Abstract In a charter school in the Southwest United States, elementary students were struggling to attain proficiency in math and have been failing to meet the standards in math on the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards test. As a result, these students may not have been prepared for more advanced math courses as they continued their schooling, and this failure to attain proficiency in math may continue to impact the school's ability to make adequate yearly progress. The purpose of this explanatory case study was to explore the perspectives of elementary math teachers toward teaching math, their preparation to teach math, and the possible influences they may have on their students' math skills development. The theoretical framework was self-efficacy theory. Data were gathered through questionnaires completed by 5 participants teaching kindergarten through 5th grade and through the investigation of archival data of their students' achievement test scores. Emerging themes were coded to record and organize relevant information. The participants indicated that they did not feel prepared to teach elementary math when entering the classroom after their teacher preparation programs and that they want to gain more content knowledge and learn more strategies to teach math. Social change may occur as the elementary math teachers are given a voice concerning the teaching of math, and this voice could be used in producing staff development and improving instruction.

Les élèves qui présentent des problèmes de comportements extériorisés au primaire représentent un enjeu important pour l’école et la société québécoise, car ils sont plus à risque de rencontrer des difficultés d’adaptation psychosociales tout au long de leur parcours scolaire et en début d’âge adulte. Il est donc nécessaire d’étudier les facteurs du contexte scolaire qui en permettent le développement, le maintien et l’exacerbation, afin de trouver de nouveaux leviers d’intervention. Cette étude s’intéresse donc à l’épuisement professionnel des enseignants, un facteur susceptible d’influencer le comportement des élèves en classe, mais pour lequel encore peu de recherches ont été effectuées. À l’aide d’un devis longitudinal, l’objectif de cette étude était dans un premier temps d’examiner si l’épuisement professionnel des enseignants est associé à l’augmentation des problèmes de comportements extériorisés chez des élèves du 2e et 3e cycle du primaire, et, dans un deuxième temps, de déterminer si cette association est modérée par la qualité de la relation maître-élèves. Des analyses de régressions hiérarchiques ont été effectuées auprès de deux échantillons se différenciant uniquement par le caractère multiethnique des élèves qui composent l’un d’eux. Les données du premier échantillon ont été recueillies dans sept écoles primaires francophones de la Montérégie auprès de 735 élèves et de leurs 43 enseignants titulaires. Les données du second échantillon ont été recueillies dans cinq écoles primaires francophones de l’île de Montréal auprès de 616 élèves et de leurs 64 enseignants titulaires. Les résultats de cette étude suggèrent que l’épuisement professionnel des enseignants est associé à une augmentation des problèmes de comportements extériorisés chez les élèves. Les résultats ne permettent toutefois pas de conclure à un rôle modérateur généralisé de la relation maître-élèves. À la vue des résultats, nous suggérons que les psychoéducateurs puissent prévenir et atténuer les signes d'épuisement professionnel chez les enseignants, notamment par la pratique du rôle-conseil auprès des enseignants et de la direction, par l'animation d'ateliers de développement professionnel et par la mise en place de programmes d'interventions. / Students with externalized behavioral problems in elementary school represent an important issue for Québec schools and society. Indeed, they are more at risk to encounter psychosocial difficulties throughout their school career and at the start of their adulthood. Consequently, to find new possible interventions, it is necessary to study factors of school context that allow development, maintenance, and exacerbation of these behaviors. This study therefore focuses on teacher burnout, a factor that may influence student behavior in the classroom, but on which little research has been done. With a longitudinal design, the aim of this study was first to assess whether teacher burnout is associated with increase in externalized behavioral problems among students in 2nd and 3rd cycle of elementary school. Secondly, we aimed to determine if this association is moderated by the quality of the teacher-student relationship. Hierarchical regression analyzes were performed on two samples differing by their multiethnic composition. Data from the first sample were collected of 735 students and their 43 teachers, in seven francophone elementary schools of Montérégie. Data from the second sample were collected of 616 students and their 64 teachers, in five francophone elementary schools of Montréal. Results suggest that teacher burnout is associated with an increase in externalized behaviors among students. However, results do not allow to conclude a generalized moderating role of the teacher-student relationship. Implications of the results for research and psychoeducational practice are discussed. We suggest that psychoeducators can prevent and reduce the signs of professional burnout among teachers by practicing an advisory role with teachers and management, by leading professional development workshops and by setting up intervention programs.

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[pt] O presente estudo buscou identificar o conhecimento dos professores da Educação Infantil sobre Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA) e sobre Práticas Baseadas em Evidências (PBE) e a sua relação com as crenças de autoeficácia docente quanto ao trabalho com crianças com TEA. Os participantes da pesquisa foram 76 professoras regentes e adjuntas que atuam em Espaços de Desenvolvimento Infantil e/ou creches municipais do Rio de Janeiro. Trata-se de um estudo com delineamento quantitativo-qualitativo, no qual, além do questionário de caracterização dos participantes, foram utilizados a Escala de Autoeficácia para Professores de Alunos com Autismo (ASSET) e o questionário sobre Transtorno do Espectro Autista e de Práticas Baseadas em Evidências, com questões abertas e fechadas. Os instrumentos foram disponibilizados via formulário on-line, pela plataforma Google Formos, para que as professoras respondessem em um único momento. Os achados foram analisados em duas etapas: codificação das respostas abertas do questionário de TEA e PBE, de modo a gerar escores brutos da pontuação dos professores; e análises estatísticas dos escores brutos da escala ASSET e do conhecimento sobre TEA e PBE. Os resultados foram discutidos à luz do referencial teórico apresentando sobre conhecimento dos professores sobre autismo, PBE e autoeficácia docente. De uma maneira geral, os resultados referentes ao conhecimento sobre TEA apontaram que as professoras conhecem parcialmente e de forma limitada os aspectos que envolvem a definição e as características do transtorno. Em relação ao conhecimento sobre PBE, os resultados apontaram para o uso frequente de práticas comuns à rotina da sala de aula da Educação Infantil e, apesar de algumas participantes terem citado práticas que se encaixam em PBE e relatarem conhecer as práticas citadas nas perguntas fechadas, demonstraram não conhecer o que são PBE. No que se refere à crença de autoeficácia e ao conhecimento sobre TEA, os resultados apontaram que não existe correlação entre eles; ou seja, o nível do conhecimento teórico sobre o TEA não está relacionado a quanto o professor se sente capaz para lidar com esses alunos. Em contrapartida, existe uma correlação positiva e fraca entre a autoeficácia e o conhecimento sobre PBE, na qual observou-se que os professores que demonstraram se sentir mais confiantes, com maior crença de autoeficácia, tendem a conhecer práticas com evidências científicas. Estudos futuros que busquem verificar a existência de uma correlação entre o que os professores declararam ser capazes de realizar com alunos com TEA e o que de fato está presente nas suas práticas, podem ampliar os achados da presente pesquisa. Soma-se a isso a utilização de instrumentos mais robustos para verificar as fontes que estão envolvidas nas crenças de autoeficácia, de modo a identificar o quanto de esforço e empenho os docentes demandam para que suas práticas inclusivas com esses alunos aconteçam. Por fim, entendemos que uma das contribuições do nosso trabalho é enfatizar a escassez de instrumentos robustos para a identificação do conhecimento dos professores sobre TEA e PBE, além de apontar a importância de se pensar em programas de capacitação em serviço para os docentes que atuam em escolas de Educação Infantil, com o foco no conhecimento teórico e prático sobre o TEA que envolvam fontes de autoeficácia, como também evidenciar a urgência de políticas públicas que respaldem e orientem os professores quanto ao uso de PBE. / [en] This study sought to identify the knowledge of early childhood education teachers about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) and their relationship to teachers self-efficacy beliefs about working with children with ASD. The research participants were 76 regular and adjunct teachers who work in child development spaces and municipal daycare centers in Rio de Janeiro. It is a quantitative-qualitative study in which, in addition to the participant characterization questionnaire, we used the Likert-type Self-Efficacy Scale for Teachers of Students with Autism (ASSET) and the questionnaire on ASD and EBP, with open and closed questions. The instruments were made available via online form, through the Google Forms platform, for the teachers to answer in a single moment. The findings were analyzed in two stages: coding of the open-ended responses of the ASSET and EBP questionnaire to generate raw scores of the teachers scores; and statistical analyses of the raw scores of the ASSET scale and knowledge about ASSET and EBP. They were discussed in light of the theoretical framework presenting teachers knowledge about autism, PBE, and teachers sense of self-efficacy. In general, the results regarding knowledge about ASD indicated that our sample had partial and limited knowledge about the aspects involving the definition and characteristics of the disorder. Concerning the awareness about EBP, the results pointed to the frequent use of standard practices in the routine of the early childhood education classroom, and although some participants cited practices that fit into EBP and reported knowing the practices mentioned in the closed questions, the knowledge about EBP was low in our sample. Concerning the sense of self-efficacy and knowledge about ASD, the results indicated no correlation between them; that is, the level of theoretical knowledge about ASD is not related to how much the teacher feels able to deal with these students. In return, there is a positive and weak correlation between self-efficacy and knowledge about EBP, in which it was observed that teachers who felt more confident, with more self-efficacy beliefs, tended to know practices with scientific evidence. Future studies that seek to verify the existence of a correlation between what teachers claimed to be able to do with students with ASD and what is present in their practices may expand the findings of this research. In addition, more robust instruments should be used to verify the sources involved in self-efficacy beliefs and to identify how much effort and commitment teachers demand to make their inclusive practices with these students happen. Finally, we believe that one of the contributions of our work is to emphasize the scarcity of robust instruments to identify teachers knowledge about ASD and EBP and to point out the importance of thinking about in-service training programs for teachers who work in early childhood education schools, focusing on theoretical and practical knowledge about ASD, involving sources of self-efficacy. In addition, it highlights the urgency of public policies that support and guide teachers regarding EBP.

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Improvisation is a construct that uses a set of minimal heuristic guidelines to create a highly flexible scaffold that fosters extemporaneous communication. Scholars from diverse domains: such as psychology, business, negotiation, and education have suggested its use as a method for preparing professionals to manage complexity and think on their feet. A review of the literature revealed that while there is substantial theoretical scholarship on using improvisation in diverse domains, little research has verified these assertions. This dissertation evaluated whether improvisation, a specific type of dramatic technique, was effective for training pre-service teachers in specific characteristics of teacher-child classroom interaction, communication and affective skills development. It measured the strength and direction of any potential changes such training might effect on pre-service teacher’s self-efficacy for teaching and for implementing the communication skills common to improvisation and teaching while interacting with student in an inclusive classroom setting. A review of the literature on teacher self-efficacy and improvisation clarified and defined key terms, and illustrated relevant studies. This study utilized a mixed-method research design based on instructional design and development research. Matched pairs ttests were used to analyze the self-efficacy and training skills survey data and pre-service teacher reflections and interview transcripts were used to triangulate the qualitative data. Results of the t-tests showed a significant difference in participants’ self-efficacy for teaching measured before and after the improvisation training. A significant difference in means was also measured in participants’ aptitude for improvisation strategies and for self-efficacy for their implementation pre-/post- training. Qualitative results from pre-service teacher class iv artifacts and interviews showed participants reported beneficial personal outcomes as well as confirmed using skills from the training while interacting with students. Many of the qualitative themes parallel individual question items on the teacher self-efficacy TSES scale as well as the improvisation self-efficacy scale CSAI. The self-reported changes in affective behavior such as increased self-confidence and ability to foster positive interaction with students are illustrative of changes in teacher agency. Self-reports of being able to better understand student perspectives demonstrate a change in participant ability to empathize with students. Participants who worked with both typically developing students as well as with students with disabilities reported utilizing improvisation strategies such as Yes, and…, mirroring emotions and body language, vocal prosody and establishing a narrative relationship to put the students at ease, establish a positive learning environment, encourage student contributions and foster teachable moments. The improvisation strategies showed specific benefit for participants working with nonverbal students or who had commutation difficulties, by providing the pre-service teachers with strategies for using body language, emotional mirroring, vocal prosody and acceptance to foster interaction and communication with the student. Results from this investigation appear to substantiate the benefit of using improvisation training as part of a pre-service teacher methods course for preparing teachers for inclusive elementary classrooms. Replication of the study is encouraged with teachers of differing populations to confirm and extend results.