Beliefs and motives of teachers attending JOBS-Project and its effects on teachers’ and students’ learning outcome

Author(s):

Manuela B. Keller-Schneider(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

01. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations

Format:

Paper

Session Information

01 SES 04 C, Collaborative Knowledge Building for Equity in Education

Paper Session

Time:

2017-08-23

09:00-10:30

Room:

K3.13

Chair:

Mary Hill

Contribution

The project ‘JOBS’ aims to fosters Romanian students in their last year of compulsory education to take a decision on their further education and their vocational career. The program is based on teaching and learning material with a high emphasis on cognitive activation of the students (Hattie, 2009). The didactic approach of JOBS-program is based on a shift from a teacher centered approach to a task based and student centered one. Students work in groups on the tasks, given through the learning material. Teacher support them to find solutions and to explain them to the others. JOBS lessons take place once a week as a three-lesson-block, given by three teachers from different subjects. Teachers, who work in this program, got some further education. A teacher manual explains, how to process the lessons, and supports the teachers to follow the program as well as to act in a changed role as a counseling teacher. This project is evaluated to prove the possibility of implementation in Romania.

First results of the evaluation of JOBS-program show, that students, who attend the program, know more about professional world and their interests at the end of the program (Keller-Schneider et al., 2015). An implementation of the program for all students in the 8^th degree is planned. The question is, if a specific selection of teachers with fitting beliefs and motives to the didactic approach of JOBS-program are joining the program, if the program can be followed independent on teachers’ beliefs and if the beliefs change though attending to this program.

De Vries (2014) points out, that teachers’ reflection on teaching and learning effects their interest for further education. Based on the results of Blömeke et al. (2008) and Reusser & Pauli (2014), teacher learn more through further education program, if the goals of the program fit to their beliefs. Results from a study on teacher education show, that beliefs on teaching and learning (such as constructivist and transmissiv beliefs) effect the perception of job demands and shape teachers’ preferences of dealing with them (Keller-Schneider, 2017). These findings show, that a fit between individual teachers’ belief and the further education program is important and matters teachers’ professional development.

The question is, if JOBS program can be implemented in all secondary schools or if a selection of teachers with fitting beliefs and motivation are crucial for the success of the program.

The present article investigates on the following questions:

1) Do teacher, who join the JOBS project, differ in their beliefs, self-efficacy and motives from teachers, who do not attend the project?

2) Do teacher with low and high motivation to attend the JOBS-project differ in their beliefs, self-efficacy and motives?

3) What effects have beliefs, self-efficacy and motives of teachers on the learning output of the students, evaluated by the teachers?

4) What effects have beliefs, self-efficacy and motives of teachers on the learning output of the students, evaluated by the students?

5) Does attending the JOBS-program lead to a change in teachers’ beliefs, self-efficacy and motives?

Method

To prove these questions data from the evaluation study of the JOBS-project were used. In this study, conducted in a pre-post design with control-group, teachers and students were asked by a questionnaire on knowledge, beliefs, motives, self- efficacy and perceived support. In addition, attending teachers were asked about their motives to join the project. To investigate on these questions data from the teacher sample were used. 93 teachers, who attend the project, and 157 teachers from the control-group were compared by multivariate variance analyze (question 1) concerning their beliefs on teaching and learning, their self-efficacy as a teacher, their job motives and their beliefs on the learning motives of their students. JOBS-teachers were asked additional on their motivation to attend the project. To investigates on the effect of motives for attending the JOBS-project (question 2), the group of JOBS-teachers (n=93) were divided in two groups (by median) of high a low motivation to join the project. These groups were compared by multivariate variance analyze concerning their beliefs on teaching and learning, their self-efficacy as a teacher, their job motives and their beliefs on the learning motives of their students. To prove the effects of beliefs, motives, self-efficacy, motivation, beliefs on their students’ learning motivation on students’ learning output, evaluated by the teachers, regression analyzes were conducted (question 3). To investigate effects of teachers’ characteristics on the learning output of the students, evaluated by the students (question 4), the variables on individual characteristics of the teachers were inserted in the file on the students. The effects of teachers’ characteristics on students learning output were analyzed by regressions on individual level of each student. To prove the development of the teachers during the one-year course, beliefs, self-efficacy and motivation of JOBS- and Non-JOBS-teachers were tested by variance analyzes with repeated measurement (question 5).

Expected Outcomes

Results show, that (1) JOBS-teacher, compared with the control-group of Non- JOBS -teachers, don’t differ in their self-efficacy as a teacher, their motivation as a teacher and in their belief on the learning motivation of their students. In their beliefs on teaching and learning a significant difference is identified. Teachers, who attend the program, show a better fit between the didactical approach of the program (student centered and task based learning) and their individual beliefs on teaching and learning (higher constructivist and lower transmissiv beliefs compared with Non-Jobs-teachers). (2) The comparison of the groups of jobs teachers with high and low motivation to attend the project shows a difference concerning specific motives and their beliefs on the constructivist orientation of teaching and learning. (3) Constructivist learning orientation, self-efficacy and job motivation effect teachers’ evaluation of students’ learning output. (4) Teachers’ constructivist beliefs on learning, beliefs on students’ motivation and self-efficacy effects students’ learning output, evaluated by the students, but the explained variance is very small (5%). (5) Due to the JOBS-program, JOBS-teacher show a change in their beliefs and motives towards a profile, that fits even better to the didactic approach of task based students centered learning as it did fit at the beginning of the program. Teachers beliefs on teaching and learning and on students’ learning motivation are supportive preconditions to join JOBS-project and to foster students in their learning. But the program itself effect changes. To follow the program and cooperate with the other teachers improve the fit between teachers precondition and the goals of the program.

References

Blömeke, S., Kaiser, G. & Lehmann, R. (2008). Professionelle Kompetenz angehender Lehrerinnen und Lehrer: Wissen, Überzeugungen und Lerngelegenheiten deutscher Mathematikstudierender und -referendare. Erste Ergebnisse zur Wirksamkeit der Lehrerausbildung. Münster: Waxmann. De Vries, S., et al. (2014). How teachersí beliefs about learning and teaching relate to their continuing professional development. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 20(3), 338‑357. Hattie J (2009). Visible learning. A synthesis of over 800 meta-analysises relating to achievement. Oxon: Routledge. Keller-Schneider, M. (2017, in Vorb.). Die Bedeutung von lerntheoretischen Überzeugungen für die Wahrnehmung von beruflichen Anforderungen von angehenden Lehrpersonen. In: U. Fraefel & A. Seel (Hrsg.). Schulpraktische Professionalisierung: Konzeptionelle Perspektiven Münster: Waxmann. Keller-Schneider, M. & Albisser, S. (2015). Evaluation of the Educational Project ‘JOBS’. https://phzh.ch/MAPortrait_Data/53623/100/Keller-Schneider Reusser, K. & Pauli, C. (2014). Berufsbezogene Überzeugungen von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern. In: E.Terhart, H. Bennewitz & M. Rothland (Hrsg.). Handbuch der Forschung zum Lehrerberuf, S. 642-661. Münster: Waxmann.

Author Information

Manuela B. Keller-Schneider (presenting / submitting)

Zurich University of Teacher Education, Switzerland

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