The Significance Of Teaching Perspectives Among Academic Disciplines

Abstract

This study examined the teaching perspectives among faculty from a research extensive university in the southern United States. A simple random sample was drawn from the institutions faculty, and a total of n = 131 responded to the survey. Respondents were asked to complete the Teaching Perspectives Inventory via the Internet and complete a demographic survey. The Analysis of Variance procedure was used to determine if dominant teaching perspectives were discipline-specific. The results of this analysis concluded that a significant difference existed among respondents, with Apprenticeship as a dominant teaching perspective [F(12, 118) = 2.036, p = .027].

Disciplinary Differences and University Teachers’ Perspectives: Possibilities of Applying the Teaching Perspectives Inventory

“…The differences between academic disciplines are even more observable when comparing teachers from different faculties. In this case, statistically significant differences are recognised in all five perspectives on teaching, which further confirms the findings that there are differences between academic disciplines regarding the teaching perspectives (Deggs et al, 2008). The results again point to the conclusion that there are differences between teachers of soft and hard sciences, which is the most common variable in research on differences between disciplines (Kember & Leung, 2011), although exceptions have been observed in some perspectives.…”

“…In the study involving teachers from a research university in the southern United States (Deggs et al, 2008), it was determined that significant differences between teachers of different faculties were only present with respect to the apprenticeship perspective.…”

“…The third research goal was to explore the differences in teaching perspectives among university teachers in relation to the academic discipline and their faculty affiliation. Based on the results of previous studies (Canto y Rodríguez & Burgos Fajardo, 2011;Deggs et al, 2008;Matofari & Edwards, 2017;Rotidi et al, 2017), it was hypothesised that the academic discipline and faculty would have influenced the university teachers' perspectives on teaching.…”

“…In addition to research and scientific approaches, such differences are reflected in the teaching process, since university teachers use those teaching methods that reflect the epistemological assumptions of their academic discipline (Neumann et al, 2002) and with which they identify the most (Neumann, 2001). Differences depending on academic discipline have also been identified when it comes to perspectives on teaching (Deggs et al, 2008;Rotidi et al, 2017), as well as teaching approaches that are teacher-centred or student-centred (Kemp, 2013;Lueddeke, 2003;Päuler-Kuppinger & Jucks, 2017).…”

Teaching perspectives inventory (TPI): Validation and possibilities of scale application in Serbia

“…Pri tome, autori instrumenta ukazuju na dosadašnju primenu skale TPI i izvan oblasti samoprocenjivanja; instrument se koristi i kao alat za unapređenje i evaluaciju rada na pojedinim fakultetima i za samoevaluaciju i međusobnu evaluaciju nastavnika (Collins & Pratt, 2011). U oblasti visokog obrazovanja taj je instrument primenjivan za utvrđivanje razlika u dominantnim perspektivama o nastavi univerzitetskih nastavnika u odnosu na njihovu pripadnost obrazovno-naučnom polju i akademskoj disciplini (Deggs, Machtmes & Johnson, 2008;Rotidi, Collins, Karalis & Lavidas, 2017), ali i za istraživanje relacija između nastavničkih uverenja i njihove nastavne prakse (Rotidi, Canto, Rodríguez & Burgos, 2011). Takođe, instrument je korišćen radi ispitivanja efekata programa stručnog usavršavanja univerzitetskih nastavnika u području vođenja nastavnog procesa, kao pomoćno sredstvo u promišljanju implicitnih teorija i nastavne prakse i kao alat za praćenje promena koje mogu nastati u uverenjima i stavovima o nastavnom radu (Hubbal, Collins, & Pratt, 2005;Potter, Kustra, Ackerson, & Prada, 2015).…”