Primary teachers in the United States accept responsibility for teaching children how to read, and the instruction they provide results in reading proficiency for approximately 37% of students. Although researchers have established a relationship between teacher-related factors and students' performance in reading, they have not yet been able to identify the combination of teacher characteristics that best predicts teachers' intention to provide evidence-based reading instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among teacher knowledge, teacher beliefs, and intention to provide evidence-based reading instruction using a conceptual framework that integrated the theory of planned behavior with the implicit theory of intelligence. An online survey was used to gather data from a convenience sample of 37 primary teachers in the United States to examine characteristics effective reading teachers have in common. The results of multiple regression analysis indicated different patterns for different groups of readers. For beginning readers, teachers' behavioral beliefs was the only significant predictor of intention to provide evidence-based reading instruction. For struggling readers, teacher knowledge of reading disabilities was the only significant predictor of intention. This study provided additional evidence of deficits in teachers' knowledge of basic language concepts and reading disabilities. Identifying teacher characteristics that influence students' reading proficiency outcomes may inform efforts to improve professional development and teacher preparation programs to better support and prepare teachers to ensure successful reading outcomes for all children.

In contrast to the diversity of students, the implementation of federal policies has created a push for standardization in pedagogy and curriculum that serve culturally and linguistically diverse students. Effects include narrowing of curriculum and pedagogy, proliferation of prescriptive literacy programs, increased high-stakes testing, and negative effects on teachers’ identity, autonomy, and desire to teach. Simultaneously, teaching prospective teachers how to construct culturally relevant curriculum and pedagogy is emphasized as a vital part of teacher preparation. However, research shows that even when teachers leave programs with preparation for culturally relevant teaching, initial jobs and local contexts shape and constrain teachers’ ideologies, agency, goals, and practice connected to teaching diverse students. In response to research, this study was designed to investigate how novice Teach For America teachers with an espoused culturally relevant pedagogy ideology implement a scripted literacy program in urban classrooms. A multiple case study design guided data collection and analysis. Data collection included interviews, observations, observation debriefs, visual representations, documents, and teaching artifacts. The data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach and Grounded Theory techniques. These teachers were constrained and influenced by several institutional and contextual factors, yet were able to negotiate their educational beliefs with the requirements of their mandated scripted literacy program to enact tenets of culturally relevant teaching. The findings suggest teacher preparation programs need to have a conceptual framework embedded in coursework and field experiences that empowers beginning teachers to negotiate the sociopolitical constraints of their school context to meet the needs of students.

Current reform in mathematics teaching and learning is rooted in a changing vision of school mathematics, one that includes constructivist learning, student-centered pedagogy, and the use of worthwhile tasks (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989, 1991, 2000). This changing vision not only challenges teachers’ beliefs about mathematics instruction but their philosophies of mathematics as well (Dossey, 1992). This study investigates the processes that four teachers’ go through as they implement a new task-based mathematics curriculum while exploring their personal philosophies of mathematics. The participants were part of a graduate-level course that examined, through the writings of Davis and Hersh (1981), Lakatos (1976), Polya (1945/1973), and others, a humanist/fallibilist philosophy of mathematics. These participants shared, through reflective writings and interviews, their struggles to, first, define mathematics and its purpose in society and in schools, and second, to reconcile their views of mathematics with their instructional practices. The study took place as the participants, two classroom teachers and two instructional coaches, engaged in the initial implementation of a reform mathematics curriculum, a reform based in social constructivist learning theories. Using narrative analysis, this study focuses on the unique mathematical stories of four experienced educators. Each of the participants initially expressed a traditional, a priori view of mathematics, seeing mathematics as right/wrong, black/white, a subject outside of human construction. The participants’ expressed views of mathematics changed as they attempted to align their personal philosophies of mathematics with their (changing) classroom practices. They shared their personal struggles to redefine themselves as mathematics teachers through a process of experimentation, reflection, and adaptation. This process was echoed in their changing philosophies of mathematics. These participants came to see mathematics as fluid and a human construct; they also came to see their philosophies of mathematics as fluid and ever-changing, a process more than a product.

The present study investigates three teacher trainees and three teachers’ views on error correction during oral communication, and the similarities and differences between them. These six people were interviewed separately and they were asked six questions; the first five questions were asked to all six people but the last question differed between the teacher trainees and the teachers. My result shows that the teacher trainees are insecure when it comes to error correction and that the teachers´ sees it as a part of their job, and that is the biggest difference between them. The teacher trainees and the teachers focus on the same types of errors and those are the errors that can cause problems in communication, and that can be pronunciation errors, grammatical errors or vocabulary errors.

This descriptive, correlational study investigated small learning community campuses‘ teachers‘ perceptions and traditional high school campuses‘ teachers‘ perceptions of eight factors as measured by the Cultural Awareness and Beliefs Inventory (CABI): (1) cultural awareness, (2) teacher beliefs, (3) school climate, (4) culturally responsive classroom management, (5) home and community support, (6) curriculum and instruction strategies, (7) cultural sensitivity, and (8) teacher efficacy. Further, the statistical differences between teachers‘ perceptions were explored as related to ethnicity and gender. The relationship between teachers‘ perceptions as measured by the CABI and student achievement as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Ninth Grade Reading Test was examined. The data were collected from eight secondary campuses in a large urban school district in the southwest United States: four small learning community campuses and four traditional high school campuses. This descriptive, correlational study of ninth grade teachers‘ perceptions of cultural awareness and beliefs yielded unexpected results when delineated by the campus group in which the teacher was employed. The data found statistically significant differences between Small Learning Community campuses‘ and Traditional High School campuses‘ teachers‘ perceptions of school climate by campus group, by ethnicity and campus group, and finally by gender and campus group. Two additional factors of the CABI reported statistically significant difference when delineated by ethnicity: cultural awareness and teacher efficacy. The relationships between teachers‘ perceptions of the eight factors and the TAKS for ninth grade reading reported negative correlations for the small learning campus groups‘ teachers and a mixed results for the traditional high school campus groups‘ teachers with five negative correlations and three positive correlations for HCS, CI, and CS. In the final analysis, these results countered the expected responses given the research on small learning communities.

The purpose of this study was to investigate four in-service physics teachers&rsquo / beliefs related to Turkish High School Physics Curriculum (THSPC) and to what extent these beliefs are reflected in their instructional practices. Data were collected through interviews, classroom observations and an open-ended questionnaire. Teachers&rsquo / responses to interview questions showed that they believed that teaching physics according to the THSPC helped students use their skills, become interested in physics lessons, relate physics to their daily life and have a permanent knowledge. Besides, teachers believe that they can teach physics according to the THSPC generally by giving examples from daily life and creating a discussion environment. The data obtained from classroom observations showed that the beliefs of teachers about how to teach physics according to the THSPC were reflected in their instructional practices. Teachers&rsquo / responses to open-ended questionnaire showed that teachers believed the necessity of attainment of majority of the skill objectives in the THSPC by students. However, they do not consider that students can attain many of the problem solving and information and communication skills. The data obtained from classroom observations showed that they seldom attempted to help students attain them or they never attempted. The data gathered from interviews and an open questionnaire showed that there were some factors that influence teachers&rsquo / instructional practices according to the THSPC. For example, they believe that students&rsquo / interest in physics lessons and teacher&rsquo / s opportunity to give more examples about daily life made their teaching physics according to the THSPC easy. However, they believe that university entrance exam, inadequacy of laboratory environment and lesson hours, students&rsquo / low economic status and lack of information and communication technologies affected their teaching physics according to the THSPC negatively.

The purpose of this case study was to examine how three undergraduate, preservice foreign language teachers' motives, sense of teacher identity, use and appropriation of teaching resources developed during the student teaching experience. Central to this study was an examination of participants’ beliefs about language learning and teaching, their motivations as language learners and teachers, and beliefs about target language use. Data were collected using student teachers’ interviews, blogs, lesson plans, and artifacts design from the student teachers. The cooperating teachers and a university supervisor were also interviewed. Triangulation and case study analysis (Merriam, 2009; Stake, 1995; Yin, 2009) revealed patterns in the student teachers’ backgrounds such as their successes as language learners, their high levels of motivation to become language teachers, and their desire to use a good deal of target language in teaching. Results indicated that the student teaching experience was highly impacted by individual differences among the student teachers, the role of the cooperating teacher and context of the host classroom, and the requirements of the student teaching program. The student teachers were highly reflective on their teaching beliefs and professional identity development throughout the student teaching experience and all three participants identified clear goals for their first teaching job. Additionally, the requirements of the university and certification considerations caused the participants to emphasize target language, cultural knowledge, and teaching behaviors during their student teaching experience. / text

Today's classrooms have a significant diversity of learners who are expected to engage in similar academic activities and meet common standards of academic competency irrespective of their individual differences. As a result, for many students, school is a challenging endeavor that elicits emotional responses ranging from low self-efficacy to frustration, stress and anxiety. Research has shown that factors such as students' motivation and teachers' beliefs are important influencers of classroom achievement. These factors determine students' persistence towards their academic goals as well as the standards teachers set. This report reviews the literature on major constructs of motivation and teacher beliefs specifically with different learners, that is second language learners and students with learning disabilities. A proposal of a synthesis model is offered, with the primary objective of depicting the influence of teacher beliefs and student motivation on learning process and performance outcomes among different learners. / text

This study investigates the teaching practices that three Grade 9 Applied Mathematics teachers use to increase student engagement and enhance student learning. Specifically, the study examines the factors within social and academic domains that teachers used to increase student engagement. Qualitative data were collected in the form of teacher interviews, classroom observations and teacher journals. The evidence from the study shows that all three teachers were cognizant of attributes of their early adolescent learners as the teachers sought to increase student engagement in their Grade 9 Applied Mathematics classes. Six major findings as suggested by the case studies can be summarized as follows: (1) developing student self-confidence is a critical component of increasing student engagement for early adolescent learners; (2) teachers may focus on one domain more than the other as a result of their personal comfort with that domain; (3) domains for student engagement and the factors found within these domains are not independent; (4) the Ontario Ministry of Education’s TIPS4RM resource is an effective way to increase student engagement; (5) technology is also an effective and relevant way to increase student engagement; and (6) the use of a framework for student achievement may support teachers efforts to increase student engagement. Implications from this study suggest that teachers should consider a variety of factors to increase student engagement in the Grade 9 Applied Mathematics class. Teachers can consider characteristics of their early adolescent learners, and factors for social and academic engagement. Teachers will favour approaches that parallel their personality and values and efforts in one factor may support another factor of student engagement. Suggestions for areas of further research are included at the end of the study.

This study investigates the teaching practices that three Grade 9 Applied Mathematics teachers use to increase student engagement and enhance student learning. Specifically, the study examines the factors within social and academic domains that teachers used to increase student engagement. Qualitative data were collected in the form of teacher interviews, classroom observations and teacher journals. The evidence from the study shows that all three teachers were cognizant of attributes of their early adolescent learners as the teachers sought to increase student engagement in their Grade 9 Applied Mathematics classes. Six major findings as suggested by the case studies can be summarized as follows: (1) developing student self-confidence is a critical component of increasing student engagement for early adolescent learners; (2) teachers may focus on one domain more than the other as a result of their personal comfort with that domain; (3) domains for student engagement and the factors found within these domains are not independent; (4) the Ontario Ministry of Education’s TIPS4RM resource is an effective way to increase student engagement; (5) technology is also an effective and relevant way to increase student engagement; and (6) the use of a framework for student achievement may support teachers efforts to increase student engagement. Implications from this study suggest that teachers should consider a variety of factors to increase student engagement in the Grade 9 Applied Mathematics class. Teachers can consider characteristics of their early adolescent learners, and factors for social and academic engagement. Teachers will favour approaches that parallel their personality and values and efforts in one factor may support another factor of student engagement. Suggestions for areas of further research are included at the end of the study.