ERIC Number: EJ1020563
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Jan
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0092-055X
EISSN: N/A
Assessing Graduate Teacher Training Programs: Can a Teaching Seminar Reduce Anxiety and Increase Confidence?
Pelton, Julie A.
Teaching Sociology, v42 n1 p40-49 Jan 2014
Some effort to test the effectiveness of teacher assistant training programs is common, but these evaluations are typically limited to measures of student satisfaction. Two forms of assessment commonly used in elementary and secondary teacher training programs, measuring levels of teaching anxiety and teacher efficacy, may be of use for sociology programs interested in formally evaluating the effect of teaching seminars. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of a newly established teaching seminar using the Teaching Anxiety Scale and a Teaching Confidence Scale. Findings from pre- and posttest data show that the seminar lowered graduate students' feelings of anxiety about teaching for the first time and increased their levels of confidence regarding mastery of common pedagogical skills. Qualitative feedback from evaluations further illustrates the positive effects of the seminar on students' senses of themselves as teachers and their knowledge of effective teaching practices.
Descriptors: Teaching Assistants, Graduate Students, Anxiety, Self Efficacy, Seminars, Instructional Effectiveness, Pretests Posttests, Sociology, Measures (Individuals), Teaching Skills, Teaching Methods, Qualitative Research, Self Concept, Classroom Techniques
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Nebraska
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A