Professional vision of classroom management and learning support in science classrooms Does professional vision differ across general and content-specific classroom interactions?

• Published in: International journal of science and mathematics education Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 351 - 368
• Main Authors: Steffensky, Mirjam, Gold, Bernadette, Holodynski, Manfred, Möller, Kornelia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.04.2015; Springer
• Subjects: Classroom Techniques; Correlation; Course Content; Deutschland; Education; Elementary School Science; Elementary School Teachers; Foreign Countries; Germany; Grundschule; Interaction; Klassenmanagement; Kognitives Lernen; Lehrer-Schüler-Beziehung; Lernprozess; Mathematics Education; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Qualitative Methode; Qualität; Science Education; Science Instruction; Structural Equation Models; Strukturbildung; Student Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Behavior; Teacher Role; Teaching Methods; Unterrichtsgestaltung; Unterstützung; Video Technology; Germany; Classroom management; Science learning; Video-based assessment; Professional vision; Teacher expertise
• ISSN: 1571-0068; 1573-1774; 1573-1774
• DOI: 10.1007/s10763-014-9607-0

The present study investigates the internal structure of professional vision of in-service teachers and student teachers with respect to classroom management and learning support in primary science lessons. Classroom management (including monitoring, managing momentum, and rules and routines) and learning support (including cognitive activation and structuring of content) are important dimensions of instructional quality. While classroom management is considered as a mainly noncontent-specific aspect of instructional quality, learning support in science classrooms is content-specific. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether professional vision is a general ability of teachers, or a two-dimensional ability which depends on the specific focus of instructional quality considered. In a sample of both 241 German student teachers from different universities and in-service teachers from primary science classes, two video-based instruments were used for assessing professional vision of classroom management and professional vision of learning support. A structural equation model revealed a two-dimensional structure with a high correlation between professional vision of classroom management and of learning support. (Orig.).