Typescript. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Mathematics is permeated with language; it appears in the form of new words and some old words with new meanings. There are new symbols to be able to read and consume; much information is presented in tabular or graphic form, and finally the language in a mathematics class has its own semantics, syntax and traditions of argumentation and expression. It is this language, used in the mathematics classroom, which students must absorb and develop fluency with--all while learning the mathematics expressed by this language. Traditionally, the language of mathematics has been overlooked in the classroom, as if students could learn it by just being exposed, rather than having explicit instruction. Numerous professional organizations have called for a focus on language in mathematics education, yet it appears that this important topic is overlooked in the classroom. This research project concentrated on developing a working definition of the language of mathematics and then, speculating that the reason teachers avoid teaching the language of mathematics, it developed the Language of Mathematics Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (LoMTES), a measurement instrument to measure teacher perceived self-efficacy regarding the teaching of the language of mathematics. Bandura's socio-cognitive theory was the guiding force in developing this instrument. Bandura indicates that self-efficacy is predictive--that teachers with high perceived self-efficacy on a topic are generally capable of teaching it, while teachers with low perceived self-efficacy on a topic tend to skip over the topic or teach it in a minimal way. Self-efficacy, however, is a changeable construct; thus, this instrument could be used to identify teachers with low perceived self-efficacy regarding the teaching of the language of mathematics, which would enable the mathematics education community to explore possible interventions designed to improve student learning by improving teacher perceived self-efficacy. / Graduation date: 2004

Graduation date: 1994

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide an overview of teachers’ expectations of teachers’ performance appraisal (TPA) in Hong Kong secondary schools. Due to the implementation of School-based Management in 2000, all schools in Hong Kong were advised to implement TPA for long-term advancement and development. In other words, TPA seems to be a crucial practice for schools in Hong Kong nowadays. In this research, two secondary schools with different school cultures are the main focus to study. 85 teachers in these two schools were invited to provide their views by means of questionnaire. Besides, seven interviewees were selected to provide further details about their thoughts concerning TPA. Two of them are Principals of the two schools, one of them is the Assistant Principal, one is the Senior Graduate Master, one is Senior Assistant Master and the remaining two are Graduate Mistress and Graduate Master. In this research, respondents were asked to express their opinions towards four areas, namely, the purposes of TPA, the design of TPA, the relationship between appraisers and TPA, and the follow-up work of TPA. From the research findings, it is found that the main purposes of TPA, according to the respondents, are related to helping teachers improve their teaching and for accountability. For the design of TPA, most respondents are satisfied with the present design of TPA in their schools and it is carried out in a fair and objective way. Concerning the relationship between appraisers and TPA, the respondents think that the appraisers are professional enough for making the whole process reasonable and objective. When asking about the follow-up of TPA, most respondents reply that they do treasure the TPA results for the sake of making further improvement at work. It is hoped that after conducting this research, light could be shed on how the different school cultures influence the thoughts of staff towards TPA and also, the effectiveness of TPA. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

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This study focuses on students’ perceptions of the characteristics of quality teachers. A total of 448 students enrolled in high performing schools in 10 mostly urban school districts participated in focus group interviews during which groups of students in elementary, middle school, and high school were presented with the question, “What are the characteristics of quality teachers?” Student responses were recorded and analyzed using the three steps of Grounded Theory. Six characteristics of quality teachers emerged from the data. Student responses for each subgroup (elementary, middle school, and high school) were analyzed to determine the prevalence of each emergent characteristic among and between subgroups; each characteristic was then compared between subgroups to isolate intersecting and salient characteristics. Emergent characteristics were cross referenced to existing research on quality teacher traits to identify congruent as well as emergent descriptions of quality teachers. The goal of this study was to illuminate students’ voices by bringing their perspectives into the discourse of what constitutes quality teaching. / text

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

No description available.