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Paoletta, Toni Marie. "EXAMINING EFFECTIVE TEACHER PRACTICES IN HIGHER EDUCATION." Cleveland State University / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1588158069785567.
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Gikandi, Joyce Wangui. "Online Formative Assessment in Higher Education: Enhancing Continuing Teacher Education in E-Learning." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Literacies and Arts in Education, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/7477.
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Assessment is a key aspect within teaching and learning processes in higher education (Torrance, 2007). Formative assessment may be viewed simply as constructive feedback to support learning or more holistically as ongoing assessment based on sustained engagement in learning activities within a supportive social context that expand teachable moments to scaffold learning. Online education now pervades higher education worldwide but effective ways to incorporate formative assessment within online settings is not well understood. Previous research in online postgraduate courses designed for teachers as professional learners illustrate that engagement with authentic learning activities promotes meaningful learning and transferability to their communities of practice (COP) (e.g. Mackey, 2011). However, there appears to be paucity of literature with a focus on assessment in professional learning.
This thesis explores formative assessment within online postgraduate courses designed for teachers as professional learners who aim to develop capacity to incorporate information communication technologies (ICT) in their own practice. Case studies are presented to richly illustrate the design, implementation and evaluation of the effectiveness of two courses; and then further re-examined to elucidate strategies and key characteristics that can foster (or hinder) online formative assessment. Authentic and developmental learning perspectives underpinned by situated cognition theory framed the design and interpretation within a multiple-case methodology. Evidence of experiences and perceptions of the teachers and their professional students included online observation, analysis of the discourse, and semi-structured interviews.
An authentic learning environment that sustained productive engagement is illustrated in both case studies along with many techniques that the teachers designed to underpin formative assessment. A key characteristic in both courses was the design of authentic assessment activities that are relevant and meaningful in real-life contexts. Techniques identified included appropriate learner autonomy, and opportunities to negotiate shared understanding of learning goals and expected outcomes including the sharing of student-created artefacts. The online reification of the artefacts and other learning community support was enabled by the ongoing documentation through creative use of online discussion forums as a feature within the learning management system (LMS). These techniques enriched the processes of ongoing monitoring, assessment of evidence of learning and interactive formative feedback. Both teachers’ beliefs about self and peer feedback also enabled both teachers to design for productive synergies between formative and summative assessment that promoted engagement and deep learning. Additional synergies of discourse among peers related to immediacy, interactivity, and mutuality in which the students recognized themselves and valued their peers as source of constructive feedback. The students also demonstrated meaningful reflectivity that manifested reflexivity within the context of their professional practices.
Online formative assessment is illustrated in both courses as a form of collaborative engagement in authentic learning, including assessment activities with opportunities for ongoing interactions and formative feedback. The open-ended authentic assessment activities supported professional learners to connect the online discourse to their own classroom practices, as well as keenly engage with authentic projects that are situated in their schools. Learner autonomy stimulated self-regulated learning in which students went beyond achievement of the expected learning outcomes for summative assessment to engaging with tasks and processes that matched their own learning goals, interests and contextual needs. Learners’ involvement within formative assessment processes enhanced opportunities to negotiate meanings which fostered shared authenticity.The inherent authenticity in the course design also stimulated application of prior knowledge and experiences in ways that promoted meaningful learning. Engagement in asynchronous dialogue as a community of learners with shared goals and practice elicited alterative perspectives and disorienting dilemmas. This stimulated learners to think in new ways and more critically and to develop relevant professional competencies in ICT. These in turn supported teachers as professional learners to confidently apply their developing pedagogical practices with ICT in their own classrooms; and to share those with school colleagues.
This study illustrates ways that online formative assessment can be designed to support learners to develop relevant knowledge and professional skills that increase professional competencies. Incorporating authentic formative assessment in the course design also impacted teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD), and thus their schools. A key finding from this research is conceptualization of formative assessment as a collaborative pedagogical strategy in which both the teacher and students are active players. This research provides evidence that innovative integration of formative assessment in online settings can support committed professional learners to develop competencies that are transferable into their own practice. This suggests that ongoing formative assessment is an important strategy to increase the quality of online professional development in many fields, in addition to that of education.
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Shippey, Theodore Clive. "Standards and quality in higher education." Thesis, Cape Technikon, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1987.
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Thesis (Laureatus in Technology (Teacher Education)) -- Cape Technikon, Cape Town,1994<br>The main hypothesis underlying this study has been formulated on the basis of an identified need in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) for a means of ensuring and preserving acceptable standards (by international norms) and quality in higher education. It has been assumed that this need may partially be met by the adaptation of selected overseas systems of quality control and systems of evaluation and accreditation of standards. The emphasis throughout is on intelligent, selective adaptation of successful attempts at controlling and managing standards and quality in higher education. One of the primary reasons for the establishment of a model for the preservation and enhancement of standards in higher education in the RSA, becomes clear when one identifies the emergence of a growing number of aspirant students. Many of those students attended schools where neither the tuition nor the facilities provided a suitable foundation for further studies at an advanced level. A further need for such a model is related to great pressures to lower standards which are being exerted by political and social groups and the prevailing views amongst many educators that a decrease in standards is inevitable. The hypotheses that will be tested include the assumption that a lowering of standards will seriously affect industry, commerce, and the whole social fabric and ultimately the credibility of South Africa's higher educational institutions and the acceptability of their graduates. This study is therefore aimed primarily at focusing attention on the need for an awareness amongst the higher educational community, and other communities, of the implications of vastly increased enrolments of under-prepared students.
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Witmer, Miriam Marguerita Gomez. "Ethnically diverse education students' perceptions of mentoring| Implications for career aspirations and college success." Thesis, Temple University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3623319.
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<p> Recruitment and retention of ethnically diverse students in college education preparation programs remains a difficult challenge for many colleges and universities across the United States. Low numbers of education majors yield low numbers of ethnically diverse teachers in the teaching workforce. According to 2010 data from the National Center of Education Statistics, African American students comprise about 16% of our public school students nationwide, but African American teachers only represent about 8% of the teaching workforce. While Asian students comprise 4.6% of the total public school population, only 1% of the teachers in American public schools are Asian (National Center of Education Statistics, 2010). Additionally, Latinos are expected to make up a third of the total U.S. school-age population (ages 3–17) by the year 2036, while Latino teachers represent only 14% of the teacher workforce (NCES, 2012). </p><p> Although college going rates for ethnically diverse students are increasing, many of those students are not choosing education as a major. Researchers have studied the perceptions ethnically diverse students have about teaching and have identified numerous barriers, such as: limited educational opportunities, more lucrative career options and standardized testing requirements (Madkins, 2011). Furthermore, Gordon's (1994) research points to not graduating from high school, negative experiences in school, lack of respect, teachers not being prepared for diversity, lack of support for college, lack of academic encouragement, racelessness, absence of role models of color, low status of the profession, too much education for the return, low pay, negative image, poor school conditions, having more opportunities elsewhere, and racism as contributing factors affecting students' decisions not to pursue a career in education. Graham and Erwin (2011) who studied African American boys discovered three themes: negative perceptions of teachers and teaching, perceptions of schools as oppressive institutions, and African American men are nonconformists. While these are all significant potential barriers to ethnically diverse students choosing careers in education, those ethnically diverse students who do choose to pursue teaching may be able to shed some light on the issue. Since much of the research focuses on the barriers and limitations ethnically diverse students face in our society, part of the purpose of this research is to highlight what is working for ethnically diverse students who are pursuing a career in education. </p><p> The purpose of this dissertation is to describe the factors that contribute to an ethnically diverse education major's career aspiration and college success. Since the disparity problem is multifaceted, I addressed historical, personal and social aspects that may impact the overall phenomenon, including: desegregation of teachers of color, students' experiences within the context of secondary schools, issues surrounding institutional racism, students' perceptions of teachers and teaching, college readiness, college recruitment and retention of teacher candidates, mentoring, personal motivations and identity development. </p><p> I endeavored to capture the rich stories of ethnically diverse college students' journeys to becoming a teacher and to understand what impact mentoring may have had on their career aspirations and college success. Results from this study can inform students, schools, and colleges and universities about the barriers and support systems that successful education majors of color report affect them. Since the primary focus is on the perceived effect of mentoring, the results may also provide insights regarding the retention of ethnically diverse students once they enroll in college.</p>
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Johnson, Amy F. "Preparing for changes in teacher preparation program accountability| Evaluating the factors that influence job placement of teacher preparation program graduates." Thesis, University of Southern Maine, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3740382.
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<p> Teacher preparation programs are facing increased pressure to report on the outcomes of their graduates, including their job placement rates. Prior research on job placement for teachers establishes that a variety of factors are related to whether or not individuals apply for and receive jobs. This research study explored these factors through quantitative analysis of three cohorts of teacher preparation program completers within the institutions of the University of Maine system, using logistic regression to identify the individual and contextual characteristics that are most predictive of job application and hiring.</p><p> Of the factors studied, the most influential factors in job placement in public schools in the state were (1) in-state residency status, (2) preparation in a teacher shortage area, (3) completion of a post-baccalaureate preparation pathway, (4) receipt of financial assistance that requires completion of future teaching service, (5) institution attended, (6) GPA relative to other graduates, (7) year of graduation, and (8) age at the time of completing the program. However, these combined variables provide less than 20% of the potential predictability in job placement outcomes. This suggests that additional work is needed to identify the factors influencing beginning teacher placement. Job placement rates for preparation programs should be interpreted with caution, as at least some of the related factors are not within the control of preparation programs (e.g. year of graduation). Furthermore, the use of job placement rates to make high-stakes decisions may provide incentives to programs to implement policies that may not be ethical (such as preferential admission of younger applicants) or that may not be advisable for other reasons.</p>
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Mumpower, Lee F. "College Teaching in Four States: An Examination of Teaching Methods Received and Needed by New College Teachers." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 1993. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2953.
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The purpose of the study was to examine what teaching methods new college teachers received and which ones they believed were important. New college faculty were asked questions on teaching methods to determine which, if any, were made available to them before they entered college teaching. The research questions under study were: (1) What type(s) of methodological preparation do/does higher education faculty receive? (2) What methodological preparation would be beneficial to new higher education faculty? (3) How do new higher education faculty learn methodological preparation? (4) What strategies could be developed to assist new higher education faculty in the development of instructional skills? (5) Are there differences between faculty who teach at institutions classified according to the Carnegie Classifications (1987) regarding the importance of methodological preparation and the amount of training received? The conclusions of the study were that new faculty were not prepared for the overall duties of the career as college teacher, except for being knowledgeable in their subject area. New college faculty also indicated a large difference between what they should know prior to beginning their college teaching and what they actually know. There were differences between faculty at two year colleges and at four year colleges, both in what was perceived as important to know and in the amount of training received. The recommendations of the study were that training programs for new college faculty should prepare these faculty in more than content; that as more non-traditional students return to college, faculty need to know more about how adults learn, different student learning styles, and how to increase student motivation; colleges should include training mechanisms for new faculty, such as how to teach, developing mentoring relationships, or creating internships; and orientation programs should be set up for newly hired faculty.
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Erickson, Deborah Elaine. "Teacher induction: A case study of the Lodi New Teacher Project." Scholarly Commons, 1996. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2771.
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The purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive case study of the implementation of a school-based new teacher support program and its relationship to the existing culture and norms at the individual school sites. The study also investigated significant factors characteristic to new teacher support programs and their interactions, and the study analyzed a program as it evolved over a four-year period within the Lodi Unified School District. There were eighty-four subjects, of whom forty-nine responded to a survey. Eleven subjects from three school sites were interviewed in-depth following the survey. The survey consisted of questions about the subjects' educational and project background, their involvement with reflective practice, school culture, support for new teachers, and job difficulty, and the survey included a series of open-ended questions. The semi-structured interviews asked respondents to respond to difficulties faced as a new teacher and changes that occurred at the site because of the New Teacher Project. Research questions asked if the Lodi New Teacher Project provided effective support for new teachers; the program's effect on traditional school culture; the role of the administrator in changing site culture; elements that support new teachers; and if site-based programs help retain professionals in the field. Findings from the surveys, interviews, archival records, and observations showed that site-based induction practices promoted extremely positive relationships with colleagues, administrators, and district-office personnel. In addition, the activities supported new teacher needs of strong emotional support, providing materials and suggestions for instructional improvement and opportunities for shared leadership at each site. Research showed that positive changes in each school culture and expectations about professional relationships and collegiality increased. Emotional support was shown to be the single most important factor in new Teacher induction. The retention rate of new teachers involved with the Lodi New Teacher Project was over eighty-six percent after five years.
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Hartloff, Kristin Michelle. "Peer involvement in teacher evaluation| A multiple case study." Thesis, California State University, Fullerton, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3662312.
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<p> Traditional teacher evaluation procedures involve the school leader providing feedback in a summative form to the classroom teacher (Tuytens & Devos, 2011). The function of the administrator to be both supervisor and evaluator is a contrasting role. There are four main purposes of teacher evaluation: improvement, accountability, staff development, and personnel decisions (Darling-Hammond, Wise, & Pease, 1983; Tuytens & Devos, 2011). Administrators are already constrained for time and resources. Therefore, fulfilling all four purposes through the current evaluation process in California is becoming increasingly difficult.</p><p> Using peers in the evaluation process is an alternative evaluation method being explored across the country, specifically in the form of Peer Assistance and Review (PAR; Goldstein, 2004; Matula, 2011; Weems & Rogers, 2010). The problem this research addressed was the efficacy of teacher evaluation systems and how evaluative practice can be improved from the perspectives of principals and Consulting Teachers (CTs) with experience in the PAR program. </p><p> The study found principals and CTs had mixed reactions regarding the inclusion of PAR as a multiple measure for teacher evaluation. All participants' perceptions of the role of the CT included the common language of supporter, helper, coach, and mentor, which matched the PAR documents from each district. The data showed that subjectivity, fear, and lack of time, negatively impacted the traditional teacher evaluation process and that involving peers in the process could be beneficial.</p>
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Grossman, David L. "Higher Education and Teacher Preparation in Japan and Hong Kong." 名古屋大学高等研究教育センター, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/2237/16608.
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Shah, A. F. "The role of the teacher in South Asian higher education." Thesis, University of Bradford, 1986. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.372162.
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Vatuva, gwaa-Uugwanga Paulina Ndahambelela. "Teacher educators' perceptions about possibilities and challenges of the merger between Namibian Higher Education institutions for improving teacher education." University of the Western Cape, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5112.
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Philosophiae Doctor - PhD<br>The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of the teacher educators about the merger between the University of Namibia and Namibia’s former Colleges of Education with regards to the merger's capacity to improve quality teacher education. The focus of the study differed from the various merger studies in that theirs has mainly been on technical issues of mergers to interpret merger capacity to improve change. Of importance about this focus is that the views of teacher educators were deemed important because of their 'agency' in the merger and its capacity to improve teacher education quality. The grounded theory of Strauss and Corbin of 1998 framed the study. The key question of the study was: "what are the perceptions of teacher educators about the merger of the former colleges of education with the University of Namibia's and the capacity to improve teacher education quality in the country?" A case study methodology was employed in which semi-structured questions were used to collect data. In addition, the study also employed observations and document analysis as sources of data.The key finding of the study was that all the participants' perceptions were that the merger has the capacity to improve the quality of teacher education in Namibia. The core of this finding serves as evidence of the complexities of mergers, particularly in terms of how participants perceive the merger's capability of improving quality. Firstly, the perceptions related to the contexts in which the participant teacher educators found themselves. Furthermore, the perceptions appeared to be associated with various contextual needs experienced by participants in the various institutions. The study analysis further suggested that the needs related to issues associated with input, process and output. These findings laid the ground for an emergent theory for understanding of teacher educators’ perceptions about the mergers. A conclusion drawn from the above findings were that the Maslow Hierarchy of Need Theory (with its biological/physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love, esteem needs, and self-actualization) provide better understanding of perceptions about mergers.
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Furuness, Shelly. "Becoming a teacher of hope a critical ethnography of occupational socialization during an age of teacher deskilling /." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2008. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3338607.
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Albers, Chris. "One Academic Year Study of Experiences of One Cohort of Graduates from a Midwestern University's Teacher Education Program." Thesis, Lindenwood University, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3736295.
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<p> Teacher attrition is a growing problem within the education system in the United States. A study that tracked the experiences of graduates of a particular program was designed to gauge the program’s success. There were three research questions. The first asked, What are the first year teaching experiences of Midwestern University educator preparation program graduates? The second question was in two parts and asked, What do graduates of Midwestern University educator preparation program perceive as the strengths and weaknesses of their ability to carry out their duties as a first-year teacher? How does this change from August to May? The third question asked, How do the responses of graduates to the first two questions vary by type of school where they are employed, level and area of certification, and MAT or BA? To answer these questions, six graduates of Midwestern University’s Educator Preparation Program were followed during their first year of teaching. </p><p> The participants were interviewed throughout their first year of teaching. The data was presented in case studies. These participants taught in urban, suburban, and rural schools that were either public or private. Some of the participants had earned a BA degree, some a MAT degree, and some were still completing their MAT degree. Three of the teachers were at the secondary level and two were at the elementary level. The data from these interviews helped clarify emerging themes from their experiences. </p><p> This study showed the relevance of student teaching assignments. The graduates whose student teaching assignments had more varied ability levels and grade levels had an easier time transitioning into a first year teacher. Other experiences demonstrated how a cooperating teacher affected the success of the student teacher and the ability to transition into a full time teacher. Many of the participants developed their own style of classroom management as they progressed through their first year of teaching. Some participants struggled with IEPs and had to learn from their co-workers the correct way to implement them. Overall though, substitute teaching experience was found to be the most beneficial tool in preparing university students to become classroom teachers.</p>
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Volmer, Abby. "Co-teaching as a Clinical Model of Student Teaching| Perceptions of Preparedness for First Year Teaching." Thesis, University of Missouri - Columbia, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13877174.
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<p> College of Education faculty members at the University of Central Missouri found that public school teachers and administrators from surrounding schools were reluctant to hand over classrooms of students to novice teachers for student teaching. With high stakes accountability for test scores, teachers voiced their need to be present in the classroom, particularly during spring semester of statewide testing (Diana, 2014). The university adopted a co-teaching model of student teaching to prepare its teaching candidates for the first year of teaching while allowing the cooperating teacher to stay in the classroom throughout the student teaching term. The problem-of-practice addressed in this study focuses on the need to determine if a co-teaching student teacher model provides university students an adequate amount of clinical experience and preparation to support a successful first year of teaching.</p><p> The purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) analyze the perceptions of former and current student teachers, cooperating teachers, and university supervisors on the coteaching model of student teaching and (2) assess the model’s effectiveness in preparing student teachers for their first year of teaching. To this end, the research questions are as follows:</p><p> Research Question 1. What are the perceptions of University of Central Missouri current and former student teachers on the co-teaching student-teaching model’s ability to prepare student teachers for their first year of teaching?</p><p> Research Question 2. What are the perceptions of University of Central Missouri university supervisors on the co-teaching student-teaching model’s ability to prepare student teachers for their first year of teaching?</p><p> Research Question 3. What are the perceptions of cooperating teachers on the co-teaching student- teaching model’s ability to prepare student teachers for their first year of teaching?</p><p> The research questions were answered through an analysis of the data collected via a quantitative survey followed by a qualitative interview. The quantitative survey asked respondents to rate items on a Likert-type scale (Fink, 2013) as to how well they perceived the co-teaching model of student teaching prepares student teachers to meet Missouri Teaching Standards. The qualitative survey asked respondents to discuss their perceptions of how well the co-teaching model of student teaching prepares student teachers for their first year of teaching based on their personal experience.</p><p> The responses indicated that the co-teaching model scored higher in first year teacher preparation by elementary teachers and elementary supervisors than by secondary teachers and supervisors. Responses also indicated that student teachers and cooperating teachers perceived the co-teaching model as more positively preparing student teachers for their first year of teaching than do university supervisors. Additionally, responses indicated that the co-teaching model of student teaching closely aligns to the Gradual Release of Responsibility theory of learning (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983) with the co-teaching model of student teaching strengths as follows: extensive modeling by a More Knowledgeable Other (Vygotsky, 1978), extensive professional reflection and immediate feedback, a narrowing of focus, professional collaboration, and building of confidence in the student teacher. Due to the student teacher never solely taking over the classroom responsibilities in a co-teaching model of student teaching, the model’s barrier for preparing student teachers for their first year of teaching centers on the student teacher not receiving a fully realistic teaching experience in a classroom without a co-teacher.</p><p> On this basis, it is recommended that universities and school districts adopt the co-teaching model of student teaching to provide a strong base of teaching background for the student teacher through the Gradual Release of Responsibility. The student teacher should also receive two to three weeks of sole classroom responsibility and all the duties in that role as to provide a realistic experience of teaching without a co-teacher present. Further research could synthesize the perceptions of the same group of participants in this study regarding a model similar to the one recommended.</p><p>
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Clark, Ryan Keith. ""Top down" : an analysis of state implementation of a federal teacher accountability policy /." view abstract or download file of text, 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1331413341&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=11238&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2007.<br>Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-138). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.
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Moreman, Eiland Sarah Elizabeth. "Meandering into college teaching| An autoethnography of developing pedagogical content knowledge through writing over time." Thesis, The University of Alabama, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10162707.
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<p> I conducted this autoethnographic research study to explore how I as a freshman orientation instructor meandered into college teaching through writing, which I used to develop my pedagogical content knowledge. Focusing my research as college faculty development, I reached back in the past and also in the present to select particular experiences to portray as vignettes, thus creating a kaleidoscopic lens. This kaleidoscopic lens serves to provide insight into my perspective of how my teaching philosophy based on the use of writing prompts developed. By connecting the personal experiences that had established my teaching philosophy using writing prompts to the classroom culture of first year students in a northeastern Alabama public two-year community college, the scholarly significance will be perused through integrating the theoretical framework of Lee S. Shulman’s (1986, 1987) pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) with additions of Otto and Everett’s (2013) context knowledge and Zepke’s (2013) threshold concepts. </p><p> I as a differently-abled instructor-researcher self-narratively depict how writing prompts supported my teaching experience as pedagogical content knowledge. Thus, my use of writing prompts as pedagogical content knowledge is purposefully intended for providing significant learning experience for my students, improving their readiness for writing college papers and also for communication skills as a potential employee and productive citizen. Over the course of spring and fall 2015 terms totaling four different seventy-five minute Orientation 101 courses, the data purposefully sampled from the students’ written responses to the prompts given and also from dyadic interviews with several peers ranging from active and retired faculty to acquaintances serve to support my own perspectives and experiences that determine use of writing prompts as effective pedagogical content knowledge.</p>
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Hu, Aihua. "A case study of two pilot universities' teacher education curricula under the context of free teacher education policy in mainland China." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2014. https://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_oa/31.
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The massification and marketization of higher education in the early 1990s, in addition to the termination of free teacher education (FTE) in normal universities in 1997, created three major challenges for teacher education in China—low admission rates of prospective students, a loss of identity as teacher education institution, and the beginning of a bottleneck period for development, all of which served to marginalize teacher education in the higher education arena. In addition, education inequality has always been a problem in China. To address these problems the Government decided to re-implement FTE policy in six pilot universities in September 2007. Along with the implementation of this policy, the six pilot universities were required to reform their curricula and set examples for teacher education programs at provincial/regional levels for when this policy was to be implemented nationwide. As required, the six pilot universities reformed their curricula upon re-implementing FTE policy in 2007. A qualitative case study approach was employed to study teacher education curricula under the FTE initiative. The main aim of this research was to present a picture of teacher education curricula in actuality through looking at the documented and experienced curricula, exploring the views and reasons for the views of major university stakeholders. This included administrators (Vice Director of the Teaching Affair Office and Associate Head of certain departments who were in charge of FTE program), teacher educators and student teachers in FTE program, and novice teachers graduating from FTE program in 2011 and 2012. Data were collected through documents and archives, interviews, open-ended questionnaires, observation and online communications. Documents and archives were obtained through three channels—libraries, websites, and people. Participants in interviews were the above mentioned major university stakeholders. Respondents to the open-ended questionnaires were novice teachers graduating from Y University. Observation was mainly conducted in student teachers’ teaching classrooms and university classrooms, universities campuses, and interview sites. Online communications were instant online talk and email communications. Constant comparative and content analysis methods were utilized to analyze the collected data. Since two cases were explored, cross case analysis was also used. This study found that FTE in a way helped improve teachers’ quality in western and rural regions in China. Though some were involuntary participants, quite a number of students had been inspired to teach. FTE also helped economically disadvantageous students to receive higher education. However, this policy caused some student teachers to lose motivation to study. Student teachers in the two case study universities experienced three concurrent curricula namely formal curriculum, extracurriculum, and hidden curriculum. More credit hours were allocated to general and pedagogical education. Contents of formal curriculum started to establish the relationship between what was taught in university and in basic education. Extracurriculum and hidden curriculum, which increased in number and variety as a result of re-implementation of FTE, had an edifying influence on student teachers in terms of their practical skills, choice of future career, beliefs, values, professional ethics, and identity establishment. Problems existed concerning different aspects of teacher education curricula. There was a disconnection between what was taught at university and in basic education classrooms. General and pedagogical education was insufficient. Also clinical experiences were inadequate in terms of their frequency, variety, and duration. These resulted in student teachers lacking opportunities to relate theory to practice. Additionally, there were cooperation problems between university and schools. There were also problems related to the quality of university teachers who taught pedagogy and cooperating teachers who supervised student teachers’ teaching. This study recommended that autonomy be given to teacher education institutes to set their own curriculum standards for subject matter knowledge and general education. Clinical experiences should be arranged earlier and with greater frequency. Not only should the period of supervised student teaching be lengthened but student teachers should also be given more opportunities to teach in actual classrooms. Continuous academic and financial support to extracurriculum should be provided. To obtain a comprehensive picture on the impact of FTE on a long term, it is recommended to conduct a longitudinal study on its implementation with the involvement of stakeholders in cooperative schools.
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Warsame, Kitty B. "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Novice Teacher Support Structures." ScholarWorks, 2011. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/857.
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Teachers are leaving their profession at alarming rates. As a result, retaining novice teachers has become a major concern for policy makers, school districts, administrators, and teaching staff throughout the United States. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of novice teacher induction support structures in a southwestern US state. The conceptual framework is based on research examining teacher attrition; this study extends the research by examining school-based and university-based programs. Research questions focused on the perception of novice teachers regarding mentoring experiences at their certifying universities and employing school districts. Three research questions examined school district comprehensive induction support, certifying university support induction programs, and other support services that supported novice teachers' decisions to remain in the profession. This study used a sequential exploratory mixed methods design to gather data. Quantitative research analyzed survey responses through descriptive statistics. Qualitative research utilized semi-structured interviews. Data analysis involved coding and theme analysis. Results revealed strong school support can compensate for the lack of university support, but strong university support did not compensate for a lack of school support. Implications for social change indicate the need for stronger school supports in induction programs for new teachers. First-year teachers should be followed for a longer period of time to understand difficulties they face as they grow into experienced teachers. This study provided valuable data to identify types of school and university-based support that may aid in the reduction of teacher attrition rates.
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Sood, Krishan. "Marketing and initial teacher training in higher education : bridging the gap." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/30978.
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This thesis assesses the link between marketing and Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in two higher education institutions. The study comprises a survey and case studies of all the ITT staff in the two universities. The case studies were carried out by semi-structured interviews with key members in the faculty of education and the marketing department of each of the HEIs. The link between marketing and ITT is examined through the application of strategic marketing theory and a theoretical framework for the link is presented. The study showed that the link between marketing and education is dependent upon the stage of development of each institution in terms of marketing. There was no one simple model of marketing but it was found that both universities were well orientated in linking marketing strategy to ITT. The responsiveness of both HEIs to customer needs was found to be appropriate to their organisational structure and their existing culture. The study showed that there were several conflicting pressures faced by senior managers, many of which are similar to those experienced by other university faculties. The main tensions and conflicts faced by managers were to do with managing resources in a difficult economic climate ensuring high quality student recruitment and retention enhancing institutional image addressing issues of competition and developing partnerships. The need for the faculty of education to work closely with the marketing department was considered to be important. The main difficulty which the ITT staff and the marketing staff experience is the lack of communication between them generated by work overload. This presents a challenge by all parties to consider the priority given to the link between marketing and education. A number of initiatives for linking marketing and ITT are identified. These include fostering partnerships with schools and business partners developing closer links with the marketing department and being more proactive in involving students in the development and organisation of ITT provision.
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Aker, Crystal Marie. "The experience of adjunct and full-time faculty participation in a public university teacher education department." ScholarWorks, 2010. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/806.
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Higher education has recently experienced a shift from an input-based accountability system (curriculum and instruction) to one that is now output-based (assessment). Faculty members are the intermediaries who prepare curriculum and instruction to meet the requirements of teacher education departments and to demonstrate results through the achievement of students. The purpose of this study was to understand how adjunct and full-time faculty members experience participation in a public university teacher education department and if faculty members' experience of participation influences instruction. Theories of systems, teacher education, faculty work, and communities of practice formed the study's conceptual framework. Data for the interpretive phenomenological case study included 7 interviews of adjunct and full-time faculty as well as key artifacts and observations of 2 faculty meetings. The data were coded using first- and second-order constructs and analyzed to answer the research question. All full-time faculty members believed their participation in the department affected their instruction whereas the adjunct faculty members did not. Moreover, faculty members had distinct trajectories in a community of practice that may or may not be tied to their status as adjunct or full-time. Increased facilitation of these faculty trajectories by deans and chairs may result in better utilization of faculty professional skills and knowledge. This study's findings may increase knowledge by higher education leadership about their faculty's community of practice and thus create positive social change through the improvement of instruction by faculty and through it, student achievement.
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Coddington, Gerald D. "Ready or not, here we come untrained adjuncts in higher education /." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2005. http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/fullcit/3209576.
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Thesis (Ed.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 2005.<br>Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Nov. 10, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-03, Section: A, page: 0856. Adviser: Nancy Chism.
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Trotman, Wayne. "Teacher oral feedback on student writing : an action research approach towards teacher-student conferences on EFL academic essay writing in a higher education context in Turkey." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2019. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/113710/.
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Research on the effects of feedback on EFL writing is well documented (Ferris, 1997, Ferris 1999), although Hyland and Hyland (2006:186) state: 'Given how few studies have been carried out, little is known about the relationship between teacher and student discourse and teacher feedback in conferences and student revision'. The qualitative action research study outlined in this thesis addresses this imbalance. It concerns teacherconferencing on academic essays written in a higher education context in Turkey. Based on a model of interrelated practices for action research suggested by Burns (2005), it investigates the relationship between discourse features of the conference and alterations made in follow-up drafts. Working with a constructivist approach to data, the study outlines how three Turkish teachers analysed transcripts of themselves conferencing in order to identify desirable features. Using such features, a second AR team repeated this procedure to notice firstly how far they had been able to implement these features, and secondly to further investigate the relationship between the conference and amendments to the follow-up draft. The study outlines practical action research and conferencing. It illustrates a refinement in analytical tools with which to identify successful features of conferencing, and shows how teachers may be producers of legitimate knowledge concerning features for classroom practitioners to assist with student-writing.
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Kieth, Katherine Kaye. "An analysis of selection criteria of candidates for doctoral study in education at the University of the Pacific." Scholarly Commons, 1990. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/3280.
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The purpose of this study was to obtain information regarding the effectiveness of currently used admissions criteria (undergraduate grade point average; master's degree grade point average; Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and Miller Analogies Test (Mat) scores; ratings on essays, interviews, and letters of recommendation; and an accomplishment coefficient) for doctoral study at University of the Pacific School of Education in Stockton, California. Archival data compared these measures with certain criteria for finishing the doctoral program (first-semester grade point average, overall doctoral degree grade point average, passing or failing comprehensive examinations and number of trials to do so, years to appointment of dissertation committee, grade in the intermediate statistics course, years to awarding of degree, and whether the degree was completed). Subjects included all students admitted to the school's doctoral programs between 1976 and 1990 who took at least nine units in the pursuit of that degree. Data from 337 student records were analyzed and produced the following statistically significant results: There were small but significant correlations between certain clusters of admissions criteria (GRE and MAT scores and master's degree grade point averages) and certain program criteria (first-semester and overall doctoral grade point averages, statistics grade, and number of trials to pass doctoral comprehensive examinations). Multiple linear regression also indicated a small but significant ability to predict a few criteria from the GRE and MAT. Multiple linear regression also indicated a small but significant ability to predict a few program criteria within individual School of Education departments. The admissions criteria did not, in most cases, significantly differentiate those students who were successful in the doctoral program as measured by the chosen criteria. Implications of these findings were discussed in the final chapter. The study concluded with recommendations for further use of the data and for future research.
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Mejia-Uribe, Rosa. "The place of culture in ESL master's programs in the United States." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/280368.
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Although master's degree programs in English as a Second Language (ESL) in the United States show a great variety in terms of the name of the degree, the length of the program, and the focus of the studies, among other things, a strong connection between language and culture is presumed to be central in second language teaching. However, a survey of four-semester programs shows that only 47 (51.6%) require a course on culture suggesting that it is not recognized universally as a priority. In the academic institutions where there is a course on culture, future ESOL teachers are learning under the implicit ideologies of their instructors as well as those of the institution they are attending. These ideologies respond to imperatives at the national and international level (Kramsch, 1993). The ideologies are rarely clearly articulated in the programs or the courses per se, and it is common to find that in the foreign language classroom many teachers are not entirely aware of the cultural nature of their discourse. The purpose of this investigation is to find out what systems, beliefs, and values underlie the courses that deal with 'culture' in four leading Master's programs in the United States, taken as representative of the field. These are investigated under four subcategories: (1) the purpose of each program, implicit or explicit, (2) the views on the teaching of English held by both faculty and future teachers of English, i.e., the students in the program, (3) the content of the course that deals with culture, and (4) the concept of culture adopted in the program and the course. The findings are analyzed in the light of the theories of Symbolic Violence of Bourdieu, Critical Pedagogy, in particular the works of Freire, Apple, and Pennycook, and Phillipson's theory of Linguistic Imperialism. The primary hoped-for application of these results is to help university teachers and future teachers of English as a second language become more aware of the inherently ideological nature of the field and help them reflect on how their own ideologies may have an effect on those they teach.
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Meerholz-Haerle, Birgit Maria 1964. "Teachers talking shop: A discourse study of TA coordination meetings." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/282672.
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This dissertation reports the findings of a study on teacher narratives recorded at a German Studies department over the course of one semester. Specifically, the study investigated co-construction of narratives among four groups of TAs during their weekly coordination meetings, focusing on the larger social processes and the local participation frameworks established in the process of co-narration. Furthermore, it explored the images of teachers and students, and the themes co-constructed in the narratives. The study involved fifteen TAs and one supervising faculty member. Narratives emerging in the course of their meetings were identified. For this purpose, a typology was developed which took into consideration not only past time narratives, but also those tellings which focused on anticipatory, hypothetical or generically occurring events. After emerging themes were tabulated, the co-constructed social projects and participation frameworks were explored using a microethnographic approach. Student and teacher images were investigated based on the evaluative devices employed. The results indicated that narratives were mainly told during the meetings to accomplish the sharing of experiences, the requesting and giving of advice, as well as the shaping of policies. The main themes addressed in the course of the tellings concerned grading and test-taking issues. TAs co-constructed themselves as group members as well as autonomous individuals. While generally displaying alignment with colleagues who were challenged by their students, the TAs also occasionally identified themselves as student spokespersons in opposition to their peers. When seeking advice, TAs were mostly reluctant to acknowledge their peers as givers of advice, and instead turned to the faculty member for help. TAs were generally portrayed in the narratives as competent speakers of the foreign language; understanding, engaged, communicative teachers; and facilitators for opportunities for learning. Students, in the majority of the narratives, were portrayed as lazy, cheating or unreasonable. This dissertation took into account the practices of co-construction which are at work when teachers narrate their professional experiences. So far, research on teacher narratives has mainly focused on data collected in contexts constructed by researchers. The contribution of this study is thus as research on naturalistically occurring teacher narratives.
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Ullom, Carine E. "Developing Preservice Teacher Global Citizen Identity| The Role of Globally Networked Learning." Thesis, Fielding Graduate University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10688833.
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<p> The purpose of this study was to determine if a Structured Online Intercultural Learning (SOIL) experience represented a viable form of global experiential learning (GEL) that can yield beneficial effects in student transformation of the kind that are reported to result from “traditional” GEL (involving mobility). Specifically, this study investigated the influence of a sustained cross-cultural learning experience, made possible by online communications technologies, on preservice teachers’ global citizen identity development (their self-in-the world). </p><p> The research approach was inspired by design-based research and employed a parallel mixed-methods design, incorporating two quantitative assessment instruments (the Global Perspectives Inventory [GPI] and the Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory [BEVI]) and a plethora of student-generated artifacts (the qualitative data). Twenty-six preservice teachers from the US and Macedonia learned together in a globally networked learning environment (GLNE) for 8 weeks. The findings showed that, although the participants were, in most cases, not able to articulate with certainty any perceived changes to their sense of self-in-the-world, both the qualitative and the quantitative data indicated that the experience did indeed result in at least modest positive changes for most of the participants. </p><p> The primary themes that emerged from the qualitative data related to self-in-the-world, were “knowledge acquisition,” “intercultural sensitivity development,” and “personal growth/self-improvement.” The quantitative data showed that U.S. students’ ideas of the attributes of a global citizen shifted positively following the intervention and that students in both groups strengthened their agreement with the statement “I see myself as a global citizen” at Time 2. Further, students reported that the real-time, small group cross-cultural conversations (via video conference), which were required by the course that served as the intervention in the study, were the most meaningful aspect of the experience. Finally, nearly half of the participants indicated that, as a result of their experiences in this course, they planned to incorporate global citizen education in their future teaching practice. </p><p> These results suggest that teacher educators should consider embedding globally networked learning experiences into teacher education curriculum and that preservice teachers should not only experience globally networked learning as students, but should also be encouraged to develop lesson plans involving globally networked learning for their future classrooms.</p><p>
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馬天民 and Tian-min Maggie Ma. "Teacher education curriculum and social transition: English teacher training in Shanghai." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1998. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31960376.
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Chorba, Kristen. "Relational learning| A study of peer mentoring experiences among undergraduate teacher education majors." Thesis, Kent State University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3618904.
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<p> Peer mentoring is a topic that has been prevalent in the literature for the past several decades and plays a significant role in the learning experiences of many students. This study investigated the experiences of peer mentors in one specific mentoring project, in order to learn how the mentors describe and understand those experiences.</p><p> Eighteen mentors participated in this qualitative study, which examined mentoring-influenced-by-relational-learning in pre-service teachers through in-depth, phenomenological interviews. These interviews were supplemented by photo elicitation and reflecting processes. These mentors defined mentoring as a multifaceted endeavor, which exhibits, among others, traits of teaching, friendship, learning, building relationships, and communication. They defined relational learning both in terms of the course they took, and as a construct which revolves around working together, talking through experiences, being open to new possibilities and ideas, and, through these, being in relationship with one another. Four themes were identified: (a) Mentors experienced relational learning; (b) Mentors experienced investment; (c) Mentors experienced challenges; and (d) Mentors identified ways mentoring can be different. An overarching theme was, mentors and the mentoring project experienced a process of becoming. Mentors also described their overall experiences, explained the ways in which they feel they benefitted from the project, and discussed why they believe this project has been successful. Implications of these findings are also discussed, as they relate to both research and practice.</p>
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Ferrell, Anne C. "Advisement in Teacher Preparation Programs| Relational Trust in Advising Graduate Students of Color." Thesis, University of Pennsylvania, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10975504.
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<p> There is ongoing debate in the current teacher preparation landscape about what type of training best prepares teachers for the classroom. As the larger field seeks to improve issues of recruitment and retention, many teacher preparation programs are trying to figure out the best ways to support new teachers, particularly those teaching in urban areas where both academic results and teacher attrition rates have struggled. Fewer scholars have examined how to support graduate students of color studying to become teachers most effectively. In addition to building human capital through teacher training programs, social capital could influence the experience of new teachers. Positive, trusting relationships with a faculty advisor could influence the experience and success of graduate students. </p><p> This qualitative methods study, at an alternative certification program in New York City, seeks to understand better the graduate student / new teacher experience in an advisement model designed to support teachers pursuing their master’s degree in education while teaching in a classroom full time. More specifically, through surveys and interviews of recent program alumni, this study seeks to understand better the experience of graduate students of color in their relationships with their academic advisors, and how relational trust is built.</p><p>
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Lord, Hannah. "The Relationship of Teacher, Student, and Content in the Clinical Psychology Classroom." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1363349368.
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Agsebat, H. B. "An investigation into student and teacher attitudes towards pedagogical translation at Benghazi University." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2018. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/9624/.
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This study investigates the attitudes of university lecturers and undergraduate students in regards to translation as a university subject and its role in enhancing students' English as foreign language at Benghazi University. The study examines the skills and linguistic aspects that lecturers and students believe are developed through pedagogical translation. A student survey was implemented on 400 students to measure their attitudes. In addition, a semi-structured interview was conducted on 6 university lectures. A mixed-methods approach was adopted using both quantitative and qualitative research methods to gain richer data and improve the validity and reliability of the study. The findings of the study revealed that students and their lectures believe that translation has enhanced their English language in general. In addition, they believe that it has specifically developed their reading and writing more than their speaking and listening skills. Lectures and students reveal that pedagogical translation has improved their grammar and language use of vocabulary and collocations. Moreover, they consider that implementing contrastive analysis in pedagogical translation classes has raised students' awareness of mother tongue interferences. Furthermore, students and their lecturers believe that several linguistic aspects were enhanced, such as cohesion, coherence, genres, registers, language dialects as well as form and meaning. Students and lecturers also believe that their cultural awareness was developed. In conclusion, students and lecturers believe that translation could be an effective tool in learning English as a foreign language. The study contributes to the literature of pedagogical translation and foreign language teaching and learning settings.
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Kheang, Somanita. "Guidelines for U.S. Teacher Leaders in Adult Classrooms to Enhance International Undergraduate Satisfaction." Thesis, Lindenwood University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10809700.
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<p> The purpose of this qualitative research was to (a) explore the issues that international undergraduate students face during academic experiences at U.S. colleges and/or universities, (b) study the relationship between U.S. professors and international undergraduate students as measured by the extent of congruency between U.S. professors' and international undergraduate students' online survey results, and (c) propose appropriate guidelines for U.S. Teacher Leaders in adult classrooms to enhance international undergraduate students' learning satisfaction. The researcher used convenience sampling that included 96 participants at Lindenwood University, Saint Charles. The researcher conducted a focus group discussion with 14 international undergraduate students from 10 countries, an online survey with 70 international undergraduate students and five U.S. professors using the Modified Instructional Perspective Inventory (MIPI), and the in-depth interviews with seven faculty experts selected from the Education Department and the International Students and Scholars Office. </p><p> The results showed international undergraduate students are faced with five major issues including language, isolation, discrimination, professors' instruction techniques, and professors' behaviors in the classroom. The emerging themes in the focus group discussion were financial support, positive experiences, and suggestion for improving teacher leadership in the classroom. There was no congruency between U.S. professors' and international undergraduate students' perceptions on four factors of the MIPI—teacher empathy with learner, teacher trust of learners, planning and delivery of instruction, and accommodating learner uniqueness. However, there was congruency between U.S. professors' and international undergraduate students' perceptions on three factors of the MIPI—teacher insensitivity toward learners, experience-based learning techniques, and teacher-centered learning processes. This congruency level, however, did not indicate a good relationship between U.S. professors and international undergraduate students, but instead the professors' inability to balance the practice of learner-centered and teacher-centered teaching approaches in the classroom. The proposed Guidelines for U.S. Teacher Leaders in Adult Classrooms suggested processes to enhance International Undergraduate Satisfaction as follows: application of professors' beliefs (teachers' trust of learners and teachers' accommodating learners' uniqueness), professors' feelings (teachers' empathy with learners and teachers' insensitivity toward learners), and professors' behaviors (delivery of various instruction techniques and appropriate use of learner-centered and teacher-centered learning processes in the right context).</p><p>
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Kariuki, Patrick N. "The Relationship Between Student and Faculty Learning Style Congruency and Perceptions of the Classroom Environment in Colleges of Teacher Education." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 1995. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2748.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of congruence between teachers' and undergraduate education majors' learning styles in selected colleges of the Tennessee Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and to determine if the style congruence was related to student perceptions of the classroom learning environment. A related purpose was to identify needed changes in classroom environments based on the characteristics of the actual and ideal classroom environments as perceived by students, characteristics of the actual classroom environment as perceived by their teachers, and characteristics of actual and ideal classroom environments as perceived by men and women students. A relationship of classroom environments was also examined. Kolb's Learning Style Inventory and the Adult Classroom Environment Scale were administered to students and teachers in selected colleges for teacher education that were members of the Tennessee Association of Colleges for Teacher Education during the Fall, 1994. Data were analyzed using measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion, t-tests for dependent (correlated) means, t-tests for independent means, and Pearson Product Moment Correlations. Results indicated that the predominant learning style for both students and teachers was Accommodator. The students preferred Diverger as their second dominant learning style while the teachers preferred Assimilator. The teachers incorporated logical thinking, systematic thinking, and intellectual thinking in their learning behavior, while the students preferred to learn by viewing situations from different points of view and to observe without taking action. Matching students' learning styles with those of teachers was not found to be related to the ratings of the classroom environment. Significant relationships were found to exist between all classroom dimensions except Task Orientation and Student Influence. Both teachers and students viewed Teacher Support as the most prevalent element of the actual classroom environment and Student Influence as the least noticeable element of the classroom environment. However, the teachers' views for the actual classroom environment were higher than students' views in all subscales except for Organization and Clarity.
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Hays, Lauren. "Academic Librarians' Teacher Identity Development through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning| A Mixed Methods Study." Thesis, Northwest Nazarene University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10810849.
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<p> This dissertation was an explanatory sequential mixed methods study that sought to understand academic librarians’ involvement and experience in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Specifically, the researcher studied academic librarians’ teacher identity development through SoTL. Quantitative data were collected from a survey sent to the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy listserv. Semi-structured interviews with seven academic instruction librarians who took part in the survey provided qualitative data that complemented and built upon the survey results. The theoretical framework, Communities of Practice, guided and supported the research. Results from the study indicated that academic instruction librarians are involved in SoTL for a variety of reasons, but primarily because they believe participation in SoTL improves their teaching. Also, the null hypothesis of <i>if librarians engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, their identities will be the same as they were before</i> was rejected, and the research hypothesis was accepted. Engagement in SoTL does impact academic instruction librarians’ teacher identity. After involvement in SoTL most research participants reported that their view of themselves as a teacher grew. Participation in SoTL also impacted academic instruction librarians’ instructional practices. After participation in SoTL, study participants reported an increase in their attitude toward self-improvement and in their use of active learning strategies. These study findings have implications for Library and Information Science (LIS) graduate schools, academic library administrations, and professional development organizations. </p><p>
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Kociuba, Jamie M. "Teacher Perceptions of Instruction as an Expeditionary Learning Core Practice." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5492.
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In an urban, low-achieving district in the northeastern United States, a small school has adopted the Expeditionary Learning (EL) philosophy and pedagogical approaches to instruction. Between the academic years of 2012-2016 state-assessed student achievement scores were less than proficient and implementation reviews revealed that the school made little to no improvement in the core practice category of instruction over 4 years of EL implementation. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to answer guiding questions by examining 12 teachers' perceptions regarding EL instruction as a core practice and element of the annual implementation review, and the impact of EL instruction on student achievement. The study was guided by the EL instructional subcomponents. Using purposeful sampling, data were collected from questionnaires administered to 12 full-time EL teachers. Semistructured interviews and classroom observations were conducted with 3 of the 12 EL teachers. Thematic data analysis followed an open coding process to identify emergent themes. The findings revealed: (a) a relationship between confidence levels of teaching EL instruction and experience, (b) existing gaps in knowledge of instructional subcomponents, (c) variability in implementation of subcomponents, (d) full instructional implementation influenced by time constraints/professional development, (e) existing gaps in teachers' knowledge of implementation review driven goals, (f) professional development related to the implementation review, and (g) student academic achievement impacted by EL instruction. The study and project have implications for positive social change through guidance into improved instructional practice and higher student achievement.
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Al-Zadjali, Nihad. "ESL teacher identity construction in Omani higher education : an ethnographic case study." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2016. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/65764/.
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This is an account of qualitative ethnographic case study research investigating the identity construction of English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers. This study was conducted at a higher education (HE) college, namely, Public High College (PHC) in Oman over a period of six months. In this study, I explore teacher identities in relation to the particular spatial locations of the teachers as well as the ways that networking and social capital and institutionalised cultural capital intersected with their nationalities and linguistic backgrounds to produce complex hierarchies. The thesis provides a rich exposition of teacher identity construction in Omani HE as theorised through the lens of Bourdieu, recognising the different educational practices, such as assessment and teacher evaluation, as well as the influence of space in the field of struggle within which teacher identities were implicated. The methodological approach and research design adopted in this study was dictated in part by the nature of the research questions and the theoretical framework adopted. Because I was interested in the embedded struggles in different educational practices between different groups and how these groups articulated and expressed these struggles, I positioned my research within a constructivist-interpretive paradigm. I adopted a case study approach and drew on ethnographic methods, such as semi-structured interviews, observation, and field notes. Over thirty-five local and non-local ESL teachers from western, Arab, African, and Asian contexts took part in this study. Furthermore, I kept a research diary to record my own experiences and decisions about my research. In addition, I analysed official documents from macro, meso, and micro levels. Both content analysis and thematic analysis were conducted to trace the tensions which were observed during my ethnography of teacher identity construction at Public High College in part produced by the emergence of new assessment procedures, and quality assurance agendas, and the Global North's influence on the Omani HE system. In the analysis chapters (Chapters Five to Seven), I problematise how educational practices were implicated in the production of hierarchical, spatial, and at times, male-female positioning of teachers. In the first analysis chapter, I conduct a documentary analysis of the national standards for the General Foundation Programmes to trace back potential tensions that were embedded in the new assessment processes and teacher appraisal procedures and the potential importance of these for teacher identity production. In Chapter Six, I examine the significance of space in producing hierarchical relations between local and non-local teachers and other hierarchies that cut across these groupings. My analysis shows that research respondents gained social capital from networking and highlights the complexity of this networking. In my final analysis chapter, I examine both assessment and teacher evaluation as the key processes through which teacher hierarchies at Public High College were produced. My analysis shows that assessment was one of the fields where struggle for positioning and legitimacy took place so that teacher identity production was bound up with assessment practices at Public High College. In addition, my analysis focuses on teacher evaluation processes in this chapter as another field where struggles for teacher positioning and legitimacy took place. My analysis interrogates both implicit and explicit teacher evaluation processes and the implications of such processes for the production of teacher identities. Through its ethnographic approach, the thesis shows the tensions, nuances, and power relations that pervade this HE institution, and examines how these were central in the production of teacher identities. It also shows the importance of taking teacher identity construction into account in the expansion and reform of Omani HE.
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Gurova, G. (Galina). "A programme for Russian higher education leaders through the New Public Management lens." Master's thesis, University of Oulu, 2014. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-201410101926.
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This thesis calls attention to a previously unexplored phenomenon: leadership programmes for educators in support of education reforms. Such programmes, appearing nowadays in different parts of the world, are designed to enable educators to carry out certain activities, and to change their perceptions about newly introduced policies. This study analyzes such a programme for university leaders, initiated and supervised by Russian Ministry of education and science.
Theoretically the study builds on a concept of New Public Management (NPM), arguing that this concept is relevant to both Russian education reforms and the programme contents. NPM refers to a complex phenomenon of introducing private sector mechanisms into the public sphere. This thesis shows how Russian higher education reforms since early 1990s are going along the lines of NPM, but at the same time paradoxically combine it with planned economy approaches and tight state control. Apart from internal contradictions, the reforms implementation in Russia is also impeded by public resistance and lack of leadership in universities.
The study suggests that the programme in focus served as a means of NPM reform implementation, and provided a concentrated version of the local higher education narrative. Research aims were formulated as follows:
1) to uncover the specifics of NPM narrative in Russian context;
2) to discuss the programme as an instrument of facilitating higher education reform in Russia.
Methodologically this research is a qualitative case study. Transcripts of the programme lectures served as the primary data for analysis, complemented by interviews and field notes. The data was processed through a theory-guided qualitative content analysis procedure.
The results of analysis show that 80 per cent of the contents were in line with the NPM narrative, which was justified primarily through international competitiveness argumentation. The study reveals the ambiguous role of the state, which was positioned as the main controller or customer, but was also addressed as a barrier for development. It shows how student-centeredness lacked from the narrative, while industries and regions were pictured as important stakeholders. The study also uncovers contradictions within the narrative that can explain difficulties in reform implementation: the call for cooperation contradicts enhanced competition; the orientation to the global market contradicts local functions of universities; and suggested NPM means contradict humanitarian missions of higher education.
Basing on a single case with the corresponding limitations to generalization, this thesis contributes to the body of research on NPM, studying it in the previously uninvestigated context of Russian higher education.
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Burgess, Debra Ann Paton. "Effects of adult developmental stages on the professional education of teachers." Scholarly Commons, 1995. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2482.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the stages of teaching careers and staff development preferences within the context of Levinson's (1978) adult development theory. This study found that adult development theory affects teachers' view of their careers and identified four themes across the teaching career: isolation, low perceived status, student relationships, and support networks. Additionally, this study describes what constitutes sound staff development activities. Semi structured group and individual interviews were used to collect data from 31 practicing elementary teachers in two rural northern California schools districts. The sample was selected from autobiographical and professional data questionnaire completed by 159 teachers. Grounded theory was used to analyze data and integrate into a description of teaching careers that spans a range of 30+ years of experience. Four teacher career stages were identified: early, early middle, late middle and veteran. The four themes identified in this study were constant across the teaching career, but the significance varied at each developmental stage. Results supported a differentiated model of staff development based on teacher career stages. A career long, articulated model of teacher staff development was developed, incorporating adult learning principles, reflective practice, and the role of mentor at each career stage. The recommended model in this study focuses on the needs of the teacher at each career stage and views the teacher as a fully, functioning professional. Thus, a major conclusion in this study is the need for a paradigm shift in current staff development practices that focuses on teacher rather than institutional or societal needs. Schon's (1983, 1987) model of reflective practice of conscious reflection before, during and after practice is described to promote teacher growth at each developmental career stage. Finally, this study concludes that support networks are a vital element in teacher professional development and describes the changing role of the mentor throughout the career cycle to assist in the professional growth of the individual teacher.
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Longfield, Judith. "Learning to teach teachers an ethnographic study of novice teacher education instructors /." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2006. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3206871.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Education, 2006.<br>Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-01, Section: A, page: 0081. Advisers: Mary B. McMullen; Jesse Goodman. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed Feb. 8, 2007)."
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Pratschler, Marianne. "Effects of mentoring preservice teachers on inservice teachers in professional development school environments." ScholarWorks, 2009. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/694.
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Colleges and universities collaborte with P-12 public schools in professional development school (PDS) partnerships to improve teacher training, provide professional development for inservice teachers, improve student achievement, and promote action research. Most research has been done on advantages for preservice teachers and for students in classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand inservice teachers' mentoring experiences in order for a local college to support and enrich the professional lives of inservice teachers. Research questions addressed inservice teachers' perceptions regarding mentoring interactions, effects on their own classroom practices, and professional growth. The purposeful sample was comprised of 17 mentor teachers from 3 elementary schools that had PDS partnerships with a local college. Individual interviews and school cohort focus group transcripts were coded and analyzed using a data analysis spiral. The researcher also collected unobtrusive data relevant to professional development activities in the PDSs. Results indicated that mentor teachers viewed mentoring experiences as positive and felt rejuvenated. Participants noted that reciprocal learning took place and that they had grown professionally. The local college has implemented changes and plans to continue to improve programs based of the study findings. Other colleges and universities can utilize the study results and the PDS model to improve inservice teachers' mentoring experiences. Inservice teachers may be empowered by successful mentoring experiences to create change in their schools as they take leadership roles, engage in action research, and promote academic success for all learners in the 21st century.
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Latacha, Kathryn N. "Response to intervention| An investigation of training, perceptions, and fidelity of implementation." Thesis, Lipscomb University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3603454.
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<p>The authors investigated the extent to which the amount of training in Response to Intervention (RtI) impacts staff members' perceptions of RtI, how staff members' perceptions of RtI relate to their fidelity of implementation, and to what degree staff members' involvement in training influences their fidelity of implementation. A convenience sampling of thirty-eight staff members in Middle Tennessee was surveyed using a questionnaire and interview. Participants in the study worked in elementary and middle schools within a large urban district lacking a well-defined RtI program and a smaller district with a well-defined program. The quantitative analysis revealed that there is no statistically significant relationship between training and teachers' perceptions of RtI. There is a statistically significant relationship between teachers' perceptions and fidelity of implementation as well as the amount of training they receive and fidelity of implementation. The strongest relationship found was between teachers' perceptions of RtI and their fidelity of implementation of RtI. The qualitative analysis revealed that staff member perceptions concerning RtI effectiveness and individual comfort in implementation abilities are motivated by accountability, time, procedures, and training. The chief recommendations the researchers made to the Tennessee Department of Education are to focus on improving perceptions of RtI and provide adequate training through adding evidence-based intervention suggestions to the state manual, determine how to unite pre-service training for RtI across the state, and create a hierarchy map of new personnel including a state-level RtI coordinator, regional coordinators, state auditors, district-level coaches, and site coaches.
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Hixon, Emily. "Collaborative online course development the faculty experience /." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2005. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3167808.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Systems Technology, 2005.<br>Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-04, Section: A, page: 1328. Chairperson: Curtis J. Bonk. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed Nov. 2, 2006)."
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Carpenter, Marilyn Gordon 1943. "Preservice teachers as readers." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/288856.
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The focus of this study is the impact of a children's literature course on the reading practices of undergraduate preservice teachers. During 1996, I taught Children's Literature in the Classroom, LRC 480, at the University of Arizona. During this class, I undertook a study of the preservice teachers in my course using the research methods of a qualitative study. My purpose was to elicit the preservice teachers' perceptions of themselves as readers in the beginning and at the end of the course and to determine which elements of the course were most influential. The major themes that emerged from the data were concerned with the reading practices of the preservice teachers and the significant aspects of the course. All the students experienced some changes in regard to their reading practices. The major change the students noted was an increase in their enthusiasm for reading and a renewed enjoyment of reading. A majority of the students were choosing to read daily in the beginning of the semester in contrast with other research (Timbs, 1993; DeKoff, 1992) that found less frequent reading. The four most influential elements in the course were: (1) the influence of the instructor; (2) small group work; (3) class projects that provided active learning experiences emphasizing the affective elements of reading literature and (4) self evaluation that promoted students' choice and control over their own learning. The study found that the major change the students noted (their enthusiasm and renewed enjoyment of reading) was influenced by these elements of the course. The implications of these findings are that instructors who wish to encourage preservice students to have positive experiences with reading should include these elements in preservice courses: an instructor with a passion for literature; class projects that feature experiential learning tasks promoting the affective elements of reading literature; an emphasis on self-evaluation and opportunities for small group collaborations. Preservice teachers in such courses will have opportunities to build or renew their enjoyment of reading.
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Schall, Janine Marie. "Mapping identity: How preservice teachers explore cultural identities through mapping and children's literature." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/290050.
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In this dissertation I examine how preservice teachers explore cultural identities when using mapping and children's literature. Twenty-four preservice teachers enrolled in a one-semester children's literature course looked at their own cultural identities and the cultural identities of others. The preservice teachers were mostly white, middle class women. During the study they explored various aspects of their cultural identities, interacted with issues of culture, and reflected upon how class engagements influenced their understandings of culture and cultural identities. Data sources for the study included the following: several kinds of written reflections; student artifacts, such as physical and conceptual maps; and interviews that were conducted with seven preservice teachers after the semester ended. Data from four preservice teachers was highlighted in the findings. This research shows that these preservice teachers had difficulty moving from an individualistic view of their identities to considering issues of group membership. The preservice teachers preferred to discuss individual characteristics such as personality and how they spent their free time. This shifted somewhat over the course of the semester as I asked them to focus on aspects of cultural identities such as racial-, ethnic-, gender-, and class-based group membership. The preservice teachers exhibited high levels of ethnocentrism and often lived out attitudes of white privilege. Their interactions with other cultures proved complex and sometimes contradictory. They promoted learning about other cultures as a way to reduce prejudice and discrimination and believed that they had a responsibility as future teachers to help their students understand other cultures. They saw our semester long theme of cultural identities as valuable, and highlighted using multiple avenues to explore the theme, such as multicultural children's literature, mapping, written and sketched reflections, and literature discussions. This study emphasized the need for considerations of cultural issues to be integrated throughout the teacher education program. Preservice teachers need to understand their own cultural identities before they can understand their students as cultural beings. Explorations of whiteness and white privilege also need to occur.
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Westlander, Meghan Joanne. "The Issues Framework| Situating Graduate Teaching Assistant-Student Interactions in Physics Problem Solving." Thesis, North Carolina State University, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3690214.
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<p> Interactive engagement environments are critical to students' conceptual learning gains, and often the instructor is ultimately responsible for the creation of that environment in the classroom. When those instructors are graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), one of the primary ways in which they can promote interactive engagement is through their interactions with students. </p><p> Much of the prior research on physics GTA-student interactions focuses on GTA training programs (e.g. Ezrailson (2004); Smith, Ward, and Rosenshein (1977)) or on GTAs' specific actions and beliefs (e.g. West, Paul, Webb, and Potter (2013); Goertzen (2010); Spike and Finkelstein (2012a)). Research on students' ideas and behaviors within and surrounding those interactions is limited but important to obtaining a more complete understanding of how GTAs promote an interactive environment.</p><p> In order to begin understanding this area, I developed the Issues Framework to examine how GTA-student interactions are situated in students' processes during physics problem solving activities. Using grounded theory, the Issues Framework emerged from an analysis of the relationships between GTA-student interactions and the students procedures and expressions of physics content in and surrounding those interactions.</p><p> This study is focused on introducing the Issues Framework and the insight it can provide into GTA-student interactions and students' processes. The framework is general in nature and has a visually friendly design making it a useful tool for consolidating complex data and quickly pattern-matching important pieces of a complex process.</p><p> Four different categories of Issues emerged spanning the problem solving process: (1) Getting Started, (2) Solution Approach, (3) Unit Conversions, and (4) Other. The framework allowed for identification of the specific contents of the Issues in each category as well as revealing the common stories of students' processes and how the interactions were situated in those processes in each category.</p><p> Through the stories, the Issues Framework revealed processes in which students often focused narrowly on procedures with the physics content expressed through their procedures and only sometimes through conceptual discussions. Interactions with the GTA affected changes in students' processes, typically leading students to correct their procedures. The interactions often focused narrowly on procedures as well but introduced conceptual discussions more often than students did surrounding the interactions. Comparing stories across GTAs instead of across categories revealed one GTA who, more often than other GTAs, used conceptual discussion and encouraged students' participation in the interactions.</p><p> The Issues Framework still needs continued refinement and testing. However, it represents a significant step toward understanding GTA-student interactions from the perspective of students' processes in physics problem solving.</p>
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Jeannin, Loise. "Professional Development Needs of Faculty Members in an International University in Thailand." Thesis, Walden University, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10065197.
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<p> In an international university in Thailand, with students coming from 92 different countries, faculty members reported a need for professional development (PD). The purpose of this study was to understand faculty members’ needs and preferences in the undergraduate department to help the administration offer appropriate PD programs. In accordance with the situated cognition theory, professional learning was approached as a social process embedded in workplace interactions. Research questions pertained to teachers’ perceptions about their learning needs, program preferences, and the relationship between PD and student learning outcomes. In this descriptive case study, data were collected from fulltime faculty members via a focus group of 5 participants and 8 individual face-to-face and email interviews. In accordance with a maximum variation sampling strategy, the sample included faculty members from varied academic and cultural backgrounds and diverse lengths of experience in the university. Thematic coding analysis revealed 4 themes: (a) a desire to learn specific content such as classroom management techniques, pedagogy for university-level students, assessment design, and instructional technology; (b) a desire to observe and apply new techniques to better engage diverse students in large classes; (c) a desire to learn collegially to share context-relevant information; and (d) expectations from the university administration. As a result of this study, tailored recommendations for this university were derived to contribute to social change. Appropriate PD programs can enable faculty members to hone their pedagogical skills and improve student learning experience in this multicultural setting.</p>
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Smith, Janeal Crane. "Patterns of One-Course Cohort Participation in Online Teacher Education Programs." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1865.
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Online higher education is a field that can benefit significantly from further research on innovative pedagogical methods designed to support students and decrease attrition rates. One method shown to improve engagement and retention of students in online environments is to include interactive engagement. This case study explored the patterns of students' interactions and assessment performance in an introductory teacher education one-course cohort. The study used a conceptual framework incorporating Bandura's social learning theory and Siemens' theory of connectivism. The study assessed archival data, from Adobe Connect recordings and records of competency pass rates, on the interactions and patterns of behavior between instructors and participants, and their association with the final assessment results. Data were analyzed by type and frequency of interaction, organized with NVivo software. The findings were that the pattern of understanding and applying level questions, as classified by Bloom's Revised Taxonomy, provoked the most responses, comments, and questions from the participants. Applying had the highest direct response and suggested an interpretation about online students wanting to respond to questions from instructors that prompt higher-level thinking skills and stimulate interactions. No patterns of behavior were evident between the student interactions and final assessment performance. The results indicate positive implications for social change in the role of the instructor to facilitate understanding and among participants who engage in positive learning interactions. The education profession could benefit from further research with a focus on content questioning best practices, retention methods, and the nature of social and learning interactions in online education.
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Sookhoo, Sharind Nadra Adine. "Practices in alternative teacher preparation programs in California." Scholarly Commons, 2014. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/16.
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The challenges of the Great Recession of 2008 have impacted the field of education to the point that many intern programs have ceased to exist. Alternative (or Intern) teacher preparation programs have also become an increasingly popular topic, especially since the term "highly qualified teachers" will soon be up for re-assessment. Concerns over the quality of teacher preparation programs have yet to yield conclusive results and seems to be an unending debate. This study has provided a glimpse into two intern programs and the process by which these programs have evolved. There were 6 major themes that emerged out of this study: Communication & Collaboration, Support, Financial Influences, Individual Dynamics, Beyond Curriculum and How Programs have Evolved to Remain Current. This study described participant perspectives that relate only not how these two intern programs survived during the challenging economic crisis, but how they have managed to thrive. Efforts were made by each program to utilize low intern enrollment to their benefit by providing added supports and individualized programming to better meet the needs of interns/teachers in training. Three intern participants, two Intern program directors and four intern program instructors have provided their perceptions on their programs to illustrate a clearer picture of how their respective intern programs have evolved to remain current in this challenging economically turbulent time.
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May, Cathy Dianne. "Exploring Social Emotional Character Development Curricula in Teacher Education Programs in Wichita, Kansas." Thesis, Grand Canyon University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3637687.
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<p> In the spring of 2012, Kansas became the first state in the nation to integrate social, emotional, and character development (SECD) education into a set of state standards to heighten Kansas' K-12 students' academic and life skills, thus requiring all current and future teachers to be versed in this type of education. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how department leaders and professors of teacher-education programs in Wichita, Kansas, perceived a restructured SECD teaching curriculum was necessary to enhance their preservice teacher curriculums. Two research questions and four sub-questions explored perceptions of the three department leaders and four professors from each faculty of Wichita's three teacher-education departments regarding the significance and necessity of Kansas' new social, emotional, character development (SECD) state standards. Data were collected via an online questionnaire, personal interviews, and departmental documents. Assimilated results between the three departments were mixed. The emergence of three themes centered on the lack of knowledge of the new standards, the use and integration of dispositions, and the importance of strong leadership. All respondents indicated the significance of the new standards, with respondents from two of the departments alluding to the possibility of the new standards being integrated at some future point into their curriculums. The implications for this study, which was the first of its kind in Kansas, supported both the significance and necessity for the new state SECD standards, and the importance of strong leadership in higher education when making curricular changes and adjustments.</p>
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Le, T. (Thi). "Down to earth teachers:a case study on teacher-student relationship in higher education in Finland." Master's thesis, University of Oulu, 2014. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-201405161404.
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Teacher-student relationship is a significant factor impacting teaching and learning in any level. However, it has been neglected in research. It has been ignored particularly in higher education thinking that it is not so important when teaching adults. Especially at present when efficiency and neoliberal views seem to dominate higher education, human relations and their influence on learning has not been of great interest to researchers. The relationship might be particularly important to international students who come from different contexts and have no network of relations in the country where they study.
The aim for this research is to look into the diverse views of international students about their Finnish higher education. It should shed light on the following question and sub-questions:
Main question:
How do international students describe the teacher-student relationship in a Finnish University?
Sub-questions:
1. What have students experienced positive and challenging in the student-teacher relationship in Finland?
2. How do students view an ideal teacher-student relationship in the context of higher education?
The context of the research is Finland and more specifically, two universities. The research was a qualitative case study and data was collected with thematic interviews from seven international students from University of Oulu and University of Jyväskylä. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
The four aspects of teacher-student relationship: body, caring, power and cultural aspects form the theoretical framework of the study. Using case study as the research method, this study unveils, firstly, that compared to their previous experience, informants find their relationship with teachers informal. This informality is identified through teachers’ “down-to-earth” characteristics, through caring and by students having equal power relations with teachers.
Secondly, the teaching methods are more associated with student-centeredness. Thirdly, informal teacher-student relationship is reflected in student-centered teaching methods. Besides the need for more positive feedback, informants share that calling teachers by their first name is a challenging experience. In addition, too much student-centeredness might lose its significant positive impact. There should be a balance between teacher-centered and student-centered methods and the teachers should take into account that students in an international group come from very diverse backgrounds. Finally, what contributes to an ideal teacher-student relationship varies from one informant to another, but in general, a good relationship is a combination of both cognitive and affective aspects of the act of teaching and learning.