{"id":{"repo_id":"auckland-ms","oai_identifier":"oai:researchspace.auckland.ac.nz:2292/64634"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/auckland-ms/oai:researchspace.auckland.ac.nz:2292/64634","repository":{"repo_id":"auckland-ms","name":"University of Auckland","base_url":"https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The Relations Between Teacher Beliefs, Teacher Characteristics, School Context Factors, Student Achievement, and Teachers’ Academically Supportive Instructional Practices","abstract":"Extensive research has been conducted into the relations between teacher beliefs, teacher characteristics, and school context factors in isolation, yet few studies have explored these relations in combination, despite research indicating that the beliefs and characteristics of teachers, as well as school context factors, influence their cognitive processes and their instructional decisions and practices. These processes and decisions, in turn, affect the learning activities and experiences offered to students which can impact on how students engage with learning and how they achieve. This mixed methods thesis, consisting of three studies, aimed to examine the relations between a combination of teacher beliefs variables (teacher expectations, efficacy, motivation, goal orientation, work engagement, passion for teaching, and relatedness to students), characteristics of teachers (gender, ethnicity, and teaching experience), and school context factors (school decile and year level taught), and their relation to student achievement and teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. Study 1 utilised a teacher questionnaire and expectation survey to explore whether teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors were interrelated, and predicted student achievement, from the perspective of 83 teachers. Study 2 utilised a teacher survey, similarly focused on the interrelations between teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors, however, with a much larger participant sample (n = 707), a mostly different set of teacher beliefs and characteristics, and an additional focus on teachers’ instructional practices. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to determine associations between teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors, and to determine which teacher beliefs were associated with teachers’ instructional practices. For Study 3, focus groups were conducted and small q thematic analysis carried out to gauge teachers’ qualitative perceptions of the relations between the teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors explored in Studies 1 and 2. The three research studies within this thesis brought together teachers’ quantitative and qualitative perceptions about the relations between various teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school context factors, and how these concepts were associated with academic achievement and teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. The quantitative results from Study 1 indicated that teachers’ self-efficacy, motivation, gender, and the school socioeconomic status were associated with teachers’ class-level expectations. School socioeconomic status was shown to be the only variable associated with student achievement. In Study 2, all teacher characteristics and school context factors were shown to be related to the teacher beliefs explored. In addition, all the teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors were found to be related to teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. The qualitative results from Study 3 indicated that teachers perceived teaching experience to be the factor most associated with teacher beliefs, and the only teacher characteristic or school factor to be associated with student achievement. Teaching self-efficacy was the teacher belief thought to be most associated with all other teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school context factors. Further, teachers’ relatedness to students, passion for teaching, and teaching self-efficacy were perceived to be related to their academically supportive instructional practices. This thesis is the first research study to explore such a wide range of teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors in combination, and provides valuable insights into how these variables are associated with each other. The findings show how the beliefs of teachers are interrelated, affect student achievement, and are matched to teachers’ self-reported instructional practices. Insights into the implications for educators, school management, and preservice providers are provided, and further research recommended.","abstract_html":"Extensive research has been conducted into the relations between teacher beliefs, teacher characteristics, and school context factors in isolation, yet few studies have explored these relations in combination, despite research indicating that the beliefs and characteristics of teachers, as well as school context factors, influence their cognitive processes and their instructional decisions and practices. These processes and decisions, in turn, affect the learning activities and experiences offered to students which can impact on how students engage with learning and how they achieve. This mixed methods thesis, consisting of three studies, aimed to examine the relations between a combination of teacher beliefs variables (teacher expectations, efficacy, motivation, goal orientation, work engagement, passion for teaching, and relatedness to students), characteristics of teachers (gender, ethnicity, and teaching experience), and school context factors (school decile and year level taught), and their relation to student achievement and teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. Study 1 utilised a teacher questionnaire and expectation survey to explore whether teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors were interrelated, and predicted student achievement, from the perspective of 83 teachers. Study 2 utilised a teacher survey, similarly focused on the interrelations between teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors, however, with a much larger participant sample (n = 707), a mostly different set of teacher beliefs and characteristics, and an additional focus on teachers’ instructional practices. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to determine associations between teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors, and to determine which teacher beliefs were associated with teachers’ instructional practices. For Study 3, focus groups were conducted and small q thematic analysis carried out to gauge teachers’ qualitative perceptions of the relations between the teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors explored in Studies 1 and 2. The three research studies within this thesis brought together teachers’ quantitative and qualitative perceptions about the relations between various teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school context factors, and how these concepts were associated with academic achievement and teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. The quantitative results from Study 1 indicated that teachers’ self-efficacy, motivation, gender, and the school socioeconomic status were associated with teachers’ class-level expectations. School socioeconomic status was shown to be the only variable associated with student achievement. In Study 2, all teacher characteristics and school context factors were shown to be related to the teacher beliefs explored. In addition, all the teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors were found to be related to teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. The qualitative results from Study 3 indicated that teachers perceived teaching experience to be the factor most associated with teacher beliefs, and the only teacher characteristic or school factor to be associated with student achievement. Teaching self-efficacy was the teacher belief thought to be most associated with all other teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school context factors. Further, teachers’ relatedness to students, passion for teaching, and teaching self-efficacy were perceived to be related to their academically supportive instructional practices. This thesis is the first research study to explore such a wide range of teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors in combination, and provides valuable insights into how these variables are associated with each other. The findings show how the beliefs of teachers are interrelated, affect student achievement, and are matched to teachers’ self-reported instructional practices. Insights into the implications for educators, school management, and preservice providers are provided, and further research recommended.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Flint, Annaline"],"institution":"ResearchSpace@Auckland","degree_name":"PhD","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Educational Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Rubie-Davies, Christine","Peterson, Elizabeth"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022","date_published":"2022","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:03:18Z","subjects":[],"languages":[],"rights":["Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated."],"rights_urls":["https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2292/64634","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Rubie-Davies, Christine","Peterson, Elizabeth"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Flint, Annaline"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2023-07-11T01:47:25Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-07-11T01:47:25Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2022"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["ResearchSpace@Auckland"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["UoA99265553399002091"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["PhD"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The University of Auckland"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2292/64634"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Extensive research has been conducted into the relations between teacher beliefs, teacher characteristics, and school context factors in isolation, yet few studies have explored these relations in combination, despite research indicating that the beliefs and characteristics of teachers, as well as school context factors, influence their cognitive processes and their instructional decisions and practices. These processes and decisions, in turn, affect the learning activities and experiences offered to students which can impact on how students engage with learning and how they achieve. This mixed methods thesis, consisting of three studies, aimed to examine the relations between a combination of teacher beliefs variables (teacher expectations, efficacy, motivation, goal orientation, work engagement, passion for teaching, and relatedness to students), characteristics of teachers (gender, ethnicity, and teaching experience), and school context factors (school decile and year level taught), and their relation to student achievement and teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. Study 1 utilised a teacher questionnaire and expectation survey to explore whether teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors were interrelated, and predicted student achievement, from the perspective of 83 teachers. Study 2 utilised a teacher survey, similarly focused on the interrelations between teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors, however, with a much larger participant sample (n = 707), a mostly different set of teacher beliefs and characteristics, and an additional focus on teachers’ instructional practices. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to determine associations between teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors, and to determine which teacher beliefs were associated with teachers’ instructional practices. For Study 3, focus groups were conducted and small q thematic analysis carried out to gauge teachers’ qualitative perceptions of the relations between the teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors explored in Studies 1 and 2. The three research studies within this thesis brought together teachers’ quantitative and qualitative perceptions about the relations between various teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school context factors, and how these concepts were associated with academic achievement and teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. The quantitative results from Study 1 indicated that teachers’ self-efficacy, motivation, gender, and the school socioeconomic status were associated with teachers’ class-level expectations. School socioeconomic status was shown to be the only variable associated with student achievement. In Study 2, all teacher characteristics and school context factors were shown to be related to the teacher beliefs explored. In addition, all the teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors were found to be related to teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. The qualitative results from Study 3 indicated that teachers perceived teaching experience to be the factor most associated with teacher beliefs, and the only teacher characteristic or school factor to be associated with student achievement. Teaching self-efficacy was the teacher belief thought to be most associated with all other teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school context factors. Further, teachers’ relatedness to students, passion for teaching, and teaching self-efficacy were perceived to be related to their academically supportive instructional practices. This thesis is the first research study to explore such a wide range of teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors in combination, and provides valuable insights into how these variables are associated with each other. The findings show how the beliefs of teachers are interrelated, affect student achievement, and are matched to teachers’ self-reported instructional practices. Insights into the implications for educators, school management, and preservice providers are provided, and further research recommended."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Relations Between Teacher Beliefs, Teacher Characteristics, School Context Factors, Student Achievement, and Teachers’ Academically Supportive Instructional Practices"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Rubie-Davies, Christine","Peterson, Elizabeth"],"dc:creator":["Flint, Annaline"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2023-07-11T01:47:25Z"],"dc:date.available":["2023-07-11T01:47:25Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2022"],"dc:description.abstract":["Extensive research has been conducted into the relations between teacher beliefs, teacher characteristics, and school context factors in isolation, yet few studies have explored these relations in combination, despite research indicating that the beliefs and characteristics of teachers, as well as school context factors, influence their cognitive processes and their instructional decisions and practices. These processes and decisions, in turn, affect the learning activities and experiences offered to students which can impact on how students engage with learning and how they achieve. This mixed methods thesis, consisting of three studies, aimed to examine the relations between a combination of teacher beliefs variables (teacher expectations, efficacy, motivation, goal orientation, work engagement, passion for teaching, and relatedness to students), characteristics of teachers (gender, ethnicity, and teaching experience), and school context factors (school decile and year level taught), and their relation to student achievement and teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. Study 1 utilised a teacher questionnaire and expectation survey to explore whether teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors were interrelated, and predicted student achievement, from the perspective of 83 teachers. Study 2 utilised a teacher survey, similarly focused on the interrelations between teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors, however, with a much larger participant sample (n = 707), a mostly different set of teacher beliefs and characteristics, and an additional focus on teachers’ instructional practices. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to determine associations between teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors, and to determine which teacher beliefs were associated with teachers’ instructional practices. For Study 3, focus groups were conducted and small q thematic analysis carried out to gauge teachers’ qualitative perceptions of the relations between the teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors explored in Studies 1 and 2. The three research studies within this thesis brought together teachers’ quantitative and qualitative perceptions about the relations between various teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school context factors, and how these concepts were associated with academic achievement and teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. The quantitative results from Study 1 indicated that teachers’ self-efficacy, motivation, gender, and the school socioeconomic status were associated with teachers’ class-level expectations. School socioeconomic status was shown to be the only variable associated with student achievement. In Study 2, all teacher characteristics and school context factors were shown to be related to the teacher beliefs explored. In addition, all the teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors were found to be related to teachers’ academically supportive instructional practices. The qualitative results from Study 3 indicated that teachers perceived teaching experience to be the factor most associated with teacher beliefs, and the only teacher characteristic or school factor to be associated with student achievement. Teaching self-efficacy was the teacher belief thought to be most associated with all other teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school context factors. Further, teachers’ relatedness to students, passion for teaching, and teaching self-efficacy were perceived to be related to their academically supportive instructional practices. This thesis is the first research study to explore such a wide range of teacher beliefs, characteristics, and school factors in combination, and provides valuable insights into how these variables are associated with each other. The findings show how the beliefs of teachers are interrelated, affect student achievement, and are matched to teachers’ self-reported instructional practices. Insights into the implications for educators, school management, and preservice providers are provided, and further research recommended."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/2292/64634"],"dc:publisher":["ResearchSpace@Auckland"],"dc:relation.isreferencedby":["UoA99265553399002091"],"dc:rights":["Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated."],"dc:rights.uri":["https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm"],"dc:title":["The Relations Between Teacher Beliefs, Teacher Characteristics, School Context Factors, Student Achievement, and Teachers’ Academically Supportive Instructional Practices"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["PhD"],"thesis:institution_name":["The University of Auckland"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:03:18Z"}