Teacher Collaboration Network and Student Achievement

Author(s):

Sevim Sevgi(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2013

Network:

11. Educational Improvement and Quality Assurance

Format:

Paper

Session Information

11 SES 08 A, School Success versus Failure

Paper Session

Time:

2013-09-12

09:00-10:30

Room:

D-312

Chair:

Lynne Grant

Contribution

What constitutes good instruction is a question that has evolved over the last several decades but remains unsolved. There is a consensus among the scholars that classroom experiences have the greatest impact on whether students learn a lot or a little and they related with the good instruction. To develop those good instruction techniques of teachers need to increase their instruction strategies. Methods to increase instructional strategies link with teachers’ relations with other teachers in their community. Study is interested in, and teacher- teacher relationships because they are often seen as levers to promote better instruction so achievement (King & Newmann, 2001; Louis & Marks, 1998; Smylie & Wenzel, 2003; Tighe, Wang, & Foley, 2002). Teacher network includes shared values, a common focus on student learning, collaboration in the development of curriculum and instruction materials, the sharing of practices, and reflective dialogue (Kruse, Louis, & Bryk, 1995; Hord & Sommers, 2008; McLaughlin & Talbert, 2001). Some researchers view collaboration in teacher communities as an active effort to construct knowledge related to teaching practice that goes beyond the dimension of mere learning. Informal meetings talking about walk in or formal meetings scheduled at the school as teacher collaboration time create an environment for sharing past knowledge of teachers how they solve o problem for struggling students or asking a question about which method is most suitable to teach abstract part of proofs.

Method

TIMSS 2011 Turkish Mathematics Teacher Survey items and eight grade mathematics scores of students would be used. Quantitative survey methods would be used to examine teacher collaboration network relation with students’ mathematics achievement. Large scale quantitative data with 239 schools and 6928 students allows establishing general trends. Social network items were taken from the Mathematics Teacher Survey. A three step procedure would be followed to examine the effect of teachers’ network on students’ mathematics achievement. Firstly, influence of demographic variables on the relationships’ between teachers network and student achievement. Secondly, Correlations are run to analyze the relationships among study variables. Lastly, multiple linear regression analyses to check whether teachers’ network structure affected student achievement in Turkish sample. Independent variables at the regression equation is derived from teacher questionnaire and dependent variable, mathematics achievement, variable is derived form student questionnaire.

Expected Outcomes

Firstly, I would analyze the influence of demographic variables on teachers’ network and student achievement. Based on literature, we could control the affect of SES on student mathematics achievement. My expected outcome is that, there would be significant correlations between the teachers’ survey items and students’ mathematics achievement. Moolenar et al. (2012)’s results would support my findings as teachers that perceive their team is capable of motivating students to learn that achieve higher students mathematics achievement. Teachers within a collaborative network or working environment supports their students in a rigorous way. This rigorous attends covers teachers attempt to find a instructional method to support struggling students, or teaching in an effective way to dig in relations with other syb areas and subjects.

References

Hord, S. M., & Sommers, W. A. (2008). Leading professional learning communities: Voices from research and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. King, M. B., & Newmann, F. M. (2001). Building school capacity through professional development: Conceptual and empirical considerations. International Journal of Educational Management, 15(2), 86-93. Kruse, S. D., Louis, K. S., & Bryk, A. S. (1995). An emerging framework for analyzing school-based professional community. In K. S. Louis & S. D. Kruse (Eds.), Professionalism and community: Perspectives on reforming urban schools (pp. 23-44). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Louis, K. S., & Marks, H. M. (1998). Does professional community affect the classroom? Teachers’ work and student experiences in restructuring schools. American Journal of Education, 106(4), 532-575. McLaughlin, M. W., & Talbert, J. E. (2001). Professional communities and the work of high school teaching. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Moolenaar, Sleegers, Daly, 2012, Teaming up linking collaboration networks collective efficacy and student achievement, Teaching and Teacher Education, 28, 251-262 Smylie, M. A., & Wenzel, S. A. (2003). The Chicago Annenberg Challenge: Successes, failures,and lessons for the future (Final Technical Report of the Chicago Annenberg ResearchProject). Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research. Tighe, E., Wang, A., & Foley, E. (2002). An analysis of the effect of children achieving on student achievement in Philadelphia elementary schools. Philadelphia: Consortium for Policy Research in Education Wahlstrom, K.L., Louis, K.S., 2008, How Teachers Experience Principal Leadership: The Roles of Professional Community, Trust, Efficacy, and Shared Responsibility, Educational Administration Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 4 (October 2008) 458-495

Author Information

Sevim Sevgi (presenting / submitting)

Middle East Technical University

Secondary School Science and Mathematics Education

Ankara

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