This research study aimed to describe the experiences of Professional Development School teachers who were living an inquiry stance toward teaching. Throughout this study, "living an inquiry stance toward teaching" was used in an attempt to describe teacher inquiry as a way of being and knowing for these PDS teachers more than methods for a…

Teachers with seven years of teaching experience or less (n = 10) participating in a large-scale mathematics professional development program in the United States were interviewed. The goal of this qualitative study was to better understand less experienced teachers' reactions to professional development and professional support in the teaching…

Teachers immigrating to Canada with credentials from non-Canadian jurisdictions are regarded as desirable immigrant professionals because of their high levels of education and yet, nevertheless, are required to redo some or all of their professional training. This research examines sociocultural notions of voice, agency, authorship and identity in…

This qualitative study examined the effects of a high-stakes, standardized test on teachers' instructional planning at a rural school. The research addressed this question: How do mandated curricular standards affect teachers' instructional planning and content selection? Ethnographic interviews (Creswell, 1998) examined four secondary teachers'…

A brief review of the history of pedagogical content knowledge reveals various definitions and conceptualizations of the construct, as well as some conceptual problems. A new conceptualization--teacher pedagogical constructions--is offered to address some of the problems associated with PCK. Seven assertions that comprise the new conceptualization…

Thirteen teachers and coordinators of vocational education and training in schools (VETiS) programs in eight Australian secondary schools were interviewed to determine the extent to which their involvement in school-based vocational education and training (VET) was grounded in their contact with contemporary workplaces, to identify the nature of…

Schematic models have been used extensively in educational research to represent relationships between variables diagrammatically, including the interrelationships between factors associated with teachers' beliefs and practices. A review of such models informed the development of a new model that was used to plan an investigation into primary…

This mixed methods study gathered information about the experiences of beginning special education teachers, their systems of support, and their intent to continue their careers in the field. Individual open-ended interviews were conducted with 8 first and second year special education teachers to obtain their perceptions of their first year of…

This study examined the teacher efficacy of special education teachers of English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities by surveying 202 elementary special education teachers. Overall participant teacher efficacy scores were high. No statistically significant differences in efficacy scores were found for levels of teacher preparation, number…

With the growing recognition that teachers' decisions are guided by their thinking and knowledge, this study examines the educational principles of two experienced kindergarten teachers' classroom decisions and actions and shows how teachers' ideas are related to classroom practice. Data were collected from mid-March to early June and from late…

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate whether or not selected academic ability indices and personal characteristics of 117 teachers were associated with changes in their attitude toward their teaching as a career measured upon the commencement of training, the end of student teaching, and completion of their fifth year of…

This case study explored the socialization of four beginning teachers as they engaged in the pre-induction and induction years of professional training. The analysis provided information about what contributes to the development of beginning teachers as they participate in school communities engaged in inquiry, and as they grapple with issues of…

This study explored the inservice training needs of teachers (in Taiwan) working with mentally handicapped students. Elementary (N=224) and junior high (N=171) school teachers of the retarded were surveyed concerning perceived competency levels and preferred inservice training topics and formats. Findings included: (1) both teacher groups selected…

This study investigated changes in outstanding teachers' concerns about teaching at four distinctly different career stages, based on F. Fuller's model of teacher development. Four samples totalling approximately 300 preservice and inservice teachers were administered the Teacher Concerns Questionnaire upon commencement of training or in early,…

Focusing on the emerging nature of teacher voice in educational change, this ethnographic study examined the process of teacher-initiated change through collaborative research in an elementary school. Four elementary school teachers, their principal, and a university professor were involved in the research. Qualitative data was collected through…