The Mediating Effect of Creative Personality in the Relationship between Childcare Teacher’s Efficacy and Creative Teaching Behaviour

The purpose of this study is to identify the mediating effect of creative personality in the relationship between childcare teachers’ efficacy and creative teaching behavior. The participants of the study were 300 childcare teachers and selected the data between October 14 to 22, 2020. The study results were as follows. First, it evidenced positive correlations among efficacy, creative teaching behavior, and creative personality. Therefore, when childcare teachers show higher efficacy and creative personality levels, creative teaching behavior levels are likely to be higher. Second, childcare teachers’ efficacy directly affected creative teaching behaviors and creative personality, which also directly affected creative teaching behavior. Third, creative personality partially mediated between efficacy and creative teaching behaviors. As the childcare field continues to emphasize creative teaching behaviors, it must create an environment where childcare teachers can improve their efficacy and develop their creative personalities. Furthermore, educational programs should encourage teachers to enhance their efficacy and express their creative personalities.

THE EFFECTS OF AUTONOMY-SUPPORTIVE AND CONTROLLING TEACHING BEHAVIORS ON PRIMARY STUDENTS' STEM LEARNING PERFORMANCE AND FLOW EXPERIENCE

Flow experience plays a major role in influencing students’ interest of STEM, which is the key to promote STEM talent development. Various teaching behaviors contribute differently to student learning performance and flow experience. Specifically, this research sought to concretely explore the different influences of Autonomy-supportive (AS) teaching behavior and Controlling (C) teaching behavior on students’ STEM learning performance and flow experience. The research conducted an experimental exploration of STEM project among primary school students in two groups with two different teaching behaviors (AS and C) respectively. T-test and ANCOVA analysis revealed that both teaching behaviors greatly contributed to improvement of students’ learning performance. MANCOVA analysis showed that students in Autonomy-supportive group got slightly significant higher flow experience than those in Control group. Regarding flow constructs, both groups had the similar level of engagement, but students in Autonomy-supportive group had higher enjoyment, and stronger control than those in the other group. In other words, Autonomy-supportive teaching behavior and Controlling teaching behavior both enhanced greatly students’ STEM learning performance. While Autonomy-supportive teaching behavior allowed students to be more enjoyable and have a higher level of control in STEM learning. Keywords: autonomy-supportive teaching, controlling teaching, flow experience, learning performance, intrinsic motivation, STEM project

Investigating the Influencing Factors of Teachers’ Information and Communications Technology-Integrated Teaching Behaviors toward “Learner-Centered” Reform Using Structural Equation Modeling

In the context of information-driven Education transformation, this study investigates factors that influence the continuous transformation of teacher information and communications technology (ICT) teaching methods. Although some studies have found that teacher psychological cognition exerts different effects on different types of teacher ICT-integrated teaching behaviors, the current literature on influencing factors lacks the classification of behaviors. Based on the learner-centered transformation, this study divides teacher ICT-integrated teaching behaviors into teacher-centered teaching behavior and student-centered teaching behavior, and constructs a hypothesis model of influencing factors on teacher ICT-integrated teaching behavior. We collected questionnaire data from 795 primary and secondary school teachers, then validated and adjusted the model through structural equation modeling (SEM). The social environment exerted a significant indirect impact on teacher technology application behaviors via mediation of teacher efficacy and outcome expectations. The two types of self-efficacy directly affected the student-centered ICT application behavior more than the teacher-centered ICT application behavior. The student-centered ICT application behavior exerted a significant impact on the teacher-centered ICT application behavior. This study confirms the significance of classifying teacher ICT-integrated teaching behavior and supports the transformation of learner-centered ICT-integrated teaching by improving the social environment to realize equitable and sustainable Education development.

Teaching Journal: An Effective Tool for Reflective Practice in Teaching among English Language Teachers

Through teaching journals, teachers can actively conduct true and continuous record, description, reflection, and summary of experiences and teaching behaviors with reflection and research value in their own teaching activities in order to make progress in regard to their teaching skills and classroom presentations. This is an effective way and tool to improve English teachers’ reflective practice in teaching along with their own professional development as well as to promote the role transformation as reflective teachers. Given the widespread concern of the reflective practice in teaching along with the fact that teaching journals are effective in reflective teaching, this paper explores this topic and suggests several implications for teaching via documentation and a case analysis of three samples obtained from an actual teacher’s teaching journal.

Perspective for change: establishing the need for clinical instructor competencies in physical therapist education

Current issue: Clinical instructors (CIs) are instrumental in the development of competent, entry-level physical therapist graduates. Despite this key role, CIs are often deficient in formal knowledge of the learning sciences that influence quality of clinical education experiences. Clinical education stakeholders also lack a standardized and consistent approach to defining and assessing clinical teaching skills, resulting in an inability to provide adequate feedback and growth opportunities for CIs. Perspective: A gap exists between qualitative descriptions of clinical teaching behaviors and the ability to objectively assess those behaviors in CIs. Grounded in the Model of Excellence in Physical Therapist Education, this perspective calls attention to and proposes steps toward excellence in clinical education. Defining essential competencies of clinical teaching in the physical therapy profession requires a systematic approach. The competencies established through this approach then become the foundation for creating a meaningful assessment tool of CI performance. Implications for clinical education: Developing educator competencies and a related assessment tool for CIs allows for the provision of meaningful feedback, the creation of targeted professional development programs, and opportunities for recognition of clinical teaching excellence. Without effective CIs, new graduates may be inadequately equipped to contribute to the profession’s vision of educational excellence.

The Relationship between Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Principals’ Transformational Leadership and Creative Teaching Behavior at Junior and Senior High Schools: A Cross-Level Moderating Effect on Innovative School Climates

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between a principal’s transformational leadership and creative teaching behavior of physical education teachers at junior and senior high schools in Taiwan (at the individual level) and the cross-level effect on creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers in an innovative school climate (at the school level) and the moderator effect of an innovative school climate on the relationship between a principal’s transformational leadership and creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers. A total of 800 questionnaires were distributed to physical education teachers at 59 junior and senior high schools and 477 valid surveys were collected for data analysis. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we found that at the individual level, a principal’s transformational leadership has a positive impact on creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers, and at the school level, an innovative school climate has a positive impact on creative teaching behaviors (at the person level) of physical education teachers. An innovative school climate at the school level has no moderating effects on the relationship between a principal’s transformational leadership and creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers. This study provides implications and applications for cross-level studies, and builds the foundation for future multilevel research.