The purpose of this study was to analyze the extent of instructors at TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Department of Foreign Languages regard in-service training programs crucial for their professional development. Another aspect of the study was to identify the professional needs of the instructors teaching preparatory classes as well as to determine the preferred instructional methods of an INSET program. The final aim of the study was to determine whether there are statistically significant differences between novice and experienced instructors regarding their needs and expectation of an in-service training program.The study was conducted among thirty-nine instructors who are teaching preparatory classes at TOBB ETU, DFL. The chairperson of the DFL also took part in the study. Data from the 39 instructors were collected through questionnaires which were developed to uncover the opinions of instructors in terms of the characteristics of effective in-service training programs, to identify the needs of the instructors and determine the instructional methods preferred in-service training program. The questionnaires included both Likert scale and open-ended items. Moreover, 50-minute lessons of 10 instructors were video recorded. Video recordings aimed to identify the needs of the instructors that should be addressed through an in-service training program. Finally, interviews were conducted with 10 instructors whose classes were video recorded. The aim of the interviews was to enable the instructors to reflect on the findings of the questionnaires and the video recordings. Another interview was conducted with the chairperson of the DFL to uncover to what extent his perceptions about in-service training activities correlate with those of the instructors. Data collected through the instruments were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Close-ended items were analyzed via the SPSS program and mean scores for each item were calculated besides an independent sample t-test. The qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The results of the study revealed that the instructors believe INSET is crucial for their professional development, they would like to keep on track with new developments in the field of ELT and participate in seminars and conferences as part of INSET programs. In terms of the professional needs, it was found that instrcutors need to be trained on teaching speaking skills and pronunciation, written and oral correction, promoting student autonomy, dealing with classroom management problems, teaching mixed-ability groups, raising language awareness of students and reflecting on their own experience. The t-test results demonstrated that there was a statistical significance between the answers of novice and experienced instructors concerning being trained in &lsquo / teaching vocabulary,&rsquo / &lsquo / teaching grammar&rsquo / and &lsquo / improving in written and oral correction strategies.&rsquo / It was found that experienced teachers are particularly interested in training sessions on teaching grammar, teaching vocabulary, and improving written and oral correction strategies. As a result of the findings, an ongoing INSET program model was proposed for the Department of Foreign Languages at TOBB ETU.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: . Adviser: Renee Clift. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-210) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Language Education, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Feb. 10, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: . Adviser: Larry J. Mikulecky.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: . Advisers: Erica McClure; Wayne Dickerson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 174-183) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

<p> Nursing shortage in the United States has led to difficulties in the orientation of new nurses in critical care units. Preceptors are experienced nurses who possess the necessary skills in the care of patients with complex problems but do not necessarily posses the required teaching skills. </p><p> New graduate nurses are hired to bridge the gap in staffing shortage and look upon preceptors as role models and mentors. When preceptors assume the role of teacher and mentor they need to demonstrate the necessary characteristics for effectively imparting knowledge and skills to new nurses. A preceptor training program is designed by some hospitals as a strategy to provide preceptors with the necessary guidance in the supervision of nurse orientees. Other hospitals do not provide preceptor training and depend solely on the clinical expertise of preceptors utilizing them as teachers and mentors. This study investigated the impact of preceptor training on the effectiveness of preceptors based on the core characteristics of effective teachers: teaching ability; nursing competence; evaluation; teacher personality; and interpersonal relationship. </p><p> Survey questionnaire developed by Knox and Mogan (1985) describing the core characteristics of effective teachers was used in the study. Sample participants were preceptors and orientees in critical care areas in four hospitals in New York. A quasi-experimental design was used in the study and data analyzed through correlation and multiple regression. </p><p> Keywords: preceptors. orientees, preceptor program, critical care</p>

<p> Teacher attrition is a central concern in the field of education. Although many factors contribute to teacher attrition, teacher personality styles contribute significantly to a teacher&rsquo;s decision to stay or leave the field. Retaining effective teachers remains a central priority for school districts today. When measuring teacher effectiveness, research has shown that teacher personality and the resulting relationship between students and teachers play in integral role in academic success. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study is to determine if significant differences exist in the personality styles between individuals who aspire to teach at varying levels. The study used the Millon Index of Personality Styles, <i>Revised</i> (MIPS <i>Revised</i>) as a tool to assess the Motivating Styles, Thinking Styles, and Behaving Styles of pre-service teachers (n = 127) in three Northeastern community colleges. Three groups of pre-service teachers were examined: those who aspire to teach at the Birth-2^nd grade level; those who aspire to teach at the 1st-6th grade level; and those who aspire to teach at the 7^th-12^th grade level. The MIPS <i>Revised</i> is a 180 item self-reporting tool used to identify personality characteristics in normally functioning adults. The study collected demographic information, including age, gender, and age level teaching aspiration, as well as information regarding each individual participant&rsquo;s personality style. Results of the study indicated no significant differences between the personality styles of individuals who aspire to teach at varying levels. The results of the study are discussed, and indicate the need for future exploration of pre-service teacher personality styles.</p>

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the notion of representation occurs within the context of prospective teachers' thinking about planning for instruction in mathematics. This study was designed to seek out patterns within the types of mathematical representations that preservice teachers use in designing lesson plans. Major goals of this study were to uncover aspects of how prospective teachers' knowledge develops in the area of mathematics instruction, with respect to representation. Specifically, this study sought to (1) determine the types and frequency of mathematical representations used by prospective teachers when designing lesson plans regarding various topics in K--8 mathematics and (2) ascertain any changes that occurred over the course of a semester with respect to the uses of representations as revealed in prospective teachers' lesson plans. The study involved thirty-two elementary education majors enrolled in a 15-week field-based mathematics methods course at a large southwestern university. The findings were reported by representation type, namely, concrete , linguistic, symbolic, semi-concrete, and contextual. From the initial to the final interval, the overall percentages of the: (a) concrete manipulative representation increased; (b) linguistic representation increased; (c) symbolic representation decreased; (d) semi-concrete pictorial and the contextual representations both remained more or less the same. Overall, the linguistic representation was the most used representation; specifically, the informational and/or procedural subcategory of the linguistic representation was used the most, and in contrast, the discourse subcategory of the linguistic representation was used the least. Five cases were developed to illustrate the preservice teachers' thinking individually and as a group with respect to the uses of mathematical representations on given topics in individual lesson plans and group lesson plans. The process of moving from individual planning to group planning indicated some degree of malleability with respect to the uses of mathematical representations. Ten individual cases were analyzed with respect to the initial and final intervals. Seven of the 10 cases showed results in which the preservice teachers' preconceptions regarding the use of mathematical representations evolved. These findings are discussed relative to their implications for research, practice, and teacher education.

Increasing interest in the quality of undergraduate education has led many U.S. institutions of Higher Education to focus their attention on the qualifications and careful preparation of Teaching Assistants (TAs) in general (Thornburg et al, 2000) and International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) in particular (Tang & Sandell, 2000), especially since the number of nonresident aliens in the graduate population has been rising steadily (Pae, 2001). This dissertation reports the findings of a study which investigated the proposition that when international graduate students are appointed International Teaching Assistants (ITAs), they need specific kinds of mentoring and support that differ from that of their counterparts, American Teaching Assistants (ATAs) because the issues applicable to ITAs encompass more than developing appropriate and efficient teaching behaviors. ITAs must also attend to their competencies regarding the English language, the American culture, and pedagogy, since their ability to communicate their knowledge as both graduate students and teaching assistants is sometimes limited by their competencies in the L2 language, culture, and pedagogy. This multi-case study evaluates the impact of an ITA Program on twenty-three ITAs as graduate students and teaching assistants, and offers an emic perspective on the teaching behaviors and communication skill changes ITAs experienced after participating in the optional semester-long ITA Development Program at the University of Arizona. This research study also provides an emic perspective on how ITAs see themselves in the different roles they perform, and it explores the ITAs' definitions and perceptions of teacher "effectiveness" together with those of their undergraduate students. The results of the analyses of data obtained via quantitative and qualitative methods indicate that the participants received positive benefits from the ITA Development Program and significantly improved their language, cultural and teaching competencies in L2. In addition, the findings show that upon completion of the program, ITAs felt more confident and better prepared to fulfill their multiple roles due to the customized support they received, which provided them with reassurance and encouragement throughout the mentoring process.

This teacher-researcher study examines the experiences of secondary students in a unique Upward Bound program exclusively for Native Americans. The study followed the reading and writing experiences of these students during a 2-year period. The focus of the dissertation is on the literacy experiences of students as they were exposed to a rich writing program that used culture as the invitation to literacy. The investigation follows both teacher researcher and students during the emergence of a transactional curriculum that closely followed the Indian Nations at Risk Task Force recommendations for Native American learners. The study enlisted 20 Native American students who were already participating in the Upward Bound program. This program was chosen because it was the only such program in the United States exclusively for Native American students. These students attended public high schools in Tucson, Arizona, or high schools on the Tohono O'odham reservation outside Tucson. The curriculum focus is on transactional literacy experiences and inquiry. These focuses and the concept of teacher as researcher provide the theoretical framework. This framework illuminates curriculum as it attempts to transform the educational experiences of Native American adolescents immersed in writing experiences rooted in Native American ways of viewing the world. This analysis of one distinctive writing class suggests that the often documented institutionally-produced factors that contribute to Native American adolescent failure and discontinuity in secondary writing settings can be overcome when Native American culture is not only valued, but embraced as the focus of literacy in school. This dissertation provides insights into the uniqueness of Native American school experiences and extends the current body of literature on Native American education by considering culture as the invitation into literacy and the teacher as change agent. This study also asks others to pick up the torch. Finally, teacher researcher generated recommendations provide an opportunity for teachers themselves to begin the process of changing the discontinuity of learning often felt by Native Americans in their own classrooms. These recommendations include five conditions for an emerging curriculum: (a) creating space for transactional dialogues, (b) sharing responsibility, (c) trusting inquiry, (d) using multiple sign systems, and (e) accessing personal and social ways of knowing. We need not wait for institutional change to make a difference. As has often been stated in educational research, the teacher makes the difference.

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