Teachers College Record: Volume 114, Number 4 (2012)

Volume 114, Number 4 (2012)

Epistemological Threads in the Fabric of Pedagogical Research

by Marylin J. Chambliss, Patricia A. Alexander & Jeremy N. Price

This analytical article focuses a philosophical lens on quality teaching in general, mathematics and reading education, and prominent research paradigms. It then turns the same lens on the High-Quality Teaching (HQT) study, an examination of what teachers do to help fourth- and fifth-grade students succeed in reading and mathematics. Our intent is to demonstrate how such philosophical scrutiny can lead to a fuller understanding of high-quality teaching in its varied manifestations.

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Abstract

A Mixed-Methods Look at Teaching Quality: Challenges and Possibilities From One Study

by Robert G. Croninger, Daria Buese & John Larson

This article discusses three challenges associated with the study of teaching quality: striking a balance between complexity and simplicity in the portrayal of teaching, addressing the potential conditional nature of what constitutes quality teaching, and appreciating the multiple perspectives by which quality teaching might be judged. We describe our own attempts to address these challenges in a longitudinal study of reading and mathematics instruction in fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms in moderate- to high-poverty schools, provide a mixed-methods analysis to demonstrate the conditional nature of quality in teaching, report our results, and discuss implications for future studies of teaching.

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Abstract

Crossing the Borders Again: Challenges in Comparing Quality Instruction in Mathematics and Reading

by Anna O. Graeber, Kristie J. Newton & Marylin J. Chambliss

This article explores challenges in seeking to characterize and compare high-quality mathematics and reading instruction. Using the construct of cognitive demand, we share data illustrating the challenges and our attempts to overcome them.

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Abstract

Studying High-Quality Teaching in a Highly Charged Policy Environment

by Linda Valli, Robert G. Croninger & Daria Buese

This article examines ways in which the accountability context influences teaching, and explores the challenges these influences pose for research on teaching. We focus on three core dimensions of teaching: who is the teacher, is teaching practice stable or changing, and what constitutes teaching quality. Policy influences on these areas challenge researchers to specify more carefully who is responsible for teaching whom, maintain flexibility in data collection, retain research participants across years, and examine alternative conceptions of quality teaching.

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Abstract

Researching Quality in Teaching: Enduring and Emerging Challenges

by Robert G. Croninger, Linda Valli & Marylin J. Chambliss

This paper introduces the special issue on Teaching Quality

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