Quality of teaching and years of experience in primary education
Wim van de Grift & Thoni Houtveen
Summary
Knowledge of the development of teaching skills is useful for professionalization of teachers. Two lines of theories on professional development can be distinguished: a linear growth model and a parabolic development model. Neither model is empirically strongly underpinned, since this requires expensive longitudinal designs. In this study,the usefulness of longitudinal research into the development of teaching skills is explored by comparing the teaching skills of teachers with different years of experience in primary education.
Objective
The aim is to explore differences in teaching skills between student teachers and groups of teachers with different yearsof teaching experience.
Theoretical framework
Development of teachers is mainly described in terms of linear growth (Fuller, 1969; 1970;Dreyfus & Dreyfus, 1986; Berliner, 1994; 2001; Steffy & Wolfe, 2001). However,othertheoriesclaim a parabolicdevelopment of teaching skills,starting with a monotonous increase, followed by a decreasing line (Burke, Christensen, Fessler, Price, 1987;Lynn, 2002; Day, 2008; Gonçalves, 2009).There areno longitudinal studies available to support either of these theories. There is justone study that followed beginning teachers during a limited number of years (Schaffer, Stringfield, &Wolfe, 1992).There is some evidence from a cross-sectional study of 400 teachers in German primary education (Van de Grift, Van der Wal, & Torenbeek, 2011) that supports aparabolic development of teaching skills.Therefore, it seems worthwhile to replicate this study in another country.
Research method
Specially trained observers with the ICALT-observation-scale that meets the requirements of the Rasch-model observed about 940 (student) teachers from Dutch primary schools. Studies with thisICALT-scale revealed that there exists an order in teaching skills from rather basic skills to more advanced and complex teaching skills. Basic skills seem to be prerequisite for more complex teaching skills(Van de Grift, Helms-Lorenz, & Maulana, 2014; Van der Lans, Van de Grift, & Van Veen, 2017).
Using Cohen’s δ and a significance test, we evaluated the average scores on the ICALT-observation-scale for student teachers, beginning teachers, young, experienced and older teachers.
Results and conclusions
The data showthat student teachers lag behind beginning teachers with more than a standard deviation. Beginning teachers lag behind teachers with 6-10 years of experience with about .3 standard deviation. Teachers with 6-10 years of experience show on average no significant differences with more experienced teachers. These results are in agreement with both the parabolic theories of Burke et. al., Lynn, Day and Gonçalves and the empirical results of Van de Grift, Van der Wal, & Torenbeek found with German teachers. Therefore, it seems worthwhile to start a longitudinal study.
Educational importance
Knowledge of the developmentin teaching skills of teachers is useful for planning further professionalization of teachers.
Connection to the conference theme
This paper suits the conference theme ‘Measuring and Evaluating School Change’ and mightpoint to new directions in empirical research that might propel the skills of teachers.
References
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Van der Lans, R.M., Van de Grift, W.J.C.M., & Van Veen, K. (2017). Developing an Instrument for Teacher Feedback: Using the Rasch Model to Explore Teachers' Development of Effective Teaching Strategies and BehaviorsThe journal of experimental education (1-18).
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