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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 May 2023

Siraj Kariyilaparambu Kunjumuhammed, Bassam Khalil Hamdan Tabash and Vaidehi Pandurugan

This research aims to examine the educational philosophy of teachers in classrooms. Teachers' educational philosophy influences the power balance, course content function, student…

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Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to examine the educational philosophy of teachers in classrooms. Teachers' educational philosophy influences the power balance, course content function, student and teacher roles, responsibility for learning and assessment purposes and processes. The research also analyzes whether gender, qualification, specialization and experience significantly influence classroom educational philosophies.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilized a quantitative research design, utilizing data from 193 teachers working in a public higher education institution in the Sultanate of Oman. The study utilized a survey method to solicit data from the respondents. Besides utilizing descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation, the study used analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Analysis revealed an instructional strategy's preference, including elements of both teacher-centered and student-centered educational philosophies. Elements of progressivism, constructivism, reconstructivism and perennialism are more relevant in the teacher's instructional design. The results show no significant differences in teachers' pedagogical philosophy that exist based on gender, specialization and experience. However, teachers' age significantly influences their educational philosophy preferences.

Research limitations/implications

This research centers on a public higher education institution in the Sultanate of Oman, with a particular focus on the Department of Business Studies. This resarch delimits its discussion on teachers' chosen educational philosophy. Other possible factors may also impact student retention and effective teaching and learning.

Practical implications

This research offers valuable insights to academicians, higher education administrators, and policymakers. Specifically, this research emphasizes the significance of employing a blended approach, which incorporates both student-centered and teacher-centered educational philosophies, to enhance student engagement, retention, and effective teaching and learning.

Social implications

This research emphasizes the importance of educators' adoption of a blended educational philosophy in promoting student retention and engagement within higher education institutions. To achieve desirable outcomes, policymakers in higher education must ascertain which educational philosophy is most effective in the classroom. Additionally, ensuring congruence between preferred educational philosophy and teachers’  instructional practices is vital in facilitating effective teaching and learning.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind among teachers in higher education in the Sultanate of Oman. The outcome of this study helps detail the specific strategies teachers deploy and categorize into various educational philosophies.

Details

Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1985-9899

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2006

Aleksander Sztejnberg and Edward F. Finch

The purpose of this research is to investigate how secondary school teachers adaptively make use of the classroom learning environment. The approach illustrates the intimate…

4508

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to investigate how secondary school teachers adaptively make use of the classroom learning environment. The approach illustrates the intimate relationship between teaching style, learning style and the adaptive use of space as well as the preferences for different learning environments.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi method study approach was used to carry out the research. Two main methods were used in the study. In the first method, trainee teachers recorded spatial observations (mapping). Maps of the chemistry classrooms were produced. The observers marked all fixed, semi‐fixed and flexible elements in the classroom space. The second method involved two questionnaires. The first questionnaire (Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS)) was used to identify and describe teachers' teaching styles. The second questionnaire (Questionnaire of the Classrooms' Physical Properties) was used by trainee teachers acting as observers. It consists of a set of items that enable the evaluation of classroom quality related to specific physical properties. Research data were collected from ten secondary schools (upper level of the Polish secondary schools) in five cities located in South‐West part of Poland.

Findings

The results suggest that the traditional row and column classroom seating arrangement was dominant. It was found that teaching styles could be identified determined using factors identified using the PALS scale. Teachers generally perceived their own learning environment as more teacher‐centered or more student‐centered. Their teaching styles were combinations of student‐centered and teacher‐centered activity.

Practical implications

The research has practical significance in that it had developed a questionnaire that can be used by students and teachers to monitor the quality of physical classrooms environments and provide guidelines for the improvement of learning spaces.

Originality/value

The application of the multi‐method described in this study creates possibilities for a deeper understanding of secondary school classroom environments. A structured data collection system was valuable for the trainee teachers. They acquired a useful knowledge of classroom management and how to create effective learning environments, during the professional practice period. Trainee teachers gain awareness that would enable them to make changes to the classroom environment as an adaptive resource.

Details

Facilities, vol. 24 no. 13/14
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2006

Mark R. McCoy

The purpose of this research is to describe the teaching style of the faculty of a Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) organization in a Midwestern state and the degree…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to describe the teaching style of the faculty of a Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) organization in a Midwestern state and the degree and method of application of adult learning principles by the POST faculty. The move of law enforcement to community‐oriented policing (COP) requires that police officers develop communication and problem‐solving skills. The application of adult learning principles in law enforcement education can help prepare officers for their role in COP.

Design/methodology/approach

In this mixed method/descriptive study, 85 instructors completed the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS) and 21 instructors participated in in‐depth interviews.

Findings

Major findings in the study related to POST instructors' strong preference for a teacher‐centered style of teaching as measured by PALS and a disconnect between what instructors do in the classroom and what they feel is effective instruction.

Practical implications

Offers suggestions related to the nature of the field and for instructor development. Recommendations were made related to professional development and the application of adult learning principles to law enforcement education and training.

Originality/value

This research fills a void in the field by beginning to give a formal description of teaching style in law enforcement education and training. It also details the value of applying adult learning theory in law enforcement instruction and the implications for community‐oriented policing.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 June 2014

Christoph Klima, Florian Pfarr and Axel Winkelmann

New teaching concepts in IS are highly relevant to deliver practical skills to IS students, as demanded by business practice. There are different approaches for providing…

Abstract

Purpose

New teaching concepts in IS are highly relevant to deliver practical skills to IS students, as demanded by business practice. There are different approaches for providing knowledge. The authors differentiate between teacher-centered and learner-centered approaches when designing new IS courses. The latter is characterized by creating learning environments, where students work on a solution for a given problem. Since nearly every company integrates its processes in enterprise systems, the authors consider the teaching of ERP as particularly relevant for business practice. Hence, the authors present the design of an ERP laboratory-based master IS courses to deliver practical and technical system knowledge. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The main research methods to achieve the research goals are aligned with a design science approach. For evaluation, data were gathered by a questionnaire-based survey.

Findings

The authors benchmarked different issues in both classes and finally came to the conclusion that learner-centered approaches on the one hand are characterized by a lot more effort for students but on the other hand lead to a deeper understanding of a topic area and additionally boost class attendance.

Originality/value

Thus, this paper presents new possibilities for delivering practical and technical skills to IS master students, which is important to IS teachers, faculties and also practitioners.

Details

Interactive Technology and Smart Education, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-5659

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 22 August 2014

Cheryl Hunter and Tsooane Molapo

This chapter examines the similarities and differences in teacher education between Botswana and Lesotho to unravel “best fit” strategies specific to the needs of teacher…

Abstract

This chapter examines the similarities and differences in teacher education between Botswana and Lesotho to unravel “best fit” strategies specific to the needs of teacher education in different locals or populations within these two countries. We begin with an overview of the social, political, and economic contexts of each country as a lens by which to understand some of the current challenges teachers face within each country. We review the research literature to understand what teacher preparation looks like at the tertiary level and how teachers in the field maintain current knowledge and pedagogical skills in regard the content they teach. We will argue that when teaching pedagogy at the tertiary level maintains an authoritarian model of teaching with content centered, didactic instruction, and teacher-centered pedagogy there is little ability for national change in education. Likewise, if teacher education does not embed the concept of life-long learning and is not supported by both a national and local commitment to support teacher’s continued professional development the ability to sustain any change in education is thwarted.

Details

Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2014
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-453-4

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2011

Louis Dodson and Dianna A. DaSilva

The main thesis of this paper is that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) hold tremendous opportunities for enhancing the quality and coverage of public goods in…

Abstract

The main thesis of this paper is that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) hold tremendous opportunities for enhancing the quality and coverage of public goods in developing countries. Within this context, the paper examines, through a SWOT analysis, the opportunity for using Computer‐Assisted Instruction (CAI) to enhance the quality and coverage of education delivery in Guy ana at the General Secondary School (GSS) level. Its main conclusion in this regard, is that through the use of CAI, the negative effects which the shortages of trained teachers have on the quality of education delivery at the GSS level, can be reduced if not eliminated. Noteworthy, CAI can be used to support Conventional Teacher‐Centered Instruction (CTCI). In addition, it can serve to reduce urban‐rural inequal ity in terms of access to quality secondary education. The paper considers, however, that these opportunities must be predicated on an understanding of the character istic weaknesses of the education system and the related possible threats to effective application of ICT to education delivery. Of import are the informal dynamics that inter‐play in the use of certain ICT in schools, namely computers; the risk of erosion of local educational materials and tools for learning given current indigenous capacity weaknesses and the increased marketability of trained teachers for the foreign market where the application of ICT to learning occurs on a higher level. However, this paper suggests that with prudent policy approaches, the weaknesses can be overcome, the threats can be minimised and therefore the opportunities can be accomplished. In this regard, this paper concludes with policy recommendations.

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2010

Robert W. Maloy and Irene LaRoche

Using student-centered teaching methods presents a great challenge to many new middle and high school history teachers. Having experienced mostly teacher-centered instructional…

Abstract

Using student-centered teaching methods presents a great challenge to many new middle and high school history teachers. Having experienced mostly teacher-centered instructional approaches (such as lectures and teacher-led discussions) in secondary school and college classes, they begin student teaching with few models for how to teach using less traditional forms of instruction. This paper discusses “Ideas, Issues, and Insights,” a strategy for prospective history teachers, as they explore the use of student-centered teaching methods with middle and high school students. It analyzes written reflection papers where history teacher candidates identify their ideas for three student-centered instructional methods — small group work, primary source analysis, and historical role-plays and simulations — as well as issues that arise when these student-centered methods are implemented in the classroom. As history teacher candidates respond to their ideas and issues, they generate insights about how they can best use student-centered teaching methods in their future classrooms. The first-person perspectives of history teacher candidates are highlighted to show how college students in one university-based teacher preparation program think about their student teaching experiences and their choice of instructional methods to use with students.

Details

Social Studies Research and Practice, vol. 5 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1933-5415

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 26 October 2015

Pablo Fraser and Sakiko Ikoma

Amidst a worldwide concern with teacher quality, recent teacher reforms often focus on how to certify teachers, how to evaluate teachers, how to recruit the best and brightest…

Abstract

Amidst a worldwide concern with teacher quality, recent teacher reforms often focus on how to certify teachers, how to evaluate teachers, how to recruit the best and brightest people to be teachers, and how to fire bad teachers. The political discourse of these policy reforms oftentimes depicts teachers as largely inactive transmitters of knowledge and does not recognize the agency they have in affecting standards. Yet, such a narrow framework may suppress teacher pedagogy, practices, and also teacher beliefs. In this chapter, we seek to understand the extent that two types of math teacher beliefs – traditional and constructivist orientations – are related to national cultural factors. In doing so, we test both “culturist” and “neo-institutional” hypotheses by observing how those beliefs vary across different nations.

Details

Promoting and Sustaining a Quality Teacher Workforce
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-016-2

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 26 October 2005

Susan G. Magliaro and R. Neal Shambaugh

Different images of teacher knowledge and of teaching are described using the conceptual structure of Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999a), in which knowledge and practice are viewed…

Abstract

Different images of teacher knowledge and of teaching are described using the conceptual structure of Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999a), in which knowledge and practice are viewed as either formal, practical, or transformative. Instructional design (ID) represents a formal image of knowledge and frames the teacher as a problem-solver. Teachers, however, have been resistant to the use of ID. In a graduate ID course, students were given the task of drawing their own representation of the ID process. Two research questions framed the study, including How might these models be categorized? and What views of teaching were found in the models? From 13 deliveries of the course, 123 models and explanatory narratives were analyzed from students who were teachers. The course and ID model task are described. A recursive cycle of categorization and theme-building were used. Types of models included those characterized by Human Activity (51 models), Components (23), Artifacts (20), Organic (15), and Flow Charts (14). Views of teaching included Teacher-centered (47 models), Designer-centered (36 models), Co-centered (18), Learner-centered (16), and De-centered (6). Analysis revealed that for teachers ID activity is a human activity and the principal focus for design activity is teacher needs. Implications are summarized in terms of teacher knowledge and expertise, as well as limitations to our methodology.

Details

Learning from Research on Teaching: Perspective, Methodology, and Representation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-76231-254-2

Article
Publication date: 10 January 2024

Ayesha Nousheen and Farkhanda Tabassum

This study aims to asses students’ sustainability consciousness (SC) in relation to their perceived teaching styles in seven public sector institutions in Pakistan.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to asses students’ sustainability consciousness (SC) in relation to their perceived teaching styles in seven public sector institutions in Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey technique was used to collect data from respondents. Grasha’s (1996) Teaching Styles Inventory and Gericke et al.’s (2019) Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire were used to collect data pertinent to teachers’ teaching styles and students’ SC, respectively. This study’s population was 1,986 students studying in seven educational institutions. A sample of 993 students was selected for the study. Out of the 993 questionnaires distributed, only 753 respondents returned the questionnaire completely filled, resulting in a response rate of 75.83%. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data.

Findings

The results show that students’ mean scores on environmental and social dimensions were higher compared with the economic dimension. Similarly, students’ scores were relatively higher on the knowledge and attitude dimension while lower on the behavior dimension. Moreover, the expert and formal authority teaching styles were the most prevalent teaching styles. Furthermore, SEM results show that various teaching styles affected students’ knowledge and attitude; however, only the delegator teaching style affects all three dimensions of SC.

Research limitations/implications

This research has implications for educational institutions and policymakers to ensure dedicated efforts to promote and integrate education for sustainable development into the educational system and achieve sustainability goals by 2030.

Practical implications

The study findings will help future teachers to effectively integrate sustainability education into their classrooms.

Originality/value

This research expands the discussion on the effectiveness of various teaching styles on SC in teacher education programs.

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