Empirical evidence suggests that successful teacher professional development programs are intensive, ongoing, and connected to practice; focused on specific subject content; and foster strong working relationships among teachers. They support teacher motivation so that the acquired skills continue to be practiced in class. These critical elements…

Data-driven decision-making (DDDM) reform has proven to be an effective means for improving student learning. However, little DDDM reform has happened at the classroom level, and little research has explored variables that influence teacher adoption of DDDM. The authors propose a model in which teachers' sense of efficacy for the skills that…

Person-centered analyses of achievement goals have been scarce in studies of elementary school children. In this investigation, the authors examined the natural combinations of achievement goals (mastery, performance-approach, performance-avoidance) among 3rd grade students (N = 195) and how clusters differed in self-, teacher-, and peer-reported…

Preservice teachers can be considered simultaneously students and teachers and therefore likely have both academic and professional goals. However, once in a professional program, predicting professional outcomes becomes somewhat more important than academic ones. This distinction may have implications for the selection of measurement tools used…

The aim of this study was to examine the role of motivational beliefs in mediating the relationship among perceived teacher support, learning strategy use, and student achievement. The author analyzed the Programme for International Student Assessment mathematics scores and questionnaire responses of 4,855 15-year-old students in Turkey via…

In this article, the author used a parenting style framework to explain mixed evidence about the influence of teacher practices on student outcomes. Participants included 3 fifth-grade math teachers and 45 of their students. The author assessed teacher practices, teaching style (i.e., demandingness and responsiveness), student engagement,…