The main objective of this research was to study challenges of preparing authentic English language tests in Ethiopian six secondary schools. The focus was to assess current challenges in the preparation of authentic and communicative language tests. To this end, interviews and FGD with English language teachers were made and hence, 61 teachers…

This cross-national study involved 56 toddler classrooms in Poland and the Netherlands. A cluster analysis was conducted to identify classroom profiles based on observed quality and these were compared regarding structural (group size and children-to-teacher ratio) and curriculum (e.g. pre-academics and pretend play) characteristics. In total, 224…

Using a fixed effects model, a balanced panel data set of 6,922 schools in California from 2004 to 2011 was analyzed to see whether changes in resources would affect subgroup performance at intraschool level. Seven school resources variables previously demonstrated influential to school or subgroup achievement at interschool level were tested for…

Child care providers navigate a challenging and competitive industry, where the substantial cost of providing safe, quality care for children meeting all state standards has to be balanced against families' ability and willingness to pay for care. Operating a business where narrow profit margins can turn into significant deficits from one week to…

Multiple-choice assessments provide a straightforward way for instructors of large classes to collect data related to student understanding of key concepts at the beginning and end of a course. By tracking student performance over time, instructors receive formative feedback about their teaching and can assess the impact of instructional changes.…

With increasing class sizes of diverse students, instructional options for those who teach large classes in higher education are limited. While whole-class instruction is an integral part of many classrooms and often the instructional practice of choice, this teacher-centered strategy is less effective in promoting a greater level of growth and…

This article compares developmental kindergartens of the past to current academic kindergartens through the voices of kindergarten teachers who taught in both types. Data were obtained from interviews of ten public school kindergarten teachers from California with experience in kindergarten ranging 18-34 years (M = 24). Teachers indicated that…

In the present study, the manifestations of burnout syndrome in school and university professors living in the city of Arequipa were analyzed comparatively. A total of 413 intentionally selected professors were evaluated, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory was applied. It yielded adequate levels of reliability for our sample and three factors…

Previous cross-national studies on social motivation among secondary students from individualistic societies such as Germany and Canada found four different motivation types (MT) varying in class size: (a) teacher-dependent MT, (b) peer-dependent MT, (c) teacher- and peer-dependent MT, and (d) teacher- and peer-independent MT. The current…

This study aims to determine the benefits of student-centred teaching methods for students' cognitive and practical improvement and the mediating effect of deep learning on the relationship between them. We developed a scale of student-centred teaching for the Chinese context using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and…

The instructional practices used in introductory college courses often differ dramatically from those used in high school courses, and dissatisfaction with these practices is cited by students as a prominent reason for leaving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. To better characterize the transition to college course…

Undergraduate students benefit from academic-centered peer interactions, especially in large lecture courses. However, little is known about how students come together and form relationships around a course. I conduct a mixed-methods study of students' peer networks to explore how students choose peers for academic-focused interactions. The…

Currently in South Africa, there are over 20 000 underqualified Grade R teachers who are enlisted into service to ensure that Grade R teaching can continue. The aim of the study reported on was to investigate the challenges and needs faced by underqualified teachers in order to promote the professional development of teachers teaching in rural…

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was fourfold: examine the pre-service science teachers' pedagogical orientations about science teaching; examine the pre-service science teachers' beliefs about science teaching; establish the extent to which the pre-service science teachers' pedagogical orientations correlate with…

The aim of the present study was to examine whether class-level characteristics, such as class size and gender ratio, could contribute to explaining different levels of bullying, victimization, and perception of defending between classes. Seven-hundred-and-sixty-three students (M[subscript age] = 12.96, SD = 1.22; 54.4% boys) from 42 Portuguese…