Handbook of Research on Implementing Inclusive Educational Models and Technologies for Equity and Diversity , 2023
The goal of this study was to examine the impact of a professional development program on teacher... more The goal of this study was to examine the impact of a professional development program on teachers' attitudes towards educational technology and the perceived benefits of digital learning resources for inclusion. The content of the program focused on how technology can be used to create more inclusive learning environments. Findings indicate a decline in attitudes from the beginning to the end of the program. The authors explore several possible explanations for this decline, including the pressures of the Corona pandemic and a simultaneous national curriculum reform, a possible discrepancy between initial expectations and later experiences with the technology, and a possible reactance effect or “backlash” against the ambitious goals of the program. In addition, variables related to previous experience and teacher efficacy predicted attitudes to some degree, offering indications of factors to consider when preparing future professional development efforts in this area.
The Relational Leader: Catalyzing Social Networks for Educational Change , 2023
While teacher collaboration has been a focal point in Norwegian schools for decades (Carlsten et ... more While teacher collaboration has been a focal point in Norwegian schools for decades (Carlsten et al., 2021), a recently implemented curriculum, also known as LK20, has set in motion conditions for teacher collaboration and knowledge sharing. The main aim of this chapter is to outline some analytical possibilities that follow from a social network analysis (SNA) perspective on teacher collaboration and knowledge sharing in teams in this specific context. Norwegian secondary schools commonly feature teacher teams as a collaborative configuration (e.g., Liebech-Lien, 2021) that is critical for fostering a professional learning community (Stoll et al., 2006).
Effective teaching around the world: Measurements, differences, growths, and links with student outcomes. (pp. 619-634). , 2023
ecent international research has highlighted deep learning as an essential prerequisite for pupil... more ecent international research has highlighted deep learning as an essential prerequisite for pupils to meet the global challenges of the future. This focus has drawn attention to Norwegian challenges, indicating that instruction leaves little room for pupils to engage intensively in tasks over time and to foster deep-learning processes. Thus, a new curriculum was implemented in the Norwegian educational system in the autumn of 2020 to emphasize deep learning throughout all content areas.
This study investigates how teachers provide learning conditions fostering learning and motivation processes to support pupils’ learning during mathematics lessons. After their mathematics lesson, 144 pupils from 9 classes (grades 7–9) in seven schools in Norway completed a questionnaire. It consisted of items measuring their perception of the relevance of the content taught, the quality of the instruction given, the teacher’s interest and enthusiasm, and the extent to which the instruction fulfilled their psychological needs for social relation, autonomy, and feeling competent.
On average, the pupils reported that they applied surface-level learning strategies rather than deep-level strategies in their mathematics lessons. They also lacked intrinsic motivation. To a large degree, pupils reported that they hardly recognised the content’s relevance. The results support the focus on deep learning in the 2020 curriculum reform in Norway. Additionally, they reveal conditions worth investigating when aiming to foster pupils’ deep learning and motivation.
This article is a contribution to understanding teacher identity related to working with students... more This article is a contribution to understanding teacher identity related to working with students' psychosocial environment (PSE). A systematic review of quantitative studies (n = 10) analyzing the relations between components of teacher identity and teachers' work with the PSE is presented. Findings indicate significant relations between the identity components task-related self-efficacy and job satisfaction along with likelihood or frequency of intervention in bullying situations. However, results regarding relations between general teaching efficacy or task perception and teachers' approach to bullying were inconclusive. Findings suggest that teachers' self-efficacy and job satisfaction as identity domains play an important role in students' PSE. This information has implications for teacher education, professional development, and policymakers.
This study explores the impact of screencast feedback on maths tests for junior and high school s... more This study explores the impact of screencast feedback on maths tests for junior and high school students. While prior research emphasises the influence of feedback on learning, its effectiveness varies with type and delivery. Although studies in higher education observe improved precision and emotional connections through screencast feedback, its applicability in secondary education remains understudied. The authors surveyed 99 students, collecting responses via an 11-item questionnaire after the students had received feedback. Through thematic analysis, they found 72% favoured video feedback due to its clarity, depth and personal touch. Conversely, 17% preferred written feedback for efficiency. These findings underscore the benefits of screencasting feedback, highlighting its comprehensibility and individualised nature. Given the rise of digital learning, educators are encouraged to adopt screencasting as a valuable tool for enhancing feedback in academic settings.
The purpose of the two interrelated studies reported here was to explore the approaches that scho... more The purpose of the two interrelated studies reported here was to explore the approaches that schools and teachers adopted to accommodate students with special educational needs (SEN) during school closings in Norway, as well as the consequences of the pandemic for children with SEN and their peers. Study 1 was a mixed-methods case study of a lower-secondary school in which students with SEN (n = 14) and students performing at or above grade-level (n = 66) completed a survey about their experiences. Survey results were then used as a starting point for follow-up interviews with four teachers and the school principal to explore how they dealt with pandemic restrictions and supported students with SEN. Study 2 is based on a survey of teachers from 10 schools (n = 128) who were participating in a professional development course on the use of educational technology when pandemic restrictions were enacted. Findings from both studies indicate that teachers and pupils are most concerned about the social and emotional consequences of the pandemic and report that distance learning worked poorly for pupils with SEN. For this reason, many students with SEN were provided with teaching at school while their classmates remained at home. Overall, teachers and students believe that they coped well given the circumstances and that the long-term impact on most students will be minimal. However, findings from both studies point to areas of concern for students with SEN and other pupils who were already struggling prior to the shutdown, citing a failure to meet the needs of these students through digital home-schooling and a loss of the support that students have a legal right to receive.
While different countries have inherited different methods of teacher preparation, all countries ... more While different countries have inherited different methods of teacher preparation, all countries aim for coherent programs, i.e. university-based courses are aligned with classroom practice. Yet, most published empirical research is based on data from western countries and focuses on a single feature of coherence (e.g., coherence between campus and internships). Our study examines a Malaysian teacher education university’s effort to increase program coherence, investigating 446 preservice teachers’ perceptions of various features of coherence. The preservice teachers represent six different specialist areas in the Bachelor of Education. Across these areas, the program was generally perceived as coherent. Observed differences between the areas, potentially stem from a dissonance among teacher educators about how to integrate theory and practice. Change efforts require time to implement and teacher educators discuss their beliefs about coherent teacher education to ensure coherent practices and to enable their preservice teachers to create a coherent understanding of teaching.
This study focused on the question of how to enhance a mastery-goal orientation in the classroom.... more This study focused on the question of how to enhance a mastery-goal orientation in the classroom. We started from the perspective of the achievement goal theory, which assumes that the goals that students have (personal goals) relate to the goals that are set in the classroom (classroom goal structures). In classrooms where teachers focus on learning and effort -instead of normative standards and social comparison- mastery goals are enhanced. This type of classroom can be endorsed by focusing on the following classroom structures: Task design, Autonomy, Recognition, Grouping, Evaluation, and Time (TARGET). The present study investigated how classroom goal structures as perceived by students are related to students’ personal goals. Based on survey data from 501 students from three secondary schools in the Netherlands, we found that the Task design dimension, concerning designing challenging and varied tasks, and the Time dimension, concerning e.g., pacing, predicted both mastery-approach and avoidance goals. Our findings provide insight in how perceived classroom goal structures are related to students’ personal goals that focus on understanding/competence, thus informing teachers and educational developers where to start when it comes to improving student motivation.
Background: Around the world, policy makers and teacher educators are paying increasing attention... more Background: Around the world, policy makers and teacher educators are paying increasing attention to how teacher candidates learn to study and enact teaching and to grounding preparation more deeply in teachers’ classroom practice. Evidence from the United States and the Netherlands suggests that efforts to tie preparation to practice may significantly impact pupils’ learning. However, the nature of teacher candidates’ opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching remains underexplored, especially in international studies. Purpose: Our research analyzes opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching in teacher education coursework in five different programs in five countries. We focus specifically on the degree to which campus coursework provides candidates with opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse actual teaching practices. What kind of opportunities exist in these international programs’ coursework to study, practice, and rehearse teaching? Are there any typical patterns and connections that teacher education students encounter more often than others?
Research Design: Our multiple case study design uses data from surveys of program candidates, observations of methods courses, and interviews with program faculty and students. We highlight our inclusion of observation of methods courses, which are relatively rare in studies of teacher education. We collected these data in five programs in five countries: Chile, Cuba, Finland, Norway, and the United States.
Findings: Analysis of all data revealed frequent opportunities for candidates to analyze artifacts from teaching and to do work that pupils will do. Candidates had some opportunities to plan, to rehearse teaching strategies, and to experience their teacher educator modeling teaching practices. Despite a growing focus on student learning in the United States and in other countries, there were few opportunities for teacher candidates to analyze student learning or to examine samples of students’ work. The dearth of opportunities for candidates to examine and analyze student learning was especially surprising: We underscore this finding as critical for teacher education.
Conclusions: These findings about opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching can provide helpful lenses for teacher education programs to examine where and how they offer these opportunities. Teacher educators may wish to consider the balance of learning opportunities within programs. The programs offered ample opportunities to plan for teaching, for instance. However, substantial experiences may come at the expense of others, especially when compared with the few opportunities to examine student learning.
International Journal of Educational Research, 2020
Liou, Y.-H., & Canrinus, E. T. (2020). A capital framework for professional learning and practice... more Liou, Y.-H., & Canrinus, E. T. (2020). A capital framework for professional learning and practice. International Journal of Educational Research. 100(2020 August), 101527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.101527
This meta-analytic review examines the relationships between students’ sense of school belonging ... more This meta-analytic review examines the relationships between students’ sense of school belonging and students’ motivational, social-emotional, behavioural, and academic functioning in secondary education. Moreover, it examines to what extent these relationships differ between different student groups (grade level, SES), measurement instruments, and region. The meta-analysis included 82 correlational studies, published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2018. Results revealed, on average, a small positive correlation with academic achievement, and small to moderate positive correlations with motivational outcomes such as mastery goal orientations; with social-emotional outcomes such as self-concept and self-efficacy; and with behavioural outcomes such as behavioural, cognitive, and agentic engagement. A small negative correlation is observed with absence and dropout rates. Similar results are found across different student groups (grade level, SES). Although the results vary to some extent across measurement instruments and region, generally, the results reveal that school belonging plays an important role in students’ school life.
We investigate how Norwegian vocational education and training (VET) teachers’ beliefs on collabo... more We investigate how Norwegian vocational education and training (VET) teachers’ beliefs on collaboration and sharing knowledge influences their intention to participate in continuing professional development (CPD). As these teachers cross a border between two professions, changing the context influencing their professional identity, we also investigate their perceptions of their professional identity and status. Regression analyses on data from 125 VET teachers in the south of Norway show that beliefs regarding collaboration and sharing knowledge significantly contribute to the intention to participate into CPD to strengthen general pedagogical competence and strengthening knowledge on the teachers’ subject taught. The latter is also influenced by the extent to which the teachers perceive themselves more as a skilled worker than a teacher. Our results align with previous research on the relevance of teachers’ beliefs for CPD. They furthermore show that professional identity plays a role as well in VET teachers’ intentions regarding CPD.
Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 2019
More often than not, campus based courses have been criticized as a set of disconnected individua... more More often than not, campus based courses have been criticized as a set of disconnected individual courses and that these courses lack the coherence with the realities of teaching and learning. To this end, one teacher education university has made efforts to make its teacher education program more coherent. Thus, this study reports on this university's preservice teachers' perception of program coherence and associating it with their teaching efficacy. The analysis from 454 preservice teachers, collected through a 30-item perception of program coherence questionnaire and a 12-item Malaysian Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale, indicated significant relationships between the two. Overall, the preservice teachers perceived their teacher education programs as fairly coherent. However, more importantly, when these preservice teachers perceived that what they learnt in campus (their theoretical studies) and their practical experiences (during their practicum) were coherent or aligned, this connection helped them to handle issues relating to how they engage students in learning, planning lessons, using appropriate teaching strategies, and classroom management. A coherent teacher education program is able to contribute to preservice teachers' feelings of efficacy and in turn, to a positive stance towards their own functioning as teachers. This finding underscores the importance for foundational theory learnt in the campus to be coherently connected to courses in teaching methodologies and finally to actual classroom teaching. The purpose of any re-design of a teacher education program conceptualized around coherence is about making better connections between theory and practice and to ultimately strengthen teaching.
Liou, Y.-H., Canrinus, E. T., & Daly, A. J. (2019). Activating the implementers: The role of orga... more Liou, Y.-H., Canrinus, E. T., & Daly, A. J. (2019). Activating the implementers: The role of organizational expectations, teacher beliefs, and motivation in bringing about reform. Teaching and Teacher Education, 79, 60–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.12.004
The aim of this article is to explore similarities and differences in teacher candidates’ percept... more The aim of this article is to explore similarities and differences in teacher candidates’ perceptions of their opportunities to enact practice in university courses in five teacher education programs, located in Norway, Finland, USA, Cuba, and Chile. Paper and pencil surveys were distributed among candidates (N=488) to measure their perception of their opportunities to enact practice in campus courses. Across programs the students report the least opportunity to examine transcripts of classroom talk or student discussions. They report the most opportunity to talk about their field placement and to plan for their teaching. Using Analysis of Variance, differences between the programs were studied. Students in a program which has explicitly made efforts to connect theory and practice over a period of 15 years do report more opportunities to enact practice. Students from a program that has been constantly working on improvements but not a major redesign conceptualized around coherence, report experiencing fewer opportunities to enact practice. We conclude that teaching practices closely linked to pupils’ understanding might be in need of additional attention in teacher education programs.
Although teacher educators may perceive their program and courses to be coherent, the question re... more Although teacher educators may perceive their program and courses to be coherent, the question remains to what extent student teachers also are able to perceive the linkages within their programs. Coherence within teacher education programs is important for teacher candidates to build understanding of teaching. Our study draws upon survey data from 269 teacher candidates, in three different teacher education programs, located in three different countries (Norway, Finland, United States [California]) and compares these candidates’ perceptions of the coherence of their teacher education programs. Candidates from a program that has explicitly been working on constructing a coherent program over a period of 15 years do report significantly more coherence, yet, across the programs, there remains room for improvement regarding the coherence between field placement and campus courses. We conclude with the suggestion that potential improvement of program coherence lies within greater communication and collaboration between the various stakeholders within teacher education.
To support pupils’ learning, teachers must understand what and how their pupils have learned, and... more To support pupils’ learning, teachers must understand what and how their pupils have learned, and teacher education should teach candidates how to do this. This article reports on survey data (n = 270) from three programmes and observation data (N = 104 hours) from six programmes, located in Norway, Finland and the US. It examines the candidates’ opportunities to analyse pupils’ learning within their coursework. The authors argue that such opportunities might constitute profound possibilities to examine the complexity of teaching and learning. However, the study finds that the candidates have few opportunities to analyse pupils learning and that the full potential of these opportunities is unrealized. The authors argue for increased, specific attention to pupils' learning within teacher education coursework, through a pedagogy of teacher education informed by existing research on how to elicit pupils’ learning.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of teacher preparation based in Profession... more The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of teacher preparation based in Professional Development Schools (PDSs) in secondary education in The Netherlands over a period of three years. Approximately 150 teachers in non-PDSs were compared with 50 teachers in PDSs with declining response rates. Classroom observation ratings and student perceptions of PDS teachers in the second year were higher compared to non-PDS teachers. PDS teachers reported higher levels of teacher efficacy in each year. PDS-based teachers evaluated their teacher preparation and their learning opportunities significantly more positively compared to non-PDS-based teachers. Even though the sample size is not large and the design of the study does not warrant causality claims, the findings point towards increased transition smoothness and improved adhesiveness between teacher education preparation and the requirements on the job. Future investments in the co-operation between schools and teacher education institutes seem warranted.
We investigated the relationship between teachers’ work motivation and their self-reported endors... more We investigated the relationship between teachers’ work motivation and their self-reported endorsement of mastery goals - i.e. goals focusing on learning and effort-, instead of performance goals - i.e. goals focusing on competition-, in the classroom. 154 secondary school teachers in the Netherlands completed a questionnaire on background characteristics, work motivation, and classroom goal structures. We found that teachers with higher levels of autonomous motivation, scored high on their self-reported endorsement of mastery goals. Controlled motivation was a significant predictor of performance goals, but not of mastery goals. In contrast, autonomous motivation was found to be a small yet significant predictor of mastery goals. Additional analyses also indicated the importance of background characteristics such as gender, teaching experience in years and educational track. Our study shows that teachers’ motivation for their work significantly relates to the goals they reported for their pupils in their classroom.
Handbook of Research on Implementing Inclusive Educational Models and Technologies for Equity and Diversity , 2023
The goal of this study was to examine the impact of a professional development program on teacher... more The goal of this study was to examine the impact of a professional development program on teachers' attitudes towards educational technology and the perceived benefits of digital learning resources for inclusion. The content of the program focused on how technology can be used to create more inclusive learning environments. Findings indicate a decline in attitudes from the beginning to the end of the program. The authors explore several possible explanations for this decline, including the pressures of the Corona pandemic and a simultaneous national curriculum reform, a possible discrepancy between initial expectations and later experiences with the technology, and a possible reactance effect or “backlash” against the ambitious goals of the program. In addition, variables related to previous experience and teacher efficacy predicted attitudes to some degree, offering indications of factors to consider when preparing future professional development efforts in this area.
The Relational Leader: Catalyzing Social Networks for Educational Change , 2023
While teacher collaboration has been a focal point in Norwegian schools for decades (Carlsten et ... more While teacher collaboration has been a focal point in Norwegian schools for decades (Carlsten et al., 2021), a recently implemented curriculum, also known as LK20, has set in motion conditions for teacher collaboration and knowledge sharing. The main aim of this chapter is to outline some analytical possibilities that follow from a social network analysis (SNA) perspective on teacher collaboration and knowledge sharing in teams in this specific context. Norwegian secondary schools commonly feature teacher teams as a collaborative configuration (e.g., Liebech-Lien, 2021) that is critical for fostering a professional learning community (Stoll et al., 2006).
Effective teaching around the world: Measurements, differences, growths, and links with student outcomes. (pp. 619-634). , 2023
ecent international research has highlighted deep learning as an essential prerequisite for pupil... more ecent international research has highlighted deep learning as an essential prerequisite for pupils to meet the global challenges of the future. This focus has drawn attention to Norwegian challenges, indicating that instruction leaves little room for pupils to engage intensively in tasks over time and to foster deep-learning processes. Thus, a new curriculum was implemented in the Norwegian educational system in the autumn of 2020 to emphasize deep learning throughout all content areas.
This study investigates how teachers provide learning conditions fostering learning and motivation processes to support pupils’ learning during mathematics lessons. After their mathematics lesson, 144 pupils from 9 classes (grades 7–9) in seven schools in Norway completed a questionnaire. It consisted of items measuring their perception of the relevance of the content taught, the quality of the instruction given, the teacher’s interest and enthusiasm, and the extent to which the instruction fulfilled their psychological needs for social relation, autonomy, and feeling competent.
On average, the pupils reported that they applied surface-level learning strategies rather than deep-level strategies in their mathematics lessons. They also lacked intrinsic motivation. To a large degree, pupils reported that they hardly recognised the content’s relevance. The results support the focus on deep learning in the 2020 curriculum reform in Norway. Additionally, they reveal conditions worth investigating when aiming to foster pupils’ deep learning and motivation.
This article is a contribution to understanding teacher identity related to working with students... more This article is a contribution to understanding teacher identity related to working with students' psychosocial environment (PSE). A systematic review of quantitative studies (n = 10) analyzing the relations between components of teacher identity and teachers' work with the PSE is presented. Findings indicate significant relations between the identity components task-related self-efficacy and job satisfaction along with likelihood or frequency of intervention in bullying situations. However, results regarding relations between general teaching efficacy or task perception and teachers' approach to bullying were inconclusive. Findings suggest that teachers' self-efficacy and job satisfaction as identity domains play an important role in students' PSE. This information has implications for teacher education, professional development, and policymakers.
This study explores the impact of screencast feedback on maths tests for junior and high school s... more This study explores the impact of screencast feedback on maths tests for junior and high school students. While prior research emphasises the influence of feedback on learning, its effectiveness varies with type and delivery. Although studies in higher education observe improved precision and emotional connections through screencast feedback, its applicability in secondary education remains understudied. The authors surveyed 99 students, collecting responses via an 11-item questionnaire after the students had received feedback. Through thematic analysis, they found 72% favoured video feedback due to its clarity, depth and personal touch. Conversely, 17% preferred written feedback for efficiency. These findings underscore the benefits of screencasting feedback, highlighting its comprehensibility and individualised nature. Given the rise of digital learning, educators are encouraged to adopt screencasting as a valuable tool for enhancing feedback in academic settings.
The purpose of the two interrelated studies reported here was to explore the approaches that scho... more The purpose of the two interrelated studies reported here was to explore the approaches that schools and teachers adopted to accommodate students with special educational needs (SEN) during school closings in Norway, as well as the consequences of the pandemic for children with SEN and their peers. Study 1 was a mixed-methods case study of a lower-secondary school in which students with SEN (n = 14) and students performing at or above grade-level (n = 66) completed a survey about their experiences. Survey results were then used as a starting point for follow-up interviews with four teachers and the school principal to explore how they dealt with pandemic restrictions and supported students with SEN. Study 2 is based on a survey of teachers from 10 schools (n = 128) who were participating in a professional development course on the use of educational technology when pandemic restrictions were enacted. Findings from both studies indicate that teachers and pupils are most concerned about the social and emotional consequences of the pandemic and report that distance learning worked poorly for pupils with SEN. For this reason, many students with SEN were provided with teaching at school while their classmates remained at home. Overall, teachers and students believe that they coped well given the circumstances and that the long-term impact on most students will be minimal. However, findings from both studies point to areas of concern for students with SEN and other pupils who were already struggling prior to the shutdown, citing a failure to meet the needs of these students through digital home-schooling and a loss of the support that students have a legal right to receive.
While different countries have inherited different methods of teacher preparation, all countries ... more While different countries have inherited different methods of teacher preparation, all countries aim for coherent programs, i.e. university-based courses are aligned with classroom practice. Yet, most published empirical research is based on data from western countries and focuses on a single feature of coherence (e.g., coherence between campus and internships). Our study examines a Malaysian teacher education university’s effort to increase program coherence, investigating 446 preservice teachers’ perceptions of various features of coherence. The preservice teachers represent six different specialist areas in the Bachelor of Education. Across these areas, the program was generally perceived as coherent. Observed differences between the areas, potentially stem from a dissonance among teacher educators about how to integrate theory and practice. Change efforts require time to implement and teacher educators discuss their beliefs about coherent teacher education to ensure coherent practices and to enable their preservice teachers to create a coherent understanding of teaching.
This study focused on the question of how to enhance a mastery-goal orientation in the classroom.... more This study focused on the question of how to enhance a mastery-goal orientation in the classroom. We started from the perspective of the achievement goal theory, which assumes that the goals that students have (personal goals) relate to the goals that are set in the classroom (classroom goal structures). In classrooms where teachers focus on learning and effort -instead of normative standards and social comparison- mastery goals are enhanced. This type of classroom can be endorsed by focusing on the following classroom structures: Task design, Autonomy, Recognition, Grouping, Evaluation, and Time (TARGET). The present study investigated how classroom goal structures as perceived by students are related to students’ personal goals. Based on survey data from 501 students from three secondary schools in the Netherlands, we found that the Task design dimension, concerning designing challenging and varied tasks, and the Time dimension, concerning e.g., pacing, predicted both mastery-approach and avoidance goals. Our findings provide insight in how perceived classroom goal structures are related to students’ personal goals that focus on understanding/competence, thus informing teachers and educational developers where to start when it comes to improving student motivation.
Background: Around the world, policy makers and teacher educators are paying increasing attention... more Background: Around the world, policy makers and teacher educators are paying increasing attention to how teacher candidates learn to study and enact teaching and to grounding preparation more deeply in teachers’ classroom practice. Evidence from the United States and the Netherlands suggests that efforts to tie preparation to practice may significantly impact pupils’ learning. However, the nature of teacher candidates’ opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching remains underexplored, especially in international studies. Purpose: Our research analyzes opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching in teacher education coursework in five different programs in five countries. We focus specifically on the degree to which campus coursework provides candidates with opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse actual teaching practices. What kind of opportunities exist in these international programs’ coursework to study, practice, and rehearse teaching? Are there any typical patterns and connections that teacher education students encounter more often than others?
Research Design: Our multiple case study design uses data from surveys of program candidates, observations of methods courses, and interviews with program faculty and students. We highlight our inclusion of observation of methods courses, which are relatively rare in studies of teacher education. We collected these data in five programs in five countries: Chile, Cuba, Finland, Norway, and the United States.
Findings: Analysis of all data revealed frequent opportunities for candidates to analyze artifacts from teaching and to do work that pupils will do. Candidates had some opportunities to plan, to rehearse teaching strategies, and to experience their teacher educator modeling teaching practices. Despite a growing focus on student learning in the United States and in other countries, there were few opportunities for teacher candidates to analyze student learning or to examine samples of students’ work. The dearth of opportunities for candidates to examine and analyze student learning was especially surprising: We underscore this finding as critical for teacher education.
Conclusions: These findings about opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching can provide helpful lenses for teacher education programs to examine where and how they offer these opportunities. Teacher educators may wish to consider the balance of learning opportunities within programs. The programs offered ample opportunities to plan for teaching, for instance. However, substantial experiences may come at the expense of others, especially when compared with the few opportunities to examine student learning.
International Journal of Educational Research, 2020
Liou, Y.-H., & Canrinus, E. T. (2020). A capital framework for professional learning and practice... more Liou, Y.-H., & Canrinus, E. T. (2020). A capital framework for professional learning and practice. International Journal of Educational Research. 100(2020 August), 101527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.101527
This meta-analytic review examines the relationships between students’ sense of school belonging ... more This meta-analytic review examines the relationships between students’ sense of school belonging and students’ motivational, social-emotional, behavioural, and academic functioning in secondary education. Moreover, it examines to what extent these relationships differ between different student groups (grade level, SES), measurement instruments, and region. The meta-analysis included 82 correlational studies, published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2018. Results revealed, on average, a small positive correlation with academic achievement, and small to moderate positive correlations with motivational outcomes such as mastery goal orientations; with social-emotional outcomes such as self-concept and self-efficacy; and with behavioural outcomes such as behavioural, cognitive, and agentic engagement. A small negative correlation is observed with absence and dropout rates. Similar results are found across different student groups (grade level, SES). Although the results vary to some extent across measurement instruments and region, generally, the results reveal that school belonging plays an important role in students’ school life.
We investigate how Norwegian vocational education and training (VET) teachers’ beliefs on collabo... more We investigate how Norwegian vocational education and training (VET) teachers’ beliefs on collaboration and sharing knowledge influences their intention to participate in continuing professional development (CPD). As these teachers cross a border between two professions, changing the context influencing their professional identity, we also investigate their perceptions of their professional identity and status. Regression analyses on data from 125 VET teachers in the south of Norway show that beliefs regarding collaboration and sharing knowledge significantly contribute to the intention to participate into CPD to strengthen general pedagogical competence and strengthening knowledge on the teachers’ subject taught. The latter is also influenced by the extent to which the teachers perceive themselves more as a skilled worker than a teacher. Our results align with previous research on the relevance of teachers’ beliefs for CPD. They furthermore show that professional identity plays a role as well in VET teachers’ intentions regarding CPD.
Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 2019
More often than not, campus based courses have been criticized as a set of disconnected individua... more More often than not, campus based courses have been criticized as a set of disconnected individual courses and that these courses lack the coherence with the realities of teaching and learning. To this end, one teacher education university has made efforts to make its teacher education program more coherent. Thus, this study reports on this university's preservice teachers' perception of program coherence and associating it with their teaching efficacy. The analysis from 454 preservice teachers, collected through a 30-item perception of program coherence questionnaire and a 12-item Malaysian Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale, indicated significant relationships between the two. Overall, the preservice teachers perceived their teacher education programs as fairly coherent. However, more importantly, when these preservice teachers perceived that what they learnt in campus (their theoretical studies) and their practical experiences (during their practicum) were coherent or aligned, this connection helped them to handle issues relating to how they engage students in learning, planning lessons, using appropriate teaching strategies, and classroom management. A coherent teacher education program is able to contribute to preservice teachers' feelings of efficacy and in turn, to a positive stance towards their own functioning as teachers. This finding underscores the importance for foundational theory learnt in the campus to be coherently connected to courses in teaching methodologies and finally to actual classroom teaching. The purpose of any re-design of a teacher education program conceptualized around coherence is about making better connections between theory and practice and to ultimately strengthen teaching.
Liou, Y.-H., Canrinus, E. T., & Daly, A. J. (2019). Activating the implementers: The role of orga... more Liou, Y.-H., Canrinus, E. T., & Daly, A. J. (2019). Activating the implementers: The role of organizational expectations, teacher beliefs, and motivation in bringing about reform. Teaching and Teacher Education, 79, 60–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.12.004
The aim of this article is to explore similarities and differences in teacher candidates’ percept... more The aim of this article is to explore similarities and differences in teacher candidates’ perceptions of their opportunities to enact practice in university courses in five teacher education programs, located in Norway, Finland, USA, Cuba, and Chile. Paper and pencil surveys were distributed among candidates (N=488) to measure their perception of their opportunities to enact practice in campus courses. Across programs the students report the least opportunity to examine transcripts of classroom talk or student discussions. They report the most opportunity to talk about their field placement and to plan for their teaching. Using Analysis of Variance, differences between the programs were studied. Students in a program which has explicitly made efforts to connect theory and practice over a period of 15 years do report more opportunities to enact practice. Students from a program that has been constantly working on improvements but not a major redesign conceptualized around coherence, report experiencing fewer opportunities to enact practice. We conclude that teaching practices closely linked to pupils’ understanding might be in need of additional attention in teacher education programs.
Although teacher educators may perceive their program and courses to be coherent, the question re... more Although teacher educators may perceive their program and courses to be coherent, the question remains to what extent student teachers also are able to perceive the linkages within their programs. Coherence within teacher education programs is important for teacher candidates to build understanding of teaching. Our study draws upon survey data from 269 teacher candidates, in three different teacher education programs, located in three different countries (Norway, Finland, United States [California]) and compares these candidates’ perceptions of the coherence of their teacher education programs. Candidates from a program that has explicitly been working on constructing a coherent program over a period of 15 years do report significantly more coherence, yet, across the programs, there remains room for improvement regarding the coherence between field placement and campus courses. We conclude with the suggestion that potential improvement of program coherence lies within greater communication and collaboration between the various stakeholders within teacher education.
To support pupils’ learning, teachers must understand what and how their pupils have learned, and... more To support pupils’ learning, teachers must understand what and how their pupils have learned, and teacher education should teach candidates how to do this. This article reports on survey data (n = 270) from three programmes and observation data (N = 104 hours) from six programmes, located in Norway, Finland and the US. It examines the candidates’ opportunities to analyse pupils’ learning within their coursework. The authors argue that such opportunities might constitute profound possibilities to examine the complexity of teaching and learning. However, the study finds that the candidates have few opportunities to analyse pupils learning and that the full potential of these opportunities is unrealized. The authors argue for increased, specific attention to pupils' learning within teacher education coursework, through a pedagogy of teacher education informed by existing research on how to elicit pupils’ learning.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of teacher preparation based in Profession... more The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of teacher preparation based in Professional Development Schools (PDSs) in secondary education in The Netherlands over a period of three years. Approximately 150 teachers in non-PDSs were compared with 50 teachers in PDSs with declining response rates. Classroom observation ratings and student perceptions of PDS teachers in the second year were higher compared to non-PDS teachers. PDS teachers reported higher levels of teacher efficacy in each year. PDS-based teachers evaluated their teacher preparation and their learning opportunities significantly more positively compared to non-PDS-based teachers. Even though the sample size is not large and the design of the study does not warrant causality claims, the findings point towards increased transition smoothness and improved adhesiveness between teacher education preparation and the requirements on the job. Future investments in the co-operation between schools and teacher education institutes seem warranted.
We investigated the relationship between teachers’ work motivation and their self-reported endors... more We investigated the relationship between teachers’ work motivation and their self-reported endorsement of mastery goals - i.e. goals focusing on learning and effort-, instead of performance goals - i.e. goals focusing on competition-, in the classroom. 154 secondary school teachers in the Netherlands completed a questionnaire on background characteristics, work motivation, and classroom goal structures. We found that teachers with higher levels of autonomous motivation, scored high on their self-reported endorsement of mastery goals. Controlled motivation was a significant predictor of performance goals, but not of mastery goals. In contrast, autonomous motivation was found to be a small yet significant predictor of mastery goals. Additional analyses also indicated the importance of background characteristics such as gender, teaching experience in years and educational track. Our study shows that teachers’ motivation for their work significantly relates to the goals they reported for their pupils in their classroom.
The purpose of the two interrelated studies reported here was to explore the approaches that scho... more The purpose of the two interrelated studies reported here was to explore the approaches that schools and teachers adopted to accommodate students with special educational needs (SEN) during school closings in Norway, as well as the consequences of the pandemic for children with SEN and their peers. Study 1 was a mixed-methods case study of a lower-secondary school in which students with SEN (n= 14) and students performing at or above grade-level (n= 66) completed a survey about their experiences. Survey results were then used as a starting point for follow-up interviews with four teachers and the school principal to explore how they dealt with pandemic restrictions and supported students with SEN. Study 2 is based on a survey of teachers from 10 schools (n= 128) who were participating in a professional development course on the use of educational technology when pandemic restrictions were enacted. Findings from both studies indicate that teachers and pupils are most concerned about ...
We investigated the relationship between teachers’ work motivation and their self-reported endors... more We investigated the relationship between teachers’ work motivation and their self-reported endorsement of mastery goals i.e. goals focusing on learning and effort-, instead of performance goals i.e. goals focusing on competition-, in the classroom. 154 secondary school teachers in the Netherlands completed a questionnaire on background characteristics, work motivation, and classroom goal structures. We found that teachers with higher levels of autonomous motivation, scored high on their self-reported endorsement of mastery goals. Controlled motivation was a significant predictor of performance goals, but not of mastery goals. In contrast, autonomous motivation was found to be a small yet significant predictor of mastery goals. Additional analyses also indicated the importance of background characteristics such as gender, teaching experience in years and educational track. Our study shows that teachers’ motivation for their work significantly relates to the goals they reported for th...
Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 2020
BackgroundAround the world, policy makers and teacher educators are paying increasing attention t... more BackgroundAround the world, policy makers and teacher educators are paying increasing attention to how teacher candidates learn to study and enact teaching and to grounding preparation more deeply in teachers’ classroom practice. Evidence from the United States and the Netherlands suggests that efforts to tie preparation to practice may significantly impact pupils’ learning. However, the nature of teacher candidates’ opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching remains underexplored, especially in international studies.PurposeOur research analyzes opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching in teacher education coursework in five different programs in five countries. We focus specifically on the degree to which campus coursework provides candidates with opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse actual teaching practices. What kind of opportunities exist in these international programs’ coursework to study, practice, and rehearse teaching? Are there any ty...
Although teacher educators may perceive their program and courses to be coherent, the question re... more Although teacher educators may perceive their program and courses to be coherent, the question remains to what extent student teachers also are able to perceive the linkages within their programs. Coherence within teacher education programs is important for teacher candidates to build understanding of teaching. Our study draws upon survey data from 269 teacher candidates, in three different teacher education programs, located in three different countries (Norway, Finland, United States [California]) and compares these candidates’ perceptions of the coherence of their teacher education programs. Candidates from a program that has explicitly been working on constructing a coherent program over a period of 15 years do report significantly more coherence, yet, across the programs, there remains room for improvement regarding the coherence between field placement and campus courses. We conclude with the suggestion that potential improvement of program coherence lies within greater commun...
Abstract This study draws upon survey data of 486 student teachers from five different programmes... more Abstract This study draws upon survey data of 486 student teachers from five different programmes based in five different countries (one programme in each country), and programmes that have varied in their efforts to become more coherent. We explore students’ perceptions of the coherence within their teacher education programmes and across the five programmes to investigate whether teachers in these programmes actually experience their teacher education programmes to be coherent. Descriptive analyses and analysis of variance were used for this purpose. Students in a programme which has explicitly made efforts to connect theory and practice over a period of 15 years do report more coherence. Students from a programme that has been constantly working on improvements but not a major redesign conceptualized around coherence, report experiencing less coherence. Based on students’ reports across all programmes, we conclude that the relationship between courses and field placements is in need of tighter links. Investing in collaboration across settings, i.e. field placement settings and university, remains a challenge for all teacher education programmes, even those engaged in substantial change efforts. Investigating how teacher educators might create closer links to school sites is a promising means of developing our understanding of teacher education programme coherence.
ABSTRACT This study provides insights into possible changes in 83 student teachers’ motives for b... more ABSTRACT This study provides insights into possible changes in 83 student teachers’ motives for becoming teachers, their professional commitment, and their self-efficacy after a year of teacher education. Furthermore, it addresses the extent to which these changes relate to student teachers’ perceptions of their learning environment—specifically, their perceptions of the quality of teaching, generic skills, and assessment. Student teachers completed a survey at the beginning and at the end of a single year of teacher education, which revealed significant changes in their motives and self-efficacy regarding tasks within the classroom and throughout the broader school context. No relationship between this change and teachers’ perceptions of their learning environment were observed. Instead, student teachers’ perception of the quality of teaching predicted their assessments of their ability and self-efficacy in a school context at the end of their education.
This article is a contribution to understanding teacher identity related to working with students... more This article is a contribution to understanding teacher identity related to working with students' psychosocial environment (PSE). A systematic review of quantitative studies (n = 10) analyzing the relations between components of teacher identity and teachers' work with the PSE is presented. Findings indicate significant relations between the identity components task-related self-efficacy and job satisfaction along with likelihood or frequency of intervention in bullying situations. However, results regarding relations between general teaching efficacy or task perception and teachers' approach to bullying were inconclusive. Findings suggest that teachers' self-efficacy and job satisfaction as identity domains play an important role in students' PSE. This information has implications for teacher education, professional development, and policymakers.
As accountability policy presses for higher student achievement, elementary schools across the na... more As accountability policy presses for higher student achievement, elementary schools across the nation are enacting a host of reform efforts with varied outcomes. Mounting evidence suggests reforms that support greater collaboration among teachers may enhance the intellectual capital available in a school. In this study, we argue that intellectual capital is important in the process of reform and increasing student outcomes. In exploring this idea, we deconstruct intellectual capital into its primary components, human and social capital, and examine their influence on student achievement using social network analysis and hierarchical linear modeling. Our results indicate that teacher human and social capital independently have a significant and positive predictive effect on student achievement. Moreover, both teacher human and social capital together, as core aspects of intellectual capital, has an even stronger effect on student achievement than either human or social capital alone. Implications around research, teacher practice, and policy are discussed.
As accountability policies press for higher student achievement, elementary schools across the gl... more As accountability policies press for higher student achievement, elementary schools across the globe are enacting a host of reform efforts with varied outcomes. Mounting evidence suggests reforms that support greater collaboration among teachers may enhance the intellectual capital available in a school to support increased student learning. In this study, we argue that intellectual capital is important in the process of school reform and increasing student outcomes. In exploring this idea, we deconstruct intellectual capital into its primary components, human and social capital, and examine the influence of human and social capital on student achievement using social network analysis and hierarchical linear modeling. Our results indicate that teacher human and social capital independently have a significant and positive relationship with student achievement. Moreover, both teacher human and social capital together, as core aspects of intellectual capital, have an even stronger effect on student achievement than either human or social capital alone.
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This study investigates how teachers provide learning conditions fostering learning and motivation processes to support pupils’ learning during mathematics lessons. After their mathematics lesson, 144 pupils from 9 classes (grades 7–9) in seven schools in Norway completed a questionnaire. It consisted of items measuring their perception of the relevance of the content taught, the quality of the instruction given, the teacher’s interest and enthusiasm, and the extent to which the instruction fulfilled their psychological needs for social relation, autonomy, and feeling competent.
On average, the pupils reported that they applied surface-level learning strategies rather than deep-level strategies in their mathematics lessons. They also lacked intrinsic motivation. To a large degree, pupils reported that they hardly recognised the content’s relevance. The results support the focus on deep learning in the 2020 curriculum reform in Norway. Additionally, they reveal conditions worth investigating when aiming to foster pupils’ deep learning and motivation.
Purpose: Our research analyzes opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching in teacher education coursework in five different programs in five countries. We focus specifically on the degree to which campus coursework provides candidates with opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse actual teaching practices. What kind of opportunities exist in these international programs’ coursework to study, practice, and rehearse teaching? Are there any typical patterns and connections that teacher education students encounter more often than others?
Research Design: Our multiple case study design uses data from surveys of program candidates, observations of methods courses, and interviews with program faculty and students. We highlight our inclusion of observation of methods courses, which are relatively rare in studies of teacher education. We collected these data in five programs in five countries: Chile, Cuba, Finland, Norway, and the United States.
Findings: Analysis of all data revealed frequent opportunities for candidates to analyze artifacts from teaching and to do work that pupils will do. Candidates had some opportunities to plan, to rehearse teaching strategies, and to experience their teacher educator modeling teaching practices. Despite a growing focus on student learning in the United States and in other countries, there were few opportunities for teacher candidates to analyze student learning or to examine samples of students’ work. The dearth of opportunities for candidates to examine and analyze student learning was especially surprising: We underscore this finding as critical for teacher education.
Conclusions: These findings about opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching can provide helpful lenses for teacher education programs to examine where and how they offer these opportunities. Teacher educators may wish to consider the balance of learning opportunities within programs. The programs offered ample opportunities to plan for teaching, for instance. However, substantial experiences may come at the expense of others, especially when compared with the few opportunities to examine student learning.
by the extent to which the teachers perceive themselves more as a skilled worker than a teacher. Our results align with previous research on the relevance of teachers’ beliefs for CPD. They furthermore show that
professional identity plays a role as well in VET teachers’ intentions regarding CPD.
This study investigates how teachers provide learning conditions fostering learning and motivation processes to support pupils’ learning during mathematics lessons. After their mathematics lesson, 144 pupils from 9 classes (grades 7–9) in seven schools in Norway completed a questionnaire. It consisted of items measuring their perception of the relevance of the content taught, the quality of the instruction given, the teacher’s interest and enthusiasm, and the extent to which the instruction fulfilled their psychological needs for social relation, autonomy, and feeling competent.
On average, the pupils reported that they applied surface-level learning strategies rather than deep-level strategies in their mathematics lessons. They also lacked intrinsic motivation. To a large degree, pupils reported that they hardly recognised the content’s relevance. The results support the focus on deep learning in the 2020 curriculum reform in Norway. Additionally, they reveal conditions worth investigating when aiming to foster pupils’ deep learning and motivation.
Purpose: Our research analyzes opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching in teacher education coursework in five different programs in five countries. We focus specifically on the degree to which campus coursework provides candidates with opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse actual teaching practices. What kind of opportunities exist in these international programs’ coursework to study, practice, and rehearse teaching? Are there any typical patterns and connections that teacher education students encounter more often than others?
Research Design: Our multiple case study design uses data from surveys of program candidates, observations of methods courses, and interviews with program faculty and students. We highlight our inclusion of observation of methods courses, which are relatively rare in studies of teacher education. We collected these data in five programs in five countries: Chile, Cuba, Finland, Norway, and the United States.
Findings: Analysis of all data revealed frequent opportunities for candidates to analyze artifacts from teaching and to do work that pupils will do. Candidates had some opportunities to plan, to rehearse teaching strategies, and to experience their teacher educator modeling teaching practices. Despite a growing focus on student learning in the United States and in other countries, there were few opportunities for teacher candidates to analyze student learning or to examine samples of students’ work. The dearth of opportunities for candidates to examine and analyze student learning was especially surprising: We underscore this finding as critical for teacher education.
Conclusions: These findings about opportunities to study, practice, and rehearse teaching can provide helpful lenses for teacher education programs to examine where and how they offer these opportunities. Teacher educators may wish to consider the balance of learning opportunities within programs. The programs offered ample opportunities to plan for teaching, for instance. However, substantial experiences may come at the expense of others, especially when compared with the few opportunities to examine student learning.
by the extent to which the teachers perceive themselves more as a skilled worker than a teacher. Our results align with previous research on the relevance of teachers’ beliefs for CPD. They furthermore show that
professional identity plays a role as well in VET teachers’ intentions regarding CPD.