The effects of the design and development of a chemistry curriculum reform on teachers’ professional growth: a case study

A curriculum innovation requires new learning material for students and a preparation program for teachers, in which teacher learning is a key ingredient. In this paper we describe how three experienced teachers, involved in the development and subsequent classroom enactment of student learning material for context-based chemistry education, professionalized. For data collection a questionnaire, three interviews and discussion transcripts were used. Our results show that: (a) teachers, cooperating in a network under supervision of an expert, can develop innovative learning material; (b) the development of learning material can be seen as a powerful program to prepare teachers for an innovation; and (c) teachers’ knowledge increased in all five pedagogical content knowledge domains during the development and class enactment phases

Exploring the worth of online communities and e-mentoring programs for beginning teachers

[Abstract]: Education systems worldwide face challenges in retaining and developing beginning teachers against a widespread pattern of significant attrition. This study used interviews with beginning teachers, their mentors and other relevant staff members in the local system to investigate the potential of online communities and e-mentoring to address the problem. The findings support the hypothesis that online mentoring would effectively supplement induction procedures already in place. The initial topics or threads of discussion within the learning community should address issues identified in the study, such as behavior management, interactions and relationships with parents, and assessment and reporting. This will allay concerns by addressing issues seen as most relevant by beginning teachers

Aspects of attention that affect compliance and general behavior in disruptive and typical children

Currently, there is some controversy concerning whether praise affects compliance and behavior other than compliance (i.e., general behavior) in children with disruptive behaviors. It is unclear whether it is praise or other aspects of general attention, such as descriptions and enthusiasm, that influences children\u27s behavior. The current study examined the effects of enthusiastic praise, non-enthusiastic praise, and non-enthusiastic description on child compliance (measured by the Compliance Test) and general behavior (measured by the Marble-in-the-Hole Game) in 15 children with disruptive behavior problems and 15 typical children. Results indicated that the participants had significantly higher rates of compliance in the non-enthusiastic description condition than in the enthusiastic praise condition across groups. In addition, participants had significantly higher rates of general behavior in the enthusiastic praise condition than in the non-enthusiastic description condition across groups. Results are discussed with regard to the effectiveness of the different types of attention used in different situations

The Effect of Accurate/Inaccurate Teacher Instruction, High/Low Teacher Delivery, and on - /Off -Task Student Behavior on Musicians\u27 Evaluation of Teacher Effectiveness.

The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of accurate/inaccurate teacher instruction, high/low teacher delivery and on-/off-task student behavior on musicians\u27 evaluations of teaching effectiveness. An additional purpose of this study was to determine whether differences in the musicians\u27 evaluative responses of teacher effectiveness would occur due to differences in their experience level. Subjects (N = 168) were musicians and were grouped accordingly: (1) grades 6--8; (2) grades 9--12; (3) undergraduate; and (4) experienced teacher. The subjects viewed and evaluated a videotape of eight teaching segments for teacher effectiveness. The segments had been simulated by the investigator and seven upper-elementary music students in order to create the appearance of an elementary music classroom getting. Each segment had been executed by the students and teacher according to eight original scripted music lessons, each of which required the simulated class to act according to different combinations of the variables within the areas of accuracy of instruction, teacher delivery, and student behavior. Data were collected via an Effective Teaching Response Form, which required the subjects to rate each teaching segment for teacher effectiveness using a 10-point Likert scale and provide three comments as to why each rating was assigned for each segment. Results indicated significant differences due to experience level and teaching segments. Additionally, a significant interaction was found among the four groups across teaching segments. Further examination of the subjects\u27 group mean ratings and evaluative comments indicated that: (1) high and low teacher delivery affected the response ratings of the middle and high school students more than any other variables; (2) accuracy of instruction affected the response ratings of the experienced teachers more than any other group; (3) student attending behavior affected the response ratings of the middle school students more than any other group; (4) inaccurate instruction, low delivery, and off-task student behavior affected the response ratings of the undergraduates and experienced teachers more than did the variables of accurate instruction, high delivery, and on-task student behavior

Teacher education and career cycle: Educational level and pathways effects in Serbia and Greece

Given the importance of teachers' work and effectiveness, the authors have chosen to study how the teachers' education determines their vocational behavior in terms of enthusiasm and growing and career frustration in Serbia and Greece. They examined the significance of education level and education pathway in mutual interaction and in interaction with intrinsic motivation of career choice. The study used survey methodology. The questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 213 secondary school teachers. The results indicate that career characteristics do not differ with respect to the level of formal education and the authors conclude that transit to the world of work can be made after the bachelor level, when the bachelor program includes adequate pedagogical preparation. The effect of education pathway interaction with intrinsic motivation was significant in the sample of Greek teachers. Teachers, who had undergone more thorough preparation for teaching, have developed their job attitudes independently from their career choice motivations. The lesser significance of initial motivation for teaching is interpreted as a possibility to compensate for lower levels of motivation by developing teaching competences, i.e. facilitating self-efficacy through teacher training. No evidence of teacher preparation effects was found in the Serbian sample, indicating that teachers educated according to the old system pathways cannot be expected to achieve different job attitude

Does Your PR Course Syllabus Excite, Intrigue, and Motivate Students to Learn? Syllabus Designs and Student Impressions of the PR Course and the Course Instructor

The purpose of this study is to examine how a format of a syllabus influences student motivation and engagement in a public relations course and students’ impression of the course and course instructor. This study conducted focus group interviews and a lab experiment with undergraduate student at a large university in the Midwestern United States to examine how a format—design or length—of a PR course syllabus can affect student motivation, engagement, and impression of the course and course instructor. Results from the two focus group interviews were mixed, but students’ preferences were geared toward the long version of the visually appealing syllabus. Findings from the experimental study show no effect of syllabus design on student engagement. However, the visually appealing syllabus had an effect on student motivation, and its short version produced positive impressions of the course and course instructor

Teachers’ Intrinsic Orientation, Self-Efficacy, Background Characteristics, and Effective Teaching:A Multilevel Moderated Mediation Modeling

Teachers’ intrinsic orientation for the profession (TIOP) refers to a compound trait derived from the meaningfulness and positive affect teachers attribute to the profession. It can be validly measured by three conceptually correlated yet empirically separable factors of autonomous motivation, enthusiasm for teaching, and enthusiasm for the subject. Grounded in the previous findings of non-significant direct relationships between TIOP and effective teaching, the present study further tested the hypothesized indirect relationships between the two constructs. To better understand the underlying relational mechanisms, the potential mediating role of self-efficacy and the moderating effects of both teacher- and school-level background factors were addressed in single- and multi-level models. A total of 239 beginning teachers from 32 Dutch secondary schools responded to the questionnaires at the beginning of the first career year. Actual teaching behaviour was observed by means of classroom observations. The results of lower-level mediation analysis confirm the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between TIOP and activating teaching behaviour at career entry. The results of single- and cross-level moderated mediation analysis show that self-efficacy significantly mediates the links between TIOP and three specific teaching behaviour domains: providing safe and stimulating learning climate, classroom management, and clarity of instruction. These effects were respectively moderated by teachers’ qualification, age, and gender. The present study makes a unique contribution to understanding the importance of TIOP for beginning teachers’ well-being and effective teaching, providing insights for both teacher educators and mentors

University teacher judgments in problem-based learning: Their accuracy and reasoning

This study investigated the accuracy of 14 university teachers’ judgments. Early in the first year, university teachers ratedthe chance each university student intheir groupwould successfullycomplete theirfirst year as well as the entire bachelor’s program. Results showthat university teachers’ chance ratingswere predictive of actual academic success. However, they were more accurate in predicting success than failure. Moreover, results revealed that university teachers mostly built upon their observations of university students’ engagement andmotivation, instead of students’ cognitive ability in their judgments. Unsuccessful university students received relatively more negatively framed statements than successful students did

Emotional Dimorphism in Pedagogy: Assessing Gender Response to Active Methodologies

This study investigated the interplay between gender, emotions, and active methodologies in education. It was found that women had a higher average of affective responses before activities (2.874 compared to 2.607 in men). Subsequently, men experienced an increase in their affect average, while it remained stable for women. The analysis showed an increase in positive emotions such as "Interested" and "Excited" across both genders. The Wilcoxon tests indicated significant differences in specific emotions before and after the activities. The Mann-Whitney Test revealed significant gender differences in emotional responses. The hypothesis analysis demonstrated notable gender-based differences in affective changes, particularly more pronounced in women. This underscores the importance of considering gender-specific emotional differences in teaching. From a pedagogical perspective, the findings highlight the necessity of tailoring teaching to these emotional differences and emphasize the effectiveness of active methodologies and critical pedagogy in enhancing engagement and participation. Educator training in gender emotional differences is crucial, along with ongoing reflection on teaching practices to effectively meet students' emotional needs and prioritize their emotional well-being and mental health