Seong Won Han

Investigating Connections Between Distributed Leadership and Instructional Change

To date, the literature on distributed leadership has mainly developed along twopaths – conceptual writing about what distributed leadership is, and empirical stud-ies describing whether and how leadership is distributed. At this stage of its devel-opment, this literature has not seriously addressed the potential consequences northe benefits of distributed leadership. In summarizing a recent edited volume onthe subject, Leithwood et al. (2008) acknowledge that the volume, and the largerbody of research on distributed leadership has not yet assessed “the contributionof greater leadership distribution to the long list of desirable outcomes typicallyinvoked by advocates” (p. 280). What benefits can be expected for schools in whichleadership is distributed and how might distributed leadership help bring about suchbenefits? In this chapter, we take a small step towards addressing such questions byinvestigating the association between the distribution of leadership to teachers andinstructional change in schools.There is growing evidence that comprehensive school reform (CSR) programscan support improved achievement by facilitating the adoption of new instructionalstrategies in schools (Borman et al., 2007). There is also emerging evidence thatCSR programs can support student achievement and instructional change by reor-ganizing the ways in which schools manage and support instruction (Rowan et al.,2009). Research has further shown that distributed leadership is used by a numberof these programs as a primary tool for reorganization (Camburn et al., 2003). Thischapter reports an investigation of the America’s Choice CSR program. The designof this program is intended to distribute leadership responsibilities to teacher leadersin schools, and this distribution of leadership in turn, is intended to act as a keylever for instructional change. In this chapter, we examine how this intended designplayed out in about 30 urban elementary schools that implemented the America’sChoice design. We begin by describing persistent barriers to instructional change

Assessing the Validity of an Annual Survey for Measuring the Enacted Literacy Curriculum

Surveys are frequently used to inform consequential decisions about teachers, policies, and programs. Consequently, it is important to understand the validity of these instruments. This study assesses the validity of measures of instruction captured by an annual survey by comparing survey data with those of a validated daily log. The two instruments produced similar rankings of the frequency with which teachers use particular practices but more than three fourths of the teachers in the study were found to overreport their instruction on the annual survey. Multilevel models revealed a number of teacher and school characteristics related to survey reporting error. The study’s implications for users of survey evidence are discussed.

From Achievement to Non-Test Outcomes in PISA: National Trends in STEM Career Expectations

Abstract This study investigates national trends in students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupational expectations by using Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000, 2003, and 2006 data. The analyses in this study revealed several noteworthy national trends in STEM occupational expectations. In many countries students’ computing or engineering (CE) occupational expectations changed between PISA 2000 and PISA 2006, while students’ health service (HS) occupational expectations remained constant. In particular, many developed countries experienced downward national trends in CE occupational expectations among top performers in science. This study also found gender differences in national trends in STEM occupational expectations. In many countries boys’ CE occupational expectations decreased between PISA 2000 and PISA 2006, while girls’ occupational expectations remained unchanged in both CE and HS fields. Finally, the gender gaps in CE occupational expectations converged in many countries, but this convergence was not due to increases in CE occupational expectations among girls, but rather decreases in expectations among boys. Because one of the policy goals in many countries is to promote engagement in STEM education and occupations among students, especially academically talented students, the current findings – national declines in CE occupational expectations among top academic performers – will most likely be viewed as problematic in several countries. Future research should use data collected over longer periods to investigate whether students’ interest in STEM education and occupations increased or decreased in a variety of countries, and whether these patterns varied by student characteristics and performance levels. Moreover, future research must focus on factors that can explain the national trends in student interest in STEM education and occupations.

What Motivates High School Students to Want to Be Teachers? The Role of Salary, Working Conditions, and Societal Evaluations About Occupations in a Comparative Perspective

This study examines between-country differences in the degree to which teachers’ working conditions, salaries, and societal evaluations about desirable job characteristics are associated with students’ teaching career expectations. Three-level hierarchical generalized linear models are employed to analyze cross-national data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Results reveal that teacher salaries and societal evaluations about the importance of job responsibility and respect are positively associated with teaching career expectations, while working hours are negatively associated with teaching career expectations. Analyses further reveal that the association between salaries and career expectations and societal evaluations and career expectations differ among students with different mathematics skills. We conclude by discussing policy initiatives that can encourage students with strong quantitative abilities to consider a career in teaching.

Teachers’ professional learning experiences and their engagement in reflective practice: a replication study

ABSTRACT This study investigates the association between teachers’ exposure to different kinds of learning experiences and the degree to which they actively reflect on their teaching. We examine this association using data from 3 samples of teachers and schools in the United States. By examining multiple samples, we sought to strengthen the validity of our conclusions and understand whether and how the relationship between teachers’ engagement in reflection and their learning experiences varies across different kinds of work contexts. In all the 3 samples studied, we found that teachers engaged in reflective practice more often when they had more regular access to embedded learning opportunities which we define as collaborating with peers on instructional matters or working with instruction experts. This consistent result across all 3 samples suggests that embedded learning opportunities may provide a supportive context for teacher reflection across a range of settings.

Moderation of the effects of scientific inquiry activities on low SES students’ PISA 2015 science achievement by school teacher support and disciplinary climate in science classroom across gender

ABSTRACT Scientific inquiry activities are considered as productive science instruction to improve students’ science learning and achievement. Supportive teacher-student relationships and positive disciplinary climate in the classroom are also two important factors that could facilitate student learning. This study investigates whether the association between the inquiry-based science activities and student science achievement varies by teacher support and disciplinary climate in science classrooms, particularly when taking into consideration of student gender difference and socioeconomic status (SES). This study performed regression analyses using Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Guangdong (B-S-J-G-China) students’ science performance and background survey data of 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Results showed that disciplinary climate, rather than teacher support, could moderate the association between inquiry-based science activities and student science achievement for both genders. Implications for instruction and further research were discussed as well.

What Do TIMSS Studies Show About Math Achievement Inequality? A Sociological Perspective

With the vast progress in international comparative achievement data collection since the early 1960s, we have witnessed the rise of research that examines why primary and secondary school students in some countries perform better than students in other countries. In addition to identifying the sources of between-country gaps in average student achievement, international data projects such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) have paved the way for a rich body of literature that examines achievement inequality by social background. This chapter attempts to fill a gap in the research by reviewing the comparative literature that used TIMSS data to examine math achievement inequality in Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the United States over the past two decades. We focus on two types of inequality: inequality in student test scores on the basis of socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds, as measured by achievement gaps among different groups (e.g., gender, family socioeconomic status, immigrant background, and family structure), and the relative importance of school compared to family background on mathematics achievement. In this chapter, we summarize what comparative research studies say about the relationship between social backgrounds and math achievement in primary and secondary schools. Finally, we suggest possible avenues for further research.

Examining the Association Between Teacher Feedback and Mathematics Instruction in Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the United States

Recent research demonstrates that professional learning experiences and consistent evaluation and feedback systems significantly improve teachers’ instructional practices and students’ learning. This chapter examines the role of teacher evaluation and feedback systems in supporting instructional change with four other factors: professional development, collaboration, teacher beliefs about constructive pedagogy, and teacher–student relationships. Data came from lower secondary school mathematics teachers’ responses to the Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS) 2013, and focuses on schools in Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the United States. Descriptive analyses illustrate how teacher evaluation and feedback vary across these countries, while regression analyses examine the degree to which teacher feedback is associated with mathematics instruction. In particular, the study explores factors that mediate the impact of teacher feedback on mathematics instruction. The results of this study provide comparative insights into how to use teacher evaluation and feedback systems effectively in improving mathematics instruction.

What motivates high-school students to pursue STEM careers? The influence of public attitudes towards science and technology in comparative perspective

Abstract This study examines the degree of association between students’ STEM occupational expectations and between-country differences in public attitudes toward science and technology (S&T). This study focuses on public attitudes among two different populations: students and adults. Three-level Hierarchical Generalised Linear Models are employed to analyse large-scale international data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Results reveal that public attitudes toward S&T are positively associated with students’ expectations around pursuing STEM careers. Further analyses reveal that the positive association between public attitudes toward S&T and STEM career expectations remains consistent across gender, but that this association varies across performance levels. The positive association between public attitudes toward S&T and STEM career expectations is stronger for low achievers in science than for high achievers. These results advance the scholarly understanding of the ways in which social factors may be associated with students’ choices in pursuing STEM occupations.