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This article presents a duoethnographic study by two lecturers of German in a B.A. program at Waipapa Taumata Rau - The University of Auckland (UoA) in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). With an abrupt change to online teaching in March 2020, we had to redesign our language acquisition courses at different levels. Retrospectively, we conducted a duoethnography to investigate our development of courses that are inclusive for onshore as well as offshore students and lecturers. Our personal experiences across different courses are the main data sources, and include our e-mail exchanges, written narrative reflections, and dialogic oral reflections. They served to interrogate and critically reflect our unique experiences while attempting to foster location-based inclusivity. We used thematic analysis to interpret the data into emerging themes. This analysis provided us with a better understanding of the development of our course designs and the role of spatial and geographical inclusion in these courses. Informed by the collaborative reflection of our experiences, as the main finding, we identified three setups and four variations of these for location-based inclusive course designs. In our reflections we illustrate how these designs provided multiple opportunities for contributing to a place-sensitive teacher and learner autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Elementary Education / Revija za Elementarno Izobraževanje is the property of University of Maribor, Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The transformative impact of advancements in educational technology, particularly those powered by artificial intelligence (AI), on the landscape of education and the teaching profession has been substantial. This study explores the repercussions of AI-powered technologies on teachers’ autonomous behavior, digital burnout, and professional development. The study involved a cohort of 320 high school teachers in China segregated into control and experimental groups. The experimental group received instructions on AI-integrated applications and how they might be used in education. However, the teachers assigned to the control group did not receive information on the use of AI educational applications. Three distinct questionnaires probing autonomous behaviors, digital burnout, and online professional development were administered, and the ensuing data were analyzed using independent sample t-tests. The findings elucidate a discernible positive impact of AI-integrated technology intervention on teachers’ professional development and autonomous behaviors. The incorporation of AI-enhanced tools facilitated an augmentation in teachers’ professional growth and bolstered their independent and self-directed instructional practices. Notably, using AI-integrated technology significantly reduced teachers’ susceptibility to digital burnout, signifying a potential alleviation of stressors associated with technologymediated teaching. This research provides valuable insights into the multifaceted effects of AI-powered technologies on educators, shedding light on enhancing professional competencies and mitigating digital burnout. The implications extend beyond the confines of this study, resonating with the broader discourse on leveraging technology to augment the teaching profession and optimize the learning environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study lies in the use of theoretically comparative and historically methodological approaches to elaborate, compare, and recapitulate the features, history and the relationship of evidence-based education and the concept of Bildung. The relationship of the continental European didactic and Anglo-American curricular tradition, as well as to the meaning of teacher autonomy and (inter)national external evaluations of student achievements will be given special attention. Evidence-based education degrades teacher autonomy. Constituting the synergy of these two concepts can be considered the contemporary Holy Grail of education, which will probably not be found in the theoretical-methodological differences.

Teachers' innovative behavior contributes to students' academic achievements, school innovation, and even the quality of education. This study aims to investigate the correlations between teacher autonomy, creative self-efficacy, and innovative behavior from the perspectives of Chinese university EFL teachers. The significance of the current study lies in exploring how different motivational mechanisms influence teachers' innovative behavior, providing references for improving their teaching effectiveness and professional development. The main research question that guided this study was: What are the interrelationships between teacher autonomy, creative self-efficacy, and innovative behavior among EFL teachers? This study recruited 297 Chinese university EFL teachers as the sample, inviting them to fill in a self-reported questionnaire to assess teacher autonomy, creative self-efficacy, and innovative behavior. Results showed that teacher autonomy positively predicted teachers' creative self-efficacy and innovative behavior; creative self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between teacher autonomy and innovative behavior. The findings suggest that education administrators should offer teachers autonomous support and tailored training programs to inspire their innovation. Additionally, teachers may work collaboratively with their colleagues and obtain peer support to execute innovative practices, which facilitates both students' innovative performance and teachers' professional development. Finally, as innovative behavior is complex and dynamic, future research may add other organizational and individual factors while considering cultural differences and institutional systems to explore teachers' innovative behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic and the associated school closures have challenged teachers to quickly develop and implement effective distance learning concepts. This article examines the success of teachers in meeting these challenges by analysing their performance during the pandemic. Using a mixed-method approach, the study conducts a secondary data analysis of 135 questionnaires from a pupil and parent survey conducted by a German elementary school. These surveys are analysed across the three basic dimensions of teaching quality, elucidating the teaching experiences during the pandemic. The results reveal a considerable variation in teacher performance, highlighting instances where some teachers made inadequate decisions regarding the selection of teaching content or supporting strategies, while also displaying limited engagement with their students. Given the identical school conditions across the research setting for all teachers, this article focuses on individual effectiveness and efficiency of teachers during the pandemic, prompting an inquiry into the extent to which the high degree of teacher autonomy may have influenced performance. To address this further, this article introduces a framework based on current interdisciplinary research findings, which predicts a “too-much-of-a-good-thing” effect of teacher autonomy on teacher performance and integrates numerous established research approaches. This article contributes to a better insight into the performance of teachers during the pandemic and the identification of effective distance learning teaching approaches. Simultaneously, this article proposes a theoretically grounded framework for varying teacher performance, the exploration of which provides a compelling avenue for enhancing teacher performance and serves as a well-founded starting point for further research.

This paper comprehensively examines how school leaders in Kazakhstan managed schools during the COVID-19 school closures. An online survey was conducted with 1,298 school leaders, representing 17.5% of all Kazakhstani schools. Anchored in the concept of crisis leadership, the instrument measured school leaders' views regarding teachers' digital competence, their support toward teachers in digital pedagogy, as well as their practices in communicating with parents and teacher autonomy and monitoring. The results of bivariate tests indicate that a significant proportion of schools offered teachers online professional development opportunities to improve their digital instruction, with school location and size influencing the level of training in digital pedagogy received by teachers. Notably, school leaders' confidence in their teachers' ability to teach effectively online increased significantly after receiving training in digital pedagogy. School leaders also maintained regular communication with parents, but this increased their workload, particularly for women and urban school leaders. Most school leaders allowed teachers to choose online platforms and revise curriculum content, while also monitoring teachers' attendance and observing online lessons. These practices varied based on the school's medium of instruction. This study significantly contributes to crisis leadership by examining practices during school closures in addressing teachers' digital competence, communication challenges, and teacher autonomy, with insights on variations by school type, location, and leaders' gender. The study's findings have significant implications for post-pandemic school leadership, emphasizing equity in professional development opportunities for teachers, effective communication with stakeholders, and striking the right balance between teacher autonomy and monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The literature has widely recognized the significance of examining the influence of teacher professional identity (TPI), teacher autonomy (TA), and teacher work motivation (TWM) on teacher well-being. However, there is a noticeable gap in the research regarding the role of teacher immunity (TI) and teacher emotion regulation (TER) in TPI, TA, TWM among English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers. In light of this gap, the present study aimed to investigate the association between TI and TER with TPI, TA, and TWM of EFL teachers. A sample of 433 EFL teachers completed the Language Teacher Immunity Instrument, the Language Teacher Emotion Regulation Inventory, the Teacher Professional Identity Scale, the Teacher Autonomy Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling were conducted to analyze the data. Findings disclosed that TI and TER were strong predictor of TPI, TA, and TWM among the EFL teachers. The study concludes by offering some pedagogical implications for different stakeholders and discussing potential areas of research that can be developed based on the findings.

A coronavirus disease (COVID)-related educational emergency is believed to have changed some of the aspects of the educational landscape. Sudden changes to traditional structures that are schools are undoubtedly an interesting issue to explore: complex phenomena such as assessment methods are highly related to many different factors such as normative base, the use of technological tools, etc. This article reports on the reorganization of assessment methods in the context of a rapid and forced transition to remote teaching mode, based on the results of a survey of Italian teachers. Findings indicate that pandemic-related educational emergency and the push toward the use of tools in teaching and learning practices, and the corresponding relaxation of certain established frames of operation, have created grounds for alternative forms of assessment. Results show that when entertaining different options and enjoying some level of autonomy, teachers can explore alternative forms of assessment. Assessment methods also change according to school subjects; while assessment changes are discipline specific, there is a clear trend toward product-based assessment.

The literature has widely recognized the significance of examining the influence of teacher professional identity (TPI), teacher autonomy (TA), and teacher work motivation (TWM) on teacher well-being. However, there is a noticeable gap in the research regarding the role of teacher immunity (TI) and teacher emotion regulation (TER) in TPI, TA, TWM among English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers. In light of this gap, the present study aimed to investigate the association between TI and TER with TPI, TA, and TWM of EFL teachers. A sample of 433 EFL teachers completed the Language Teacher Immunity Instrument, the Language Teacher Emotion Regulation Inventory, the Teacher Professional Identity Scale, the Teacher Autonomy Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling were conducted to analyze the data. Findings disclosed that TI and TER were strong predictor of TPI, TA, and TWM among the EFL teachers. The study concludes by offering some pedagogical implications for different stakeholders and discussing potential areas of research that can be developed based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International trends promoting school diversity and choice have reshaped education across Europe, leading towards a multiplicity in ownership structures and varied governance configurations. More recently, this can also be seen in European countries with a long history of state-owned and governed public schools, such as in the Nordic states. The aim of this article is to explore autonomy and curriculum control in teacher's work in public and independent schools within a country context where there are long traditions of 'one public school for all'. The article draws on interviews with school leaders and teachers on a Waldorf school, an IB school, and a Norwegian public school as well as analysis of local school documents. The analysis shows that varying school contexts present both different and overlapping characteristics of curriculum control and teacher autonomy. All schools have accommodated to educational outcome governed regimes, however, teacher autonomy in the school context appears to differ. Teacher autonomy is more related to teachers' practices, not the educational outcomes required. The study shows how policies intending for the standardisation of schooling may work in conflict with policy intentions of educational diversity, provided by independent schools of different character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher autonomy encompasses in its essence the (self)activity of the teacher, the right and opportunity to make decisions and choices, and finally accepting the consequences that come with those decisions. Accordingly, autonomy represents one of the core competences of the modern teacher and it is being increasingly in the focus of numerous pedagogical researches. The purpose of the study conducted and presented in this paper was to examine psychometric characteristics and determine factor structure of the Teaching Autonomy Scale (TAS). The study sampled 310 teachers of the upper-primary subjects and primary school grade teachers from 16 primary, mixed-sex public schools. The researchers have applied Horn’s parallel factor analysis and initially extracted three factors, but due to a low reliability of the third subscale, a shortened version was suggested with two factors and 10 items. The first factor represents Curriculum autonomy, while the second one refers to General autonomy. The conclusion is that the TAS scale can be used in its modified version of 10 items and with a two-factor structure of the instrument.

Becoming an effective language teacher does not only depend on how well the teacher knows the language but also on how the teacher can deal with the complex situations that emerge in the profession. Therefore, it is crucial to provide novice teachers with opportunities to share with others these complications during their teaching training programs. This document has the purpose of presenting the results of a research which aims to explore how novice language teachers mediate their discussions while they reflect on the emerging conflicts that they have faced during their initiating teaching practice. The study has a twofold purpose: to inquire about the main hardships these teachers deal with and the implications of mediation in their solution. Twelve English language teachers were involved as participants who were grouped in four groups of three each to discuss during 6 sessions. The study used a mixed method research approach that involved discourse analysis of the transcribed discussions, the teachers’ diaries and open observations by the researchers. The results show that socializing conflicts leads to cognitive, social and affective dimensions of mediation; in such a way that mediation reinforces teacher’s self-efficacy and decision making to solve their problems.

Copyright of Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal is the property of Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Teaching Innovations / Inovacije u Nastavi is the property of University of Belgrade, Faculty of Teacher Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aimed to examine the relationship between teacher autonomy and teacher leadership. With this purpose in mind, a predictive correlational research method, was adopted. The study was carried out with 571 teachers who were determined through a simple random sampling technique among those working in Turkey during the 2020-2021 academic year. The Teacher Autonomy Scale developed by Çolak & Altınkurt (2017) was used to determine teachers’ perception of teacher autonomy, and the Teacher Leadership Scale developed by Beycioğlu & Aslan (2010) was exploited for their perception of teacher leadership. Descriptive analyses such as mean and standard deviation were estimated to determine teachers’ perceptions of autonomy and leadership. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to control the relationship between teacher autonomy and teacher leadership. As a result of the study, the participants’ teacher autonomy and teacher leadership perceptions were found to be at higher levels. Moreover, it was established that there was a positive and significant relationship between teacher autonomy and teacher leadership, and teacher autonomy was found to be among the factors explaining teacher leadership. Therefore, it can be alleged that teacher autonomy should be promoted to reveal the leadership skills of teachers.

Utilizing the job demand-resource theoretical framework, this study expands on previous research by examining the role of teacher workloads in the relationship between teachers' resources and teacher well-being. The study used data from Taiwanese lower secondary school teachers in the TALIS 2018 survey and conducted a structural equation modeling analysis. The results showed that teacher training preparedness had a direct positive effect on well-being and an indirect effect that was mediated by teaching and student behavior workloads. On the other hand, teachers' perceived autonomy did not have a direct impact on well-being but was indirectly related to well-being through the teaching workload. Additionally, the study found that teaching and student behavior workloads were negatively associated with well-being. By incorporating workload as a mediator, this study offers new insights into the complex relationship between job demands, resources, and well-being in the teaching profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finnish education has received worldwide attention due to the country's performances in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Research investigating Finland's positive outcomes in the assessment has highlighted not only the strength of teachers, but also the rigour of Finnish teacher education. Finnish student teachers must undertake research-based teacher education culminating in a master's degree. The study of educational science, underpinned by empirical research, creates teacher-researchers. A Nordic/Continental view of educational governance allows for input control in terms of a national core curriculum in Finland, without surveillance of outcomes. The structure of the Finnish education system, characterised by decentralisation and the national core curriculum, entrusts teachers to make their own pedagogical decisions. This leads to autonomous and agentic teachers in terms of decision-making on the classroom, school, and professional levels, both individually and collectively. Finnish education, underpinned by social democratic values, views education as an agent of social change. Therefore, teachers enact social transformation through the agency enabled by research-informed teacher education. Finland's political consensus regarding education and societal trust in teachers further reinforces teacher autonomy and agency. This article argues that the rigorous research focus of Finnish teacher education cultivates autonomous and agentic teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the study reported on here we investigated the use of post-method practice to optimise pre-service teachers’ teaching practice and English First Additional Language (EFAL) proficiency. This study was premised on the theoretical framework of Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy which promotes diverse perspectives in language learning and teaching among teachers and learners. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 10 (n = 10) third year pre-service teachers enrolled in a 4-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree programme in the Department of Language Education, School of Education at the University of Limpopo, South Africa. We found that post-method pedagogy enables pre-service teachers to monitor their teaching process and optimise learners’ potential to learn, which affords them opportunities for critical reflection on the self and the social world, as well as opportunities to form learning communities. The results suggest that post-method pedagogy enables pre-service teachers to recognise their prior and current knowledge, and their potential to teach and act autonomously. This promotes their ability to know how to develop a reflective critical approach in their teaching by analysing and evaluating their teaching acts, initiating change in their classroom practices, and monitoring the effects of these changes. We concluded that post-method practice could provide teachers, curriculum developers and researchers with an understanding of the realisation of post method in teaching and learning of EFAL in South African classrooms.

Finnish education has received worldwide attention due to the country’s performances in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Research investigating Finland’s positive outcomes in the assessment has highlighted not only the strength of teachers, but also the rigour of Finnish teacher education. Finnish student teachers must undertake research-based teacher education culminating in a master’s degree. The study of educational science, underpinned by empirical research, creates teacher-researchers. A Nordic/Continental view of educational governance allows for input control in terms of a national core curriculum in Finland, without surveillance of outcomes. The structure of the Finnish education system, characterised by decentralisation and the national core curriculum, entrusts teachers to make their own pedagogical decisions. This leads to autonomous and agentic teachers in terms of decision-making on the classroom, school, and professional levels, both individually and collectively. Finnish education, underpinned by social democratic values, views education as an agent of social change. Therefore, teachers enact social transformation through the agency enabled by research-informed teacher education. Finland’s political consensus regarding education and societal trust in teachers further reinforces teacher autonomy and agency. This article argues that the rigorous research focus of Finnish teacher education cultivates autonomous and agentic teachers.

Finnish education has received worldwide attention due to the country's performances in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Research investigating Finland's positive outcomes in the assessment has highlighted not only the strength of teachers, but also the rigour of Finnish teacher education. Finnish student teachers must undertake research-based teacher education culminating in a master's degree. The study of educational science, underpinned by empirical research, creates teacher-researchers. A Nordic/Continental view of educational governance allows for input control in terms of a national core curriculum in Finland, without surveillance of outcomes. The structure of the Finnish education system, characterised by decentralisation and the national core curriculum, entrusts teachers to make their own pedagogical decisions. This leads to autonomous and agentic teachers in terms of decision-making on the classroom, school, and professional levels, both individually and collectively. Finnish education, underpinned by social democratic values, views education as an agent of social change. Therefore, teachers enact social transformation through the agency enabled by research-informed teacher education. Finland's political consensus regarding education and societal trust in teachers further reinforces teacher autonomy and agency. This article argues that the rigorous research focus of Finnish teacher education cultivates autonomous and agentic teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Education Policy & Leadership is the property of International Journal of Education Policy & Leadership (Center for Education Policy) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, the effect of teachers' educational philosophy tendencies on their curriculum autonomy was investigated using a correlational research design. The study's population consisted of teachers 258 teachers drawn from various schools using a simple random sampling method. The data were collected through Educational Philosophy Tendency Scale and Teachers' Autonomy on Curriculum Scale. According to the results, progressive educational philosophy appears to be the most frequently adopted tendency by teachers, while essentialist educational philosophy appears to be the least widely adopted. Teachers have a high level of procedural autonomy, which is followed by autonomy in professional development, evaluation autonomy, and autonomy in planning. There are weak and moderately significant correlations between teachers' educational philosophy tendencies and their curriculum autonomy. Also, teachers' educational philosophy tendencies are a strong predictor of curriculum autonomy. Progressive educational philosophy tendency predicts procedural autonomy and professional development autonomy significantly. Reconstructionist, essentialist, and perennialist educational philosophy tendencies, on the other hand, have no impact on curriculum autonomy. In this context, progressive educational philosophy adopted by the teachers influences how they structure their professional development and how they carry out the learning-teaching process without relying heavily on external factors.

The redesign of national curricula across the Anglophone world since the 1990s is demonstrably shaped by common policy trends. Focusing on the profound and uncritiqued changes that have been implemented in New Zealand education, this paper provides a critical commentary on the characterising features of the current New Zealand mathematics curriculum, describing a context within which mathematics education at schools is severely compromised. Drawing on the evidence available from large-scale international indicators, such as PISA and TIMSS, to benchmark associated curriculum changes implemented by the New Zealand government, we hypothesise that the ongoing decline of student mathematical achievement is the result of four main interdependent features which characterise the New Zealand curriculum. The features are (1) its highly generic non-prescriptive nature, (2) a commitment to teacher autonomy in curriculum knowledge selection, (3) competency-based outcomes approach, and (4) a commitment to localisation in curriculum selection. Recognising socio-political forces and ideological and intellectual ideas associated with those forces, we discuss each characterising feature, in turn, to show how they contribute to and draw from the others to create a 'curriculum without content'. We conclude with explicit recommendations and a call for future studies to establish the extent to which each of these four features contributes to the decline of student achievement.

In Chinese kindergartens under a collectivist culture, leadership has a profound and complex impact on both the organization and teacher autonomy. This study explores the link between transformational leadership and teacher autonomy and the roles played by organizational climate and teacher empowerment in this relationship. Kindergartens teachers (n = 1593) were randomly selected in China to complete the transformational leadership scale, teacher autonomy scale, teacher empowerment scale and organizational climate scale, with a cross-sectional design and moderated mediation model using latent variables. The results were as follows: (1) transformational leadership can predict the level of teacher autonomy; (2) organizational climate plays a part of mediating role between transformational leadership and teacher autonomy; (3) as levels of teacher empowerment increase, the positive association between transformational leadership and organizational climate becomes stronger, while the positive association between organizational climate on teacher autonomy weakens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite many studies on teacher autonomy (TA) and its connection with learner autonomy (LA), scant attention has been devoted to TA on its own and how it might contribute to teachers themselves. Against this backdrop, the current study set out to investigate novice English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ autonomy development in terms of their self-directed professional development (PD) and capacity for their self-directed PD, the two subcomponents of the multidimensional framework of TA. To this end, two novice EFL teachers’ audio diaries on the aforementioned subcomponents were collected for 10 months. Moreover, to complement the probable gaps in the diary phase, the teachers were interviewed in five terms. The thematic analysis of the collected diaries and diary-based semi-structured interviews revealed that novice EFL teachers’ main activities for self-directed PD embraced peer observation, peer coaching, reading books, making use of technology, reflection, action research, and attending workshops. Additionally, the findings indicated that novice EFL teachers were equipped with both capacity and willingness to self-direct their PD. The constructive factors enabling them to develop such capacity included experience, reading books, and external support. The findings bear implications for teacher educators to underline the value of PD strategies for teachers. Teachers should also be aware of the PD strategies they could employ for their self-direction. The findings suggest some implication for institute managers too.

The purpose of the study was to validate in the Swiss-Italian context an instrument to measure teacher self-efficacy. Participants were 676 Swiss teachers in pre-primary, primary, lower secondary, upper secondary, and vocational schools. Overall, results indicated that the Italian version of the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale is a valid measure, also useful to investigate gender and, with some caution, school-sector differences. Moreover, teacher self-efficacy significantly correlated with relationships with colleagues and school leadership, indicating criterion validity, with teachers' innovation and autonomy, role clarity, and role conflicts. In order to increase knowledge about poorly studied relations, a model including all constructs under investigation was also tested. Findings suggest that especially general teaching autonomy, role clarity, and school innovativeness directly foster teacher self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses teacher autonomy in different models of educational governance using quantitative data from the OECD TALIS 2018 and qualitative data from a study on teacher autonomy conducted in Norway and Brazil. In this article, teacher autonomy is seen as a multidimensional concept referring to decision-making and control in relation to state governance. Further, the different degrees of implementation of accountability measures across countries determine the models of educational governance. The quantitative data reveals no clear pattern between teacher autonomy and models of educational governance. In general, teachers perceive that they have good control over teaching and planning at the classroom level. However, teachers report that they participate to a lesser degree in professional collaboration in schools, which could allow for collegial teacher autonomy. Teachers also report low perceived social value and policy influence, which may provide insight into professional teacher autonomy at the policy level. This article also shows the relevance of a detailed description of the country cases to gain a better understanding of the multiple dimensions of teacher autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses teacher autonomy in different models of educational governance using quantitative data from the OECD TALIS 2018 and qualitative data from a study on teacher autonomy conducted in Norway and Brazil. In this article, teacher autonomy is seen as a multidimensional concept referring to decision-making and control in relation to state governance. Further, the different degrees of implementation of accountability measures across countries determine the models of educational governance. The quantitative data reveals no clear pattern between teacher autonomy and models of educational governance. In general, teachers perceive that they have good control over teaching and planning at the classroom level. However, teachers report that they participate to a lesser degree in professional collaboration in schools, which could allow for collegial teacher autonomy. Teachers also report low perceived social value and policy influence, which may provide insight into professional teacher autonomy at the policy level. This article also shows the relevance of a detailed description of the country cases to gain a better understanding of the multiple dimensions of teacher autonomy.

Faculty instructors of a master's-level teacher research course share findings from a study on the impact of teacher research on classroom practice and teacher autonomy. The authors describe the master of education program and research capstone course, in which graduate students (practicing teachers) complete a semester-long research project. They share their qualitative inquiry examining the impact of teacher research on participants who completed teacher research 2010-2018. Findings derived from surveys and interviews suggest that teachers (a) adapt their instructional practices and their thinking about learners' needs and (b) develop confidence and a greater sense of autonomy following a semester-long research experience. The authors suggest implications for teachers, administrators, and the field of teacher research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Case pedagogy is advocated in teacher education for autonomy as a teacher development strategy which can empower (student) teachers to understand and explore the implementation of pedagogy for autonomy. In an initial teacher education module implemented at the University of Granada (Spain), cases have become a crucial tool for promoting student teachers' professional development towards teacher and learner autonomy. One of the strategies used in the module engages student teachers in exploring the implementation of pedagogy for autonomy during their internship and writing a case narrative on their pedagogical intervention. The present paper analyses six cases developed by student teachers during their internship to examine the dimensions of professional competence towards teacher and learner autonomy identified by Jiménez Raya et al. (2017) that they developed during case construction. These dimensions include 1) developing a critical view of (language) education, 2) centring teaching on learning, 3) managing local constraints to open up spaces for manoeuvre, and 4) interacting with others in the professional community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of language teaching and learning requires teachers to be able to reflect on their own practices, adapt to different situations, and seek solutions that may meet the needs and interests of their students (Borges, 2019; Borges & Magno e Silva, 2019). Moreover, teachers ought to make their learners' experiences more meaningful and personal in the classroom. In regard to this, teacher education should involve reflections on empathy, so that pre-service teachers can develop the ability to listen actively, welcome their students' perspectives, and put themselves in their shoes (Mercer, 2016). Teacher education should also entail reflection on autonomy, in a way that pre-service teachers can exercise their agency in their own education, as well as create conditions for the development of autonomy in their classrooms. With that in mind, this study aims to investigate pre-service language teachers' transformation during two teaching methodology courses at a university in Northern Brazil. Data were generated through teaching diaries and in-class reflections, which were then analyzed qualitatively (Saldaña, 2021). The findings indicate that pre-service teachers not only became aware of the importance of encouraging their learners' autonomy, but they also became aware of learning autonomously themselves. The diaries also revealed how considering empathy in their practices was pivotal to fostering learner autonomy in the classroom. Implications for language teacher education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed leadership is propagated internationally as an effective means to improve teaching and learning in schools. Increasingly it is acknowledged that practices of distributed leadership depend on their context and governing conditions. Based on ethnographic research, this article discusses how distributed leadership is put into practice within a "loose" governing regime with low-stakes accountability. The example is taken from Switzerland, where the strengthening of leadership is one of the core instruments of New Public Management (NPM) reforms, while high-stakes accountability instruments have not been implemented. The analysis discusses tensions that distributed leadership generates between headteachers and teachers in a primary school. It argues that a "loose" accountability regime produces an opaque field of power relations, in which the self-governing imperative of distributive leadership meshes with claims of traditional teacher autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the study reported on here we investigated the use of post-method practice to optimise pre-service teachers' teaching practice and English First Additional Language (EFAL) proficiency. This study was premised on the theoretical framework of Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy which promotes diverse perspectives in language learning and teaching among teachers and learners. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 10 (n = 10) third year pre-service teachers enrolled in a 4-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree programme in the Department of Language Education, School of Education at the University of Limpopo, South Africa. We found that post-method pedagogy enables pre-service teachers to monitor their teaching process and optimise learners' potential to learn, which affords them opportunities for critical reflection on the self and the social world, as well as opportunities to form learning communities. The results suggest that post-method pedagogy enables pre-service teachers to recognise their prior and current knowledge, and their potential to teach and act autonomously. This promotes their ability to know how to develop a reflective critical approach in their teaching by analysing and evaluating their teaching acts, initiating change in their classroom practices, and monitoring the effects of these changes. We concluded that post-method practice could provide teachers, curriculum developers and researchers with an understanding of the realisation of post method in teaching and learning of EFAL in South African classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Principals’ distributed leadership plays a critical role in teacher innovativeness; however, research evidence regarding the relationship between them is limited. This study aims at examining the effect of distributed leadership on teacher innovativeness as well as the mediating roles of teacher autonomy and professional collaboration. Using the data of 132,376 teachers derived from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the study applied a structural equation model (SEM) for analysis. The results revealed that distributed leadership had positive direct effects on teacher innovativeness, teacher autonomy, and professional collaboration. Meanwhile, teacher autonomy and professional collaboration significantly mediated the effect of distributed leadership on teacher innovativeness, respectively. Practical implications are discussed, school leaders are expected to adopt distributed leadership style and establish a supportive school environment, and individual teachers are supposed to cultivate a culture of collectivism and make effective use of autonomy in their teaching innovation.

In this study, the effect of teachers' educational philosophy tendencies on their curriculum autonomy was investigated using a correlational research design. The study's population consisted of teachers 258 teachers drawn from various schools using a simple random sampling method. The data were collected through Educational Philosophy Tendency Scale and Teachers' Autonomy on Curriculum Scale. According to the results, progressive educational philosophy appears to be the most frequently adopted tendency by teachers, while essentialist educational philosophy appears to be the least widely adopted. Teachers have a high level of procedural autonomy, which is followed by autonomy in professional development, evaluation autonomy, and autonomy in planning. There are weak and moderately significant correlations between teachers' educational philosophy tendencies and their curriculum autonomy. Also, teachers' educational philosophy tendencies are a strong predictor of curriculum autonomy. Progressive educational philosophy tendency predicts procedural autonomy and professional development autonomy significantly. Reconstructionist, essentialist, and perennialist educational philosophy tendencies, on the other hand, have no impact on curriculum autonomy. In this context, progressive educational philosophy adopted by the teachers influences how they structure their professional development and how they carry out the learning-teaching process without relying heavily on external factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The redesign of national curricula across the Anglophone world since the 1990s is demonstrably shaped by common policy trends. Focusing on the profound and uncritiqued changes that have been implemented in New Zealand education, this paper provides a critical commentary on the characterising features of the current New Zealand mathematics curriculum, describing a context within which mathematics education at schools is severely compromised. Drawing on the evidence available from large-scale international indicators, such as PISA and TIMSS, to benchmark associated curriculum changes implemented by the New Zealand government, we hypothesise that the ongoing decline of student mathematical achievement is the result of four main interdependent features which characterise the New Zealand curriculum. The features are (1) its highly generic nonprescriptive nature, (2) a commitment to teacher autonomy in curriculum knowledge selection, (3) competency-based outcomes approach, and (4) a commitment to localisation in curriculum selection. Recognising socio-political forces and ideological and intellectual ideas associated with those forces, we discuss each characterising feature, in turn, to show how they contribute to and draw from the others to create a 'curriculum without content'. We conclude with explicit recommendations and a call for future studies to establish the extent to which each of these four features contributes to the decline of student achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power imbalance inherent in supervision can seriously challenge language teachers’ autonomy leading to resistance, anxiety, frustration and even anger. This study explored the possible uses or abuses of power when teacher supervisors exercise their authority to fulfill their responsibilities. The study drew on Foucault’s (1991) conception of power, and Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivism. Using mixed-methods design, the researchers interviewed both EFL teachers, and supervisors, and examined some post-observation feedback conferences. A questionnaire was also administered to survey teachers’ and supervisors’ conception of power dynamics in the language teacher supervision profession. Factor analysis of the data resulted in the extraction of two factors including “directiveness” and “uniformity promotion”. Independent samples t-test did not indicate a significant difference between the teachers’ and supervisors’ perceptions of power. Analysis of the interviews and post-observation feedback conferences confirmed the findings indicating that supervisors mostly used classic prescriptive approaches to supervision in which teachers have little power. Supervisors mostly resorted to their position power and reward power seldom using their expert power which seems to have led to resistance on the part of the teachers. Finally, the paper provides a framework emerging from the qualitative data that presents some strategies to effectively manage the power imbalance in language teacher supervision profession.

In this article, some answers are suggested about how the autonomy of teachers in an elite bilingual context is perceived in their voices, through analyzes of what they say about their pedagogical practices. The problem that gave rise to the research fell on the varied higher education of teachers who were not trained to work with levels of early childhood education and early grades; in some cases, they did not even have a licentiate degree. This "space" between initial training and pedagogical practices shed light on issues concerning teacher autonomy. The methodological approach was recommended by qualitative research, using a written questionnaire and a discussion group as instruments for data generation. The reflections were based on the following authors: García (2009), Benson (1997), Benson and Huang (2008), Cunha (2007), Pesce (2012), Tardif (2002) and Megale (2020). We understand that, although teachers do not recognize autonomy in their practices, nor use this word in their speeches, it is through the choices they make to mobilize the teaching and learning process that they exercise their protagonism and empower themselves in the exercise of the profession. It is concluded that what evidences their autonomy seems to be the decisions they make to adapt their practices to what the management of school expects, to what the Guidance Manuals indicate, and to what the teacher's book predicts, while looking for a practice that proves to be effective, even in the absence of the control imposed by the institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Despite many studies on teacher autonomy (TA) and its connection with learner autonomy (LA), scant attention has been devoted to TA on its own and how it might contribute to teachers themselves. Against this backdrop, the current study set out to investigate novice English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' autonomy development in terms of their self-directed professional development (PD) and capacity for their self-directed PD, the two subcomponents of the multidimensional framework of TA. To this end, two novice EFL teachers' audio diaries on the aforementioned subcomponents were collected for 10 months. Moreover, to complement the probable gaps in the diary phase, the teachers were interviewed in five terms. The thematic analysis of the collected diaries and diary-based semistructured interviews revealed that novice EFL teachers' main activities for self-directed PD embraced peer observation, peer coaching, reading books, making use of technology, reflection, action research, and attending workshops. Additionally, the findings indicated that novice EFL teachers were equipped with both capacity and willingness to self-direct their PD. The constructive factors enabling them to develop such capacity included experience, reading books, and external support. The findings bear implications for teacher educators to underline the value of PD strategies for teachers. Teachers should also be aware of the PD strategies they could employ for their self-direction. The findings suggest some implication for institute managers too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, the current study analysed the relationship between teachers' perceived autonomy support and work engagement while it also explored the mediating effect of basic psychological need satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. The study investigated 520 elementary teachers in Beijing, and we found the following: (1) teachers in different groups reported diverse senses of perceived autonomy support, in that teachers with less teaching experience as well as those with a master's degree have a higher score regarding the perceptions of teacher autonomy; and (2) teacher autonomy can affect work engagement not only in terms of the satisfaction of basic psychological needs but also by the chain of satisfaction of basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation. Teachers with more autonomy support will have higher basic psychological need satisfaction and stronger teaching motivation, which will further enhance their work engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the findings from a study of faculty’s perceptions of teaching as the most significant component of the academic profession. In a broader context, it investigates into the transformation of the academic profession, meaning that professors in Russia as well as around the world tend to perform research, administrative, and expert functions more and more often. Previously, Russian researchers observed a conflict between faculty’s perception of teaching as the most important profession component and administrators’ publication productivity requirements. A number of publications present strategies that professors use to adjust to the changing administrative requirements. However, the existing findings mostly reflect administrators’ perception of the academic profession, on which the faculty’s perspective is considered to be implicitly dependent. Available literature offers little evidence of how professors perceive the content, meaning, and goals of the academic profession. The present study was designed to find out by which goals and norms faculty members are guided in doing their work and to determine the logic behind the way they allocate their efforts among various aspects of teaching. Data was collected using focused in-depth interviews carried out in a Yekaterinburg university. Research was performed within a methodological framework of grounded theory and narrative analysis which traces its origin to hermeneutics. Findings indicate that professors share similar perceptions of the skills necessary to do their work, the goals of teaching, and the criteria for maintaining educational quality. Meanwhile, there is no platform for building those perceptions, faculty’s attitudes being shaped under the influence of their mentors and personal experience. The study also evaluates the impact of other university actors (students, colleagues, administrators) on the respondents’ perceptions of the teaching process. Finally, a rationale for building professional solidarity within the university’s academic community is provided.

Because of the importance of instructor success in the adequacy of instruction and learning, this study aimed to explain the impact of two factors, namely language teachers’ professional identity and autonomy, with respect to their success. To this end, 190 Iranian EFL teachers, including university lecturers and language institute teachers, participated in this study. As for data collection, the Teacher Autonomy Questionnaire (TAQ), the Teacher Professional Identity Scale (TPIS), and the Characteristics of Successful Language Teachers Questionnaire (CSLTQ) were distributed among the respondents. Using Cronbach’s alpha estimates and correlational analyses, the reliability of the questionnaires and the associations among the TAQ, TPIS, and CSLTQ were examined, respectively. The results of Pearson correlations revealed that there were significant positive correlations among all three teacher factors. These findings were also confirmed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results; teacher success was predicted positively and significantly by both professional identity and autonomy. Outcomes of this research suggest that teachers’ professional identity and autonomy are highly beneficial to their success. This study also outlined the elements of teachers’ professional identity that could be more useful for their success. In the end, relevant pedagogical implications are discussed.

Teacher autonomy in learning is a part of professional accountability. The autonomy includes self-direct teaching as a reflection of the teachers’ metacognition in selecting learning strategies, monitoring the accuracy of strategy implementation, as well as evaluating the process. The metacognitive attitude directs the process of constructing knowledge and managing a classroom to meet the standard of the learning process. The objective of the present study is to describe the metacognitive attitude of Biology teachers. The survey research involved 57 Biology teachers in DKI Jakarta Province, Indonesia. The research instrument is the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory Teacher (MAIT) with Cronbach Alpha values r = 0.86. The results show that (1) the teacher's metacognitive attitude is high (mean 73.49), and (2) there was no correlation between metacognitive attitude with the school category or gender. This suggests the high performance of Biology teachers in autonomy especially in managing the Kurikulum 2013. This Kurikulum 2013 emphasizes student-centered learning which allows a variety of learning strategies that can be selected by the teacher to achieve a quality result. Male and female teachers both have equal opportunities in achieving their metacognitive attitudes, as well as the school category.

Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, the current study analysed the relationship between teachers’ perceived autonomy support and work engagement while it also explored the mediating effect of basic psychological need satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. The study investigated 520 elementary teachers in Beijing, and we found the following: (1) teachers in different groups reported diverse senses of perceived autonomy support, in that teachers with less teaching experience as well as those with a master’s degree have a higher score regarding the perceptions of teacher autonomy; and (2) teacher autonomy can affect work engagement not only in terms of the satisfaction of basic psychological needs but also by the chain of satisfaction of basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation. Teachers with more autonomy support will have higher basic psychological need satisfaction and stronger teaching motivation, which will further enhance their work engagement.

In this review, I aim to convey my ideas on the Self-Directed and Advising in Language Education Conference from an English teacher's point of view. I watched both plenary sessions and some of the concurrent sessions in which I learned a lot. I will briefly mention the topics in the plenary sessions and concurrent sessions, my related ideas, and the implications I drew. I attended the conference as an English teacher seeking solutions for learners' language learning issues and the specific problems that I personally faced during distance education times. This event encouraged me to reflect more deeply about education during post-COVID times, which, I believe, underlines the importance of self-directed learning and advising in language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]