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As an important instructional affordance, teacher written feedback is widely used in second language (L2) writing contexts. While copious evidence has shown that such a pedagogical practice can facilitate L2 learners' writing performance, especially their writing accuracy, little is known about how novice writing teachers conceptualize and enact written feedback in contexts of English as a foreign language (EFL). To fill this gap, we examined four novice writing teachers' espoused written feedback beliefs and their actual practices in Chinese tertiary EFL writing classrooms. Based on data from semi-structured interviews and students' writing samples, we found that they adopted a comprehensive approach to feedback provision, and were most concerned with errors in language, particularly grammar when providing feedback. These teachers almost reached a consensus in their beliefs about feedback scope and feedback focus, but they held varying beliefs about feedback strategies. Additionally, this study revealed the complexity of belief-practice relationships, in terms of the coexistence of consistencies and inconsistencies. Specifically, these teachers' beliefs paralleled their practices in feedback scope, but their beliefs and practices mismatched with regard to feedback focus and feedback strategies. This article concludes with a discussion of the important pedagogical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specifically in the field of language teaching, it has been recognized that metacognitive strategies maximize language acquisition and improve performance. But despite this, it appears that few teachers currently consider metacognition in their teaching practices. The current study adopted a qualitative design to focus on the reasons that inhibit teachers in French‐speaking Belgium from prompting their students to engage in metacognition in first‐language (L1) lessons. Semistructured interviews were conducted with seven teachers. The teachers in our sample believed that use of metacognitive strategies can provide benefits for students. But despite this, they explicitly said that they do not prompt their students to engage in metacognition in L1 language lessons. And this for seven specific reasons, as outlined in the article. Knowing these reasons allows us to target the points of attention to be had in training teachers in metacognition in L1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, classrooms at all levels of education are progressively becoming more and more culturally and racially diverse, necessitating the need for instructors who are competent in Culturally Responsive Instruction (CRI). Previous empirical studies have unequivocally demonstrated that teachers' beliefs have a significant impact on the instructional choices and methods they use. Although CRI has been advocated as a way to address the cultural diversity and difficulties that can arise in the classroom, little is known about teachers' attitudes toward CRI and the difficulties that can arise in the classroom, particularly in Tanzania, a developing country with more than 120 ethnic tribes. Therefore, the present study, which is based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, was pioneered to investigate pre-primary school teachers' perceptions of culturally responsive instruction (CRI) in rural Tanzania and the difficulties they encounter in making their classrooms culturally responsive. This study draws on data from in-depth semi-structured interviews with six (N = 6) pre-primary school teachers from three districts of rural Tanzania. Results indicate that teachers believe that CRI enhanced students' learning in the classroom. The results further showed that teachers firmly believed that CRI enhances teachers' classroom instructional practices. The main difficulties for pre-primary schoolteachers to be culturally responsive in their classes were cited as being their lack of acquaintance with the pupils' cultures and the sheer number of students. Along with recommendations, implications for teacher education, practice, and policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of our research was to find out teachers', lower primary school teachers', and special education teachers' beliefs of moral development with a special focus on children with mild intellectual disabilities. We also look at the perceptions of candidates studying on the same subjects. Numerous research studies show that teachers' educational beliefs having significant impact on the educational process. This paper presents the qualitative part of a mixed method research. Semi-structured interviews (N=13) and one focus group discussion (N=1) were used. Interview respondents reported that they found it difficult to define moral behavior because it is situational. We found that among the factors influencing moral development, family background plays the strongest role, but they also feel their own responsibility is paramount. Opinions on the moral development of children with mild intellectual disabilities are varied. The main tendencies are that some say that they cannot reach the same level of development as a typically developing children, and some say that IQ should not be a barrier. And, according to some, moral development may be also atypical. We found interesting correlations between the views of teachers in the field and those of candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored changes in preservice teachers' beliefs about teaching in early childhood education during teaching practicums in China. Data from four preservice teachers' beliefs were collected through interviews and reflection journals. Based on Bronfenbrenner's theory, an ecological system framework was used to explore the change factors. The findings indicated two change orientations: elaboration and integration. Elaboration incorporated situated reflection, positive emotions, and interactions with children and mentors to explain belief change. Consistency between practices and beliefs with positive emotions and strong agency reinforced their beliefs. Integration of beliefs can be ascribed to teaching dilemmas that arouse negative emotions, parental expectations, and the field school's culture, which weaken agency and social culture in the ecological framework's nested system. Therefore, belief change can be attributed to individual factors that interact with the ecological system. The study elucidates how changes occur in preservice teachers' beliefs. Teacher education programmes should address the constraints and enabling factors during teaching practicum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much has been written about teachers' beliefs, including their beliefs about reading. Due to its established impact on how it affects classroom practices, teachers' beliefs as a psychological construct is considered by some researchers as the most important in relation to teaching and teaching education. Thus, increasingly teachers of reading have been encouraged to reflect on their teaching practices as well as beliefs about reading. However, less work has been done on investigating reading teachers' beliefs through the lens of the questions they ask about reading itself. This paper argues that questions are constitutive of people's beliefs about what they deem important in life or in professional practice, and are regulative acts and evidence of reflection. Thus, analysing inquiry questions or what teachers ask about reading will enable identification and description of certain beliefs held by the teachers themselves. In other words, framed within an understanding of teachers' questions as teachers' beliefs, through thematic analysis this paper presents six themes that reveal teachers' beliefs related to reading instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth mindset has gained educators’ attention in order to shape students’ self-beliefs about their intelligence. However, research findings lack consensus on using a growth mindset to improve student outcomes. Therefore, the current study explored the pedagogical practices of selected primary school teachers intending to foster a growth mindset in their students. Using a qualitative approach, the study analysed narrative data obtained through semi-structured interviews with nine primary school teachers from Pahang, Malaysia. The results of the hybrid thematic analysis revealed five main themes: teachers’ growth mindset beliefs; process-focused teaching and learning practices; dealing positively with students’ mistakes; explicit use of growth mindset language to promote learning; and creating purposeful challenges that are consistent with the growth mindset theory, and also three district pedagogical practices that are not espoused in the growth mindset theory. The findings of the study shed light on the growth mindset attributes that teachers need to incorporate into their teaching to foster a growth mindset in students. Implications for practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As mathematics teachers’ beliefs form the basis of their classroom practices, it is important to gain greater insight into them and their development. This study examines and compares the beliefs of prospective teachers without and with practical experiences regarding the nature of mathematics and mathematics teaching and learning goals. As a result of combining qualitative and quantitative data analysis, it is possible to obtain a deeper understanding of prospective teachers’ beliefs and their potential change due to practical experiences. Eleven students participated in a survey consisting of a questionnaire and an interview. In order to analyse the participants’ answers, the examined beliefs were categorised into four mathematical world views. Both the quantitative and qualitative analyses provide evidence that the evaluated beliefs have not changed as a result of practical experiences. All respondents considered the application of mathematics to be a teaching goal. The dynamic and static nature of mathematics is reflected in their views regarding the essentials of learning mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In schools worldwide, there are increasing expectations for teacher collaboration across subjects. However, despite the potential benefits for students and teachers of viewing language subjects as interrelated, limited research has explored how meaningful collaboration across different language subjects can be undertaken. Addressing this gap, this study investigates language teachers’ experiences with and perspectives on collaboration across language subjects. Data were generated from focus group discussions with teachers of Norwegian, English, French, German, and Spanish in four Norwegian secondary schools and analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis revealed that teachers had limited prior experience in this area but recognised several potential benefits, such as increased language awareness and a more holistic understanding of languages. However, teachers’ suggestions for collaboration mainly focused on sharing ideas and coordinating tasks, whereas deeper forms of joint work are likely necessary to achieve lasting learning effects. Moreover, teachers lacked knowledge of each other’s subject curricula, whereas a crucial starting point for effective collaboration would be for teachers to become familiar with the contents of all language subject curricula in school. Finally, the analysis suggests that effective collaboration requires active leadership support to address practical challenges and develop a shared understanding of what collaboration may entail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate whether secondary science teachers had different styles of technology adoption for technology-based assessments (TBAs), and whether teachers with different adoption styles showed different patterns of beliefs, attitudes and intentions regarding TBAs. By combining the variable-centered and person-centered approaches to explore science teachers' adoption styles and associated beliefs, this study sheds light on how to provide needed supports and resources for teachers who adopt TBAs differently. We first employed latent class analysis to identify science teachers' TBA adoption styles and then utilized multigroup path analysis to examine the beliefs, attitudes, and intentions within each style. A total of 494 secondary school science teachers from northern Taiwan participated in this study. A validated questionnaire about teachers' TBA use and related technology beliefs was used to collect data. The latent class analysis revealed three different adoption styles: Technology Rich Adopter, Technology Selective Adopter, and Technology Minimalist Adopter. The path analyses of the three groups showed that while Technology Selective and Technology Minimalist Adopters' intentions to use TBAs could be predicted by their attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms, Technology Rich Adopters' intentions were not associated with subjective norms. Additionally, whereas the same set of significant attitudinal antecedents were found among the three groups, the effects of antecedent variables on perceived behavioral control and subjective norms varied. Highlights: Revealed three different adoption styles of TBAs among secondary science teachers. Multigroup path analysis was used to examine the beliefs and intention of teachers. Technology Rich Adopters pay more attention to attitude, but not subjective norms. Selective Adopters were tended to consider all factors about TBAs at the same time. Technological minimalist adopters are dominantly influenced by their self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' conceptions of geography play a key role in teacher identity. They also impact students' learning. This paper aims to describe teacher students' conceptions of geography and their sources. Our data comes from two online questionnaires. Participants came from Switzerland (nQ1 = 20, nQ3 = 98). In contrast to previous research, participants in our studies could not be assigned to only one conception. Eight of 11 statements about what geography is and five of eight statements about the main purpose of geography education were endorsed by 90% or more of participants in both studies. This includes those about understanding sustainability and the system earth. Some items showed significant differences by migration background and by the grade level the students want to teach. While the results are mostly positive, teacher educators need to find ways to reach those students who do not yet have a current view of geography, e.g. regarding the role of sustainability. Participants saw diverse sources as shaping their conceptions. Most participants saw specialist literature as an influential and often-used source. Yet, many knew few empirical studies about teaching/learning the subject. Teacher educators and researchers thus need to find ways to make research literature more memorable for teacher students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the increasing linguistic diversity in educational settings resulting from migration waves into the Global North, this study delves into the beliefs of secondary teachers regarding multilingualism within predominantly monolingual policy schools in Flanders, Belgium. Despite the recognized benefits of multilingual pedagogies, entrenched monolingual policies persist in many Western schools, posing challenges for teachers striving to navigate the linguistic repertoires of their students. Drawing on interviews with 18 teachers, including language and content teachers across three secondary schools, this research explores teachers' perspectives on the potential implementation of multilingual pedagogies in their classrooms. Findings reveal a nuanced landscape of beliefs, with teachers acknowledging the cognitive and emotional benefits of multilingualism while expressing concerns about maintaining control and promoting Dutch proficiency. Notably, minimal distinctions were observed between language and content teachers, indicating a shared optimism tempered by practical considerations. Our study highlights the need for nuanced understanding and support for multilingual pedagogies, underscoring the complex interplay of pedagogical and instructional beliefs in navigating language diversity. Ultimately, fostering inclusive and effective language education practices requires proactive efforts to address and accommodate teachers' beliefs, promoting professional development and dialogue around multilingualism in educational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' beliefs about teaching character values are pivotal in cultivating students' character. This study systematically reviewed teachers' beliefs towards character education in primary school. A systematic review following the PRISMA statement was applied to peer-reviewed papers published between 2011 and 2021. This review paper analyzed three main themes based on three research questions, namely, (1) teachers' beliefs of character education curriculum, (2) beliefs of values, and (3) pedagogical beliefs. Findings revealed that teachers mostly believed in an integrated character education curriculum with role model pedagogy. Moreover, there were seventeen (17) values teachers believed to instil which respect and responsibility were the two most dominant values to foster. This study implies that teachers' beliefs are significant factors in proper character education curriculum implementation. This study also provides significant implications for policymakers and curriculum designers in developing a character education curriculum that meets teachers' beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Singlish, also known as Singapore Colloquial English, has been the focus of many studies, but its tenability as a tool in the classroom has received scant discussion. This study explores English language preservice teachers' attitudes towards Singlish and their beliefs towards use of contrastive pedagogies in the English language classroom. Adopting a mixed-methods study involving quantitative and qualitative data, 40 preservice teachers majoring in English from the National Institute of Education were surveyed and interviews with eight participants subsequently conducted. The findings reveal that participants appraise Singlish positively for its affordances in fostering rapport and a healthy classroom culture. Despite concerns that language classrooms should only focus on quality input, Singlish is recognised for its ability to reduce students' affective filter and increase their accessibility to standard English. Participants generally supported the inclusion of Singlish in the English language classroom, using contrastive pedagogies to promote students' noticing of language features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers and practitioners typically view motivation as a key factor in successful language learning. As teachers strive to motivate their students in language classrooms, they develop divergent opinions regarding the extent to which their students are motivated. Characterizing this as a motivational divide, this study attempts to affirm the existence of this divide and closely investigate other related teachers' beliefs that may further reinforce it. A questionnaire was employed to explore 48 English teachers' beliefs about learner motivation. Three groups of teachers were identified: the largest percentage believed that students were motivated, followed by almost equal percentages of those who believed that students were unmotivated or those neutral. Several related beliefs seem to contribute to this divide, especially the stereotypical perceptions of Saudi students and beliefs that students do not appreciate the future value of studying English as a foreign language, along with judgments about the signs of student classroom engagement. Generally, a pattern was observed in the teachers' responses to most statements, indicating the existence of a motivational divide. This study concludes by stressing the importance of teachers' beliefs about learner motivation in effective motivational classroom practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing necessity to prepare future teachers to cater for the needs of multilingual learners has led to growing research in education and educational linguistics across the world. This paper presents the methodological design of a longitudinal research project that measures the affective-motivational competence development of pre-service teachers with regard to multilingual learners. The project is based within a large German teacher education programme during which pre-service teachers attend several compulsory modules on multilingualism as part of their early professionalisation. The affective-motivational competence development of two full cohorts of prospective middle school teachers (n = 499) is observed in four test intervals across their five-year programme. The present paper limits itself to reporting on the complex design, the measurement instruments, and the methodological challenges of a longitudinal observation of relevant competence facets. The paper closes with a critical reflection of both the opportunities and the limitations of the research design presented here.

Much has been written about teachers’ beliefs, including their beliefs about reading. Due to its established impact on how it affects classroom practices, teachers’ beliefs as a psychological construct is considered by some researchers as the most important in relation to teaching and teaching education. Thus, increasingly teachers of reading have been encouraged to reflect on their teaching practices as well as beliefs about reading. However, less work has been done on investigating reading teachers’ beliefs through the lens of the questions they ask about reading itself. This paper argues that questions are constitutive of people’s beliefs about what they deem important in life or in professional practice, and are regulative acts and evidence of reflection. Thus, analysing inquiry questions or what teachers ask about reading will enable identification and description of certain beliefs held by the teachers themselves. In other words, framed within an understanding of teachers’ questions as teachers’ beliefs, through thematic analysis this paper presents six themes that reveal teachers’ beliefs related to reading instruction.

The paper presents research conducted among Croatian primary school classroom teachers and subject teachers regarding their personal and professional beliefs about diversity. The notion of diversity in the context of education was presented as individual differences between students based on race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, abilities, sexual orientation and social class. The results indicate that teachers show different levels of openness towards certain aspects of diversity in the domains of both personal and professional beliefs, but that their personal beliefs are statistically more positive than their professional beliefs. Differences in teachers' beliefs with respect to years of work experience, previous education and professional position were also examined. Statistically significant differences were established only regarding professional position and only in the segment of professional beliefs. The results indicate that there is a need for further research in this area, that is, research that primarily investigates the factors that influence teachers' professional beliefs.

The main objective of this study is to investigate the beliefs of early childhood teachers in Jordan regarding best practices using the Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and Developmentally Inappropriate Practice (DIP) frameworks. Additionally, the study aims to determine the influence of certain variables on teachers' beliefs regarding best practices. To achieve this objective, a questionnaire was developed and administered to 101 early childhood teachers in Jordan. The data collected was analyzed descriptively using means and standard deviations. The results of the study showed that early childhood teachers' beliefs about best practices were consistent with the DAP construct outlined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Similarly, their beliefs about lower-quality practices were in line with the DIP construct. However, the study also revealed that teachers still held positive beliefs about some traditional practices despite their potential to be developmentally inappropriate. Furthermore, the statistical analysis showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the beliefs of teachers regarding best practices based on their education level or teaching experience. Based on the results of the study, recommendations are made for decision makers and researchers to help them make informed decisions and develop effective professional development plans, which could help early childhood teachers in Jordan to implement DAP effectively. Overall, the findings of this study provide valuable insights that can be used to enhance early childhood education and improve the quality of teaching practices in Jordan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of children's literature, specifically mathematical story picture books, in mathematics education has demonstrated significant benefits. Nevertheless, its actual implementation largely hinges on teachers' beliefs. This exploratory mixed-methods study examines the beliefs of 78 teachers regarding the integration of children's literature into mathematics teaching and learning, with a focus on identifying its barriers and enablers. Data were collected through an open-ended survey and semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis framed by the concept of belief indication. The study identifies 15 barriers (across five themes) and 16 enablers (across six themes) that, teachers believe, affect their decisions to integrate children's literature into mathematics teaching and learning. This paper contextualizes the findings within the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), a framework from social psychology, to provide actionable recommendations and compare findings from studies conducted in Asian and Western countries. Ultimately, this research offers a broader understanding of teachers' behaviors and their receptiveness to educational reforms, such as the integration of children's literature, across diverse cultural and international settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the development of a measurement instrument to identify Middle and High School mathematics and science teachers' beliefs about the main factors of underrepresentation of African American students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. The research method using the stages of instrument development were (1) test design which involved construction of initial item pool by conducting extensive review of literature and coding of participating teachers personal statements (2) determination of validity which involved expert review process to confirm construct and face validity of items, (3) pilot testing which involved collecting data from a second set of participants, (4) determination of reliability which involves conducting a reliability analysis based on data collected from pilot testing and (5) determination of factorial structure which involved Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to identify underlying factors in participating teachers' belief structures. First, to obtain trustworthy information, voluntary middle and high school mathematics and science teachers were asked to write personal statements where they explain their main reasons for choosing teaching as a career. Secondly, qualitative data obtained from participating teachers' personal statements were coded. Coding was applied to identify and to group the phrases or sentences that convey the same or similar reasons. Then results from an extensive literature review on this topic were blended in teachers' common expressions which were determined because of coding procedure. Then 8 content experts assessed content validity and face validity. Finally, the survey was piloted to African American middle and high school mathematics and science teachers. Fifty-three (53) surveys were completed and received back from teachers. Then, exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify any underlying factors in the scale. Reliability analyses were also conducted for both the entire survey and for each of the factors. Results of the study suggested four underlying components: (1) Access and Resources, (2) Role Models and Representation, (3) Bias and Discrimination, (4) Curriculum and Pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) has been increasingly used in the field of inclusive education to develop instruments that predict teachers' inclusive behaviour. To ensure the instrument developed to measure the constructs of the TPB is closely aligned to the theory, an elicitation study should be conducted as the first step. However, they are often omitted or rarely reported in the literature, particularly in the literature surrounding inclusive education. This study extends the use of the TPB to an under-researched population in higher education, university pathway teachers (UPTs), who work in programs that provide alternative access to university education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten UPTs from New South Wales, Australia to elicit their salient behavioural, normative, and control beliefs on inclusive education. Directed content analysis results showed that UPTs view inclusive education positively but are concerned with the extra time and work involved. In addition, UPTs believed that students without disability would be potentially opposing inclusive education. UPTs also revealed various essential facilitators and hindrances of inclusive education. These findings have implications for extending understandings of inclusive education to university pathway programs as well as for the importance of elicitation studies when using TPB with new populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research focuses on studying teachers' beliefs about the complexity of learning the curricular languages in the Basque Country, with special focus on Basque, the minority language. The study adopts a mixed-methods research design. For the quantitative data, 1093 participants completed a specifically designed online questionnaire, which was administered to three groups: pre-service (N = 564), in-service (N = 418), and university teachers (N = 111). In the qualitative part of the study, the beliefs of 20 in-service teachers were collected through four focus groups. The results indicate that in-service and university teachers hold favourable beliefs toward learning curricular languages, and consider Basque a difficult language to learn, even more so than English and French. However, the statistical results suggest a significant change in that belief for the pre-service teachers, who perceive Basque easier to learn than English and French. This perception could result in the gradual elimination of the 'difficult language' label given to Basque. Moreover, in-service teachers show concerns about the imbalance between the knowledge of the minority language and the use. In particular, they seek innovative solutions for establishing Basque at the core of multilingual education, so that this minoritized language can take safe steps forward towards normalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' beliefs about students' errors are influenced by structural factors and by other beliefs towards education and students that teachers may hold. The literature on this topic has provided some evidence and some mixed results. Furthermore, some structural aspects related to errors have not been considered in framing teachers' beliefs about errors, such as the use of grades as a classroom assessment practice, which is strongly related to errors in testing situations. Based on these premises, this study aimed to explore teachers' beliefs about errors and the practices teachers report using to deal with students' errors in the classroom and teachers' beliefs about the interdependence between grades and errors. Italian teachers (N = 33) from primary, middle, and secondary schools had been interviewed and the qualitative data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. The results showed that, according to teachers, errors acquire different meanings in the learning process, which are related to the roles they play in fostering or not learning. Furthermore, in describing these roles teachers reported to use specific practices to deal with students' errors. Finally, teachers acknowledged that classroom assessment based on grades has a negative interdependency with errors that makes it difficult to present errors as a fruitful part of learning both in learning and testing situations. Our results reveal the ambivalence of teachers' beliefs about errors and shed light on the challenges the grading evaluation system poses to teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of university students’ perceptions of their teachers’ beliefs and teaching strategies in teaching a compulsory English course on students’ motivation and achievement. It employed an ex post facto design to identify a cause that facilitates changes in behavior after an event occurs. The respondents of this study were 12 lecturers and 150 students, who were randomly selected from a total of 20 lecturers and 1,615 students engaged in the teaching and learning of English at Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia. The instruments used in this study were documentation to elicit information about students’ achievement, and questionnaires to elicit information about teachers’ beliefs and their teaching strategies, students’ perceptions of the teachers’ beliefs and the teaching strategies, and students’ motivation. The data were analyzed through linear regression using SPSS 18.0. The results of the study revealed that (i) teachers highly believed in the choices they made for teaching the English course to all university students and in their strategies in teaching it, (ii) students held very positive perception of their teachers’ beliefs and teaching strategies, and (iii) teachers’ beliefs and teaching strategies have significant effects on the students’ motivation and achievement in learning English. These research results imply the importance of English teachers informing and discussing their beliefs and strategies for teaching the English course with students before commencing the teaching and learning process.

This study utilized a Structural Equation Modeling approach to model and measure the influence of environmental attitudes and preschool teachers' beliefs regarding environmental education. Data was collected from 324 preschool teachers in Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City through an online questionnaire. SmartPLS software was used for data analysis. The results indicated that the environmental attitudes of preschool teachers have a significant, positive, and strong influence on their beliefs regarding environmental education, with path coefficients valued at 0.734 (p < 0.05), the model's explanatory power of 0.539, and the effect size of 1.170. In addition, this study provided reliability and validity scales for environmental attitudes and preschool teachers' beliefs regarding environmental education. These findings imply that it is necessary to cultivate and enhance a positive attitude toward the environment among preschool teachers through initial preschool teacher training and professional development for in-service preschool teachers. This will help solidify their beliefs about environmental education.

Recent years have seen increased interest in school-based whole-child development in the Austrian education system. Engaging with this context, the paper provides insights from a quantitative phase of analysis within a broader mixed-methods project that sought to ascertain teachers’ beliefs around character education in schools. An emphatic majority of respondents (94.6%) working in lower secondary schools believe that character education is more important for 10- to 14-year-olds in schools than good exam results. This confidence of educators in character education notwithstanding, the current education system in Austria presents numerous obstacles to the realization of holistic approaches to education which incorporate character development. In the Austrian context, a paradigm shift in education commencing in 2008 entailed a greater emphasis on evidence-based monitoring of learning outcomes, which many of our surveyed teachers see as detrimental to a holistic form of schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: In recent years, there has been increased attention to translanguaging in educational research, particularly in higher education. The successful implementation of translanguaging practices depends on various factors, including the attitudes and beliefs of both teachers and students. However, there has been limited systematic review on this issue. This study aims to examine and synthesize existing literature on teachers’ and students’ beliefs regarding translanguaging practices in higher education contexts. Methodology: A systematic review was conducted, following PRISMA guideline. Research databases including Web of Science, Scopus, and ERIC were searched with specific search terms ‘perception OR belief AND translanguaging’, resulting in the retrieval of 469 articles. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 28 articles were selected for ultimate thematic analysis. Findings: The analysis revealed that teachers’ and students’ beliefs regarding translanguaging were significantly shaped by their pre-existing values and knowledge, institutions’ policies, as well as the nature of courses or curricula. Despite the evident benefits of translanguaging pedagogy highlighted in the reviewed studies, teachers encountered challenges in its implementation. The study identified four primary areas of support needed for the implementation of translanguaging, encompassing teacher training, adjusting curriculum and assessment, fostering collaboration, and developing language policy. Contributions: This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of both teachers and students in implementing translanguaging practices in higher education. The study contributes to advancing knowledge and understanding of translanguaging in higher education, with implications for both theory and practice in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of CEPS Journal is the property of University of Ljubljana, 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.)

Copyright of HOW: A Colombian Journal for Teachers of English is the property of Asociacion Colombiana de Profesores de Ingles 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 article belongs to a research project on the beliefs and knowledge systems of secondary schoolteachers in Spain concerning literary education. Its primary aim is to conduct a comparative study between a novice and an experienced teacher to acquire a deeper understanding of the factors that shape the beliefs and representations of literature teachers and how these define how innovative their teaching practices are or, on the contrary, their resistance to embrace changes promoted by both the educational reforms and research breakthroughs precipitated by new socioeconomic challenges and technological advances. The qualitative methodology adopted an ethnographic approach and took the form of a case study. The main research instrument was a semi-structured clinical interview conducted with two public schoolteachers with different degrees of experience in the aforementioned stage. Results indicate significant differences in conceptions and classroom practices derived mainly from two factors: the length of professional experience and the initial training received. The findings reveal the need to update the education of experienced teachers and systematize novice teachers' training about the tenets of what is currently known as literary education, as well as to promote further research, the results of which will lead to field innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe paper presents the findings of a systematic literature review on teachers’ attitudes and opinions toward Sexuality Education (SE) that can be implemented with students aged 14 and older. Relevant articles were systematically searched in four scientific databases (ERIC, PsycInfo, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection) and other sources (i.e., Google Scholar, references, and the University Library) between March and September 2023. The databases were searched for original articles published in six languages, utilizing the keywords “teachers,” “sexuality education,” “attitudes,” and “opinions.” Of the 2217 records recovered, 103 were included in the review. The studies were categorized into four emergent themes (and relative subthemes), using Reflexive Thematic Analysis: (1) Barriers and facilitators to SE; (2) programs’ aspects of SE; (3) SE curricula; (4) individual factors and SE. The review results provide evidence of teachers’ challenges in implementing SE programs, teachers’ opinions on SE, and the importance of including all educational figures in the SE programs. Future studies should invest in teacher education to enable them to explore their values and become more aware of how to conduct lessons and activities focused on SE. The implications of these findings for a deeper understanding of teachers’ perspectives on SE are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In early mathematics education, the beliefs of the teacher are essential for facilitating the integration of technology into teaching mathematics. This study explores the influence of physical and digital interactive learning environments on the development of early childhood teachers' beliefs about integrating technology into early mathematics classrooms. To understand the development of teachers' beliefs, a half-year, content-based professional development program that incorporates interactive digital and physical environments was designed for this research on early childhood mathematics teachers (N = 58). We administered a questionnaire to measure teachers' beliefs regarding employing an interactive technological environment in mathematics classrooms before and after engaging in an intervention program. In addition, a reflective writing strategy was implemented with the participants (N = 10) to understand the development of their beliefs about technology via an evaluation of their levels of reflection. In general, the research findings indicate that an interactive learning environment supports an improvement in teachers' beliefs about technology. Furthermore, positive qualitative findings were drawn from the reflective writing essays of early childhood teachers. The qualitative findings indicate that an interactive environment enables teachers to be conscious of selecting effective math-specific technologies that facilitate children's exploration and discovery of mathematics concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing body of studies on action research (AR) in second/foreign language (L2) education, little is known about teachers’ beliefs about AR among different age groups. Hence, this study investigates whether L2 teachers’ beliefs about AR vary by considering teachers’ age. The Inventory on Teachers’ Beliefs about Action Research (ITBAR) is a specifically designed questionnaire to investigate the matter and was distributed to 157 Iranian ELT teachers. Then 120 teachers were randomly divided into three age groups, namely starters (20–34 years), middle-aged (35–49 years), and seniors (50+). A one-way ANOVA test was used to test whether the difference among the groups was significant. The findings showed that teachers can experience age effects in the demanding teaching profession. According to the data, younger teachers had the highest mean scores for their beliefs about AR in comparison to their middle-aged and senior colleagues. This might be attributed to the different perspectives of these teachers toward professional development, the role of pre-service teacher programs, and the familiarity of senior teachers with the limitations of conducting AR in real classroom contexts. It is then suggested that designing collaborative AR projects between beginning and senior teachers and institutional support might lead to more fruitful and positive results.

Recently, Lesson Study (LS) has gained popularity in countries worldwide because of its potentially positive effects on teachers' practices (e.g., reflection, cooperation, and pre-service development) and students' learning. However, despite global interest in LS's implementation, an important gap exists between Japanese LS and its implementation in other countries, which may be due to several reasons, such as differences in culture and educational systems or teachers' beliefs. In this study, we examined the effect of teachers' beliefs on their evaluation of LS in Chile. We administered a questionnaire to 94 teachers who participated in the Research Lesson (RL) as observers. The questionnaire assessed teachers' beliefs and RL's contributions to knowledge of the subject matter, instructional strategies, monitoring skills, lesson planning, and student understanding. Using a stepwise logistic regression, after controlling for sex and occupation, we found that the observers' beliefs influenced their perceptions of RL's contributions to monitoring, assessment, and instruction. Participants with student-focused beliefs were more likely to find that RL contributed to their monitoring skills and ability to assess students' understanding of content. The results regarding instructional strategies were mixed. Our findings can help devise strategies to increase the effectiveness of LS implementation. For example, by designing two types of LS, one adapted to teachers with studentfocused teaching beliefs and the other to teacher-focused teaching beliefs. To the best of our knowledge, this dual strategy is not part of LS implementation, at least in Chile. LS teams could easily explore this dual strategy, which could improve teachers' professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grade retention decisions are high‐risk because this practice can significantly affect students' academic and professional path and their socioaffective development. This study aimed to contribute to a better understanding of second‐grade retention decision‐making by exploring the factors the professionals consider during the retention decision‐making, their beliefs about the effectiveness of grade retention, and their cognitive decision‐making style. The study sets in Portugal, where second‐grade retention is a common practice. One hundred ninety‐four teachers answered an online questionnaire developed for this purpose. Path analysis results suggested that teachers' beliefs and decision‐making styles served as a filter, defining what factors they consider relevant or not to make grade retention decisions. Intuitive experiences seem to inform teachers' grade‐retention decisions, especially when they believe retention is essential for students' success. Practitioner Points: Teachers considered up to 12 factors when deciding whether to retain or promote a second‐grade student.Teachers' decisions are shaped by their beliefs and intuitive experiences, influencing the factors they consider relevant during the decision process and, ultimately, the decision to retain or not a student.Intuitive experience informs teachers' retention decisions by maintaining their beliefs in the effectiveness of grade retention and guiding the factors considered during the decision‐making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' practices and beliefs about instructional media are crucial in teaching English, as they can motivate students' enthusiasm if teachers use them engagingly. Despite their importance, teachers' practices and beliefs regarding instructional media in Islamic secondary schools in Indonesia have received less attention. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how teachers used instructional media and their beliefs towards employing it to teach English. We gathered information from two female English teachers at selected Islamic junior high schools in Aceh, Indonesia through observations and interviews. The results revealed that teachers utilized photos, whiteboards, overhead projectors, and flashcards to teach English. In their English foreign language classrooms, they used instructional media to facilitate students' learning by explaining the materials, and giving exercises. Teachers believed that instructional media could help boost students' interest, facilitate the learning process, and promote the achievement of teaching and learning objectives. They specified that curriculum and topic lessons are essential factors to consider when selecting instructional media for teaching English. They alleged that students' feedback, participation in seminars or workshops, self-discovery, and new curricula could all have an impact on their beliefs. Future research should look into potentially more comprehensive accounts of teachers' practices and beliefs about instructional media in varied secondary school contexts as well as how engaged students in more interactive classroom activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment is the backbone of the learning-teaching process. Several studies have proven that assessment goes hand in hand with learning. Classroom assessment can be either traditionally of learning or formatively an ongoing process for learning. The current study explores the writing skills alternative assessment strategies used by Moroccan English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers in their classrooms. To reach this, the study seeks to explore Moroccan ESP practitioners' perceptions and prevailing practices of writing skills alternative assessment strategies. Similarly, the study tries to identify possible challenges that impede the proper implementation of alternative assessment pedagogy in the Moroccan ESP context. Following a qualitative research design, the current paper deploys semi-structured interviews to collect data from 10 ESP instructors working in different higher institutes and universities in Morocco. The findings reveal that the participants possess favorable opinions regarding alternative assessment methods of writing skills. Nevertheless, these optimistic viewpoints are not clearly reflected in their assessment practices. The research paper can benefit both practitioners and policymakers in the field of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights - Despite external pressure, there was a space for political discussion in the class, at least in the first weeks of the invasion. - Teachers' approaches differed based on their priorities: emotional support, democratic civic education, teacher-student relationships, political proselytism, or avoidance. - Attending to students' private emotions came into conflict with postering their political passions. - High professional status and strong school community support teachers in taking responsibility in times of crisis. Purpose: This study investigates teachers' professional judgement about Russia's war on Ukraine as an unplanned, controversial classroom issue. Design: It employs 26 interviews with Russian teachers collected during the invasion's first month. Findings: The analysis identifies six situations and five teaching approaches that emerged in response to these, with varying degrees of student voice and political commitment. The inclusion of student voice is limited by perceived student passivity, lack of skill, and political disagreement with students. Satisfaction with the status quo, lack of social status, and fear of harming students were obstacles to pursuing political commitment. Research implications: By exploring the dynamics of depoliticisation in the classroom, this article adds to the literature on the co-construction of authoritarianism in Russia. It also highlights practices of resistance and 'everyday politics' stemming from teacher professionalism as a function of individual and structural factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this contribution, I reflect on how multilingual pedagogies can be added to STEM and S.T.E.M. practices, in what could be called a 'double-crossing': on the one hand, crossing linguistic boundaries and, on the other, crossing specific subject knowledge. Based on a content analysis of teachers' interviews referring to their pedagogical experiences with a multilingual platform providing subject content in several languages, I reflect on the extent to which and how multilingual STEM and S.T.E.M. pedagogies are implemented and accounted for. More specifically, I analyse the arguments put forward by teachers for using or not using multilingual practices in STEM and S.T.E.M. and I delve into the apparent contradictions underlying the fact that, despite using a multilingual platform, its multilingual affordances are sometimes overlooked, underestimated or even used in monolingualised practices in multilingual settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the beliefs of primary school teachers about multilingual language teaching and learning approaches and examines the relationship between these beliefs and the current ideas on multilingualism. This paper reports key elements of the multilingual educational reality in the Basque Country, where a minority language (Basque), a majority language (Spanish), and an international language (English) share space in the curriculum. The study adopts a mixed methods approach combining a specifically designed online questionnaire regarding beliefs (N = 418), and four focus groups (N = 20). The findings indicate that teachers believe fluency is essential in the language learning process, prioritize the non-native multilingual teacher model, and show awareness of the influence parents' linguistic attitudes have on students' language learning outcomes. Teachers hold welcoming beliefs toward multilingual language teaching approaches and regard translanguaging as suitable for upper levels of Primary education. A major implication of this study is that teachers have a positive point of departure from which to develop and promote multilingual teaching approaches; however, the provision of valuable and applicable training plans based on the current school of thought on multilingualism should be considered in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The teachers' beliefs in ethnomathematics-based numeracy learning are a crucial element to be able to develop students' numeracy skills. The teachers' beliefs in developing students' numeracy skills through ethnomathematics-based numeracy learning is a teacher's personal view about certain practices that are considered correct, which include four dimensions. The first dimension is the teachers' beliefs about numeracy. The second dimension is teachers' beliefs about the role of ethnomathematics in learning numeracy. The third dimension is teachers' beliefs about ethnomathematics-based numeracy teaching. The fourth dimension is teachers' beliefs about ethnomathematics-based numeracy learning. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of teachers' beliefs in developing students' numeracy skills through ethnomathematics-based numeracy learning. The teacher's response was acquired through the completion of a questionnaire. The findings indicated that most teachers believed fostering students' numeracy skills could be achieved by implementing ethnomathematics-based numeracy learning inside the semi-realisticmechanistic (SRM) categories. Further analysis reveals that more extended teaching experience may mean something other than that a teacher has a realistically oriented outlook. Teachers with teaching experience of fewer than five years (new teachers) and 5 to 10 years (junior teachers') have a semi-realisticmechanistic (SRM) view. Most teachers with more than 10 to 15 years (semi-senior-teachers) of teaching experience have a dominant realistic (DR) idea. In contrast, teachers with more than 15 years (senior teachers) of teaching experience have a semi-realistic-mechanistic (SRM) view and a dominant realistic (DR) view. Teachers' positive beliefs will likely improve students' numeracy skills in general and based on teaching experience in the dominant realistic (DR) and realistic (R) categories regarding ethnomathematics-based numeracy learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the prevalence of ChatGPT and other Large Language Models (LLMs) has posed significant challenges into the education field, particularly in English education. In response, this study aimed to investigate the beliefs of 95 EFL university teachers from Chinese universities regarding the integration of LLMs in language education, as well as the relationships between their beliefs and other factors. The study yielded several findings: (1) According to the quantitative and qualitative results, we revealed several concerns among Chinese EFL university teachers regarding LLMs integration, such as neglection of traditional learning resources, academic integrity, and excessive reliance. (2) Previous experiences with LLMs, frequency of LLMs use, and self-evaluation on stages of LLMs integration all played vital roles in shaping university teachers' beliefs in integrating LLMs in language education. (3) No significant correlation was observed between university teachers' beliefs in integrating LLMs in language education and the availability of IT personnel. (4) No significant correlation was observed between university teachers' beliefs in integrating LLMs in language education their evaluation on IT infrastructure. This research has provided some insights into university teachers' beliefs in ChatGPT and other LLMs to promote effective policies and strategies in the digital era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the obstacles preventing change of teaching methods in schools is teachers' traditional conceptualizations of 'teaching' as transmissive and teacher-centered. The aim of this study was to track changes in experienced teachers' concept of 'teaching', following their exposure to attentive teaching. This is a dialogical method in which the learners represent their concepts in drawings and written explanations, and discuss them with their teacher and peers. Method: This was a multiple-case study. The participants were three teachers who attended an attentive teaching professional development course. They drew 'teaching' in the first, sixth, and the last, fifteenth, session, and provided explanations of their drawings. Findings: At the start of the course, they described teaching as a unidirectional process of transmitting knowledge. In the middle, they became more aware of the students as individuals who should be listened to. By the end of the course, teaching was portrayed as multi-directional (and enjoyable), so that all the participants, including the teacher, teach and learn from each other. Conclusions: This study shows that by studying, experiencing, and implementing attentive teaching, it is possible to change experienced teachers' traditional beliefs without directly challenging them, and that drawings can track the changes' trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]