Nadine Engels

Principals in schools with a positive school culture

This study focuses on the profile of principals who seem to be able to shape the school culture to best encourage teaching and learning. Data from a representative sample of primary schools (N = 46) were collected through questionnaires for principals and for teachers (N = 700) and semi‐structured interviews with the principals. Functioning, well‐being and personal characteristics of the principal, structural and cultural characteristics of school, and organisational context are examined. Compared to their opposites, principals in schools with cultures stimulating professional development, combine (1) type A, achievement‐oriented behaviour, (2) transformational leadership, (3) a preference for tasks related to education matters and people management and (4) effective time management allowing them to devote most of their time to their preferred role and task component.

An assessment of well‐being of principals in Flemish primary schools

Purpose – The goal of this inquiry is to indicate which individual, organisational and external environment factors contribute to a better understanding of the well‐being of Flemish primary school principals.Design/methodology/approach – Data from a representative sample of primary schools in Flanders (n = 46) were gathered through questionnaires (principals and teachers) and semi‐structured interviews (principals).Findings – The quantitative and qualitative outcomes suggest that well‐being is a complex psychological phenomenon affected by a myriad of factors. The analyses indicate that general self‐efficacy and achievement orientedness are significantly correlated with several aspects of positive (i.e. job satisfaction and job enthusiasm) and negative well‐being (i.e. cynicism and personal accomplishment). With respect to school culture and structural characteristics, very weak almost negligible effects are noted. In addition, the analysis demonstrates the significant role school boards fulfill in explai...

The Well-Being of Teachers in Flanders: The Importance of a Supportive School Culture.

Research on the well‐being of teachers was conducted at the request of the Department of Education in Flanders, Belgium. The goals were: (1) to construct an instrument for the Education Inspectorate; and (2) to conduct a survey in order to identify school‐related conditions relevant for teachers’ professional well‐being. Based on literature and panel discussions with teachers and principals, a questionnaire was constructed, tested and subdivided in subscales following a factor analysis. The questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of elementary (covering both nursery and primary schools, children aged 3–12) and secondary school teachers. A multilevel analysis reveals how differences in scores can be explained at school level.

Validity and Reliability of Portfolio Assessment in Pre-Service Teacher Education.

This article concentrates on the validity and reliability of portfolio assessment as used in pre‐service teacher education. It is not possible to make general pronouncements about the validity of portfolio assessment in pre‐service teacher education as there are multiple portfolio applications. The validity depends on the purpose, namely the divers competencies which the course organisers wish to assess with it. Therefore, three categories of competencies and consequently three types of portfolios were distinguished in order to determine the validity of portfolio assessment. For the assessment of teaching and partnership competencies, it is argued that the validity is low due to the roundabout nature of the assessment. On the contrary, the validity of portfolio assessment for learning competencies can be high. The execution of a self‐regulated learning process can be accurately assessed using portfolios. The reliability of portfolio assessment is problematic, since it is incapable of fulfilling the classic psychometric requirement of reliability. Nevertheless, provided that the necessary measures are taken, the reliability of portfolio assessment can still be brought to an acceptable level. Five measures are proposed.

Determinants of Teachers' Recognitions of Self-Regulated Learning Practices in Elementary Education.

The authors examined the relations among teacher characteristics, contextual factors, and the recognition of self-regulated learning (SRL). Participants of the survey study were 172 elementary school teachers in the Brussels Capital Region and surrounding area (Belgium). The authors assessed the interrelations of several measures on personal teacher and school context levels. The recognition of SRL is mostly linked to personal teacher characteristics. Although personal factors appear to be more important than contextual factors, the authors argue that researchers should not neglect the latter variables. Last, the authors consider some methodological issues and potential paths for future research.

Students’ Preferred Characteristics of Learning Environments in Vocational Secondary Education

If teachers and teacher educators are willing to support the learning of students, it is important for them to learn what motivates students to engage in learning. Students have their own preferences on design characteristics of powerful learning environments in vocational education. We developed an instrument - the Inventory Powerful Learning Environments in Vocational Education - to measure students’ preferences on characteristics of powerful learning environments in vocational education. We investigated whether student preferences on the design of their learning environments are in line with what is described in the literature as beneficial for learning. Data of 544 students show that the preferences of students support most characteristics of PLEs in vocational education. Looking through the eyes of students, teachers have to challenge their students and encourage them to take their learning in their own hands. Adaptive learning support is needed. Remarkable, students do not prefer having reflective dialogues with teachers or peers.

Exploring Teachers’ Actions to Promote Self-Regulated Learning Practices in Primary School

Abstract Research highlights the importance of designing primary school classroom environments that promote self-regulated learning (SRL). Teachers play a crucial part as learning process facilitators in the development of pupils’ self-regulated learning competence and skills. The aim of this study was to explore teachers’ actions towards the development of self-regulated learning practices in primary school. The results of a survey of 399 primary school teachers in Brussels and the surrounding area (Belgium, Europe) are presented. Findings appeared to be consistent with theoretical assumptions about the development of self-regulated learning suggesting that teachers gradually introduce SRL over primary school grades. When comparing both groups of teachers scoring high and low in stimulating pupils’ self-regulated learning, similar patterns of SRL encouragement were recorded. Furthermore, teachers were found to promote self-regulated learning as a total concept with a comparable emphasis on all phases of the self-regulated learning process. The adjustment of the teaching environment was found to be similar in all grades and for both high and low self-regulated learning practices.

How to become a broker: the role of teacher educators in developing collaborative teacher research teams

ABSRACT This study explores how teacher educators involved in developing collaborative teacher research teams of pre-service and in-service teachers perceive their new role. Ten teacher educators in 9 teams were involved in a 1-year teacher research cycle. Thematic analysis was performed on the transcriptions of audio-taped group sessions, video diaries of the teacher educators, and field notes of the researcher. Three recurrent sub-roles of teacher educators as brokers between theory and practice were confirmed: researcher, coach, and mentor. A 4th sub-role as “learner” emerged from the data, stressing the preoccupation of teacher educators with their own professional development. The dynamics of teacher research teams shape the way teacher educators grow into their role as brokers: Teams with a high research disposition and self-regulation provide a better learning environment for teacher educators. We argue for the development of a systematic support programme for teacher educators who take on the role of broker.

Students embracing change towards more powerful learning environments in vocational education

Abstract Students’ educational engagement is both an important predictor of study success and a key preventive factor for dropout. Vocational tracks in secondary education show high dropout rates. There is strong evidence that the solution to educational disengagement lies in student‐centred, powerful learning environments (PLEs). This study investigates characteristics of PLEs from the perspective of students in vocational secondary education. Students’ perspectives on a learning environment are crucial for their satisfaction and learning engagement. Therefore, we investigated whether the perceived learning environment meets the requirements of PLEs, and to what extent it meets students’ preferences. Additionally, it was investigated whether students who perceive their learning environment as more powerful, are also more engaged for school. Survey data of 532 students showed that student perceptions of their current learning environment were largely discrepant from the characteristics of PLEs. Students strongly asked for more challenging learning pathways, in combination with adaptive learning support. Students who perceived the characteristics of PLEs as being present, reported higher satisfaction and stronger engagement than students who perceived their education to be a less powerful environment. There is a need to redesign curricula in vocational education in such a way that these more intensely implement characteristics of PLEs.

The Relationship Between Youngsters’ Gender Role Attitudes and Individual, Home, and School Characteristics

Because of the importance of gender role attitudes (GRA) for both academic and social outcomes, it is crucial to understand how GRA is constructed and changes over time. A systematic literature review was conducted to look into the relationship between youngsters’ GRA and individual, home, and school characteristics. Thirty-five international studies were identified through searches in different databases. The review reveals that the studies mostly apply a deterministic view to studying the construction of GRA, focusing predominantly on parent–child transmission. Effects of the school environment and individuals’ own life experiences are under-studied. Also, data are mostly cross-sectional and leave little room for investigating evolutions of GRA over time. Suggestions for future research are formulated focusing on (a) a life-course approach that considers GRA as situated, experience-related, and therefore changing over time and (b) an intersectionality-informed approach investigating GRA at the intersects of multiple diversity dimensions.