UMD Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Teacher beliefs

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    THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TEACHER VARIABLES AND OUTCOMES FOR LANGUAGE MINORITY LEARNERS IN GRADES 3-5 ON MEASURES OF VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE AND READING COMPREHENSION
    (2012) Gray, Jennifer Letcher; Dreher, Mariam J; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Researchers have examined the relationships between teachers' preparation, educational attainment, and teaching experience and the overall academic achievement of their students. However, little attention has been given to the relationships between these variables and the achievement of language minority learners (LMLs) in mainstream classrooms. Likewise, though researchers have measured teachers' beliefs and attitudes related to the inclusion and instruction of LML students, researchers have yet to address how these teachers' beliefs and attitudes might relate to LML students' academic achievement. This study was designed to examine relationships between teachers' preparation, teaching experience, educational attainment, and beliefs and attitudes and the achievement of LMLs in the areas of vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. Participants in the study were LML students in grades 3-5 (n=173) and mainstream classroom teachers (n=51) from three schools from in the Mid-Atlantic region and three schools from the Northeastern region of the United States. Students were assessed at the beginning and end of the 2010-2011 school year using the Passage Comprehension and Vocabulary subtests of the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised (Woodcock et al., 2005). In the spring of 2011, teachers were asked to complete a survey designed to collect information related to their backgrounds, beliefs, and attitudes. I used ordinary least squares regression with robust standard errors to explore relationships between students' outcomes and teachers' backgrounds, beliefs, and attitudes. The results indicated that teachers' level of teaching experience was significantly and positively related to their LML students' achievement in vocabulary knowledge. I found that teachers' level of preparation for working with LML students and their attitudes toward the inclusion of LML students in their classrooms were significantly and positively related to their LML students' achievement in reading comprehension. I also found a significant, negative relationship between teachers' beliefs about school support and their LML students' outcomes on the measure of vocabulary knowledge. These findings suggest that teachers' backgrounds, beliefs, and attitudes related to the inclusion and instruction of LML students may in fact influence their LML students' academic achievement. Additionally, these findings provide insight into the complex relationships between mainstream classroom teachers, LML students, and students' academic outcomes.
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    An Experimental Evaluation of the Effect of Instructional Consultation Teams on Teacher Efficacy: A Multivariate, Multilevel Examination
    (2009) Koehler, Jessica Robyn; Gottfredson, Gary; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Teacher efficacy, the extent to which teachers feel they can influence student learning (Berman, McLaughlin, Bass, Pauly, & Zellman, 1977), has been repeatedly linked to important student and teacher outcomes (Gibson & Dembo, 1984). Although the results of many studies support the claim that teacher efficacy is an important educational construct, few studies have investigated interventions to influence these teacher beliefs. The current study evaluated whether a specific teacher intervention, Instructional Consultation Teams (IC Teams), positively affected teachers' sense of self-efficacy as measured by two efficacy instruments. Participants included 1203 in-service elementary school teachers in 34 elementary schools within a large suburban school district--17 randomly assigned to the IC Team intervention and 17 assigned to the control condition. Because teachers are nested within schools, hierarchical linear modeling was utilized to evaluate whether scores on measures of teacher self-efficacy were influenced by IC Teams. A multivariate model was also used to evaluate the effects of IC Teams on both measures, simultaneously. The results imply that IC Teams significantly increased teachers' scores on the efficacy scales. The current study provides one of a few attempts to evaluate the effects of a specific school intervention on teacher efficacy within an experimental framework.
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    Teaching Taiwanese Indigenous students: Case studies of three Han Chinese teachers
    (2006-11-20) Yen, Shu-Huei; Valli, Linda; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Research clearly indicates that Indigenous students continue to fail in the Taiwan public school system. One way to address this problem is to improve classroom instruction. This study examines the beliefs, knowledge, and practices of three Han Chinese female teachers, in three different settings, who were considered exemplary teachers of Indigenous students by the superintendent, teacher educators, principals, or administrators. It also explores related personal and contextual factors in order to better understand how teaching expertise was developed and was supported or impeded. Using qualitative research methods, I collected data via classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of pertinent documentation. The data were examined, using a conceptual analysis model comprising two perspectives: culturally relevant teaching and critical pedagogy. The data analysis identified five themes in the teachers' beliefs, knowledge, and practices of teaching Indigenous students: (a) self-confidence and commitment, (b) differentiated expectations, (c) cultural pedagogy, (d) character development, and (e) an ethic of care. The findings also showed that the three teachers relied on their own experiences, their memorable teachers' styles, and their accumulated teaching experiences to develop their teaching expertise. Moreover, findings demonstrated that the teachers' work was constrained by time limitations for teaching and by a conservative school culture that devalued instructional innovation. On the other hand, teaching was supported by a collaborative school culture and by a school policy that valued Indigenous cultural development. Based on the research findings, this study suggests that teacher educators and school administrators provide a venue for teachers to discover their hidden beliefs about Indigenous culture and about their teaching practices; provide the theoretical and practical knowledge and skills needed by Indigenous students; and create school environments that support personal and professional improvements that will improve the teaching of Indigenous students. Moreover, this study suggests that teacher educators and school administrators consider cultural contexts when preparing teachers to teach Indigenous students. Culturally relevant teaching might well be suitable for educators who work in the Indigenous areas. Critical pedagogy, in turn, might well meet the needs of teachers who work with diverse populations of students in large urban schools.