Teacher Online Informal Learning as a Means to Innovative Teaching During Home Quarantine in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The home quarantine in the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for teaching across the world and called for innovative teaching, as well as teachers' learning. Given the rapid development of teachers' online learning and teaching, identifying effective ways to facilitate innovative teaching under such challenging conditions is a critical issue. Although researchers have realized that workplace informal learning (IL) increasingly reveals its potential value to individual development, the relationship between IL and innovation has been under-explored. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of IL on innovative teaching, through the mediating roles of three types of teaching-related efficacy, with a particular focus on college teachers and online context. A sample of 479 Chinese college teachers was randomly selected to participate in the survey. The results showed that teachers' online IL in pandemic improved their personal teaching efficacy and ICT efficacy (information and communication technology efficacy), and then facilitated their innovative teaching without differences of gender and teaching-age effect. Whereas, general teaching efficacy was not a mediator between online IL and innovative teaching. Hence, we proposed a can-do motivating model of teacher efficacy in fostering innovative teaching through informal learning. It implies three properties of teachers' online IL: social interaction, autonomous learning and novelty-seeking. It also revealed that innovative teaching can be driven in COVID-19 pandemic, mainly by learning domain-specific knowledge and skills, thus enhancing personal teaching efficacy and ICT efficacy in online teaching context.

Teaching efficacy beliefs of Ghanaian basic school teachers and their subject specializations

This study explores personal teaching efficacy beliefs of basic school teachers in Ghana undergoing recertification to upgrade their qualification. The study examines whether the personal teaching efficacy of the teachers is affected by their subject specialisation. A descriptive survey design was employed for the study. Data for the study was obtained from a total of 185 in-service teachers selected randomly from a group of teachers who were undergoing recertification from diploma to bachelor degree in basic education in a teacher education university in Ghana. Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) was adapted and used to measure in-service teachers’ personal teaching efficacy beliefs. The findings of the study showed that in-service teachers have a high sense of personal teaching efficacy. The study also revealed that in-service teachers’ level of self-efficacy was not affected by their subject specialization.

An Investigation into the Impact of Environmental Education Certification on Perceptions of Personal Teaching Efficacy

The purpose of this study is to examine how participation in the North Carolina Environmental Educator (NCEE) program influences the individual's perceived self-efficacy. Specifically, this study examines the impact of NCEE certification on participants’ perceived personal teaching self-efficacy. This study compared personal teaching efficacy scores of certified environmental educators, non-certified environmental educators, and licensed schoolteachers. The study found significant differences in teaching efficacy between certified and non-certified environmental educators, as well as certified environmental educators and licensed school teachers. In addition, the study found no significant difference in efficacy scores between NCEE certified licensed school teachers and NCEE certified environmental educators. Results of this study indicate a link between environmental education certification and higher personal teaching efficacy.

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN TEACHERS' BELIEFS AND PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN'S ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS

The main purpose of this study was to examine differences in male and female teachers’ beliefs about their math instruction, and the relationship between boys and girls math achievement and teachers’ beliefs. The samples were primary mathematics teachers (N=521) and Year 2 and Year 3 students (N=9980) from 127 schools. A questionnaire was used to examine primary math teachers' goal structure for students, approaches to instruction, and personal teaching efficacy. Students’ math achievement was assessed by national diagnostic math tests. The teachers were generally oriented towards mastery goals and mastery approaches to instruction, and reported high personal teaching efficacy. However, female teachers report somewhat higher levels of mastery goal structure for students and mastery approaches to instruction, while male teachers report a somewhat higher level of performance approaches to instruction. Positive relations between students' math performance and teachers’ mastery orientation, mastery approaches to instruction, and teaching efficacy were also found. These relationships were somewhat stronger for girls than for boys. In conclusion, the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and students’ performance were different for male and female teachers, respectively. In future studies qualitative research methods should be included. Key words: mathematics achievement; primary school; teachers’ beliefs.