scholarly journals GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS’ STATISTICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OF SAMPLING

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-74
Author(s):  
JENNIFER NOLL
Keyword(s):  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Probability Distributions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Undergraduate Statistics

Research investigating graduate teaching assistants’ (TAs’) knowledge of fundamental statistics concepts is sparse at best; yet at many universities, TAs play a substantial role in the teaching of undergraduate statistics courses. This paper provides a framework for characterizing TAs’ content knowledge in a sampling context and endeavors to raise new questions about TAs’ content knowledge and its potential impact on the teaching of undergraduate statistics. The participants in this study were sixty-eight TAs from 18 universities across the United States. These TAs demonstrated considerable knowledge of theoretical probability distributions. However, they experienced tensions when attempting to quantify expected statistical variability in an empirical sampling situation and had difficulty explaining conceptual ideas of variability. First published November 2011 at Statistics Education Research Journal: Archives

scholarly journals STATISTICS GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS’ BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND PREPARATION FOR TEACHING INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 294-319
Author(s):  
NICOLA JUSTICE ◽  
ANDREW ZIEFFLER ◽  
JOAN GARFIELD
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Introductory Statistics ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
Research Journal

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are responsible for the instruction of many statistics courses offered at the university level, yet little is known about these students’ preparation for teaching, their beliefs about how introductory statistics should be taught, or the pedagogical practices of the courses they teach. An online survey to examine these characteristics was developed and administered as part of an NSF-funded project. The results, based on responses from 213 GTAs representing 38 Ph.D.–granting statistics departments in the United States, suggest that many GTAs have not experienced the types of professional development related to teaching supported in the literature. Evidence was also found to suggest that, in general, GTAs teach in ways that are not aligned with their own beliefs. Furthermore, their teaching practices are not aligned with professionally-endorsed recommendations for teaching and learning statistics. First published May 2017 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives

Graduate Teaching Assistants’ Experiences Using Digital Media Pedagogies in University Physical Activity Courses

2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dannon Cox ◽  
Jennifer Krause
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
Document Collection ◽  
Multiple Variables

Many college and universities in the United States provide physical activity courses (PAC) for students to earn credit toward graduation. Institutions vary in PACs, as physical activity programs are affected by administrative goals and needs. Although PACs can vary by institution, it is important to examine how PACs can contemporarily address the cultural changes in education and physical activity. This study employed a case study research design and investigated the lived experiences of eight graduate teaching assistants working as PAC instructors at one university. Interview, observational, document collection, and technology journal data were collected throughout a 16-week semester. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of multiple variables, attitudes and beliefs, and pedagogical implementations resulted in four recurrent themes regarding the use of digital media in PACs: (a) experimenting with student engagement, (b) finding meaningful resources, (c) learning Canvas, and (d) valuing video and audio media. This article also provides future considerations around digital resources and professional development opportunities. Subscribe to TPE

scholarly journals The Ph.D. Panic: Examining the relationships among teaching anxiety, teaching self-efficacy, and coping in Biology graduate teaching assistants (GTAs)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda M. Chen Musgrove ◽  
Elisabeth E. Schussler
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
The United States ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
Teaching Anxiety ◽  
And Coping

ABSTRACTAnxiety among graduate students in the United States has increased over the last several decades, affecting not only their overall mental health but also reducing retention in graduate programs. Teachers with high teaching anxiety can negatively impact student learning, yet the impacts of teaching anxiety on graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) is not well studied. Biology GTAs teach most introductory Biology labs and discussions nationally, thus broadly influencing the quality of undergraduate education. In Fall 2016, we investigated Biology GTA teaching anxiety at a large research-intensive southeastern university by (1) measuring teaching anxiety of Biology GTAs, and (2) exploring the relationships among teaching anxiety, self-efficacy, and coping. Using multiple linear regressions, we found that greater teaching self-efficacy is related to lower teaching anxiety in Biology GTAs (R2adi =0.65, p<0.001). Coping strategies and frequencies did not significantly contribute to teaching anxiety in our models. We found similar levels of teaching anxiety across genders, ethnicities, student citizenship status (domestic vs. international) and teaching experience level. However, there were significant differences among student subgroups in teaching self-efficacy and coping strategies. Effective coping may contribute to the lack of anxiety differences among some of the student subgroups. These results can inform teaching professional development for GTAs, and encourage greater awareness and dialogue about the impacts of mental health issues in academia.

scholarly journals Good Teaching Starts Here: Applied Learning at the Graduate Teaching Assistant Institute

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 84-110
Author(s):  
Michele A. Parker ◽  
Diana Ashe ◽  
Jess Boersma ◽  
Robert Hicks ◽  
Victoria Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Applied Learning ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistant ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
The University

Increasingly, graduate teaching assistants serve as the primary instructors in undergraduate courses, yet research has shown that training and development for these teaching assistants is often lacking in programs throughout the United States and Canada. Providing mentoring and skill development opportunities for graduate teaching assistants is vital, as many will become the next generation of faculty. This paper discusses the literature on effective training programs, which underscores the importance of consistent feedback from mentors, intrinsic motivation, and practical applications. Afterwards, we examine an existing training program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Specifically, we focus on an institute for teaching assistants that helps graduate students understand applied learning as an effective pedagogical modality and helps them implement applied learning lesson plans tailored to their disciplines. Suggestions for strengthening training programs are discussed.   

scholarly journals TEACHING HIGHS AND LOWS: EXPLORING UNIVERSITY TEACHING ASSISTANTS’ EXPERIENCES

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-122
Author(s):  
JENNIFER L. GREEN
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Introductory Statistics ◽  
Teaching Skills ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Statistics Course ◽  
University Of Nebraska Lincoln

Recent reforms in statistics education have initiated the need to prepare graduate teaching assistants (TAs) for these changes. A focus group study explored the experiences and perceptions of University of Nebraska-Lincoln TAs. The results reinforced the idea that content, pedagogy, and technology are central aspects for teaching an introductory statistics course. The TAs addressed the need for clear, specific guidelines and examples, as well as collaboration between colleagues. The TAs also sought opportunities to enrich their teaching skills and, ultimately, their impact on students’ learning. These findings support previous research on graduate TAs and highlight the need for additional exploration of the role graduate statistics TAs play in introductory statistics education. First published November 2010 at Statistics Education Research Journal: Archives

scholarly journals Finding a Balance: Characterizing Teaching and Research Anxieties in Biology Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda M. Chen Musgrove ◽  
Kate Petrie ◽  
Alyssa Cooley ◽  
Elisabeth E. Schussler
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
The United States ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Teaching And Research ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTGraduate students in the United States are reporting increased anxiety, affecting their mental health and attrition in graduate programs. Yet we are only beginning to understand what contributes to graduate student anxiety. Biology Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) have simultaneous roles as teachers, researchers, students, and employees, and factors associated with these tasks may contribute to anxieties in graduate school, particularly in relation to teaching and research responsibilities. To explore factors related to GTA teaching and research anxieties, and guided by social cognitive career theory, we interviewed 23 Biology GTAs at a research-intensive southeastern university. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts revealed five major factors related to GTA anxieties: negative impact on self, negative impact on others, lack of self-efficacy, role tension, and personal anxieties. Lack of self-efficacy was most prevalent for research anxieties, compared to teaching anxieties, where the impact on others (e.g. students) was most prevalent. In research contexts, GTAs with academic career aspirations expressed less anxiety about role tensions compared to GTAs with non-academic career goals. By investigating GTA anxieties, this work can inform professional development or mental health interventions for GTAs and encourage greater awareness and dialogue about mental health issues in academia.

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