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This presentation investigates the interplay of perception through data collected from secondary school teachers via the ICALT observation instrument and teacher questionnaire. This is set within a larger theoretical framework exploring the relationship of teacher effectiveness and teacher self-efficacy, drawing parallels where applicable, to previous research findings.\ud This presentation presents findings from a longitudinal study which explored observed measures of effectiveness alongside teachers’ self-reported perceptions of their classroom efficacy. Focusing on the final wave of data collection, observational data were examined and compared with teachers’ questionnaire responses. Links between career phase, teacher-student relationships and teacher self-efficacy in the literature led to the examination of these concepts. Analyses of observed and perceived effectiveness identified variations in practice depending on career phase. In addition, principal component analysis suggested that constructs relating to student-teacher relationships featured heavily in teachers’ views of effectiveness.

This presentation focuses upon the ways in which the interactions between practitioners’ \ud professional work and lives, and the extent to which they are able to manage changes in \ud these can affect their sense of professional identity. \ud Drawing on examples from four related research projects, we will discuss the influencing and \ud mediating factors which interact positively and/or negatively on identity at different career \ud stages. We also aim to illustrate, through two key themes, how identity is an important \ud determinant in influencing practitioners’ work/life balance, well-being and effectiveness. \ud Theme one focuses on the evolution of professional identity – for example, we found that \ud a dichotomy of thinking in relation to identity and status frequently led to an ‘identity \ud struggle’ and the evolution into a new kind of practitioner in order to overcome this struggle \ud and work effectively within a particular context. Theme two examines the ways in which \ud professional identity is associated with other concepts – for example, commitment, job \ud satisfaction, career phase, environment and culture. \ud Finally, we will relate the combined findings of these projects to policy, showing how \ud research has had an impact on shaping changes relating to practitioner development, \ud effectiveness and school improvement.

This paper discusses findings from a small-scale, mixed methods study of ‘inspiring’ teaching. The study, commissioned and funded by CfBT, included case studies of a purposive sample of 17 primary and secondary teachers in England who were nominated by their head teachers as exemplary practitioners whose practice could be viewed as inspirational for their colleagues and pupils. The entire project was comprised of two phases. In the first phase, experienced inspectors visited schools to observe and interview teachers and speak with their pupils. The second phase, on which this paper focuses, was conducted by a research team from two major UK universities. The mixed methods design for this phase of the project included integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches across the data collection, analysis, and interpretation stages. Quantitative data collection methods included two research-based structured classroom observation schedules, specifically the International System of Teacher Observation and Feedback (ISTOF) and the Lesson Observation Form for Evaluating the Quality of Teaching (QoT), ranking grids listing a variety of teacher characteristics, and pupil surveys. Qualitative data sources included semi-structured teacher interviews, qualitative notes from classroom observations, and one open-response pupil survey item. Several common themes emerged across the teacher perspectives, pupil responses, and researcher observations, indicating that inspiring practice may relate to the following: positive relationships, good classroom management, positive and supportive classroom climate, formative feedback, enjoyment, and a high quality learning experience overall. Additionally, evidence from this study suggests that inspiring and effective practice are complementary; effective practices may facilitate inspiring teaching, though inspiring practice is linked to additional features beyond those associated with effective teaching. These findings have both theoretical and practical significance. Besides informing understandings about what ‘inspiring’ teaching means, the results of the project will also be disseminated among CfBT schools and teachers.

This paper presents selected findings from a small-scale mixed methods study of ‘inspiring’ teaching, commissioned and funded by CfBT. The overall aims of the study were to explore what inspiring teachers say about their practice, what they do in their classrooms, and the views of their students. The present paper focuses specifically on teacher and student voices in the project, with the aim of understanding how the perspectives and understandings of these groups align, what they prioritize about teachers and lessons, and in what ways their opinions and experiences might differ with respect to their classroom relationships, activities and interactions. \ud \ud Sources of data relevant to teachers’ voices include face-to-face individual teacher interviews and an exercise in which teachers ranked 17 teacher attributes in perceived order of importance. Students’ views were accessed through questionnaire surveys with a combination of Likert-scale items and one open response question. The sample included 17 teachers from English primary and secondary schools. 203 students, from classes corresponding to 11 of the teachers, were surveyed.\ud \ud Findings showed that both teachers and students prioritized positive relationships and enthusiasm or enjoyment as key teacher and lesson characteristics; this was supported by both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data elaborated upon some more specific relationship dynamics and lesson activities connected to these dominant themes.\ud \ud These results contribute to a previously unclear definition of ‘inspirational’ teaching, and also have the potential to guide practice and development for teachers.