ERIC Number: EJ1103369
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Jun
Pages: 36
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0002-8312
EISSN: N/A
Selecting Expertise in Context: Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Selection of New Sources of Instructional Advice
Wilhelm, Anne Garrison; Chen, I-Chien; Smith, Thomas M.; Frank, Kenneth A.
American Educational Research Journal, v53 n3 p456-491 Jun 2016
Given prior research indicating that teachers can learn through their social network interactions with colleagues, it is important to understand more about the choices teachers make about whom to go to for advice. In this study, we investigated the degree to which middle school mathematics teachers change from whom they seek advice when confronting new teaching standards and external accountability pressures (e.g., standardized tests). We found that colleagues' ability to improve student achievement was significantly related to advice seeking. In particular, teachers were more likely to seek new advice from colleagues who were better at improving student achievement. In contrast, relative differences in other types of expertise were not associated with advice seeking.
Descriptors: Expertise, Middle School Teachers, Mathematics Teachers, Mathematics Instruction, Secondary School Mathematics, Help Seeking, Social Networks, Educational Change, Academic Standards, Accountability, Standardized Tests, Mathematics Achievement, Correlation, Modeling (Psychology), Decision Making, Educational Practices, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Data Analysis, Statistical Significance, Longitudinal Studies, Online Surveys
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: ESI0554535; DRL0830029