No abstract

Inductive discipline can reduce problem behavior and promote moral internalization in children, but its role in reducing peer aggression in adolescence is less well‐understood, especially across diverse socialization agents. Using hypothetical vignettes, this study examined adolescents’ evaluations of and expected emotional reactions to parents’, teachers’, and friends’ inductive responses to peer aggression. Participants were 209 middle school (Mage = 12.29 years) and 266 high school (Mage = 15.86 years) students (68% female, 39.4% White, and 37.7% Black). Adolescents approved of induction and expected it to be somewhat effective at preventing peer aggression and inducing guilt and empathy. When compared with power assertion, adolescents typically viewed induction as the fairer but less effective strategy. Evaluations varied by socialization agent, aggression status, and demographics. Inductions by parents were rated consistently as most impactful and youth who were younger, female, and less aggressive appeared more responsive to such discipline. Results highlight the importance of incorporating parents into peer aggression interventions, combining confrontive and inductive responses, and providing aggressive youth with additional skills to help them better internalize the inductive messages.

This study explored whether differences in teacher candidate dispositions exist between Chinese and American students, while continuing validation of the updated Beliefs About Teaching Scale (BATS2). BATS2 incorporated the Rasch model of item response theory on Thurstone dichotomous items to measure commitment to the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium Standards (InTASC) along the levels of the Bloom/Krathwohl affective taxonomy. This research is a unique combination of theories and practice – standards-based items, affective taxonomy, and modern measurement theory. Differential group function (DGF), applied in a mixed methods design, confirmed national differences, indicating differential commitment to standards and items. For standards and items that showed a difference in the two groups, literature and cultural context supporting those differences was identified to frame the qualitative portion of this study. For example, US teachers were more averse to assessment, clearly the result of the focus on standardized testing that is so resented in the US; the Chinese were less compelled to master content, which is less imperative in early childhood programs (the sample in this study). Results can be used in considering training needs and making instructional design more likely to be impactful for US institutions training Chinese natives and for Chinese institutions updating programs based on international input.

A team of researchers at two institutions revised and analyzed a battery of instruments to assess the Critical Dispositions (InTASC, 2013) required in the CAEP (2016a) accreditation standards for teacher education programs. This research presents initial findings for the revised version updating previous results from validity and reliability studies of the first version (Wilkerson & Lang, 2011). An indepth study of one of the instruments, now in two forms, is presented. Version 2 was necessary because the standards providing an operational definition of the construct measured were updated. In this study, data were collected from teacher education students, in service teachers, and pre-school teachers (Form A = 1072; Form B = 372). Item analysis using Rasch modeling, results of a qualitative review of specific teacher candidates across multiple measures, and student/program improvement uses are discussed. The results indicated that evidence of validity and reliability is maintained in the new version, and student disposition measures were diagnostic and logical for students of different training and experience.

Teacher turnover in urban high-poverty schools is detrimental to students' achievement. In fact, one of the most prevalent social justice issues today is the unequal distribution of experienced teachers to urban high-poverty schools. Researchers suggest that experienced teachers are more effective at raising student performance than new or early career teachers, thereby ensuring their students are equipped for life after high school. Unfortunately, teachers leaving the field is an oft-cited challenge for school leaders. This is true across the nation and has been described as a great challenge for urban districts in Texas where the teacher attrition rate is twice the national average. Decades of research on the topic suggests that workplace conditions, effective school leadership, professional support, and a culture of high expectations are inextricably tied to teacher retention in urban settings. However, Texas is a unique state with a range of resources and landscapes. Of the 1,200 independent school districts, 11 (less than 1%) are considered major urban districts. And yet, the 11 major urban districts employ almost 61,500 teachers (17.4% of the state teaching population) and work in 1,400 schools (16% of Texas schools). The purpose of this study was to identify factors empirically tied to teacher retention in the 11 major urban districts in Texas. Using a nonexperimental, retrospective research design, the authors collected and analyzed district-level data from the 2014-2015 Texas Academic Performance Report to identify specific factors that significantly contributed to teacher retention in urban Texas districts. The regression model identified four significant factors that contributed to the retention of urban teachers in Texas (district special education participation percentage, district teacher tenure average, new teachers, and percentage of students identified as at-risk). The findings suggest that higher percentages of special education and at-risk students contributed to retention while new teachers and average teacher tenure contributed to teacher attrition. Given the important role teachers play in student achievement, districts and campus leaders should continually consider new ways to develop, equip and retain urban teachers. Furthermore, this empirical research sheds light on previously unidentified factors that were found to influence teacher attrition and retention in urban school districts in Texas. Therefore, additional research in which districts and campus leaders continue to examine the relevance and effect of the factors identified in this study is needed to understand how these implications can potentially be generalized to other urban districts to support urban teacher retention and student achievement.