engleski

Some Correlates of Secondary School Teachers' Approaches to Teaching

Teachers' approaches to teaching (specific teaching methods used in the classroom), as one of the important factors of the school context, influence the educational process, as well as its outcomes. Current studies indicate that teachers' approaches to teaching can be influenced by different factors such as teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning, their perception of students' interest in the subject they teach and their perception of students' preference for specific teaching methods. For example, teachers whose conception about learning dominantly focuses on quantitative changes in knowledge (surface conception of learning) are more likely to use teaching methods oriented towards facts acquiring. Teachers whose conception about learning dominantly focuses on qualitative changes in knowledge (deep conception of learning) tend to use teaching methods oriented towards enhancing understanding and conceptual change. The aim of this research was to examine whether these relations can be identified among our teachers i.e. their approaches to teaching and their perception of certain aspects of the educational context. This research was conducted on a representative sample of 608 secondary school subject teachers in Croatian vocational schools, applying a questionnaire specifically developed for this study. Results indicate that the significant contributors in explaining the teacher-oriented approach to teaching are teacher-oriented beliefs about teaching, the perception of students' preference for the information transmission teaching method and the surface conception of learning. On the other side, the significant contributors in explaining the student-oriented approach to teaching are student-oriented beliefs about teaching, the deep conception of learning and the perception of students' interest for the subject. Obtained results confirm the expected relations between teachers' approaches to teaching and their beliefs about teaching and learning. Teachers' perceptions of students' preference for specific teaching methods, as well as their perception of students' interest for the subject can also account for explaining teachers' tendencies for using specific teaching methods.

approaches to teaching; teachers' beliefs; conceptions of learning

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