WorldWideScience

Sample records for supporting first-year teachers

  1. A Study of Novice Teachers: Challenges and Supports in the First Years

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fantilli, Robert D.; McDougall, Douglas E.

    2009-01-01

    In recent years, it has been reported that an alarming number of teachers are leaving the profession in the first three years after graduation from a pre-service program. This phenomenon is common in North America and it is essential that educators identify the challenges surrounding new teachers and provide supports to assist them. The vast…

  2. Mentoring and Retention in First-Year Teachers: A Mixed-Methods Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morina, Sam F., Jr.

    2010-01-01

    This study collected relevant information from first-year teacher proteges about mentorship effectiveness and anticipated turnover. The primary goal of this study was to examine a first-year-teacher mentoring program to determine its perceived effectiveness for first-year-teacher proteges and to examine their perceptions of the essential…

  3. Opportunity to Learn First Year Mathematics in Teacher Training ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    kofimereku

    first year teacher training mathematics syllabus were not taught by the end of the year and which ones were ... In the teacher training colleges in Ghana, Mathematics is studied as a compulsory subject in the first and .... as well as provide a 'search device', when an inquiry is beginning (Babbie,. 1990). The main focus in this ...

  4. Opportunity to learn first year mathematics in teacher training ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences ... topics in the first year teacher training mathematics syllabus were not taught by the end ... that the teacher training college tutors make efforts to complete the PS1 syllabus.

  5. Tapping into the teaching experiences of final year education students to increase support for students in their first year

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gretchen Geng

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates the mentorship of pairing first year and final year teacher education students during their school placements or practicum. Participating students were studied using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA approach and undertaking Perceived Stress Scale (PSS to interpret their experience and their stress levels in the peer mentorship program. This peer mentoring program offered benefits for the first year education students by reducing their stress levels significantly and providing reassurance about their performance during school practicum. It also prepared the final year students for taking on teacher mentor roles. While the student mentorship program cannot replace the support provided by schools and universities, it does offer first year students reassurance as to their practical teaching abilities and performance. In addition, this study provides several perspectives on student mentorship during teaching practicum that are worthy of further research.

  6. Approaches to Learning of First-Year and Fifth-Year Student Teachers: Are There Any Differences?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marušic, Iris; Jugovic, Ivana; Loncaric, Darko

    2017-01-01

    The motivation, skills and professional identity of future teachers develop during their initial teacher education. The aim of this research is to assess the differences between first-year and fifth-year student teachers on a number of personality and motivational variables that are indicative of their approaches to learning, using a…

  7. The Experiences of First-Year Music Teachers: A Literature Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conway, Colleen

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this literature review is to examine research focused on first-year music educators in an effort to present recommendations for preservice music teacher education and research. The three bodies of literature presented include the following: challenges faced by beginning music teachers, views of beginning music teachers concerning…

  8. Becoming Warm Demanders: Perspectives and Practices of First Year Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bondy, Elizabeth; Ross, Dorene D.; Hambacher, Elyse; Acosta, Melanie

    2013-01-01

    In the literature on culturally responsive pedagogy "warm demanders" are teachers who embrace values and enact practices that are central to their students' success. Few scholars have examined the experience of novice teachers who attempt to enact this stance. In this study of two first-year, female, European American teachers who attempted to be…

  9. Opportunity to Learn First Year Mathematics in Teacher Training ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    kofimereku

    first year teacher training mathematics syllabus were not taught by the end of the year and which ones .... training college in Kommenda, Central Region as a pilot study. The responses ..... calls for efforts to give more attention to these groups.

  10. Pedagogical perspectives and implicit theories of teaching: First year science teachers emerging from a constructivist science education program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dias, Michael James

    inquiry teaching difficult to implement for the first year teachers in this study. (2) Commitment to teaching and supportive relationships at the school helped the first year teachers negotiate a satisfying role. (3) A congruence existed between the first-year teachers' implicit theories and the social/experiential design of TEEMS. This congruence represented a narrowing of the gap between educational theory and practice. Implications for science-teacher education highlight the potential for experiential program designs to narrow the gap between educational theory and practice.

  11. Case studies of first-year critical science teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Love, Kurt A.

    Brent Davis and Dennis Sumara (1997) performed a study of themselves and another professor who took a sabbatical to work in an elementary school for a year. Their intentions, as professors focused on cognition, was to create a change in teaching practices throughout the school that aligned more closely with social cognitive research. However, their experiences did not go as planned. Each found that he could not just simply bring their philosophies into their classrooms independent of the sociocultural context of the school. They found very quickly that none of them could act as fully autonomous agents. They described their experiences as being part of the sociocultural fabric of the school because each of their teaching practices changed in ways that they did not anticipate and in ways that were not philosophically aligned. However, they also found that this was a two-way relationship. They were not describing completely deterministic experiences. Davis and Sumara described observing colleagues changing their practices in ways that did incorporate some of the philosophies that they espoused during their tenure at the elementary school. They explain their experience as one where they were pushed and pulled by the sociocultural context and they also pushed and pulled on the sociocultural context. This dissertation focuses on three first-year science teachers (a 4 th grade teacher and two high school science teachers) who identified as wanting to bring critical, feminist, and ecojustice perspectives into their teaching practices. Each enacts these practices much differently in the context of the sociocultural contexts of their own schools, and often changed their teaching practices in ways that seemed to more closely align with those contexts. Each of the three dealt with external and internal hegemonic pressures that caused them to align more closely with their contexts. The philosophical foundations of their sociocultural contexts were manifested externally through

  12. Fabulous First Graders: Confessions of a First-Year Teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smoll, Tracy L.

    2004-01-01

    A step-by-step self-portrait lesson helped students with their listening skills, following directions, expanding their art vocabulary, and using a variety of art media and techniques. This article describes a simple lesson that enabled a teacher to have an excellent relationship with her first grade students. The teacher who wrote this article…

  13. First-Year Seminar Faculty: Recruitment, Supports, Motivators, and Challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sobel, Karen

    2018-01-01

    The majority of universities and four-year colleges in the USA currently offer first-year seminars in at least one format. These programs often pride themselves in recruiting from among their institutions' best teachers to lead the seminars. In reality, this process of recruitment to teach in the program, as well as retention of faculty members…

  14. Variables Associated with First Year Teacher Morale Which Can Be Identified in a Teacher Education Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomson, James R., Jr.; Schuck, Robert F.

    This paper presents a study of the personal variables associated with first-year teacher morale that can be identified early in the training programs of novice teachers. This study is based on data derived from 96 (76.6 percent) of the graduates teaching in Mississippi. Data were collected through the use of five special instruments: (1)…

  15. First year effects of induction arrangements on beginning teachers' psychological processes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Helms-Lorenz, Michelle; Slof, Bert; van de Grift, Wim

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the (1) effects of a supportive program (i.e., induction arrangement) on beginning teachers' (BTs') psychological processes after a period of 1 year and (2) psychological paths of influence of the arrangement. Participants (56 Dutch secondary schools with 143 BTs) were randomly

  16. Teacher Development: A Comparative Study of Early Childhood Teachers in Their First Year of Teaching 1988-90.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clyde, Margaret; Ebbeck, M. A.

    A study of graduates of the de Lissa Institute of Early Childhood Studies and the School of Early Childhood Studies (SECS) at the University of Melbourne in Australia identified changes in the professional attitudes of teachers during their first year of teaching. Early childhood teachers working in junior primary schools, preschool kindergartens,…

  17. What Contributes to First-Year Student Teachers' Sense of Professional Agency in the Classroom?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soini, Tiina; Pietarinen, Janne; Toom, Auli; Pyhältö, Kirsi

    2015-01-01

    This study explores Finnish first-year primary teacher students' (N = 244) sense of professional agency in the classroom. In addition, the interrelation between student teachers' sense of professional agency and the perceptions of teacher education as a learning environment is explored. The sense of professional agency in the classroom…

  18. The Ineffectiveness of "Effective" Management Strategies: First-Year Teachers, Behavior Management, and Identity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dugas, Daryl

    2016-01-01

    This article presents a research project that challenges the skills-based approach to classroom management in teacher education, particularly in the domain of responding to student misbehaviors. In 90-minute narrative-based interviews, 16 first-year Chicago Public School (CPS) teachers were prompted for narratives of their experiences responding…

  19. Employment and First Year Experience of Beginner Primary School Teachers at Private Educational Institutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Turgay ÖNTAŞ

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available In this study to demonstrate primary school teachers' employment process and their first year teaching in private educational organizations is aimed. The major employer of primary school teachers is public schools that are funded by state. There will be a gap between grade inflation and employment rate when all of the teacher candidates claim to be appointed to public schools. Hence private educational organizations provide alternative career opportunities for teacher candidates. Qualitative methods will be used in this study to display real evidence from the eyes of teachers and also principals. The data have been obtained through documents and interview techniques. After the data have been collected, descriptive analysis has been used. The findings of the study were given within the frame of themes and codes which were determined based on the problem statement. The first theme, career was presented in the context of choosing sector, recruitment and selecting process, professional development, leave the profession. The second theme, factors affecting first years' success was explained in the context of teaching factors, consistency and skills focus. The third theme was presented in a category of pressure, workload, complaining psychological and physical exhaustion, flexible working conditions.

  20. The Curtin Coaches: Benefits of an outreach tutoring program for first year pre-service teachers. A Practice Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saul Karnovsky

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The Curtin Coaches program represents a dynamic outreach opportunity for pre-service teachers enrolled in their first year of study at Curtin University to engage with school-aged students as classroom tutors. Research has shown that cross-age tutoring experiences in schools can benefit both the students receiving support and those who tutor, particularly in settings where individuals are engaging in community support work. According to program feedback, participants were able to develop a range of profession-related skills such as relationship building and gain new knowledge such as understanding how students learn. These competencies are salient as they align with the newly implemented standards for graduate teachers. Understanding the benefits such outreach programs bring pre-service teachers is vital as the future of HEPPP funded programs such as the Curtin Coaches is uncertain but the importance of Work Integrated Learning is increasing.

  1. Modelling the lay expert for first-year medical students: the actor-patient as teacher.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nestel, Debra; Muir, Elizabeth; Plant, Marilyn; Kidd, Jane; Thurlow, Sue

    2002-09-01

    Actors are widely used in medical education as simulated patients. In this session, the role of actors was extended to 'simulated students' and facilitators in an introductory communication session. After an initial activity with the entire cohort of first-year students, groups of 20 students worked with either an actor or medical teacher in three activities. The activities aimed to raise students' awareness of the range of communication challenges in medical education and practice. After the session, students completed evaluation forms based on their experiences in the session. The results revealed no difference between students who were facilitated by actors or medical teachers in relation to meeting the learning objectives and their ratings of the usefulness of the activities to support learning. The actors who participated in this session were experienced in working with medical students. Their enhanced role provides students with an opportunity to identify with and reflect on the expertise of a lay teacher and to consider extending their definition of a learning opportunity to more informal encounters.

  2. Challenges in the First Year of Teaching: Lessons Learned in an Elementary Education Resident Teacher Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gourneau, Bonni

    2014-01-01

    It is well known that the first years of teaching are a challenge for all beginning teachers. According to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future's study (2010) first-year teacher attrition has been steadily increasing and many leave the profession even before they are proficient educators who know how to work with colleagues to…

  3. Bridging the Gap: The Halifax New Teacher Support Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Power, Alayne

    2013-01-01

    New teachers require specific and targeted support, as witnessed by alarming rates of attrition in their first years in the profession. Research shows they often struggle to bridge the gap between their university study and effective practice, especially with issues such as assessment, classroom management and diversity. New teachers should have…

  4. Employment and First Year Experience of Beginner Primary School Teachers at Private Educational Institutions

    OpenAIRE

    Turgay ÖNTAŞ

    2016-01-01

    In this study to demonstrate primary school teachers' employment process and their first year teaching in private educational organizations is aimed. The major employer of primary school teachers is public schools that are funded by state. There will be a gap between grade inflation and employment rate when all of the teacher candidates claim to be appointed to public schools. Hence private educational organizations provide alternative career opportunities for teacher candidates. Qualitative ...

  5. Predicting adolescent problematic online game use from teacher autonomy support, basic psychological needs satisfaction, and school engagement: a 2-year longitudinal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Chengfu; Li, Xian; Zhang, Wei

    2015-04-01

    Problematic online game use (POGU) has become a serious global public health concern among adolescents. However, its influencing factors and mediating mechanisms remain largely unknown. This study provides the first longitudinal design to test stage-environment fit theory empirically in POGU. A total of 356 Chinese students reported on teacher autonomy support, basic psychological needs satisfaction, school engagement, and POGU in the autumn of their 7th-9th grade years. Path analyses supported the proposed pathway: 7th grade teacher autonomy support increased 8th grade basic psychological needs satisfaction, which in turn increased 9th grade school engagement, which ultimately decreased 9th grade POGU. Furthermore, 7th grade teacher autonomy support directly increased 9th grade school engagement, which in turn decreased 9th grade POGU. These findings suggest that teacher autonomy support is an important protective predictor of adolescent POGU, and basic psychological needs satisfaction and school engagement are the primary mediators in this association.

  6. Administrative support of novice science teachers: A multiple case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iacuone, Leann

    Novice science teachers leave the confines of colleges and universities to embark on a new adventure in education where they aim to influence young minds, make a difference in the world, and share their love for their content. They have learned their pedagogical skills with the support and assistance of fellow classmates, a supporting professor, and a cooperating teacher. These teachers enter their new place of employment and are met with many unexpected challenges, such as a lack of resources, no one to ask questions of, and a busy staff with already established relationships, causing them to feel an overall lack of support and resulting in many new teachers rethinking their career choice and leaving the field of education within 5 years of entering. This multiple-case study investigated the administrative support 4 novice science teachers received during an academic year and the novice teachers' perceptions of the support they received to answer the following research question: How do novice science teachers who have consistent interactions with administrators develop during their first year? To answer this question, semistructured interviews, reflection journals, observations, resumes, long-range plans, and student discipline referrals were collected. The findings from this study show novice science teachers who had incidents occur in the classroom requiring administrative assistance and guidance felt more confident in enforcing their classroom management policies and procedures as the year progressed to change student behavior. The novice science teachers perceived administrators who provided resources including technology, office supplies, science supplies, and the guidance of a mentor as supportive. Novice science teachers who engaged in dialogue after administrative observations, were provided the opportunity to attend professional development outside the district, and had a mentor who taught the same discipline made more changes to their instructional

  7. Supporting the Transference of Knowledge about Language within Teacher Education Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fenwick, Lisl; Endicott, Michele; Quinn, Marie; Humphrey, Sally

    2014-01-01

    Teacher education is effective when pre-service teachers are able to transfer knowledge from content areas to practice. This study investigates the extent to which curriculum and assessment designs, along with teaching practices, supported pre-service teachers to transfer knowledge gained about language from a first-year course into a second-year…

  8. First-Year Composition Teachers' Uses of New Media Technologies in the Composition Class

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mina, Lilian W.

    2014-01-01

    As new media technologies emerge and evolve rapidly, the need to make informed decisions about using these technologies in teaching writing increases. This dissertation research study aimed at achieving multiple purposes. The first purpose was to catalog the new media technologies writing teachers use in teaching first-year composition classes.…

  9. A Mathematics Support Programme for First-Year Engineering Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hillock, Poh Wah; Jennings, Michael; Roberts, Anthony; Scharaschkin, Victor

    2013-01-01

    This article describes a mathematics support programme at the University of Queensland, targeted at first-year engineering students identified as having a high risk of failing a first-year mathematics course in calculus and linear algebra. It describes how students were identified for the programme and the main features of the programme. The…

  10. The First-Year Urban High School Teacher: Holding the Torch, Lighting the Fire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinberg, Paul J.; Weinberg, Carl

    2008-01-01

    The book tracks co-author Paul Weinberg during his first year of teaching as he is introduced to the daily tribulations of an urban Los Angeles high school. Paul's father Carl Weinberg, who fifty years earlier himself began his career in education an urban secondary school teacher, shares his experiences side-by-side with those of his son.…

  11. A Content Analysis of Images of Novice Teacher Induction: First-Semester Themes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curry, Jennifer R.; Webb, Angela W.; Latham, Samantha J.

    2016-01-01

    The powerful nature of novice teachers' experiences in their first years of teaching has been well documented. However, the variance in novices' initial immersion in the school environment is largely dependent on perceived personal and professional support as well as the environmental inducements that lend to novice teachers' success in the…

  12. The Effect of Teacher-Support Programs on Teacher Attrition in a Rural Pre-Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade Public School System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Carol R.

    2013-01-01

    Many new teachers are leaving the profession during their first 3 years in a rural pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public school classroom in the southeastern United States. This study reviewed the teacher-support programs typically used in this school that assisted new teachers and encouraged their retention. This work is important because…

  13. Design and Development of a Geography Module for First-year Primary Student Teachers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blankman, M.; van der Schee, J.; Boogaard, M.; Volman, M.

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes the result of a design study in which a geography course was developed and tested aiming to develop the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of first-year primary student teachers. This resulted in a course called ‘Consciously Teaching Geography’ with characteristics as (1)

  14. Online supplementary mathematics tuition in a first-year childhood teacher education programme

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathleen Fonseca

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This study reports on an intervention that was aimed at improving the content knowledge of first-year intermediate-phase education students at a South African university. The study gives some insight into preservice teachers’ perceptions of an online programme for the development of mathematics common content knowledge for teachers of mathematics in the intermediate grades. The effectiveness of the intervention programme was analysed according to Shapiro’s evaluation criteria for intervention research. The findings show that there has been a positive shift in preservice teachers’ common content knowledge but that there is much room for further development. The student teachers found the programme to be of great benefit with regard to the development of their mathematics knowledge as well as their confidence as future teachers of mathematics. The findings highlighted their disturbingly limited knowledge of mathematics content knowledge and pointed to the responsibility of teacher education departments at universities to implement sufficient maths content courses that will address the status quo of poor mathematics teaching in South African primary schools. The authors conclude that the students need to spend much more time on ‘catching up’ before they become teachers.

  15. Design and Development of a Geography Module for First-Year Primary Student Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blankman, Marian; van der Schee, Joop; Boogaard, Marianne; Volman, Monique

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes the result of a design study in which a geography course was developed and tested aiming to develop the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of first-year primary student teachers. This resulted in a course called "Consciously Teaching Geography" with characteristics as (1) starting from students' preconceptions and…

  16. First-Year Writing Teachers, Perceptions of Students’ Information Literacy Competencies, and a Call for a Collaborative Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Joy Birmingham

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Despite the shared work of teaching research and writing, research librarians and compositionists (writing teachers have not engaged regularly in dialogue about how they might collaborate in this endeavor. This project surveyed English teachers at three institutions, a private liberal arts college, a public liberal arts college, and a land grant university, concerning their perceptions of their students’ information literacy skills, as well as about the variety of strategies they used to introduce and reinforce information literacy competency in their classrooms. These strategies ranged from assigning a research project with little classroom or library support, to using up to ten different research-related activities to build the research competencies to complete a project. The authors found that teachers who employed a variety of strategies for teaching information literacy competency were significantly more satisfied with their students’ abilities to successfully complete researched projects. This paper reports on the results of this study begins a conversation about how these results might shape collaborations between librarians and first-year writing programs.

  17. Towards Collaborative Professional Learning in the First Year Early Childhood Teacher Education Practicum: Issues in Negotiating the Multiple Interests of Stakeholder Feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Alice; Danaher, Patrick

    2008-01-01

    This paper analyses data from two sources of stakeholder feedback--first year pre-service teachers and supervising teachers/centre directors--about the issues involved in creating more collaborative approaches to the first year early childhood teacher education practicum at an Australian regional university. The collection of this feedback was…

  18. Common Problems Experienced by First Year Alternatively Certified Teachers: A Qualitative Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Li-Ching; Smith, Cary Stacy

    2012-01-01

    The teacher shortage throughout the United States, especially in areas considered "at-risk," has reached an alarming level. Novice teachers often decide not to return after one year of service, with the number of teachers not returning doubling at five years. One possible means of overcoming these two problems is alternative…

  19. Quality of Life: Domains for Understanding Maths Anxiety in First Year Pre-Service Teachers through Identity Work

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Sue

    2016-01-01

    Mathematics anxiety in primary pre-service teachers' affects their future teaching of mathematics and achievement of students. Data collected via Critical Incident Technique were used to investigate this anxiety as perceived and identified by first year pre-service teachers. This paper proposes the application of the Quality of Life conceptual…

  20. First aid and basic life support training for first year medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altintaş, Kerim Hakan; Yildiz, Ali Naci; Aslan, Dilek; Ozvariş, Sevkat Bahar; Bilir, Nazmi

    2009-12-01

    We developed 24 and 12-h programs for first aid and basic life support (FA-BLS) training for first-year medical students and evaluated the opinions of both the trainers and trainees on the effectiveness of the programs. The trainees were the first-year students of academic years 2000-2001 (316 students) and 2001-2002 (366 students). The evaluations of the participants were collected from short questionnaires created specifically for the study. For the 24-h training program, most of the students stated that FA-BLS sessions met their expectations (85.9%) and they were satisfied with the training (91.1%). Of the participants, 75.6% stated that they could apply FA confidently in real situations simulating the topics they learned in the FA-BLS sessions. For the 12-h training program, 84.4% of the students felt themselves competent in FA-BLS applications. The trainers considered both of the programs as effective.

  1. Figuring out How to Be a Teacher in a High-Stakes Context: A Case Study of First-Year Teachers' Conceptual and Practical Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Christopher P.; Bay-Borelli, Debra E.; Scott, Jill

    2015-01-01

    High-stakes education reforms across the United States and the globe continue to alter the landscape of teaching and teacher education. One key but understudied aspect of this reform process is the experiences of first-year teachers, particularly those who participated in these high-stakes education systems as students and as a…

  2. Social Support from Parents, Friends, Classmates, and Teachers in Children and Adolescents Aged 9 to 18 Years: Who Is Perceived as Most Supportive?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bokhorst, Caroline L.; Sumter, Sindy R.; Westenberg, P. Michiel

    2010-01-01

    Age and gender differences in perceived social support from parents, friends, classmates, and teachers were investigated in 304 boys and 351 girls aged 9-18 years. The social support scale for children and adolescents was used for this purpose. Analyses showed that the level of perceived social support from parents and friends was similar across…

  3. The Contributions of Teachers' Emotional Support to Children's Social Behaviors and Self-Regulatory Skills in First Grade

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merritt, Eileen G.; Wanless, Shannon B.; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E.; Cameron, Claire; Peugh, James L.

    2012-01-01

    The present observational study used hierarchical linear modeling to examine predictors of children's social and self-regulatory outcomes in first-grade classrooms. Specifically, goals were the following: (1) to explore relations between emotionally supportive teacher-child interactions and children's social behaviors (aggression with peers,…

  4. Social support from parents, friends, classmates, and teachers in children and adolescents aged 9 to 18 years: who is perceived as most supportive?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bokhorst, C.L.; Sumter, S.R.; Westenberg, P.M.

    2010-01-01

    Age and gender differences in perceived social support from parents, friends, classmates, and teachers were investigated in 304 boys and 351 girls aged 9-18 years. The social support scale for children and adolescents was used for this purpose. Analyses showed that the level of perceived social

  5. The Effects of Online Homework on First Year Pre-Service Science Teachers' Learning Achievements of Introductory Organic Chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratniyom, Jadsada; Boonphadung, Suttipong; Unnanantn, Thassanant

    2016-01-01

    This study examined the effects of the introductory organic chemistry online homework on first year pre-service science teachers' learning achievements. The online homework was created using a web-based Google form in order to enhance the pre-service science teachers' learning achievements. The steps for constructing online homework were…

  6. Preparation and Support for Teachers in Public Schools: Reflections on the First Year of Teaching. Stats in Brief. NCES 2018-143

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowsher, Amanda; Sparks, Dinah; Hoyer, Kathleen Mulvaney

    2018-01-01

    This Statistics in Brief adds to existing research on early-career teachers by presenting findings on their preparation and supports from data from the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). This brief, like past research, investigates several specific areas of preparation and types of support. For the purposes of this brief, early-career…

  7. The Influences on Teaching Perspectives of Australian Physical Education Teacher Education Students: The First-Year Influences on Teaching Perspectives Exploratory (FIT-PE) Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hyndman, Brendon P.; Pill, Shane

    2016-01-01

    There has been a paucity of literature investigating the teaching beliefs and intentions of Australian physical education teacher education (PETE) students that enter teacher training. The First-year Influences on Teaching Perspectives Exploratory (FIT-PE) study explores the teaching perspectives of first year PETE students; including teaching…

  8. Does Self-Efficacy Mediate the Effect of Primary School Teachers' Emotional Support on Learning Behavior and Academic Skills?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kikas, Eve; Mägi, Katrin

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the effects of first-grade teachers' emotional support on task persistence and academic skills in the sixth grade and the mediational role of children's academic self-concept in these effects. Participants were 524 children (263 boys, X-bar age in the first grade = 7.47 years), their first-grade homeroom teachers (n = 53), and…

  9. First Year Distance Transition Pedagogy: Synchronous online classrooms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wendy Fasso

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The design and facilitation of distance online courses for first year students must consider both first year, and distance pedagogy. One technology with the promise to meet the needs of first year distance students is the synchronous online classroom. Teacher practice as they transition from face to face to distance environments is influenced by their private theories about technology and pedagogy. Any limitations posed by these private theories may limit in turn the technological, pedagogical and content knowledge of the teachers – TPACK. This paper reports on the case of a regional university as it transitions to online, distance learning in the first year context, with a particular focus on pedagogy in the online classroom. It contributes to the first year pedagogy literature by considering the influences of existing practice of university teachers in the transition to distance learning with a particular focus on synchronous web-based tutorials. It provides recommendations to other institutions in terms of transition strategies, the pedagogical and learning benefits that are enabled and professional development needs of teachers. Normal 0 false false false EN-AU ZH-CN X-NONE

  10. How teacher emotional support motivates students: The mediating roles of perceived peer relatedness, autonomy support, and competence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruzek, Erik A.; Hafen, Christopher A.; Allen, Joseph P.; Gregory, Anne; Mikami, Amori Yee; Pianta, Robert C.

    2017-01-01

    Multilevel mediation analyses test whether students' mid-year reports of classroom experiences of autonomy, relatedness with peers, and competence mediate associations between early in the school year emotionally-supportive teacher-student interactions (independently observed) and student-reported academic year changes in mastery motivation and behavioral engagement. When teachers were observed to be more emotionally-supportive in the beginning of the school year, adolescents reported academic year increases in their behavioral engagement and mastery motivation. Mid-year student reports indicated that in emotionally-supportive classrooms, adolescents experienced more developmentally-appropriate opportunities to exercise autonomy in their day-to-day activities and had more positive relationships with their peers. Analyses of the indirect effects of teacher emotional support on students' engagement and motivation indicated significant mediating effects of autonomy and peer relatedness experiences, but not competence beliefs, in this sample of 960 students (ages 11–17) in the classrooms of 68 middle and high school teachers in 12 U.S. schools. PMID:28190936

  11. How teacher emotional support motivates students: The mediating roles of perceived peer relatedness, autonomy support, and competence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruzek, Erik A; Hafen, Christopher A; Allen, Joseph P; Gregory, Anne; Mikami, Amori Yee; Pianta, Robert C

    2016-04-01

    Multilevel mediation analyses test whether students' mid-year reports of classroom experiences of autonomy, relatedness with peers, and competence mediate associations between early in the school year emotionally-supportive teacher-student interactions (independently observed) and student-reported academic year changes in mastery motivation and behavioral engagement. When teachers were observed to be more emotionally-supportive in the beginning of the school year, adolescents reported academic year increases in their behavioral engagement and mastery motivation. Mid-year student reports indicated that in emotionally-supportive classrooms, adolescents experienced more developmentally-appropriate opportunities to exercise autonomy in their day-to-day activities and had more positive relationships with their peers. Analyses of the indirect effects of teacher emotional support on students' engagement and motivation indicated significant mediating effects of autonomy and peer relatedness experiences, but not competence beliefs, in this sample of 960 students (ages 11-17) in the classrooms of 68 middle and high school teachers in 12 U.S. schools.

  12. 'People form their own support systems - like forming their own families': the role of parents and friends in the first year at dental school.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMillan, W

    2016-05-01

    Most students experience the transition from school to university as challenging. Students from backgrounds with little or no experience of higher education are most vulnerable in the transition, and most at risk of academic failure or early departure. This study examined the role that parents and friends play in the transition to university and in the first academic year. The study examines the mechanisms of this support so as to understand the ways in which support is provided. It examines whether - and if so, how - support mechanisms differed for first-generation students and those with family familiarity of university. Data were collected through focus group and individual interviews with dentistry students in their first and second academic years at a Faculty of Dentistry in South Africa. Concepts from psychology literature - attachment and friendship quality - provided the analytical framework. Findings from the study suggest that the social relationships which students have access to during the transition and the first academic year have the potential to provide emotional resources which ease transition and practical information about appropriate ways of being and doing at university. First-generation university students are less likely to have access to the latter because their parents have no experience of university. The study concludes with suggestions for ways in which universities and their teachers might provide support for all first-year students. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Giving priority to evidence in science teaching: A first-year elementary teacher's specialized practices and knowledge

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Avraamidou, Lucy; Zembal-Saul, Carla

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the nature of a first-year elementary teacher's specialized practices and knowledge for giving priority to evidence in science teaching and to explore the possible sources from which this knowledge was generated. Data included three

  14. Teacher Views on Organizational Support and Psychological Contract Violation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Argon, Türkan; Ekinci, Serkan

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to determine the relationship between secondary school teachers' view regarding Organizational Support and Psychological Contract Violation. The study conducted with relational screening model included 230 secondary school teachers employed in Bolu central district in 2014-2015 academic year. Perceived Organizational Support Scale…

  15. The First Summer--Critical for Vo-Ag Teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaughn, Paul R.; Vaughn, Roscoe C.

    1979-01-01

    To aid beginning New Mexico vocational agriculture teachers, the New Mexico State Department of Vocational Education initiated two activities: developing a first-year handbook to provide direction and guidance and making a visit to beginning teachers before the start of school. Beginning teachers indicated that both activities have been helpful.…

  16. GLOBE Mission Earth: The evaluation of the first year's implementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adaktylou, N. E.; Hedley, M. L.; Darche, S.; Harris-Stefanakis, E.; Silberglitt, M. D.; Struble, J.; Bingham, P.; Czajkowski, K.

    2017-12-01

    Here we present the evaluation findings for the first year of implementation of the `Mission Earth' Program.`Mission Earth' proposes the systematic embedding of GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) resources and NASA assets into the curricula of schools along the K-12 continuum, leveraging existing partnerships and networks. The main goal of the program is to create developmentally appropriate, vertically-integrated K-12 materials and activities,, supported by high quality professional development and ongoing support, engaging teachers from all grades. Its team consists of 5 geographically distributed universities and research institutions that have developed a curriculum progression following research-based best practices, have conducted the year's trainings for selected cohorts of teachers. The evaluation is a continuous process over the program's five year duration to examine implementation and opportunities for improvement. A broad set of data collection tools include a diagnostic component (needs assessment for teachers, capacity assessment for the school environment) and an assessment of implementation component (surveys for teachers and trainers, pre- and post tests for students, classroom observations, teacher interviews, portfolios). The tools used are validated instruments or ones modified to serve the program needs. The patterns emerging from the data provided information on: i) the quality of the intervention as to its design and content, ii) the alignment with the needs of the participants, iii) the implementation phase, iii) changes in the content knowledge of the students and their attitudes toward science, iv) changes in the facility of teachers to teach science in their classrooms after the professional development and materials provided, v) challenges and facilitators of implementation. Based on findings the program evaluation identifies additions/adjustments to be adopted in the following year.

  17. Finding My Way: Perceptions of Institutional Support and Belonging in Low-Income, First-Generation, First-Year College Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Means, Darris R.; Pyne, Kimberly B.

    2017-01-01

    For this qualitative case study we explored students' perceptions of institutional support and sense of belonging within the college environment. Following 10 low-income, first-generation college students out of a college access program and through their first year of college, we examined institutional support structures that have been reported to…

  18. The First Five Years: Novice Teacher Beliefs, Experiences, and Commitment to the Profession

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michel, Heather Ann

    2013-01-01

    Novice teacher attrition is a valid concern for public education. Some studies have found that 40-50% of novice teachers will leave the profession before they reach their fifth year of teaching. Previous literature states that novice teachers leave because of job dissatisfaction, school conditions and feeling ineffective with their students. This…

  19. Perceived Social Support and Well Being: First-Year Student Experience in University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awang, Mohd Mahzan; Kutty, Faridah Mydin; Ahmad, Abdul Razaq

    2014-01-01

    The current study explored first-year student experience in receiving social support and its relation to their ability to adapt with university ethos. It also explored how social support on academic adjustment, social adjustment and emotional adjustment among students were significantly associated with student well-being. This qualitative research…

  20. Teacher Support in Learning: Instrumental and Appraisal Support in Relation to Math Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Tracy K. Y.; Tao, Xi; Konishi, Chiaki

    2018-01-01

    This study explored the extent to which teachers' instrumental (i.e., tangible aid to promote learning) and appraisal support (i.e., teacher feedback) enhanced students' achievement in mathematics. Participants included 13,950 fifteen-year-old Canadian students who participated in the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment. Based on…

  1. Metacognitive and multimedia support of experiments in inquiry learning for science teacher preparation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruckermann, Till; Aschermann, Ellen; Bresges, André; Schlüter, Kirsten

    2017-04-01

    Promoting preservice science teachers' experimentation competency is required to provide a basis for meaningful learning through experiments in schools. However, preservice teachers show difficulties when experimenting. Previous research revealed that cognitive scaffolding promotes experimentation competency by structuring the learning process, while metacognitive and multimedia support enhance reflection. However, these support measures have not yet been tested in combination. Therefore, we decided to use cognitive scaffolding to support students' experimental achievements and supplement it by metacognitive and multimedia scaffolds in the experimental groups. Our research question is to what extent supplementing cognitive support by metacognitive and multimedia scaffolding further promotes experimentation competency. The intervention has been applied in a two-factorial design to a two-month experimental course for 63 biology teacher students in their first bachelor year. Pre-post-test measured experimentation competency in a performance assessment. Preservice teachers worked in groups of four. Therefore, measurement took place at group level (N = 16). Independent observers rated preservice teachers' group performance qualitatively on a theory-based system of categories. Afterwards, experimentation competency levels led to quantitative frequency analysis. The results reveal differing gains in experimentation competency but contrary to our hypotheses. Implications of combining scaffolding measures on promoting experimentation competency are discussed.

  2. Support for New Physics Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adrian, Brian W.; Zollman, D.; Stevens, S.

    2006-12-01

    Teachers of physics can often lack the type of support they desperately need. The Physics Teaching Web Advisory (Pathway) is a dynamic digital library for physics teaching that is designed to offer such support. Carnegie Mellon University’s synthetic interview technology provides the foundation for a system that allows physics teachers to ask questions of a virtual mentor and get video responses. A log of the questions asked of our system provides a rich database of information about just what types of support teachers are requesting. This talk will present a summary of the common types of questions teachers ask. Such information is valuable as we design support systems for physics teachers, both new and experienced. In addition, recent progress and developments will be discussed. Supported by NSF grant numbers DUE-0226157, DUE-0226219, ESI-0455772 & ESI-0455813

  3. The support gap: New teachers' early experiences in high-income and low-income schools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susan Moore Johnson

    2004-10-01

    Full Text Available In this article, the authors consider three sources of support for new teachers—hiring practices, relationships with colleagues, and curriculum—all found in earlier research to influence new teachers’ satisfaction with their work, their sense of success with students, and their eventual retention in their job. They find that a "support gap" exists: new teachers in low-income schools are less likely than their counterparts in high-income schools to experience timely and information-rich hiring, to benefit from mentoring and support by experienced colleagues, and to have a curriculum that is complete and aligned with state standards, yet flexible for use in the classroom. Such patterns of difference between high-income and lowincome schools warrant careful consideration because they reveal broad patterns of inequity, which can have severe consequences for low-income students. Survey data for this study were collected from random samples of teachers in five states. One survey, focusing on hiring practices and teachers’ relationships with colleagues, was administered to 374 first-year and secondyear teachers in Florida, Massachusetts, and Michigan. A second survey, focusing on curriculum, was administered to 295 second-year elementary school teachers in Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Washington. The inequitable patterns of support for teachers reported here have important implications for the work of state policymakers, school district administrators, and principals. The authors describe these and offer recommendations for policy and practice in the conclusion.

  4. First-year Pre-service Teachers in Taiwan—Do they enter the teacher program with satisfactory scientific literacy and attitudes toward science?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chin, Chi-Chin

    2005-10-01

    Scientific literacy and attitudes toward science play an important role in human daily lives. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether first-year pre-service teachers in colleges in Taiwan have a satisfactory level of scientific literacy. The domains of scientific literacy selected in this study include: (1) science content; (2) the interaction between science, technology and society (STS); (3) the nature of science; and (4) attitudes toward science. In this study, the instruments used were Chinese translations of the Test of Basic Scientific Literacy (TBSL) and the Test of Science-related Attitudes. Elementary education majors (n = 141) and science education majors (n = 138) from four teachers’ colleges responded to these instruments. The statistical results from the tests revealed that, in general, the basic scientific literacy of first-year pre-service teachers was at a satisfactory level. Of the six scales covered in this study, the pre-service teachers displayed the highest literacy in health science, STS, and life science. Literacy in the areas of the nature of science and earth science was rated lowest. The results also showed that science education majors scored significantly higher in physical science, life science, nature of science, science content, and the TBSL than elementary science majors. Males performed better than females in earth science, life science, science content, and the TBSL. Next, elementary education majors responded with more “don’t know” responses than science education majors. In general, the pre-service teachers were moderately positive in terms of attitudes toward science while science education majors had more positive attitudes toward science. There was no significant difference in attitudes between genders. Previous experience in science indicated more positive attitudes toward science. The results from stepwise regression revealed that STS, the nature of science, and attitudes toward science could explain 50

  5. Basic life support knowledge of first-year university students from Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santos, S V; Margarido, M R R A; Caires, I S; Santos, R A N; Souza, S G; Souza, J M A; Martimiano, R R; Dutra, C S K; Palha, P; Zanetti, A C G; Pazin-Filho, A

    2015-12-01

    We aimed to evaluate knowledge of first aid among new undergraduates and whether it is affected by their chosen course. A questionnaire was developed to assess knowledge of how to activate the Mobile Emergency Attendance Service - MEAS (Serviço de Atendimento Móvel de Urgência; SAMU), recognize a pre-hospital emergency situation and the first aid required for cardiac arrest. The students were also asked about enrolling in a first aid course. Responses were received from 1038 of 1365 (76.04%) new undergraduates. The questionnaires were completed in a 2-week period 1 month after the beginning of classes. Of the 1038 respondents (59.5% studying biological sciences, 11.6% physical sciences, and 28.6% humanities), 58.5% knew how to activate the MEAS/SAMU (54.3% non-biological vs 61.4% biological, P=0.02), with an odds ratio (OR)=1.39 (95%CI=1.07-1.81) regardless of age, sex, origin, having a previous degree or having a relative with cardiac disease. The majority could distinguish emergency from non-emergency situations. When faced with a possible cardiac arrest, 17.7% of the students would perform chest compressions (15.5% non-biological vs 19.1% biological first-year university students, P=0.16) and 65.2% would enroll in a first aid course (51.1% non-biological vs 74.7% biological, Pbasic life support skills to help with cardiac arrest. A significant proportion would not enroll in a first aid course. Biological first-year university students were more prone to enroll in a basic life support course.

  6. The evaluation of first aid and basic life support training for the first year university students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altintaş, Kerim Hakan; Aslan, Dilek; Yildiz, Ali Naci; Subaşi, Nüket; Elçin, Melih; Odabaşi, Orhan; Bilir, Nazmi; Sayek, Iskender

    2005-02-01

    In Turkey, the first aiders are few in quantity and yet they are required in many settings, such as earthquakes. It was thought that training first year university students in first aid and basic life support (FA-BLS) techniques would serve to increase the number of first aiders. It was also thought that another problem, the lack of first aid trainers, might be addressed by training medical students to perform this function. A project aimed at training first year university students in FA-BLS was conducted at Hacettepe University. In the first phase, medical student first aid trainers (MeSFAT) were trained in FA-BLS training techniques by academic trainers and in the second phase, first year university students were trained in FA-BLS techniques by these peer trainers under the academic trainers' supervision. The purpose of this study was to assess the participants' evaluation of this project and to propose a new program to increase the number of first aiders in the country. In total, 31 medical students were certified as MeSFATs and 12 of these trained 40 first year university students in FA-BLS. Various questionnaires were applied to the participants to determine their evaluation of the training program. Most of the participants and the authors considered the program to be successful and effective. This method may be used to increase the number of first aid trainers and first aiders in the community.

  7. From iTE to NQT: Evaluating Newly Qualified Teachers' Use of Mobile Technology in Their First Two Years of Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mac Mahon, Brendan; Ó'Grádaigh, Seán; Ghuidhir, Sinéad Ni

    2018-01-01

    This article outlines a study to examine if newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who had incorporated iPad within pedagogical practice during initial teacher education, continued to do so in their first two years of teaching, and also to identify the challenges to integration that emerged. Findings show that use of iPad in teaching, learning and…

  8. The Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program: Using Coaching to Support Generalization to Real-World Classroom Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reinke, Wendy M.; Stormont, Melissa; Webster-Stratton, Carolyn; Newcomer, Lori L.; Herman, Keith C.

    2012-01-01

    This article focuses on the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Training (IY TCM) intervention as an example of an evidence-based program that embeds coaching within its design. First, the core features of the IY TCM program are described. Second, the IY TCM coaching model and processes utilized to facilitate high fidelity of…

  9. Understanding the Educational Experiences of Science Teachers in a Five-Year Teacher Education Program: A Phenomenological Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srivastava, Nitin

    This qualitative study provides an overview of educational experiences of six in-service and three pre-service secondary science teachers in the Benedum Collaborative Five-Year Teacher Education Program at a land-grant university. The researcher interviewed secondary science teachers on the experiences they found meaningful in various program components that influenced their teacher identity, beliefs about science pedagogy, and their sense of preparedness for teaching. Document analysis of teachers' journals and lesson plans supplemented the qualitative data in addition to the researcher's role and knowledge as an outsider (non-Benedum graduate) and insider (facilitator and instructor in the technology integration based classes for one year) of the Benedum Collaborative Five-Year Teacher Education Program. Findings also supported the Holmes (1986) and Goodlad (1990) views for extended field experiences and "collaborative culture" in teacher education for well-prepared teachers.

  10. Changes in teachers' involvement versus rejection and links with academic motivation during the first year of secondary education: a multilevel growth curve analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maulana, Ridwan; Opdenakker, Marie-Christine; Stroet, Kim; Bosker, Roel

    2013-09-01

    Research consistently shows that the learning environment plays an important role for early adolescents' learning and outcomes and suggests that good teacher-student relationships can serve as a protective factor for maintaining young adolescents' interest and active engagement in learning. However, less is known about the dynamic nature of teacher-student relationships and how they link with academic motivation development. Furthermore, little is known about the nature and the effects of teacher-student relationships in a cross-national context. The present study investigated changes in two components of teacher-student relationships (teachers' involvement vs. rejection) and examined links with students' academic motivation during the first grade of secondary school. Ten Dutch and ten Indonesian teachers (65 % female) from 24 classes were videoed 12 times across the school year, and four videos for each class were selected randomly and coded on teachers' involvement versus rejection. A total of 713 students (52 % girls) completed four-wave measures of their academic motivation after each video observation. Multilevel growth curve modeling revealed that the teacher's involvement changed in a curvilinear way and decreased across the first year of secondary education, while changes in the teacher's rejection did not follow a linear time function. Academic motivation changed in an undesirable way: controlled motivation increased, while autonomous motivation decreased over time. Teachers' involvement had a unique contribution in preventing high levels of controlled motivation in both countries. Findings suggest that teacher-student relationships (teachers' involvement) play an essential role in early adolescents' motivation regardless of the nations and should be a priority for schools.

  11. Basic life support knowledge of first-year university students from Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. V. Santos

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available We aimed to evaluate knowledge of first aid among new undergraduates and whether it is affected by their chosen course. A questionnaire was developed to assess knowledge of how to activate the Mobile Emergency Attendance Service - MEAS (Serviço de Atendimento Móvel de Urgência; SAMU, recognize a pre-hospital emergency situation and the first aid required for cardiac arrest. The students were also asked about enrolling in a first aid course. Responses were received from 1038 of 1365 (76.04% new undergraduates. The questionnaires were completed in a 2-week period 1 month after the beginning of classes. Of the 1038 respondents (59.5% studying biological sciences, 11.6% physical sciences, and 28.6% humanities, 58.5% knew how to activate the MEAS/SAMU (54.3% non-biological vs 61.4% biological, P=0.02, with an odds ratio (OR=1.39 (95%CI=1.07-1.81 regardless of age, sex, origin, having a previous degree or having a relative with cardiac disease. The majority could distinguish emergency from non-emergency situations. When faced with a possible cardiac arrest, 17.7% of the students would perform chest compressions (15.5% non-biological vs 19.1% biological first-year university students, P=0.16 and 65.2% would enroll in a first aid course (51.1% non-biological vs 74.7% biological, P<0.01, with an OR=2.61 (95%CI=1.98-3.44 adjusted for the same confounders. Even though a high percentage of the students recognized emergency situations, a significant proportion did not know the MEAS/SAMU number and only a minority had sufficient basic life support skills to help with cardiac arrest. A significant proportion would not enroll in a first aid course. Biological first-year university students were more prone to enroll in a basic life support course.

  12. The first year: the support needs of parents caring for a child with an intellectual disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Douglas, Tracy; Redley, Bernice; Ottmann, Goetz

    2016-11-01

    To describe the support needs of parents caring for a child with an intellectual disability in the first year of life. Parents of children with intellectual disabilities face significant challenges during the first year of their child's life which is an important developmental period not previously addressed in the literature. The provision of support by health professionals, particularly nurses and midwives, during this crucial period can impact on parental well-being and on the health and developmental outcomes of their children. However, parents often feel unsupported. The study used a qualitative descriptive methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of eleven children with an intellectual disability in Victoria, Australia, during 2014. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic data analysis. Three key areas of support need were identified to assist parents to provide effective care for their child with an intellectual disability in the first year of life: (1) emotional support as parents adjusted to their role of caring for a child with an intellectual disability; (2) information support as they embarked on a quest for knowledge; and (3) support to facilitate their connection to peer networks. The findings highlighted inconsistent provision of support for parents. This study informs health professionals about how to provide holistic, timely support to parents of children with intellectual disabilities in the first year of life. There is an urgent need to review how nurses and midwives can provide relevant support that is responsive to parents' needs. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Job Sharing Their First Year: A Narrative of Two Partnered Teachers' Induction into Middle School Science Teaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eick, Charles J.

    2002-01-01

    Examines the induction of two middle school science teachers as partners in a job sharing arrangement in lieu of student teaching, describing how they worked together and supported each other's attempts to implement student-centered practices and likening their mutual support to a marriage partnerships. The two teachers mentored each other through…

  14. Teacher support - an exploration of how foundation-phase teachers facilitate language skills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna-Maria Wium

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The role of speech-language therapists (SLTs has been redefined by White Paper 6, which emphasises the role of support to both teachers and learners. SLTs have expert knowledge and skills pertaining to communication and language, and therefore have much to contribute to the process of learning in teaching. This article builds on a previous article published in the 2010 edition of the journal, which reported on the process of supporting teachers to facilitate listening, language and numeracy skills in semi-rural and urban (township contexts. In this follow-up article the focus is on the qualitative findings obtained from a specific section of the larger study. Where the overall study made use of a mixed methods approach to evaluate the process of providing support, and reported on the entire continued professional development (CPD programme, this article focuses specifically on the qualitative data collected when the CPD programme addressed the facilitation of language. This article explores how the strategies were used in the classrooms, and the benefits of the support provided. The data discussed in this article were obtained from questionnaires, focus groups, and critical self-evaluation by teachers, as well as a research diary used by the programme facilitator. The results show that both the participants and their learners benefited from the support provided. The participants reportedly for the first time were able to meet curriculum outcomes which previously had been omitted, and showed an increased ability to plan their lessons. Several teachers experienced changes in their teaching practices and could reflect on their practices, which contributed to their professional development. These teachers became more empowered. Learning in the classroom was enhanced through increased participation of all learners, and enjoyment of the strategies.

  15. Supporting Music Teacher Mentors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaffini, Erin Dineen

    2015-01-01

    While much discussion and research is focused on the importance of music teacher mentors for preservice teachers and novice in-service music educators, little discussion has been devoted to the topic of how we, as members of the music education profession, can support the role of music teacher mentors. This article explores some of the benefits…

  16. Teachers Supporting Teachers in Urban Schools: What Iterative Research Designs Can Teach Us.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shernoff, Elisa S; Maríñez-Lora, Ane M; Frazier, Stacy L; Jakobsons, Lara J; Atkins, Marc S; Bonner, Deborah

    2011-12-01

    Despite alarming rates and negative consequences associated with urban teacher attrition, mentoring programs often fail to target the strongest predictors of attrition: effectiveness around classroom management and engaging learners; and connectedness to colleagues. Using a mixed-method iterative development framework, we highlight the process of developing and evaluating the feasibility of a multi-component professional development model for urban early career teachers. The model includes linking novices with peer-nominated key opinion leader teachers and an external coach who work together to (1) provide intensive support in evidence-based practices for classroom management and engaging learners, and (2) connect new teachers with their larger network of colleagues. Fidelity measures and focus group data illustrated varying attendance rates throughout the school year and that although seminars and professional learning communities were delivered as intended, adaptations to enhance the relevance, authenticity, level, and type of instrumental support were needed. Implications for science and practice are discussed.

  17. EFL Teachers’ First Year of Teaching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georgios Giotis

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available The research presented in this chapter focuses on the first year of teaching of EFL teachers who graduated from the University of Athens during the academic years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. The main research questions were their motive for being teachers, their opinion for the effectiveness of their university-based preparation and their self-efficacy perceptions. The questionnaire which was used was sent by email to the participants. The data collected presented an image of the profession as teaching by vocation which is chosen mainly due to humanistic reasons. Moreover, it is argued that the participating teachers were prepared effectively for the real world of teaching and they have a relatively high sense of self-efficacy. On the other hand, the participants consistently define classroom management problems and low student motivation as sources of dissatisfaction in their profession, dimensions of teaching in which they were not prepared to the degree they expected, and in which they feel less efficacious. Finally, particular proposals are made for the improvement of teacher education for EFL teachers on the basis of the research findings.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    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…

  19. Do emotional support and classroom organization earlier in the year set the stage for higher quality instruction?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curby, Timothy W; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E; Abry, Tashia

    2013-10-01

    Many teachers believe that providing greater emotional and organizational supports in the beginning of the year strengthens their ability to teach effectively as the year progresses. Some interventions, such as the Responsive Classroom (RC) approach, explicitly embed this sequence into professional development efforts. We tested the hypothesis that earlier emotional and organizational supports set the stage for improved instruction later in the year in a sample of third- and fourth-grade teachers enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of the RC approach. Further, we examined the extent to which the model generalized for teachers using varying levels of RC practices as well as whether or not teachers were in the intervention or control groups. Teachers' emotional, organizational, and instructional interactions were observed using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008) on five occasions throughout the year. Results indicated a reciprocal relation between emotional and instructional supports. Specifically, higher levels of emotional support earlier in the year predicted higher instructional support later in the year. Also, higher levels of instructional support earlier in the year predicted higher emotional support later in the year. Classroom organization was not found to have longitudinal associations with the other domains across a year. This pattern was robust when controlling for the use of RC practices as well as across intervention and control groups. Further, teachers' use of RC practices predicted higher emotional support and classroom organization throughout the year, suggesting the malleability of this teacher characteristic. Discussion highlights the connection between teachers' emotional and instructional supports and how the use of RC practices improves teachers' emotionally supportive interactions with students. Copyright © 2013 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights

  20. Using Facebook to Support Novice Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staudt, Denise; St. Clair, Norman; Martinez, Elda E.

    2013-01-01

    Providing quality support for novice teachers as they enter the profession has been an ongoing concern of educator preparation programs. This article describes the efforts of one teacher preparation program in addressing this matter by utilizing Facebook[R] to provide sustained support and professional development for its beginning teachers. We…

  1. Supporting teachers in data-informed educational design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    McKenney, Susan; Mor, Yishay

    2015-01-01

    Recent years have seen a growing recognition of the value of positioning teaching as a design science. In this context, we see a great potential in the possible synergy between educational design, learning analytics and teacher inquiry. This synergy is demonstrated in the form of Computer Supported

  2. Evaluating first-aid knowledge and attitudes of a sample of Turkish primary school teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Başer, Mürüvvet; Coban, Sibel; Taşci, Sultan; Sungur, Gönül; Bayat, Meral

    2007-10-01

    Knowledge of first aid, which constitutes life-saving treatments for injuries or unexpected illnesses, is important for every individual at every age. First aid and basic life support are so important that teaching basic first aid should be compulsory in all schools. The goal of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of a sample of Turkish teachers regarding the administration of first aid. Three hundred twelve teachers took part in this study to evaluate knowledge and attitudes of teachers in primary schools about first aid. Data were obtained using a questionnaire. It included 30 questions that help identify the teachers and determine their knowledge and attitudes about first aid. Data were analyzed by chi-square test. In this study, it was determined that most of the teachers do not have correct knowledge and attitudes about first aid. For example, 65.1% of teachers gave incorrect answers regarding epistaxis, 63.5% for bee stings, and 88.5% for abrasion. It was found out that as the age of the teachers increases, appropriate first-aid practice becomes more and more unlikely. The results of this study showed that teachers did not have enough knowledge about first aid.

  3. The Acadia Learning Project: Lessons Learned from Engaging High School Teachers and Students in Citizen Science Supporting National Parks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, S. J.; Zoellick, B.; Davis, Y.; Lindsey, E.

    2009-12-01

    In 2007 the authors initiated a citizen science research project, supported with funding from the Maine Department of Education, designed to extend research at Acadia National Park to a broader geographic area while also providing high school students and teachers with an opportunity to engage in authentic research in cooperation with working scientists. The scientific focus of the work has been on providing information about the mercury burden of organisms at different trophic levels across different geographic and environmental settings. The pedagogical focus has been on providing students with immersion in a substantial, field-based project, including background research, hypothesis formulation, data collection and analysis, and presentation of research findings. Starting work with 6 teachers in two schools the first year, the project expanded to involve more than 20 teachers and 350 students in a dozen schools in its second year. In coming years, with support from NOAA and cooperation from other National Parks in the region, the project will expand to include work in other states along the coast of the Gulf of Maine. In this paper the authors describe evolution in the use of the Internet over the first two years of the project, a sharpened focus on professional development for teachers, survey results regarding student views of the nature of science, the importance of focusing on rigorous, useful data collection from an educational perspective, success in establishing that samples collected by students are useful in research, the disjuncture between scientific and pedagogical outcomes, an assessment of the value of student poster presentations, and lessons learned about preparation and use of curriculum support materials. The authors also describe future directions, which include an increased focus on professional development and student work with graphs, a narrower focus in sample collection, and increased use of the Internet to provide participating teachers

  4. Challenges for New Teachers and Ways of Coping with Them

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dias-Lacy, Samantha L.; Guirguis, Ruth V.

    2017-01-01

    The first year of a teacher's career can determine their longevity within the field of education. The issues of first year teachers were analyzed through a grounded theory qualitative research analysis. The results of this study indicate that a first year teacher may feel stress, lack appropriate support, and may feel unprepared to handle…

  5. Analyzing Student Teachers' Academic Literacy Needs: A Qualitative Analysis of Flemish First-Year Teacher Trainees' Needs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Houtven, Tine; Peters, Elke; Van den Branden, Kris

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, the student population enrolling in Flemish higher education has become increasingly diverse. Whereas teacher training institutes used to attract mainly students with a diploma of general secondary education, the proportion of students with a technical or vocational educational background has grown substantially over the past ten…

  6. Self-Efficacy of Teacher Candidates for Teaching First Reading and Writing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gündogmus, Hatice Degirmenci

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine by different variables the self-efficacy of a teacher candidate for teaching first reading and writing in their 3rd and 4th year in the department of primary school teaching. In line with the purpose of the study, the self-efficacy levels of teacher candidates for teaching first reading and writing were…

  7. Exploring the Written Dialogues of Two First-Year Secondary Science Teachers in an Online Mentoring Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bang, EunJin; Luft, Julie A.

    2014-02-01

    This study explored the yearlong learning processes of two first-year secondary science teachers participating in an online mentoring program, through examination of their written dialogues within the program and other data. Using a case study method, this study (a) explored the patterns of written dialogues between the two new teachers and their mentors over the course of a year, (b) documented pertinent topics of importance, and finally (c) illustrated the new realities created in the mentees' classrooms as a result of the online mentoring process. Penelope and Bradley, who taught at an urban school and at a suburban school respectively, were selected as subjects. Our analysis revealed that the two pairs of mentee-mentors showed different participation patterns that affected the intensity of the creation of new realities, and affected whether the mentees tried/vetted new teaching practices suggested by their mentors. Yet, analysis also revealed that certain elements in the written dialogues between pairs were found to be similar, in that construction of knowledge was evident between both pairs when friction developed and appropriate teamwork emerged to deal with it. The topics of greatest interest and importance within the dialogues were those related to the logistics of the school system and the processes and methodologies of teaching. These results suggest that online mentoring programs are an effective dialogical tool for transferring the knowledge of experts to novices, and for thus expediting the professional induction and growth of new science teachers.

  8. [The role of physical education teachers to support overweight and obese pupils].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jodkowska, Maria; Oblacińska, Anna; Tabak, Izabela; Radiukiewicz, Katarzyna

    2010-01-01

    School-based physical education (PE) is often proposed as a strategy for obesity prevention and treatment. Thus the role of PE teachers is crucial on this field. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of PE teachers towards overweight and obese pupils aged 13-15 years, especially psychosomatic problems and support for obese adolescents in realisation of physical activity programme. A random sample of 185 PE teachers from 112 lower secondary schools in Poland were surveyed regarding their perception of pupils obesity and their support for obese adolescents. PE teachers observed many negative features among obese pupils: Two thirds of teachers (67% male and 74% teachers with work experience 6-10 years) observed decreased physical fitness and exercise capacity in this group of pupils. Body-related barriers in obese pupils and anxiety caused by weight related peer teasing were observed by respectively 30% and 20% teachers more often women teachers and teachers with shorter work experience. PE teachers were engaged in activities to support obese pupils: 90% of them assessed obese pupils by personal development, 70% conducted counseling and 20% cooperated with obese pupils' parents. Two third of teachers reported successes in their work with obese pupils. Their difficulties were connected with body-related barriers in pupils (24%), and aversion to exercise and physical efforts and location of PE lessons at school (9-16%). 1. The PE teachers can play an important role in preventing and combating obesity in pupils. 2. PE teachers should be motivated to organize interesting PE lessons, school sport and competitions for both normal and overweight pupils.

  9. Implementing an interprofessional first-year teamwork project: some key reflections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNaughton, Susan Maree

    2013-09-01

    Implementing an interprofessional teamwork project for first-year students presents pedagogical and practical challenges. While transferable skills and attributes are important, engagement of students with limited professional experience in teamwork depends on relevance to current learning needs. This report outlines principles learned from planning and implementing a teamwork project for an interprofessional health administration and service development course. Practising interprofessional teamwork as leaders and teachers, aligning with previous, current and future teamwork content and processes and responding to student feedback and achievement have been the key factors in shaping the project over three semesters. Face-to-face and online interprofessional teamwork learning has necessitated developing resources that support self-direction, using familiar technology and providing enabling physical environments. Implications for first-year interprofessional teamwork are that structured well-resourced processes, responsiveness and alignment of learning all improve student outcomes.

  10. A Teacher Supports Her 54 Students to Realize Their Dreams

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    1997-01-01

    "I’VE become a teacher in my dream," Gao Jinying wrote in her composition entitled, "My Dream" when she was a fourth grade student in an elementary school. Now, having been a teacher for 25 years, when she reads her students’ stories about their dreams, she still feels excited. Fifty-Four Dreams There are 54 first year students in Class One at Guangqumen High School.

  11. Aloha Teachers: Teacher Autonomy Support Promotes Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Students' Motivation, School Belonging, Course-Taking and Math Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Froiland, John Mark; Davison, Mark L.; Worrell, Frank C.

    2016-01-01

    Among 110 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, teacher autonomy support in 9th grade significantly predicted intrinsic motivation for math in 9th grade as well as math course-taking over the next 2 years, both of which in turn significantly predicted math achievement by 11th grade. In a second model, teacher autonomy support was positively…

  12. Untenured, Uncensored: How to Survive the First Years of Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutton Mahoney, Amy; Purr, Christopher

    2007-01-01

    This book is a tell-all guide to the euphoric highs and unimaginable lows of teaching. Mahoney and Purr present the naked truth of their own blunder-laden first few years in order to help new teachers, those who think they might want to become teachers, and those in the business of training and hiring new teachers, see the realities that cannot be…

  13. AN INVESTIGATION OF SUPPORT MEASURES FOR BEGINNING TEACHERS IN EU COUNTRIES AND TURKEY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hilal Büyükgöze

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the support measures for beginning teachers, and elaborates on mentoring practices in European primary and secondary education institutions, and finally discusses induction practices in Turkey comparatively. The main findings of the research as follows: the common qualification for entry to teaching profession across Europe is a bachelor’s degree which generally last between four and five years, however initial teacher education is usually not sufficient for new teachers as they may experience and encounter problems about teaching, assessing and managing the students. Therefore, in almost more than the half of the European countries a structured induction program is carried out or other support measures are provided for new teachers. Few countries do not organize these programs at national level but at the local level or in schools. The structured induction programs are considered as a compulsory phase ending with a kind of overall assessment in most countries, whereas in some of them it is optional. These induction programs last from several months to 2 years, but the widespread length is about one year. The types of support measures for beginning teachers have been found to be differed across Europe, and mentoring is the most common form among these measures. The implications for educational organizations and teaching is discussed further

  14. Supporting new science teachers in pursuing socially just science education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruggirello, Rachel; Flohr, Linda

    2017-10-01

    This forum explores contradictions that arose within the partnership between Teach for America (TFA) and a university teacher education program. TFA is an alternate route teacher preparation program that places individuals into K-12 classrooms in low-income school districts after participating in an intense summer training program and provides them with ongoing support. This forum is a conversation about the challenges we faced as new science teachers in the TFA program and in the Peace Corps program. We both entered the teaching field with science degrees and very little formal education in science education. In these programs we worked in a community very different from the one we had experienced as students. These experiences allow us to address many of the issues that were discussed in the original paper, namely teaching in an unfamiliar community amid challenges that many teachers face in the first few years of teaching. We consider how these challenges may be amplified for teachers who come to teaching through an alternate route and may not have as much pedagogical training as a more traditional teacher education program provides. The forum expands on the ideas presented in the original paper to consider the importance of perspectives on socially just science education. There is often a disconnect between what is taught in teacher education programs and what teachers actually experience in urban classrooms and this can be amplified when the training received through alternate route provides a different framework as well. This forum urges universities and alternate route programs to continue to find ways to authentically partner using practical strategies that bring together the philosophies and goals of all stakeholders in order to better prepare teachers to partner with their students to achieve their science learning goals.

  15. How Teacher Emotional Support Motivates Students: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Peer Relatedness, Autonomy Support, and Competence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruzek, Erik A.; Hafen, Christopher A.; Allen, Joseph P.; Gregory, Anne; Mikami, Amori Yee; Pianta, Robert C.

    2016-01-01

    Multilevel mediation analyses test whether students' mid-year reports of classroom experiences of autonomy, relatedness with peers, and competence mediate associations between early in the school year emotionally-supportive teacher-student interactions (independently observed) and student-reported academic year changes in mastery motivation and…

  16. Teacher Role Breadth and its Relationship to Student-Reported Teacher Support

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillippo, Kate L.; Stone, Susan

    2013-01-01

    This study capitalizes on a unique, nested data set comprised of students ("n" = 531) and teachers ("n" = 45) in three high schools that explicitly incorporated student support roles into teachers' job descriptions. Drawing from research on student-teacher relationships, teacher effects on student outcomes, and role theory,…

  17. Supporting Teachers in Inclusive Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alekhina S.V.

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The article regards the issues of support provision to teachers involved in inclusive education as the main requirement for successful realization of inclusion. The methodological framework used in the study is a resource approach. The article describes the ways of extending the means of supporting teachers. The article also arguments for consolidating all the educators of inclusive schools into inclusive teams equally interested in joint work of administration and educators of intervention programs.

  18. [A first step to teaching basic life support in schools: Training the teachers].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pichel López, María; Martínez-Isasi, Santiago; Barcala-Furelos, Roberto; Fernández-Méndez, Felipe; Vázquez Santamariña, David; Sánchez-Santos, Luis; Rodríguez-Nuñez, Antonio

    2017-12-07

    Teachers may have an essential role in basic life support (BLS) training in schoolchildren. However, few data are available about their BLS learning abilities. To quantitatively assess the quality of BLS when performed by school teachers after a brief and simple training program. A quasi-experimental study with no control group, and involving primary and secondary education teachers from four privately managed and public funded schools was conducted in 3 stages: 1st. A knowledge test, 2nd: BLS training, and 3rd: Performance test. Training included a 40minutes lecture and 80minutes hands-on session with the help feedback on the quality of the chest compressions. A total of 81 teachers were included, of which 60.5% were women. After training, the percentage of subjects able to perform the BLS sequence rose from 1.2% to 46% (P<.001). Chest compression quality also improved significantly in terms of: correct hands position (97.6 vs. 72.3%; P<.001), mean depth (48.1 vs. 38.8mm; P<.001), percentage that reached recommended depth (46.5 vs. 21.5%; P<.001), percentage of adequate decompression (78.7 vs. 61.2%; P<.05), and percentage of compressions delivered at recommended rate (64.2 vs. 26.9%; P<.001). After and brief and simple training program, teachers of privately managed public funded schools were able to perform the BLS sequence and to produce chest compressions with a quality similar to that obtained by staff with a duty to assist cardiac arrest victims. The ability of schoolteachers to deliver good-quality BLS is a pre-requisite to be engaged in BLS training for schoolchildren. Copyright © 2017. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

  19. Social Support and Adjustment Outcomes of First-Year University Students in Hong Kong: Self-Esteem as a Mediator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Eva Yi Hung; Chan, Kevin Ka Shing; Lam, Chun Bun

    2018-01-01

    Although the contribution of family support and peer support to university adjustment has been examined separately, few attempts have been made to explore the mechanism underlying this relation. This is the first study in the Asian context to test the role of self-esteem in mediating the effect of social support on first-year university adjustment…

  20. Examining First Grade Teachers' Handwriting Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arslan, Derya

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the first grade teachers' practices of handwriting instructions in terms of teaching, evaluation and handwriting difficulties. From qualitative research patterns, phenomenology was used. The study was applied to the 54 First grade teachers who work at central Burdur and Burdur county centre primary education…

  1. Teacher Stress and Social Support Usage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferguson, Kristen; Mang, Colin; Frost, Lorraine

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we explore how the frequency of utilization of social supports is related to teacher demographics, stress factors, job satisfaction, career intent, career commitment, and the perception of a stigma attached to teacher stress. Using data from self-report questionnaires (N = 264) from teachers in northern Ontario, we found that…

  2. Supporting Teachers in Relational Pedagogy and Social Emotional Education: A Qualitative Exploration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reeves, Jocelyn; Le Mare, Lucy

    2017-01-01

    We examined the beliefs and experiences of three elementary school teachers who, over one school year, participated in bi weekly, guided discussions of attachment and care theories that introduced them to relational pedagogy as a way of supporting students? positive social, emotional, and academic growth. Teachers? beliefs about the aims of…

  3. Reforming Teacher Education: A First Year Progress Report on Teachers for a New Era

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Kirby, Sheila

    2004-01-01

    In a bold attempt to reform the way teachers are prepared in the United States, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, with the Annenberg Foundation and the Ford Foundation, launched Teachers for a New Era (TNE...

  4. First-Year Principal Encounters Homophobia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Retelle, Ellen

    2011-01-01

    A 1st-year principal encounters homonegativity and an ethical dilemma when she attempts to terminate a teacher because of the teacher's inadequate and ineffective teaching. The teacher responds by threatening to "out" Ms. L. to the parents.

  5. How Can Mobile SMS Communication Support and Enhance a First Year Undergraduate Learning Environment?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Geraldine; Edwards, Gabriele; Reid, Alan

    2009-01-01

    In this paper we discuss a case study investigating how the academic and personal development of first year students on an undergraduate sports education degree can be supported and enhanced with mobile SMS (Short Message Service) communication. SMS-based technologies were introduced in response to students' particular needs (in transition to…

  6. The Assessment of Primary Education First Grade Turkish Coursebook, Student's Workbook and Teacher's Book Depending on Teachers' Opinions

    OpenAIRE

    Ayfer ŞAHİN

    2008-01-01

    In this study, the Turkish coursebook, student's workbook and the teacher's book that is delivered unpaid by the Ministry of Education to the teachers and students in primary education, first classes in 2007-2008 educational year; It is assessed depending on the teachers' opinions, the scale developed according to the criterias that has to be in the coursebooks which are determined in the instruction relating to the study and evaluation of Ministry of Education coursebooks and educational mea...

  7. Teacher Support, Peer Acceptance, and Engagement in the Classroom: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study in Late Childhood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weyns, Tessa; Colpin, Hilde; De Laet, Steven; Engels, Maaike; Verschueren, Karine

    2018-06-01

    Although research has examined the bivariate effects of teacher support, peer acceptance, and engagement, it remains unclear how these key classroom experiences evolve together, especially in late childhood. This study aims to provide a detailed picture of their transactional relations in late childhood. A sample of 586 children (M age  = 9.26 years, 47.1% boys) was followed from fourth to sixth grade. Teacher support and engagement were student-reported and peer acceptance was peer-reported. Autoregressive cross-lagged models revealed unique longitudinal effects of both peer acceptance and teacher support on engagement, and of peer acceptance on teacher support. No reverse effects of engagement on peer acceptance or teacher support were found. The study underscores the importance of examining the relative contribution of several social actors in the classroom. Regarding interventions, improving both peer acceptance and teacher support can increase children's engagement, and augmenting peer acceptance can help to increase teacher support.

  8. She's supporting them; who's supporting her? Preschool center-level social-emotional supports and teacher well-being.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zinsser, Katherine M; Christensen, Claire G; Torres, Luz

    2016-12-01

    Preschool teachers across the country have been charged to prepare children socially and emotionally for kindergarten. Teachers working in preschool centers are supporting children's social and emotional learning (SEL) within a rich ecology of emotion and social relationships and the present study considers how the supports implemented for children's SEL at the center-level are associated with teachers' psychological health and workplace experiences. Hierarchical linear models were constructed using data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2009 cohort. Results indicate that although teachers work in individual classrooms, they share common perceptions at the center-level of their workplace climate, access to support, and, although to a lesser extent, experience commonalities in psychological health and job satisfaction. Furthermore, in centers that had implemented more supports for children's SEL (including access to mental health consultants, classroom curriculum, and training and resources for teachers) teachers were less depressed, more satisfied with their jobs, felt more supported in managing challenging behavior, and viewed the workplace climate of their center as more positive. Findings are discussed in light of the national efforts to increase and retain a high-quality early childhood workforce. Copyright © 2016 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    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…

  10. Factors Affecting the Retention of First-career and Second-career Science Teachers in Urban High Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rak, Rosemary C.

    The turnover of high school science teachers is an especially troubling problem in urban schools with economically disadvantaged students. Because high teacher turnover rates impede effective instruction, the persistence of teacher attrition is a serious concern. Using an online survey and interviews in a sequential mixed-methods approach, this study investigates the perceptions of high school science teachers regarding factors that contribute to their employment decisions. The study also compares first-career and second-career science teachers' perceptions of retention and attrition factors and identifies conditions that urban school leaders can establish to support the retention of their science teachers. A purposeful sample of 138 science teachers from urban area New England public high schools with 50% or more Free and Reduced Price Lunch-eligible students participated in the survey. Twelve survey respondents were subsequently interviewed. In accord with extant research, this study's results suggest that school leadership is essential to fostering teacher retention. The findings also reveal the importance of autonomy, professional community, and adequate resources to support science instruction. Although mentoring and induction programs receive low importance ratings in this study, career-changers view these programs as more important to their retention than do first-career science teachers. Second-career interviewees, in particular, voice the importance of being treated as professionals by school leaders. Future research may examine the characteristics of mentoring and induction programs that make them most responsive to the needs of first-career and second-career science teachers. Future studies may also investigate the aspects of school leadership and professional autonomy that are most effective in promoting science teacher retention. Keywords: career-changers; school leaders; science teachers; second-career teachers; teacher retention; teacher turnover

  11. Perceptions around teacher's social support with student achievement motivation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Oktasari

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Several indications that indicate student in low achievement motivation, among others: (1 lack of enthusiasm to follow the lesson, (2 less attention to the teacher, (3 the students have not targeted yet, (4 students tend to ignore the task, (5 (6 students are less harmonious with teachers, (7 students are lazy to learn, and (8 some students feel scared with the teacher. Students 'perceptions of teacher's social support are factors that allegedly influence students' achievement motivation. This study aims to determine the relationship of students' perceptions of the social support of teachers with achievement motivation. The method used throughout this research is quantitative with regression technique. Samples numbered to 206 students of SMA Negeri 1 V Koto Timur Padang Pariaman, and selected by proportional random sampling. The instrument used is the student's perception scale of teacher's social support and achievement motivation. The research findings indicate that there is a significant correlation between around teacher's social support with student achievement motivation.

  12. Effective Administrative Support for Able Teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willing, Delight C.

    1979-01-01

    The continuing education administrator should provide support that will enable teachers to perform effectively. By using Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory as a framework, the administrator can develop a positive working environment and seek ways of providing motivation to the teacher. (SK)

  13. Secondary Science Teachers Making Sense of Model-Based Classroom Instruction: Understanding the Learning and Learning Pathways Teachers Describe as Supporting Changes in Teaching Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hvidsten, Connie J.

    Connie J. Hvidsten September 2016 Education Secondary Science Teachers Making Sense of Model-Based Classroom Instruction: Understanding the Learning and Learning Pathways Teachers Describe as Supporting Changes in Teaching Practice This dissertation consists of three papers analyzing writings and interviews of experienced secondary science teachers during and after a two-year professional development (PD) program focused on model-based reasoning (MBR). MBR is an approach to science instruction that provides opportunities for students to use conceptual models to make sense of natural phenomena in ways that are similar to the use of models within the scientific community. The aim of this research is to better understand the learning and learning pathways teachers identified as valuable in supporting changes in their teaching practice. To accomplish this aim, the papers analyze the ways teachers 1) ascribe their learning to various aspects of the program, 2) describe what they learned, and 3) reflect on the impact the PD had on their teaching practice. Twenty-one secondary science teachers completed the Innovations in Science Instruction through Modeling (ISIM) program from 2007 through 2009. Commonalities in the written reflections and interview responses led to a set of generalizable findings related to the impacts and outcomes of the PD. The first of the three papers describes elements of the ISIM program that teachers associated with their own learning. One of the most frequently mentioned PD feature was being in the position of an adult learner. Embedding learning in instructional practice by collaboratively developing and revising lessons, and observing the lessons in one-another's classrooms provided a sense of professional community, accountability, and support teachers reported were necessary to overcome the challenges of implementing new pedagogical practices. Additionally, teachers described that opportunities to reflect on their learning and connect their

  14. Exploring the role of curriculum materials to support teachers in science education reform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Rebecca M.

    2001-07-01

    For curriculum materials to succeed in promoting large-scale science education reform, teacher learning must be supported. Materials were designed to reflect desired reforms and to be educative by including detailed lesson descriptions that addressed necessary content, pedagogy, and pedagogical content knowledge for teachers. The goal of this research was to describe how such materials contributed to classroom practices. As part of an urban systemic reform effort, four middle school teachers' initial enactment of an inquiry-based science unit on force and motion were videotaped. Enactments focused on five lesson sequences containing experiences with phenomena, investigation, technology use, or artifact development. Each sequence spanned three to five days across the 10-week unit. For each lesson sequence, intended and actual enactment were compared using ratings of (1) accuracy and completeness of science ideas presented, (2) amount student learning opportunities, similarity of learning opportunities with those intended, and quality of adaptations , and (3) amount of instructional supports offered, appropriateness of instructional supports and source of ideas for instructional supports. Ratings indicated two teachers' enactments were consistent with intentions and two teachers' enactments were not. The first two were in school contexts supportive of the reform. They purposefully used the materials to guide enactment, which tended to be consistent with standards-based reform. They provided students opportunities to use technology tools, design investigations, and discuss ideas. However, enactment ratings were less reflective of curriculum intent when challenges were greatest, such as when teachers attempted to present challenging science ideas, respond to students' ideas, structure investigations, guide small-group discussions, or make adaptations. Moreover, enactment ratings were less consistent in parts of lessons where materials did not include lesson specific

  15. Sustaining Lesson Study: Resources and Factors that Support and Constrain Mathematics Teachers' Ability to Continue After the Grant Ends

    Science.gov (United States)

    Druken, Bridget Kinsella

    Lesson study, a teacher-led vehicle for inquiring into teacher practice through creating, enacting, and reflecting on collaboratively designed research lessons, has been shown to improve mathematics teacher practice in the United States, such as improving knowledge about mathematics, changing teacher practice, and developing communities of teachers. Though it has been described as a sustainable form of professional development, little research exists on what might support teachers in continuing to engage in lesson study after a grant ends. This qualitative and multi-case study investigates the sustainability of lesson study as mathematics teachers engage in a district scale-up lesson study professional experience after participating in a three-year California Mathematics Science Partnership (CaMSP) grant to improve algebraic instruction. To do so, I first provide a description of material (e.g. curricular materials and time), human (attending district trainings and interacting with mathematics coaches), and social (qualities like trust, shared values, common goals, and expectations developed through relationships with others) resources present in the context of two school districts as reported by participants. I then describe practices of lesson study reported to have continued. I also report on teachers' conceptions of what it means to engage in lesson study. I conclude by describing how these results suggest factors that supported and constrained teachers' in continuing lesson study. To accomplish this work, I used qualitative methods of grounded theory informed by a modified sustainability framework on interview, survey, and case study data about teachers, principals, and Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSAs). Four cases were selected to show the varying levels of lesson study practices that continued past the conclusion of the grant. Analyses reveal varying levels of integration, linkage, and synergy among both formally and informally arranged groups of

  16. Death and caring for dying patients: exploring first-year nursing students' descriptive experiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ek, Kristina; Westin, Lars; Prahl, Charlotte; Osterlind, Jane; Strang, Susann; Bergh, Ingrid; Hammarlund, Kina

    2014-10-01

    To describe first-year nursing students' experiences of witnessing death and providing end-of-life care. This study is part of a larger longitudinal project. Interviews (n=17) were conducted with nursing students at the end of their first year of education. To analyse the interviews (lived-experience descriptions), a thematic analysis, 'a search for meaning' ( Van Manen, 1997 ) was applied. The results are presented within the framework of four separate themes: (1) The thought of death is more frightening than the actual experience, (2) Daring to approach the dying patient and offering something of oneself, (3) The experience of not sufficing in the face of death and (4) Being confronted with one's own feelings. Nursing students require continuous support and opportunity to reflect and discuss their experiences about caring for dying patients and confronting death throughout the entirety of their education. In addition, teachers and clinical supervisors need to give support using reflective practice to help students to develop confidence in their capacity for caring for dying patients.

  17. Developing an Embedded Peer Tutor Program in Design Studio to Support First Year Design Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zamberlan, Lisa; Wilson, Stephanie

    2015-01-01

    An improved first year student experience is a strategic focus for higher education in an increasingly competitive marketplace. A successful peer tutoring program creates a visible community of practice, supports the student learning experience, elevates senior students as ambassadors of the program, and reinforces an emphasis on learning through…

  18. The Significance of Ongoing Teacher Support in Earth Science Education Programs: Evidence from the GLOBE Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penuel, B.; Korbak, C.; Shear, L.

    2003-12-01

    The GLOBE program provides a rich context for examining issues concerning implementation of inquiry-oriented, scientist-driven educational programs, because the program has both a history of collecting evaluation data on implementation and mechanisms for capturing program activity as it occurs. In this paper, researchers from SRI International's evaluation team explore the different roles that regional partners play in preparing and supporting teachers to implement the GLOBE Program, an international inquiry-based Earth science education initiative that has trained over 14,000 teachers worldwide. GLOBE program evaluation results show the program can be effective in increasing students' inquiry skills, but that the program is also hard for teachers to implement (Means et al., 2001; Penuel et al., 2002). An analysis of GLOBE's regional partner organizations, which are tasked with preparing teachers to implement its data collection and reporting protocols with students, shows that some partners are more successful than others. This paper reports findings from a quantitative analysis of the relationship between data reporting and partner support activities and from case studies of two such regional partners focused on analyzing what makes them successful. The first analysis examined associations between partner training and support activities and data reporting. For this analysis, we used data from the GLOBE Student Data Archive matched with survey data collected from a large sample of GLOBE teachers as part of SRI's Year 5 evaluation of GLOBE. Our analyses point to the central importance of mentoring and material support to teachers. We found that incentives, mentoring, and other on-site support to teachers have a statistically significant association with higher data reporting levels. We also found that at present, teachers access these supports less often than they access listservs and e-mail communication with teachers after GLOBE training. As a follow-up to this

  19. Partnerships for Active Children in Elementary Schools (PACES): First year process evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egan, Cate A; Webster, Collin; Weaver, R Glenn; Brian, Ali; Stodden, David; Russ, Laura; Nesbitt, Danielle; Vazou, Spyridoula

    2018-04-01

    Movement integration (MI) is a strategy within comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAP). School-university partnerships are recommended to leverage teachers' capacity to use MI. A mixed method process evaluation was conducted of the first year of implementing Partnerships for Active Children in Elementary Schools (PACES). Classroom teachers (N=12) from four schools participated. Data were collected in Fall 2014 (baseline) and Spring 2015 (∼ four months of intervention) using the System for Observing Student Movement in Academic Routines and Transitions and semi-structured interviews. There were no significant differences between intervention classrooms and control classrooms MI promotion. Differences approaching significance (U=5, p=0.04, d=1.2) were observed when comparing classrooms that received two (community of practice, community-based participatory research) or three components (two components plus service learning) of the intervention and classrooms that received one (community of practice) or no components. Qualitative findings revealed that teachers in classrooms that were more successful responded more favorably to the intervention components than teachers in classrooms that were less successful. Quantitative and qualitative results supported the effectiveness of community-based participatory research as a component of PACES. This study provides information about MI process variables in the context of a CSPAP intervention. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Mental health first aid training for high school teachers: a cluster randomized trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jorm, Anthony F; Kitchener, Betty A; Sawyer, Michael G; Scales, Helen; Cvetkovski, Stefan

    2010-06-24

    Mental disorders often have their first onset during adolescence. For this reason, high school teachers are in a good position to provide initial assistance to students who are developing mental health problems. To improve the skills of teachers in this area, a Mental Health First Aid training course was modified to be suitable for high school teachers and evaluated in a cluster randomized trial. The trial was carried out with teachers in South Australian high schools. Teachers at 7 schools received training and those at another 7 were wait-listed for future training. The effects of the training on teachers were evaluated using questionnaires pre- and post-training and at 6 months follow-up. The questionnaires assessed mental health knowledge, stigmatizing attitudes, confidence in providing help to others, help actually provided, school policy and procedures, and teacher mental health. The indirect effects on students were evaluated using questionnaires at pre-training and at follow-up which assessed any mental health help and information received from school staff, and also the mental health of the student. The training increased teachers' knowledge, changed beliefs about treatment to be more like those of mental health professionals, reduced some aspects of stigma, and increased confidence in providing help to students and colleagues. There was an indirect effect on students, who reported receiving more mental health information from school staff. Most of the changes found were sustained 6 months after training. However, no effects were found on teachers' individual support towards students with mental health problems or on student mental health. Mental Health First Aid training has positive effects on teachers' mental health knowledge, attitudes, confidence and some aspects of their behaviour. ACTRN12608000561381.

  1. Peer Mentoring: A Way forward for Supporting Preservice EFL Teachers Psychosocially during the Practicum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Hoa Thi Mai

    2013-01-01

    During the past several years, the importance of practicum as a vital proportion of the preservice teacher education program has been increasingly emphasized. There have been a number of initiatives for supporting preservice teachers. Among these, peer based relationship is increasingly emerged as an innovative strategy to provide additional…

  2. Shifting the Balance in First-Year Learning Support: From Staff Instruction to Peer-Learning Primacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Meer, Jacques; Scott, Carole

    2008-01-01

    Effective response to the learning needs of first-year students is a contested issue. In many learning support centres the dominant approach to developing student learning skills is through generic or tailored workshops and/or individual consultations. Although there is a place for these activities, we argue that the balance should be shifted…

  3. Helping Italian science teachers to make earth and climate active lessons. Results of 3 years support with the ICLEEN project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cattadori, M.

    2013-12-01

    collaboration with the University of Trento dealing with the effectiveness of the service as well as the usability of the graphic user interface (GUI). The present work aims to illustrate the essential features of the service I-cleen and the results achieved during the last three years of operation. It will be display and interpret for the first time data with web traffic, and other data from downloading and publishing documents of the teaching resources and the main outcomes of the above mentioned tests. The purpose of this contribution is to highlight strengths and weaknesses of this experience and potentially able to provide valuable information on the role of today's web based services and online communities to help support teachers in earth and climate sciences subjects.

  4. Boys starting school disadvantaged: implications from teachers' ratings of behaviour and achievement in the first two years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Childs, G; McKay, M

    2001-06-01

    Consistent evidence indicates that low socio-economic status (SES) acts as an important stressor and vulnerability factor for children's school learning. However, specific mechanism(s) of this process are still not well understood. This study was a follow-up of the classroom learning behaviour and perceived achievement of low and middle income children after two years at school, who had previously been rated soon after starting school. It examined whether teachers' ratings displayed predictive stability over that period, and whether significant differences evident at age 5 in SES and gender were still operative at age 7. Two samples, of low income (N = 85) and middle income (N = 63) children, were rated following school entry (mean age 5 years 3 months) and rated again after two years at school. The children were rated at both points by their regular classroom teachers using the Learning Behaviours Scale (Stott et al., 1998) with subscales of Distractible, Apprehensive and Uncooperative, together with ratings of academic achievement and their personal perception of each child. SES was found to be a very limited predictor for the learning behaviour subscale ratings and for teachers' personal perceptions at both ages 5 and 7. SES did significantly predict expected Academic Achievement at age 5, but this effect disappeared completely by age 7. Conversely, within the two defined groups, Low Income boys were found to display significantly poorer learning behaviours at age 5, especially in terms of distractible behaviour, compared with Middle Income boys and with girls generally. This pattern was maintained over the next two years of their schooling. The effect of SES was thus demonstrated more powerfully in between-group differences than by means of regression. The findings emphasised the persistence of teachers' initial negative impressions about distractible 'hard to manage' boys from low SES families. The outcomes of this study suggest that low SES boys commenced

  5. First aid knowledge, attitude, practice, and associated factors among kindergarten teachers of Lideta sub-city Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganfure, Gemechu; Ameya, Gemechu; Tamirat, Ababe; Lencha, Bikila; Bikila, Dereje

    2018-01-01

    Injuries are very common and can occur at any point of time in a day. Unintended injuries in kindergarten children are the most common and need immediate life saving care which is known as first aid. This study aimed to investigate knowledge, attitude, practice, and associated factors of first aid among kindergarten teachers of Lideta sub-city Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among kindergarten teachers. Data was collected using pretested, structured and self-administered questionnaire S1 File. The collected data was entered in to Epi Data version 3.1 software and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify association between kindergarten teachers' knowledge and attitudes towards first aid and different variables. Odds ratios with 95% CI and pfirst aid. Eighty percent of teachers encountered with children in need of first aid. Kindergarten teachers older than 35 years [AOR = 4.2, 95%CI: (1.02, 16.9)], five years' experience [AOR = 3.1, 95%CI: (1.2, 7.6)], having previous first aid training [AOR = 3.1, 95%CI: (1.2, 7.7)], source of first aid information and teachers serving in private kindergarten are associated with having knowledge of first aid. Long time experience, type of kindergarten, previous training, and exposure to children in need of first aid were positive association with attitude towards first aid. Low first aid knowledge and high positive attitude among kindergarten teachers. Having long time experience, being older age, previous first aid training, and serving in private kindergarten were positively associated with first aid knowledge and positive attitude. Creating awareness and including first aid courses in the kindergarten teachers' curriculum need to be considered.

  6. Mathematics teachers' support and retention: using Maslow's hierarchy to understand teachers' needs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Molly H.; Royster, David

    2016-10-01

    As part of a larger study, four mathematics teachers from diverse backgrounds and teaching situations report their ideas on teacher stress, mathematics teacher retention, and their feelings about the needs of mathematics teachers, as well as other information crucial to retaining quality teachers. The responses from the participants were used to develop a hierarchy of teachers' needs that resembles Maslow's hierarchy, which can be used to better support teachers in various stages of their careers. The interviews revealed both non content-specific and content-specific needs within the hierarchy. The responses show that teachers found different schools foster different stress levels and that as teachers they used a number of resources for reducing stress. Other mathematics-specific ideas are also discussed such as the amount of content and pedagogy courses required for certification.

  7. Can teacher-child relationships support human rights to freedom of opinion and expression, education and participation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Cen; Harrison, Linda J; McLeod, Sharynne; Walker, Sue; Spilt, Jantine L

    2018-02-01

    This study explored how teacher-child relationships change over the early school years, in terms of closeness and conflict, whether these trajectories differ in type and frequency for children with typical development and children with speech and language concern (SLC), and whether the trajectories are associated with school outcomes at 12-13 years. Participants were children, parents and teachers in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Parents identified 2890 children with typical communication and 1442 children with SLC. Teacher-rated teacher-child closeness and conflict were collected biennially over six years. Academic and social-emotional outcomes were reported by teachers and children. Growth mixture modelling was conducted to generate teacher-child relationship trajectories and Wald's chi-square analyses were used to test the association between trajectories and school outcomes at 12-13 years, after controlling for a range of covariates including child's sex, language background, Indigenous status, age and socio-economic position. In both groups, the majority of children had teacher-child relationship trajectories with sustained high closeness and low conflict that predicted positive outcomes at age 12-13, but the SLC group was more at risk of less positive trajectories and poorer school outcomes. Close, less conflicted relationships with teachers may provide a supportive context for later language, literacy and social-emotional development. This study highlights the role of teachers in supporting children in their development of communication and academic skills that will optimise their capacity for freedom of opinions and expression, education and participation, as enshrined in Articles 19, 26 and 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

  8. Developing an International Survey of Teachers' Assessment Capabilities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Renken, Maggie; Otrel-Cass, Kathrin; Cowie, Bronwen

    teacher education into the first years as teachers across six countries. We target the nature of programmes and changes in understanding assessment purposes, practices, principles and policy. This project builds on the ACT survey of student-teacher understandings of assessment conducted over three years......Professional standards require teachers to be assessment literate - to construct, administer, and score reliable, valid assessments, communicate interpretations and use evidence to adjust teaching to support students. This project investigates student-teachers’ assessment literacy throughout...

  9. Twenty Years of One Astronomy Teacher Professional Development - The EXES Teacher Associate Program at UT Austin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finkelstein, Keely; Hemenway, Mary Kay; Sneden, Chris; Lacy, John; Richter, Matthew J.; EXES Teacher Associates

    2018-01-01

    The Astronomy Department and McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin has and continues to offer a suite of different astronomy based K-12 teacher professional development programs. One of our longest running, and most successful programs, is reaching its 20th anniversary, the EXES Teacher Associate Program, which was started in 1998. The EXES Teacher Associate program features sustained and continued professional development opportunities for K-12 science and math educators. It consists of 6 times per year day-long meetings, coupled with other professional development opportunities provided at various times. In total, there are approximately 30 active members of the group currently, but more than 90 teachers have participated in this group over its 20 year history. The program has had astronomy education as its focus throughout its history, but different partnerships and collaborations with other programs have supported the group and have allowed for a variety of professional development opportunities and themes for educators to engage in. We will give an overview of this program, present evaluation data and teacher feedback related to program success and student impact, and highlight a few specific program opportunities that are unique and have been shown to be most impactful for participants.

  10. Why the American public supports twenty-first century learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sacconaghi, Michele

    2006-01-01

    Aware that constituent support is essential to any educational endeavor, the AOL Time Warner Foundation (now the Time Warner Foundation), in conjunction with two respected national research firms, measured Americans' attitudes toward the implementation of twenty-first century skills. The foundation's national research survey was intended to explore public perceptions of the need for changes in the educational system, in school and after school, with respect to the teaching of twenty-first century skills. The author summarizes the findings of the survey, which were released by the foundation in June 2003. One thousand adults were surveyed by telephone, including African Americans, Latinos, teachers, and business executives. In general, the survey found that Americans believe today's students need a "basics-plus" education, meaning communication, technology, and critical thinking skills in addition to the traditional basics of reading, writing, and math. In fact, 92 percent of respondents stated that students today need different skills from those of ten to twenty years ago. Also, after-school programs were found to be an appropriate vehicle to teach these skills. Furthermore, the survey explored how well the public perceives schools to be preparing youth for the workforce and postsecondary education, which twenty-first century skills are seen as being taught effectively, and the level of need for after-school and summer programs. The survey results provide conclusive evidence of national support for basics-plus education. Thus, a clear opportunity exists to build momentum for a new model of education for the twenty-first century.

  11. An Analysis of First Year Engineering Students' Satisfaction with a Support Distance Learning Program in Mathematics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matzakos, Nikolaos M.; Kalogiannakis, Michail

    2018-01-01

    An online support distance-learning program in Mathematics was developed to aid first year engineering students for their transition from the secondary to the tertiary education in order to reinforce deficiencies they may have in mathematical knowledge. The aim of the present study is to examine, firstly, to what extent the attendance of such a…

  12. Mental health first aid training for high school teachers: a cluster randomized trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorm Anthony F

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mental disorders often have their first onset during adolescence. For this reason, high school teachers are in a good position to provide initial assistance to students who are developing mental health problems. To improve the skills of teachers in this area, a Mental Health First Aid training course was modified to be suitable for high school teachers and evaluated in a cluster randomized trial. Methods The trial was carried out with teachers in South Australian high schools. Teachers at 7 schools received training and those at another 7 were wait-listed for future training. The effects of the training on teachers were evaluated using questionnaires pre- and post-training and at 6 months follow-up. The questionnaires assessed mental health knowledge, stigmatizing attitudes, confidence in providing help to others, help actually provided, school policy and procedures, and teacher mental health. The indirect effects on students were evaluated using questionnaires at pre-training and at follow-up which assessed any mental health help and information received from school staff, and also the mental health of the student. Results The training increased teachers' knowledge, changed beliefs about treatment to be more like those of mental health professionals, reduced some aspects of stigma, and increased confidence in providing help to students and colleagues. There was an indirect effect on students, who reported receiving more mental health information from school staff. Most of the changes found were sustained 6 months after training. However, no effects were found on teachers' individual support towards students with mental health problems or on student mental health. Conclusions Mental Health First Aid training has positive effects on teachers' mental health knowledge, attitudes, confidence and some aspects of their behaviour. Trial registration ACTRN12608000561381

  13. First-Year Teachers’ Uphill Struggle to Implement Inquiry Instruction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanya Chichekian

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This longitudinal study of six first-year teachers focused on conceptualizations of inquiry-based pedagogy, self-efficacy for inquiry-based teaching, and its actual enactment. Data included a self-report survey of self-efficacy for inquiry-based instruction, individual interviews at the beginning and end of the year, and five distributed classroom observations. At year’s end, self-efficacy for inquiry teaching declined, as did frequencies of concepts teachers used to describe inquiry enactment. Inquiry descriptions reflected a set of interrelated procedures more than inquiry as conceptual knowledge. Novice teachers were observed least enacting pedagogical actions that required enabling students to communicate findings and the most in student engagement; however, over time frequencies of student engagement declined. Consistent patterns were observed between shifts in self-efficacy and inquiry enactment and shifts between self-efficacy and conceptualizations of inquiry enactment. We found beginning steps toward links between teacher’s conceptualizations and classroom practice.

  14. First-Year Maternal Employment and Child Development in the First Seven Years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne; Han, Wen-Jui; Waldfogel, Jane

    2010-08-01

    of employment within the first year into account, we find some significant associations between full-time maternal employment in the first year and higher levels of caregiver- or teacher-reported externalizing problems at age 4 ½ and first grade. Second, part-time maternal employment by 12 months tends to be associated with fewer externalizing problems at age 4 ½ and first grade than full time maternal employment by 12 months. These results are unchanged when we allow for the possibility of moderation by child characteristics or maternal occupation. Third, the results from SEM models indicate that, while neither full-time nor part-time first-year employment has significant total effects on children's externalizing behavior problems at age 4 ½ or first grade, part-time first-year employment has indirect positive effects, working primarily through differences in the home environment and maternal sensitivity. Another important finding from the SEM models is that center-based care, which is often associated with maternal employment, is not significantly associated with elevated levels of child behavior problems. Taken together, our findings provide new insight as to the net effects of first-year maternal employment as well as the potential pathways through which associations between first-year maternal employment and later child outcomes, where present, come about. Our SEM results indicate that, on average, the associations between first-year maternal employment and later cognitive, social, and emotional outcomes are neutral, because negative effects, where present, are offset by positive effects. These results confirm that maternal employment in the first year of life may confer both advantages and disadvantages and that for the average non-Hispanic white child, those effects balance each other.

  15. The Impact of the Social Norms of Education on Beginning Science Teachers' Understanding of NOS During their First Three Years in the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Firestone, Jonah B.

    An understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS) remains a fundamental goal of science education in the Unites States. A developed understanding of NOS provides a framework in which to situate science knowledge. Secondary science teachers play a critical role in providing students with an introduction to understanding NOS. Unfortunately, due to the high turnover rates of secondary science teachers in the United States, this critical role is often filled by relatively novice teachers. These beginning secondary science teachers make instructional decisions regarding science that are drawn from their emerging knowledge base, including a tentative understanding of NOS. This tentative knowledge can be affected by environment and culture of the classroom, school, and district in which beginning teachers find themselves. When examining NOS among preservice and beginning teachers the background and demographics of the teachers are often ignored. These teachers are treated as a homogenous block in terms of their initial understanding of NOS. This oversight potentially ignores interactions that may happen over time as teachers cross the border from college students, preservice teachers, and scientists into the classroom environment. Through Symbolic Interactionism we can explain how teachers change in order to adapt to their new surroundings and how this adaptation may be detrimental to their understanding of NOS and ultimately to their practice. 63 teachers drawn from a larger National Science Foundation (NSF) funded study were interviewed about their understanding of NOS over three years. Several demographic factors including college major, preservice program, number of History and Philosophy of Science classes, and highest academic degree achieve were shown to have an affect on the understanding of NOS over time. In addition, over time, the teachers tended to 'converge' in their understanding of NOS regardless of preservice experiences or induction support. Both the affect

  16. TESOL, A Profession That Eats its Young: The Importance of Reflective Practice in Language Teacher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas SC Farrell

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL is similar to other fields in that we must not take it for granted that novice teachers will survive their first year without some kind of support. This paper outlines how three novice ESL teachers in Canada survived their first year without any support from the school they were placed. Specifically, the paper outlines how they, with the aid of a facilitator, engaged in reflective practice by using a framework for reflecting on practice to help them navigate complex issues and challenges they faced during their first year of teaching. Had they not engaged in such structured reflection during their first year, they would have probably become another statistic of those who quit the profession and contribute to the growing perception that TESOL is a profession that eats its young. The paper suggests that language teacher educators and novice teachers should not just wait until their first year to learn the skills of reflective practice but should do so much earlier in their teacher education programs so that they can be better prepared for the transition from their teacher education programs to the first year of teaching.

  17. Mathematical Investigations for Supporting Pre-Service Primary Teachers Repeating a Mathematics Education Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailey, Judy

    2014-01-01

    Preparing to become an effective primary school mathematics teacher is a challenging and complex task; and is influenced by one's past experiences, personal knowledge of, and beliefs and attitudes towards mathematics. This paper examines the experiences of a small group of pre-service teachers who did not pass their first year mathematics…

  18. What Makes a Motivating Teacher? Teachers' Motivation and Beliefs as Predictors of Their Autonomy-Supportive Style

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katz, Idit; Shahar, Bat-Hen

    2015-01-01

    Findings from several studies suggest that teachers who embrace an autonomy-supportive style vis-à-vis their students promote student motivation. However, the question of what makes teachers adopt this supportive style remains unanswered. Using Self-Determination Theory as a framework, we suggest that teachers' own motivation and their beliefs…

  19. Teacher's scaffolding over the year to develop norms of mathematical inquiry in a primary classroom

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Makar, Katie; Bakker, A.; Ben-Zvi, Dani

    2015-01-01

    Developing mathematical inquiry practices requires that teachers are explicit about classroom norms that support these practices. In this study, we asked: How can a teacher scaffold the development of norms and practices in mathematical inquiry over time? Analysis of classroom video over a year

  20. The Role of Computer Technology in Supporting Children's Learning in Jordanian Early Years Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alkhawaldeh, Mustafa; Hyassat, Mizyed; Al-Zboon, Eman; Ahmad, Jamal

    2017-01-01

    The current research investigated early years teachers' perspectives regarding the role of computer technology in supporting children's learning in Jordanian kindergartens. Thirty semistructured interviews were conducted with preschool teachers. The sample of kindergartens in this study was purposefully selected from the targeted population of…

  1. CEC Teacher of the Year.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voyles, Lynda

    1995-01-01

    This interview with Brenda Jean Robbins, a Florida music therapist and teacher selected as 1995 Teacher of the Year by the Council for Exceptional Children, reveals her views about music therapy, goals, relationship of music therapy to the special education classroom, musical performance, and getting parents involved. (DB)

  2. What Teachers Want: Supporting Primary School Teachers in Teaching Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    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…

  3. International Perspectives on the First-Year Experience in Higher Education. The First-Year Experience Monograph Series No. 52

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nutt, Diane, Ed.; Calderon, Denis, Ed.

    2009-01-01

    Students around the globe have unique first-year experiences but struggle with many of the same challenges. This monograph focuses on their journeys and provides insights for educators interested in learning about how institutions across the globe provide supports to students dealing with first-year transition issues. Based on the successful…

  4. Administrative Support and Its Mediating Effect on US Public School Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    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…

  5. Supporting pre-service science teachers in developing culturally relevant pedagogy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krajeski, Stephen

    This study employed a case study methodology to investigate a near-authentic intervention program designed to support the development of culturally relevant pedagogy and its impact on pre-service science teachers' notions of culturally relevant pedagogy. The unit of analysis for this study was the discourse of pre-service science teachers enrolled in a second semester science methods course, which was the site of the intervention program. Data for this study was collected from videos of classroom observations, audio recordings of personal interviews, and artifacts created by the pre-service science teachers during the class. To determine how effective science teacher certification programs are at supporting the development of culturally relevant pedagogy without an immersion aspect, two research questions were investigated: 1) How do pre-service science teachers view and design pedagogy while participating in an intervention designed to support the development of culturally relevant pedagogy? 2) How do pre-service science teachers view the importance of culturally relevant pedagogy for supporting student learning? How do their practices in the field change these initial views?

  6. Robot Teachers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nørgård, Rikke Toft; Ess, Charles Melvin; Bhroin, Niamh Ni

    The world's first robot teacher, Saya, was introduced to a classroom in Japan in 2009. Saya, had the appearance of a young female teacher. She could express six basic emotions, take the register and shout orders like 'be quiet' (The Guardian, 2009). Since 2009, humanoid robot technologies have...... developed. It is now suggested that robot teachers may become regular features in educational settings, and may even 'take over' from human teachers in ten to fifteen years (cf. Amundsen, 2017 online; Gohd, 2017 online). Designed to look and act like a particular kind of human; robot teachers mediate human...... existence and roles, while also aiming to support education through sophisticated, automated, human-like interaction. Our paper explores the design and existential implications of ARTIE, a robot teacher at Oxford Brookes University (2017, online). Drawing on an initial empirical exploration we propose...

  7. Keeping the Spirits Up: The Effect of Teachers' and Parents' Emotional Support on Children's Working Memory Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandenbroucke, Loren; Spilt, Jantine; Verschueren, Karine; Baeyens, Dieter

    2017-01-01

    Working memory, used to temporarily store and mentally manipulate information, is important for children's learning. It is therefore valuable to understand which (contextual) factors promote or hinder working memory performance. Recent research shows positive associations between positive parent-child and teacher-student interactions and working memory performance and development. However, no study has yet experimentally investigated how parents and teachers affect working memory performance. Based on attachment theory, the current study investigated the role of parent and teacher emotional support in promoting working memory performance by buffering the negative effect of social stress. Questionnaires and an experimental session were completed by 170 children from grade 1 to 2 ( M age = 7 years 6 months, SD = 7 months). Questionnaires were used to assess children's perceptions of the teacher-student and parent-child relationship. During an experimental session, working memory was measured with the Corsi task backward (Milner, 1971) in a pre- and post-test design. In-between the tests stress was induced in the children using the Cyberball paradigm (Williams et al., 2000). Emotional support was manipulated (between-subjects) through an audio message (either a weather report, a supportive message of a stranger, a supportive message of a parent, or a supportive message of a teacher). Results of repeated measures ANOVA showed no clear effect of the stress induction. Nevertheless, an effect of parent and teacher support was found and depended on the quality of the parent-child relationship. When children had a positive relationship with their parent, support of parents and teachers had little effect on working memory performance. When children had a negative relationship with their parent, a supportive message of that parent decreased working memory performance, while a supportive message from the teacher increased performance. In sum, the current study suggests that

  8. Distance-mediated mentoring: A telecommunication-supported model for novice rural mathematics and science teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luebeck, Jennifer Lyn

    Rural educators face unique professional challenges and limitations. This study investigated the effectiveness of an innovative distance-mediated mentoring program for rural novice mathematics and science teachers. Four purposes were pursued: (1) characterize and document the nature and development of the mentor-novice relationship; (2) describe how discourse influenced the novice teachers' perceptions about mathematics and science teaching; (3) determine whether telecommunication effectively supported a distance-mediated mentoring relationship for novice rural teachers; and (4) investigate program effects on novice teachers' attitudes, concerns, and professional growth. A qualitative research design was implemented during academic years 1996-98. Primary data collection focused on nine rural novice teachers and their mentors and included three sets of interviews spanning three semesters, field observation of classrooms, schools, and communities, and analysis of electronic mail messages over a four-month period. Supporting data were collected during observation of workshops and training sessions, and through surveys administered to all program participants in early 1997 and 1998. Categories of mentor-novice communication were identified: curriculum and content, validation of teaching practice, classroom and school issues, moral support, and social talk. Impact on mathematics and science teaching was accomplished by: sharing materials and activities; planning units and projects; locating resources; classroom and student concerns; long-range curriculum design, and improvement of teaching practices. Professional growth (for both novices and mentors) occurred through individual contact with partners and interaction within the larger mentoring community in both face-to-face and on-line venues. Telecommunication was highly valued by successful users. Technical difficulty curtailed access for a significant number of teachers, but they maintained successful relationships

  9. Instructional support and implementation structure during elementary teachers' science education simulation use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonczi, Amanda L.; Chiu, Jennifer L.; Maeng, Jennifer L.; Bell, Randy L.

    2016-07-01

    This investigation sought to identify patterns in elementary science teachers' computer simulation use, particularly implementation structures and instructional supports commonly employed by teachers. Data included video-recorded science lessons of 96 elementary teachers who used computer simulations in one or more science lessons. Results indicated teachers used a one-to-one student-to-computer ratio most often either during class-wide individual computer use or during a rotating station structure. Worksheets, general support, and peer collaboration were the most common forms of instructional support. The least common instructional support forms included lesson pacing, initial play, and a closure discussion. Students' simulation use was supported in the fewest ways during a rotating station structure. Results suggest that simulation professional development with elementary teachers needs to explicitly focus on implementation structures and instructional support to enhance participants' pedagogical knowledge and improve instructional simulation use. In addition, research is needed to provide theoretical explanations for the observed patterns that should subsequently be addressed in supporting teachers' instructional simulation use during professional development or in teacher preparation programs.

  10. TPACK Updated to Measure Pre-Service Teachers' Twenty-First Century Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valtonen, Teemu; Sointu, Erkko; Kukkonen, Jari; Kontkanen, Sini; Lambert, Matthew C.; Mäkitalo-Siegl, Kati

    2017-01-01

    Twenty-first century skills have attracted significant attention in recent years. Students of today and the future are expected to have the skills necessary for collaborating, problem solving, creative and innovative thinking, and the ability to take advantage of information and communication technology (ICT) applications. Teachers must be…

  11. Teachers' use of questioning in supporting learners doing science investigations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Umesh Ramnarain

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available I examine how teachers employ a questioning strategy in supporting Grade 9 learners doing science investigations in South African schools. A particular focus of this study was how teachers use questioning in contributing towards the autonomy of these learners. The research adopted a qualitative approach which involved the collection of data by means of classroom observations and interviews with five teachers at schools resourced for practical work. The analysis of transcript data revealed that teachers support learners by asking probing questions at all stages of the investigation. The teachers used a questioning strategy in enabling the learners to understand more clearly the question or hypothesis they intended investigating, to review and reconsider their planning, to rethink some of their actions when collecting data, to make sense of their data, and to revisit and amend their plan after generating incorrect findings. The significance of this study, in making explicit teacher questioning at the stages of the investigation, is that it provides a guideline for teachers on how to support learners attain greater autonomy in doing science investigations.

  12. The Relationship between Teacher Support and Students' Academic Emotions: A Meta-Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hao Lei

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This meta-analysis examines the association between teacher support and students' academic emotions [both positive academic emotions (PAEs and negative academic emotions (NAEs] and explores how student characteristics moderate these relationships. We identified 65 primary studies with 58,368 students. The results provided strong evidence linking teacher support and students' academic emotions. Furthermore, students' culture, age, and gender moderated these links. The correlation between teacher support and PAEs was stronger for Western European and American students than for East Asian students, while the correlation between teacher support and NAEs was stronger for East Asian students than for Western European and American students. Also, the correlation between teacher support and PAEs was strong among university students and weaker among middle school students, compared to other students. The correlation between teacher support and NAEs was stronger for middle school students and for female students, compared to other students.

  13. Factors influencing the choice of profession of first-year teaching students

    OpenAIRE

    N. Hislop-Esterhuizen; J. G. Maree; M. J. van der Linde; A. Swanepoel

    2008-01-01

    The lack of appropriately qualified teachers in South Africa is growing rapidly and debates about the decline in teacher numbers in South Africa are increasing. In this study, the results of an investigation into possible factors that impact on the career choice of teaching students are reported. The reasons why first-year teaching students at the University of Pretoria chose teachings a career were studied by using a non-experimental design (survey design; administering anon-standardised que...

  14. Stretch, Bend, and Flex: The Experiences of First-Year Teachers from the Urban Teacher Training Collaborative

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newton, Anne; Beardsley, Linda; Shakespear, Eileen

    2003-01-01

    Since 1982, the "MetLife Survey of the American Teacher" has examined issues related to education from a variety of perspectives. Surveys in 2001 and 2002 revealed that feelings of alienation from school are prevalent among students, teachers, and parents at the secondary level, resulting in breakdown of the educational process. People do not feel…

  15. Teacher-student interpersonal relationships and academic motivation within one school year : developmental changes and linkage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Opdenakker, Marie-Christine; Maulana, Ridwan; den Brok, Perry

    The present study explored the developmental changes of teacher-student interpersonal relationships as well as that of academic motivation among first-grade secondary school students. In addition, the link between teacher-student interpersonal behaviour and academic motivation across the school year

  16. 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

  17. Supporting Teachers' Understandings of Function through Online Professional Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silverman, Jason

    2017-01-01

    This article explores one segment of an extended research and development project that was conducted to better understand the ways online teacher professional development can support teachers' development of deep and connected mathematical understandings. In particular, this article discusses teachers' understandings of the concept of…

  18. Teachers Who Grow As Collaborative Leaders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard D. Sawyer

    2001-10-01

    Full Text Available The following narratives examine three teachers over a course of ten years as they first entered teaching and began to collaborate with other teachers on curriculum. Specifically, the study examines how the teachers 1 developed as collaborators and 2 perceived elements of support from both within and outside the classroom for their collaborative efforts. The article argues that the successful collaborative efforts helped deepen their sense of agency and initiative within their teaching and, to a lesser degree, stimulated reform and change within their schools. In turn and to varying degrees, the process of collaboration supported their personal renewal in their work. The article suggests that structural support for these teachers that connected to their emerging personal practical knowledge was crucial for their development as teacher collaborators. The article concludes by suggesting how schools may be restructured to start to become sites of authentic leadership that build on the talents, meaning, voice, and knowledge of teachers.

  19. Time to Engage? Texting to Support and Enhance First Year Undergraduate Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geraldine Jones

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we discuss a case study investigating how the academic and personal development of first year students on an undergraduate sports education degree can be supported and enhanced with mobile SMS communication. SMS-based technologies were introduced in response to students’ particular needs (in transition to Higher Education and characteristics (‘digital natives’. Despite being unaccustomed to using their mobile phones for academic study, students willingly participated in SMS communication with their tutor via a texting management service. Drawing on evidence from two student surveys, focus groups and a tutor’s journal, we illustrate the potential that mobile SMS communication has to link and establish continuity between face to face teaching sessions and online learning activities in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE. Many students perceived the SMS communication to have had a positive impact on their management of study time. We link our findings with the existing literature and argue that mobile text based communication has the potential to support the development of time management skills, an important component of self regulatory learning, a skill which has been shown to be key in making a successful transition.

  20. "I've Tried and I've Died This Year": First-Year Teachers Reflect on Literacy Reform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broemmel, Amy D.; Swaggerty, Elizabeth A.

    2017-01-01

    This article describes the challenges associated with outcomes-based education reform as experienced by two novice elementary teachers. Interviews with the teachers provide insights into the tensions between their teaching beliefs and the practices employed in their local contexts. Specifically, pressures to both focus on standardized measures of…

  1. Teacher Support Resources, Need Satisfaction and Well-Being.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doménech-Betoret, Fernando; Lloret-Segura, Susana; Gómez-Artiga, Amparo

    2015-03-03

    Based on Job Demands-Resources Model (JD-R), this study examines the relationships among teacher support resources, psychological need satisfaction, engagement and burnout in a sample of 282 Spanish secondary school teachers. Nine teacher psychological needs were identified based on the study of Bess and on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Self-report questionnaires were used to measure the constructs selected for this study and their interrelationships were examined by structural equation modeling. The results reveal a good model fit to the data (NNFI = .88; CFI = .90; GFI = .90; RMSEA = .061). The analyses indicate a positive and significant effect of latent variable Psychological Need Satisfaction on engagement (β = .74, p Satisfaction in the relationship between teacher support resources and both engagement and burnout (additional paths did not improve the model fit: Δχ2(2) = 2.428, p = .29). Finally, practical implications of these findings are discussed.

  2. Teacher Self-Regulatory Climate: Conceptualizing an Indicator of Leader Support for Teacher Learning and Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, Timothy G.; Ware, Jordan K.

    2018-01-01

    Few studies that examine organizational conditions conducive to teacher learning utilize social-psychological theory to explain how leader actions specifically support teachers' psychological needs as learners. We apply self-determination theory to the conceptualization of a new construct, Teacher Self-Regulatory Climate (TSRC), defined as a set…

  3. A Cross-Sectional Study of Student Teachers' Behaviour Management Strategies throughout Their Training Years

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodcock, Stuart; Reupert, Andrea

    2012-01-01

    Despite the importance of behaviour management, many student teachers report being inadequately trained in this area. The aim of this study was to identify the strategies, confidence and reported levels of success in regard to various behaviour management strategies, across 509 first, second, third and fourth year student teachers training to be…

  4. Use of World Wide Web Server and Browser Software To Support a First-Year Medical Physiology Course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Michael J.; And Others

    1997-01-01

    Describes the use of a World Wide Web server to support a team-taught physiology course for first-year medical students. The students' evaluations indicate that computer use in class made lecture material more interesting, while the online documents helped reinforce lecture materials and textbooks. Lists factors which contribute to the…

  5. Factors influencing the choice of profession of first-year teaching students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Hislop-Esterhuizen

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available The lack of appropriately qualified teachers in South Africa is growing rapidly and debates about the decline in teacher numbers in South Africa are increasing. In this study, the results of an investigation into possible factors that impact on the career choice of teaching students are reported. The reasons why first-year teaching students at the University of Pretoria chose teachings a career were studied by using a non-experimental design (survey design; administering anon-standardised questionnaire. The results revealed, inter alia, that a number of factors influence the career choice of first-year teaching students. Trends that emerged from the current study include the following: many more women than men enter the teaching profession; relatively few African language speaking students choose education as a field of study and the role of parents in helping their children to choose a career cannot be underestimated. 

  6. Teacher regulation of multiple computer-supported collaborating groups

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Leeuwen, Anouschka; Janssen, Jeroen; Erkens, Gijsbert; Brekelmans, Mieke

    2015-01-01

    Teachers regulating groups of students during computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) face the challenge of orchestrating their guidance at student, group, and class level. During CSCL, teachers can monitor all student activity and interact with multiple groups at the same time. Not much is

  7. Sustaining Physics Teacher Education Coalition programs in physics teacher education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachel E. Scherr

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the mechanisms of increasing the number of physics teachers educated per year at institutions with thriving physics teacher preparation programs may inspire and support other institutions in building thriving programs of their own. The Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC, led by the American Physical Society (APS and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT, has supported transformation of physics teacher preparation programs at a number of institutions around the country for over a decade. In 2012–2013, PhysTEC supported an independent study on the sustainability of its sites after project funding ends. The study sought to measure the extent to which programs have been sustained and to identify what features should be prioritized for building sustainable physics teacher preparation programs. Most of the studied sites have sustained increases in the number of physics teachers educated per year as well as funding for physics teacher preparation. About half of the programs are thriving, in that in the post-award period, they have further increased both the number of physics teachers educated per year and funding for physics teacher preparation. All studied sites that sustained increases in the number of physics teachers educated per year have two features in common: a champion of physics teacher education and institutional commitment. The thriving physics teacher preparation programs in this study implemented different elements of physics teacher preparation according to diverse local priorities and opportunities, including the unique expertise of local personnel.

  8. The process of installing REDCap, a web based database supporting biomedical research: the first year.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klipin, M; Mare, I; Hazelhurst, S; Kramer, B

    2014-01-01

    Clinical and research data are essential for patient care, research and healthcare system planning. REDCapTM is a web-based tool for research data curatorship developed at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, USA. The Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg South Africa identified the need for a cost effective data management instrument. REDCap was installed as per the user agreement with Vanderbilt University in August 2012. In order to assist other institutions that may lack the in-house Information Technology capacity, this paper describes the installation and support of REDCap and incorporates an analysis of user uptake over the first year of use. We reviewed the staffing requirements, costs of installation, process of installation and necessary infrastructure and end-user requests following the introduction of REDCap at Wits. The University Legal Office and Human Research Ethics Committee were consulted regarding the REDCap end-user agreement. Bi-monthly user meetings resulted in a training workshop in August 2013. We compared our REDCap software user numbers and records before and after the first training workshop. Human resources were recruited from existing staff. Installation costs were limited to servers and security certificates. The total costs to provide a functional REDCap platform was less than $9000. Eighty-one (81) users were registered in the first year. After the first training workshop the user numbers increased by 59 in one month and the total number of active users to 140 by the end of August 2013. Custom software applications for REDCap were created by collaboration between clinicians and software developers. REDCap was installed and maintained at limited cost. A small number of people with defined skills can support multiple REDCap users in two to four hours a week. End user training increased in the number of users, number of projects created and the number of projects moved to production.

  9. Basic life support skills training in a first year medical curriculum: six years' experience with two cognitive-constructivist designs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durak, Halil Ibrahim; Certuğ, Agah; Calişkan, Ayhan; van Dalen, Jan

    2006-03-01

    Although the Basic Life Support (BLS) ability of a medical student is a crucial competence, poor BLS training programs have been documented worldwide. Better training designs are needed. This study aims to share detailed descriptions and the test results of two cognitive-constructivist training models for the BLS skills in the first year of medical curriculum. A BLS skills training module was implemented in the first year curriculum in the course of 6 years (1997-2003). The content was derived from the European Resuscitation Council Guidelines. Initially, a competence-based model was used and was upgraded to a cognitive apprenticeship model in 2000. The main performance-content type that was expected at the end of the course was: competent application of BLS procedures on manikins and peers at an OSCE as well as 60% achievement in a test consisting of 25 MCQ items. A retrospective cohort survey design using exam results and a self-completed anonymous student ratings' questionnaire were used in order to test models. Training time for individual students varied from 21 to 29 hours. One thousand seven hundred and sixty students were trained. Fail rates were very low (1.0-2.2%). The students were highly satisfied with the module during the 6 years. In the first year of the medical curriculum, a competence-based or cognitive apprenticeship model using cognitive-constructivist designs of skills training with 9 hours theoretical and 12-20 hours long practical sessions took place in groups of 12-17 students; medical students reached a degree of competence to sufficiently perform BLS skills on the manikins and their peers. The cognitive-constructivist designs for skills training are associated with high student satisfaction. However, the lack of controls limits the extrapolation of this conclusion.

  10. One Year On: First-Year Primary Teachers' Perceptions of Preparedness to Manage Misbehaviour and Their Confidence in the Strategies They Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Neill, Sue; Stephenson, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    This article reports the findings of a one-year follow-up study of Australian beginning primary teachers' perceived preparedness to manage a variety of problematic student behaviours, and their confidence and use of behaviour management strategies based on their preservice coursework in classroom behaviour management. A total of 216 primary…

  11. University First Year Advisors: A network approach for first year student transition and retention. A Practice Report.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geraldine Box

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Focussing expressly on student support and retention, improving the first year experience has been addressed by Murdoch University through the implementation of a School discipline-specific network of professional First Year Advisors (FYAs. FYA initiatives, both broad-based and varied, have been developed in alignment with the changing needs of students as identified throughout the semesters. A combination of outreach telephone campaigns and face-to-face student support enables FYAs to conduct a "just in time" approach to positively increase student engagement, and ultimately, retention. With a bespoke database, FYAs and academic staff have been able to streamline the process of reporting students in need of support, and gather data relating to student retention. The FYA program is yet to be formally evaluated although initial feedback and student consultation is promising. This paper outlines the program's development, current initiatives and expected outcomes.  

  12. The Relationship between Perceived Organizational Support and Teachers' Organizational Commitment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nayir, Funda

    2012-01-01

    Problem Statement: It can be said that one of the key factors ensuring teachers adaptation to developments is teachers' level of commitment to their schools. In this commitment, the teacher is expected to internalize the organizational objectives. The teacher's perception of organizational support is important for him to internalize the…

  13. Pre-entry Characteristics, Perceived Social Support, Adjustment and Academic Achievement in First-Year Spanish University Students: A Path Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez, María Soledad; Tinajero, Carolina; Páramo, María Fernanda

    2017-11-17

    Transition to university is a multifactorial process to which scarce consideration has been given in Spain, despite this being one of the countries with the highest rates of academic failure and attrition within the European Union. The present study proposes an empirical model for predicting Spanish students' academic achievement at university by considering pre-entry characteristics, perceived social support and adaptation to university, in a sample of 300 traditional first-year university students. The findings of the path analysis showed that pre-university achievement and academic and personal-emotional adjustment were direct predictors of academic achievement. Furthermore, gender, parents' education and family support were indirect predictors of academic achievement, mediated by pre-university grades and adjustment to university. The current findings supporting evidence that academic achievement in first-year Spanish students is the cumulative effect of pre-entry characteristics and process variables, key factors that should be taken into account in designing intervention strategies involving families and that establish stronger links between research findings and university policies.

  14. Need support in students with visual impairments : Comparing teacher and student perspectives.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haakma, Ineke; Janssen, Marleen; Minnaert, Alexander

    2018-01-01

    According to Self-Determination Theory, need-supportive teaching positively influences students’ engagement to learn. Need-supportive teaching involves teachers providing students with structure, autonomy support, and involvement. It enables teachers to support students’ psychological needs to feel

  15. Incredible Years Parent and Teacher Programmes: Emerging Themes and Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wetherall, Michelle

    2014-01-01

    This paper examines the Incredible Years Parent and Teacher Programmes that have originated from the work of Webster-Stratton. It provides a brief background on the programmes and a critical analysis of the issues as identified in current literature. The issues can be grouped into four main categories, the first being government decision-making…

  16. From Cradle to Brave New World: The First 20 Years of Developing a Research Field in New Technologies and Teacher Education, as Reflected in the Pages of JITTE/TPE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denning, Tim; Fisher, Tony; Higgins, Chris

    2011-01-01

    This article explores the development of the Journal over the first 20 years of its existence, reflecting a period of ongoing change in educational technologies and their role in teacher education and development. This exploration is undertaken through an analysis of the abstracts of articles published in the first 19 volumes of the Journal. Word…

  17. The Effectiveness of Additional Literacy Support (ALS) in Years 3 and 4

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunn, Tim

    2008-01-01

    This study compared the progress in reading and spelling of 256 children in 11 classes in 9 English primary schools in Years 3 and 4, and a partially overlapping sample of 126 children who received additional help with literacy during 1 year. Teachers and teaching assistants used either Additional Literacy Support (ALS), a highly structured set of…

  18. The teacher benefits from giving autonomy support during physical education instruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheon, Sung Hyeon; Reeve, Johnmarshall; Yu, Tae Ho; Jang, Hue Ryen

    2014-08-01

    Recognizing that students benefit when they receive autonomy-supportive teaching, the current study tested the parallel hypothesis that teachers themselves would benefit from giving autonomy support. Twenty-seven elementary, middle, and high school physical education teachers (20 males, 7 females) were randomly assigned either to participate in an autonomy-supportive intervention program (experimental group) or to teach their physical education course with their existing style (control group) within a three-wave longitudinal research design. Manipulation checks showed that the intervention was successful, as students perceived and raters scored teachers in the experimental group as displaying a more autonomy-supportive and less controlling motivating style. In the main analyses, ANCOVA-based repeated-measures analyses showed large and consistent benefits for teachers in the experimental group, including greater teaching motivation (psychological need satisfaction, autonomous motivation, and intrinsic goals), teaching skill (teaching efficacy), and teaching well-being (vitality, job satisfaction, and lesser emotional and physical exhaustion). These findings show that giving autonomy support benefits teachers in much the same way that receiving it benefits their students.

  19. Developing networks to support science teachers work

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sillasen, Martin Krabbe; Valero, Paola

    2012-01-01

    In educational research literature constructing networks among practitioners has been suggested as a strategy to support teachers’ professional development (Huberman, 1995; Jackson & Temperley, 2007; Van Driel, Beijaard, & Verloop, 2001). The purpose of this paper is to report on a study about how...... networks provide opportunities for teachers from different schools to collaborate on improving the quality of their own science teaching practices. These networks exist at the meso-level of the educational system between the micro-realities of teachers’ individual practice and the macro-level, where...... to develop collaborative activities in primary science teacher communities in schools to improve individual teachers practice and in networks between teachers from different schools in each municipality. Each network was organized and moderated by a municipal science coordinator....

  20. Effects of teacher autonomy support and students' autonomous motivation on learning in physical education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Bo; McCaughtry, Nate; Martin, Jeffrey; Fahlman, Mariane

    2009-03-01

    This study applied self-determination theory to investigate the effects of students' autonomous motivation and their perceptions of teacher autonomy support on need satisfaction adjustment, learning achievement, and cardiorespiratory fitness over a 4-month personal conditioning unit. Participants were 253 urban adolescents (121 girls and 132 boys, ages = 12-14 years). Based on a series of multiple regression analyses, perceived autonomy support by teachers significantly predicted students'need satisfaction adjustment and led to learning achievement, especially for students who were not autonomously motivated to learn in physical education. In turn, being more autonomous was directly associated with cardiorespiratory fitness enhancement. The findings suggest that shifts in teaching approaches toward providing more support for students' autonomy and active involvement hold promise for enhancing learning.

  1. Developmental Links Between Children's Working Memory and their Social Relations with Teachers and Peers in the Early School Years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Wilde, Amber; Koot, Hans M; van Lier, Pol A C

    2016-01-01

    This study assessed the developmental links between children's working memory development and their relations with teachers and peers across 2 years of kindergarten and early elementary school. Kindergarten and first grade children, N = 1109, 50% boys, were followed across 2 school-years. Children were assessed across 3 waves, in the fall and spring of the first school-year (within school-year), and finally in the spring of the second school-year. Working memory was assessed using a visuo-spatial working memory task. The developmental links between working memory and child-reported teacher-child relationship quality (warmth and conflict) and peer-nominated likeability and friendedness were assessed using autoregressive cross-lagged models. Lower working memory scores were related to increases in teacher-child conflict and decreases in teacher-child warmth one school-year later, in addition to decreases in likeability by peers within the same school-year. Conversely, teacher-child conflict was negatively associated with the development of working memory across the studied period. Path estimates between working memory and social relational factors were similar for boys and girls. Findings show developmental links between working memory and social-relational factors and vice versa. These results suggest that children's working memory development can be fostered through pro-social relations with teachers in early elementary school children.

  2. Teacher-Student Interpersonal Relationships and Academic Motivation within One School Year: Developmental Changes and Linkage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Opdenakker, Marie-Christine; Maulana, Ridwan; den Brok, Perry

    2012-01-01

    The present study explored the developmental changes of teacher-student interpersonal relationships as well as that of academic motivation among first-grade secondary school students. In addition, the link between teacher-student interpersonal behaviour and academic motivation across the school year was investigated. The data were collected 5…

  3. Pupils' gender and age as factors of differences in teacher's liking, perceived teacher's support and academic achievement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katja Košir

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The main aim of the present research was to examine how teachers report their liking of girls and boys in different periods of schooling and how students perceive the potential differences in their teachers' preferences. Also, the differences between girls and boys in the relationship between teacher's liking and perceived teacher's support on one side and students' academic achievement on the other side were examined. 1155 students (fifth and eighth grade of elementary school and second grade of secondary school and 50 teachers – their classteachers – participated in the study. The results show that teachers prefer girls to boys in all periods of schooling. This trend is especially evident in eight-graders. Compared to boys, girls have better academic achievement. However, there are no significant differences in the perceived teacher's support between girls and boys.

  4. The Effects of New Jersey's Teacher Mentoring Program on Teacher Job Satisfaction: A Study on the Influence of the Standardization of Mentoring Programs in Northern New Jersey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Block, Matthew Jared

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the 2006 New Jersey Department of Education's initiative to improve mentoring supports for first-year new teachers throughout the state. As part of this initiative, every school district in the state was required to develop a comprehensive mentoring plan to support new teachers. Districts…

  5. Supporting Student-Teacher Researchers’ Quest for Their Voice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rigoberto Castillo

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This article deals with teacher identity development of students enrolled in the teacher training program. The authors, who advocate inquiry-based teaching practices, propose reflective and organizational strategies to support these. In order to gain insights into the experiences and values of student-teacher-researchers (STRs here on to shape a professional teaching identity, a pre-service teacher and a professor in a second language (L2 program joined efforts to share their reflections on the process of inquiry and on the quest to find a voice when conducting and reporting their inquiry.

  6. Technology Integration Support Levels for In-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Mable Evans

    2017-01-01

    In-service teachers across the globe are expected to integrate technology in their respective instructional content area. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of in-service teachers concerning building-level support for technology integration. Participants in the study were asked to participate in semi-structured…

  7. Teacher Incentive Fund: First Implementation Report, 2006 and 2007 Grantees

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humphrey, Daniel C.; Gallagher, H. Alix; Yee, Kaily M.; Goss, G. Kyle; Campbell, Ashley Z.; Cassidy, Lauren J.; Mitchell, Nyema M.

    2012-01-01

    The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) supports projects that are designed to reform teacher and principal compensation. Initially, the Department of Education (the Department) made two rounds of awards, in 2006 and 2007, to a total of 34 grantees. The specific goals of TIF were to reward teachers and principals for improving student achievement,…

  8. Awareness, attitudes and practices of first aid among school teachers in Mangalore, south India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, Nitin; Narayanan, Thanneermalai; Bin Zakaria, Saifuddin; Nair, Abhishek Venugopal; Belayutham, Lavina; Subramanian, Aathiya Mihiraa; Gopakumar, K G

    2015-12-01

    Circumstances requiring medical attention are common at schools. Teachers are often the first individuals to witness and handle situations requiring first aid and medical emergencies. To determine awareness, attitudes and practices of school teachers and the facilities available at schools with respect to administration of first aid. Data were obtained from 146 teachers in nine schools in Mangalore, India, using a self-administered questionnaire. The schools were also inspected for first aid equipment and facilities. Only 69 (47%) teachers had received first aid training previously. Poor and moderate knowledge of first aid was observed among 19 (13%) and 127 (87%) teachers, respectively. Only eight teachers knew the correct procedure for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Most teachers 96 (66%) were willing to administer first aid if provided with the required training. A total of 74 teachers reported having practised first aid in response to a situation arising at their school. Wounds (36%) and syncopal attack (23%) were among the commonly encountered situations requiring first aid management at schools. Teachers' confidence level in administering first aid was significantly associated with prior training in first aid (p=0.001). First aid kits were available in only five of the nine schools surveyed. The current competency level among teachers in Mangalore to administer first aid is inadequate. Measures need to be taken at schools to ensure initiation of first aid training followed by periodic training for teachers in first aid.

  9. Two-year outcomes of the Early Risers prevention trial with formerly homeless families residing in supportive housing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gewirtz, Abigail H; DeGarmo, David S; Lee, Susanne; Morrell, Nicole; August, Gerald

    2015-04-01

    This article reports 2-year outcomes from a cluster randomized, controlled trial of the Early Risers (ER) program implemented as a selective preventive intervention in supportive housing settings for homeless families. Based on the goals of this comprehensive prevention program, we predicted that intervention participants receiving ER services would show improvement in parenting and child outcomes relative to families in treatment-as-usual sites. The sample included 270 children in 161 families, residing in 15 supportive housing sites; multimethod, multi-informant assessments conducted at baseline and yearly thereafter included parent and teacher report of child adjustment, parent report of parenting self-efficacy, and parent-child observations that yielded scores of effective parenting practices. Data were modeled in HLM7 (4-level model accounting for nesting of children within families and families within housing sites). Two years' postbaseline, intent-to-treat (ITT) analyses indicated that parents in the ER group showed significantly improved parenting self-efficacy, and parent report indicated significant reductions in ER group children's depression. No main effects of ITT were shown for observed parenting effectiveness. However, over time, average levels of parenting self-efficacy predicted observed effective parenting practices, and observed effective parenting practices predicted improvements in both teacher- and parent-report of child adjustment. This is the first study to our knowledge to demonstrate prevention effects of a program for homeless families residing in family supportive housing. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  10. A five year study of the attitudes, perceptions, and philosophies of five secondary science education teachers prepared in the constructivist teaching methodology advanced at the University of Iowa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hollenbeck, James Edward

    1999-11-01

    The present study researched the attitudes, Perceptions, and philosophies of five secondary education science teachers prepared in the constructivist teaching methodology advanced at the University of Iowa. This study is a continuation of a three-year study---the Salish I Project supported by the US Department of Education. The teachers studied are five 1993 University of Iowa Science Education Center graduates who have taught for five years. The main objective of the present study was finding answers to four questions aiming at further understanding of the impact and importance of the preservice education in I the constructivist teaching methodology of new teachers, and the changes they experience in the first five years of teaching. The instruments used in the study are various as they cover a wide range of different categories of beliefs I in terms of teaching, learning, teacher performance and view of school. The following trends came out on reviewing all of the data: in the first year of teaching three of the five teachers studied taught as constructivist teachers. in the third year of teaching, the classroom practices of the teachers converged more closely to their beliefs and preservice preparation. In the fifth year, all five teachers were ranked as constructivist in their teaching methodology in the classroom. Using the Wilcoxson test, significant, positive relationships were revealed between the teacher's philosophy of teaching and learning, with their actual practice. Teacher's philosophy and teaching practice were compared with selected standards set forth by the National Science Education Standards and were found to be in close alignment in their fifth year of teaching. Teachers prepared in the constructivist methodology are concerned about their subject content and value student input and reflection. The teachers reported using student-initiated ideas, alternative assessment strategies and being receptive to alternatives. Other important factors

  11. Improvement of fundamental movement skills through support and mentorship of class room teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Brooke; McLennan, Stephanie; Latimer, Kasha; Graham, David; Gilmore, Janine; Rush, Elaine

    2013-01-01

    Project Energize, a multicomponent through-school programme aims to improve the overall health and reducing weight gain of Waikato primary school children by increasing their physical activity and encouraging healthy eating. The aim of this report is to describe the efficacy of one intervention that provided classroom teachers with tools for improving fundamental movement skill (FMS) proficiency in years 0-8 school children. In 2008 the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD) was used to measure the FMS proficiency of children from 11 schools and 41 classes; before (n = 701) and after (n = 598) the teacher support was provided. Children were identified only by class years. At baseline less than half of the children exhibited proficiency in kicking (21%), throwing (31%) and striking (40%) while most children were able to run (84.6%) and slide (78.0%). All skills were substantially improved (P < 0.001) after the intervention with the biggest changes in kicking, throwing and striking; 49.8%, 63.5% and 76.3% proficient. At baseline children in years 0-3 from higher decile schools performed better than lower decile schools and after intervention this gap was reduced or removed. After receiving tailored FMS physical education classes led by the teacher, younger children were more competent than the older children were at baseline. The large, positive effects of the intervention have implications for long term physical activity participation and fitness with subsequent health benefits. The school-based FMS teacher support intervention by Team Energize is an effective way to improve outcomes for children. © 2011 Asian Oceanian Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Sustaining Physics Teacher Education Coalition programs in physics teacher education

    OpenAIRE

    Rachel E. Scherr; Monica Plisch; Renee Michelle Goertzen

    2017-01-01

    Understanding the mechanisms of increasing the number of physics teachers educated per year at institutions with thriving physics teacher preparation programs may inspire and support other institutions in building thriving programs of their own. The Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC), led by the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), has supported transformation of physics teacher preparation programs at a number of institutions aro...

  13. Protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial of an intervention to improve the mental health support and training available to secondary school teachers - the WISE (Wellbeing in Secondary Education) study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kidger, Judi; Evans, Rhiannon; Tilling, Kate; Hollingworth, William; Campbell, Rona; Ford, Tamsin; Murphy, Simon; Araya, Ricardo; Morris, Richard; Kadir, Bryar; Moure Fernandez, Aida; Bell, Sarah; Harding, Sarah; Brockman, Rowan; Grey, Jill; Gunnell, David

    2016-10-18

    Teachers are reported to be at increased risk of common mental health disorders compared to other occupations. Failure to support teachers adequately may lead to serious long-term mental disorders, poor performance at work (presenteeism), sickness absence and health-related exit from the profession. It also jeopardises student mental health, as distressed staff struggle to develop supportive relationships with students, and such relationships are protective against student depression. A number of school-based trials have attempted to improve student mental health, but these have mostly focused on classroom based approaches and have failed to establish effectiveness. Only a few studies have introduced training for teachers in supporting students, and none to date have included a focus on improving teacher mental health. This paper sets out the protocol (version 4.4 20/07/16) for a study aiming to address this gap. Cluster randomised controlled trial with secondary schools as the unit of randomisation. Intervention schools will receive: i) Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for a group of staff nominated by their colleagues, after which they will set up a confidential peer support service for colleagues ii) training in MHFA for schools and colleges for a further group of teachers, which will equip them to more effectively support student mental health iii) a short mental health awareness raising session and promotion of the peer support service for all teachers. Comparison schools will continue with usual practice. The primary outcome is teacher wellbeing measured using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). Secondary outcomes are teacher depression, absence and presenteeism, and student wellbeing, mental health difficulties, attendance and attainment. Measures will be taken at baseline, one year follow up (teachers only) and two year follow up. Economic and process evaluations will be embedded within the study. This study will establish the

  14. Technology, Time, and Participation: How a Principal Supports Teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarthy, Robert B.

    1985-01-01

    Argues that administrations might better support teachers if they provided: (1) up-to-date technology, such as Xerox machines; (2) "guilt-free" time for curriculum work or special projects; and (3) more opportunities for teacher participation in school decision making. (KH)

  15. The impact of motivation and teachers' autonomy support on children's executive functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sosic-Vasic, Zrinka; Keis, Oliver; Lau, Maren; Spitzer, Manfred; Streb, Judith

    2015-01-01

    The present study investigates the interplay of executive functions, motivation, and teacher's autonomy support in school context. In a cross-sectional study design 208 students from different school types completed a standardized motivation questionnaire and processed two executive function tasks. All teachers who teach these students were asked about their autonomy supporting behavior by a standardized test. Multilevel analyses assessed the effects of the student's motivation and their teachers' autonomy support on student's executive functions. Our results show considerable relationships between these variables: high executive function capacities came along with teacher's autonomy support and student's intrinsic motivation styles, whereas low executive function capacities were related to external regulation styles. The results indicate the importance of autonomy support in school instruction and disclose the need to popularize the self-regulation approach.

  16. Perceived teacher support and language anxiety in Polish secondary school EFL learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewa Piechurska-Kuciel

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The teacher’s role is vital, both in respect to achieving academic goals, and with regard to the regulation of emotional and social processes. Positive perceptions of teacher support can endorse psychological wellness, and help maintain students’ academic interests, higher academic achievement and more positive peer relationships. The teacher who shows understanding, empathy and consistency in their behavior helps students start forming an identity, which will assist them in coping with stress and anxiety directly connected with the foreign language learning process (language anxiety. The main aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between teacher support and language anxiety levels. It is speculated that teacher support functions as a buffer from the effects of negative emotions, such as language anxiety experienced in the foreign language learning process. The participants of the study were 621 secondary grammar school students whose responses to a questionnaire were the main data source. The results of the study demonstrate that students with higher levels of teacher support experience lower language anxiety levels in comparison to their peers with lower levels of teacher support. Students who have a feeling that they can count on the instructor’s help, advice, assistance, or backing manage the learning process more successfully. They evaluate their language abilities highly and receive better final grades. Nevertheless, gender and residential location do not moderate teacher support and language anxiety due to the specificity of the sample consisting of novice secondary grammar school students.

  17. Associations between perceived institutional support, job enjoyment, and intentions to work in the United Kingdom: national questionnaire survey of first year doctors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lachish, Shelly; Goldacre, Michael J; Lambert, Trevor

    2016-05-23

    Identifying factors that improve job satisfaction of new doctors and ease the difficult transition from student to doctor is of great interest to public health agencies. Studies to date have focused primarily on the value of changes to medical school curricula and induction processes in this regard, but have overlooked the extent to which institutional support can influence new doctors' enjoyment of and attitude to work. Here, we examine variation in the perceived level of support received by new medical graduates in the United Kingdom (UK) from their employer and whether this influences enjoyment of and attitudes to the first postgraduate year, and whether doctors who perceived a lower level of support were less inclined to intend a long term career in medicine in the UK. All UK medical graduates of 2012 were surveyed in 2013 in a cross-sectional study, towards the end of their first post-graduate year (the 'F1' year of the 2-year Foundation Training Programme for new UK doctors). We used linear regression to assess whether the level of support doctors reported receiving from their employing Trust (Very Good, Good, Adequate, Poor, or Very Poor) was associated with the extent to which they enjoyed their F1 year. Similarly, we assessed the strength of associations between self-reported level of Trust support and doctors' responses to 12 statements about fundamental aspects of their working lives, each assessed on a 5-point scale of agreement. Using χ (2) tests we examined whether doctors' intentions to practise medicine in the UK varied with the level of support they reported receiving from their Trust. The response rate was 45 % (2324/5171). Of 2324 responding junior doctors, 63.8 % reported receiving 'Very Good' (23.6 %) or 'Good' (40.2 %) initial support from their Trust, while a further 27.4 % stated they received 'Adequate' support. 'Poor' support was reported by 5.8 % and 'Very Poor' support by 2.2 %. We found very strong positive associations between

  18. Teacher induction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beijaard, D.; Buitink, J.; Kessels, C.; Peterson, P.; Baker, E.; McGraw, B.

    2010-01-01

    Teacher induction programs are intended to support the professional development of beginning teachers and thereby contribute to the reduction of teacher attrition during the early teaching years. Teacher induction programs are often based upon a deficit model with a focus on the better organization

  19. Personality Development during Teacher Preparation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corcoran, Roisin P; O'Flaherty, Joanne

    2016-01-01

    Objective: The purpose of this 3-year longitudinal study was to examine pre-service teachers' personality trajectories as measured by the IPIP Big-Five factor markers during teacher preparation. The relationship between students' personality traits, social desirability, and prior academic attainment was also examined. Method: This 3-year longitudinal study invited participants from the first year of a 4-year undergraduate (UG) pre-service teacher education program, the class of 2017. The sample consisted of 305 students. Results: The results suggest that extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience were best represented by a non-significant longitudinal change in means. Results also suggest that social desirability predicts agreeableness and emotional stability with small to moderate effect sizes. Conclusion: The study concludes that no value is added to pre-service teachers' personality traits during 3 years of tertiary education. Furthermore, the data presented does not support the view that academic attainment is a good predictor of personality traits. Implications for educational research, theory, and practice are considered.

  20. Dual Language Teachers' Use of Conventional, Environmental, and Personal Resources to Support Academic Language Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucero, Audrey

    2015-01-01

    This article reports findings from a study that investigated the ways in which first-grade dual language teachers drew on various resources to instructionally support academic language development among Spanish-English emergent bilingual students. Classroom observations, semistructured interviews, and document collection were conducted over a…

  1. Using an Empowerment Professional Development Model to Support Beginning Primary Mathematics Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sparrow, Len; Frid, Sandra

    2003-01-01

    This is a case study report from a larger study that focused on how an empowerment professional development model influenced the mathematics pedagogical practices and beliefs of Australian primary school teachers during their first year of teaching. The research used an interpretive approach for analysis of data from interviews, observations,…

  2. Towards Science Education for all: Teacher Support for Female ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Towards Science Education for all: Teacher Support for Female Pupils in the Zimbabwean Science Class. ... Annals of Modern Education ... One hundred female pupils studying sciences at either Ordinary or Advanced level, and 10 science teachers from 10 selected secondary schools in one province in Zimbabwe, ...

  3. Formational Turning Points in the Transition to College: Understanding How Communication Events Shape First-Generation Students' Pedagogical and Interpersonal Relationships with Their College Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tiffany R.

    2014-01-01

    In the present study, I explored student-teacher interaction, student-teacher relationship formation and development, and the ways in which student-teacher interaction and relationships facilitated support and persistence for first-generation (FG) students during the transition to college. Using transition theory as a sensitizing framework, I took…

  4. Social Support as a Contributor to Student Teachers' Experienced Well-Being

    Science.gov (United States)

    Väisänen, Sanna; Pietarinen, Janne; Pyhältö, Kirsi; Toom, Auli; Soini, Tiina

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study is to gain better understanding of the dynamics of the social support system adopted in teacher education and its significance for the student teachers' experienced well-being. The focus was on exploring the extent to which empowering "emotional," "informational" or "instrumental" support is…

  5. Reaching teachers: The first step in teaching students

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berry, G.

    1991-12-31

    A 1984 American Association of the Academy of Sciences study of more than 150 successful science in-service programs developed a list of their characteristics, which included: Strong academic component in mathematics, science, and communications, focused on enrichment rather than remediation; academic subjects taught by teachers who are highly competent in the subject matter and believe that students can learn the materials; heavy emphasis on the applications of science and mathematics and careers in these fields; integrative approach to teaching that incorporates all subject areas, hands-on opportunities, and computers; multiyear involvement with students; recruitment of participants from all relevant target populations; opportunities for in-school and out-of-school learning experiences; parental involvement and development of base of community support; specific attention to removing educational inequalities related to race and gender; involvement of professionals and staff who look like the target population; development of peer support systems (involvement of a critical mass of any kind of student); evaluation, long-term follow-up, and careful data collection; and, ``mainstreaming`` -- integration of program elements supportive of women and minorities into the institutional support programs. I shall illustrate these points with ongoing teacher-support programs in progress in the Chicago area.

  6. One Size Does Not Fit All: Differentiating Leadership to Support Teachers in School Reform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brezicha, Kristina; Bergmark, Ulrika; Mitra, Dana L.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Many of the predominant leadership models acknowledge the need to support teachers' work, but these models rarely specify how to support teachers' implementation process. This article studies the relationship between leadership support and teachers' sensemaking processes. It brings together three divergent bodies of…

  7. Motivation blockers of first year Mechanical Engineering students at the Fontys University of Applied Sciences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dr.Ir. Hay Geraedts

    2015-01-01

    Before the start and during the first weeks of their first year, it has been observed by teachers that engineering students start with a high level of motivation, which often seems to decrease during the course of the first semesters. Such a decrease in motivation can be a main driver for

  8. Santa Fe Alliance for Science: The First Eight Years

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenstein, Robert A.

    2013-04-01

    The Santa Fe Alliance for Science (SFAFS) was founded in May, 2005. SFAFS exists to provide assistance in K-14 math and science education in the greater Santa Fe area. It does this via extensive programs (1) in math and science tutoring at Santa Fe High School, Santa Fe Community College and to a lesser degree at other schools, (2) science fair advising and judging, (3) its ``Santa Fe Science Cafe for Young Thinkers'' series, (4) a program of professional enrichment for K-12 math and science teachers, and (5) a fledging math intervention program in middle school math. Well over 150 STEM professionals, working mostly as volunteers, have contributed since our beginning. Participation by students, parents and teachers has increased dramatically over the years, leading to much more positive views of math and science, especially among elementary school students and teachers. Support from the community and from local school districts has been very strong. I will present a brief status report on SFAFS activities, discuss some of the lessons learned along the way and describe briefly some ideas for the future. More information can be found at the SFAFS website, www.sfafs.org.

  9. Providing a Full Circle of Support to Teachers in an Inclusive Elementary School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waldron, Nancy L.; Redd, Lacy

    2011-01-01

    Providing a full circle of support to teachers in an inclusive elementary school, the Newberry Elementary School (NES) principal and staff have worked for 5 years to ensure the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms. The authors would like to share their perceptions of how this full circle (the multiple systems) of…

  10. Supporting Beginning Teacher Planning and Enactment of Investigation-based Science Discussions: The Design and Use of Tools within Practice-based Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kademian, Sylvie M.

    Current reform efforts prioritize science instruction that provides opportunities for students to engage in productive talk about scientific phenomena. Given the challenges teachers face enacting instruction that integrates science practices and science content, beginning teachers need support to develop the knowledge and teaching practices required to teach reform-oriented science lessons. Practice-based teacher education shows potential for supporting beginning teachers while they are learning to teach in this way. However, little is known about how beginning elementary teachers draw upon the types of support and tools associated with practice-based teacher education to learn to successfully enact this type of instruction. This dissertation addresses this gap by investigating how a practice-based science methods course using a suite of teacher educator-provided tools can support beginning teachers' planning and enactment of investigation-based science lessons. Using qualitative case study methodologies, this study drew on video-records, lesson plans, class assignments, and surveys from one cohort of 22 pre-service teachers (called interns in this study) enrolled in a year-long elementary education master of the arts and teaching certification program. Six focal interns were also interviewed at multiple time-points during the methods course. Similarities existed across the types of tools and teaching practices interns used most frequently to plan and enact investigation-based discussions. For the focal interns, use of four synergistic teaching practices throughout the lesson enactments (including consideration of students' initial ideas; use of open-ended questions to elicit, extend, and challenge ideas; connecting across students' ideas and the disciplinary core ideas; and use of a representation to organize and highlight students' ideas) appeared to lead to increased opportunities for students to share their ideas and engage in data analysis, argumentation and

  11. The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction on the Relationship between Teachers' Perceptions of Supervisor Support and Job Performances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uzun, Tevfik; Ozdem, Güven

    2017-01-01

    The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teachers' perceptions of supervisor support and job performances and the mediating role of job satisfaction in this relationship. The study group consists of 206 teachers working in the public high schools in the Giresun province centre during the 2016-2017 academic year. The…

  12. Support for teachers in improving science instruction and building a professional culture: An investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morris, Meg

    Teachers, already working in a demanding and complex occupation, face new challenges posed by current recommendations for changes in science teaching. Reform challenges that teachers face today and principles for professional development suggested by Judith Warren Little are used as a conceptual framework for this study. The study examines one professional development opportunity, the South Coast Science Project (SCSP) which is one site of the statewide California Science Project. In 1995 twenty-eight teachers of grades K--12 participated in the SCSPs four week summer institute and six follow-up days during the next two school years. Responses to open-ended questions on questionnaires answered by each teacher and my observation as a participant were used to study teachers' experiences in the institute. In classroom observations and interviews I gathered data about teaching practice and leadership activities of the teachers after the institute. Findings show that after the institute participating teachers made changes in teaching practice and leadership activities congruent with the aims of the SCSP. Important factors in the institute's success in supporting teachers to make changes include: the institute's mission, design, principles, and aims are in agreement with Little's (1993) suggested principles for professional development; investigations in an inquiry method are used to emphasize teaching science, rather than separating science and teaching; teacher leadership was enhanced by modeling and opportunities for the participants to practice leadership; a non-elitist model gave all teachers access to this learning opportunity. The method used for this study shows a way to better understand how professional development can have an impact on classroom practice. By collecting data in both the contexts---the learning opportunity and the subsequent classroom applications---the impact of the professional development can be traced. Findings for this study show that well

  13. Supporting the Development of Science Teacher Leaders--Where Do We Begin?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanuscin, Deborah L.; Rebello, Carina M.; Sinha, Somnath

    2012-01-01

    Teacher leadership has been recognized as a necessary ingredient to support educational reform efforts. Leaders provide the needed expertise to ensure reforms are successful in promoting student learning. The overarching goal of the "Leadership in Freshman Physics" program is to support a cadre of teachers-leaders who will become advocates for…

  14. Teaching basic life support to school children using medical students and teachers in a 'peer-training' model--results of the 'ABC for life' programme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toner, P; Connolly, M; Laverty, L; McGrath, P; Connolly, D; McCluskey, D R

    2007-10-01

    The 'ABC for life' programme was designed to facilitate the wider dissemination of basic life support (BLS) skills and knowledge in the population. A previous study demonstrated that using this programme 10-12-year olds are capable of performing and retaining these vital skills when taught by medical students. There are approximately 25,000 year 7 school children in 900 primary schools in Northern Ireland. By using a pyramidal teaching approach involving medical students and teachers, there is the potential to train BLS to all of these children each year. To assess the effectiveness of a programme of CPR instruction using a three-tier training model in which medical students instruct primary school teachers who then teach school children. School children and teachers in the Western Education and Library Board in Northern Ireland. A course of instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)--the 'ABC for life' programme--specifically designed to teach 10-12-year-old children basic life support skills. Medical students taught teachers from the Western Education and Library Board area of Northern Ireland how to teach basic life support skills to year 7 pupils in their schools. Pupils were given a 22-point questionnaire to assess knowledge of basic life support immediately before and after a teacher led training session. Children instructed in cardiopulmonary resuscitation using this three-tier training had a significantly improved score following training (57.2% and 77.7%, respectively, p<0.001). This study demonstrates that primary school teachers, previously trained by medical students, can teach BLS effectively to 10-12-year-old children using the 'ABC for life' programme.

  15. Training Lay Interventionists to Support Tobacco Cessation among Teachers in India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aghi, Mira; Nagler, Eve; Lando, Harry; Pednekar, Mangesh; Gupta, Prakash; Sorensen, Glorian

    2016-01-01

    Despite the rapidly increasing burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries, tobacco control initiatives - especially cessation - receive little emphasis. This is true despite low-cost methods that have potential for widespread dissemination. The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study example of how lay interventionists may be trained and supported to facilitate tobacco use cessation, based on the successful Tobacco Free Teachers-Tobacco Free Society program (TFT-TFS) implemented in Bihar, India. This school-based program included multiple components, with lay interventionists having a crucial role. The lay interventionists included health educators and lead teachers, both of whom were selected based on formative research, underwent extensive training and received continuing support. We emphasized encouraging and supporting teachers to quit tobacco use and engaging both tobacco users and nonusers to create a supportive environment for cessation. We also stressed that neither the health educators nor lead teachers were being trained as counselors or as cessation experts. We focused on the importance of respecting teachers as individuals and identifying locally relevant methods of cessation. Although we cannot isolate the precise contribution of the lay interventionists to the successful TFT-TFS intervention, the abstinence findings in favor of the intervention at follow up are highly encouraging. Teachers have been neglected as lay interventionists for tobacco cessation despite the fact that they tend to be highly respected and credible. The approach used for TFT-TFS could be disseminable in multiple low- and middle-income country contexts through train-the-trainer programs targeted to teachers.

  16. Teachers' Perceptions of Administrative Support and Antecedents of Turnover

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russell, Elizabeth Morgan; Williams, Sue W.; Gleason-Gomez, Cheryl

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the degree to which teachers' age, perceptions of fair pay, receipt of employer-sponsored health insurance, and administrative support, as operationalized by the Competing Values Framework, predicted antecedents of turnover. Teachers' thoughts of leaving their current job and commitment to a center…

  17. Supporting Novice Special Education Teachers through Quality Professional Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tate, Mary E.

    2013-01-01

    The special education teaching environment is a teaching environment with unique duties that often challenge novice special education teachers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain clarity of the work environment of special education teachers to uncover professional development practices that would work to support them. Research…

  18. 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).

  19. Opioid overdose prevention training with naloxone, an adjunct to basic life support training for first-year medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berland, Noah; Fox, Aaron; Tofighi, Babak; Hanley, Kathleen

    2017-01-01

    Opioid overdose deaths have reached epidemic proportions in the United States. This problem stems from both licit and illicit opioid use. Prescribing opioids, recognizing risky use, and initiating prevention, including opioid overdose prevention training (OOPT), are key roles physicians play. The American Heart Association (AHA) modified their basic life support (BLS) algorithms to consider naloxone in high-risk populations and when a pulse is appreciated; however, the AHA did not provide OOPT. The authors' intervention filled this training deficiency by teaching medical students opioid overdose resuscitation with a Train-the-Trainer model as part of mandatory BLS training. The authors introduced OOPT, following a Train-the-Trainer model, into the required basic life support (BLS) training for first-year medical students at a single medical school in a large urban area. The authors administered pre- and post-evaluations to assess the effects of the training on opioid overdose knowledge, self-reported preparedness to respond to opioid overdoses, and attitudes towards patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). In the fall 2014, 120 first-year medical students received OOPT. Seventy-three students completed both pre- and posttraining evaluations. Improvements in knowledge about and preparedness to respond to opioid overdoses were statistically significant (P support dissemination of OOPT as a part of BLS training for all medical students, and potentially all BLS providers.

  20. Analysis of a physics teacher's pedagogical `micro-actions' that support 17-year-olds' learning of free body diagrams via a modelling approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tay, Su Lynn; Yeo, Jennifer

    2018-01-01

    Great teaching is characterised by the specific actions a teacher takes in the classroom to bring about learning. In the context of model-based teaching (MBT), teachers' difficulty in working with students' models that are not scientifically consistent is troubling. To address this problem, the aim of this study is to identify the pedagogical micro-actions to support the development of scientific models and modelling skills during the evaluation and modification stages of MBT. Taking the perspective of pedagogical content knowing (PCKg), it identifies these micro-actions as an in-situ, dynamic transformation of knowledges of content, pedagogy, student and environment context. Through a case study approach, a lesson conducted by an experienced high-school physics teacher was examined. Audio and video recordings of the lesson contributed to the data sources. Taking a grounded approach in the analysis, eight pedagogical micro-actions enacted by the teacher were identified, namely 'clarification', 'evaluation', 'explanation', 'modification', 'exploration', 'referencing conventions', 'focusing' and 'meta-representing'. These micro-actions support students' learning related to the conceptual, cognitive, discursive and epistemological aspects of modelling. From the micro-actions, we identify the aspects of knowledges of PCKg that teachers need in order to competently select and enact these micro-actions. The in-situ and dynamic transformation of these knowledges implies that professional development should also be situated in the context in which these micro-actions are meaningful.

  1. JAIF's teacher support activity on radiation education

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kito, K.; Kudo, K.

    2016-01-01

    Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) has been conducting science teacher support activities on radiation education since 2011, after the Fukushima NPP Accident, in cooperation with member organizations of the Japan Nuclear Human Resource Development Network (JN-HRD Net). (author)

  2. E-learning for students in their first year: a French experimentation at the medical school of Grenoble.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renard, Jean-Marie; Pagonis, Daniel; Vuillez, Jean-Philippe; Romanet, Jean-Paul; Sele, Bernard

    2007-01-01

    A local study carried out in the Medical School of Grenoble shows that teaching in the first year in medicine studies satisfies neither the students, nor the teachers. The Faculty of Medicine of Grenoble decided to set up a reform in order to offer a high quality education. This reform leads to a complete reorganization of the curriculum and to the intensive use of new information and communication technologies of information, in particular, the use of multimedia documents. The communication and information technologies team of the Faculty of Medicine of Grenoble carried out an innovating and daring reform to start at the academic year 2006-2007. The new course is built on three activities: self learning on multi-media resources, meetings with teachers for questions-answers sessions and tutorials animated by older students. This article reports the first results for this successful project. In the academic year 2006-2007, are concerned 1290 students, 40 teachers and 8 disciplines.

  3. Exemplary Programs Supporting Teacher Professional Development in the U.S.A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Passow, Michael J.

    2015-04-01

    By Law, there is no national curriculum in the U.S.A., so each State sets its own regulations for teacher certification and professional development. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards) provide guidelines for teacher training and curriculum development in Earth Science, Life Science, and the physical sciences (chemistry and biology). Presented here are examples of effective programs designed to support in-service Earth Science teachers, especially at the middle school and high school level (grades 6 - 12, ages 12 - 18). The Earth2Class Workshops for Teachers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (E2C) provides monthly gatherings of research scientists and teachers to learn about cutting-edge investigations in a wide variety of fields, and develop lesson plans to share these discoveries. The E2C website, www.earth2class.org/site, also provides a wide variety of educational resources used by teachers and students to learn about the planet. The National Earth Science Teachers Association (www.nestanet.org) is the largest professional society focused on pre-college Earth Science education. Together with its partner, Windows to the Universe (www.windows2universe.org), NESTA offers workshops and other programs at national and regional teacher conferences, a quarterly journal designed for classroom use, monthly E-Newsletters, and one of the largest collection of web resources in education. For more than twenty years, the American Meteorological Society has trained teachers across the country through its online courses: DataStreme Weather, DataStreme Ocean, and DataStreme Earth's Climate System (www.ametsoc.org/amsedu). Informal science education institutions also provide strong in-person and web-based professional development programs. Among these are the American Museum of Natural History's "Seminars on Science" (http://www.amnh.org/learn/) and many programs for educators

  4. Challenges and Induction Needs of Novice English as a Foreign Language Teachers in Saudi Arabia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alhamad, Rufaida

    2018-01-01

    The first year of teaching poses massive challenges that lead to attrition among novice teachers. School communities often fail to provide adequate support to novice teachers to help them adapt to their new professional environments. In Saudi Arabia, attrition among novice teachers is a significant problem that hinders the development of the…

  5. Reaching teachers: The first step in teaching students

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berry, G.

    1991-01-01

    A 1984 American Association of the Academy of Sciences study of more than 150 successful science in-service programs developed a list of their characteristics, which included: Strong academic component in mathematics, science, and communications, focused on enrichment rather than remediation; academic subjects taught by teachers who are highly competent in the subject matter and believe that students can learn the materials; heavy emphasis on the applications of science and mathematics and careers in these fields; integrative approach to teaching that incorporates all subject areas, hands-on opportunities, and computers; multiyear involvement with students; recruitment of participants from all relevant target populations; opportunities for in-school and out-of-school learning experiences; parental involvement and development of base of community support; specific attention to removing educational inequalities related to race and gender; involvement of professionals and staff who look like the target population; development of peer support systems (involvement of a critical mass of any kind of student); evaluation, long-term follow-up, and careful data collection; and, mainstreaming'' -- integration of program elements supportive of women and minorities into the institutional support programs. I shall illustrate these points with ongoing teacher-support programs in progress in the Chicago area.

  6. The gender gap in student engagement: The role of teachers' autonomy support, structure, and involvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lietaert, Sofie; Roorda, Debora; Laevers, Ferre; Verschueren, Karine; De Fraine, Bieke

    2015-12-01

    The gender gap in education in favour of girls is a widely known phenomenon. Boys generally have higher dropout rates, obtain lower grades, and show lower engagement. Insight into factors related to these academic outcomes could help to address the gender gap. This study investigated, for Dutch language classes, (1) how boys and girls differ in behavioural engagement, (2) which teacher support dimensions (autonomy support, structure, involvement) may explain gender differences in engagement (mediation hypothesis), and (3) whether and which of these teacher support dimensions matter more for boys' as opposed to girls' engagement (moderation or differential effects hypothesis). A total of 385 Grade 7 students and their 15 language teachers participated in this study. Teacher support was assessed through student reports. Student engagement was measured using student, teacher, and observer reports. By means of structural equation modelling, the mediating role of the teacher support dimensions for gender differences in behavioural engagement was tested. The potential differential role of the teacher support dimensions for boys' and girls' engagement was investigated through multigroup analysis. Boys were less engaged than girls and reported lower support from their teacher. Autonomy support and involvement partially mediated the relationship between gender and behavioural engagement. Autonomy support was demonstrated to be a protective factor for boys' engagement but not for girls'. Structure and involvement contributed equally to engagement for both sexes. Although involvement and autonomy support partly explained the gender gap in engagement (mediation hypothesis), more support was found for differential effects of autonomy support on boys' versus girls' engagement (differential effects hypothesis). © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

  7. Pedagogical Practices of NetNZ Teachers for Supporting Online Distance Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Kwok-Wing

    2017-01-01

    A supportive online learning environment entails teachers using effective pedagogical practices to meet the needs of their students and developing a positive teacher-student relationship to foster learner motivation and engagement. This paper reports a study investigating how 32 secondary teachers in New Zealand taught their online distance…

  8. SUPPORTING TEACHERS IN IMPLEMENTING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT PRACTICES IN EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, C. J.; Penuel, W. R.; Haydel Debarger, A.; Blank, J. G.

    2009-12-01

    An important purpose of formative assessment is to elicit student thinking to use in instruction to help all students learn and inform next steps in teaching. However, formative assessment practices are difficult to implement and thus present a formidable challenge for many science teachers. A critical need in geoscience education is a framework for providing teachers with real-time assessment tools as well as professional development to learn how to use formative assessment to improve instruction. Here, we describe a comprehensive support system, developed for our NSF-funded Contingent Pedagogies project, for addressing the challenge of helping teachers to use formative assessment to enhance student learning in middle school Earth Systems science. Our support system is designed to improve student understanding about the geosphere by integrating classroom network technology, interactive formative assessments, and contingent curricular activities to guide teachers from formative assessment to instructional decision-making and improved student learning. To accomplish this, we are using a new classroom network technology, Group Scribbles, in the context of an innovative middle-grades Earth Science curriculum called Investigating Earth Systems (IES). Group Scribbles, developed at SRI International, is a collaborative software tool that allows individual students to compose “scribbles” (i.e., drawings and notes), on “post-it” notes in a private workspace (a notebook computer) in response to a public task. They can post these notes anonymously to a shared, public workspace (a teacher-controlled large screen monitor) that becomes the centerpiece of group and class discussion. To help teachers implement formative assessment practices, we have introduced a key resource, called a teaching routine, to help teachers take advantage of Group Scribbles for more interactive assessments. Routine refers to a sequence of repeatable interactions that, over time, become

  9. Perceptions on the First Year of Teaching from Alternatively Certified Career and Technical Education Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ball, Aaron E.

    2016-01-01

    Increasing teacher shortages in Career and Technical Education have resulted in changes in the routes to teacher certification. As the gap widens between available traditionally certified teachers and the openings available, administrators will continue to turn to alternative means to fill positions. Arizona has responded to this by changing…

  10. Teacher and student supports for implementation of the NGSS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Severance, Samuel

    Through three articles, this dissertation examines the use of supports for implementing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) within a large urban school district. Article one, titled Organizing for Teacher Agency in Curricular Co-design, examines the need for coherent curriculum materials that teachers' had a meaningful role in shaping and how the use of a co-design approach and specific tools and routines can help to address this need. Article two, titled Relevant Learning and Student Agency within a Citizen Science Design Challenge, examines the need for curriculum materials that provide students with learning experiences they find relevant and that expands their sense of agency and how a curriculum centered around a community-based citizen science design challenge can help achieve such an aim. Article three, titled Implementation of a Novel Professional Development Program to Support Teachers' Understanding of Modeling, examines the need for professional development that builds teachers' understanding of and skill in engaging their students in the practice of developing and using models and how a novel professional development program, the Next Generation Science Exemplar, can aid teachers in this regard by providing them with carefully sequenced professional development activities and specific modeling tools for use in the classroom.

  11. Causes of Teacher Attrition of First, Second, and Third Year Teachers in Rural Middle Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Arkeco Lashay Lewis

    2012-01-01

    Early attrition from teaching bears enormous costs. High attrition means that schools must take funds urgently needed for school improvements and spend them instead in a manner that produces little long-term payoff for student learning (Kain & Singleton, 1996). Keeping highly qualified teachers should always be at the top of the priority list…

  12. Technology Use by Pre-Service Teachers during Teaching Practice: Are New Teachers Embracing Technology Right Away in Their First Teaching Experience?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batane, Tshepo; Ngwako, Abraham

    2017-01-01

    Equipping pre-service teachers with technology skills and knowledge is now regarded as a vital element of any teacher-training program so as to capacitate the new teachers to meet the educational demands of the twenty-first century. Therefore, it is important to establish whether these teachers do actually apply these skills when they first get to…

  13. Using Webquests to Support Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes toward Diversity: A Model for the Future

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haralson, Michele; Hoaglund, Amy; Birkenfeld, Karen; Rogers, Betsy

    2016-01-01

    After first introduced in 1995 by Bernie Dodge and Tom March, webquests have inundated the K-12 classroom. (Dodge, 1995) WebQuests are designed to support students' critical thinking particularly at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Recently, studies have emerged focusing on the use of webquests in teacher education (Hassanien…

  14. HOW IS CLASSMATE AND PE TEACHER SUPPORT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN YOUNG ADOLESCENTS FROM KOSOVO? THE ROLE OF GENDER AND AGE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bronikowski, Michal; Laudańska-Krzemińska, Ida; Bronikowska, Małgorzata; Morina, Besnik

    2015-09-01

    This study aimed to investigate how were the peer and physical education (PE) teacher variables associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among Kosovar teenagers (13-15 years of age), and the role of age and gender in these associations. Cross-sectional data was gathered through a study conducted in seven major municipalities of Kosovo. 632 girls (aged 14.3 ± 0.8) and 664 boys (aged 14.2 ± 0.8) were examined using the adjusted Classmate and Teacher Support Scale and the Physical Activity Screening measure. A three-way (support*age*gender) ANOVA was used to compare the individuals' MVPA level with the different levels of support they received, with different age in groups of girls and boys. Boys reported higher levels of MVPA than girls in all age categories. A higher level of MVPA was reported by boys receiving high or medium support from classmates. In case of PE teacher support, high, medium and even low support correlated with high MVPA in all age categories. In girls only 13 year olds reported receiving high levels of both classmate and PE teachers support which correlated with a higher level of MVPA. It appears that engagement in MVPA among young Kosovar adolescents is relatively high in boys, regardless of the level of classmate or PE teacher support, whereas in girls the level of MVPA decreased over their time at school. Support from both classmates and PE teachers turned out to be the most significant factor in 13 years old girls, before they moved from primary to secondary school. This issue requires more detailed insight, considering traditional ethnical and religious barriers to engagement of young female adolescents in physical activity.

  15. Course of social support and relationships between social support and patients' depressive symptoms in the first 3 years post-stroke

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kruithof, Willeke J.; Post, Marcel W. M.; van Leeuwen, Christel M.; Schepers, Vera P. M.; van den Bos, Geertrudis A. M.; Visser-Meily, Johanna M. A.

    2015-01-01

    To describe the course of social support (everyday support, support in problem situations and esteem support) from initial inpatient rehabilitation until 3 years post-stroke and to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships of social support with depressive symptoms. Prospective

  16. Course of social support and relationships between social support and patients’ depressive symptoms in the first 3 years post-stroke

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kruithof, Willeke J.; Post, Marcel W. M.; van Leeuwen, Christel M.; Schepers, Vera P. M.; van den Bos, Geertrudis A. M.; Visser-Meily, Johanna M. A.

    Objective: To describe the course of social support (everyday support, support in problem situations and esteem support) from initial inpatient rehabilitation until 3 years post-stroke and to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships of social support with depressive symptoms.

  17. Supporting learning skills in visual art classes: The benefits of teacher awareness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helen Arov

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This study focused on middle school art teachers supporting the development of students learning skills, specifically their awareness of the framework of learning skills. It also looked at the relations between the teaching practices teachers use for supporting learning skills and students' learning motivation in art classes. The study combined qualitative and quantitative research methods. The class observations and interviews were conducted with ten Estonian middle school art teachers. One hundred and forty-eight students from the observed classes filled out the learning motivation questionnaire about their interest and achievement goals in visual arts. The study draws attention to the importance of teachers being aware of and valuing learning skills alongside subject specific knowledge, as it could enhance students autonomous motivation and support adaptive goal setting.

  18. Supports and Concerns for Teacher Professional Growth During the Implementation of a Science Curriculum Innovation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peers, Cheryl (Shelley) E.; Diezmann, Carmel M.; Watters, James J.

    2003-02-01

    Internationally, considerable reform in science education is occurring which promotes constructivist philosophies and advocates constructivist-inspired pedagogical strategies that are new to many teachers. This paper reports on the supporting factors necessary for teacher professional growth and the issues of concern that were evident during one primary teacher''s successful implementation of a unit of work based on a draft of a new state-wide science syllabus which proposes such approaches. One researcher (CEP) provided guidance during the writing and implementation of the unit through professional development workshops complemented by ongoing collegial support. The analysis of the teacher''s practice reveals that professional growth required a willingness of the teacher to engage with change and modify his professional practice. The support factors for teacher growth consisted of an appropriate program of professional development, teacher understanding of the elements of the curriculum innovation, and successful experiences in implementing new approaches. In contrast, the issues of concern were: the adequacy of support for planning including the time required to understand the innovation and make changes to teaching practice; science equipment; teacher knowledge; classroom management strategies; and ways to cope with change. Understanding of these support factors and issues of concern is vital for the successful implementation of science curriculum innovations.

  19. Teacher and Peer Support for Young Adolescents' Motivation, Engagement, and School Belonging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiefer, Sarah M.; Alley, Kathleen M.; Ellerbrock, Cheryl R.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to investigate teacher and peer support for young adolescents' academic motivation, classroom engagement, and school belonging within one large, urban, ethnically diverse middle school. In the initial quantitative phase, associations among aspects of teacher support (autonomy,…

  20. EXPLORING THE BEST WAYS TO SUPPORT FIRST YEAR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rossana Perez del Aguila

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: This article presents the findings of an action research project carried out in 2012 with 12 first-year university students taking ‘Education Studies’ in a university in England. The aim of the project was to explore the best ways to support students’ academic writing skills. The literature review highlights the challenges students encounter when trying to learn the discourse of adiscipline; and in the light of this examination, a reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of my own practice provides the context for carrying out an action research project. The teaching intervention was assessed using the following methods of data collection: questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with students, and content analysis of my own feedback on student’s final assignments. The outcomes of the research demonstrate that students’ difficulties with their academic writing are related to their struggle to understand specialized concepts, theories and methods of the discipline.

  1. Primary Teacher Education in England: 40 Years On

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, Jean; Passy, Rowena

    2014-01-01

    This article examines the relationship between pre-service teacher education (ITE) for primary schooling and primary teaching in England between 1974 and 2014, and explores the "fitness of purpose" of the current system of preparing teachers for the classrooms of the twenty-first century. Our historical analysis suggests that, despite 40…

  2. First-year seminar intervention: Enhancing first- year mathematics ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    year Seminar and the mathematics performance of first-year students in Science? .... generation students enter the new higher education environment (Briggs, Clark ..... institution-wide approaches to enact the FYE as “everybody's business”.

  3. A Model for Online Support in Classroom Management: Perceptions of Beginning Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Credence; Gentry, James; Larmer, William

    2016-01-01

    Classroom management is a challenge for beginning teachers. To address this challenge, a model to provide support for beginning teachers was developed, consisting of a one-day workshop on classroom management, followed with online support extending over eight weeks. Specific classroom management strategies included (a) developing a foundation…

  4. Perceptions of Support, Induction, and Intentions by Secondary Science and Mathematics Teachers on Job Retention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bond, Sharon C.

    This study was designed to examine the teacher characteristics, workplace factors, and type of induction supports that contribute to the retention of secondary science and mathematics teachers. Using the sample of secondary science and mathematics teachers extracted from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) 2007--2008 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), research was conducted to analyze teachers' responses relative to induction and support by looking at what teachers valued, what they actually received, and what impacted their decision to remain in the teaching profession. In addition to predisposing characteristics that have been shown to influence retention, the research conceptualized the type of induction to include mentoring, professional development, and administrative supports, and employed logistic regression to estimate the individual and collective effects of these factors on teachers' decisions to stay in the profession. Consistent with many areas of education, the fields of science and mathematics in North Carolina remain predominantly White (81%) with Blacks holding 14%, while Asians and Native Americans represent less than 5%. The examination of the Schools and Staffing Survey 2007--2008 showed that the primary supports received by beginning teachers were seminars or classes, common planning, mentoring, and communication with principals. Controlling for certain teacher characteristics, research indicated that science and mathematics teachers in North Carolina rated positively many variables related to support, climate, and classroom practices. Primarily, secondary science and mathematics teachers indicated satisfaction in the areas of mentoring, working conditions, and administrative support, and remained in teaching.

  5. Memories of a Fledgling Teacher: A Beginning Teacher's Autobiography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fottland, Helg

    2004-01-01

    By evoking the concept of memory pictures, the author recalls her early years as a teacher. Rather than calling herself a beginning teacher, she characterizes herself as a fledgling teacher to capture the insecurity associated with the first years of teaching. This experience is narrated through five memory pictures: (1) the new school's many…

  6. Special Education Teachers' Experiences Supporting and Supervising Paraeducators: Implications for Special and General Education Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Douglas, Sarah N.; Chapin, Shelley E.; Nolan, James F.

    2016-01-01

    In recent years, there has been an increase in paraeducator supports, in large part because students with low incidence disabilities are being included more frequently in general education settings. As a result, special education teachers have been given additional supervisory responsibilities related to directing the work of paraeducators in…

  7. Extended Year, Extended Contracts: Increasing Teacher Salary Options.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gandara, Patricia

    1992-01-01

    Reports on an attempt to raise teacher salaries through an extended contract made possible through year-round school schedules. Teacher satisfaction with the 1987 experiment in three California schools (the Orchard Plan) has been high. Elements that have contributed to job satisfaction are discussed. (SLD)

  8. The first year pre-service teachers' chemical literacy in individual learning case using the fuel cell technology based-chemical enrichment book

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernani, Saefulloh, Mudzakir, Ahmad

    2017-08-01

    This research aims to analyze chemical literacy ability of pre-service teachers based on PISA 2015 scientific competency. This research used descriptive method. Instrument that used in this research is multiple choice question that built based on scientific competency of PISA 2015. The result is grouping by PISA 2015 competency and mapped by high, medium and low GPA classified. This research involves 19 the first year pre-service teachers of 90 population that randomly chosen. According to the result, chemical literacy ability of pre-service described as follows: 1) 35.5% of sample are able to explain phenomena scientifically. Based on GPA, for high, medium and low GPA group respectively 25.0%, 40.3% and 29.2%; 2) 31.6% of sample are able to evaluate and design scientific enquiry. Based on GPA, for high, medium and low GPA group respectively 16.7%, 35.4% and 31.3%; 3) 31.6% of sample are able to Interpret data and evidence scientifically. Based on GPA, for high, medium and low GPA group respectively 50.0%, 25.0% and 37.5%; For the attitude competency, 68.4% of sample able to showing PISA attitude competency that consist of interest in science, environment awareness and Valuing scientific approaches to enquiry attitude. Based on GPA, for high, medium and low GPA group respectively 77.8%, 63.9% and 75.0%. According to the data, chemical literacy ability of pre-service teachers in average are bellow to 50.0% thereby need to be given special attention while scientific attitude are above to 50.0%.

  9. The Impact of Leadership Support for Blended Learning on Teachers and Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bodden-White, Michelle Marie

    2015-01-01

    This quantitative study examined the relationship between teachers' perceptions of leadership support for their use of a blended learning approach to teach math in fourth or fifth grade and their use of blended learning. The study also examined teachers' perceptions of leadership support for incorporating blended learning and student engagement.…

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    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

  11. Changes in teacher efficacy and beliefs during a one-year teacher preparation program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lockman, Alison Schirmer

    This study attempted to further understanding of factors affecting the teacher efficacy beliefs of secondary science preservice teachers, and to develop a model relating teacher efficacy to beliefs about teaching and students. A mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology was utilized in order to track participants' beliefs both broadly and in depth throughout a one-year teacher preparation program. Results from this analysis revealed that preservice teachers at the end of the program had significantly higher personal science teaching efficacy beliefs than at the beginning of the program. No significant difference in science teaching outcome expectancy beliefs was found, although individual preservice teachers did develop alternate beliefs. Teacher efficacy beliefs were directly affected by three of Bandura's four sources of self-efficacy beliefs---Mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, and verbal persuasion---with the influence of each source of self-efficacy information appearing to change during the course of the teacher preparation program. No evidence was found that affective states by themselves had resulted in belief changes, although many of the other experiences were more powerful because they were accompanied by an emotional incident. Connections between teacher efficacy beliefs, beliefs about students, and beliefs about teaching were uncovered, as was the importance of content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge on a teacher's sense of efficacy.

  12. Examining pre-service science teachers' developing pedagogical design capacity for planning and supporting task-based classroom discussions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Danielle Kristina

    Teachers face many challenges as we move forward into the age of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (Achieve, Inc., 2013). The NGSS aim to develop a population of scientifically literate and talented students who can participate in the "innovation-driven economy" (p. 1). In order to meet these goals, teachers must provide students with opportunities to engage in science and engineering practices (SEPs) and learn core ideas of these disciplines. This study followed pre-service secondary science teachers as they participated in a secondary science teacher preparation program intended to support the development of their pedagogical design capacity (Brown, 2009) related to planning and supporting whole-class taskbased discussions. Teacher educators in this program designed an intervention that aimed in supporting this development. This study examined a particular dimension of PDC -- specifically, PSTs effective use of resources to plan science lessons in which students engage in a high demand task, participate in SEPs, and discuss their work in a whole-class setting. In order to examine the effectiveness of the intervention, I had to define PDC a priori. I measured PDC by documenting how/whether PSTs engaged in the following instructional planning practices: developing Learning Goals, selecting and/or designing challenging tasks, anticipating student thinking, planning for monitoring student thinking, imagining the discussion storyline, planning questions, and planning marking strategies. Analyses showed a significant difference between baseline lesson plan scores and Instructional Performance scores. These findings suggest these patterns and changes were directly linked to the teacher preparation program. The mean increase in Instructional Performance scores during the course of the teacher preparation year further supports the effect of the teacher preparation coursework. Pre-service teachers with high pedagogical design capacity continually integrated the

  13. Why Do They Stay? A Phenomenological Study of Secondary Science Teacher Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lastica, Joelle Ramirez

    In 2004, The U.S. Department of Education reported that 20% of schoolteachers (public and private) leave their classrooms during the first year of teaching, and nearly twice as many leave within the first three years of teaching (Koppich, 2004). According to the 2007 Condition of Education report, the U.S. Department of Education estimated there were nearly 380,000 public school math and science teachers during the 2003-2004 school year, and of those, approximately 23,000 left the teaching profession the following school year. Yet despite these reports, in 2004-2005, approximately 360,000 public school math and science teachers remained in their classrooms. In this phenomenological dissertation study, I sought to discover how eight secondary science teachers (whose years of teaching experience range from five to 30 years) make meaning of their decisions to remain in teaching. Through semi-structured interviews, these teacher participants and I discussed how each of them decided to become a science teacher, how each of them think of themselves as a science teacher, and how each of them decided to remain teaching despite the ever-growing list of challenges (s)he faces in and out of his/her classroom. These teacher participants chose to become science teachers because they loved their subject area and working with secondary students. These teachers enjoyed working with their students and their teaching colleagues. However, they acknowledged there were also tensions and frustrations in their work, including not feeling supported by school and district administrators and being overwhelmed with the demands of their workload and time. These eight science teachers chose to remain classroom teachers because they have a profound love for their students, a deep admiration for their colleagues, and a strong sense of mission in their work. It is my intent that the stories shared by the teacher participants in this study will shed light upon concerns, tensions and experiences

  14. Science Credit for Agriculture: Perceived Support, Preferred Implementation Methods and Teacher Science Course Work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Donald M.

    1996-01-01

    Arkansas agriculture teachers (213 of 259 surveyed) expressed support for granting science credit for agriculture (88.8%); 65.6% supported science credit for a limited number of agriculture courses. Blanket endorsement for all certified agriculture teachers was favored by 71.5%; 56.6% preferred endorsement only for certified teachers completing an…

  15. Teachers' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Supportive Behaviors toward LGBT Students: Relationship to Gay-Straight Alliances, Antibullying Policy, and Teacher Training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swanson, Katie; Gettinger, Maribeth

    2016-01-01

    This study focused on the association between 3 school-level supports for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students and teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward LGBT youth. Framed within social support theory, the study used survey method with a sample of 98 teachers in Grades 6-12. The purpose was to examine the relation…

  16. Intervention effects on kindergarten and first-grade teachers' classroom food practices and food-related beliefs in American Indian reservation schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arcan, Chrisa; Hannan, Peter J; Himes, John H; Fulkerson, Jayne A; Rock, Bonnie Holy; Smyth, Mary; Story, Mary

    2013-08-01

    Prevalence of obesity among American Indian children is higher than the general US population. The school environment and teachers play important roles in helping students develop healthy eating habits. The aim of this prospective study was to examine teachers' classroom and school food practices and beliefs and the effect of teacher training on these practices and beliefs. Data were used from the Bright Start study, a group-randomized, school-based trial that took place on the Pine Ridge American Indian reservation (fall 2005 to spring 2008). Kindergarten and first-grade teachers (n=75) from 14 schools completed a survey at the beginning and end of the school year. Thirty-seven survey items were evaluated using mixed-model analysis of variance to examine the intervention effect for each teacher-practice and belief item (adjusting for teacher type and school as random effect). At baseline, some teachers reported classroom and school food practices and beliefs that supported health and some that did not. The intervention was significantly associated with lower classroom use of candy as a treat (P=0.0005) and fast-food rewards (P=0.008); more intervention teachers disagreed that fast food should be offered as school lunch alternatives (P=0.019), that it would be acceptable to sell unhealthy foods as part of school fundraising (P=0.006), and that it would not make sense to limit students' food choices in school (P=0.035). School-based interventions involving teacher training can result in positive changes in teachers' classroom food practices and beliefs about the influence of the school food environment in schools serving American Indian children on reservations. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Instructional Support and Implementation Structure during Elementary Teachers' Science Education Simulation Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonczi, Amanda L.; Chiu, Jennifer L.; Maeng, Jennifer L.; Bell, Randy L.

    2016-01-01

    This investigation sought to identify patterns in elementary science teachers' computer simulation use, particularly implementation structures and instructional supports commonly employed by teachers. Data included video-recorded science lessons of 96 elementary teachers who used computer simulations in one or more science lessons. Results…

  18. Parent involvement in beginning primary school: Correlates and changes in involvement across the first two years of school in a New Zealand sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDowall, Philippa S; Taumoepeau, Mele; Schaughency, Elizabeth

    2017-06-01

    This study described the relations of parents' and teachers' beliefs and attitudes to forms of parents' involvement in children's first two years of primary school. Parents of children in their first year of primary school (age 5) were recruited from 12 classrooms within four schools in New Zealand; 196 families participated in their child's first year, and 124 families continued to participate in their child's second school year. Parents completed the Family-Involvement Questionnaire, New Zealand, and we archivally collected parent-documented children's oral reading homework. Teachers' rated helpfulness of parents' involvement at school (level 2) and parents' rated teacher invitations to be involved and their perceived time and energy (level 1) contributed to school-based involvement in Year 1 in multilevel models, with parents' rated teacher invitations for involvement also found to predict Year 1 home-school communication in regression analyses. Contributors to Year 1 child-parent reading in multilevel models included level 1 predictors of two or more adults in the home and parents' perceived time and energy. Longitudinal analyses suggested both consistency and change in each form of involvement from Year 1 to Year 2, with increases in each form of involvement found to be associated with increases in parents' and/or teachers' views about involvement in Year 2 in cross-sectional time-series analyses. Implications for schools wanting to engage families are that parents' involvement in children's schooling may be influenced by parents' perceptions of their capacity, teachers' engagement efforts, and the school's climate for involvement. This is a special issue paper "Family Engagement in Education and Intervention". Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Perceived social support from parents and teachers' influence on ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    kofi.mereku

    1Emmanuel Adu-Tutu Bofah works at Department of Mathematics and ICT Education, University of. University ... Studies have shown that students' social support such as parental and teacher support predict their academic .... mediation model (TM) and associated competing models tested in the present study are presented.

  20. Being a Mentor: Novice Teachers' Mentors' Conceptions of Mentoring Prior to Training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schatz-Oppenheimer, Orna

    2017-01-01

    This study deals with novice teachers' mentors' conceptions of mentoring prior to their mentoring training. In Israel, all novice teachers have to be supported and assessed by a mentor during their first year of teaching. The aim of this study was to elicit from prospective mentors their own conception of professional mentoring, as a basis for…

  1. Learning Analytics to Support Teachers During Synchronous CSCL: Balancing Between Overview and Overload

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Leeuwen, A.

    2015-01-01

    Learning analytics (LA) are summaries, visualizations, and analyses of student data that could improve learning in multiple ways, for example by supporting teachers. However, not much research is available yet concerning how LA may support teachers to diagnose student progress and to intervene

  2. A Professional Learning Model Supporting Teachers to Integrate Digital Technologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheffield, Rachel; Blackley, Susan; Moro, Paul

    2018-01-01

    Contemporary teachers have an obligation to support and scaffold students' learning in digital technologies and to do this in authentic contexts. In order for teachers to be successful in this, their own competency in digital technologies needs to be high, and their own 21st century learning skills of communication, collaboration, creativity and…

  3. Effects of Teacher Consultation on Evidence-Based Classroom Management Strategies: Teacher and Student Behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Funk, Kristin M.

    2013-01-01

    The American Psychological Association (APA) conducted the online 2005-2006 Teacher Needs Survey wherein 52% of first year teachers, 28% of teachers with two to five years of experience, and 26% of teachers with 6 to 10 years experience ranked classroom management as their greatest need. Difficulty managing student behaviors leads to higher stress…

  4. Non-suicidal self-injury within the school context: Multilevel analysis of teachers' support and peer climate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madjar, N; Ben Shabat, S; Elia, R; Fellner, N; Rehavi, M; Rubin, S E; Segal, N; Shoval, G

    2017-03-01

    Recent studies regarding non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents have focused primarily on individual characteristics (e.g., depressive symptoms) and background factors (e.g., parental relationship), whereas less emphasis has been given to the role of school-related factors in NSSI. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to explore the relationships between teachers' support, peer climate, and NSSI within the school context. The sample consisted of 594 high school students nested within 27 regular classes (54.4% boys; mean age 14.96, SD=1.33 years). The students were evaluated for NSSI behaviors, perception of teacher support, peer climate, relationships with mothers, and depressive symptoms using validated scales. The primary analysis used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), controlling for gender and age. The main findings indicated that teacher support was positively associated with NSSI at the classroom-level (OR=6.15, 95% CI=2.05-18.5) but negatively associated at the student-level (OR=0.66, 95% CI=0.49-0.89). There was a trend toward an association between positive peer climate and NSSI at the classroom-level (OR=0.43, 95% CI=0.18-1.05), while negative peer climate was associated with NSSI at the student-level (OR=1.37, 95% CI=1.00-1.87). School-related factors are associated with NSSI behaviors among students. Teachers and educators should focus on both individual-level and classroom-level perceptions of school context. Students who feel supported by their teachers and who are exposed to a positive peer climate are less likely to engage in NSSI. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  5. Examining Cyberbullying Tendency and Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Status of Teacher Candidates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levent, Faruk; Taçgin, Zeynep

    2017-01-01

    The teachers have a substantial role for students through consciously the Internet usage and struggle with cyberbullying. The purpose of this study is to investigate cyberbullying tendency and multidimensional perceived social support status of the teacher candidates. The participants of this research have become 412 teacher candidates as…

  6. Designing and Implementing a Mentoring Program to Support Clinically-Based Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henning, John E.; Gut, Dianne; Beam, Pamela

    2015-01-01

    This article describes one teacher preparation program's approach to designing and implementing a mentoring program to support clinically-based teacher education. The design for the program is based on an interview study that compared the mentoring experiences of 18 teachers across three different contexts: student teaching, early field…

  7. Determining discourses: Constraints and resources influencing early career science teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grindstaff, Kelly E.

    This study explores the thinking and practices of five early-career teachers of grades eight to ten science, in relation to their histories, schools, students, and larger cultural and political forces. All the teachers are young women, two in their fourth year of teaching, who teach together in an affluent suburb, along with one first-year teacher. The other two are first-year teachers who teach in an urban setting. All of these teachers most closely associated good science teaching with forming relationships with students. They filtered science content through a lens of relevance (mostly to everyday life) and interest for students. Thus they filtered science content through a commitment to serving students, which makes sense since I argue that the primary motivations for teaching had more to do with working with students and helping people than the disciplines of science. Thus, within the discourse of the supremacy of curriculum and the prevalence of testing, these teachers enact hybrid practices which focus on covering content -- to help ensure the success of students -- and on relevance and interest, which has more to do with teaching styles and personality than disciplines of science. Ideas of good teaching are not very focused on science, which contradicts the type of support they seek and utilize around science content. This presents a challenge to pre- and in-service education and support to question what student success means, what concern for students entails and how to connect caring and concern for students with science.

  8. An Investigation of First-Year Teacher Induction Programs in Jesuit Secondary Schools within the California Province

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christensen, Justin

    2013-01-01

    In recent decades, researchers have made considerable contributions to the field of new teacher induction. More specifically, they have demonstrated that an effective induction program can increase teacher effectiveness and decrease teacher attrition (Ingersoll & Smith 2004; Ingersoll & Strong 2011; Villar & Strong 2007). Yet, little…

  9. Evaluation of a programme to support foundation-phase teachers to facilitate literacy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna-Maria Wium

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Learners who do not develop adequate listening and language skills during their early years are at risk of academic failure and early drop-out. Future learning problems may be prevented by supporting these children in the foundation phase to overcome their developmental delays. A continued professional development (CPD programme was developed to support foundation-phase teachers to facilitate literacy. The theoretical basis for the workshop material was the articulation between an auditory processing model, a language processing model, and literacy. The focus of this article is on the qualitative findings obtained from the literacy component of a more comprehensive CPD programme that covered several topics. The research was conducted as action research cycles across two contexts (a semi-rural and an urban-township context and included 96 participants. This article explores how the teachers implemented the strategies to facilitate literacy in their classrooms and the benefits obtained from it. Data were collected by means of questionnaires, self-reflections and focus groups, as well as a research diary and field notes. The results revealed that the strategies trained were implemented in the classrooms and were valued by the participants. Those who participated in critical reflection felt that they had developed competence and professional growth. Challenges identified included the language used in the support provided, which had an impact on phonological awareness training, and the use of terminology. The importance of collaboration was emphasised. The participants gained in the sense that they learnt how to implement the assessment standards in the curriculum, and learners benefited from the new strategies as they could all participate in the activities. The research confirmed the value of teacher support in the facilitation of literacy, which highlights the role of speech-language therapists working in school contexts.

  10. Finnish and Russian Teachers Supporting the Development of Social Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Väyrynen, Sai; Kesälahti, Essi; Pynninen, Tanja; Siivola, Jenny; Flotskaya, Natalia; Bulanova, Svetlana; Volskaya, Olga; Usova, Zoya; Kuzmicheva, Tatyana; Afonkina, Yulia

    2016-01-01

    We argue that a key aspect of inclusive pedagogy is the interaction between the learners, their teachers and the environment. For effective interaction, learners need to develop social competence. This study explores how teachers support the development of the key social skills in schools in Finland and in Russia. The data were collected by…

  11. Supporting French Teachers for a Paradigm Shift in Grammar Education: A Teacher Trainer's Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thibeault, Joël

    2016-01-01

    This article presents a series of pedagogical workshops that was offered over two years to a cohort of 50 teachers practising in Ontarian French schools. Focusing on grammar teaching, the workshops' objectives were to: (a) contribute to the teachers' development of linguistic knowledge consistent with the grammar under new provincial standards and…

  12. Effect of peer nominations of teacher-student support at individual and classroom levels on social and academic outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Jan N; Im, Myung Hee; Wehrly, Sarah E

    2014-06-01

    This longitudinal study examined the prospective relations between 713 elementary students' individual peer teacher support reputation (PTSR) and a measure of the classroom-wide dispersion of peer nominations of teacher support (Centralization of Teacher Support) on students' peer relatedness (i.e., peer acceptance and peer academic reputation) and academic motivation (i.e., academic self-efficacy and teacher-rated behavioral engagement). PTSR was measured as the proportion of classmates who nominated a given student on a descriptor of teacher-student support. Centralization of Teacher Support was assessed using social network analysis to identify the degree to which peer nominations of teacher support in a classroom centered on a few students. PTSR predicted changes in all student outcomes, above academic achievement and relevant covariates. Centralization of Teacher Support predicted changes in students' peer academic reputation, net the effect of PTSR and covariates. Students' academic achievement moderated effects of PTSR and Centralization of Teacher Support on some outcomes. Findings highlight the importance of peers' perceptions of teacher support and of the structure of those perceptions for children's social and academic outcomes. Implications for practice are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Examining Beginning Teachers' Perceptions of Workplace Support

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fox, Alison; Deaney, Rosemary; Wilson, Elaine

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: This paper, taking a participatory perspective of learning, seeks to look at the interaction between individuals and their workplace, focusing on the perceptions of workplaces and self by beginning teachers in terms of support for their learning. Design/methodology/approach: The study presents an analysis of 37 interviews from 17…

  14. Social dynamics in the classroom : Teacher support and conflict and the peer ecology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hendrickx, Marloes M H G; Mainhard, M. Tim; Boor-Klip, Henrike J.; Cillessen, Antonius H M; Brekelmans, Mieke

    2016-01-01

    By showing support and conflict, teachers may function as a model for students regarding how to interact and how to evaluate each other, thereby shaping the classroom peer ecology. Associations of general and student-specific levels and differential provision of teacher support and conflict with the

  15. Great to Influential: Teacher Leaders' Roles in Supporting Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacques, Catherine; Weber, Gretchen; Bosso, David; Olson, Derek; Bassett, Katherine

    2016-01-01

    This report is the second in a series from a collaboration of nine leading organizations working to advance teaching and elevate the profession. For years, education leaders have sought to pinpoint how teachers become effective in order to better leverage teachers' impact on student learning and improve student outcomes. Teacher leadership is…

  16. Students' Perceptions of Emotional and Instrumental Teacher Support: Relations with Motivational and Emotional Responses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Federici, Roger A.; Skaalvik, Einar M.

    2014-01-01

    We explored whether students' perceptions of emotional and instrumental support provided by their mathematics teacher constitute separate dimensions of teacher support and how they are related. We also analyzed how students' perceptions of emotional and instrumental support in math lessons relate to math anxiety, intrinsic motivation, help-seeking…

  17. Sustaining Physics Teacher Education Coalition Programs in Physics Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scherr, Rachel E.; Plisch, Monica; Goertzen, Renee Michelle

    2017-01-01

    Understanding the mechanisms of increasing the number of physics teachers educated per year at institutions with thriving physics teacher preparation programs may inspire and support other institutions in building thriving programs of their own. The Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC), led by the American Physical Society (APS) and the…

  18. Piloting a Web-Based Practicum Support Tool: Associate Teachers' Perceived Benefits and Drawbacks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrarca, Diana

    2014-01-01

    This pilot study explored how a small group of associate teachers responded to a web-based learning tool created specifically to support them in mentoring teacher candidates during the practicum component of an initial teacher education program in Southern Ontario, Canada. The learning tool's content drew from the teacher education literature, and…

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    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…

  20. Prospective Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Reflections on Teaching after Their First Teaching Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yazgan-Sag, Gönül; Emre-Akdogan, Elçin; Argün, Ziya

    2016-01-01

    The aim of our study was to examine prospective secondary mathematics teachers' reflections about teaching after their first teaching experience. We carried out five interviews during the two semesters with four Turkish prospective secondary mathematics teachers. The data analysis suggests that prospective secondary mathematics teachers'…

  1. Reflectiveness, Adaptivity, and Support: How Teacher Agency Promotes Student Engagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Kristy S.; Kintz, Tara; Miness, Andrew

    2016-01-01

    We examine how teachers whom students identified as being relatively more or less engaging spoke differently about how they use information on student engagement to inform their teaching. Using 3 years of data from teacher focus groups in which 21 teachers discussed their perceptions of student engagement and reactions to annual student surveys,…

  2. Internal and External Factors Affecting Teachers' Adoption of Formative Assessment to Support Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izci, Kemal

    2016-01-01

    Assessment forms an important part of instruction. Assessment that aims to support learning is known as formative assessment and it contributes student's learning gain and motivation. However, teachers rarely use assessment formatively to aid their students' learning. Thus reviewing the factors that limit or support teachers' practices of…

  3. Effects of pediatric first aid training on preschool teachers: a longitudinal cohort study in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Feng; Sheng, Xiaoyang; Zhang, Jinsong; Jiang, Fan; Shen, Xiaoming

    2014-08-24

    Unintentional injuries are a major cause of death among children. Data suggest that the retention of knowledge and skills about first aid declined over time. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of pediatric first aid training among teachers. A stratified random sampling method was used to select 1,067 teachers. The selected trainees received pediatric first aid training. Follow-up assessments were conducted 6 months, 9 months and 4 years following the training. A standardized collection of demographics was performed, and participants were given a questionnaire to indicate knowledge of and emotions about first aid. In the pretest, 1067 people responded with a mean of 21.0 correct answers to 37 questions, whereas in the post-test period, the mean score increased to 32.2 correct answers of 37 questions (P 70%) had administered correct first aid for injuries. This study demonstrated that the acquisition of knowledge, both short and long term, significantly improves. Despite appreciable decreases in knowledge long term, knowledge retention was modest but stable.

  4. Early-Years Teachers' Professional Upgrading in Science: a Long-Term Programme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kallery, Maria

    2017-04-01

    In this paper, we present a professional development/upgrading programme in science for early-years teachers and investigate its impact on the teachers' competencies in relation to their knowledge and teaching of science. The basic idea of the programme was to motivate the teachers by making them members of an action research group aimed at developing and implementing curriculum activities to which they would contribute and thus meaningfully engaging them in their own learning. The programme used a `collaborative partnership' model for the development of the activities. In this model, the collaborative notion is defined as an act of `shared creation': partners share a goal and members bring their expertise to the partnership. Within this context, the partners were a researcher in science education with a background in physics, who also served as a facilitator, and six in-service early-years teachers with a background in early-years pedagogy and developmental sciences, who had many years of experience (classroom experts). These teachers participated in the programme as co-designers, but were involved to a significantly lesser degree than the researcher. The programme procedures comprised group work and individual teachers' class work. Data sources included teachers' essays, field-notes, lesson recordings and group-work records. Data were qualitatively analysed. The main results indicate improvement of teachers' `transformed' knowledge of the subject matter, development/improvement of knowledge of instructional strategies, including factors related to quality of implementation of the activities, knowledge of the pupils and improvement of the teachers' efficacy.

  5. Role Salience, Social Support, and Work-Family Conflict among Jewish and Arab Female Teachers in Israel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cinamon, Rachel Gali

    2009-01-01

    Conceptualizing career development in a cultural and contextual framework, this study examined within-gender differences in role salience and work-family conflict (WFC) among 101 Jewish and 99 Arab female teachers (aged 23-64 years) from central Israel. The contribution of social support to women's conflict was also examined. Results highlighted…

  6. The Zemstvo’s Activities to Guide the Primary School Teacher Resources Formation and Support

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timur A. Magsumov

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the article is to study the activities of the zemstvo in the Volga-Ural region of the second half of XIX – early XX century aimed at forming and supporting primary school teacher resources. The study of the complex process required the use of a large number of information sources, including extractions from the regional documentation archives, reference books and periodicals to carry out a systemic and panoramic analysis of the zemstvo’s activities in terms of teacher resources formation and support. The focus of the study was on the issues of the zemstvo’s participation in the development of teacher training and scholarship support for students, advanced training of teachers through courses, congresses, teachers’ self-organization, as well as financial and material situation of zemsky teachers and the activities carried out by the teachers’ mutual aid societies. The authors make a conclusion that, despite the complicated conditions, the zemstvo was able to create a network of schools and provide them with teachers, including women teachers. To achieve this, the zemstvo had set up their own educational institutions as well as funded the state-run institutions or issued scholarships to future teachers. The zemstvo tried to make up for the apparent insufficiency of qualified teachers by starting a system of professional retraining and advanced training through specially organized short-term and long-term courses and congresses for teachers, as well as by providing more books for teachers’ libraries. The zemstvo tried to do their best to improve the financial and material position of zemsky teachers that was aggravated by complicated working conditions. Despite particular counterproductive activities of the state, the zemstvo was able to create a certain stratum of zemsky teachers that consisted of qualified teachers with professional education, who had been taught primary education methodology and enjoyed respect in the

  7. Middle Years Science Teachers Voice Their First Experiences with Interactive Whiteboard Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gadbois, Shannon A.; Haverstock, Nicole

    2012-01-01

    Among new technologies, interactive whiteboards (IWBs) particularly seem to engage students and offer entertainment value that may make them highly beneficial for learning. This study examined 10 Grade 6 teachers' initial experiences and uses of IWBs for teaching science. Through interviews, classroom visits, and field notes, the outcomes…

  8. FORMING ENGLISH LISTENING COMPETENCE OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS – THE FUTURE TEACHERS OF ENGLISH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ірина Левчик

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Based on the analysis of psychological characteristics of first-year students (the dominance of teaching and professional activities, shift to the inner self-control and an increase in need for achievement, a high level of cognitive motivation, improvement of theoretical thinking, a tendency to individual activity, reflection, a conscious learning approach the following peculiarities of forming English learning competence of first-year students have been outlined in the article: introduction of propaedeutic stage in order to form students’ listening mechanisms and eliminate the gaps in skills; focusing on the specifics of their future professional occupation which is reflected in the themes of teaching materials and tasks to them; developing students’ autonomy by enhancing their individual activity; forming students’ listening strategies (training and communicative on two stages – learning strategies and training them in use. The criteria for selection of audio texts and video and sound recording that should be used in teaching listening to first-year students have been determined.

  9. Supporting the Writing up of Teacher Research: Peer and Mentor Roles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dikilitas, Kenan; Mumford, Simon E.

    2016-01-01

    This study focuses specifically on the writing up process of relatively inexperienced teacher researchers. The data consist of interviews with 11 teacher researchers at a private university in Turkey. There was evidence that mentor-supported collaboration created a socio-constructivist learning environment, leading to the development of academic…

  10. The development of the classroom social climate during the first months of the school year

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mainhard, M.T.; Brekelmans, J.M.G.; Brok, den P.J.; Wubbels, Th.

    2011-01-01

    In this study the mean stability of classroom social climates during the first months of the school year and the deviation of individual classrooms (N = 48) and students (N = 1208) from this general trend were investigated by taping students’ interpersonal perceptions of their teachers. Multilevel

  11. The Role of Perceived Teacher's Support and Motivational Orientation in Prediction of Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies in Learning English

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zohreh Kazemi

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to determine the role of perceived teacher support and motivational orientation in predicting metacognitive awareness of reading strategies in learning the English language. The sample included 425 male and female students, studying in the elementary schools in the city of Birjand, eastern Iran, in the 2014-2015 academic year. Three different types of questionnaires were distributed among these students. The questionnaires were, respectively, about the students’ perception of teacher support (Zaki, 2007, motivational orientation for English learning (Sheikholeslami, 2005, and metacognitive awareness of the study methods (Mokhtari & Richard, 2002. Multiple regression analysis was applied to analyze the obtained data. It was found that there was a direct and significant correlation between teacher support variable, and intrinsic motivation, overall reading strategies, problem-solving strategies, reading support strategies, and metacognitive awareness. Additionally, there was an inverse and significant correlation with the non-motivation variable. Furthermore, no significant correlation was observed between the teacher support variable and the extrinsic motivation variable. A direct and significant relationship was, however, spotted between intrinsic motivation, and extrinsic motivation, overall reading strategies, problem-solving strategies, reading support strategies,and metacognitive awareness; and an inverse and significant relationship was noticed between the intrinsic motivation and non-motivation variables. Moreover, there existed a direct and significant relationship between extrinsic motivation, and overall reading strategies, problem-solving strategies, reading support strategies, metacognitive awareness and it had an inverse and significant relationship with non-motivation variable. The findings demonstrated that the components of perceived teacher support and motivational orientation (extrinsic motivation, intrinsic

  12. Children's Daily Well-Being: The Role of Mothers', Teachers', and Siblings' Autonomy Support and Psychological Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Kaap-Deeder, Jolene; Vansteenkiste, Maarten; Soenens, Bart; Mabbe, Elien

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the unique relations between multiple sources (i.e., mothers, teachers, and siblings) of perceived daily autonomy support and psychological control and children's basic psychological needs and well-being. During 5 consecutive days, 2 children from 154 families (M[subscript age] youngest child = 8.54 years; SD = 0.89 and…

  13. Parents' Perceptions of Teacher Support at a Cyber Charter High School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borup, Jered; Stevens, Mark A.

    2016-01-01

    Despite high growth rates, cyber charter schools experience higher attrition rates than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. Students' reasons for failing an online course are complex and students may require a high level of teacher support to be successful online. Research examining effective teacher engagement has relied heavily on teacher…

  14. Bridging Communities: Culturing a Professional Learning Community that Supports Novice Teachers and Transfers Authentic Science and Mathematics to the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herbert, B. E.; Miller, H. R.; Loving, C. L.; Pedersen, S.

    2006-12-01

    Professional Learning Community Model for Alternative Pathways (PLC-MAP) is a partnership of North Harris Montgomery Community Colleges, Texas A&M University, and 11 urban, suburban, and rural school districts in the Greater Houston area focused on developing a professional learning community that increases the retention and quality of middle and high school mathematics and science teachers who are being certified through the NHMCCD Alternative Certification Program. Improved quality in teaching refers to increased use of effective inquiry teaching strategies, including information technology where appropriate, that engage students to ask worthy scientific questions and to reason, judge, explain, defend, argue, reflect, revise, and/or disseminate findings. Novice teachers learning to adapt or designing authentic inquiry in their classrooms face two enormous problems. First, there are important issues surrounding the required knowledgebase, habit of mind, and pedagogical content knowledge of the teachers that impact the quality of their lesson plans and instructional sequences. Second, many ACP intern teachers teach under challenging conditions with limited resources, which impacts their ability to implement authentic inquiry in the classroom. Members of our professional learning community, including scientists, mathematicians and master teachers, supports novice teachers as they design lesson plans that engage their students in authentic inquiry. The purpose of this research was to determine factors that contribute to success or barriers that prevent ACP secondary science intern and induction year teachers from gaining knowledge and engaging in classroom inquiry as a result of an innovative professional development experience. A multi-case study design was used for this research. We adopted a two-tail design where cases from both extremes (good and poor gains) were deliberately chosen. Six science teachers were selected from a total of 40+ mathematics and science

  15. Measuring the foundations of school readiness: Introducing a new questionnaire for teachers - The Brief Early Skills and Support Index (BESSI).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Claire; Daly, Irenee; Foley, Sarah; White, Naomi; Devine, Rory T

    2015-09-01

    Early work on school readiness focused on academic skills. Recent research highlights the value of also including both children's social and behavioural competencies and family support. Reflecting this broader approach, this study aimed to develop a new and brief questionnaire for teachers: The Brief Early Skills and Support Index (BESSI). The main sample, recruited from the north-west of England, included 1,456 children (49% male), aged 2.5 to 5.5 years. A second sample consisting of 258 children (44% male) aged 3 to 5.5 years was recruited to assess the test-retest reliability of the BESSI across a 1-month interval. Following development and pilot work with early years teachers, a streamlined (30 items) version of the BESSI was sent to 98 teachers and nursery staff, who rated the children in their class. The best-fitting model included four latent factors: Three child factors (Behavioural Adjustment, Language and Cognition, and Daily Living Skills) and one Family Support factor. The three child factors exhibited measurement invariance across gender. All four factors showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Structural equation modelling showed that (1) boys had more problems than girls on all three child factors; (2) older children showed better Language and Cognition and Daily Living Skills than younger children; and (3) children eligible for free school meals (an index of financial hardship) had more problems on all four latent factors. Family Support latent scores predicted all three child latent factors and accounted for their correlation with financial hardship. The BESSI is a promising brief teacher-report screening tool that appears suitable for children aged 2.5 to 5.5 and provides a broader perspective upon school readiness than previous measures. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

  16. Challenges and Induction Needs of Novice English as a Foreign Language Teachers in Saudi Arabia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rufaida Alhamad

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The first year of teaching poses massive challenges that lead to attrition among novice teachers. School communities often fail to provide adequate support to novice teachers to help them adapt to their new professional environments. In Saudi Arabia, attrition among novice teachers is a significant problem that hinders the development of the educational system. This study was conducted to examine the challenges that Saudi Arabian EFL novice teachers face as they transit into their first teaching jobs, and to determine whether these teachers have adequate support or would benefit from a formal induction process.  Two kinds of data collection methods were used in this study, namely quantitative and qualitative. In this mixed methods study, 150 novice teachers were surveyed and 5 teachers were selected for semi-structured interviews. The quantitative analysis of the data was accomplished using descriptive and inferential statistics to answer the research questions. The qualitative analysis of the data was accomplished by interpreting the responses provided to the interview questions. The findings indicated that the challenges surrounding novice teachers hinder them in their development as new teachers. The most conspicuous challenges reported by the study participants were dealing with low English proficiency students and managing the negative attitudes of students toward learning English. This report also determined additional perceptible challenges: adoption of various teaching methods and the establishment of a student-centered approach, student behavior management, course planning, dealing with individual differences, and communication with parents.  This study showed that these teachers had left their pre-service training with a very limited knowledge and skills for dealing with the reality of teaching. Mentoring and observing veteran teachers were identified by novice teachers as the two most beneficial strategies for implementing a teacher

  17. Focusing on first year assessment: Surface or deep approaches to learning?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sharn Donnison

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the assessment and learning approaches that some first year students employ to assist them in their transition into their first year of study and extends our previous work on first year student engagement and timely academic support (Penn-Edwards & Donnison, 2011. It is situated within the First Year transition and student engagement literature and specifically speaks to concepts of learning within that body of literature. In this paper we argue that while students are in the transitional period of their studies, the use of assessment as a motivator for learning (surface approach is valid first year pedagogy and forms an initial learning stage in the student’s progress towards being lifelong learners. 

  18. Science Teachers Taking their First Steps toward Teaching Socioscientific Issues through Collaborative Action Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hyunju; Yang, Jung-eun

    2017-06-01

    This study presents two science teachers, Catherine and Jennifer, who took their first steps toward teaching socioscientific issues through collaborative action research. The teachers participated in the collaborative action research project because they wanted to address socioscientific issues but had limited experience in teaching them. The research questions included what kinds of challenges the teachers encountered when implementing socioscientific issues and to what extent they resolved the challenging issues as participating in collaborative action research. The primary data source consisted of audiotapes of regular group meetings containing information on the process of constructing and implementing lesson plans and reflecting on their teaching of socioscientific issues. We also collected classroom videotapes of the teachers' instruction and audiotapes of students' small group discussions and their worksheets. The findings indicated that when addressing socioscientific issues in the classes, the teachers encountered several challenging issues. We categorized them into four: (1) restructuring classroom dynamics and culture, (2) scaffolding students' engagement in socioscientific issues, (3) dealing with values, and (4) finding their niche in schools. However, this study showed that collaborative action research could be a framework for helping the teachers to overcome such challenges and have successful experiences of teaching socioscientific issues. These experiences became good motivation, to gradually develop their understanding of teaching socioscientific issues and instructional strategies for integrating the knowledge and skills that they had accumulated over the years.

  19. The vocal quality in female student teachers during the 3 years of study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Lierde, K M; Claeys, S; Dhaeseleer, E; Deley, S; Derde, K; Herregods, I; Strybol, I; Wuyts, F

    2010-09-01

    The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to determine the objective vocal quality and the vocal characteristics (vocal risk factors, vocal and corporal complaints) in 143 female student teachers during the 3 years of study. The objective vocal quality was measured by means of the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI). Perceptual voice assessment, the Voice Handicap Index, questionnaires addressing vocal risks, and vocal and corporal complaints during and/or after voice usage were performed. Student teachers have a normal perceptual and objective vocal quality corresponding with a DSI% of 76. The analysis of variance revealed a significant improvement of the vocal quality between the first and the third year of study. No psychosocial handicapping effect of the voice was observed, though there are some vocal complaints and almost all student teachers reported the presence of corporal pain during and/or after speaking. Especially sore throat and headache were mentioned as the most present corporal pain symptoms. Due to the decreased awareness and the multifactorial genesis of the potential vocal risk factors, the student teachers are at risk for developing an occupational dysphonia during their teaching career. Because teaching is a high-risk profession for the development of voice problems, the incorporation of a direct vocal training technique to increase vocal endurance during teaching together with a vocal hygiene program, dietetics, and a stress management training program during the 3 years of study is needed to prevent occupational dysphonia. 2010 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Students and Teachers’ Perceptions into the Viability of Mobile Technology Implementation to Support Language Learning for First Year Business Students in a Middle Eastern University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bilal M. Tayan

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Advancements in technology have enabled us to learn, adapt and exploit our skills and knowledge in new ways.  Appreciating the potential of technology may yet give growth and enrich the process of language education, particularly through a student-centred mobile learning environment. Consequently, a constructivist approach to learning can create tremendous possibilities for both language learners and teachers. By exploiting the affordances of mobile technologies and the Internet, a new platform of learning or Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL can be realised, through which learners truly learn to learn.  Yet, while many of today’s language institutions and places of learning have begun to understand the potential presented by mobile technology as a tool and resource to content and language development, apprehension may still exist among educational practitioners, learners and senior management.  Such apprehension may stem from a lack of understanding in fully appreciating the opportunities and affordances posed by MALL in creating a support structure to learning and teaching excellence. This may be particularly true within developing countries such as those found in the Middle East. Consequently, set in a Saudi university context, the purpose of this study is to investigate learners’ and teachers’ perceptions towards the proposed implementation of a MALL programme, while exploring whether the promotion of mobile technologies could assist learning and become a viable support structure in teaching English as a second language.  Interviews were conducted with three English instructors who teach on the first year Business English programme at the university. The study also analysed 191 student participants who completed a Likert scale questionnaire designed to explore their mobile learning experiences, attitudes and perceptions towards the proposed MALL programme in their educational context. The findings from the student

  1. Exploring Relationships: Teacher Characteristics and Student Learning in Physical Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Close, Eleanor; Vokos, S.; Seeley, L.

    2006-12-01

    The Department of Physics and the School of Education at Seattle Pacific University, together with FACET Innovations, LLC, are beginning the second year of a five-year NSF TPC grant, Improving the Effectiveness of Teacher Diagnostic Skills and Tools. We are working in partnership with school districts in Washington State to identify and characterize widespread productive and unproductive modes of reasoning employed by both pre-college students and teachers on foundational topics in physical science. In the first year of the grant, base-line preand post-test data were collected from a large number (N 2300) of middle and high school students. We will discuss relationships between preand post-test results, student learning gains, and student and teacher characteristics. * Supported in part by NSF grant #ESI-0455796, The Boeing Corporation, and the SPU Science Initiative.

  2. Teachers' Role Breadth and Perceived Efficacy in Supporting Student Mental Health

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazzer, Kelly R.; Rickwood, Debra J.

    2015-01-01

    Teachers are considered well placed to identify issues concerning students' mental health and well-being and can play a critical role in the helping process for their concerns. However, little is known about the views of teachers regarding their role in supporting student mental health and how well-equipped they feel to fulfil it. The aim of this…

  3. Supporting Beginner Teacher Identity Development: External Mentors and the Third Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    McIntyre, Joanna; Hobson, Andrew J.

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports findings from a study of support provided by non-school-based mentors of secondary science teachers in England. It focuses on the identity development of beginning teachers of physics, some of the recipients of the mentoring. Drawing on the analysis of interview and case study data, and utilising third space theory, the authors…

  4. A Case Study Exploring the Identity of an In-Service Elementary Science Teacher: a Language Teacher First

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marco-Bujosa, Lisa; Levy, Abigail Jurist; McNeill, Katherine

    2018-01-01

    Teachers are central to providing high-quality science learning experiences called for in recent reform efforts, as their understanding of science impacts both what they teach and how they teach it. Yet, most elementary teachers do not enter the profession with a particular interest in science or expertise in science teaching. Research also indicates elementary schools present unique barriers that may inhibit science teaching. This case study utilizes the framework of identity to explore how one elementary classroom teacher's understandings of herself as a science specialist were shaped by the bilingual elementary school context as she planned for and provided reform-based science instruction. Utilizing Gee's (2000) sociocultural framework, identity was defined as consisting of four interrelated dimensions that served as analytic frames for examining how this teacher understood her new role through social positioning within her school. Findings describe the ways in which this teacher's identity as a science teacher was influenced by the school context. The case study reveals two important implications for teacher identity. First, collaboration for science teaching is essential for elementary teachers to change their practice. It can be challenging for teachers to form an identity as a science teacher in isolation. In addition, elementary teachers new to science teaching negotiate their emerging science practice with their prior experiences and the school context. For example, in the context of a bilingual school, this teacher adapted the reform-based science curriculum to better meet the unique linguistic needs of her students.

  5. A questionnaire survey regarding the support needed by Yogo teachers to take care of students suspected of having eating disorders (second report).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seike, Kaoru; Nakazato, Michiko; Hanazawa, Hisashi; Ohtani, Toshiyuki; Niitsu, Tomihisa; Ishikawa, Shin-Ichi; Ayabe, Atsuko; Otani, Ryoko; Kawabe, Kentaro; Horiuchi, Fumie; Takamiya, Shizuo; Sakuta, Ryoichi

    2016-01-01

    The lowering of the age of onset and chronicity have been key problems related to eating disorders (EDs). As the proportion of teens in the estimated onset ages has increased, it has become important to detect students with EDs and to clarify how they can be supported. Though epidemiological surveys of Yogo teachers (school nurse/health science teachers) have been conducted to inquire about the number of such students, none of these were done according to ED type based on DSM-5. Thus, we conducted a wide area survey in Japan with the goal of proposing a better framework of support for Yogo teachers in their efforts to care for students with EDs. A questionnaire survey organized by ED type (based on DSM-5) was administered to Yogo teachers working at elementary/junior high/senior high/special needs schools in four prefectures of Japan in 2015, and 1,886 responses were obtained. Based on the results, the encounter rates (the proportion of Yogo teachers who had encountered a student with an ED) were calculated, and factors that could affect the rates were examined by logistic regression analysis. The order of the encounter rates of the ED types was as follows: Anorexia Nervosa (AN) > Bulimia Nervosa (BN) > Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) > Binge Eating Disorder (BED) > Others. The factors significantly affecting the rates were "location, school type, number of students, experience years, and AN knowledge" for AN, "school type, experience years, and BN knowledge" for BN, "school type, experience years, and BED knowledge" for BED, "location, experience years, and ARFID knowledge" for ARFID, and "school type, experience years, and Others knowledge" for Others. Because the encounter rate of AN was the highest, providing support for AN would be the most effective. Moreover, one factor that affected the encounter rate of all ED types was ED knowledge. In addition to this, senior high schools had the highest encounter rates for AN, BN and

  6. Perceptions of Supportive Leadership Behaviors of School Site Administrators for Secondary Special Education Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roderick, Erin; Jung, Adrian Woo

    2012-01-01

    School administrators fall short of supporting special education teachers due to a lack of knowledge of and experience in special education. The purpose of this study was to identify and compare leadership behaviors perceived as supportive by special education teachers and school site administrators. Data collection involved a survey instrument…

  7. Evaluating Teachers' Support Requests When Just-in-Time Instructional Support is Provided to Introduce a Primary Level Web-Based Reading Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Eileen; Anderson, Alissa; Piquette-Tomei, Noella; Savage, Robert; Mueller, Julie

    2011-01-01

    Support requests were documented for 10 teachers (4 kindergarten, 4 grade one, and 2 grade one/two teachers) who received just-in-time instructional support over a 2 1/2 month period while implementing a novel reading software program as part of their literacy instruction. In-class observations were made of each instructional session. Analysis of…

  8. The enhancement model of ICT competence for the teachers of SMP Terbuka in Central Java to support long distance learning program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widowati, Trisnani; Purwanti, Dwi

    2017-03-01

    ICT-based learning for SMP Terbuka is a manifestation of the first pillar of DEPDIKNAS Strategic Plan 2005-2009, about the use of ICT as the facility of long distance learning. By implementing ICT-based learning, the communication between the teacher and the students is possible to happen although both parties are in differnet places. The problem in implementing ICT-based learning for SMP Terbuka is the low competence of the teachers in ICT mastery, because this research is aimed to formulate the enhancement model of ICT competence for the teachers of SMP Terbuka in Central Java to support long distance learning program. This research shows that Supervised-Teachers and Tutor Teachers Competence in ICT is still low with the average of Supervised-Teachers competence in operating Ms.Word application of 59.6%, Ms.Excel 55.40%, Power Point 43.40% and internet mastery of 41.8%; while the competence of Tutor Teachers is lower with the average of 40.40% in operating Ms. Word, 35.20% in Ms.Excel, 28.00% in Power Point, and 29% in internet mastery. It means that Supervised-Teachers understand ICT, but they do not master it; while Tutor Teachers have just understood ICT and have a low mastery in Ms.Word. The output of this research is: The new findings of the enhancement model of ICT competence for the teachers of SMP Terbuka in Central Java to support long distance learning program.

  9. Talk to Me, Baby! Supporting Language Development in the First 3 Years

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bardige, Betty; Bardige, M. Kori

    2008-01-01

    In their first few years, almost all children learn at least one language, though not equally well. Differences in the quantity, quality, sources, and variety of language inputs and conversation opportunities have a long-lasting effect. This article provides an overview of early language development and explains how talking with babies promotes…

  10. Teacher Leaders in Research Based Science Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rector, T. A.; Jacoby, S. H.; Lockwood, J. F.; McCarthy, D. W.

    2001-12-01

    NOAO facilities will be used in support of ``Teacher Leaders in Research Based Science Education" (TLRBSE), a new Teacher Retention and Renewal program that will be funded through the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Education and Human Resources. The goal of TLRBSE is to provide professional development for secondary teachers of mathematics and science in an effort to support novice teachers beginning their careers as well as to motivate and retain experienced teachers. Within the context of astronomy, TLRBSE will develop master teachers who will mentor a second tier of novice teachers in the exemplary method of research-based science education, a proven effective teaching method which models the process of inquiry and exploration used by scientists. Participants will be trained through a combination of in-residence workshops at Kitt Peak National Observatory and the National Solar Observatory, a distance-learning program during the academic year, interaction at professional meetings and mentor support from teacher leaders and professional astronomers. A total of 360 teachers will participate in the program over five years.

  11. Beginning Teacher Induction: A Report on Beginning Teacher Effectiveness and Retention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serpell, Zewelanji; Bozeman, Leslie A.

    National statistics show a rise in the number of beginning teachers undergoing formal induction in their first year of teaching. This report discusses the effectiveness of induction programs and resulting outcomes for beginning teacher retention, beginning teacher effectiveness, and mentor participation. The various components of induction…

  12. Exploring Elements That Support Teachers Engagement in Online Professional Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prestridge, Sarah; Tondeur, Jo

    2015-01-01

    This study sought to identify the most effective elements required in online professional development to enable teachers to improve their use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in their classrooms. Four schools in Queensland were involved, with twelve classroom teachers participating in a year-long online professional development…

  13. Preservice Teacher Institute: Developing a Model Learning Community for Student Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kent, Andrea M.; Simpson, Jennifer L.

    2009-01-01

    The Preservice Teacher Institute (PTI) is a budding learning community designed to provide mentoring and support for senior elementary education undergraduate candidates. This program is an effective paradigm for mentoring and inducting new teachers into the profession. PTI is a two-semester program. The first semester is restricted to candidates…

  14. A Culture of Thinking Like a Teacher: The Role of Critical Reflection in Teacher Preparation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowenstein, Karen L.; Brill, Andra

    2010-01-01

    As teacher educators for an alternative urban teacher preparation program, we believe that because we cannot teach novice teachers everything they need to know in one year, our principal responsibility is to teach our novices to think like teachers. Central to this process is supporting novices to engage in critical reflection. Critical reflection…

  15. Peer to peer mentoring: Outcomes of third-year midwifery students mentoring first-year students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hogan, Rosemarie; Fox, Deborah; Barratt-See, Georgina

    2017-06-01

    Undergraduate midwifery students commonly experience anxiety in relation to their first clinical placement. A peer mentoring program for midwifery students was implemented in an urban Australian university. The participants were first-year mentee and third-year mentor students studying a three-year Bachelor degree in midwifery. The program offered peer support to first-year midwifery students who had little or no previous exposure to hospital clinical settings. Mentors received the opportunity to develop mentoring and leadership skills. The aim was to explore the benefits, if any, of a peer mentoring program for midwifery students. The peer mentoring program was implemented in 2012. Sixty-three peer mentors and 170 mentees participated over three academic years. Surveys were distributed at the end of each academic year. Quantitative survey data were analysed descriptively and qualitative survey data were analysed thematically using NVivo 10 software. Over 80% of mentors and mentees felt that the program helped mentees adjust to their midwifery clinical placement. At least 75% of mentors benefited, in developing their communication, mentoring and leadership skills. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data, including 'Receiving start-up advice'; 'Knowing she was there' and 'Wanting more face to face time'. There is a paucity of literature on midwifery student peer mentoring. The findings of this program demonstrate the value of peer support for mentees and adds knowledge about the mentor experience for undergraduate midwifery students. The peer mentor program was of benefit to the majority of midwifery students. Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. The role of physics departments in the recruitment, preparation and support of pre-college teachers of physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seeley, Lane

    2008-05-01

    The United States faces a critical shortage of qualified physics and physical science teachers. The number of high school students taking physics is increasing but the number of physics majors pursuing careers in pre-college teaching is not nearly sufficient to meet the demand. College and university physics departments have content expertise and ready access to potential future teachers of physics. In order to address the crisis in physics and physical science education, APS, AAPT, and AIP have developed the PhysTEC project. Seattle Pacific University is one of six fully funded PhysTEC sites. The PhysTEC project also supports a coalition of more than one hundred institutions that are committed to improving K-12 physics and physical science education. This talk will describe the national PhysTEC project along with our local PhysTEC program. We will explore ways in which physics departments can more fully integrate the preparation of pre-college physics teachers within existing departmental priorities. We will discuss opportunities for regional partnerships between 2-year and 4-year colleges, school districts, and teacher preparation programs. We will also highlight ways in which our research on the learning and teaching of physics informs the development of tools that teachers and teacher educators can use to diagnose student ideas and to design subsequent instruction that capitalizes on these ideas. In collaboration with Stamatis Vokos, Seattle Pacific University and Pam Kraus, Facet Innovations LLC.

  17. Building Connections in the First-year Undergraduate Experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    June Countryman

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Concerned about the success rate of new students in our program we designed and implemented a compulsory set of experiences which aim to support students in their transition from high school to university by 1 developing their sense of belonging to a community of learners and by 2 articulating with them the interrelationships among their first year core courses. We initiated various strategies which we have refined in response to student feedback over the past three years. In this paper we describe the pedagogical moves that constitute our initiative and the lessons we learned. We explore essential academic and personal issues that first-year students in all programs face. We share our research findings and address the big ideas that could be applied to any discipline or multi-disciplinary program.

  18. The Challenges Faced by New Science Teachers in Saudi Arabia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsharari, Salman

    Growing demand for science teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, fed by increasing numbers of public school students, is forcing the Saudi government to attract, recruit and retain well-qualified science teachers. Beginning science teachers enter the educational profession with a massive fullfilment and satisfaction in their roles and positions as teachers to educating children in a science classroom. Nevertheless, teachers, over their early years of practice, encounter numerous challenges to provide the most effective science instruction. Therefore, the current study was aimed to identify academic and behavioral classroom challenges faced by science teachers in their first three years of teaching in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition, new science teacher gender, school level and years of teaching experience differences in perceptions of the challenges that they encountered at work were analyzed. The present study also investigated various types of support that new science teachers may need to overcome academic and behavioral classroom challenges. In order to gain insights about ways to adequately support novice science teachers, it was important to examine new science teachers' beliefs, ideas and perceptions about effective science teaching. Three survey questionnaires were developed and distributed to teachers of both sexes who have been teaching science subjects, for less than three years, to elementary, middle and high school students in Al Jouf public schools. A total of 49 novice science teachers responded to the survey and 9 of them agreed to participate voluntarily in a face-to-face interview. Different statistical procedures and multiple qualitative methodologies were used to analyze the collected data. Findings suggested that the top three academic challenges faced by new science teachers were: poor quality of teacher preparation programs, absence of appropriate school equipment and facilities and lack of classroom materials and instructional

  19. Teachers' Perceptions of Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Teaching Reading and Writing for First Grade Students in Kuwait

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Dhafir, Mohammad

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to examine the Kuwaiti first grade teachers' perceptions of developmentally appropriate practices in teaching reading and writing. To achieve the research purpose, a questionnaire was developed and administrated to 167 first grade teachers. Results revealed that first grade teachers hold moderate agreement towards…

  20. Supporting teachers in data-informed educational design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    McKenney, Susan; Mor, Yishay

    2016-01-01

    Recent years have seen a growing recognition of the value of positioning teaching as a design science. In this context, we see a great potential in the possible synergy between educational design, learning analytics, and teacher inquiry. This synergy is demonstrated in the form of CASCADE-SEA, a

  1. A Knowledge Base For Teachers on Teacher-Student Relationships

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wubbels, T.

    2017-01-01

    Teacher-student relationships are an important factor in effective learning environments and of specific importance in multicultural classrooms. This chapter presents some of the findings of a research programme that studied for more than 30 years teacher-student relationships. We first summarise

  2. Initial and Ongoing Teacher Preparation and Support: Current Problems and Possible Solutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Harold A.

    2013-01-01

    The effective initial preparation and ongoing support of teachers of students who are deaf and hard of hearing has always been a difficult and controversial task. Changes in student demographic characteristics and educational settings, combined with the rapidly diminishing number and diversity of deaf education teacher preparation (DETP) programs,…

  3. Effects on Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Job Satisfaction: Teacher Gender, Years of Experience, and Job Stress

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klassen, Robert M.; Chiu, Ming Ming

    2010-01-01

    The authors of this study sought to examine the relationships among teachers' years of experience, teacher characteristics (gender and teaching level), three domains of self-efficacy (instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement), two types of job stress (workload and classroom stress), and job satisfaction with a sample…

  4. FOSTER-Flight Opportunities for Science Teacher EnRichment, A New IDEA Program From NASA Astrophysics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Devore, E.; Gillespie, C.; Hull, G.; Koch, D.

    1993-05-01

    Flight Opportunities for Science Teacher EnRichment (FOSTER) is a new educational program from the Imitative to Develop Education through Astronomy in the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. Now in its first year of the pilot program, the FOSTER project brings eleven Bay Area teaaaachers to NASA Ames to participate in a year-long program of workshops, educational programs at their schools and the opportunity to fly aboard the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) on research missions. As science and math educators, FOSTER teachers get a close-up look at science in action and have the opportunity to interact with the entire team of scientists, aviators and engineers that support the research abord the KAO. In June, a second group of FOSTER teachers will participate in a week-long workshop at ASes to prepare for flights during the 1993-94 school year. In addition, the FOSTER project trains teachers to use e-mail for ongoing communication with scientists and the KAO team, develops educational materials and supports opportunities for scientists to become directly involved in local schools. FOSTER is supported by a NASA grant (NAGW 3291).

  5. Retaining Black Teachers: An Examination of Black Female Teachers' Intentions to Remain in K-12 Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farinde, Abiola A.; Allen, Ayana; Lewis, Chance W.

    2016-01-01

    Sixty years after "Brown v. Board of Education," retention trends indicate that there is a Black teacher shortage. Research shows that Black teachers' retention rates are often lower than the retention rates of White teachers. Black teachers report low salaries, lack of administrative support, and other school variables as reasons for…

  6. Does Teacher Preparation Matter? Evidence about Teacher Certification, Teach for America, and Teacher Effectiveness.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linda Darling-Hammond

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available Recent debates about the utility of teacher education have raised questions about whether certified teachers are, in general, more effective than those who have not met the testing and training requirements for certification, and whether some candidates with strong liberal arts backgrounds might be at least as effective as teacher education graduates. This study examines these questions with a large student-level data set from Houston, Texas that links student characteristics and achievement with data about their teachers' certification status, experience, and degree levels from 1995-2002. The data set also allows an examination of whether Teach for America (TFA candidates-recruits from selective universities who receive a few weeks of training before they begin teaching-are as effective as similarly experienced certified teachers. In a series of regression analyses looking at 4th and 5th grade student achievement gains on six different reading and mathematics tests over a six-year period, we find that certified teachers consistently produce stronger student achievement gains than do uncertified teachers. These findings hold for TFA recruits as well as others. Controlling for teacher experience, degrees, and student characteristics, uncertified TFA recruits are less effective than certified teachers, and perform about as well as other uncertified teachers. TFA recruits who become certified after 2 or 3 years do about as well as other certified teachers in supporting student achievement gains; however, nearly all of them leave within three years. Teachers' effectiveness appears strongly related to the preparation they have received for teaching.

  7. Professional Parity Between Co-Teachers in Secondary Science and Math As Influenced By Administrative Support

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordh, Camilla S.

    2011-12-01

    School improvement plans, budget constraints, and compliance mandates targeting academic progress for all students indicate a need for maximal professional efficacy at every level in the educational system, including parity between co-teachers in the co-teaching service delivery model. However, research shows that the special education co-teacher frequently assumes an assistive role while the general education co-teacher adopts a leading role in the classroom. When the participants in a co-teaching partnership fail to equitably share the professional responsibilities for which both teachers are qualified to perform, overall efficacy is compromised in that the special education teacher is not exercising his or her qualified expertise. Administrative support can be a primary influencing factor in increasing parity between the co-teachers. A qualitative study using a phenomenological design was conducted to explore the influences of co-teacher attitudes and administrative support on professional parity in co-taught secondary science and math classrooms. Content analysis was used to interpret data from interviews with five special education and 15 general education co-teachers at eight secondary schools in a suburban school district in a mid-Atlantic state. Five themes emerged from the data: content mastery by the special education co-teacher, joint planning time for co-teachers, continuity within co-teaching dyads, compatible personalities between co-teachers, and clear administrative expectations about co-teaching. Results indicate that administrative support to consider the content mastery of the special education co-teacher is the most influential factor to parity, followed by the co-teaching partners having joint planning time and that both can be implemented through scheduling and assignment considerations rather than training initiatives. The results provide an examination of each theme as it pertains to the issue of professional efficacy in co-teaching and

  8. Urban Advocates for Young Children with Special Needs: First-Year Early Childhood Teachers Enacting Social Justice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puig, Victoria I.; Recchia, Susan L.

    2012-01-01

    This article shares the ways new early childhood teachers carry forward the social justice principles emphasized in their teacher education program into their actual practice. Their participation in a university-sponsored mentoring group served as the context for this study. Through an emergent themes analysis, we explored how they prioritized…

  9. A participative evaluation model to refine academic support for first year Indigenous higher education students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bronwyn Rossingh

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an evaluative approach designed to provide a cycle of continuous improvement to retain Indigenous students during their first year of higher education.   The evaluation model operates in conjunction with a student academic enrichment program that is premised on valuing and respecting each student's background and life experience whilst building capability for learning success.  Data collected will be used for continual improvement of a newly developed innovative academic enrichment program that caters to the needs of Indigenous students.  The defining mechanisms of the model for measuring the first year experience are particularly meaningful for the Australian Centre For Indigenous Knowledges and Education as it moves into its inaugural year of operation in 2012. This preeminent time requires a flexible model to receive timely feedback in a reflexive environment where students guide the process as they continue their journey of accumulating knowledge and leave behind their contribution in shaping the landscape for future first year Indigenous students.  

  10. The Level of Diagnostic Tests' Preparation Skills among the Teachers of the First Three Elementary Grades' Teachers at the Directorate of Education of Bani Kinana District

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yaghmour, Kholoud Subhi; Obaidat, Luai Taleb; Hamadneh, Qaseem Mohammad

    2016-01-01

    This study aimed at exploring the level of Diagnostic Tests' Preparation Skills among the teachers of the first Three Elementary Grades at the Directorate of Education of Bani Kinana District, and its relationship to the variables of gender, academic qualification, and years of experience. The sample of the study consisted of (264) male and female…

  11. Knowledge, attitudes, and first-aid measures about epilepsy among primary school teachers in northern Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolahi, A-A; Ghorbanpur-Valukolaei, M; Abbasi-Kangevari, M; Farsar, A-R

    2018-07-01

    To assess knowledge, attitudes, and first-aid measures about epilepsy among primary school teachers. This cross-sectional study was conducted with participation of 342 primary school teachers during September 2016 to January 2017 in cities of Babol and Qaem-Shahr in Mazandaran Province in northern Iran. Primary schools were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected through interviews using a structured questionnaire. The knowledge section included general knowledge, causes, symptoms, seizure triggers, first-aid measures, and recommended treatments. The Likert scale was used for the attitudes section. Answers about first-aid measures were categorized as helpful or harmful. The level of total knowledge score of 25 (7.7%) teachers was very high, 140 (43.3%) high, 141 (43.8%) moderate, and 17 (5.2%) low. The mean score about general knowledge was as follows: 6.1 (1.9), range = 0-9; causes 6.3 (1.9), range = 0-10; symptoms of seizures 8.5 (2.5), range = 0-12; and first-aid measures 6.8 (2.0), range = 0-11. Some 83% knew not taking anticonvulsants regularly could trigger seizures, and all teachers said a person with epilepsy should go see a physician. Attitudes were generally positive except for marriage and having children. The level of first-aid measures score of 8 (7.2) teachers was very high, 79 (70.5) high, 25 (22.3) low. Teachers with teaching experience at special schools took more helpful measures CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge of teachers about epilepsy was insufficient, attitudes toward people with epilepsy were generally positive, and first-aid measures at the last witnessed seizure were fairly helpful. Having teaching experience in special schools had a positive influence over knowledge and taking appropriate first-aid measure at time of the last witnessed seizure. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. A study of the influence of a preservice science teacher education program over time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maher, Terrence Patrick

    2009-12-01

    This dissertation looks at the beliefs and practices of thirteen science teachers across the teaching continuum. Three pre-service teachers, four student teachers, three first year teachers and three teachers with three or more years of experience were participants in this longitudinal study that took place between 2006 and 2009. All participants were graduates of a large university in the southeastern United States. The study found that inquiry-based teaching practices were taught at the university and most participants believe that it is a superior way of teaching science. Using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) instrument to measure the amount of inquiry-based teaching, the following findings were made: The highest level of inquiry-based teaching occurs during pre-service education. This was the only group to score within the "reformed-based" teaching range. The total RTOP scores decreased into the traditional teaching practice range during student teaching. The scores continued to decrease during the first and second years of teaching, showing an even stronger prevalence toward traditional teaching. A slight increase in the average total RTOP scores was noted with teachers having three or more years of experience. But even these teachers' scores were well within the traditional teaching method range. When interviewed, the most common reasons cited by these teachers for not using inquiry-based practice in the public classrooms were high stakes testing, crowded class sizes, and lack of equipment/support.

  13. Layers of Self- and Co-Regulation: Teachers Working Collaboratively to Support Adolescents' Self-Regulated Learning through Reading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deborah L. Butler

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports findings from a longitudinal project in which secondary teachers were working collaboratively to support adolescents' self-regulated learning through reading (LTR in subject-area classrooms. We build from prior research to “connect the dots” between teachers' engagement in self- and co-regulated inquiry, associated shifts in classroom practice, and student self-regulation. More specifically, we investigated whether and how teachers working within a community of inquiry were mobilizing research to shape classroom practice and advance student learning. Drawing on evidence from 18 teachers and their respective classrooms, we describe findings related to the following research questions: (1 While engaged in self- and co-regulated inquiry, what types of practices did teachers enact to support LTR in their subject-area classrooms? (2 How did teachers draw on research-based resources to inform practice development? (3 What kinds of practices could be associated with gains in students' self-regulated LTR? In our discussion, we highlight contributions to understanding how teachers can be supported to situate research in authentic classroom environments and about qualities of practices supportive of students' self-regulated LTR. We also identify limitations of this work and important future directions.

  14. Who Are the Future Teachers in Turkey? Characteristics of Entering Student Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aksu, Meral; Demir, Cennet Engin; Daloglu, Aysegul; Yildirim, Soner; Kiraz, Ercan

    2010-01-01

    This exploratory study examines the background characteristics, socio-cultural values and pedagogical beliefs that entering student teachers bring with them into the faculties of education and explores their possible implications for teacher education in the Turkish context. The study comprised 18,226 first-year student teachers from 51 faculties…

  15. Teacher Morale, Motivation and Professional Identity: Insight for Educational Policymakers from State Teachers of the Year. Teacher Researcher Policy Paper Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosso, David

    2017-01-01

    Informed by a qualitative study involving 24 individuals, each of whom has been recognized as a State Teacher of the Year, this report presents an exploration of the phenomena of teacher morale, motivation and perceptions of job satisfaction as related to professional identity and professional growth in the context of educational change. The…

  16. The Relationship among Teacher Job Satisfaction, Trust in the Principal, and Principal Support

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trace, Natalie Elizabeth Lytle

    2016-01-01

    Every year across the United States, teachers feel higher demands placed on them. Teacher turnover rates are increasing, and fewer teachers are entering the field of education. Job dissatisfaction due to administrators' dispositions is one of the reasons teachers often cite when leaving the profession. The purpose of this research study is to…

  17. Science Teacher Leadership: Learning from a Three-Year Leadership Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luft, Julie A.; Dubois, Shannon L.; Kaufmann, Janey; Plank, Larry

    2016-01-01

    Teachers are professional learners and leaders. They seek to understand how their students learn, and they participate in programs that provide new instructional skills, curricular materials, and ways to become involved in their community. This study follows a science teacher leadership program over a three-year period of time. There were…

  18. Supporting Academic Literacies: University Teachers in Collaboration for Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergman, Lotta

    2016-01-01

    This article deals with an action research project, where a group of university teachers from different disciplines reflected on and gradually extended their knowledge about how to support students' academic literacy development. The project was conducted within a "research circle" [Bergman, L. 2014. "The Research Circle as a…

  19. Pathways of professional learning for elementary science teachers using computer learning environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Latonya Michelle

    This dissertation reports on a three year study designed to investigate the trajectories of two urban elementary school teachers---a novice and an experienced teacher---learning to teach a science curriculum unit using an inquiry approach supported by the Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE). This research investigated teachers' development in knowledge and practice. Through analyses of video records of classroom instruction and professional development meetings, repeated interviews, and student assessments, I have produced case studies of teachers' journeys as they implement the technological inquiry-based instructional model. This study captures the interplay between the teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, enacted practice, and insights into students' thinking about complex science ideas. I trace the factors that encouraged and supported the teachers' development, in addition to the kinds of struggles they faced and overcame. I discuss the social supports I provided for the teachers, including scaffolding them in reflecting on their practice, assisting them with curriculum customizations, and supporting their learning such as arranging online interactions with scientists. I analyze spontaneous activities such as teachers' own reflections. The results suggest that the novice and experienced teacher's classroom practices became more inquiry oriented across time. For both teachers, use of technology accompanied an increase in science dialogue with small groups in years two and three. The novice teacher began asking inquiry questions in her second year of classroom experience, after a great deal of professional support. Both teachers improved in their pedagogical content knowledge from years one through three as a result of the varied professional development supports. The results suggest that teachers' improvement in instructional strategies and pedagogical content knowledge accompanied students' improvement in understanding of the science content.

  20. Building and Deploying Remotely Operated Vehicles in the First-Year Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien-Gayes, A.; Fuss, K.; Gayes, P.

    2007-12-01

    Coastal Carolina University has committed to improving student retention and success in Mathematics and Science through a pilot program to engage first-year students in an applied and investigative project as part of the University's First-Year Experience (FYE). During the fall 2007 semester, five pilot sections of FYE classes, consisting of students from the College of Natural and Applied Sciences are building and deploying Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). These ROV-based classes are designed to: accelerate exploration of the broad fields of science and mathematics; enlist interest in technology by engaging students in a multi-stepped, interdisciplinary problem solving experience; explore science and mathematical concepts; institute experiential learning; and build a culture of active learners to benefit student success across traditional departmental boundaries. Teams of three students (forty teams total) will build, based on the MIT Sea Perch design, and test ROVs in addition to collecting data with their ROVs. Various accessories attached to the vehicles for data collection will include temperature and light sensors, plankton nets and underwater cameras. The first-year students will then analyze the data, and the results will be documented as part of their capstone projects. Additionally, two launch days will take place on two campus ponds. Local middle and high school teachers and their students will be invited to observe this event. The teams of students with the most capable and successful ROVs will participate in a workshop held in November 2007 for regional elementary, middle and high school teachers. These students will give a presentation on the building of the ROVs and also provide a hands-on demonstration for the workshop participants. These activities will ensure an incorporation of service learning into the first semester of the freshmen experience. The desired outcomes of the ROV-based FYE classes are: increased retention at the postsecondary

  1. Psychological Distress in Norwegian Nurses and Teachers over Nine Years

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Per Nerdrum

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Psychological distress have been found to be high and influence negatively nurses’ and teachers’ work. In this nine-year project, we present the first longitudinal study comparing psychological distress from 1467 students and young professionals in nursing and teaching. Psychological distress was measured with GHQ 12 at the start and the end of their studies and three and six years after graduation. Both descriptive statistics and estimated models were used to assess psychological distress over time. Psychological distress increased significantly in both groups during education. The reduction of psychological distress was significant among the nurses, and they clearly showed a “healthy worker effect” when coming into clinical work. The teachers had a small and non-significant reduction in the same period and did not show a positive effect after starting pedagogical work.

  2. Teachers' Challenges, Strategies, and Support Needs in Schools Affected by Community Violence: A Qualitative Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maring, Elisabeth F.; Koblinsky, Sally A.

    2013-01-01

    Background: Exposure to community violence compromises teacher effectiveness, student learning, and socioemotional well-being. This study examined the challenges, strategies, and support needs of teachers in urban schools affected by high levels of community violence. Methods: Twenty teachers from 3 urban middle schools with predominantly…

  3. Beginning science teachers' strategies for communicating with families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bloom, Nena E.

    Science learning occurs in both formal and informal spaces. Families are critical for developing student learning and interest in science because they provide important sources of knowledge, support and motivation. Bidirectional communication between teachers and families can be used to build relationships between homes and schools, leverage family knowledge of and support for learners, and create successful environments for science learning that will support both teaching and student learning. To identify the communication strategies of beginning science teachers, who are still developing their teaching practices, a multiple case study was conducted with seven first year secondary science teachers. The methods these teachers used to communicate with families, the information that was communicated and shared, and factors that shaped these teachers' continued development of communication strategies were examined. Demographic data, interview data, observations and documentation of communication through logs and artifacts were collected for this study. Results indicated that the methods teachers had access to and used for communication impacted the frequency and efficacy of their communication. Teachers and families communicated about a number of important topics, but some topics that could improve learning experiences and science futures for their students were rarely discussed, such as advancement in science, student learning in science and family knowledge. Findings showed that these early career teachers were continuing to learn about their communities and to develop their communication strategies with families. Teachers' familiarity with their school community, opportunities to practice strategies during preservice preparation and student teaching, their teaching environment, school policies, and learning from families and students in their school culture continued to shape and influence their views and communication strategies. Findings and implications for

  4. Sandia`s computer support units: The first three years

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harris, R.N. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States). Labs. Computing Dept.

    1997-11-01

    This paper describes the method by which Sandia National Laboratories has deployed information technology to the line organizations and to the desktop as part of the integrated information services organization under the direction of the Chief Information officer. This deployment has been done by the Computer Support Unit (CSU) Department. The CSU approach is based on the principle of providing local customer service with a corporate perspective. Success required an approach that was both customer compelled at times and market or corporate focused in most cases. Above all, a complete solution was required that included a comprehensive method of technology choices and development, process development, technology implementation, and support. It is the authors hope that this information will be useful in the development of a customer-focused business strategy for information technology deployment and support. Descriptions of current status reflect the status as of May 1997.

  5. Supporting Lesotho Teachers to Develop Resilience in the Face of the HIV and AIDS Pandemic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Lesley; Ntaote, Grace Makeletso; Theron, Linda

    2012-01-01

    HIV and AIDS threaten to erode the wellbeing of teachers who are faced with an increasing number of children rendered vulnerable by the pandemic. This article explores the usefulness of a supportive group intervention, Resilient Educators (REds), in supporting Lesotho teachers to respond to the HIV and AIDS-related challenges. A time-series pre-…

  6. Enhancing Students' Engagement: Report of a 3-Year Intervention with Middle School Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, Julianne C.; Christensen, Andrea; Kackar-Cam, Hayal Z.; Trucano, Meg; Fulmer, Sara M.

    2014-01-01

    All teachers (N = 32) at one middle school participated in a university-led intervention to improve student engagement. Teachers discussed four principles of motivation and related instructional strategies. Teachers enacted instructional strategies in their classrooms. We observed six randomly selected teachers and their students over 3 years.…

  7. Development and Evaluation of a Model-Supported Scientific Inquiry Training Program for Elementary Teachers in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chandra Ertikanto

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available A teacher training program, named Model-Supported Scientific Inquiry Training Program (MSSITP has been successfully developed to improve the inquiry skills of Indonesian elementary teachers. The skills enhanced by MSSITP are defining problems, formulating hypotheses, planning and doing investigations, drawing conclusions, and communicating the results. This teacher training program was evaluated by 48 teachers selected by stratified random sampling technique from 48 elementary schools in Bandar Lampung City, Lampung Province, Indonesia. The program was designed to follow Bandura’s stages of social learning: attention, retention, production, and motivation. The impact of MSSITP was evaluated in three ways. First, by analyzing the improvements of inquiry skills compared to conventional SITP through pretest and posttest control group design. Second, by using an inquiry questionnaire to describe teachers’ perceptions of inquiry learning. Last, by using a response instrument to elicit teachers’ opinions of the program. The results indicate a significant difference (sig 0.00 in teachers’ skills acquired from the two different training programs. Mean posttest scores, varying from 34.7 to 56.9 for the control group and 58.3 to 98.6 for the experimental group, confirmed the effectiveness of MSSITP.

  8. Investigating Teacher Learning Supports in High School Biology Curricular Programs to Inform the Design of Educative Curriculum Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beyer, Carrie J.; Delgado, Cesar; Davis, Elizabeth A.; Krajcik, Joseph

    2009-01-01

    Reform efforts have emphasized the need to support teachers' learning about reform-oriented practices. Educative curriculum materials are one potential vehicle for promoting teacher learning about these practices. Educative curriculum materials include supports that are intended to promote both student "and" teacher learning. However, little is…

  9. Assess Yourself! How Did You Do This Year?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Easton, Lois Brown

    2011-01-01

    Most teachers look back on their first year (or years) of teaching with humility, many with some regret. The author stresses that teachers are always learners, especially so in their first years. At the beginning of each year, they start over again with new students. A learning teacher takes risks and makes mistakes but derives new information,…

  10. TTI reports on its first two years of programming | IDRC ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    2011-03-17

    Mar 17, 2011 ... During its first two years, the Think Tank Initiative has supported 52 institutions in four regions. Read the report​ to learn about our progress, our grantees, and our plans for the future.

  11. Teachers' challenges, strategies, and support needs in schools affected by community violence: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maring, Elisabeth F; Koblinsky, Sally A

    2013-06-01

    Exposure to community violence compromises teacher effectiveness, student learning, and socioemotional well-being. This study examined the challenges, strategies, and support needs of teachers in urban schools affected by high levels of community violence. Twenty teachers from 3 urban middle schools with predominantly low-income African American students completed open-ended interviews. Selected schools were in geographic areas with high violent crime levels. Consistent with an ecological risk and resilience framework, findings revealed that teachers experienced challenges and adopted coping strategies at the individual, family, school, and community levels. Teachers employed a number of strategies associated with resilience, such as prayer and seeking support from family and colleagues, but also engaged in some avoidant strategies, such as emotional withdrawal and avoiding difficult students. Findings suggest interventions to improve school safety and reduce the negative impact of violence-related stressors. Teacher training in behavior management, effective school leadership, improved school security, peer mediation, expanded mental health services, and parent involvement may promote resilience among both teachers and their students. © 2013, American School Health Association.

  12. First Aid Management in Emergency Care of Dental Injuries – Knowledge among Teachers in Rijeka, Croatia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakarčić, Danko; Hrvatin, Sandra; Maroević, Mia; Ivančić Jokić, Nataša

    2017-03-01

    The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude regarding emergency treatment of dental trauma among elementary school teachers in the city of Rijeka, Croatia. A total of 144 teachers answered a four-part questionnaire which comprised questions regarding demographic data, role and responsibility at the working place, knowledge about dental trauma, and motivation for further education on the topic. Nearly half of the participants (47.2%) reported having seen at least one dental trauma in their professional careers. They chose to contact the child’s parent first (54.1%) and only 11.1% chose to contact a dentist instead. The majority of teachers (81.9%) were not aware of the meaning of the term avulsio dentis. As to treatment of avulsed tooth, 17.3% of teachers knew the appropriate management, while 14% of them would not even touch it. With regard to transport of avulsed tooth or fractured tooth fragments, only 2% responded correctly. The majority of the responders (87.5%) had never been educated about dental trauma, but were willing to be informed through lectures (53.4%), basic life support courses (15.2%) and brochures (9.7%). Planning teachers’ education through advanced training on the topic is suggested to be part of teachers’ lifetime education.

  13. Examining the Technology Integration Planning Cycle Model of Professional Development to Support Teachers' Instructional Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutchison, Amy C.; Woodward, Lindsay

    2018-01-01

    Background: Presently, models of professional development aimed at supporting teachers' technology integration efforts are often short and decontextualized. With many schools across the country utilizing standards that require students to engage with digital tools, a situative model that supports building teachers' knowledge within their…

  14. The Relationship of High School Teachers' Job Satisfaction to Principal Support

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bressler, Kathleen M.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between high school teacher job satisfaction, using an instrument that measures Herzberg's Two Factor Theory and principal support, using an adapted instrument from House's theory of administrative support. Data were collected by a team of researchers from 34 self-selected public Virginia…

  15. Perceptions of Student Misconduct, Perceived Respect for Teachers, and Support for Corporal Punishment among School Teachers in South Korea: An Exploratory Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Ben

    2009-01-01

    This article provides an analysis of survey data on perceptions of student misconduct, perceived respect for teachers, and support for corporal punishment among school teachers in South Korea. The data were gathered from a survey of 110 middle and high school teachers in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Descriptive, chi square, logistic regression,…

  16. IYPT problems as an efficient source of ideas for first-year project laboratory tasks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Planinsic, Gorazd [Faculty for Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)], E-mail: gorazd.planinsic@fmf.uni-lj.si

    2009-11-15

    In the project laboratory, a group of students are given a well-defined task but the path to the solution is entirely left to the students. The paper reports on some basic strategies in designing successful project tasks that are based on modified problems from International Young Physicists Tournament (IYPT). In addition, an integration of first-year project laboratory in in-service teacher training is also briefly presented.

  17. IYPT problems as an efficient source of ideas for first-year project laboratory tasks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Planinsic, Gorazd

    2009-01-01

    In the project laboratory, a group of students are given a well-defined task but the path to the solution is entirely left to the students. The paper reports on some basic strategies in designing successful project tasks that are based on modified problems from International Young Physicists Tournament (IYPT). In addition, an integration of first-year project laboratory in in-service teacher training is also briefly presented.

  18. Hearing-Impaired Pupils in Mainstream Education in Finland: Teachers' Experiences of Inclusion and Support

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takala, Marjatta; Sume, Helena

    2018-01-01

    Today, in Finland, the majority of hearing-impaired pupils attend regular schools. This is in line with inclusive policy. This study aims to investigate do these pupils receive support from teachers, what kind of support is given and how is inclusion functioning. A questionnaire was used with 109 Finnish teachers, with both closed- and open-ended…

  19. Supporting teachers integrating web 2.0 in a Problem Based Learning approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buus, Lillian

    2010-01-01

    Based on theoretical and methodological considerations within problem-based learning (PBL), web 2.0 technologies and learning designs, the article try to illustrate a design model for supporting teachers in their learning design trying to integrate web 2.0 technologies into their PBL approach...... that a transition from curriculum-based teaching to PBL entails a movement from a teacher-centered approach to a learner-centered approach [4],[5]. This move can in many ways be compared to the conceptual move from web 1.0 to web 2.0 that by some is seen as a transition from ‘users/learners as consumers’ towards...... ‘users/learners as producers’ [6]. Consequently, it makes good sense to connect Web 2.0 with a problem-based approach to learning. Therefore it’s interesting to look upon a learning design model supporting teachers at AAU in their pedagogical design combining these two. The Collaborative E...

  20. Perceptions of Support, Induction, and Intentions by Secondary Science and Mathematics Teachers on Job Retention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bond, Sharon C.

    2012-01-01

    This study was designed to examine the teacher characteristics, workplace factors, and type of induction supports that contribute to the retention of secondary science and mathematics teachers. Using the sample of secondary science and mathematics teachers extracted from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) 2007-2008 Schools and…

  1. Identifying Attrition Risk Based on the First Year Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naylor, Ryan; Baik, Chi; Arkoudis, Sophia

    2018-01-01

    Using data collected from a recent national survey of Australian first-year students, this paper defines and validates four scales--belonging, feeling supported, intellectual engagement and workload stress--to measure the student experience of university. These scales provide insights into the university experience for both groups and individual…

  2. Teachers and student teachers co-creating

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Birgitte Lund; Nielsen, Ove; Weissschädel, Sine

    inquiring for their BA-Ed in the frames of the project. The second case is a 1-year project with staff from a school and four STs (4th year BA-Ed) searching for and trying out local solutions to support inclusion of socially vulnerable children. A research design with repeated interviews and open......-ended reflections in a questionnaire was applied. Data-analysis as thematic analysis. Findings across cases show the positive experience for both teachers and STs of developing personal-professional competence and agency, i.e. to support social inclusion. A major theme is the experience of relatedness across groups......, with respect and appreciation of each other. STs refer to meaningful learning focused on mastering, but also to challenges in relation to performing making a well-graded BA-project. Some autonomy in choosing an inquiry-focus for the BA seems important. The teachers refer in particular to the importance...

  3. Physics Teachers' Future Teaching Plans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Physics Teacher, 2012

    2012-01-01

    There are two sides of the physics teacher turnover equation: teachers leaving and teachers entering. This month we will focus on teachers' future teaching plans. As seen in the figure, about 5% of the 27,000 teachers who taught physics in U.S. high schools in 2008-09 were in their first year of teaching physics (but not necessarily their first…

  4. Three Years of the New Mexico Laptop Learning Initiative (NMLLI): Stumbling toward Innovation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rutledge, David; Duran, James; Carroll-Miranda, Joseph

    2007-01-01

    This article presents qualitative results of the first three years of the New Mexico Laptop Learning Initiative (NMLLI). Results suggest that teachers, students, and their communities support this initiative to improve student learning. Descriptive statistics were used during year two to further understand how the laptops were being used by…

  5. Supporting teachers and children in schools: the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Incredible Years teacher classroom management programme in primary school children: a cluster randomised controlled trial, with parallel economic and process evaluations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, Tamsin; Edwards, Vanessa; Sharkey, Siobhan; Ukoumunne, Obioha C; Byford, Sarah; Norwich, Brahm; Logan, Stuart

    2012-08-30

    Childhood antisocial behaviour has high immediate and long-term costs for society and the individual, particularly in relation to mental health and behaviours that jeopardise health. Managing challenging behaviour is a commonly reported source of stress and burn out among teachers, ultimately resulting in a substantial number leaving the profession. Interventions to improve parenting do not transfer easily to classroom-based problems and the most vulnerable parents may not be easily able to access them. Honing teachers' skills in proactive behaviour management and the promotion of socio-emotional regulation, therefore, has the potential to improve both child and teacher mental health and well-being and the advantage that it might potentially benefit all the children subsequently taught by any teacher that accesses the training. Cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the Incredible Years teacher classroom management (TCM) course with combined economic and process evaluations.One teacher of children aged 4-9 years, from 80 schools in the South West Peninsula will be randomised to attend the TCM (intervention arm) or to "teach as normal" (control arm). The primary outcome measure will be the total difficulties score from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) completed by the current class teachers prior to randomisation, and at 9, 18 and 30 months follow-up, supplemented by parent SDQs. Secondary measures include academic attainment (teacher report supplemented by direct measurement in a sub-sample), children's enjoyment of school, and teacher reports of their professional self-efficacy, and levels of burn out and stress, supplemented by structured observations of teachers classroom management skills in a subsample. Cost data for the economic evaluation will be based on parental reports of services accessed. Cost-effectiveness, using the SDQ as the measure of effect, will be examined over the period of the RCT and over the longer term using decision

  6. Student Perspectives on First Year Experience Initiatives Designed for Pre-Service Teachers in Their First Weeks of University Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larkin, Kevin; Rowan, Leonie; Garrick, Barbara; Beavis, Catherine

    2016-01-01

    Universities throughout Australia are increasingly investing significant amounts of time and money in efforts to improve the quality of first year students' experiences and, by extension, increase retention, performance and student satisfaction. This paper reports upon a pilot research project conducted at a Queensland university that investigates…

  7. Connecting Biology and Mathematics: First Prepare the Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Developing the connection between biology and mathematics is one of the most important ways to shift the paradigms of both established science disciplines. However, adding some mathematic content to biology or biology content to mathematics is not enough but must be accompanied by development of suitable pedagogical models. I propose a model of pedagogical mathematical biological content knowledge as a feasible starting point for connecting biology and mathematics in schools and universities. The process of connecting these disciplines should start as early as possible in the educational process, in order to produce prepared minds that will be able to combine both disciplines at graduate and postgraduate levels of study. Because teachers are a crucial factor in introducing innovations in education, the first step toward such a goal should be the education of prospective and practicing elementary and secondary school teachers. PMID:20810951

  8. Connecting biology and mathematics: first prepare the teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorgo, Andrej

    2010-01-01

    Developing the connection between biology and mathematics is one of the most important ways to shift the paradigms of both established science disciplines. However, adding some mathematic content to biology or biology content to mathematics is not enough but must be accompanied by development of suitable pedagogical models. I propose a model of pedagogical mathematical biological content knowledge as a feasible starting point for connecting biology and mathematics in schools and universities. The process of connecting these disciplines should start as early as possible in the educational process, in order to produce prepared minds that will be able to combine both disciplines at graduate and postgraduate levels of study. Because teachers are a crucial factor in introducing innovations in education, the first step toward such a goal should be the education of prospective and practicing elementary and secondary school teachers.

  9. Develop, Discuss, and Decide: How New Science Teachers Use Technologies to Advance Their Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis, Joshua Alexander

    For decades, there has been a nationwide demand to increase the number of science teachers in K-12 education (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983; National Research Council [NRC], 2007). This demand is in large part due to increases in state science graduation requirements. Teacher preparation programs have been preparing new science teachers on pace with the resulting increase in demand (Ingersoll & Merrill, 2010), however, shortages have continued as up to 50% of these new teachers leave the profession within their first five years of teaching (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004), creating a "revolving door" phenomenon as districts scramble to address this early attrition with yet more beginning teachers. We need to address what Ingersoll (2012) describes as the "greening" of the teaching force: the fact that an increasingly large segment of the teaching force is comprised of beginning teachers who are at a high risk of leaving the profession. The three related studies that comprise this dissertation focus on the role of technological interventions for in-service and pre-service science teachers. The context for the first two studies is TIN, an online induction program for beginning secondary science teachers. These two studies consider the impact of technological supports on the reflective practice of participating teachers. The design interventions included VideoANT (an online video annotation tool) and Teachers as Leaders roles (a structured response protocol) for the Venture/Vexation online forum activity. The context for the third study is T3-S, a university licensure course for pre-service science teachers designed to explore technology integration in secondary science classrooms. This study investigated the impact of pre-service teacher participation in the creation of an Adventure Learning (AL) environment (Doering, 2006) on their understanding of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) and its role in their future science

  10. First year Health Psychology students perception of responsibility as a value in their professors

    OpenAIRE

    José Antonio Pomares Alfonso; Ana María Molina Gómez

    2010-01-01

    Background: as teachers are able to express in their conduct and relationships with the students values such as responsibility, love for their country and profession, honesty and sense of justice, among others, they will enhance their preparation as a learning motive. Objective: to assess the perception of first year Health Psychology students on their professor’s responsibility value. Methods: a descriptive study conducted at the University of Medical Sciences of Cienfuegos in March, 2010 th...

  11. Can Schools Support HIV/AIDS-Affected Children? Exploring the 'Ethic of Care' amongst Rural Zimbabwean Teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Catherine; Andersen, Louise; Mutsikiwa, Alice; Madanhire, Claudius; Nyamukapa, Constance; Gregson, Simon

    2016-01-01

    How realistic is the international policy emphasis on schools 'substituting for families' of HIV/AIDS-affected children? We explore the ethic of care in Zimbabwean schools to highlight the poor fit between the western caring schools literature and daily realities of schools in different material and cultural contexts. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 44 teachers and 55 community members, analysed in light of a companion study of HIV/AIDS-affected pupils' own accounts of their care-related experiences. We conceptualise schools as spaces of engagement between groups with diverse needs and interests (teachers, pupils and surrounding community members), with attention to the pathways through which extreme adversity impacts on those institutional contexts and social identifications central to giving and receiving care. Whilst teachers were aware of how they might support children, they seldom put these ideas into action. Multiple factors undermined caring teacher-pupil relationships in wider contexts of poverty and political uncertainty: loss of morale from low salaries and falling professional status; the inability of teachers to solve HIV/AIDS-related problems in their own lives; the role of stigma in deterring HIV/AIDS-affected children from disclosing their situations to teachers; authoritarian teacher-learner relations and harsh punishments fuelling pupil fear of teachers; and lack of trust in the wider community. These factors undermined: teacher confidence in their skills and capacity to support affected pupils and motivation to help children with complex problems; solidarity and common purpose amongst teachers, and between teachers and affected children; and effective bridging alliances between schools and their surrounding communities-all hallmarks of HIV-competent communities. We caution against ambitious policy expansions of teachers' roles without recognition of the personal and social costs of emotional labour, and the need for significant

  12. Can Schools Support HIV/AIDS-Affected Children? Exploring the 'Ethic of Care' amongst Rural Zimbabwean Teachers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine Campbell

    Full Text Available How realistic is the international policy emphasis on schools 'substituting for families' of HIV/AIDS-affected children? We explore the ethic of care in Zimbabwean schools to highlight the poor fit between the western caring schools literature and daily realities of schools in different material and cultural contexts. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 44 teachers and 55 community members, analysed in light of a companion study of HIV/AIDS-affected pupils' own accounts of their care-related experiences. We conceptualise schools as spaces of engagement between groups with diverse needs and interests (teachers, pupils and surrounding community members, with attention to the pathways through which extreme adversity impacts on those institutional contexts and social identifications central to giving and receiving care. Whilst teachers were aware of how they might support children, they seldom put these ideas into action. Multiple factors undermined caring teacher-pupil relationships in wider contexts of poverty and political uncertainty: loss of morale from low salaries and falling professional status; the inability of teachers to solve HIV/AIDS-related problems in their own lives; the role of stigma in deterring HIV/AIDS-affected children from disclosing their situations to teachers; authoritarian teacher-learner relations and harsh punishments fuelling pupil fear of teachers; and lack of trust in the wider community. These factors undermined: teacher confidence in their skills and capacity to support affected pupils and motivation to help children with complex problems; solidarity and common purpose amongst teachers, and between teachers and affected children; and effective bridging alliances between schools and their surrounding communities-all hallmarks of HIV-competent communities. We caution against ambitious policy expansions of teachers' roles without recognition of the personal and social costs of emotional labour, and the need

  13. Effects of perceived support from mothers, fathers, and teachers on depressive symptoms during the transition to middle school.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rueger, Sandra Yu; Chen, Pan; Jenkins, Lyndsay N; Choe, Hyung Joon

    2014-04-01

    The transition to middle school can be a significant stressor for young adolescents, leading to increases in depression for those who are vulnerable. The current study examined how perceived support from mothers, fathers, and teachers independently and interactively predicted developmental patterns of depressive symptoms during adolescents' transition to middle school, and gender differences in these effects of social support. Four timepoints of data were collected from 1,163 participants (48.5 % boys) enrolled in an ethnically diverse suburban middle school in the Midwest between 1.25 and 20.50 months after these participants entered the 7th grade. The results from growth curve modeling indicated that levels of depressive symptoms decreased over time for boys but remained stable for girls during the developmental period examined. There is also evidence that support from mothers, fathers, and teachers independently and inversely predicted levels of depressive symptoms at the beginning of the 7th grade, and support from both mothers and fathers predicted changes in these symptoms. Effects of mothers' support and teachers' support, but not the effect of fathers' support, remained significant in reducing levels of depressive symptoms at 20.50 months from middle school entry. Furthermore, the protective effect of mothers' support was stronger for girls than for boys. Finally, mothers' support interacted with fathers' support and teachers' support to predict levels of depressive symptoms. Specifically, the protective effect of mothers' support was more salient when fathers' support was low, and vice versa. In contrast, support from mothers and teachers had an amplifying, synergistic effect.

  14. Does one size fit all? A study of beginning science and mathematics teacher induction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kralik, Jeffrey M.

    Over the past few years, many induction programs have been implemented across the country, primarily designed to limit the amount beginning teacher attrition. Few of these programs have focused on improving teacher quality or identifying the specific needs of individual teachers. Research suggests that beginning science and mathematics teachers have specific needs that are not being met by current induction models, possibly resulting in higher rates of attrition. Harry and Janet Knowles created the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) to identify and support young scientists and mathematicians as they dedicate their lives to teaching young people. Through financial, curricular, and emotional support, KSTF encourages new teachers to remain in teaching and become leaders in their schools and districts. This dissertation is a sequential explanatory study, which first establishes national estimates for beginning teacher attrition rates and the reasons for the migration based on subject area taught, with an emphasis on mathematics and science teachers. This study then evaluates the KSTF model through multiple methods---analysis of KSTF survey data and interviews with KSTF participants and stakeholders.

  15. Child-care chaos and teachers' responsiveness: The indirect associations through teachers' emotion regulation and coping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeon, Lieny; Hur, Eunhye; Buettner, Cynthia K

    2016-12-01

    Teachers in early child-care settings are key contributors to children's development. However, the role of teachers' emotional abilities (i.e., emotion regulation and coping skills) and the role of teacher-perceived environmental chaos in relation to their responsiveness to children are understudied. The current study explored the direct and indirect associations between teachers' perceptions of child-care chaos and their self-reported contingent reactions towards children's negative emotions and challenging social interactions via teachers' emotional regulation and coping strategies. The sample consisted of 1129 preschool-aged classroom teachers in day care and public pre-K programs across the US. We first found that child-care chaos was directly associated with teachers' non-supportive reactions after controlling for multiple program and teacher characteristics. In addition, teachers in more chaotic child-care settings had less reappraisal and coping skills, which in turn, was associated with lower levels of positive responsiveness to children. Teachers reporting a higher degree of chaos used more suppression strategies, which in turn, was associated with teachers' non-supportive reactions and fewer expressive encouragement reactions to children's emotions. Results of this exploratory study suggest that it is important to prepare teachers to handle chaotic environments with clear guidelines and rules. In order to encourage teachers' supportive responses to children, intervention programs are needed to address teachers' coping and emotion regulation strategies in early childhood education. Copyright © 2016 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Mediated Authentic Video: A Flexible Tool Supporting a Developmental Approach to Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stutchbury, Kris; Woodward, Clare

    2017-01-01

    YouTube now has more searches than Google, indicating that video is a motivating and, potentially, powerful learning tool. This paper investigates how we can embrace video to support improvements in teacher education. It will draw on innovative approaches to teacher education, developed by the Open University UK, in order to explore in more depth…

  17. Attitude of medical and dental first year students towards teaching methods in a medical college of northern India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Aditya; Bansal, Ramta; Singh, Kd; Kumar, Avnish

    2014-12-01

    Teaching in most Asian countries is still dominated by teacher-centered classrooms in which students passively receive information from the teacher. Studies have shown that students' inactivity in traditional teacher-centered classes makes them bored that consequently decrease their concentration and learning. To counter these problems active learning methods are being promoted to enhance their interest in studying. This present study was done to explore effective teaching system from a student's perspective. The aim of the study was to examine the attitude of medical and dental first year students towards teaching methods. The study was undertaken at on 150 Medical and Dental first year students. The study was conducted using general questionnaires along with feedback form to know their opinion about different teaching methodology. A 94.67% of the students were unsatisfied with traditional Lecture teaching. 89.33% favoured combination of traditional lectures and active learning techniques, 74.67% students find active learning methods to be interesting, 77.33% found them as attention seekers, 89.33% are motivated for in-depth study and 85.33% students are motivated for independents learning. 100% students agreed that active learning methods provide opportunities of student interaction while 86.67% students are happy with the teacher-student interaction it provides. Audio-visual aids are the most favoured (94.67%) and test questions are most criticized active teaching method. Our study disclosed that the majority of student's positively believe in using different active learning techniques for classroom activities.

  18. Work-Family Conflict among Female Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cinamon, R.G.; Rich, Y.

    2005-01-01

    Work-family conflict was investigated among 187 Israeli women teachers to better understand relationships between teachers' professional and family lives. The research examined perceived importance of work and family roles and effects of stress and support variables on W->F and F->W conflict. Additionally, effects of teachers' years of experience…

  19. Students' and teachers' cognitions about good teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beishuizen, J J; Hof, E; van Putten, C M; Bouwmeester, S; Asscher, J J

    2001-06-01

    Good teachers have been studied ever since Plato described how Socrates taught by asking questions of his audience. Recent findings shed light on two characteristics of good teachers: their personality and their ability. However, more attention has been paid to teachers' practices and opinions than to students' views. The study reported here attempted to deepen our understanding of what students think about good teachers. Students of four age groups (7, 10, 13, and 16 years of age) and teachers from primary and secondary schools were asked to write an essay on the good teacher. The correspondence between conceptual items in the essays was investigated by determining the extent to which they were used in the same essays to describe good teachers. Correspondence analysis revealed two dimensions. The first dimension reflected the preference of students and teachers for describing the good teacher in terms of either personality or ability characteristics. The second dimension was interpreted as an orientation in the essays towards either attachment to, detachment from or commitment to school and teachers. Students and teachers were compared to establish the amount of (dis)agreement about what makes a good teacher. Primary school students described good teachers primarily as competent instructors, focusing on transfer of knowledge and skills, whereas secondary school students emphasised relational aspects of good teachers. Teachers, however, considered good teachers in the first place a matter of establishing personal relationships with their students. Consequently, primary school students and teachers disagreed about the characteristics of good teachers. In secondary education, disagreements between teachers and students were relatively small. The research method of collecting free essays and utilising correspondence analysis to represent conceptual items and groups of participants seems promising as long as a theoretical framework is available to interpret the

  20. Does perceived teacher affective support matter for middle school students in mathematics classrooms?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakiz, Gonul; Pape, Stephen J; Hoy, Anita Woolfolk

    2012-04-01

    The purpose of the present study was to explore the importance of perceived teacher affective support in relation to sense of belonging, academic enjoyment, academic hopelessness, academic self-efficacy, and academic effort in middle school mathematics classrooms. A self-report survey was administered to 317 seventh- and eighth-grade students in 5 public middle schools. Structural equation modeling indicated significant associations between perceived teacher affective support and middle school students' motivational, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. The structural model explained a significant proportion of variance in students' sense of belonging (42%), academic enjoyment (43%), self-efficacy beliefs (43%), academic hopelessness (18%), and academic effort (32%) in mathematics classrooms. In addition to providing the basis for a concise new measure of perceived teacher affective support, these findings point to the importance of students' perceptions of the affective climate within learning environments for promoting academic enjoyment, academic self-efficacy, and academic effort in mathematics. Copyright © 2011 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. 1997 NASA/MSFC Summer Teacher Enrichment Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-01-01

    This is a report on the follow-up activities conducted for the 1997 NASA Summer Teacher Enrichment Program (STEP), which was held at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for the seventh consecutive year. The program was conducted as a six-week session with 17 sixth through twelfth grade math and science teachers from a six-state region (Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri). The program began on June 8, 1997, and ended on July 25, 1997. The long-term objectives of the program are to: increase the nation's scientific and technical talent pool with a special emphasis on underrepresented groups, improve the quality of pre-college math and science education, improve math and science literacy, and improve NASA's and pre-college education's understandings of each other's operating environments and needs. Short-term measurable objectives for the MSFC STEP are to: improve the teachers' content and pedagogy knowledge in science and/or mathematics, integrate applications from the teachers' STEP laboratory experiences into science and math curricula, increase the teachers' use of instructional technology, enhance the teachers' leadership skills by requiring them to present workshops and/or inservice programs for other teachers, require the support of the participating teacher(s) by the local school administration through a written commitment, and create networks and partnerships within the education community, both pre-college and college. The follow-up activities for the 1997 STEP included the following: academic-year questionnaire, site visits, academic-year workshop, verification of commitment of support, and additional NASA support.

  2. After the first five years: central Linux support at DESY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knut Woller; Thorsten Kleinwort; Peter Jung

    2001-01-01

    The authors will describe how Linux is embedded into DESY's unix computing, their support concept and policies, tools used and developed, and the challenges which they are facing now that the number of supported PCs is rapidly approaching one thousand

  3. Development and Evaluation of a Model-Supported Scientific Inquiry Training Program for Elementary Teachers in Indonesia

    OpenAIRE

    Chandra Ertikanto; Herpratiwi; Tina Yunarti; Post-graduate School of Mathematics Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, University of Lampung, Indonesia,

    2017-01-01

    A teacher training program, named Model-Supported Scientific Inquiry Training Program (MSSITP) has been successfully developed to improve the inquiry skills of Indonesian elementary teachers. The skills enhanced by MSSITP are defining problems, formulating hypotheses, planning and doing investigations, drawing conclusions, and communicating the results. This teacher training program was evaluated by 48 teachers selected by stratified random sampling technique from 48 element...

  4. Physics Teacher SOS: Supporting New Teachers without Pushing an Agenda

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baird, Dean

    2013-01-01

    Few workshops for teachers focus primarily on instruction methods for basic high school physics. In Northern California, Physics Teacher SOS (PTSOS) has gained popularity doing just that. PTSOS workshops are directed toward early-career science teachers, though veterans are welcome too. The program is not influenced by scientific supply companies,…

  5. The Skills, Competences, and Attitude toward Information and Communications Technology Recommender System: an online support program for teachers with personalized recommendations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Revilla Muñoz, Olga; Alpiste Penalba, Francisco; Fernández Sánchez, Joaquín

    2016-01-01

    Teachers deal with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) every day and they often have to solve problems by themselves. To help them in coping with this issue, an online support program has been created, where teachers can pose their problems on ICT and they can receive solutions from other teachers. A Recommender System has been defined and implemented into the support program to suggest to each teacher the most suitable solution based on her Skills, Competences, and Attitude toward ICT (SCAT-ICT). The support program has initially been populated with 70 problems from 86 teachers. 30 teachers grouped these problems into six categories with the card-sorting technique. Real solutions to these problems have been proposed by 25 trained teachers. Finally, 17 teachers evaluated the usability of the support program and the Recommender System, where results showed a high score on the standardized System Usability Scale.

  6. Facebook and the Final Practicum: The Impact of Online Peer Support in the Assistant Teacher Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paris, Lisa F.; Boston, Julie; Morris, Julia

    2015-01-01

    Australian pre-service teachers (PST) frequently report feeling isolated and vulnerable during the high stakes Assistant Teacher Program (ATP) final practicum. Mentoring and online learning communities have been shown to offer effective support during periods in which pre-service and beginning teachers feel challenged. As social media…

  7. Special Education Teacher Perception of Administrative Supports That Encourage, Decrease Burnout, and Reduce Attrition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beebe, Jay

    2017-01-01

    The field of special education is facing a shortage of teachers. A shortage of special education teachers is an example of a pressing issue within education. The problem is that teacher attrition rates are among the highest within special education. Many special education teachers are leaving the profession after a few years of teaching for varied…

  8. Supporting teachers and children in schools: the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the incredible years teacher classroom management programme in primary school children: a cluster randomised controlled trial, with parallel economic and process evaluations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ford Tamsin

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Childhood antisocial behaviour has high immediate and long-term costs for society and the individual, particularly in relation to mental health and behaviours that jeopardise health. Managing challenging behaviour is a commonly reported source of stress and burn out among teachers, ultimately resulting in a substantial number leaving the profession. Interventions to improve parenting do not transfer easily to classroom-based problems and the most vulnerable parents may not be easily able to access them. Honing teachers’ skills in proactive behaviour management and the promotion of socio-emotional regulation, therefore, has the potential to improve both child and teacher mental health and well-being and the advantage that it might potentially benefit all the children subsequently taught by any teacher that accesses the training. Methods/Design Cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT of the Incredible Years teacher classroom management (TCM course with combined economic and process evaluations. One teacher of children aged 4–9 years, from 80 schools in the South West Peninsula will be randomised to attend the TCM (intervention arm or to “teach as normal” (control arm. The primary outcome measure will be the total difficulties score from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ completed by the current class teachers prior to randomisation, and at 9, 18 and 30 months follow-up, supplemented by parent SDQs. Secondary measures include academic attainment (teacher report supplemented by direct measurement in a sub-sample, children’s enjoyment of school, and teacher reports of their professional self-efficacy, and levels of burn out and stress, supplemented by structured observations of teachers classroom management skills in a subsample. Cost data for the economic evaluation will be based on parental reports of services accessed. Cost-effectiveness, using the SDQ as the measure of effect, will be examined

  9. Organization of the Master Tutor in Higher Education: Methodological Support

    OpenAIRE

    Asya Suchanu

    2013-01-01

    It reveals the uniqueness tutor support preparation of future teachers in humanities within the magistracy, the ways and means of professional development tomorrow's specialists. Substantiates the importance and meaning of revealed teaching tutor help first-year students, which manifests itself in optimizing individual learning trajectories, leading to efficient fulfillment and positive socialization of students.

  10. BEGINNING TEACHERS IN THE LAST YEARS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: TRAINING NEEDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miriane Zanetti Giordan

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to present the training needs of beginning teachers in the 6th to 9th grade of elementary public schools in Joinville. The participants are beginning teachers (started to teaching between 2010 and 2013. It is a qualitative study that used semi-structured interviews as a tool for data collection. Studies from Romanowski (2007, 2012, Romanowski and Martins (2013, Marcelo Garcia (1999, 2009 and Marcelo Garcia and Vaillant (2013 contributed to support the reading and interpretation of the data. The results showed that teachers reported that continuing education should provide the exchange of ideas / experiences through dialogue with colleagues, and they requested more training promoting their professional development. Two issues due their professional needs were identified as priority to their work: orientation how to use the technology and how to deal with the inclusion of students with disabilities. Teachers reported the importance of two issues as well as teacher education failed to provide them the knowledge about that. Continuing education could be an opportunity to promote discussions related to these important issues.

  11. Coaching to Support Disciplinary Literacy Instruction: Navigating Complexity and Challenges for Sustained Teacher Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Domenico, Paula M.; Elish-Piper, Laurie; Manderino, Michael; L'Allier, Susan K.

    2018-01-01

    This study investigated how a high school literacy coach provided coaching to support teachers' understanding and implementation of disciplinary literacy instruction. With a focus on collaborations between the literacy coach and teachers in the disciplines of social studies, math, and English, this article presents three case studies that…

  12. Students' Ratings of Teacher Support and Academic and Social-Emotional Well-Being

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tennant, Jaclyn E.; Demaray, Michelle K.; Malecki, Christine K.; Terry, Melissa N.; Clary, Michael; Elzinga, Nathan

    2015-01-01

    Data on students' perceptions of teacher social support, academic functioning, and social-emotional functioning were collected from a sample of 796 7th and 8th grade middle school students using the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS; Malecki, Demaray, & Elliott, 2000), Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and school records, and…

  13. A chronicle of just-in-time information: The secret to building first year university student wellbeing and resilience based on a three year initiative.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donnalee Taylor

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available To date, little has been published on the provision of student-driven just-in-time information to support first year students. This chronicle of just-in-time curricular and extra-curricular student support information was designed early in 2014 and successfully disseminated to first year biomedical science students over three years at James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In 2016, the information was redeveloped to make the support information electronically available to a much broader student audience. This article provides a dissemination template of what just-in-time curricular and extra-curricular information is required by first year university students. In addition, it outlines how students’ need for this information was determined and how information was successfully created and disseminated over these three years to assist the students in their transition to and through university. The intention of this article is to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on student resilience and wellbeing and to provide a guide for anyone interested in supporting their students in a similar manner.

  14. A chronicle of just-in-time information: The secret to building first year university student wellbeing and resilience based on a three year initiative

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donnalee Taylor

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available To date, little has been published on the provision of student-driven just-in-time information to support first year students. This chronicle of just-in-time curricular and extra-curricular student support information was designed early in 2014 and successfully disseminated to first year biomedical science students over three years at James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In 2016, the information was redeveloped to make the support information electronically available to a much broader student audience. This article provides a dissemination template of what just-in-time curricular and extra-curricular information is required by first year university students. In addition, it outlines how students’ need for this information was determined and how information was successfully created and disseminated over these three years to assist the students in their transition to and through university. The intention of this article is to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on student resilience and wellbeing and to provide a guide for anyone interested in supporting their students in a similar manner.

  15. Early Career Teachers' Perceptions and Experiences of Leadership Development: Balancing Structure and Agency in Contrasting School Contexts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodhouse, Joan; Pedder, David

    2017-01-01

    Drawing on the findings of a three-year, longitudinal study investigating early career teachers' (ECTs) experiences and perceptions of leadership development in English secondary schools, this paper highlights, from the perspectives of ECTs, some of the factors that support and facilitate leadership development during the first few years of the…

  16. Factors Considered by Elementary Teachers When Developing and Modifying Mathematical Tasks to Support Children's Mathematical Thinking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fredenberg, Michael Duane

    The idea that problems and tasks play a pivotal role in a mathematics lesson has a long standing in mathematics education research. Recent calls for teaching reform appeal for training teachers to better understand how students learn mathematics and to employ students' mathematical thinking as the basis for pedagogy (CCSSM, 2010; NCTM, 2000; NRC 1999). The teaching practices of (a) developing a task for a mathematics lesson and, (b) modifying the task for students while enacting the lesson fit within the scope of supporting students' mathematical thinking. Surprisingly, an extensive search of the literature did not yield any research aimed to identify and refine the constituent parts of the aforementioned teaching practices in the manner called for by Grossman and xiii colleagues (2009). Consequently, my research addresses the two questions: (a) what factors do exemplary elementary teachers consider when developing a task for a mathematics lesson? (b) what factors do they consider when they modify a task for a student when enacting a lesson? I conducted a multiple case study involving three elementary teachers, each with extensive training in the area of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), as well as several years experience teaching mathematics following the principles of CGI (Carpenter et al., 1999). I recorded video of three mathematics lessons with each participant and after each lesson I conducted a semi-structured stimulated recall interview. A subsequent follow-up clinical interview was conducted soon thereafter to further explore the teacher's thoughts (Ginsberg, 1997). In addition, my methodology included interjecting myself at select times during a lesson to ask the teacher to explain her reasoning. Qualitative analysis led to a framework that identified four categories of influencing factors and seven categories of supporting objectives for the development of a task. Subsets of these factors and objectives emerged as particularly relevant when the

  17. Designed for Learning: A Case Study in Rethinking Teaching and Learning for a Large First Year Class

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldacre, Lisa; Bolt, Susan; Lambiris, Michael

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a case study in which the principles of scholarship were applied to designing an approach to learning suitable for large classes. While this case study describes an Australian first year Business Law unit, the findings presented in this paper would be relevant to a wide range of teachers faced with large enrollments in first…

  18. Mathematics Teachers' Support and Retention: Using Maslow's Hierarchy to Understand Teachers' Needs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Molly H.; Royster, David

    2016-01-01

    As part of a larger study, four mathematics teachers from diverse backgrounds and teaching situations report their ideas on teacher stress, mathematics teacher retention, and their feelings about the needs of mathematics teachers, as well as other information crucial to retaining quality teachers. The responses from the participants were used to…

  19. Music Teachers' Attitudes toward Transgender Students and Supportive School Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silveira, Jason M.; Goff, Sarah C.

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to measure music teachers' attitudes toward transgender individuals and toward school practices that support transgender students. Participants (N = 612) included men and women who teach a variety of music subjects in elementary, middle, and high schools, in urban, suburban, and rural areas. An online questionnaire…

  20. Stable Roles, Changed Skills: Teacher Candidate Responses to Instruction about Adolescent Psychosocial Support Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillippo, Kate; Blosser, Allison

    2017-01-01

    By virtue of their day-to-day contact with students, teachers are uniquely positioned to notice and respond to student psychosocial issues, both mental health problems and issues like peer harassment that can contribute to mental health problems. Yet, teachers' opportunities to learn about providing psychosocial support remain scattered. The…

  1. Impact of Teachers' Perceptions of Organizational Support, Management Openness and Personality Traits on Voice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cetin, Sahin

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this research is to study the impact of perceived organizational support and management openness and teacher personality traits on teacher voice. Voice is defined as the discretionary communication of ideas, suggestions or concerns about work-related issues with the intent to improve organizational functioning. Sample of the study…

  2. Investigating the role of educative curriculum materials in supporting teacher enactment of a field-based urban ecology investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houle, Meredith

    2008-10-01

    This multiple case study examined how three urban science teachers used curriculum materials designed educatively. Educative curriculum materials have been suggested as one way to support science teacher learning, particularly around new innovations and new pedagogies and to support teachers in evaluating and modifying materials to meet the needs of their students (Davis & Krajcik, 2005). While not a substitute for professional development, educative curriculum materials may provide an opportunity to support teachers' enactment and learning in the classroom context (Davis & Krajcik, 2005; Remillard, 2005; Schneider & Krajcik, 2002). However, little work has examined how science teachers interact with written curriculum materials to design classroom instruction. Grounded in sociocultural analysis, this study takes the theoretical stance that teachers and curriculum materials are engaged in a dynamic and participatory relationship from which the planned and enacted curriculum emerges (Remillard, 2005). Teaching is therefore a design activity where teachers rely on their personal resources and the curricular resources to construct and shape their students' learning experiences (Brown, 2002). Specifically this study examines how teacher beliefs influence their reading and use of curriculum and how educative features in the written curriculum inform teachers' pedagogical decisions. Data sources included classroom observation and video, teacher interviews, and classroom artifacts. To make sense how teachers' make curricular decisions, video were analyzed using Brown's (2002) Pedagogical Design for Enactment Framework. These coded units were examined in light of the teacher interviews, classroom notes and artifacts to examine how teachers' beliefs influenced these decisions. Data sources were then reexamined for evidence of teachers' use of specific educative features. My analyses revealed that teachers' beliefs about curriculum influenced the degree to which teachers

  3. The Teacher Shortage: Myth or Reality?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingersoll, Richard M.

    2003-01-01

    Schools and Staffing Survey and Teacher Followup Survey data on public school teachers from 1987-2000 show that 40-50% of beginning teachers leave after 5 years. Turnover is higher in high-poverty and urban schools. Almost half leave due to job dissatisfaction (low salaries, lack of support and input, discipline) or pursuit of better jobs/careers.…

  4. Supporting Geoscience Students at Two-Year Colleges: Career Preparation and Academic Success

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDaris, J. R.; Kirk, K. B.; Layou, K.; Macdonald, H.; Baer, E. M.; Blodgett, R. H.; Hodder, J.

    2013-12-01

    Two-year colleges play an important role in developing a competent and creative geoscience workforce, teaching science to pre-service K-12 teachers, producing earth-science literate citizens, and providing a foundation for broadening participation in the geosciences. The Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education in Two-Year Colleges (SAGE 2YC) project has developed web resources for geoscience faculty on the preparation and support of students in two-year colleges (2YCs). Online resources developed from two topical workshops and several national, regional, and local workshops around the country focus on two main categories: Career Preparation and Workforce Development, and Supporting Student Success in Geoscience at Two-year Colleges. The Career Preparation and Workforce Development resources were developed to help faculty make the case that careers in the geosciences provide a range of possibilities for students and to support preparation for the geoscience workforce and for transfer to four-year programs as geoscience majors. Many two-year college students are unaware of geoscience career opportunities and these materials help illuminate possible futures for them. Resources include an overview of what geoscientists do; profiles of possible careers along with the preparation necessary to qualify for them; geoscience employer perspectives about jobs and the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes they are looking for in their employees; employment trends in sectors of the economy that employ geoscience professionals; examples of geotechnician workforce programs (e.g. Advanced Technological Education Centers, environmental technology programs, marine technician programs); and career resources available from professional societies. The website also provides information to support student recruitment into the geosciences and facilitate student transfer to geoscience programs at four- year colleges and universities, including sections on advising support before

  5. Supporting metacognitive development in early science education: Exploring elementary teachers' beliefs and practices in metacognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braund, Heather Leigh-Anne

    Metacognition is the understanding and control of cognitive processes. Students with high levels of metacognition achieve greater academic success. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine elementary teachers' beliefs about metacognition and integration of metacognitive practices in science. Forty-four teachers were recruited through professional networks to complete a questionnaire containing open-ended questions (n = 44) and Likert-type items (n = 41). Five respondents were selected to complete semi-structured interviews informed by the questionnaire. The selected interview participants had a minimum of three years teaching experience and demonstrated a conceptual understanding of metacognition. Statistical tests (Pearson correlation, t-tests, and multiple regression) on quantitative data and thematic analysis of qualitative data indicated that teachers largely understood metacognition but had some gaps in their understanding. Participants' reported actions (teaching practices) and beliefs differed according to their years of experience but not gender. Hierarchical multiple regression demonstrated that the first block of gender and experience was not a significant predictor of teachers' metacognitive actions, although experience was a significant predictor by itself. Experience was not a significant predictor once teachers' beliefs were added. The majority of participants indicated that metacognition was indeed appropriate for elementary students. Participants consistently reiterated that students' metacognition developed with practice, but required explicit instruction. A lack of consensus remained around the domain specificity of metacognition. More specifically, the majority of questionnaire respondents indicated that metacognitive strategies could not be used across subject domains, whereas all interviewees indicated that they used strategies across subjects. Metacognition was integrated frequently into Ontario elementary classrooms; however

  6. Introducing Engineering in Elementary Education: A 5-Year Study of Teachers and Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diefes-Dux, Heidi A.

    2015-01-01

    Engineering, when integrated into K-12 education, may offer a number of potential student learning and future success benefits. In a 5-year study, four cohorts of elementary teachers of grades 2 to 4 in a single US school district were provided with teacher professional development with engineering education. Teachers were prepared to teach…

  7. Can Schools Support HIV/AIDS-Affected Children? Exploring the ‘Ethic of Care’ amongst Rural Zimbabwean Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Catherine; Andersen, Louise; Mutsikiwa, Alice; Madanhire, Claudius; Nyamukapa, Constance; Gregson, Simon

    2016-01-01

    How realistic is the international policy emphasis on schools ‘substituting for families’ of HIV/AIDS-affected children? We explore the ethic of care in Zimbabwean schools to highlight the poor fit between the western caring schools literature and daily realities of schools in different material and cultural contexts. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 44 teachers and 55 community members, analysed in light of a companion study of HIV/AIDS-affected pupils’ own accounts of their care-related experiences. We conceptualise schools as spaces of engagement between groups with diverse needs and interests (teachers, pupils and surrounding community members), with attention to the pathways through which extreme adversity impacts on those institutional contexts and social identifications central to giving and receiving care. Whilst teachers were aware of how they might support children, they seldom put these ideas into action. Multiple factors undermined caring teacher-pupil relationships in wider contexts of poverty and political uncertainty: loss of morale from low salaries and falling professional status; the inability of teachers to solve HIV/AIDS-related problems in their own lives; the role of stigma in deterring HIV/AIDS-affected children from disclosing their situations to teachers; authoritarian teacher-learner relations and harsh punishments fuelling pupil fear of teachers; and lack of trust in the wider community. These factors undermined: teacher confidence in their skills and capacity to support affected pupils and motivation to help children with complex problems; solidarity and common purpose amongst teachers, and between teachers and affected children; and effective bridging alliances between schools and their surrounding communities–all hallmarks of HIV-competent communities. We caution against ambitious policy expansions of teachers' roles without recognition of the personal and social costs of emotional labour, and the need for

  8. Teacher Professional Development through Digital Content Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Kui; Kim, Min Kyu; Cheng, Sheng-Lun; Luthy, Nicole C.

    2017-01-01

    In this study, researchers designed and implemented a 1-year professional development (PD) program that focused on supporting teachers in evaluating and selecting digital learning contents. Participants in this investigation included 109 teachers who consented to the study amongst a total of 171 teachers from five school districts across central…

  9. Evaluation of the Teacher Incentive Fund: Implementation and Impacts of Pay-for-Performance after Two Years

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiang, Hanley; Wellington, Alison; Hallgren, Kristin; Speroni, Cecilia; Herrmann, Mariesa; Glazerman, Steven; Constantine, Jill

    2016-01-01

    Recent efforts to attract and retain effective educators and to improve teaching practices have focused on reforming evaluation and compensation systems for teachers and principals. In 2006, Congress established the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), which provides grants to support performance-based compensation systems for teachers and principals in…

  10. The Influence of Need-Supportive Teacher Behavior on the Motivation of Students with Congenital Deafblindness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haakma, Ineke; Janssen, Marleen; Minnaert, Alexander

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: Research has indicated that need-supportive learning environments positively influence students' motivation. According to self-determination theory, a need-supportive learning environment is one in which teachers provide structure, autonomy support, and involvement, and thereby support their students' psychological needs for…

  11. Knowledge levels of pre-school teachers related with basic first-aid practices, Isparta sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sönmez, Yonca; Uskun, Ersin; Pehlivan, Azize

    2014-09-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of knowledge of pre-school teachers working in the province center of Isparta related with basic first-aid practices and some factors which affected these levels of knowledge. In this cross-sectional, analytic study, 110 pre-school teachers working in the province center of Isparta constituted the population. A questionnaire questioning sociodemographic properties and the level of knowledge related with first-aid practices was applied under supervision. The level of knowledge was evaluated on a 20-point scale. In the analyses, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearman's rank correlation were used. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee for Clinical Studies of Süleyman Demirel University School of Medicine (registration number: 105). The mean score of first-aid knowledge of the pre-school teachers was found to be 11.9±2.9. The least known issues included washing the wound by soap and water after a dog bite, information related with the necessity of immobilization of a child who has fallen from a high level and the phone number of National Poison Information Center (16.4%, 20.9% and 22.7%, respectively). The scores of the subjects whose knowledge of first-aid was evaluated to be well were higher compared to the subjects whose knowledge of first-aid was evaluated to be moderate (p=0.009) and poor (p=0.001). It was found that first-aid scores did not show significant difference in terms of age, working period, having received first-aid training and having faced with a condition requiring first-aid previously (p>0.05, for all comparisons). It was found that pre-school teachers had insufficient first-aid knowledge. Since the first-aid knowledge scores of the subjects who reported that they received first-aid training before did not show significant difference, it was thought that the quality of training was as important as receiving training.

  12. Similarity-based grouping to support teachers on collaborative activities in exploratory learning environments

    OpenAIRE

    Gutierrez-Santos, Sergio; Mavrikis, M.; Geraniou, E.; Poulovassilis, Alexandra

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes a computer-based tool that helps teachers group their students for collaborative activities in the classroom, the challenge being to organise groups of students based on their recent work so that their collaboration results in meaningful interactions. Students first work on an exploratory task individually, and then the computer suggests possible groupings of students to the teacher. The complexity of the tasks is such that teachers would require too long a time to create...

  13. Science Teacher Education in the Twenty-First Century: a Pedagogical Framework for Technology-Integrated Social Constructivism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barak, Miri

    2017-04-01

    Changes in our global world have shifted the skill demands from acquisition of structured knowledge to mastery of skills, often referred to as twenty-first century competencies. Given these changes, a sequential explanatory mixed methods study was undertaken to (a) examine predominant instructional methods and technologies used by teacher educators, (b) identify attributes for learning and teaching in the twenty-first century, and (c) develop a pedagogical framework for promoting meaningful usage of advanced technologies. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected via an online survey, personal interviews, and written reflections with science teacher educators and student teachers. Findings indicated that teacher educators do not provide sufficient models for the promotion of reform-based practice via web 2.0 environments, such as Wikis, blogs, social networks, or other cloud technologies. Findings also indicated four attributes for teaching and learning in the twenty-first century: (a) adapting to frequent changes and uncertain situations, (b) collaborating and communicating in decentralized environments, (c) generating data and managing information, and (d) releasing control by encouraging exploration. Guided by social constructivist paradigms and twenty-first century teaching attributes, this study suggests a pedagogical framework for fostering meaningful usage of advanced technologies in science teacher education courses.

  14. Putting Teachers First: Leading Change through Design--Initiating and Sustaining Effective Teaching of Mathematics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Proffitt-White, Rob

    2017-01-01

    The Teachers First initiative is a grass-roots cluster-model approach for bringing together primary and secondary teachers and school principals: to analyse student performance data; design and practice activities and assessment tools; and promote teaching practices that address students' learning difficulties in mathematics. The balance of both…

  15. Preschool Teachers' Financial Well-Being and Work Time Supports: Associations with Children's Emotional Expressions and Behaviors in Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Elizabeth K.; Johnson, Amy V.; Cassidy, Deborah J.; Wang, Yudan C.; Lower, Joanna K.; Kintner-Duffy, Victoria L.

    2016-01-01

    The current study examined associations among teachers' financial well-being, including teachers' wages and their perceptions of their ability to pay for basic expenses, and teachers' work time supports, including teachers' paid planning time, vacation days, and sick days, and children's positive emotional expressions and behaviors in preschool…

  16. Intervening to Improve Teachers' Need-Supportive Behaviour Using Self-Determination Theory: Its Effects on Teachers and on the Motivation of Students with Deafblindness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haakma, Ineke; Janssen, Marleen; Minnaert, Alexander

    2017-01-01

    Research on Self-Determination Theory has shown that teachers' need-supportive behaviour is associated with student motivation and engagement. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of an intervention aimed at increasing the motivation of students with congenital and acquired deafblindness by enhancing teachers' need-supportive…

  17. According to Candidate Teachers Views Classroom Management Problems of Teachers in Traditional and Technology-Supported Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tas, Said

    2017-01-01

    In this research, it is aimed to investigate classroom management problems of middle school 6th and 7th grade teachers in traditional and technology-supported classrooms and differences between them. For this purpose the opinions of the students in the 4th grade of Primary Education Department in Faculty of Education of Süleyman Demirel University…

  18. 'That blasted Facebook page': supporting trainee-teachers' professional learning through social media

    OpenAIRE

    Edwards, Martyn; Darwent, Dave; Irons, Charly

    2015-01-01

    The creation and use of a Facebook group amongst trainee-teachers in post-16 and further education on a PGCE course at a large university in the North of England was studied. The Facebook group was self-initiated and self-managed by the trainee-teachers as a means of socialisation and peer-support amongst themselves. Data was gathered through parallel interviews with a PGCE trainee and a course tutor. Interviews were semi-structured using Tuckman's stages of group development (forming, stormi...

  19. Relationship between Teacher Views on Levels of Organizational Support--Organizational Identification and Climate of Initiative

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nartgün, Senay Sezgin; Taskin, Sevgi

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to identify secondary school teachers' views on levels of organizational support, organizational identification and climate of initiative and to determine whether there were any significant differences between these views based on teachers' demographic characteristics and whether there were significant differences between…

  20. Transition in, Transition out: a sustainable model to engage first year students in learning. A Practice Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Chester

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Peer mentoring, presented as an inclusive teaching approach, embedded in the curriculum, has been successfully implemented to support first year student learning. Developing sustainable and scalable models for large first year cohorts, however, provides a challenge. The Transition in, Transition out model is a sustainable peer mentoring model supporting the transition of both first and final year students. The model has been implemented in two Australian psychology programs, one face-to-face and one delivered online. The focus in this Practice Report will be on the outcome data for on-campus first year student at one university. Participants were 231 first year students (166 females and 65 males. Results suggest positive changes in academic performance and learning approaches as well as positive endorsement of the model.

  1. A Grounded Theory of Behavior Management Strategy Selection, Implementation, and Perceived Effectiveness Reported by First-Year Elementary Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smart, Julie B.; Igo, L. Brent

    2010-01-01

    In this grounded theory study, 19 teachers were interviewed and then, in constant comparative fashion, the interview data were analyzed. The theoretical model that emerged from the data describes novice teachers' tendencies to select and implement differing strategies related to the severity of student behavior. When confronting mild student…

  2. Science Adjustment, Parental and Teacher Autonomy Support and the Cognitive Orientation of Science Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jungert, Tomas; Koestner, Richard

    2015-01-01

    Research has shown that autonomy support has positive effects on academic development, but no study has examined how systemising cognitive orientation is related to important outcomes for science students, and how it may interact with autonomy support. This prospective investigation considered how systemising and support from teachers and parents…

  3. Teachers' Opinion Survey on the Use of ICT Tools to Support Attendance-Based Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castro Sanchez, Jose Juan; Aleman, Elena Chirino

    2011-01-01

    The present paper reports on the results obtained from a teachers' opinion survey on the use of ICT tools to support of attendance-based teaching. In order to carry out this study, it was necessary to design a questionnaire to collect data among all in-service teachers with access to the university virtual campus. The findings show that…

  4. An Added Layer of Support: Introducing a Heterarchical Peer Mentoring Intervention to a Preservice Science Teacher Education Cohort

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neesemann, Lisa Ann

    2017-01-01

    In an effort to support preservice science teachers during their concurrent student teaching experiences and masters coursework, I created and implemented a Peer Mentoring Intervention to add an additional layer of support to those most traditionally curated. In this intervention, preservice secondary science teachers were paired into…

  5. Beyond Mentoring: A Review of Literature Detailing the Need for Additional and Alternative Forms of Support for Novice Music Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell-Robertson, Catherine G.

    2015-01-01

    Support for music teachers new to the profession is important and necessary. Some school districts use traditional mentor-mentee pairings as their primary support for novice music teachers; however, many factors in the professional lives of music teachers, such as traveling among multiple schools or a lack of subject-specific colleagues often…

  6. Mathematics-Literacy Checklists: A Pedagogical Innovation to Support Teachers as They Implement the Common Core

    Science.gov (United States)

    del Prado Hill, Pixita; Friedland, Ellen S.; McMillen, Susan

    2016-01-01

    This article presents two innovative tools--the Mathematics-Literacy Planning Framework and Mathematics-Literacy Implementation Checklist--which are designed to help instructional coaches and specialists support teachers to meet the challenges of the mathematics-literacy integration goals of the Common Core. Developed with teacher input, these…

  7. Professional Development for the Novice Teacher: One University's Initiative to Support the Alternatively Certified Educator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, Marclyn D.

    2011-01-01

    Many alternatively certified teachers, as was the case in this study, are employed as the teacher of record while simultaneously enrolled in education courses. Therefore, experiencing the collaborative, supportive, peer mentoring environmental elements that are present in many traditional "fieldwork" settings is not an option. By…

  8. Teacher Support and Engagement in Math and Science: Evidence from the High School Longitudinal Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Sean; Zhang, Yuan

    2016-01-01

    Supportive teacher-student relationships are associated with increased levels of engagement and higher levels of achievement. Yet, studies also show that higher achieving students typically receive the most encouragement. Moreover, many studies of teacher-student relationships pertain to elementary and middle school students; by the time students…

  9. Bonding Ideas About Inquiry: Exploring Knowledge and Practices of Metacognition in Beginning Secondary Science Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rivero Arias, Ana Margarita

    Metacognition, identified generally as "thinking about thinking", plays a fundamental role in science education. It enhances the understanding of science as a way to generate new knowledge using scientific concepts and practices. Moreover, metacognition supports the development of students' life-long problem solving, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. When teachers use metacognition with intention, it can promote students' agency and responsibility for their own learning. However, despite all of its benefits, metacognition is rarely seen in secondary science classrooms. Thus, it is important to understand what beginning teachers know and how they use metacognition during their first years in order to find ways to prepare and support them in incorporating metacognitive practices into their science teaching. The purpose of this multimethod study was to describe the metacognitive knowledge and experiences of beginning science teachers. For the quantitative research strand, I surveyed 36 secondary science teachers about their awareness of metacognition and used classroom observations coded from a larger research study to identify how often teachers were using metacognition to teach science. For the qualitative strand, I interviewed 15 participants about their knowledge and experiences of metacognition (including reflective practices) and spent two weeks observing two of the teachers who described exemplary metacognitive teaching practices. I found that participants had a solid awareness of metacognition, but considered the term complicated to enact, difficult for students, and less important to focus on during their first years of teaching than other elements such as content. Additionally, teaching experience seemed to have an effect on teachers' knowledge and experiences of metacognition. However, participants who were using metacognitive practices had recognized their importance since the beginning of their teaching. Reflective practices can help improve

  10. Puberty, Health and Sexual Education in Australian Regional Primary Schools: Year 5 and 6 Teacher Perceptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duffy, Bernadette; Fotinatos, Nina; Smith, Amanda; Burke, Jenene

    2013-01-01

    The research reported in this paper investigates why teachers in regional primary schools in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia, are choosing to outsource the teaching of sexuality education. A survey was conducted of 29 Year 5 and Year 6 teachers from local primary schools. The teachers provided information about: their confidence in…

  11. The Effects of an Autonomy-Supportive Teaching Intervention on Chinese Physics Students and their Teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Danhui; Bobis, Janette; Wu, Xiaolu; Cui, Yiran

    2018-04-01

    Increasing student exposure to autonomy-supportive teaching approaches has been linked to enhanced student intrinsic motivation to learn. However, such approaches are rare in mainland Chinese science classrooms. An intervention-based study with quasi-experimental design and mixed methods was conducted to explore the impact of a 9-month-long autonomy-supportive teaching intervention on a physics teacher and 147 grade 8 students attending a middle school in China. Data collected through questionnaires, interviews, and observations were analyzed to elicit and track shifts in teacher practices and students' perceptions of learning physics at pre-, post-, and follow-up intervention phases. General linear modeling confirmed significant changes in students' perceptions of their learning environment over time in terms autonomy, satisfaction of autonomy needs, and agentic engagement. Interview and observational data analyses confirmed increased use of autonomy-supportive teaching behaviors and provided further insights into teacher and students' perceptions of the impact on student learning.

  12. Teachers' Uses of the Target and First Languages in Second and Foreign Language Classrooms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turnball, Miles; Arnett, Katy

    2002-01-01

    Reviews recent theoretical and empirical literature regarding teachers' uses of the target (TL) and first languages (L1) in second and foreign language classrooms. Explores several issues related to teachers' use of the L1 and the TL in the classroom; exposure to TL input, student motivation, cognitive considerations, code switching, and…

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    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.

  14. Concerns of the Novice Physical Education Teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, Evelyn J.

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this case study was to examine novice physical education teachers in the first and second year of teaching. Participants included two novice physical education teachers, John in Year 1 and Mark in Year 2. Methodology included observations, semistructured interviews, and documents. Data were analyzed using open coding and constant…

  15. 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.

  16. THE ROLE OF MENTORING IN PROFESSIONAL SOCIALIZATION OF NOVICE TEACHERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Līga Paula

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Entering teaching profession is considered as the most determining stage in a teacher’s professional life. The aim of this research is to explore opinions of novice teachers in Latvia about the role of mentoring in their professional socialization. The following research questions were defined: (1 what difficulties novice teachers faced during their in-service experience? (2 what support novice teachers needed when they started teaching? (3 what the role of mentoring in teachers’ professional socialization is? Qualitative research design was developed for the research. Empirical data were obtained during the focus group discussion with ten teachers representing Council of young teachers (in age below 35 of the Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees, nine semi-structured interviews with novice teachers, and interview with a mentor. Novice teachers face teaching reality which often differs from perceptions about the profession developed during the studies at university. The research shows that teachers from the sample faced following challenges during their first years of in-service: establishing teacher’s authority and self-positioning as a teacher, time management, problems with discipline in a classroom, lack of skills to develop curriculum and lesson plans, difficulties in communication with parents. During socialization novice teachers learned their responsibilities and acquired specific knowledge; appropriate support such as mentoring reduced level of stress and uncertainty while novice teachers adapted to school during the period of transition from pre-service period to in-service period. In relation to mentoring, novice teachers expected that a mentor would introduce them to school traditions and internal rules and would advise on discipline in a classroom as well as would help to develop curriculum. Policy makers should focus on teachers’ support guidelines at national level, which would allow schools to ensure the

  17. The Importance of Teachers' Perceived Organizational Support to Job Satisfaction: What's Empowerment Got to Do with It?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogler, Ronit; Nir, Adam E.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The paper aims to investigate the mediating effect of teacher empowerment on the relationship between teachers' perception of their school support and their intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from a sample of 2,565 teachers affiliated with 153 Israeli elementary schools. A path…

  18. Does Well-Being Contribute to Performance? Emotional Security, Teacher Support and Learning Behaviour in Kindergarten

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koomen, Helma M. Y.; van Leeuwen, Mirella G. P.; van der Leij, Aryan

    2004-01-01

    In this study, we examined relations between kindergartner's emotional security, task involvement and achievement and teacher's supportive presence in a cognitive training setting, in which the familiarity of the teacher was varied. Participants were 48 kindergarten children (mean age = 51.65 months); 16 children were trained by their regular…

  19. Bonded Relationships: Supporting Pre-Service Teachers to Develop Confidence and Competency as Elementary Literacy Educators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ticknor, Anne Swenson; Cavendish, Leslie M.

    2015-01-01

    Relationships matter in learning and in particular they matter for pre-service teachers engaged in learning how to teach in Midwest University, USA. This article reports findings from an 18-month long study that investigated how relationships supported and constrained four elementary pre-service literacy teachers' professional identities as…

  20. The Influence of Group Training in the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program on Preschool Teachers' Classroom Management Strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlson, John S.; Tiret, Holly B.; Bender, Stacy L.; Benson, Laurie

    2011-01-01

    This study examined changes in preschool teachers' perceptions of classroom management strategies following group training in the recently revised Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program (C. Webster-Stratton, 2006). The authors used a pre/post follow-up design across 2 groups that each met for 8 sessions over an 8-10-week period for…

  1. Are the special educational needs of children in their first year in primary school in Ireland being identified: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curtin, Margaret; Baker, Denise; Staines, Anthony; Perry, Ivan J

    2014-02-19

    If the window of opportunity presented by the early years is missed, it becomes increasingly difficult to create a successful life-course. A biopsychosocial model of special educational need with an emphasis on participation and functioning moves the frame of reference from the clinic to the school and the focus from specific conditions to creating supportive environments cognisant of the needs of all children. However, evidence suggests that an emphasis on diagnosed conditions persists and that the needs of children who do not meet these criteria are not identified.The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a well-validated, teacher-completed population-level measure of five domains of child development. It is uniquely placed, at the interface between health and education, to explore the developmental status of children with additional challenges within a typically developing population. The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which the special educational needs of children in their first year of formal education have been identified. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Ireland in 2011. EDI (teacher completed) scores were calculated for 1344 children. Data were also collected on special needs and on children identified by the teacher as needing assessment. Mean developmental scores were compared using one-way ANOVA. Eighty-three children in the sample population (6.2%) had identified special educational needs. A further 132 children were judged by the teacher as needing assessment. Children with special needs had lower mean scores than typically developing children, in all five developmental domains. Children considered by the teacher as needing assessment also had lower scores, which were not significantly different from those of children with special needs. Speech, emotional or behavioural difficulties were the most commonly reported problems among children needing further assessment. There was also a social gradient among this group. A small

  2. An Exploration of Changes in Thinking in the Transition from Student Teacher to Newly Qualified Teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haggarty, Linda; Postlethwaite, Keith

    2012-01-01

    For newly qualified teachers (NQTs), the induction period of support is an important phase which has the potential to deepen learning that has already taken place in initial teacher education (ITE) as well as preparing the NQT for future learning. A particularly crucial time in the induction process is the first term of teaching, when NQTs are…

  3. Implementing Action Research and Professional Learning Communities in a Professional Development School Setting to Support Teacher Candidate Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanks, Joyce

    2016-01-01

    The paper reviews teacher candidates' use of action research and the Professional Learning Community (PLC) concept to support their work in their pre-student teaching field experience. In this research study, teacher candidates are involved in a professional development school relationship that uses action research and PLCs to support candidate…

  4. SKyTeach: Addressing the need for Science and Math Teachers in Kentucky

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonham, Scott

    2008-10-01

    The shortage of good science and math teachers is a chronic problem that threatens to undermine the future of our profession and economy. While our world is becoming increasingly dependent on technology, many high schools do not even offer physics, in part due to of the unavailability of a qualified teacher. The entire state of Kentucky typically produces 0-2 new physics teachers per year, compared to 200+ elementary teachers per year from WKU alone. The picture is not much better in math and other sciences. SKyTeach is a new program at WKU to address this great need and is part of a national effort to replicate the successful UTeach program. The University of Texas UTeach program graduates 70-90 new math and science teachers a year, in the process providing them with a strong preparation based on current research on how people learn science and math, experience teaching in real classrooms from the start, and strong mentoring and support. UTeach graduates stay in the classroom at rates above the national average, and some fairly quickly move into leadership positions within their schools. A key element is good collaboration between the college of science, that of education, local P-12 schools, and others. Last year thirteen universities across the nation were selected as part of an effort to replicate the UTeach program nation-wide. This effort is supported by the National Science and Math Initiative in a partnership with the UTeach Institute. Our first cohort of students has started this fall, and we have had many successes and challenges as we move forward.

  5. Banking Time in Head Start: Early Efficacy of an Intervention Designed to Promote Supportive Teacher-Child Relationships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Driscoll, Katherine C.; Pianta, Robert C.

    2010-01-01

    Research Findings: This exploratory study encompassed a collaboration to implement and evaluate the early efficacy of Banking Time, a dyadic intervention designed to promote supportive teacher-child relationships. Banking Time is a set of one-on-one meetings between a teacher and a child consisting of child-led play and teacher facilitation…

  6. Here to Stay: A Teacher's 46-Year Journey with Accountability in One School Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stefanski, Angela J.

    2016-01-01

    This narrative study explores accountability and care in the stories of an exceptional teacher, Marsha Ethridge, who taught more than 46 years in one low-socioeconomic community. While there has been an abundance of research related to teachers' stories of accountability conducted in the last 20 years, much of it reflects accountability imposed on…

  7. Retention of first aid and basic life support skills in undergraduate medical students

    OpenAIRE

    Pim A. de Ruijter; Heleen A. Biersteker; Jan Biert; Harry van Goor; Edward C. Tan

    2014-01-01

    Background: Undergraduate medical students follow a compulsory first aid (FA) and basic life support (BLS) course. Retention of BLS seems poor and only little information is provided on the retention of FA skills. This study aims at evaluating 1- and 2-year retention of FA and BLS training in undergraduate medical students.Methods: One hundred and twenty students were randomly selected from first year (n=349) medical students who successfully followed a compulsory FA and BLS course. From thes...

  8. A cognitive framework to inform the design of professional development supporting teachers' classroom assessment of inquiry-based science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matese, Gabrielle

    Inquiry-based science places new demands on teachers for assessing students' growth, both of deep conceptual understanding as well as developing inquiry skills. In addition, new ideas about classroom assessment, such as the importance of formative assessment, are gaining currency. While we have ideas about what classroom assessment consistent with inquiry-based pedagogy might look like, and why it is necessary, we have little understanding of what it takes to implement it. That teachers face a challenge in doing so is well-documented. Researchers have noted that teachers attempting changes in classroom assessment often bring with them incompatible beliefs, knowledge, and practices. However, noting general incompatibility is insufficient to support addressing these issues through professional development. In response to this need, I initiated a research project to identify and describe in more detail the categories of beliefs, knowledge and skills that play an important role in inquiry-based science assessment practices. I created an assessment framework outlining specific categories of beliefs, knowledge, and skills affecting particular classroom assessment practices. I then used the framework to examine teachers' classroom assessment practices and to create comparative cases between three middle-school science teachers, highlighting how the different cognitive factors affect four particular assessment practices. The comparative cases demonstrate the framework's utility for analyzing and explicating teacher assessment practices. As a tool for analyzing and understanding teacher practice, the framework supports the design of professional development. To demonstrate the value of the framework, I draw on the comparative cases to identify implications for the design of professional development to support teachers' classroom assessment of inquiry-based science. In this dissertation I provide a brief overview of the framework and its rationale, present an example of the

  9. A framework for high-school teacher support in Geosciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bookhagen, B.; Mair, A.; Schaller, G.; Koeberl, C.

    2012-04-01

    To attract future geoscientists in the classroom and share the passion for science, successful geoscience education needs to combine modern educational tools with applied science. Previous outreach efforts suggest that classroom-geoscience teaching tremendously benefits from structured, prepared lesson plans in combination with hands-on material. Building on our past experience, we have developed a classroom-teaching kit that implements interdisciplinary exercises and modern geoscientific application to attract high-school students. This "Mobile Phone Teaching Kit" analyzes the components of mobile phones, emphasizing the mineral compositions and geologic background of raw materials. Also, as geoscience is not an obligatory classroom topic in Austria, and university training for upcoming science teachers barely covers geoscience, teacher training is necessary to enhance understanding of the interdisciplinary geosciences in the classroom. During the past year, we have held teacher workshops to help implementing the topic in the classroom, and to provide professional training for non-geoscientists and demonstrate proper usage of the teaching kit. The material kit is designed for classroom teaching and comes with a lesson plan that covers background knowledge and provides worksheets and can easily be adapted to school curricula. The project was funded by kulturkontakt Austria; expenses covered 540 material kits, and we reached out to approximately 90 schools throughout Austria and held a workshop in each of the nine federal states in Austria. Teachers received the training, a set of the material kit, and the lesson plan free of charge. Feedback from teachers was highly appreciative. The request for further material kits is high and we plan to expand the project. Ultimately, we hope to enlighten teachers and students for the highly interdisciplinary variety of geosciences and a link to everyday life.

  10. An Investigation of First-Year Students' and Lecturers' Expectations of University Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefanie Hassel

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Transition from school to university can cause concern for many students. One issue is the gap between students' prior expectations and the realities of university life, which can cause significant distress, poor academic performance and increased drop-out rates if not managed effectively. Research has shown several similarities in the expectations of staff and students in regards to which factors determine academic success, but there is also evidence of dissonance. For example, staff consider independent study and critical evaluation as key factors, whereas students view feedback on drafts of work and support from staff as being most important. The aim of the current study was to determine what expectations students hold when starting university education, and what expectations university lecturers have of students entering university. Lecturers (n = 20 and first year students (n = 77 completed a series of questionnaires concerning their expectations of learning in HE (staff and students and their approach to teaching (staff. Results revealed that students have largely realistic expectations of university. For example, the majority expected to be in charge of their own study. Some unrealistic expectations were also evident, e.g., most expected that teaching would be the same at university as it had been at school. The expectation that lecturers would provide detailed notes varied as a function of student age. Lecturers reported modifying their expectations of students and adapting their teaching approach according to year of study. Information-transmission/teacher-focused style was more common when teaching 1st year students; a more concept-changing/student-focused approach tended to be used when teaching 2nd year students (and above. Lecturer's expectations of student engagement did not differ according to year. Less experienced lecturers reported more negative expectations of student engagement than did experienced lecturers. In line with

  11. An Investigation of First-Year Students' and Lecturers' Expectations of University Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassel, Stefanie; Ridout, Nathan

    2018-01-01

    Transition from school to university can cause concern for many students. One issue is the gap between students' prior expectations and the realities of university life, which can cause significant distress, poor academic performance and increased drop-out rates if not managed effectively. Research has shown several similarities in the expectations of staff and students in regards to which factors determine academic success, but there is also evidence of dissonance. For example, staff consider independent study and critical evaluation as key factors, whereas students view feedback on drafts of work and support from staff as being most important. The aim of the current study was to determine what expectations students hold when starting university education, and what expectations university lecturers have of students entering university. Lecturers (n = 20) and first year students (n = 77) completed a series of questionnaires concerning their expectations of learning in HE (staff and students) and their approach to teaching (staff). Results revealed that students have largely realistic expectations of university. For example, the majority expected to be in charge of their own study. Some unrealistic expectations were also evident, e.g., most expected that teaching would be the same at university as it had been at school. The expectation that lecturers would provide detailed notes varied as a function of student age. Lecturers reported modifying their expectations of students and adapting their teaching approach according to year of study. Information-transmission/teacher-focused style was more common when teaching 1st year students; a more concept-changing/student-focused approach tended to be used when teaching 2nd year students (and above). Lecturer's expectations of student engagement did not differ according to year. Less experienced lecturers reported more negative expectations of student engagement than did experienced lecturers. In line with previous work, we

  12. Stress Prevention and Mindfulness: A Psychoeducational and Support Group for Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reiser, Jenson E.; Murphy, Susan L.; McCarthy, Christopher J.

    2016-01-01

    A stress prevention and mindfulness (SPAM) group is described, which is a 6-week psychoeducational and support group for teachers. The group incorporated psychoeducation about stress and utilized elements of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The group was implemented in a public charter school in the Southwest. Preliminary evaluation…

  13. Teacher Identity and Numeracy: Evaluating a Conceptual Framework for Identity as a Teacher of Numeracy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennison, Anne

    2014-01-01

    If teachers are to adequately support development of their students' numeracy capabilities then they need to have an identity as a teacher of numeracy. A preliminary evaluation of a conceptual framework (Bennison & Goos, 2013) developed for use in a two-year study that seeks to understand this construct is presented. Initial findings about an…

  14. Improving First Aid Management of Epilepsy by Trainee Teachers of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka - Lagos, South West Nigeria--Can Health Education have an Effect?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eze, Christian N; Ebuehi, Olufunke M

    2013-01-01

    lt is estimated that epilepsy affects approximately 50 million people worldwide and about 40 million of them live in developing countries. Studies have indicated high rates of poor knowledge, negative attitude and poor first aid management skills of students with epilepsy among practicing teachers. However, there is paucity of such studies on trainee teachers to ascertain any similarities or differences (if any) and the effect of educational interventions. To determine the effect of a health education intervention on trainee teachers' knowledge, attitude and first aid management of epilepsy. The effect of a health education intervention in first aid management of epilepsy was assessed among 226 trainee teachers, attending the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka. This was done using a quasi-experimental study design. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 15. The respondents had a median age of 22 years with a range of 18 to 56 years. The majority of them were females (68.6%), single (79.2%), Christians (81.9%), Yoruba (70.4%) and in first year (100 level) of their study (69.9%). The highest proportion was from the Accounting department (46.0%). A consistent increase in responses to items on knowledge, attitude and first aid management of epileptic seizure items from baseline to post-intervention was observed. For instance, the proportion of responses that epileptic seizures originate from the brain significantly (p = 0.025) increased from 62.5% at baseline to 74.1% after intervention. Generally, slightly more than two-fifths (44.2%) and about two thirds (61.9%) of the respondents were observed to have poor knowledge and negative attitude to epilepsy respectively at baseline. Overall, giving health education on epilepsy led to a reduction in the proportion of respondents with poor knowledge by 15.5% (increase of good knowledge by 29.6%), decrease of negative attitude by 16.4% and increase of good first aid management skill by 25.0%. The knowledge

  15. Planning for What Kind of Teaching? Supporting Cooperating Teachers as Teachers of Planning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norman, Patricia J.

    2011-01-01

    Planning is a central task of teaching and a central focus in learning to teach. But what does planning entail, and how is planning best learned? What challenges do experienced teachers serving as school-based teacher educators face in becoming teachers of planning? What role can university teacher educators play in helping mentor teachers learn…

  16. How different are ICT-supported pedagogical practices from extensive and non-extensive ICT-using science teachers?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Voogt, Joke

    2009-01-01

    This paper aims to understand the differences between characteristics of ICT-supported pedagogical practices of grade 8 science teachers of extensive and non-extensive ICT-using science teachers. The differences of the pedagogical practices are described in terms of innovative and traditionally

  17. How Many Teachers Does It Take to Support a Student? Examining the Relationship between Teacher Support and Adverse Health Outcomes in High-Performing, Pressure-Cooker High Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conner, Jerusha O.; Miles, Sarah B.; Pope, Denise C.

    2014-01-01

    Although considerable research has demonstrated the importance of supportive teacher-student relationships to students' academic and nonacademic outcomes, few studies have explored these relationships in the context of high-performing high schools. Hierarchical linear modeling with a sample of 5,557 students from 14 different high-performing…

  18. Perceptions of first-year medical students towards learning anatomy using cadaveric specimens through peer teaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agius, Andee; Calleja, Neville; Camenzuli, Christian; Sultana, Roberta; Pullicino, Richard; Zammit, Christian; Calleja Agius, Jean; Pomara, Cristoforo

    2017-11-07

    During the last decade, global interest in the multiple benefits of formal peer teaching has increased. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of first-year medical students towards the use of peer teaching to learn anatomy using cadaveric specimens. A descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective survey was carried out. Data were collected using an online questionnaire which was administered to all medical students who were in their second year of their medical school curriculum and who had participated in sessions taught by their peers during their first year. Peer teaching was perceived as an effective method of learning anatomy by more than half of the participants. Analysis of mean responses revealed that the peer teachers created a positive, non-intimidating learning environment. Overall, participants gave positive feedback on their peer teachers. Six categories emerged from the responses given by participants as to why they would or would not recommend peer teaching. Ways of improvement as suggested by the respondents were also reported. Variables found to be significantly associated with the perceived benefits of the peer teaching program included sex differences, educational level and recommendations for peer teaching. This study brings to light the merits and demerits of peer teaching as viewed through the eyes of the peer learners. Peer teaching provides a sound platform for teaching and learning anatomy. Further discussions at higher levels are encouraged in order to explore the feasibility of introducing formal peer teaching in the medical curriculum. Anat Sci Educ. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

  19. DIGITAL NATIVE: A STUDY ON THE FIRST-YEAR STUDENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deny Efita Nur Rakhmawati

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The digital native generation emergent triggers the educational practitioner to develop a new way of approaching the teaching practice in the classroom. As it is claimed that this generation has a unique characteristics and way of learning. Therefore, this paper explore the experience of the first year student of English language and letters department in using technology. Students were asked about their access to, use of and preferences for a wide range of established and emerging technologies and technology based tools using a questioner developed to assess their level of digital nativity. The results show that many first year students are highly tech-savvy. However, each student’s experience on the use of technologies and tools (e.g. computers, mobile phones show considerable variation. The findings are analyzed using the Prensky’s theory on the ‘Digital Natives’ and the implications for using technology to support teaching and learning in higher education. The reported data indicate that for a range of emerging technologies were used intensively by the students. Furthermore, the majority of the respondents also claimed that they used the tools and technology to support their study. However, it is inconclusive as how the student integrate the tools and technology in their study.

  20. Shifting Perspectives and Practices: Teacher Candidates’ Experiences of a First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Infusion in Mainstream Teacher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa Marilyn Fern Blimkie

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available This exploratory case study shares teacher candidates’ perspectives and experiences of the First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Infusion at ABC University’s Faculty of Education field site in XYZ, Ontario. For this initiative, Aboriginal content and pedagogies were infused throughout placements and courses of the mainstream teacher education program. Teacher candidates shared that the Infusion prepared them to teach Aboriginal content in culturally respectful and meaningful ways by providing them with a foundation to build on and helping them to develop teaching practices inclusive of diverse ways of knowing and being in the world. These findings may be useful to other educators developing and implementing their own infusion initiatives.

  1. Teaching Place Value Concepts to First Grade Romanian Students: Teacher Knowledge and its Influence on Student Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanase, Madalina

    2011-01-01

    Researchers (Ball, 2003; Ma, 1999; Schulman, 1986) have long investigated how a teacher's subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge impact on students' learning of mathematics. In an attempt to account for the relationship between teacher knowledge and student learning, this study examined four Romanian first grade teachers' knowledge about…

  2. Addressing the challenges of a new digital technologies curriculum: MOOCs as a scalable solution for teacher professional development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebecca Vivian

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available England and Australia have introduced new learning areas, teaching computer science to children from the first year of school. This is a significant milestone that also raises a number of big challenges: the preparation of teachers and the development of resources at a national scale. Curriculum change is not easy for teachers, in any context, and to ensure teachers are supported, scaled solutions are required. One educational approach that has gained traction for delivering content to large-scale audiences are massively open online courses (MOOCs; however, little is known about what constitutes effective MOOC design, particularly within professional development contexts. To prepare teachers in Australia, we decided to ride the wave of MOOCs, developing a MOOC to deliver free computing content and pedagogy to teachers with the integration of social media to support knowledge exchange and resource building. The MOOC was designed to meet teacher needs, allowing for flexibility, ad-hoc interactions, support and the open sharing of resources. In this paper, we describe the process of developing our initiative, participant engagement and experiences, so that others encountering similar changes and reforms may learn from our experience.

  3. The roles of perceived teacher support, motivational climate, and psychological need satisfaction in students' physical education motivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cox, Anne; Williams, Lavon

    2008-04-01

    Research illustrates the positive roles of perceived competence, autonomy, and mastery climate and the negative role of performance climate in student motivation in physical education. Less research has examined perceptions of relationships within this setting (i.e., perceived teacher support and relatedness) and their role in student motivation. The purpose of this study was to test the mediating roles of perceived competence, autonomy, and relatedness in the relationship between social contextual factors and motivation in physical education students (N = 508). Results from structural equation modeling showed that perceived competence, autonomy, and relatedness partially mediated the relationship between perceived teacher support and self-determined motivation and that mastery climate related directly to self-determined motivation. The results highlight the importance of perceived teacher support, mastery climate, and relatedness to motivation in physical education.

  4. The Development of Teacher Perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabachnick, B. Robert; And Others

    Two-year longitudinal case studes were conducted of four teachers, beginning with the student teaching experience through the first year of teaching. The study explored ways in which teaching perspectives, evidenced at the end of student teaching, are strengthened or modified during the first year of teaching. It also sought to determine who and…

  5. Science teacher’s idea about environmental concepts in science learning as the first step of science teacher training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tapilouw, M. C.; Firman, H.; Redjeki, S.; Chandra, D. T.

    2018-05-01

    To refresh natural environmental concepts in science, science teacher have to attend a teacher training. In teacher training, all participant can have a good sharing and discussion with other science teacher. This study is the first step of science teacher training program held by education foundation in Bandung and attended by 20 science teacher from 18 Junior High School. The major aim of this study is gathering science teacher’s idea of environmental concepts. The core of questions used in this study are basic competencies linked with environmental concepts, environmental concepts that difficult to explain, the action to overcome difficulties and references in teaching environmental concepts. There are four major findings in this study. First finding, most environmental concepts are taught in 7th grade. Second finding, most difficult environmental concepts are found in 7th grade. Third finding, there are five actions to overcome difficulties. Fourth finding, science teacher use at least four references in mastering environmental concepts. After all, teacher training can be a solution to reduce difficulties in teaching environmental concepts.

  6. The Synergy of and Readiness for High-Impact Practices during the First Year of College

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Michele JoAnn; Schmidt, Lauren

    2017-01-01

    Students often participate in a myriad of academic support programs offered during the first year of college. This study is an investigation of the effects of participation in multiple high-impact educational practices on academic success outcomes (cumulative GPAs and persistence rates) among 2,028 first-year students. Results suggest that the…

  7. Emotional Support and Expectations from Parents, Teachers, and Peers Predict Adolescent Competence at School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wentzel, Kathryn R.; Russell, Shannon; Baker, Sandra

    2016-01-01

    We examined perceived emotional support and expectations from parents, teachers, and classmates in relation to Mexican American adolescents' (n = 398) social behavior and academic functioning. Results of regression analyses indicated that direct associations between emotional support and expectations differ as a function of source and domain;…

  8. "It's Almost a Mindset that Teachers Need to Change": First-Year Students' Need to Be Inducted into Time Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Meer, Jacques; Jansen, Ellen; Torenbeek, Marjolein

    2010-01-01

    This article discusses the findings related to a number of research projects investigating students' expectations and experiences of the first year in higher education. In particular, findings with regard to first-year students' expectations and challenges with issues of time management are reported. It was found that many students were realistic…

  9. Validity and reliability of the Malay version multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS-M) among teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Soo Cheng; Moy, Foong Ming; Hairi, Noran Naqiah

    2017-01-01

    The multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) was developed to measure perceived social support. It has been translated and culturally adapted among natives literate in the Malay language. However, its psychometric properties for teachers who are majority females and married have not been assessed. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among the public secondary school teachers in the central region of Peninsular Malaysia from May to July 2013. A total of 150 and 203 teachers were recruited to perform exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), respectively. Reliability testing was evaluated on 141 teachers via internal consistency and two-week interval test-retest. The 12-item three-factor structure of MSPSS-M was revised to 8-item two-factor structure. The revised MSPSS-M demonstrated excellent fit in CFA with adequate divergent and convergent validity and good factor loadings (0.80-0.90). The revised MSPSS-M also displayed good internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha of 0.91, 0.93 and 0.92 and good test-retest reliability with intraclass correlation of 0.89, 0.88 and 0.88 in the total scale, family and friends factors, respectively. The revised 8-item MSPSS-M is a reliable and valid tool for assessment of perceived social support among teachers.

  10. Pre-Service Post Graduate Teachers' First Time Experience with Constructivist Learning Environment (CLE) Using MOODLE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boopathiraj, C.; Chellamani, K.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study is to enlighten and discuss Post Graduate student teachers' first time experiences and their level of satisfaction with the use of Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) during their "Research Methods in Education" course offered online. This study investigated 30 pre-service Post Graduate student teachers' to…

  11. A Preliminary Evaluation of Reach: Training Early Childhood Teachers to Support Children's Social and Emotional Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conners-Burrow, Nicola A.; Patrick, Terese; Kyzer, Angela; McKelvey, Lorraine

    2017-01-01

    This paper describes the development, implementation and preliminary evaluation of the Reaching Educators and Children (REACH) program, a training and coaching intervention designed to increase the capacity of early childhood teachers to support children's social and emotional development. We evaluated REACH with 139 teachers of toddler and…

  12. The Role of Children's Adaptability in Classrooms Characterized by Low or High Teacher Emotional Support Consistency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brock, Laura L.; Curby, Timothy W.

    2016-01-01

    Teachers' social interactions with children are a salient aspect of the classroom environment. An emerging line of research suggests teachers' emotional support consistency is an important predictor of children's academic and social outcomes. Yet individual differences determine the contribution of classroom affordances to children's adjustment.…

  13. Elementary teachers' knowledge and practices in teaching science to English language learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santau, Alexandra O.

    Efforts to improve education---more concretely science education---by creating fundamental shifts in standards for students and teachers have been launched by educators and policy makers in recent years. The new standards for science instruction address improvements in student learning, program development, assessment, and professional development for teachers, with the goal to prepare US students for the academic demands of the 21st century. The study examined teachers' knowledge and practices in science instruction with English language learning (ELL) students. It also examined relationships among key domains of science instruction with ELL students, as well as profiles of teaching practices. The four domains included: (1) teachers' knowledge of science content, (2) teaching practices to promote scientific understanding, (3) teaching practices to promote scientific inquiry, and (4) teaching practices to support English language development during science instruction. The study was part of a larger 5-year research and development intervention aimed at promoting science and literacy achievement of ELL students in urban elementary schools. The study involved 32 third grade, 21 fourth grade, and 17 fifth grade teachers participating in the first-year implementation of the intervention. Based on teachers' questionnaire responses, classroom observation ratings, and post-observation interviews, results indicated that (1) teachers' knowledge and practices were within the bounds of the intervention, but short of reform-oriented practices and (2) relationships among the four domains existed, especially at grade 5. These findings can provide insights for professional development and future research, along with accountability policies.

  14. Innovatively Supporting Teachers' Implementation of School-Based Sex Education: Developing A Web-Based Coaching Intervention From Problem to Solution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schutte, Lisette; van den Borne, Marieke; Kok, Gerjo; Meijer, Suzanne; Mevissen, Fraukje Ef

    2016-07-12

    Full program implementation is crucial for effectiveness but is often overlooked or insufficiently considered during development of behavioral change interventions. For school-based health promotion programs, teachers are key players in program implementation, but teacher support in this phase is mostly limited to technical support and information. To ensure optimal implementation of the Dutch school-based sexual health program Long Live Love, a Web-based coaching website was developed to support teachers in completeness and fidelity of program implementation. The aim of this paper is to provide insight into the process of systematic development of a Web-based coaching intervention to support teachers in their implementation of a school-based sexual health program. The intervention mapping (IM) protocol was applied for the development of a theory- and evidence-based intervention. The IM process begins with (1) a needs assessment, followed by (2) the formulation of change objectives, (3) the selection of theory-based intervention methods and practical applications that take the parameters for effectiveness into consideration, (4) integration of practical applications into an organized program, (5) planning for adoption, implementation, and sustainability of the program, and finally, (6) generating an evaluation plan to measure program effectiveness. Teacher's implementation behavior was characterized by inconsistently selecting parts of the program and not delivering (all) lessons as intended by program developers. Teachers, however, did not perceive this behavior as problematic, revealing the discrepancy between teacher's actual and perceived need for support in delivering Long Live Love lessons with completeness and fidelity. Teachers did, however, acknowledge different difficulties they encountered which could potentially negatively influence the quality of implementation. With the IM protocol, this Web-based coaching intervention was developed based on a concept

  15. Quality of secondary preservice mathematics teacher education programs

    OpenAIRE

    Gómez, Pedro

    2005-01-01

    Characterizing the quality of teacher education programs and courses Supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology Working for three years Three universities working on secondary mathematics pre- service teacher education Almeria, Cantabria and Granada With a common model

  16. Care and support of orphaned and vulnerable children at school: helping teachers to respond

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lesley Wood

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available It is acknowledged that teacher training programmes around HIV in most of sub-Saharan Africa appear not to have been very effective in assisting teachers to respond to the demands placed on them by the pandemic. In response to the need identified by international development agencies, for research into teacher education and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, this study investigated teacher perceptions of the effectiveness of training programmes offered in a specific school district in South Africa to equip them to deal with issues arising from having orphans and vulnerable children in their classrooms. A qualitative research design was followed to purposively select teachers who had attended the departmental training to participate in focus groups to explore the phenomenon of teaching orphaned and vulnerable children. The findings that emerged from the thematic data analysis provided supporting evidence that current teacher education approaches in this regard are not perceived to be effective. The results are used to suggest guidelines for an alternative approach to the current forms of HIV and AIDS training for teachers that is more likely to be sustainable, culturally appropriate and suited to the context.

  17. Are Learning Assistants Better K-12 Science Teachers?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Kara E.; Webb, David C.; Otero, Valerie K.

    2010-10-01

    This study investigates how the undergraduate Learning Assistant (LA) experience affects teachers' first year of teaching. The LA Program provides interested science majors with the opportunity to explore teaching through weekly teaching responsibilities, an introduction to physics education research, and a learning community within the university. Some of these LAs are recruited to secondary science teacher certification programs. We hypothesized that the LA experience would enhance the teaching practices of the LAs who ultimately become teachers. To test this hypothesis, LAs were compared to a matched sample of teachers who completed the same teacher certification program as the LAs but did not have the LA "treatment." LAs and "non-LAs" were compared through interviews, classroom observations, artifact packages, and observations made with Reformed Teacher Observation Protocol (RTOP) collected within the first year of teaching. Some differences were found; these findings and their implications are discussed.

  18. Psychosocial Predictors of Adjustment among First Year College of Education Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salami, Samuel O.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of psychological and social factors to the prediction of adjustment to college. A total of 250 first year students from colleges of education in Kwara State, Nigeria, completed measures of self-esteem, emotional intelligence, stress, social support and adjustment. Regression analyses…

  19. 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.

  20. The Development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in First-Year Graduate Teaching Assistants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Judson, Thomas W.; Leingang, Matthew

    2016-01-01

    Our investigation is concerned with new teachers developing their ability to understand student thinking. We conducted individual interviews with graduate students teaching calculus for the first time, interviewing a representative sample of graduate students before and after their first teaching assignment. The interviews were transcribed and…

  1. Mindfulness and the Beginning Teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernay, Ross S.

    2014-01-01

    This article reviews a hermeneutic phenomenological study of five beginning teachers who were introduced to mindfulness during their initial teacher education programme. The participants kept fortnightly journals and engaged in three interviews with the researcher to assess the benefits of using mindfulness during the first year of teaching. The…

  2. Teachers Explore How to Support Young Children's Agency for Social Justice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackey, Glynne; de Vocht-van Alphen, Lia

    2016-01-01

    This study reports findings from an exploratory research project that contributed to an OMEP World Project on the importance of equality in being able to achieve a sustainable world and a healthy society. The teachers and researchers came together because of their interest in social justice to explore how they could support young children's sense…

  3. Antecedents of Norwegian Beginning Teachers' Turnover Intentions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiplic, Dijana; Brandmo, Christian; Elstad, Eyvind

    2015-01-01

    This study aims at exploring several individual, organizational, and contextual factors that may affect beginning teachers' turnover intentions during their first years of practice. The sample consists of 227 beginning teachers (69% female and 31% male) from 133 schools in Norway. The results show four important antecedents of beginning teachers'…

  4. First Grade Baseline Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Center for Innovation in Assessment (NJ1), 2013

    2013-01-01

    The First Grade Baseline Evaluation is an optional tool that can be used at the beginning of the school year to help teachers get to know the reading and language skills of each student. The evaluation is composed of seven screenings. Teachers may use the entire evaluation or choose to use those individual screenings that they find most beneficial…

  5. Formative evaluation of the STAR intervention: improving teachers' ability to provide psychosocial support for vulnerable individuals in the school community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferreira, Ronél; Ebersöhn, Liesel

    2011-04-01

    The article describes the pilot phase of a participatory reflection and action (PRA) study. The longitudinal investigation explores teachers' ability to provide psychosocial support within the context of HIV/AIDS following an asset-based intervention. The study ensued from our desire to understand and contribute to knowledge about the changed roles of teachers due to adversity in the community, specifically in relation to HIV/AIDS and education. The supportive teachers, assets and resilience (STAR) intervention was facilitated from November 2003 to October 2005 and consisted of the research team undertaking nine field visits and facilitating 20 intervention sessions (2-3 hours each), and 12 post-intervention research visits have been conducted to date. Ten female teachers were selected for participation through random purposeful sampling at a primary school in an informal settlement outside Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Data-generation included PRA activities, observation, informal interactive interviews, and focus group discussions. The data were analysed by means of inductive thematic analysis. We found that the teachers did not view vulnerability as being related to children or HIV/AIDS in isolation, but rather that their psychosocial support to children and the school community was inclusive across a spectrum of vulnerabilities and services. We argue that teachers who are inclined to provide such support will fulfil this role irrespective of understanding policy or receiving training. We contend that teachers are well-positioned to manage school-based psychosocial support in order to create relevant and caring spaces for vulnerable individuals in the school community.

  6. Gathering Requirements for Teacher Tools: Strategies for Empowering Teachers Through Co-Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matuk, Camillia; Gerard, Libby; Lim-Breitbart, Jonathan; Linn, Marcia

    2016-02-01

    Technology can enhance teachers' practice in multiple ways. It can help them better understand patterns in their students' thinking, manage class progress at individual and group levels, and obtain evidence to inform modifications to curriculum and instruction. Such technology is most effective when it is aligned with teachers' goals and expectations. Participatory methods, which involve teachers closely in the design process, are widely recommended for establishing accurate design requirements that address users' needs. By collaborating with researchers, teachers can contribute their professional expertise to shape the tools of their practice, and ultimately ensure their sustained use. However, there is little guidance available for maintaining effective teacher-researcher design partnerships. We describe four strategies for engaging teachers in designing tools intended to support and enhance their practice within a web-based science learning environment: discussing physical artifacts, reacting to scenarios, customizing prototypes, and writing user stories. Using design artifacts and documents of teachers' reflections, we illustrate how we applied these techniques over 5 years of annual professional development workshops, and examine their affordances for eliciting teachers' ideas. We reflect on how these approaches have helped inform technology refinements and innovations. We moreover discuss the further benefits these strategies have had in encouraging teachers to reflect on their own practice and on the roles of technology in supporting it; and in allowing researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between technology, teaching, and design.

  7. Psychobiological responses at the beginning and the end of an academic year in teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel A. Serrano

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Evidence shows that work stress increases risk of cardiovascular disease. Emotional, cardiovascular and endocrine responses are affected by day-to-day experience. Perceived stress, negative mood, heart rate (HR and blood pressure (BP increase in working periods. Cortisol (C response is not so clear, there being contradictory results. The main purpose is to study stress markers in two working days in teachers. Moreover, we evaluate the role of gender in stress markers in 49 school teachers. Perceived stress, mood, BP, HR, and C were measured at the beginning and at the end of an academic year. Results show that psychological and heart rate responses to a working day were different at the end of the year, increasing, especially in men. BP and C responses descended at the end of the year. In conclusion, an academic year could affect negatively to the emotional state and heart rate of teachers.

  8. First Steps Toward Exploring NITARP's Impacts on Teachers' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    French, Debbie; Slater, T. F.; Burrows, A. C.

    2013-06-01

    Few high school science teachers have had opportunities to engage in authentic scientific research. As a result, many may find it difficult to communicate to their students how science is done. Moreover, without relevant experience, teachers have few pathways to be able to successfully implement scientific research and inquiry into the classroom. In response, astronomers created the NASA-IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program - NITARP, originally funded by NASA as part of the Spitzer Space Telescope Public Engagement Program, and more recently as an NSF-sponsored Research Experience for Teachers program (NSF 0742222). This project partners teachers and their students with a mentor scientist to work on a unique research project using Spitzer Space Telescope data. The year-long project culminates by having teachers and students present their scientific methods and findings at a professional conference, such as the American Astronomical Society. To determine how teachers’ attitudes toward science and scientific inquiry changed after participating in NITARP, five NITARP alumni teachers completed open-ended survey and interview questions describing how their experience changed how they thought about astronomy and what happened in their classroom as a direct result of their NITARP experiences. Teachers reported increasing their astronomy content knowledge, implementing new skills and computer programs into their curriculum, incorporating the use of real data, and are implementing, or are planning to implement research in their classrooms. Teachers also stated they feel more comfortable speaking the language of science and communicating with scientists. They also felt more confident in teaching how science is done. The results of this exploratory study showing positive impacts motivate us to more deeply study the underlying mechanisms in this and similar programs best poised to improve science education.

  9. An Examination of US First-Year Teachers' Risk for Occupational Stress: Associations with Professional Preparation and Occupational Health

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitchett, Paul G.; McCarthy, Christopher J.; Lambert, Richard G.; Boyle, Lauren

    2018-01-01

    Previous research has demonstrated associations between teacher stress and occupational burnout, but few studies have attempted to operationalize a central tenet of most stress theories, namely that teachers' appraisals of their classroom demands vis-à-vis their classroom resources is a central driver of vulnerability to stress. The research is…

  10. Family, Teachers, and Peers: Keys for Supporting Victims of Bullying

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Jesús Cava

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the current study was to analyse the differences in psychological adjustment in victims of bullying as a function of the quality of their relationships with parents, teachers, and peers. More specifically, it was compared four psychological adjustment indicators (self-esteem, depressive mood, loneliness, and stress perception in victims with good or bad communication with his/her mother, good or bad communication with his/her father, high or low perception of teacher´s help, and high or low identification with their peer group. The initial sample was composed of 1795 adolescents aged from 11 to 18 years old (M = 14.2, SD = 1.68. Results indicated better psychological adjustment in victims with better relationships with their parents, teachers, and peers than in victims with worse quality relationships. These results are discussed, and their implications in the development of intervention programmes on school violence are pointed out.

  11. Parent and Teacher Autonomy-Support in Russian and U.S. Adolescents: Common Effects on Well-Being and Academic Motivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chirkov, Valery I.; Ryan, Richard M.

    2001-01-01

    Examined whether autonomy-support would have a positive effect on self-motivation and well-being. U.S. and Russian high school students completed measures of perceived parental and teacher autonomy-support, academic motivation, and well-being. Russian students perceived parents and teachers as more controlling than did U.S. students. In both…

  12. Systemic Inflammation during the First Postnatal Month and the Risk of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Characteristics among 10 year-old Children Born Extremely Preterm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allred, Elizabeth N; Dammann, Olaf; Fichorova, Raina N; Hooper, Stephen R; Hunter, Scott J; Joseph, Robert M; Kuban, Karl; Leviton, Alan; O'Shea, Thomas Michael; Scott, Megan N

    2017-09-01

    Although multiple sources link inflammation with attention difficulties, the only human study that evaluated the relationship between systemic inflammation and attention problems assessed attention at age 2 years. Parent and/or teacher completion of the Childhood Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) provided information about characteristics that screen for attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) among 793 10-year-old children born before the 28th week of gestation who had an IQ ≥ 70. The concentrations of 27 proteins in blood spots obtained during the first postnatal month were measured. 151 children with ADHD behaviors were identified by parent report, while 128 children were identified by teacher report. Top-quartile concentrations of IL-6R, TNF-α, IL-8, VEGF, VEFG-R1, and VEGF-R2 on multiple days were associated with increased risk of ADHD symptoms as assessed by a teacher. Some of this increased risk was modulated by top-quartile concentrations of IL-6R, RANTES, EPO, NT-4, BDNF, bFGF, IGF-1, PIGF, Ang-1, and Ang-2. Systemic inflammation during the first postnatal month among children born extremely preterm appears to increase the risk of teacher-identified ADHD characteristics, and high concentrations of proteins with neurotrophic properties appear capable of modulating this increased risk.

  13. Conceptions of a Good College Student, Parent-Student Communication About College, First-Year Grades, and College Retention Among First- and Non-First-Generation College Students

    OpenAIRE

    Palbusa, Julienne Marie Alipio

    2016-01-01

    This study examined conceptions of a good college student, parent-student communication about college, academic achievement, college student retention, and college generation status among first-year college students. 344 undergraduates described the characteristics and skills of a good college student. In addition, they reported the frequency, perceived helpfulness, and quality (instrumental and emotional support) of parent-student communication about college. Student GPA and second year rete...

  14. Using Educational Computer Games in the Classroom: Science Teachers' Experiences, Attitudes, Perceptions, Concerns, and Support Needs

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, Yun-Jo; Haynes, Linda; D'Alba, Adriana; Chumney, Frances

    2016-01-01

    Science teachers' experiences, attitudes, perceptions, concerns, and support needs related to the use of educational computer games were investigated in this study. Data were collected from an online survey, which was completed by 111 science teachers. The results showed that 73% of participants had used computer games in teaching. Participants…

  15. The Use of ePortfolios to Support Metacognitive Practice in a First-Year Writing Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowman, Jim; Lowe, Barbara J.; Sabourin, Katie; Sweet, Catherine Salomon

    2016-01-01

    Recognizing the importance of meaningful reflective writing as an integral component to the portfolios used in the first-year program (FYP), faculty questioned whether a newly developed electronic portfolio offered any pedagogical benefits over the existing traditional paper portfolio. Of particular interest for this work was whether the use of…

  16. Coaching Discourse: Supporting Teachers' Professional Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heineke, Sally F.

    2013-01-01

    Although coaching is used in many schools to facilitate teachers' professional learning, few studies look closely at coaching discourse. Exploring how coaching facilitates teachers' professional development, this study used tape-recorded coaching sessions and individual post-interviews to examine the one-on-one coaching interactions of 4…

  17. Empowering Teachers to Author Multimedia Learning Resources That Support Students' Critical Thinking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holley, Debbie; Boyle, Tom

    2012-01-01

    Students studying Marketing, Fashion, Public Relations, Advertising and similar subjects need to develop a "critical eye" in relation to images, media and digital technologies. This project aims to empower teachers to develop multimedia learning resources that would support students engaging in this essential activity. Developing such…

  18. In Peer Matters, Teachers Matter: Peer Group Influences on Students' Engagement Depend on Teacher Involvement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vollet, Justin W.; Kindermann, Thomas A.; Skinner, Ellen A.

    2017-01-01

    This study focused on the joint effects of teachers and peer groups as predictors of change in students' engagement during the first year of middle school, when the importance of peer relationships normatively increases and the quality of teacher-student relationships typically declines. To explore cumulative and contextualized joint effects, the…

  19. Why Do They Stay: Factors Influencing Teacher Retention in Rural Zimbabwe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clifford Gomba

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The attraction and retention of teachers in Zimbabwe is a problem not only unique to Zimbabwean schools, but all over the world. The problem is more pronounced in rural areas where resources are scarce, hence the tendency to repel teachers. Although the problem of teacher turnover is real, there are teachers who have remained in the profession for many years. The aim of the study is to find the factors that have influenced teachers to remain in teaching in rural Zimbabwe. Participants (n = 6 in the study were all practicing as teachers, having taught in the rural areas for at least ten years. Data was collected through interviews which were audio-taped and transcribed. The results from this basic interpretive qualitative study showed that teachers remained in the profession because of need to support their families, job security, unmarketable, support from colleagues and administration, and self-sacrifice leadership by principals.

  20. Supporting students' scientific explanations: A case study investigating the synergy focusing on a teacher's practices when providing instruction and using mobile devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delen, Ibrahim

    Engage students in constructing scientific practices is a critical component of science instruction. Therefore a number of researchers have developed software programs to help students and teachers in this hard task. The Zydeco group, designed a mobile application called Zydeco, which enables students to collect data inside and outside the classroom, and then use the data to create scientific explanations by using claim-evidence-reasoning framework. Previous technologies designed to support scientific explanations focused on how these programs improve students' scientific explanations, but these programs ignored how scientific explanation technologies can support teacher practices. Thus, to increase our knowledge how different scaffolds can work together, this study aimed to portray the synergy between a teacher's instructional practices (part 1) and using supports within a mobile devices (part 2) to support students in constructing explanations. Synergy can be thought of as generic and content-specific scaffolds working together to enable students to accomplish challenging tasks, such as creating explanations that they would not normally be able to do without the scaffolds working together. Providing instruction (part 1) focused on understanding how the teacher scaffolds students' initial understanding of the claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) framework. The second component of examining synergy (part 2: using mobile devices) investigated how this teacher used mobile devices to provide feedback when students created explanations. The synergy between providing instruction and using mobile devices was investigated by analyzing a middle school teacher's practices in two different units (plants and water quality). Next, this study focused on describing how the level of synergy influenced the quality of students' scientific explanations. Finally, I investigated the role of focused teaching intervention sessions to inform teacher in relation to students' performance. In