Observations and student perceptions of the quality of preservice teachers’ teaching behaviour: construct representation and predictive quality

Abstract

Observations and student perceptions are recognised as important tools for examining teaching behaviour, but little is known about whether both perspectives share similar construct representations and how both perspectives link with student academic outcomes. The present study compared the construct representation of preservice teachers' teaching behaviour as perceived by trained teacher observers and students. It also examined the predictive power of both measures of teaching behaviour for student academic engagement. The theoretical framework of teaching behaviour used in this study is based on evidence-based research derived from empirical teacher effectiveness research. The study was part of a national project that included 2164 students and 108 teachers in The Netherlands. Results suggest that, although observations and student perceptions of teaching behaviour shared similar theoretical considerations, the construct representations seemed to differ to some extent. Furthermore, although both perspectives are significant predictors of student academic engagement, student perceptions appeared to be more predictive of their perceived academic engagement than observations. Implications for research on learning environments and teacher education are discussed.

Same, Similar, or Something Completely Different? Calibrating Student Surveys and Classroom Observations of Teaching Quality Onto a Common Metric

“…To assess the representativeness of the complete sample, we estimated the correlation of the aggregated student survey total scores with the classroom observation scores. The resulting correlation of r = .26 is similar to the values reported by Maulana and Helms‐Lorenz () and Howard et al. ().…”

“…Prior studies examining the overlap between survey and observation measures typically apply correlational techniques (e.g., Downer et al, 2015;Ferguson & Danielson, 2014;Howard, Conway, & Maxwell, 1985;Kane & Staiger, 2012;Martínez, Schweig, & Goldschmidt, 2016;Maulana & Helms-Lorenz, 2016;Murray, 1983;Polikoff, 2015;Van der Lans, 2018) and uncover modestly sized associations between survey and classroom observation total scores. Studies that further decomposed the construct teaching quality into smaller factors have reported associations of similar size.…”

“…It has been shown that using these stage models to scaffold feedback and coaching has medium to large effects on development of teaching quality (Tas, Houtveen, Van de Grift, & Willemsen, 2018) and may outperform feedback and coaching methods not based on the stages (Antoniou & Kyriakides, 2011). Furthermore, both student surveys and classroom observations have been proven valid measures to identify teachers' stage of development (Maulana & Helms-Lorenz, 2016;Van de Grift et al, 2014;Van der Lans et al, 2015, 2017, 2018). Yet, no existing evidence specifies whether the more reliable identification of the teacher's stage obtained from student surveys can also inform the less reliable classroom observations, as they pertain to which teaching practices require coaching and training.…”

Depressive Symptoms and Academic Achievement: The Role of Adolescents’ Perceptions of Teachers’ and Peers’ Behaviors

“…However, the reports of other informants could also be subject to different kinds of errors (e.g., social desirability bias; Tan & Hall, ). Future studies should also include the observation instrument as a more objective way of measuring teaching and peer behaviors (see Maulana & Helms‐Lorenz, ), in order to better understand the complex nature of the classroom environment. Second, we relied on a longitudinal design with a one‐year time interval between assessments.…”

Validating a model of effective teaching behaviour and student engagement: perspectives from Spanish students

“…Furthermore, effective teaching behaviour has a beneficial influence on engaging students academically, and the former can facilitate the achievement of higher grades and lower dropout rates. Based on the literature reviewed above, in the present study we sought to investigate the psychometric quality of Spanish version of the teaching behaviour instrument called My Teacher questionnaire (Maulana & Helms-Lorenz, 2016, 2017 for capturing student perceptions of teaching behaviour in the Spanish secondary education context. Furthermore, this study will contribute to validate the model of teaching behaviour and student engagement and its relevance for the Spanish context.…”