Predictors of Positive Change in Teaching Practices: A Quantitative Study

Change in educational settings is a complex and multifaceted process that commonly implies change in teaching practices. Different initiatives have shown the significance of teachers and their perceptions when change in teaching practices is intended. Additionally, various factors may influence change in teaching practices at three different moments: before it happens, during, and after its implementation. Considering teachers' perceptions, I studied different factors that may be related to positive change in teaching practices. I studied the relationship between three groups of factors and positive change in teaching practices: motivational factors, including teachers' self-efficacy and autonomy; learning opportunities that include professional development, feedback, and leadership; and the academic and community domains as part of the school climate factor. In particular, I answered the following research question: To what extent do learning opportunities, teacher motivational factors, and school climate predict positive change in teaching practices? In this study I posited that teacher factors such as self-efficacy and school factors such as leadership influence positive change in teaching practices. I also posited that school factors influence the relationship between teacher factors and positive change in teaching practices. To study these relationships, I analyzed data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). This survey provides clustered data: teachers are clustered by schools and schools by countries. I used multilevel modeling statistical methods (i.e., a two-level hierarchical linear model) to examine the Colombian and United Stated datasets. Before estimating the hierarchical linear models, I conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify the teacher-level variables. One follow-up EFA focused on teacher self-efficacy yielded three variables that allowed me to focus on three specific teaching tasks: managing student behavior, motivating students, and varying instructional strategies. I found that learning opportunities, motivational factors, and school climate predict positive change in teaching practices. Learning opportunities, such as feedback from the principal has a stronger effect than feedback from colleagues. The impact of feedback from the principal has significant unnoticeable variability across schools, and it is negatively influenced by the feedback received by the teachers at the same school. Additionally, teachers' self-efficacy in different teaching tasks predicts positive change, however, these relationships differ by country. Finally, distributed leadership as part of school climate is a significant predictor of positive change that also affects it by influencing teacher interactions positively. Implications of these findings are also discussed as it relates to the existing literature and the educational system in each of the two countries.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Curriculum and Instruction

Department dc:contributor.department

Education, Vocational-Technical

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Sanchez Robayo, Brigitte Johana

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Wilkins, Jesse L. M.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Jones, Brett D.
• Kreye, Bettibel Carson
• Johnson, Estrella
• Billingsley, Bonnie S.

• Change
• Teaching Practices
• Hierarchical Linear Modelling

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:36693

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/114144