Career advancement or teacher development? Teachers’ perceptions of writing publications in China

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 306-318
Author(s):  
Jocelyn L.N. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Development ◽  
Career Advancement ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Systematic Training

Purpose – Studies in teacher research have seldom discussed the effects of writing publications and teachers’ views on it. This paper aims to examine how teachers in China regard the purpose of writing up research papers and its impact on their professional practice. It also investigates facilitating factors in preparing and writing publications. Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative study which mainly analyses interview data gathered from 14 teachers, who have experience in writing publications, from three schools in Shanghai, China. Documentary analysis includes selected published journal papers and book chapters of the interviewees. Findings – Findings show that teachers perceive producing publications as serving both an instrumental purpose of career advancement and a developmental purpose of enhancing their individual professional competency which in turn improves the quality of the teaching profession through knowledge transfer and knowledge transportation. Research limitations/implications – Contributing factors to help teachers to write include the provision of systematic training courses for teachers and the development of network and research partners. Originality/value – Findings of this study help school leaders and teacher educators better their understanding of improving the quality of practice of teachers through equipping them with a “stance of inquiry”. Findings suggest ways to provide relevant support to enhance the writing capacity of teachers. More importantly, a revision of the existing teacher promotion system may make the practice of writing publications of more direct value to teachers’ daily practice.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Curricular Reform of a Medical Course from the Faculty’s Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1 suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 135-145
Author(s):  
Maria Valéria Pavan ◽  
Maria Helena Senger ◽  
Waldemar Marques
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Development ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Curricular Reform ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Active Teaching ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT In 2006, the medical course of the Faculty of Medical Sciences and Health of PUC-SP (FCMS of PUC-SP) completely restructured its curriculum and pedagogical project and began to use active teaching/learning methods, centered on problem-based learning. There is often some resistance on the part of the teachers in relation to the changes, depending on the consequences for their daily practice. However, the participation of the teachers and their commitment to reform proposals are fundamental for them to occur and to be continually renewed. In this sense, this study had as objective to evaluate the teachers’ view of the FCMS of the PUC-SP medical course on the changes triggered by the curricular reform; the impact of these changes on their own work, on the quality of the course and on the graduate doctor and, the suggestions to improve the curriculum, as part of the ongoing goal to produce well-trained professionals adapted to the needs of the population and to the health care system. The data were obtained through a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire, sent to the teachers working on the medical course. The second part of the questionnaire, object of this article, was to be answered only by the teachers who were already working before the curricular reform. Of the 178 teachers, 102 answered the questionnaire and, of these, 73 (71.6%) had already worked on the course before the curricular reform and answered the second part of the questionnaire. In general, the teachers have a positive view of the changes triggered by the reform, with emphasis on the active role of the student in the teaching/learning process and the growth provided to the teacher, induced by the pedagogical model chosen. They also consider that there has been an improvement in the quality of the course and the graduate doctor. Although well evaluated, the change to an interdisciplinary model and the deficiencies of the physical structure and equipment made available for the course complicate the work of the teacher. The difficulty in evaluating the student and the lack of a permanent teacher development plan appear as the main problems to be faced in the search for improving the course.

scholarly journals Analytical Study of Teacher Educators’ Metaphors of Teaching

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sehrish Liaquat ◽  
Anjum Naz
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Study ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Survey Questionnaire ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Postgraduate Level

Teaching metaphor is an important phenomenon which can be used to determine teachers’ perceptions regarding their job and their workplace (Turunen, 2003). This study was aimed to explore the metaphors of junior and senior teacher educators to get insights of what teaching was for them. A comparative analysis between the junior and senior teacher educators helped to understand how these metaphors changed over time. Data for the qualitative study were collected from the districts of Sargodha, Khushab and Mianwali situated in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Fifty teacher educators teaching at postgraduate level participated in the study and filled in the survey questionnaire. The data were coded and analysed qualitatively. Six themes emerged from the data: religious obligations, economic activities, nature compatibility, life processes, emotional affiliations, and thought provoking activities.These themes were compatible with Chen’s (2013) classification of teachers’ personal metaphors. The implications of metaphors could be used to enhance critical thinking of teacher educators to improve the quality of education.

Praxis of the Teaching Profession

2019 ◽  
pp. 202-217
Author(s):  
YiShan Lea ◽  
Carol L. Butterfield
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Development ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Regional University ◽  
The Social ◽  
School Teaching ◽  
History Of ◽  
The University ◽  
Institutional Oppression

This chapter is an epic look at teachers' paths through teacher education, public school teaching, and teacher educators' work in a regional university. One teacher narrative intersects with the history of the teaching profession, on how this life is shaped and is also shaped by the social construction of an American education. Ideologies of patriarchy, economic development of human capital including the corporate culture in the university are examined. The discussion reveals the everlasting urgency for radicalization in the teaching profession through the illustration of a teacher development of critical consciousness, resistance, and the struggle against the institutionalized disciplined docility in the teaching profession. The examination of life in schools and in the university reveals a dialectic between contradictions of institutional oppression and a teacher's development of pedagogy.

Leadership, uncertainty and risk: how leaders influence teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaye Twyford ◽  
Deidre Le Fevre
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Teacher Perception ◽  
First Year ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Perceptions Of Risk

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how the actions of leaders influence teachers’ perceptions of risk and sensemaking during professional learning (PL).Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study primarily involving semi-structured interviews was utilized to collect teacher-perception data. In total, 21 teachers across three New Zealand schools were interviewed as they participated in the first year of a school-wide PL initiative. Data were analyzed using a risk perception lens focused on uncertainty.FindingsTeachers’ perceptions of risk were influenced by leaders’ actions. Leaders built supportive relationships by knowing the teacher as a learner; showing empathy and respect; providing support; and engendering trust. Teachers reported that the quality of relationships combined with their own state of knowledge influenced their perceptions of risk and learning.Practical implicationsLeaders are reminded that learning is inherently uncertain and uncomfortable and that they have an important role to ensure an environment that is safe and supportive for teacher risk taking and change. A risk lens enables leaders and PL facilitators to consider their influence on teachers’ uncertainty and feelings of vulnerability and take action to reduce these where possible so that both teacher and student learning may be maximized.Originality/valueThis research advances the conceptualization of perceived risk in professional learning, emphasizing the importance of leadership in supporting teacher learning. It adds further detail to our understanding of trust, vulnerability, identity and risk in the development of professional capital and community and their connection to the professional and emotional lives of teachers.

scholarly journals A research base for teaching in primary school: a coherent scholarly focus on the object of learning

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruksana Osman ◽  
Shirley Booth
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
The One ◽  
The University

This paper makes a case for a new impetus in creating a coherent research basis for childhood education and teacher education in South Africa. We are proposing a three-level – teacher educators, student teachers and practising teachers – research-led approach that integrates teacher education, schooling and early learning. The aim of the approach is to enhance the quality of learning in primary schools through systematic focus on the object of learning, whether in terms of teaching in school or educating entrants to the teaching profession at the university, or teacher educators inquiring into their practice. There are two thrusts involved: on the one hand bringing the focus of teachers, teaching students and teacher educators coherently onto the object of learning and thereby bringing it to the attention of their respective learners, and on the other hand invoking the principles of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) movement, thereby enabling its sustainability. We illustrate our case with two examples from the literature that show clearly how learning in school can be enhanced when teachers are actively studying what and how their learners are learning in connection with their teaching and where the work is disseminated in a scholarly manner.

The contributing factors of intellectual capital disclosures in agriculture and mining sectors of Indonesia and Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saarce Elsye Hatane ◽  
Josua Tarigan ◽  
Elenne Stefanie Kuanda ◽  
Elizabeth Cornelius
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Minority Shareholders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting

Purpose This study aims to examine the factors affecting intellectual capital disclosure (ICD), especially in the agriculture and mining sectors in Indonesia and Thailand. Additionally, this study discusses the difference in ICD levels between Indonesia and Thailand. Design/methodology/approach The sample used is companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange and Stock Exchange of Thailand from 2013 to 2017. The method used is a content analysis of 380 annual reports (150 from Thailand and 230 from Indonesia). This study uses a panel regression model. Variables tested are firm size, market shares, minority shareholders, profitability, leverage and the focus on ICD components such as human capital disclosure, structural capital disclosure and relational capital disclosure. Findings IC disclosures in financial statements are generally oriented to past events and focus more on the human capital component. Overall, ICDs in Thailand are more qualified than in Indonesia. The findings support the stakeholder and legitimacy theories. It was found that the greater the company’s resources, the higher the quality of disclosure of all intellectual capital (IC) components. Conversely, when associated with the position in the market, companies reduce the disclosures. As the company has gained the government’s legitimacy, management’s passion for revealing more about its ICD is diminishing. Research limitations/implications This study focuses on the agriculture and mining sectors in Indonesia and Thailand. The annual report is the primary medium to observe IC in qualitative and quantitative ways, yet firms would use other means to disclose their IC. This study deploys the content analysis method, in which the determination of scores is based on the researchers’ judgment. Originality/value This study contributes to the ICD-related literature by focusing on the agriculture and mining industries and multinational scopes. The ICD valuation is extended to the quality of disclosures, in which numerical and monetary figures also support the disclosures. This study also examined minority shareholders’ role in ICD quality, which is infrequent in ICD literature.

The added value of a new interviewing tool for the selection of candidates for the teaching profession

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-343
Author(s):  
Irit Levy-Feldman ◽  
Zipora Libman
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Selection Procedure ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Added Value ◽  
First Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Interview Score ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose An interview is one of the most widely used tools in the admission of candidates for an academic study, particularly in the applied professions. The purpose of this paper is to present a study that assesses the quality of a new interview tool for the selection of teacher-training candidates, in order to find out its added value over other selection tools in use and to justify the effort invested in it. Design/methodology/approach The study was longitudinal and was conducted over the course of a three-year period. The study population consisted of all the college’s undergraduate students that were candidates for the teaching profession. The information was processed quantitatively using descriptive as well as inferential statistics while addressing diverse comparisons. Findings The main findings indicate a high quality of the new tool. The usage of the tool improved the selection procedure of qualified candidates, especially borderline candidates who would be rejected if using only the matriculation and the psychometric admission tools. A logistic regression model revealed the admission new interview tool to be the sole statistically significant predictor of enrollment in the college. The study reported the interview score to be the sole statistically significant predictive factor in the model that forecasts student field-practice grades, particularly in their first year of study. Originality/value This information further corroborates that a good interview tool allows a more in-depth and well-based discussion about worthy candidates who do not meet the strict grade admission requirements. This invites discussion regarding the critical place of the interview in selection of candidates, especially in applied professions.

scholarly journals Avaliação da Reforma Curricular de um Curso de Medicina na Perspectiva dos Docentes

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1 suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 135-145
Author(s):  
Maria Valéria Pavan ◽  
Maria Helena Senger ◽  
Waldemar Marques
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Development ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Curricular Reform ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Active Teaching ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT In 2006, the medical course of the Faculty of Medical Sciences and Health of PUC-SP (FCMS of PUC-SP) completely restructured its curriculum and pedagogical project and began to use active teaching/learning methods, centered on problem-based learning. There is often some resistance on the part of the teachers in relation to the changes, depending on the consequences for their daily practice. However, the participation of the teachers and their commitment to reform proposals are fundamental for them to occur and to be continually renewed. In this sense, this study had as objective to evaluate the teachers’ view of the FCMS of the PUC-SP medical course on the changes triggered by the curricular reform; the impact of these changes on their own work, on the quality of the course and on the graduate doctor and, the suggestions to improve the curriculum, as part of the ongoing goal to produce well-trained professionals adapted to the needs of the population and to the health care system. The data were obtained through a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire, sent to the teachers working on the medical course. The second part of the questionnaire, object of this article, was to be answered only by the teachers who were already working before the curricular reform. Of the 178 teachers, 102 answered the questionnaire and, of these, 73 (71.6%) had already worked on the course before the curricular reform and answered the second part of the questionnaire. In general, the teachers have a positive view of the changes triggered by the reform, with emphasis on the active role of the student in the teaching/learning process and the growth provided to the teacher, induced by the pedagogical model chosen. They also consider that there has been an improvement in the quality of the course and the graduate doctor. Although well evaluated, the change to an interdisciplinary model and the deficiencies of the physical structure and equipment made available for the course complicate the work of the teacher. The difficulty in evaluating the student and the lack of a permanent teacher development plan appear as the main problems to be faced in the search for improving the course.

scholarly journals Assessing the Effectiveness of Teacher Training Programs to Improve the Quality of School Education in Nepal

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 9-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhawani Shankar Subedi
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Training ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Transfer Of Knowledge ◽  
Training Environment ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Trained Teachers ◽  
Teaching Learning

Inadequate transfer of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours from the training environment to the workplace environment has emerged as a global issue. Teachers’ training has not been an exception. Available literature on teacher training indicates that the contribution of training can be assessed at least on six dimensions- quality, access, equity, efficiency, teacher development and overall school development. Studies conducted in the area of teacher training or teacher professional development in the context of Nepal are also evident of lack of sufficient transfer of knowledge and skills from training to workplace. There are several factors facilitating or inhibiting the extent of such transfer. Research shows that the training of teachers has contributed and can positively influence quality of education if stakeholders are made aware of and well informed about the quality and relevance of training and development interventions carefully designed and implemented for the capacity development of teachers, teacher educators or trainers. This article has been derived from the synopsis of a comprehensive study conducted in Nepal and concluded in March 2010. Data bases of 4033 trained teachers of 45 schools from 25 sample districts were studied. This study was a blending of quantitative as well as qualitative approaches. Nine education experts and 22 field researchers were involved. The author was the team leader of the study. The only academic purpose of this article is to inspire excellence in teaching, learning and performance by means of professionalism and capacity building of teachers, teacher trainers and their employers. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jtd.v1i0.13084 Journal of Training and Development Vol.1 2015: 9-14

The Career Ladder and Lattice: A New Look at the Teaching Career

1988 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J.L. Chandler ◽  
Stacey L. Lane ◽  
Janice M. Bibik ◽  
Bernard Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Educational Reform ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Career Ladder ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Teaching Career ◽  
Career Ladders ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
Instructional Tasks

Recent concern over the quality of teachers staffing the nation’s schools has prompted widespread development of educational reform packages designed to improve the teaching profession. Stemming from this effort has been the notion that a teaching career must be structured as a career ladder, progressing from informal elementary instructional tasks to full-time responsibilities in the gymnasium. In this paper we discuss some of the assumptions underlying career ladders in order to highlight their strengths and, more particularly, their weaknesses. We suggest that career ladders address not the true needs of teachers but rather the evaluation needs of administrators. As such, career ladders are not a good means of promoting teacher development. We offer the notion of the career lattice as an alternative means of meeting the motivational needs of teachers.

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