Session Information
09 SES 07 B, Teacher Competencies and Student Achievement
Paper Session
Contribution
Background
The main objective of the study is to estimate effects of teacher certification on student achievement.
During the last couple of decades, a considerable amount of evidence has accumulated that indicate strong effects of teacher competence on student achievement (Hattie, 2009). At least 10 % of the variance between classrooms can be attributed to teachers. (Nye, Konstantopulus & Hedges, 2004; Gustafsson & Myrberg, 2009).
However, previous research is characterised by contradictory results regarding the possibilities to establish causal links between observable indicators of teacher quality and student achievement (Rivkin, Hanushek & Kain, 2005; Wayne & Youngs, 2003).
These problems can partly be attributed to that at least three aspects of teacher competence have been confounded in much previous research. These are; perceived competence that concerns efficiency as estimated by, for example, colleagues, students or parents, achievement related competence that refers to efficiency as measured by students’ test results or grades and formal competence that denotes teacher certification. Other reasons for the disparate results are that many studies rely on non-representative data and that studies with experimental and longitudinal design are rare (Hattie, 2009).
However, in recent research, substantial effects of teacher certification have been estimated. Adequate teacher education for students’ age level and subject taught seems crucial for successful teaching (Anderson & Waldenström, 2007; Myrberg, 2007; Hanushek & Woessman, 2010). Furthermore, promising efforts have been made to distinguish between effects of teachers’ content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (Baumert et al., 2010). Much evidence also indicates that effects vary as a function of subject matter area and the age level of the students (Goe, 2007).
In Sweden, as in many other countries the number of uncertified teachers is large. In addition, out-of-field teaching is a common practice (The Swedish School Inspectorate, 2009.) Sweden has witnessed a marked decline in student achievement during more than ten years and it is important to get deepened knowledge about the mechanisms behind this development. (Gustafson & Yang Hansen, 2009; OECD, 2010). A hypothesis is that the declining achievement levels may have been partly caused by a lack of fully certified teachers.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
References Andersson, C. & Waldenström, N. (2007). Teacher certification and student achievement in Swedish compulsory schools. Stockholm: IFAU Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation. Working paper 2007:6. Baumert, J. et al. (2010). Teachers’ mathematical knowledge, cognitive activation in the classroom, and student progress. American Educational Research Journal, 47(1), 133-180. Goe, L. (2007). The link between teacher quality and student outcomes: A research synthesis. Washington, DC: National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality. Gustafsson, J-E., och E. Myrberg (2009). Resursers betydelse för elevers resultat. Kap 6 i Skolverket (2009). Vad påverkar resultaten i svensk grundskola? Kunskapsöversikt om betydelsen av olika faktorer. Stockholm: Skolverket. Gustafsson, J-E. och K. Yang-Hansen (2009), Resultatförändringar i svensk grundskola. Kap 3 i Skolverket (2009). Vad påverkar resultaten i svensk grundskola? Kunskapsöversikt om betydelsen av olika faktorer. Stockholm: Skolverket. Hanushek, E. A. & Woessman, L.(2010). The Economics of International Differences in Educational Achievement. Discussion Paper Series. Bonn: Institute for the Study of Labor. Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning. A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: Routledge. Myrberg, E. (2007) The effect of formal teacher education on reading achievement of 3rd-grade students in public and independent schools in Sweden. Educational Studies, 33 (2) 145-162. Nye, B., Konstantopoulus, S., & Hedges, L. V. (2004). How large are teacher effects? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 26(3), 237-257. OECD (2010). PISA 2009 Results: Learning Trends: Changes in Student Performance Since 2000 (Volume V). Rivkin, S. G., Hanushek, E. A. & Kain, J. F. (2005) Teachers, Schools and Academic Achievement. Econometrica, 73 (7), 80-90. The Swedish School Inspectorate (2009). Lärares behörighet och användning efter utbildning. En kvalitetsgranskning av 30 grundskolor. Rapport 2009:2. Stockholm: Skolinspektionen. Waine, A. J., & Youngs, P. (2003) Teacher Characteristics and Student 'Achievement Gains: A: Review. Review of educational Research, 73 (1) 89-122.
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