What do we hope to teach in teaching literature, and how can we best serve that purpose? These are questions that are no less urgent than they are fundamental, and should, in fact, be constantly in our minds as we engage in our practice. This discussion will entail a conversation between the theories behind, and the process of, teaching literature to adolescents, with a series of observations and thoughts rooted in specific texts and classes. I will start by querying how we define our mission, and then situate this debate in its historical context. I will look at how current influences are affecting this mission, before examining in a more granular sense how we attempt to trace progress and process. I will root this discussion in both theory and practice, utilizing my own teaching and extant student artifacts. I will argue that the elliptical nature of the process means that our assessment must be multifaceted, and that a mirror elliptical approach on our end can yield richer understandings, for both teacher and students.

This was an exploratory case study which focused on international students' experiences in higher education. In particular, this study investigated the efficacy of uncertainty reduction theory in communication classrooms. The research asked four exploratory questions: (a) What are the students’ perceptions of the teacher/student relationship? (b) Do international students experience uncertainty in communication classrooms? (c) If uncertainty is experienced, what is its source(s)? (d) If uncertainty is experienced, do students seek to reduce it, and if so, how? A phenomenological perspective was utilized in this study as the organizing, theoretical framework. Relevant literature on uncertainty reduction theory was reviewed as well as literature specific to international education, the communication classroom, the role of the teacher, and teacher self-disclosure. Focus group interviews, individual interviews, and member checks were conducted with international students who had taken communication classes at Portland State University in the 1998-1999 academic year. Using a set of analytic measures, 21 initial categories were identified and subsequently collapsed into 4 key categories: international education, teacher/student relationship, uncertainty in the communication classroom, and approaches to managing uncertainty. Based on analyses of the data, this study revealed findings significant to understandings of both international education and uncertainty reduction theory. First, a model of classes within international education was derived from the data and served to deepen understandings of international education, in particular the international students’ perceptions of classes across countries. Second, this research tested the extant claims of uncertainty reduction theory and raised questions regarding its conceptualization. The data revealed that the students' definitions of uncertainty and uncertainty reduction differed from those previously postulated, resulting in the formulation of new definitions. Also, context was found to strongly influence students' experiences of uncertainty; the context of the classroom not only determined the sources of uncertainty, but also influenced how uncertainties were coped with when they were not reduced. These alternative understandings of uncertainty reduction theory are significant as they could aid in further research that explores the theory’s extant claims.

The current study developed a comprehensive theoretical framework of joint multiple contextual influences (JMCI framework) to guide empirical investigation of combine influences of social contexts on children's academic outcomes. Drawn from several general frameworks, four models of joint social influences were proposed: Independent, Interactive, Differential, and Sequential. Using a motivational framework, all four models were tested empirically for joint effects of parents and teachers on children's self-perceptions (relatedness, competence, and autonomy) and classroom engagement. Overall, this study provided some empirical support for every category of models proposed in the JMCI framework. The joint influences of parents and teachers on children's self-perceptions were mostly independent and unique. Most joint influences were additive: one social context couldn't buffer or amplify the effects of the other context. Only joint effects of Non-Supportive parents and Supportive teachers interacted in their influences on children's competence: Supportive teachers were able to safeguard and counterbalance the negative influences of Non-Supportive parents. The study also indicated that self-system processes are possible pathways through which parents and teachers exert their influences on children's academic engagement and that this influence depends on the age of the developing child. The study also suggested that children's engagement may be a mechanism that mediates the relationship between parents' and teachers' contexts.

This qualitative study investigated the use of instructor affinity-seeking through two distinct channels- face-to-face and e-mail- to understand the effects of and ways to improve out-of-class communication. This research explores the frequency and nature of interactions, sheds light on the preferred channels of communication, and reveals the effectiveness of instructor initiated affinity-seeking. Undergraduate students enrolled at a mid-sized private university were asked to participate in a series of focus groups. Focus group results indicated that students have minimal contact with faculty outside the class and mostly formal topics are discussed. Students reported that instructors were successful at gaining affinity by using appropriate nonverbal cues during face-to-face communication. In general, students reported that computer-mediated affinity-seeking was misunderstood and inappropriately presented. Results also illustrated which affinity-seeking strategies encouraged and hindered frequency of out-of-class communication.

No description available.

Extensive research has been done on leadership in the school system, but the nature of the concept's variations makes it difficult to grasp what good teacher leadership consists of. Teacher-student relationships are a fundamental part of teachers' professional practice and their significance for school practice cannot be neglected. A large part of the research on teachers' leadership is aimed at how leadership should be conducted through the organization of the classroom, towards an effective study environment. The question that arises in this study is instead how teachers' relational leadership is perceived and valued from the students' point of view. The purpose of the study is thus to investigate the importance of relational leadership from students' perspectives. This is done by interviewing six students from year two at a Swedish high school, and the empirical material is thereafter compared to a pre-constructed ideal type of relational leadership using PeRL. Through this approach, the study intends to contribute to the field of research on teacher leadership by examining and elucidating its relational dimension. Results suggest that teachers' relational leadership is highly important for students, and that students have a slightly different approach to relationships in school compared to research on the field. Furthermore, the study concludes that students must be involved in the discussion about the purpose of education to a greater extent, and that the conversation about teacher leadership should play a more prominent role at the school policy level.

No description available.

This study was conducted for the primary purpose of discovering the relationship of two personal variables to effective seminary teaching.It was hypothesized that:(1) There is no significant difference between seminary teachers whom the department considers as very effective (high-rated) and seminary teachers whose teaching effectiveness is questioned by the department (low-rated) in their ability to empathize with the self concept of their students.(2) there is no significant difference between seminary teachers who are high-rated and seminary teachers who are low-rated in their ability to sociempathise (perceive student's social status among peers).

Interest in teacher effectiveness and merit pay has continued to be a high priority for major stakeholders in the field of education as well as the public. The focus of this research was to test the hypothesis that the implementation of a classroom bonus plan would improve the observable attributes and behaviors of teaching that have been determined to be effective in improving student learning. Specifically, the study was conducted to measure intentional teacher-student interactions, classroom quality, environment and organization as well as emotional and instructional support in Pre-K classrooms as measured by Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). During a summer Voluntary PreK program, six eligible classroom teams (teacher and teacher assistant) were randomly divided into either a bonus or non-bonus group. A pre- and post-CLASS was completed on each classroom team of participants to evaluate the quality of their instruction. The CLASS score assesses team versus individual participation, resulting in a compiled score based on the performance of all classroom staff members, i.e., teacher and teacher assistant. There was no statistical significance of the CLASS post-assessment score between the bonus and non-bonus group. However, two of the four bonus group participant teams achieved the targeted scores needed to receive a bonus. None of the non-bonus group achieved the targeted score. Additionally, pre- and post-assessment data for the entire student population of the Agency Summer VPK program was examined. There was no significance in student post-assessment scores between the three groups (bonus, non-bonus, and nonparticipants)

This study considered the problem of the relationship between the self-concept of selected teachers and the achievement of the pupils taught by these teachers. This study sought to determine if pupils of teachers with high selfconcept showed statistically significant higher achievement than pupils of teachers with low self-concept. A secondary purpose was to determine if there were any significant differences in self-concept between teachers from the various subject areas selected for this study. Ignoring age, I.Q., and level of achievement, pupils were assigned to their classes. Only pupils in the sixth and eighth grades were used in the study. They became a part of a research group by being in the Monday, first period class of one of the selected teachers. The study was conducted during a twenty-six week interval spanning part of the fall, all of the winter, and part of the spring quarters. The Tennessee Self Concept Scale was administered to the selected group of teachers in October to establish a measure of the teachers' self-concept. Data generated by this test were treated by simple analysis of variance. The Iowa Test of 3. In mathematics, the indication of this study was that pupils of teachers with low self-concept performed better than did pupils of teachers with high self-concept. However, the data in this area was not statistically significant.