challenges for Teachers and Head Teachers in Pakistan

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Safdar, Qamar

2006-01-01

The connection between home and school is referred to in various ways such as parent involvement, home-school relations or community involvement in schools. This paper conceptualize that connection as a "partnership" with parents being viewed as partners with teachers in educating children. Parental involvement at all stages is crucial…

A Multilevel Analysis of Teacher and School Academic Optimism in Taiwan Elementary Schools

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Wu, Jason Hsinchieh; Lin, Chunn-Ying

2018-01-01

Research on teacher and school academic optimism has abounded ever since these two constructs were confirmed and shown to have positive effects on student achievement. However, one overlooked research question is the nested association between teacher and school academic optimism. This study intends to fill this gap by using hierarchical linear…

Interrogation in Teacher-Student Interaction in Bahasa Indonesia Learning at Elementary School

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Akmal Hamsa

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Interrogation in Teacher-Student Interaction in Bahasa Indonesia Learning at Elementary School. This study aimed to describe the form, function, and questioning strategies teachers in teacher-student interrogation in Bahasa Indonesia learning in elementary school. Data sourced from four teacher of elementary school, SDN Tamangapa and SD Inpres Tamangapa. Data were obtained by (1 recording, (2 documentation, (3 field notes, (4 interview. The results showed that: (1 the form of questioning the teacher in the teacher-student interaction in Bahasa Indonesia learning in primary schools generally examined the low-level thinking skills, (2 functions of teacher questions are generally intended to check student understanding, and (3 teachers utilize a variety of strategies in addressing student answers correctly and the apparent hesitation. Some disadvantages are indicated teachers in providing interrogation.

Male and Female Secondary School EFL Teachers' Code ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study explored male and female secondary school EFL teachers' attitudes, reasons and beliefs about the functions of code-switching to L1 (Amharic) in their classes. The participants of the study were all the available (38 male and 19 female) English language teachers in seven secondary schools in Bahir Dar City and ...

Job Satisfaction Amongst Teachers at Special Needs Schools

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Strydom, Louise; Nortjé, Nico; Beukes, Roelf; Esterhuyse, Karel; van der Westhuizen, Jeanne

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to establish the level of job satisfaction amongst teachers at special schools. Teachers in special schools need to cope with curriculum changes, the administrative duties that come with these changes, and the learners with their diverse needs. Learners with special needs require a specific educational programme and also…

Leadership Styles and Teachers' Job Satisfaction in Tanzanian Public Secondary Schools

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Nyenyembe, Fabian W.; Maslowski, Ralf; Nimrod, Beatrice S.; Peter, Levina

2016-01-01

This study explores the relationship between leadership styles applied by school heads and teachers' job satisfaction in Tanzanian secondary schools. Using a questionnaire, data in this study was collected from 180 teachers in ten secondary schools in Songea District in Tanzania. The most salient finding of this study revealed that teachers were…

Teachers' participation in school policy: Nature, extent and orientation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jongmans, C.T.; Sleegers, P.J.C.; Biemans, H.J.A.; Jong, F.P.C.M. de

2004-01-01

Against the background of several large-scale innovations in secondary agricultural education, this study explores the relation between teachers' professionality and their participation in school policy. For the research into this, 1,030 teachers of 98 schools for preparatory and secondary

When a Teacher Switches Schools

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LaSalle, Daniel

2015-01-01

In this article, northeast Philadelphia teacher Daniel LaSalle describes the transition and struggle of leaving his past students and adjusting to a new school. He concludes that the highly contextualized knowledge of how to navigate, and be accepted in, a school culture is not something found in the latest journal articles or books on education.…

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD): Primary school teachers ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hennie

The participants were 200 South African primary school teachers (178 female, 22 male; mean age = 43 years) of children enrolled in ... education reforms would be the training of teachers in classroom management. ..... Assistive technology.

Coping in an HIV/AIDS-dominated context: teachers promoting resilience in schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Ebersöhn, Liesel; Ferreira, Ronél

2011-08-01

This paper explains how teachers in schools function as resources to buoy resilience in the face of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome-compounded adversities. We draw on participatory reflection and action data from a longitudinal study with teachers (n = 57, 5 males, 52 females) from six schools in three South African provinces. The study tracks the psychosocial support offered by teachers following their participation in the Supportive Teachers, Assets and Resilience project. Verbatim interview transcriptions were thematically analysed and three themes (as well as subthemes and categories) emerged: (i) Teachers use resources to promote resilience in schools [teachers use (a) systems and (b) neighbourhood health and social development services to identify and refer vulnerable cases]; (ii) Teachers form partnerships to promote resilience in schools [teacher partnerships include (a) children and families, (b) community volunteers and (c) community organizations, businesses and government] and (iii) School-based support is offered to vulnerable individuals [by means of (a) vegetable gardens, (b) emotional and health support and (c) capacity development opportunities]. We conclude that teachers can promote resilience in schools by establishing networks with service providers that function across systems to support vulnerable groups. We theorize that the core of systemic networks is relationships, that relationship-driven support networks mitigate the effects of cumulative risk and school-based networks can enable schools to function as resilience-promoting resources.

TEACHER-PRODUCED INSTRUCTIONAL FILMS IN CHEMISTRY, 8MM AND SUPER 8.

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O'CONNOR, ROD; SLABAUGH, WENDELL

TECHNIQUES FOR PRODUCING 8MM INSTRUCTIONAL FILMS IN CHEMISTRY ARE PRESENTED. IN PART I A PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHER-PRODUCED FILMS IS DEVELOPED, EMPHASIZING THE VALUE OF THE LOCAL SETTING, AND CUSTOM-MADE CONTENTS. APPLICATIONS SUGGESTED ARE (1) TECHNIQUE INSTRUCTION, (2) FILMED EXPERIMENTS, (3) INSTRUMENT FAMILIARIZATION, (4) LECTURE AIDS, AND (5)…

Linking the microscopic view of chemistry to real-life experiences: Intertextuality in a high-school science classroom

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Wu, Hsin-Kai

2003-11-01

Chemistry learning involves establishing conceptual relationships among macroscopic, microscopic, and symbolic representations. Employing the notion of intertextuality to conceptualize these relationships, this study investigates how class members interactionally construct meanings of chemical representations by connecting them to real-life experiences and how the teachers' content knowledge shapes their ways to coconstruct intertextual links with students. Multiple sources of data were collected over 7 weeks with a participation of 25 eleventh graders, an experienced teacher, and a student teacher. An examination of classroom discourse shows that the intertextual links between the microscopic view of chemistry and students' real-life experiences could be initiated by students and instigated by the teachers. The teachers applied several discursive strategies to scaffold students building meaningful links based on their prior knowledge and experiences. Additionally, the experienced teacher with stronger content knowledge tended to present links in both dialogic and monologic discourses. Yet, the relatively limited content knowledge did not necessarily constrain the student teacher's interactions with students. The findings of this study provide a backdrop for further research to explore how chemistry is learned and taught in a class through the social constructivist lens.

Chemistry under Your Skin? Experiments with Tattoo Inks for Secondary School Chemistry Students

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Stuckey, Marc; Eilks, Ingo

2015-01-01

This paper discusses a set of easy, hands-on experiments that inquire into and differentiate among tattoo inks of varying quality. A classroom scenario is described for integrating these experiments into secondary school chemistry classes. Initial experiences from the classroom are also presented.

GIS Adoption among Senior High School Geography Teachers in Taiwan

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Lay, Jinn-Guey; Chen, Yu-Wen; Chi, Yu-Lin

2013-01-01

This article explores the adoption of geographic information system (GIS) knowledge and skills through in-service training for high school geography teachers in Taiwan. Through statistical analysis of primary data collected from a census of Taiwan's high school geography teachers, it explores what motivates these teachers to undertake GIS…

Closing the Gap between Beliefs and Practice: Change of Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Orientations during a PCK-Based NOS Course

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Demirdögen, Betül; Uzuntiryaki-Kondakçi, Esen

2016-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to investigate how pre-service chemistry teachers' science teaching orientations change during a two-semester intervention designed to enhance their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching the nature of science (NOS). Moreover, the way that pre-service chemistry teachers translated their change in…

Effective Practices for Training and Inspiring High School Physics Teachers

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Magee-Sauer, Karen

It is well-documented that there is a nationwide shortage of highly qualified high school physics teachers. Not surprising, institutions of higher education report that the most common number of physics teacher graduates is zero with the majority of institutions graduating less than two physics teachers per year. With these statistics in mind, it is critical that institutions take a careful look at how they recruit, train, and contribute to the retention of high school physics teachers. PhysTEC is a partnership between the APS and AAPT that is dedicated to improving and promoting the education of high school physics teachers. Primarily funded by the NSF and its partnering organizations, PhysTEC has identified key components that are common to successful physics teacher preparation programs. While creating a successful training program in physics, it is also important that students have the opportunity for a ``do-able'' path to certification that does not add further financial debt. This talk will present an overview of ``what works'' in creating a path for physics majors to a high school physics teaching career, actions and activities that help train and inspire pre-service physics teachers, and frameworks that provide the support for in-service teachers. Obstacles to certification and the importance of a strong partnership with colleges of education will be discussed. Several examples of successful physics high school teacher preparation programs will be presented. This material is part of the Physics Teacher Education Coalition project, which is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. 0808790, 0108787, and 0833210.

Teachers' Performance Motivation System in Thai Primary Schools

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Pasathang, Sarojn; Tesaputa, Kowat; Sataphonwong, Pattananusron

2016-01-01

This research aims to: 1) study the present conditions and desirable condition of the motivation systems as well as how to find methods for motivating the performance of teachers in primary schools, 2) develop a motivation system for the performance of teachers in primary schools, 3) study the effects of using the motivation system for compliance…

PRINCIPAL AND TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF SCHOOL FACULTY MEETINGS.

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AMIDON, EDMUND; BLUMBERG, ARTHUR

THE EFFECTS OF FACULTY MEETINGS ON TEACHER MORALE WERE INVESTIGATED VIA A SIX-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONDED TO BY 40 ELEMENTARY AND 49 SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS ENROLLED IN GROUP DYNAMICS WORK AT ONE UNIVERSITY AND BY 74 ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS SELECTED AT RANDOM FROM A STATE EDUCATIONAL DIRECTORY. RESPONSES WERE ON A NINE-STEP,…

Implementation of municipal health promoting projects in primary schools: teachers perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordin, Lone Lindegard

2013-01-01

. The project is funded by the Danish Ministry of Science, University of Aarhus and Silkeborg municipality, and involves 5 primary schools, 23 teachers and 233 pupils from 7th to 9 class. The project is positioned within the critical approach to school health education and health promotion, developed......Implementation of municipally health promoting projects' in primary schools: teachers perspective Research question This paper discusses the findings from a qualitative research, that aimed to investigate how teachers in primary schools implemented municipal health promoting projects focusing...... that there is a “gap” between policy and practice according to aim, content and methods, and that teachers practice can be explained as coping mechanism. The key findings include: • Teachers practice is closer to traditional health education than critical health education. • Teachers priorities the mandatory teaching...

Correlational Study between Teacher Perceived High School Principal Leadership Style and Teacher Self-Efficacy

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Riggs, Robert

2017-01-01

This quantitative correlational study addressed the concept that teacher-perceived high school principal leadership style correlated with teacher self-efficacy. A relationship existed between teacher self-efficacy and student outcomes and research indicated a relationship between leadership style and teacher self-efficacy. Also, the effect of…

High School Teacher Perceptions of Empowerment

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Jacobs, Tricia S.

2014-01-01

As the responsibilities of principals become more complex and as accountability becomes more evident in K-12 cultures, it becomes increasingly important that high school principals be trained to empower teachers. This paper examined the research concerning the conditions of the empowerment of teachers. More specifically, it measured high school…

Fostering Pre-service Teachers' Self-Determined Environmental Motivation Through Green Chemistry Experiments

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Karpudewan, Mageswary; Ismail, Zurida; Roth, Wolff-Michael

2012-10-01

The global environmental crisis intensifies particularly in developing nations. Environmental educators have begun to understand that changing the environmental impact requires not only changes in pro-environmental knowledge and attitudes but also in associated, self-determined motivation. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that a green chemistry curriculum changes Malaysian pre-service teachers' environmental motivation. Two comparable groups of pre-service teachers participated in this study. The students in the experimental group ( N = 140) did green chemistry experiments whereas the control group ( N = 123) did equivalent experiments in a traditional manner. Posttest results indicate that there is significant difference between both the groups for intrinsic motivation, integration, identification, and introjections scales and no differences for external regulation and amotivation scales. The qualitative analysis of interview data suggests that the changes are predominantly due to the personal satisfaction that participants derived from engaging in pro-environmental behavior.

Subject Specialization and Science Teachers' Perception of Information and Communication Technology for Instruction in Kwara State

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Fakomogbon, Michael Ayodele; Adebayo, Rachael Funmi; Adegbija, Mosiforeba Victoria; Shittu, Ahmed Tajudeen; Oyelekan, Oloyede Solomon

2014-01-01

This study examined Kwara State secondary school science teachers' perception of [information and communications technology] ICT for instruction based on their area of specialization. Participants were 630 science teachers of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics from both public and private senior secondary schools in 12 Local Government…

The Relationship between Bureaucratic School Structures and Teacher Self-Efficacy

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Kilinç, Ali Çagatay; Kosar, Serkan; Er, Emre; Ögdem, Zeki

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between bureaucratic school structures and teachers' self-efficacy. Participants included 252 teachers from 15 primary schools in Ankara, Turkey. Mean, standard deviation, correlation, and regression analyses were conducted. Results indicated that bureaucratic school structures and teacher…

Study of the Perceptions of Middle School Principals on Teacher Absenteeism within an Urban School District

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Seibert, Judy C.

2013-01-01

Nationally, teacher absenteeism has become problematic, in part, as a result of collective bargaining agreements between teachers' unions and school boards. Additionally, teacher absenteeism is increasingly problematic because the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires schools to meet yearly academic targets in reading and mathematics. The…

Teacher-Centered Management Style of Public School Principals and Job Satisfaction of Teachers.

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Chung, Ki-Suck

A concept of teacher-centered management was proposed as a style of leadership behavior for school administrators to reduce the incompatibility between social/psychological needs of teachers and monocratic/bureaucratic management patterns in educational organizations. Data obtained from self-report questionnaires distributed to teachers in 21…

The Changing Distribution of Teacher Qualifications Across Schools: A Statewide Perspective Post-NCLB

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen J. DeAngelis

2010-11-01

Full Text Available A number of recent policy initiatives, including NCLB's highly qualified teacher provisions, have sought to improve the qualifications of teachers and their distribution across schools. Little is known, however, about the impact of these policies. In this study, we use population data on teachers and schools in Illinois to examine changes in the level and distribution of teacher qualifications from 2001 to 2006. We find that schools in Chicago, especially those serving the highest percentages of low-income and minority students, experienced the greatest improvements in teacher qualifications during the period. In addition, high-poverty schools in most other locales in the state registered small to moderate improvements, which narrowed the gap in teacher qualifications between high- and low-poverty schools across Illinois. Improvements in the certification status of experienced teachers and the recruitment of new teachers with stronger academic qualifications both contributed to these gains. The results reveal a tradeoff for disadvantaged schools seeking to improve both teacher qualifications and teacher experience levels, thereby calling into question the near-term feasibility of NCLB provisions that aim to simultaneously eliminate inequities across schools in both.       

A criação do curso de engenharia química na escola nacional de química da universidade do Brasil The creation of the chemical engineering course at the national school of chemistry of the university of Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandro Pereira da Silva

2006-07-01

Full Text Available The goal of this work was to establish the origins of the chemical engineering course at the National School of Chemistry of the University of Brazil (at present, the School of Chemistry of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. There was a previous Industrial Chemistry course at the Higher School of Agriculture and Veterinary, established in 1920, following the French model. This course was the basis of the creation of the National School of Chemistry in 1933. During the 1940s, teachers and students claimed for a new course in true connection with the needs of the country and to reach full valorization of their job. The structure of the new Chemical Engineering course was approved in 1946 and the first class begun in 1952. This course was of great importance during the Brazilian industrial development during the 1950s and 1960s.

Teacher Rated School Ethos and Student Reported Bullying—A Multilevel Study of Upper Secondary Schools in Stockholm, Sweden

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Modin, Bitte; Låftman, Sara B.; Östberg, Viveca

2017-01-01

School ethos refers to the school leadership’s purposive efforts to shape and direct the attitudes, values and behaviors needed in order to promote an active learning environment and to prevent the emergence of undesirable behaviors by creating shared meaning and common goals for the school. The aim of this study was to examine how teacher rated aspects of school ethos are linked with manifestations of bullying among 11th grade students. Five teacher-rated sub-dimensions of school ethos (staff stability, teacher morale, structure-order, student focus, and academic atmosphere) were examined in relation to student-reported perpetration of and exposure to traditional school bullying and cyberbullying. The data material combines student and teacher information from two separate data collections performed in 2016, comprising teachers and students in 58 upper secondary schools in Stockholm. Analyses showed that bullying was associated with all but one of the five sub-dimensions of school ethos, namely structure and order for dealing with bullying behaviors at the school. Results are discussed in light of this counter-intuitive finding. Our findings nevertheless lend support to the idea that the social organization of schools, as reflected in their teacher-rated ethos, can affect individual students’ attitudes in a way that prevents the emergence of bullying behavior among students. PMID:29236039

Teacher Rated School Ethos and Student Reported Bullying-A Multilevel Study of Upper Secondary Schools in Stockholm, Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Modin, Bitte; Låftman, Sara B; Östberg, Viveca

2017-12-13

School ethos refers to the school leadership's purposive efforts to shape and direct the attitudes, values and behaviors needed in order to promote an active learning environment and to prevent the emergence of undesirable behaviors by creating shared meaning and common goals for the school. The aim of this study was to examine how teacher rated aspects of school ethos are linked with manifestations of bullying among 11th grade students. Five teacher-rated sub-dimensions of school ethos (staff stability, teacher morale, structure-order, student focus, and academic atmosphere) were examined in relation to student-reported perpetration of and exposure to traditional school bullying and cyberbullying. The data material combines student and teacher information from two separate data collections performed in 2016, comprising teachers and students in 58 upper secondary schools in Stockholm. Analyses showed that bullying was associated with all but one of the five sub-dimensions of school ethos, namely structure and order for dealing with bullying behaviors at the school. Results are discussed in light of this counter-intuitive finding. Our findings nevertheless lend support to the idea that the social organization of schools, as reflected in their teacher-rated ethos, can affect individual students' attitudes in a way that prevents the emergence of bullying behavior among students.

Utilizing Teacher Leadership as a Catalyst for Change in Schools

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Ankrum, Raymond J.

2016-01-01

School leaders are constantly trying to find alternative ways to leverage and explore teacher leadership potential in their school building(s). Teachers leaders that are willing to go above and beyond their general duties. Teacher leaders are the type of educators that fall under the motif of potentially taking on additive responsibilities that…

Voice disorders in Nigerian primary school teachers.

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Akinbode, R; Lam, K B H; Ayres, J G; Sadhra, S

2014-07-01

The prolonged use or abuse of voice may lead to vocal fatigue and vocal fold tissue damage. School teachers routinely use their voices intensively at work and are therefore at a higher risk of dysphonia. To determine the prevalence of voice disorders among primary school teachers in Lagos, Nigeria, and to explore associated risk factors. Teaching and non-teaching staff from 19 public and private primary schools completed a self-administered questionnaire to obtain information on personal lifestyles, work experience and environment, and voice disorder symptoms. Dysphonia was defined as the presence of at least one of the following: hoarseness, repetitive throat clearing, tired voice or straining to speak. A total of 341 teaching and 155 non-teaching staff participated. The prevalence of dysphonia in teachers was 42% compared with 18% in non-teaching staff. A significantly higher proportion of the teachers reported that voice symptoms had affected their ability to communicate effectively. School type (public/private) did not predict the presence of dysphonia. Statistically significant associations were found for regular caffeinated drink intake (odds ratio [OR] = 3.07; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.51-6.62), frequent upper respiratory tract infection (OR = 3.60; 95% CI: 1.39-9.33) and raised voice while teaching (OR = 10.1; 95% CI: 5.07-20.2). Nigerian primary school teachers were at risk for dysphonia. Important environment and personal factors were upper respiratory infection, the need to frequently raise the voice when teaching and regular intake of caffeinated drinks. Dysphonia was not associated with age or years of teaching. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Teacher Job Satisfaction and Student Achievement: The Roles of Teacher Professional Community and Teacher Collaboration in Schools

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Banerjee, Neena; Stearns, Elizabeth; Moller, Stephanie; Mickelson, Roslyn Arlin

2017-01-01

Studies have not conclusively established whether teacher job satisfaction improves student achievement or whether the advantages to students from having satisfied teachers vary with the broader school culture. In this article, we investigate two research questions: (1) Is there a relationship between teacher job satisfaction and students' math…

Teachers' Learning in School-Based Development

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Postholm, May Britt; Waege, Kjersti

2016-01-01

Background and purpose: Many researchers agree that teachers' learning processes are social and that teachers need to be brought together to learn from each other. Researchers have also stated that intellectual and pedagogical change requires professional development activities that take place over a period of time in school. The purpose of the…

Administrative Support and Its Mediating Effect on US Public School Teachers

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Tickle, Benjamin R.; Chang, Mido; Kim, Sunha

2011-01-01

This study examined the effect of administrative support on teachers' job satisfaction and intent to stay in teaching. The study employed a path analysis to the data of regular, full-time, public school teachers from the Schools and Staffing Survey teacher questionnaire. Administrative support was the most significant predictor of teachers' job…

Teacher Education around the World: Changing Policies and Practices. Teacher Quality and School Development

Science.gov (United States)

Darling-Hammond, Linda, Ed.; Lieberman, Ann, Ed.

2012-01-01

Teachers are the most important single element of the education system but what does it take to create high quality teachers in today's world? Around the world, countries are struggling to understand how to change their schools to meet global demands. International comparisons have shown that schools in Finland lead the league tables, but why is…

Finding Balance: The Professional Life of a Charter School Teacher

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Clark, Marjorie

2010-01-01

This phenomenological study of one charter school teacher sought to answer the question, what is it like to be a teacher in a charter school? Exploring issues of preparation, working conditions, and job satisfaction, this teacher expressed a range of emotions about her chosen work environment. I found that the pervasive stress surrounding her work…

Teachers' knowledge and attitudes towards seizure disorder: a comparative study of urban and rural school teachers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

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Akpan, M U; Ikpeme, E E; Utuk, E-Oe

2013-01-01

Knowledge and attitude of school teachers with regard to seizure disorder has an important impact on continuation of schooling of children with seizure disorder. Though school teachers in both rural and urban settings are exposed to the same training, their perception of seizure disorder could be influenced by the environment in which they reside. To determine the knowledge and attitudes of school teachers towards children with seizure disorder, and the influence of urban residence on perception of seizure disorder by the teachers. A self-administered questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes to seizure disorder were filled by school teachers drawn from both urban and rural settings in Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria. One-hundred and thirty-two urban school teachers and an equal number of their rural counterparts completed the questionnaire. There were significantly more female teachers in the urban schools whereas the rural schools were dominated by male teachers with male to female ratio of 1:5.6 and 1.2:1, respectively. Majority of the urban (60.6%) and rural (57.6%) school teachers were National Certificate of Education holders. Thirty-eight (28.8%) of urban respondents versus eight (6.1%) of rural respondents thought seizure disorder was caused by evil spirits whereas 60 (45.5%) urban respondents compared to 80 (60.6%) of rural respondents felt seizure disorder was infectious. Majority of the respondents from both urban and rural schools (68.2% and 63.6% respectively) believed that the foam from the mouth of a convulsing child with seizure disorder is the infecting agent. However, 62.1% of urban respondents as well as 45.5% of rural respondents would advise that children with seizure disorder be admitted into special schools. There was no significant difference in the mean overall knowledge and attitudes of school teachers to seizure disorder in the two settings ( P = 0.33 for knowledge and 0.28 for attitudes). Teachers' high level of education however, had a positive

Meaningful Work and Secondary School Teachers' Intention to Leave

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Janik, M.; Rothmann, S.

2015-01-01

The study investigates the relations between secondary school teachers' work-role fit, job enrichment, supervisor relationships, co-worker relationships, psychological meaningfulness of work and intention to leave. A cross-sectional survey was used. The participants were 502 secondary school teachers in Namibia. The following measuring instruments…

Chinese school teachers' organizational citizenship behavior (OCB): Predictors and outcomes.

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Li, Xia

2013-08-01

Teacher's organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is a multifaceted construct that is critical to school effectiveness and to the education enterprise. Four hundred ninety-three teachers in eight different cities on the Chinese mainland were surveyed using the OCB scale developed by Bo Shiuan Cheng, a Taiwanese scholar. The antecedent and outcome variables of OCB were examined in this study. The results showed that the teachers' attitudinal characteristics of career satisfaction and career commitment, and the dispositional characteristic of locus of control, influenced teachers' OCB. In addition, teachers' OCB influenced their work performance as well as their career and organizational turnover intention. The implications of this study suggest a base of knowledge from which school administrators could enhance their school's organizational function and retain teachers. © 2013 The Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

The High School Dropout Problem: Perspectives of Teachers and Principals

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Bridgeland, John M.; Dilulio, John J., Jr.; Balfanz, Robert

2009-01-01

To better understand the views of teachers and administrators on the high school dropout problem, focus groups and nationally representative surveys were conducted of high school teachers and principals. A focus group of superintendents and school board members was also included. To help interpret the results, the authors convened a colloquium…

Opinions of Secondary School Science and Mathematics Teachers on STEM Education

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Yildirim, Bekir; Türk, Cumhur

2018-01-01

In this study, the opinions of middle school science teachers and mathematics teachers towards STEM education were examined. The research was carried out for 30 hours with 28 middle school science and mathematics teachers who were working in Istanbul during the spring semester of 2016-2017 academic year. 75% of these teachers are female teachers…

Formation of Korean heritage school teachers' transnational identity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hye Young Shin

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the complex and shifting professional identities of female Korean heritage school female teachers as a transnational experience. Focus groups and individual interviews created a space for dialogic inquiry into their work experiences and personal and professional lives. The study explored teachers’ professional identity formation, which is influenced by gender and ethnicity within the institutional context of one of the largest heritage schools in the Washington, D.C. area. Teachers compared and reflected on their former and current teaching and learning experiences in Korea and the U.S., experiences raising 1st and 2nd generation children and volunteer experiences in U.S. schools, their workload, salary and status. It reports on their pedagogical insights concerning jueepshik, a traditional Korean cramming method of teaching, their thirst for knowledge, commitment to strengthen and revitalize the teaching of Korean and their aspirations to raise the status and power of teachers of Korean heritage language teachers.

Modelling the Effects of Teacher Demand Factors on Teacher Understaffing in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya

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Wamukuru, David Kuria

2016-01-01

The secondary school teacher labour market faces many challenges including, escalating teacher wage bill, teacher shortages that occur alongside teacher surpluses, inadequate teacher distribution and inefficient teacher utilization. There is the need therefore to understand the effects of the factors determining demand for secondary school…

Behavioral Dysphonia and Depression in Elementary School Teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Marques da Rocha, Luise; Behlau, Mara; Dias de Mattos Souza, Luciano

2015-11-01

To verify the relationship between behavioral dysphonia and current depressive episodes in municipal elementary school teachers. We hypothesize that teachers with behavioral dysphonia will be more susceptible to psychiatric disorders. Cross-sectional study, quantitative, conducted across municipal schools in both rural and urban regions of Pelotas. Five-hundred seventy-five teachers from urban and rural areas of the same Brazilian state were included. The full version of the Voice Handicap Index validated into Brazilian Portuguese was used to determine the presence of behavioral dysphonia. A profile of vocal behaviors was also used to quantify the number of phonotraumatic events. In addition, the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to determine current episodes of depression. Data were analyzed via correlative studies using chi-square and Poisson regression analyses. Across all teachers, the prevalence of dysphonia was 33.9% and 55% reported that they had already taken a leave because of their voice. Those teachers with a current depressive episode had a higher rate of dysphonia compared with those without depression (prevalence ratio [PR] 1.66; P Teachers who presented with a risk of serious vocal problems had a prevalence ratio of 2.58, indicating a greater proportion of dysphonia, whereas teachers classified as champions of abuse were five times more likely compared with those teachers with behaved or candidates for voice problems. There is an association between behavioral dysphonia and current depressive episodes in elementary school teachers. Copyright © 2015 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Antecedent and Consequence of School Academic Optimism and Teachers' Academic Optimism Model

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Hong, Fu-Yuan

2017-01-01

The main purpose of this research was to examine the relationships among school principals' transformational leadership, school academic optimism, teachers' academic optimism and teachers' professional commitment. This study conducted a questionnaire survey on 367 teachers from 20 high schools in Taiwan by random sampling, using principals'…

Peer and Teacher Preference, Student-Teacher Relationships, Student Ethnicity, and Peer Victimization in Elementary School

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Wang, Feihong; Leary, Kevin A.; Taylor, Lorraine C.; Derosier, Melissa E.

2016-01-01

We examined the effects of peer preference and teacher preference for students, students' perceived relationship with their teacher and student ethnicity on peer victimization in late elementary school. Participants were students in the third through fifth grades in four public elementary schools in a southern state. Using hierarchical linear…

Teacher Efficacy and Disciplinary Expectations in Charter Schools: Understanding the Link to Teachers' Career Decisions

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Torres, A. Chris

2016-01-01

Much scholarly work describes a culture of low expectations in low-income, urban schools, the challenges these teachers face managing student behavior, and why these problems so strongly influence teacher turnover. By contrast, some urban charter schools, particularly those associated with high achieving Charter Management Organizations (CMOs),…

Validity And Practicality of Experiment Integrated Guided Inquiry-Based Module on Topic of Colloidal Chemistry for Senior High School Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Andromeda, A.; Lufri; Festiyed; Ellizar, E.; Iryani, I.; Guspatni, G.; Fitri, L.

2018-04-01

This Research & Development study aims to produce a valid and practical experiment integrated guided inquiry based module on topic of colloidal chemistry. 4D instructional design model was selected in this study. Limited trial of the product was conducted at SMAN 7 Padang. Instruments used were validity and practicality questionnaires. Validity and practicality data were analyzed using Kappa moment. Analysis of the data shows that Kappa moment for validity was 0.88 indicating a very high degree of validity. Kappa moments for the practicality from students and teachers were 0.89 and 0.95 respectively indicating high degree of practicality. Analysis on the module filled in by students shows that 91.37% students could correctly answer critical thinking, exercise, prelab, postlab and worksheet questions asked in the module. These findings indicate that the integrated guided inquiry based module on topic of colloidal chemistry was valid and practical for chemistry learning in senior high school.

PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER

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Madeleine Dittus

2002-01-01

For the beginning of the school year 2002/2003, the A.P.E.G. has an opening for a primary school teacher in the German national language program. The position requires one afternoon of teaching (13:30 till 16:30) every Tuesday at the Collège in Prévessin. The candidate should be a native speaker of German and have some knowledge of French. If you are interested, please send your CV, a copy of your diploma, and a short letter of motivation, until March 10th, to the following address. Madeleine Dittus - Présidente A.P.E.G. 5, La vie Destraz 01630 St. Genis-Pouilly - France

A Different Model for School Success: Empower Teachers

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Farris-Berg, Kim

2014-01-01

This article opens with a thought provoking question--When it comes to defining teacher leadership, how much do we limit ourselves by assuming that the way teachers work today must always be the way teachers work? The author points out that pioneering groups of public school teachers across the United States are advancing a new definition of…

Influence of Gender, School Location and the use of Play-Simulation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Each of the two school types was selected from among urban and rural schools. Each intact class received chemistry lesson on organic chemistry after pre-test, each also participated in a post-test. A teacher made tested formed the research instrument. ANCOVA statistical test was used to test the two hypotheses and means ...

Democracy in schools: are educators ready for teacher leadership?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elsabé de Villiers

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research was to determine educators' perceptions of and readiness for teacher leadership. A total of 283 educators in the Eden and Central Karoo Education District in the Western Cape participated in the study. The participants included district officials, principals, and members of school management teams, as well as veteran, middle, and novice educators. A series of instruments was used to determine educators' perspectives, perceptions and readiness for teacher leadership, including the Teacher Leadership Readiness Instrument (TLRI. The results indicated that educators held positive assumptions about teacher leadership. Educators' preliminary leadership perceptions, assumptions about and readiness for teacher leadership proved that the majority of educators are ready for a more distributed, deep democratic leadership practice in schools. Educators acknowledged the need for continuous professional development in the area of teacher leadership. It was also found that as preliminary leadership perceptions of educators improve or strengthen, readiness for teacher leadership is also likely to improve or strengthen. These findings have significant implications for leadership practices, collaboration, capacity-building and improvement in schools, educators' self-esteem, motivation and productivity, as well as student outcomes.

The Nature of the Interplay among Components of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Reaction Rate and Chemical Equilibrium Topics of Novice and Experienced Chemistry Teachers

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Akin, Fatma Nur; Uzuntiryaki-Kondakci, Esen

2018-01-01

We examined the interactions among pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) components of novice and experienced chemistry teachers in teaching reaction rate and chemical equilibrium topics in this qualitative multiple-case design study. For this aim, three chemistry teachers who had different levels of teaching experience in chemistry teaching were…

Teacher Training to Handle Bullying in the School in Indonesia

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Hidayatus Sholihah

2016-02-01

Full Text Available There are several students in Indonesia who have suffered from injury or even died because of bullying. As a consequence, school teachers in Indonesia need to be trained to handle and prevent bullying. This essay examines the importance of pre-service and in service teacher training in order to reduce and prevent bullying in school in Indonesia by examining the problem of bullying, discussing the effects of it and providing areas of training to help teachers to tackle bullying. There are several reasons why bullying becomes serious problem in school. First of all, bullying is a complex task for teachers because it is difficult to identify and, teachers find it difficult to differentiate between bullying and fighting or horseplay. Moreover, teachers lack the knowledge and skills to handle bullying. Bullying has negative effects not only on victims but also on bullies. Victims feel lonely, depressed, and often have low self-esteem, while bullies often exhibit sign of bad temper or depression. Areas of teachers pre- service and in- service training are1 assisting teachers to differentiate between bullying and fighting or horse playing 2 developing skills to communicate with bullies and to manage classrooms where bullying occurs. In conclusion, teacher training is a good solution to tackle bullying at school in Indonesia because teachers are in the front line to solve this problem. Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15408/tjems.v2i1.1786

Practices and representations of health education among primary school teachers.

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Jourdan, Didier; Pommier, Jeanine; Quidu, Frédérique

2010-02-01

School is one of the key settings for health education (HE). The objectives of this study are to assess primary school teachers' self-reported teaching practices in HE and to describe their representation concerning their role in HE. A quantitative study was conducted on a sample of primary school teachers (n = 626) in two French regions in order to analyze their practices and representations in HE. A hierarchical clustering dendogram was performed on questions exploring representations of HE. Multiple linear regression analysis helped explain the motivation and self-perceived competency score. Three quarters of the teachers declare they work in HE. Only one third of them declare they work in a comprehensive HE perspective. The HE approach is often considered in terms of specific unique curriculum intervention. Two thirds of the teachers say they work alone in HE, the other third associate other partners and choose mainly school health services. Parents are rarely (12%) involved in HE initiatives. It is essentially the practice of HE, teacher training and teachers' representation of HE that condition their motivation to develop HE. Teachers can take different approaches to HE. Teachers' representation of HE plays an important role in the development of HE activities: some teachers consider that HE is the mission of the health professionals and the parents. Our expectations of teacher involvement should be realistic, should take into account the representations of their role, the difficulties they encounter, and should be sustained by specific training.

Awareness of autism amongst primary school teachers in Yenagoa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Abstract. Background: Autism is a chronic neuro-developmental disorder and teachers of pupils with autism require a basic understanding of the disorder. Objective: To determine the awareness of autism amongst primary school teachers and to find out pupils with symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Primary schools ...

Strengthening the Creative Transformational Leadership of Primary School Teachers

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Kallapadee, Yadapak; Tesaputa, Kowat; Somprach, Kanokorn

2017-01-01

This research and development aimed to: 1) study the components and indicators of creative transformational leadership of primary school teachers; 2) study the existing situation, and the desirable situation of creative transformational leadership of primary school teachers in the northeastern region of Thailand; 3) develop a program to strengthen…

Binding Forces and Teachers' School Life: A Recursive Model.

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Pang, Nicolas Sun-Keung

2003-01-01

Formulates theoretical model of four binding forces in school organizations--bureaucratic linkage, cultural linkage, tight coupling, and loose coupling--and examines their effects on teachers' feelings about school life. Finds, for example, that loose coupling had a positive effect on teachers' sense of community, job satisfaction, and commitment.…

An Investigation of Middle School Teachers' Perceptions on Bullying

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Waters, Stewart; Mashburn, Natalie

2017-01-01

The researchers in this study investigated rural middle school teachers' perspectives regarding bullying. The researchers gathered information about the teachers' definitions of bullying, where bullying occurs in their school, and how to prevent bullying. Peer-reviewed literature associated with this topic was studied in order to achieve a broader…

Empowerment, Leadership, and Teachers' Intentions to Stay in or Leave the Profession or Their Schools in North Carolina Charter Schools

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Ndoye, Abdou; Imig, Scott R.; Parker, Michele A.

2010-01-01

Teacher attrition and migration plague many American schools. The situation is even more dire in charter schools across the country. On average, teacher attrition is 15 to 40% higher in charter schools than in traditional schools. This study examined the relationships among teacher empowerment, school leadership, and intentions to stay in or leave…

Relationships between school support, school facilities, ICT culture and mathematics teachers' attitudes towards ICT in teaching and learning

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Ayub, Ahmad Fauzi Mohd; Bakar, Kamariah Abu; Ismail, Rohayati

2012-05-01

Information communication Technology (ICT) has been a major influence in the Malaysian Education System, especially in the teaching of mathematics. Since 2003, the Malaysian Ministry of Education has provided incentives to mathematics teacher to motivate them to use ICT using English as the medium of instruction, during the teaching and learning process. However, there are barriers that prevented mathematics teachers from using ICT in the classrooms. This study is to determine factors that influenced the attitudes of Malaysian Mathematic Teachers in integrating ICT in their teaching and learning. One hundred ninety one mathematics teachers were randomly selected for the purpose of this study. The three factors investigated were school support, school facilities and school culture which had been selected to be correlated with teachers' attitudes towards integrating ICT in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Findings showed that significant positive relationships existed between teachers' attitudes toward integrating ICT in the teaching and learning and school support, school facilities and ICT culture and This finding indicated that, in order to develop teachers' attitudes in using ICT during their teaching and learning process, they needed support from the school principals and also their colleagues. Apart from that, school facilities and also ICT culture were also found to be essential.

Public School and Teacher Education Reform: A Proposal for Shared Action.

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Schlechty, Phillip C.; Whitford, Betty Lou

1986-01-01

Public schools must play a more central role in teacher education than they do now. What is needed is an organization separate from public schools, the university, and the teachers' organizations that can act as an effective force for teacher professionalization. (Author)

Nursery School Headteacher Leadership Behaviour Correlates of Nursery School Teachers Job Satisfaction in Akoko North, Ondo State, Nigeria

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Clara, Okoroafor Nnenna

2016-01-01

The present study focuses on nursery school head teacher leadership behaviour as it correlates to nursery school teacher's job satisfaction. Data were collected through a scale and returned by sample of two hundred and fifty nursery school teacher's in Akoko North, Ondo State, Nigeria.Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation…