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The bulk of research on teacher knowledge has taken place in elementary and secondary school settings. The goal of this study was to examine teacher knowledge in higher education by asking: (1) what types of knowledge are drawn upon in teaching in higher education and (2) Are there differences in the knowledge drawn upon by inexperienced (M = 5.77, SD = 2.8 years teaching), experienced (M = 18.79, SD = 7.36 years teaching), and professors who have won teaching awards (M = 19,50, SD = 7.60 years teaching)? Participants were selected at random from published lists of university faculty. Questionnaires were mailed to 500 potential respondents asking them to recall and describe two memorable teaching incidents and then rate their response, using a Likert-type scale, to a series of items based on descriptions of teacher knowledge found in the literature. They indicated the extent to which they considered each item, and the extent to which they felt they had been influenced by knowledge of the item at the time of the incident. Finally, respondents answered questions about their teaching background. A total of 102 completed questionnaires were returned. Principal components analysis (PCA) resulted in a four factor solution describing the knowledge drawn upon. Factors were (1) pedagogical content knowledge, (2) current knowledge of learners, (3) knowledge of content, and (4) knowledge of learners' background and appropriate pedagogy. Definitions of the four factors were generated using PCA results and descriptions of the incidents selected based on factor coefficient scores. Stepwise multiple regression was used to determine variables that best predict factor scores. Overall, no differences were found between the factor scores of inexperienced, experienced, and award-winning professors. Results indicated differences in the definitions of particular types of teacher knowledge in higher education that broaden the definitions found in the literature. Results also indicated

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between scores of the new teachers' classroom effectiveness with numerical indexes of mentor support, mentor infrastructure, and workplace ecology. In addition, this study sought to determine the effect of various demographics (i.e., gender, age, race, degree, teaching level, and certification route) on the Classroom Effectiveness Index (CEI) scores of first-year teachers, and to determine the differences, if any, between the Classroom Effectiveness Index scores of first-year teachers who remained on campus, switched campuses, or left the district. This study is primarily correlational in nature - looking for relationships between quantifiable variables. The subjects are 68 first-year teachers. The mandatory mentoring program the subjects were involved in consisted of a paid, veteran teacher who worked on the same campus as the first-year teacher and assisted in instructional or behavioral needs. This study measured the impact of the first-year teachers' mentoring experiences to the Classroom Effectiveness Index scores and teacher retention. The findings suggest that the Classroom Effectiveness Index scores might not be an appropriate tool for uncovering which aspects of mentoring contribute to student achievement and retention. Adding the value-added measurement tool to the categories of mentor support (MS), mentor infrastructure (MI), and workplace ecology (WE), rendered no statistically significant results. Therefore, further research is necessary to continue to define the effective characteristics of mentoring and its impact on classroom effectiveness and retention.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education