This study sought to further understanding of EFL teachers’ knowledge of speaking assessment and how their knowledge informs their speaking assessment practices in classrooms. Based on a socio-cultural perspective, the present study aimed at investigating EFL novice teachers’ current knowledge and practice of speaking assessment in a Libyan secondary school context. The study is based on the interpretive paradigm and adopted social constructionism as a philosophical stance. Quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were employed in two sequential phases. The findings of this study indicated that EFL novice teachers’ current knowledge of speaking assessment is complex and that was reflected in the different ways these teachers interpreted the concept of speaking assessment and in the ways they expressed their beliefs and values regarding how speaking assessment needs to be or is implemented in the classroom settings. Three main issues regarding teachers’ knowledge of speaking assessment emerged from the data. The first issue is that these teachers, although showing some variability in their knowledge and practice, seem to base their assessment practice on a view of spoken language being more about linguistic content than communicative effect. Secondly, that they mostly seem to afford more importance to summative assessment than to formative assessment. Thirdly, they have a view of assessment that focuses on the content to be assessed rather than on the process of assessment. The findings also indicated that while teachers refer to contextual factors that influence how they implement their knowledge into practice, their understanding of the notion of assessment seems to have more influence on their implementation of speaking assessment as process than that of the context. That is, their current understandings of the notion of spoken language seem to contribute to their current practice of speaking assessment. Also of significance are the participants’ views of the role of context. The results showed that although contexts are similar in some aspects, especially those related to institutional factors, teachers’ views show the uniqueness of the context, especially in the light of the unanticipated social, political and institutional changes. The implications of this study suggest that these EFL novice teachers’ current knowledge of language and of assessment goes beyond factual knowledge to their perceptions of language and their understandings of the purpose of assessment. They also suggest that context plays a role on their current knowledge and practice of speaking assessment. Thus, this study provides further understanding that what these teachers know and how they use their knowledge in practice arises from a complex interweaving of context and individual understandings.

This thesis explores teachers' current knowledge and practice about classroom assessment processes in the Mauritian primary schools and reports the results of a case study, the data of which were collected during the three terms of the school year in 1998 from four primary schools that included thirty-five teachers. The interest of the case study is not to appraise the teachers' work or the school in any way; rather it is to accurately describe classroom assessment practices within the context of Mauritian primary schools. The research addresses three main questions: why teachers conduct classroom assessment, how it is conducted and what is assessed. The findings of the study indicate that teachers assess their pupils for three main reasons: providing feedback to the pupils and to themselves, reviewing the teaching methods and for diagnostic purposes. Another minor purpose noted is for communicating information to Parents. Questioning and observation are the two methods most common in the conduct of classroom assessment. Questioning techniques are mostly closed ones, with a view to seeking a specific answer from the pupils. Teachers interpret the information collected with reference to three general standards: criterion -referenced, norm-referenced and self-referenced. In general, the findings indicate that teachers' practices are oriented more towards the traditional pedagogy in terms of emphasis on the lower level objectives, whole class teaching and focusing on the product. No provision is made for the able or the less able. All the pupils are treated the same and are given the same tasks. Almost a decade after the introduction and implementation of the Learning Competencies and the scheme for Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation, it is found that Mauritian primary teachers do not have the relevant training in assessment to fully apply the progressive reforms. Despite the education system being very centralised, it seems that teachers assess their pupils independently and without any support from the government. There is no monitoring, moderating or policing of policies. Assessment practices are derived from their habit and ideology rather than from the official directives.

The purpose of this study was threefold: (a) to explore teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about inquiry within an inclusive classroom, (b) to determine teachers’ perceptions of the influence of inquiry within their practice, (c) to examine teachers’ challenges and barriers to implementing inquiry within an inclusive classroom. This in-depth case study employed interviews, observations, and focus group discussions to gather qualitative data concerning this phenomenon. The participants included three science teachers (two elementary, one middle school) and one middle school Social Studies and English Language Arts (ELA) teacher. This study took place at a private school in a suburban area in a Midwestern city in the United States. The study findings showed the complexity of understanding teachers’ perceptions and how teachers’ beliefs conflicted with their practice. Teachers held different views about the meaning of inquiry and most lacked a solid understanding of the process of inquiry; this could be attributed to a lack of relevant professional development during their preparation program or education. Some teachers believed that having students with different abilities and skill levels was more challenging than implementing inquiry. However, most of the teachers were unsure about what inquiry was. The science teachers expressed more sustentative substantive challenges with implementing inquiry, standards, and literacy. The results of this study suggest that educators clarify the meaning of inquiry and simplify the process of implementing it with the assistance of definitive professional development. Teacher educators need to provide a course for teaching methods that implement inquiry in conjunction with inclusive education to especially improve science education. When implementing inquiry, teachers need to recognize the importance of challenging students to think by providing critical-thinking questions in a non-threatening way.

Literacy is an important phenomenon in all societies today. Nations around the world put in a great deal of effort and allocate a lot of funding for educational purposes to improve literacy rates of children and to help them to become literate citizens so that they can function better in society. Studies of teacher education in the United States have shown that many of the in-service teachers lack the basic foundation of linguistic constructs needed to improve literacy skills in elementary classrooms. Further, it has been shown that students who were taught by teachers with a linguistic background performed better on reading, writing, and spelling skills than those children who were taught by teachers without such a linguistic background. These studies have recommended better teacher training programs that incorporate classes to specifically teach linguistic constructs. However, there are various factors that may affect literacy development in school children, such as family background and number of books available at home. The majority of these studies have been conducted in the United States and what is true for the U.S. may not be true for other countries. The purpose of this study is to examine the linguistic knowledge of elementary classroom teachers and how it impacts children’s achievement in literacy skills in the North West region of Cameroon where English is the predominant language of instruction in schools. Data were collected from 100 primary school teachers and 200 third grade children from the rural and urban regions, then analyzed using independent t-tests at a 0.05 level of significance. Overall the teachers exemplified a lack of linguistic knowledge; however, when comparing rural to urban, the urban teacher’s linguistic knowledge was significantly higher. Similarly, the children’s results also revealed a higher performance rate from the urban children. Based on the results it is recommended that teacher preparatory programs should foster content and pedagogic expertise and include essential features in literacy instruction. The quality of teachers teaching in the primary schools is important and the Ministry of National Education in Cameroon should ensure a better teacher education program that can prepare confident and knowledgeable teachers.

Literacy is an important phenomenon in all societies today. Nations around the world put in a great deal of effort and allocate a lot of funding for educational purposes to improve literacy rates of children and to help them to become literate citizens so that they can function better in society. Studies of teacher education in the United States have shown that many of the in-service teachers lack the basic foundation of linguistic constructs needed to improve literacy skills in elementary classrooms. Further, it has been shown that students who were taught by teachers with a linguistic background performed better on reading, writing, and spelling skills than those children who were taught by teachers without such a linguistic background. These studies have recommended better teacher training programs that incorporate classes to specifically teach linguistic constructs. However, there are various factors that may affect literacy development in school children, such as family background and number of books available at home. The majority of these studies have been conducted in the United States and what is true for the U.S. may not be true for other countries. The purpose of this study is to examine the linguistic knowledge of elementary classroom teachers and how it impacts children’s achievement in literacy skills in the North West region of Cameroon where English is the predominant language of instruction in schools. Data were collected from 100 primary school teachers and 200 third grade children from the rural and urban regions, then analyzed using independent t-tests at a 0.05 level of significance. Overall the teachers exemplified a lack of linguistic knowledge; however, when comparing rural to urban, the urban teacher’s linguistic knowledge was significantly higher. Similarly, the children’s results also revealed a higher performance rate from the urban children. Based on the results it is recommended that teacher preparatory programs should foster content and pedagogic expertise and include essential features in literacy instruction. The quality of teachers teaching in the primary schools is important and the Ministry of National Education in Cameroon should ensure a better teacher education program that can prepare confident and knowledgeable teachers.

Following the entry of Cyprus into the European Union in 2004 and based on the philosophy which underpins the language policy in Europe, the island has been investing heavily in early foreign language learning. However, despite improvements in English language learning in primary state schools, no significant changes have been evident as regards the preparation of English teachers at this level. In conducting this research, my primary intention was to offer prospective and practising primary teachers a “voice” to express their own views regarding the content and teaching approach of a potential ELT module within teacher education curricula. The research adopted a mixed-method sequential approach carried out in two phases between March and July 2010. Data were initially obtained from 296 in-service primary teachers and 124 student teachers through a questionnaire-based survey. Data obtained in the second phase through individual and focus group interviews with 9 in-service-teachers and 11 student teachers respectively were used to explain, interpret and further examine the findings of the survey. The findings have highlighted the importance of theory and practice, showing evidence that both are necessary in order to avoid fragmented language teaching. The study suggests, therefore, that providing student teachers with meaningful opportunities to form links between the taught theory and its practical application is a fundamental basis for a more holistic teacher approach to teacher education. This study has also provided evidence that participants view learning as a process embedded in a social context, within which knowledge is constructed through collaborative, awareness-raising tasks set by mentors whose mediating roles in the creation of desirable learning contexts is perceived to be crucial. Although the findings of this research directly concern the Cypriot situation, they are likely to have broader applicability beyond Cyprus, especially in countries where early foreign language learning forms part of their educational agenda. Developing primary teachers’ language teaching knowledge and skills while considering the various types of support they receive during their pre-service education form part of a wider endeavour to ensure quality in early foreign language learning, an objective set by the European Union.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on July 27, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.

This research study examines the problematic issues associated with developing a programme of in-service training for teachers on the topic of self-discipline in preschool children in Thailand. The study is predicated on the notion that a lack of understanding of ways to enhance self-discipline amongst young children can lead to difficult and challenging behaviour issues in schools, which may also contribute to poor academic achievement and poor social skills later on in the education system. It is noted that training on the topic of promoting self-discipline for preschool children has rarely been provided for Thai teachers and that the in-service programmes that do exist tend to be focused on short courses that emphasise the acquisition of knowledge through direct instruction in the form of lectures and presentations. This study thus focuses on the development and subsequent analysis of the effectiveness of a teacher education programme using the Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination and Internalisation (SECI) Model of training and development, which was originally developed in Japan, in order to develop teacher knowledge and skills in relation to the promotion of preschoolers’ self-discipline in one school in Thailand. A mixed-methods approach was employed to collect both qualitative and quantitative data on the head teacher, deputy head teachers, preschool teachers and preschoolers. Three methods including semi-structured interviews, semi-structured observations and classroom observations were used to collect the quantitative data, while the quantitative data was collected by questionnaires and behaviour checklists. The study was conducted in one nursery school in Bangkok, as a case study. The sample consisted of one head teacher, three deputy head teachers, 24 preschool teachers and 527 preschoolers. A total of 24 preschool teachers participated in all sessions of the programme for 9 weeks, excluding pre- and post-test. The data gathering in the study was divided into three phases: (1) before the programme, (2) the programme implementation, and (3) after the programme. The programme was conducted on preschool teachers and then evaluated on both teachers’ and preschoolers’ outcomes. The research findings revealed that the programme was effective in enhancing both teachers’ knowledge and behaviour in promoting preschoolers’ self-discipline, which resulted in improved self-discipline amongst the preschoolers involved in the study. Moreover, the findings also indicated that the adapted SECI model used in the programme could be considered a successful mechanism for preschool teachers’ professional learning and practice. There are several recommendations for further research. Firstly, further research should be conducted in other phases and types of school to confirm whether the SECI model is suitable for the training and development of teachers in all phases of education in relation to developing children’s self-discipline. Secondly, it is recommended that studies are carried out to examine whether similar programmes can be applied to other school issues and challenges in all phases of education. In addition, it is suggested that the provision of teacher education programmes in Thailand in general should be expanded and that those programmes should make greater use of social learning approaches. Finally, it is recommended that follow-up studies should be implemented in order to examine further the crucial issues of the maintenance and enhancement teachers’ knowledge and skills in Thailand.

No description available.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A pesquisa qualitativa aqui apresentada focaliza o processo de elaboração do conhecimento de professoras de Educação Infantil, enfatizando o saber fazer e saber explicar porque faz. Identifica o erro como uma questão relevante para compreender o saber docente, uma vez que se trata de um conceito chave na teoria construtivista, indicada como referencial de muitas propostas pedagógicas da Educação Infantil. A análise das concepções das professoras e dos processos de elaboração de saberes práticos se fez com base no campo de pesquisa sobre saber docente. Para discussão e análise do que é conhecimento e erro, assim como de que forma a educação tem participado do processo de aquisição de conhecimento, a Educação em Ciências, numa perspectiva construtivista, é reconhecida como campo de estudo privilegiado. A compreensão do lugar do erro na construção do conhecimento é fundamentada nos estudos piagetianos e ampliada com as discussões de Vygotsky sobre a formação dos conceitos. Na análise da Educação Infantil são identificados diferentes modelos educacionais presentes nas propostas formais como as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para a Educação Infantil e o Referencial Curricular Nacional para a Educação Infantil -, e também nas práticas cotidianas dos fazeres docentes. Os dados empíricos da pesquisa resultaram de material coletado através de questionário e registro em Diário de Bordo e Vídeo-Gravação de dez encontros com professores/as durante um Curso de Extensão (Ciência e Educação Infantil, em 1999), organizado em forma de oficinas para que os participantes pudessem planejar e refletir sobre a sua própria prática docente junto às crianças. A relevância da presente pesquisa está no fato de fomentar o início do debate que aproxima a Educação Infantil a dois campos de pesquisa que têm muito a contribuir: a Educação em Ciências e Saber Docente. Por fim, o estudo afirma a importância de formulação de propostas de formação continuada que proporcionem espaços para reflexão sobre a própria prática. / The qualitative study here reported focus on the process of knowledge development of Early Education teachers, emphasizing both dimensions of knowing-how-to-do and explaining-why. The study identifies the issue of error as relevant to understand teachersknowledge, since it is a crucial notion of constructivist approaches,which are often taken as theoretical basis of Early Education proposals. The analysis of teachers views and of the processes of developing practical knowledge was carried out on the basis of research on teachers knowledge.Constructivist science education was taken as a main reference to discuss and analyse conceptions of knowledge and error, as well as the function of education in knowledge acquisition. The studies of Piaget, broadened by those of Vygotsky, helped to understand the role of errors in knowledge building. Analysis of Early Education formal curricular proposals (DCNEI, RCNEI), as well as teaching practices, point to different educational models. Empirical data was obtained through a questionnaire and by observation (recorded by video and hand-written notes) of a 10 sessions in-service course where early Education teachers were expected to plan and reflect on their teaching practices with young children. The study is especially relevant for relating early Education to two other research areas, namely, science education and teachers knowledge. Finally, the study confirms that continuing education proposals should aim at providing conditions for reflecting on ones own teaching practices.