The present study aims to identify the motivations of those who move to the teaching profession from pre-existing careers in other areas, and to explore the transferrable skills and experiences they bring with them to the classroom. Participants were selected from among students in a teacher-training program, all of whom had previous careers--in…

This study explores how university teachers perceive the features and characteristics of a good university teacher and how they self-evaluate their experienced pedagogical competency. Furthermore, this study explores how the experienced pedagogical competency and perceived features and characteristics of a good university teacher are related. The…

There is growing concern among policy makers over the quality of the teacher workforce in general, and the distribution of effective teachers across schools. The impact of teacher attrition on overall teacher quality will depend on the effectiveness of teachers who leave the profession. Likewise, teacher turnover may alleviate or worsen inequities…

This paper discusses the teacher efficacy factors contributing to student achievement in literacy and numeracy in 105 primary schools within Sibu division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The study observed high levels of practice for teacher efficacy. The t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the differences between gender,…

This research examined preservice teachers' self-efficacy beliefs immediately prior to and after the final practicum for an undergraduate three-year primary education teaching program. The primary purpose of the study was to explore the effect of the capstone practicum experience on the students' teacher self-efficacy beliefs. A secondary…

Context: Improving teacher quality and granting every student equal access to high-quality instruction have been a shared goal of many parents, educators, and policy makers for decades. In practice, teacher qualification measures (e.g. teacher degree, years of experience etc.) are often used as proxies of teacher quality. However, Shulman (1986)…

This qualitative study is part of a feasibility study conducted by State University of Malang (SUM), Indonesia, to determine stakeholder needs for a study program specializing in managing bilingual education. The study participants included one SUM lecturer who held a managerial position in the division of SUM laboratory schools and twelve…

The utility of teacher evaluation depends on meaningful teacher engagement with evaluation processes. However, critics of traditional tenure policies suggest that tenure nullifies teacher engagement with practices to improve performance. This study investigates whether tenured teachers exhibit perceptions that reflect disengagement with evaluation…

Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is a set of practices designed to build on students' cultural and linguistic backgrounds as teaching and learning occur. Although CRT can have positive effects on student outcomes, little research has examined teachers' self-efficacy to implement CRT practices. Using the Culturally Responsive Teaching…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of teachers relative to: (a) the processes and strategies used to implement the various components of a teacher effectiveness model used by teachers participating in four focus group sessions. The research explored the teachers' experiences with which components were most and…

This paper offers an autoethnographic account of my first academic year as a Human Geography lecturer at a 'new' public university in the North West of England. This research is timely and much needed, since teaching at universities in England has recently come under increasing scrutiny. The Teaching Excellence Framework is a new scheme, which…

Teachers have an important role in raising environmental awareness in individuals through environmental education and thus preventing environmental problems. For this reason, the self-efficacy level of teachers in environmental education is crucial. This study aims at determining the self-efficacy levels of geography and biology teachers and…

Background: Research has shown that certification and an undergraduate major in a teaching subject are consistent positive-significant predictors of teacher effectiveness and the lack of at least a minor in an assigned subject as a consistent and negative indicator of student success. Texas secondary science teachers have either subject-specific…

Teacher effectiveness varies substantially, yet principals' evaluations of teachers often fail to differentiate performance among teachers. We offer new evidence on principals' subjective evaluations of their teachers' effectiveness using two sources of data from a large, urban district: principals' high-stakes personnel evaluations of teachers,…

Over the years, government mandates and various studies have emphasized the need for effective professional learning for educators. However, a review of the literature revealed that while it is easy to determine qualities that make professional learning activities effective, these qualities are not consistently evident in practice. This mixed…