The current study reports the findings of the first step of a comprehensive performance improvement study, identification of the optimal behaviors. In this sense, this study aims to determine the optimal faculty behaviors in distance education based on the perspectives of the stakeholders based on the framework of transactional distance (TD)…

Despite the growing evidence on promising approaches to postsecondary instruction--and particularly on the benefits of student-centered, conceptually oriented instruction for underprepared students--there has been limited investment in supporting these approaches' widespread implementation. Most postsecondary instructors have limited training in…

Many school leaders are committed to providing coaching to teachers, but coaching doesn't come together in their school because they haven't taken time to communicate a clear definition of coaching to the school and, especially, set up a clear structure for a coaching program. Aguilar, an education consultant and respected author on coaching,…

This theoretical paper focuses on how school-based continuous professional development (CPD) for mathematics teachers in schools located in disadvantaged areas can be carried out using the lesson study approach. School-based CPD is based on the notion that teachers need real-time and on-site professional training tailored to improve the…

While teacher effectiveness has been a particular focus of federal education policy, and districts allocate significant resources toward professional development for teachers, these efforts are guided by an unexplored assumption that classroom practice can be improved through intervention. Yet even assuming classroom practice is responsive, little…

Like other public workers, teachers typically receive high and compressed ratings that do little to differentiate them based on performance. Motivated by empirical evidence of substantial variation in effectiveness among teachers, there has been a recent push to develop more informative evaluation systems with greater ratings dispersion. We study…

Background: Policy makers are increasingly adopting performance incentives to spur underperforming teachers as a way to improve teaching and student performance. However, much of the experimental research fails to find meaningful effects of performance incentives on either student achievement or teacher practice. Purpose/Objective: Using the…

This narrative study, examined the experiences of six school district leaders related to decision-making about professional development for a research-based instructional strategy in their school districts. The study incorporated James G. March's, Organizational Decision-making as a framework. A central research question guided this study: How do…

Background: Research findings indicate that developing good relationships with pupils, managing classroom processes adequately and developing confidence and trust with other teachers are among the aspects of teaching that are found to be challenging. Although many studies conclude that collaborative reflection is a crucial activity for supporting…

The atmosphere at many colleges and universities in the United States presents unique challenges for Black faculty including racism. It is well established that Black faculty, especially those at predominantly White institutions (PWIs), work in potentially hostile, unfriendly, and negative environments. Other concerns for Black faculty at PWIs…

This study investigates what has been done by EFL teachers in higher education level or EFL lecturers in the teaching of writing. This study involves seven research subjects who have taught writing for English Department students for at least three years. The data were collected through in-depth interview. The data were then analyzed through open,…

Purpose: This study aimed to explore how a group of Chinese primary mathematics teachers learned through conducting an online cross-cultural lesson study between China and Australia. Design/methodology/approach: An expansive learning theory was adopted to examine teachers' learning through collective activities across different activity systems.…

A growing number of universities are expanding programs with increased use of adjunct faculty. This research describes our experience developing and enacting a low-resource, scalable peer-to-peer program of research and professional development for adjunct faculty. This transdisciplinary adjunct self-study collaborative simultaneously targeted our…

Purpose: This paper aimed to explore secondary science teachers' views on Resource Folio as an effective tool to improve their PCK through interpretation of own teaching practice. Method: The study was conducted in qualitative approach following multiple case study method. Three secondary science teachers were purposively selected as participants…

Background: Mindfulness-based programs are a novel and promising approach for supporting teachers' occupational health and well-being. Although rationales for mindfulness programs for teachers have been offered, the empirical research base evaluating approaches for educating teachers in mindfulness is still developing. This study reports the…