The Relationship Between Teachers' Professional Development and Student Achievement in Primary and Secondary Schools: An Empirical Test Using TIMSS 2007 Data of Four Asian Countries/Areas

[[abstract]]本研究透過TIMSS 2007教師及學生資料庫來探討台灣、日本、香港及新加坡中小學教師專業發展與學生學習成就相關性，並透過描述統計、相關分析、t檢定、單因子變異數分析、迴歸分析以及階層線性分析來進行資料的分析。 根據研究背景與動機，本研究所要瞭解及探討之重點如下： 一、比較亞洲四國/地區中小學教師專業發展參與情況的差異 二、比較亞洲四國/地區中小學教師專業發展參與情況在教師效能上的差異 三、比較亞洲四國/地區教師效能在學生學習成就的差異 四、比較亞洲四國/地區中小學教師專業發展參與情況在學生學習成就上的差異 五、探討亞洲四國/地區中小學教師專業發展、教師效能與學生學習成就的相關性 本研究之結果如下： 一、研習活動參與情形在各國/地區、各年級皆有所不同，香港四年級教師最積極參與研習活動；綜合各國/地區、各年級同儕互動情形，四年級教師互動頻率較八年級教師高、中小學教師以「一起準備教材」、「討論教學方式」互動情況最佳。 二、研習活動僅對新加坡四年級數學教師效能具有提升效果；教師同儕互動僅對臺灣八年級數學教師效能具有提升的效果。 三、亞洲四國/地區中小學(除日本八年級外)教師效能與學生學習成就間呈現正相關。 四、研習活動僅與臺灣及香港四年級學生學習成就間呈現正相關；教師同儕互動對學生學習成就未產生提升效果。 五、新加坡四年級數學教師效能具有中介效果，能透過研習活動的參與提升教學效能，進一步影響學生的學習成就；而臺灣八年級數學教師之間的同儕互動具有影響教師效能的效果，透過教師效能進一步影響學生學習成就。 依據上述研究結果，提供下列的建議： 一、對學校的建議 (一)針對教師需求提供多元且有效的專業發展模式 (二)建立專業發展相關規定及獎勵方式 (三)鼓勵教師了解自我教師效能程度 (四)運用其他國家有效的研習活動方式及同儕互動方式進行檢討 二、對教師本身的建議 (一)選擇適合自己的研習活動方式或同儕互動方式進行專業成長 (二)積極且主動針對自己教學效能上的不足進行進修活動 (三)針對學生學習上不足之處進行改善 三、對未來研究者的建議 (一)針對亞洲四國/地區以外的國家進行研究 (二)採用其他與教師效能、學生學習成就的相關因素進行研究 (三)針對各項研習活動項目及同儕互動項目進行質性研究 (四)針對具有效果的新加坡研習活動、臺灣教師同儕互動進行深入探究[[abstract]]The study uses TIMSS 2007 teacher and student database to explore the relationship between teachers’ professional development and student achievement in primary and secondary schools of four Asian countries/areas. The research used descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, regression analysis and hierarchical linear modeling for data analysis. The purposes of the study include： 1. Compare the differences of teachers’ professional development participation in primary and secondary schools of four Asian countries/areas. 2. Compare the association between teachers’ professional development participation and their perception of efficacy in primary and secondary schools of four Asian countries/areas. 3. Compare the association between perception of efficacy and student achievement in primary and secondary schools of four Asian countries/areas. 4. Compare the association between teachers’ professional development participation and student achievement in primary and secondary schools of four Asian countries/areas. 5. Compare the relationship between teachers’ professional development, teacher perception of efficacy and student achievement in primary and secondary schools of four Asian countries/areas. The results of current study include： 1. The participations of in-service education are different between primary and secondary schools in these four Asian countries/areas. Fourth grade teachers in Hong Kong are the most active in participation of in-service education. Fourth grade teachers’ interactions are more frequent than eighth grade teachers’. Teachers in primary and secondary schools of four Asian countries/areas usually prepare teaching material and discuss teaching methods together. 2. Attending in-service education activities only enhance fourth grade teacher perception of efficacy in Singapore. Attending teacher’s interaction activities only enhance teachers’ perception of efficacy in eighth grade of Taiwan. 3. There are positive correlations between teacher perception of efficacy and student achievement in primary and secondary schools of four Asian countries/areas, except eighth grade teacher of Japan. 4. There are positive correlations between attending professional development activities and student achievement in fourth grade of Taiwan and Hong Kong. There is no evidence that attending teacher’s interaction activities can affect student achievement. 5. There is evidence that Singapore fourth grade teachers’ perception of efficacy has an intermediating effect between attending in-service education and student achievement. There is also evidence that Taiwan eighth grade teachers’ perception of efficacy mediating the effect of teacher’s interaction activities on student achievement. This study proposes the following suggestions： 1.For administrators in primary and secondary schools： (1) Providing diversified and effective models of professional development to meet teachers’ needs. (2) Building professional development requirements and rewards. (3) Encouraging teachers to evaluate their perception of efficacy. (4) Using other countries’ effective ways to revamp professional development activities. 2. For teachers in primary and secondary schools： (1) Choose appropriate in-service education activities or teacher’ interaction activities. (2) Find out what their shortage is and attend in-service education activities or teacher’ interaction activities they need. (3) Improve teaching skills to enhance student achievement. 3. For further researcher： (1) Research on other countries/areas’ effective in-service education activities and teacher’ interaction activities is needed. (2) Research on new model to enhance teachers’ perception of efficacy and student achievement is needed. (3) Use qualitative method to study effective professional development activities. (4) Further studies are needed to find out the advantages of Singapore’s in-service education activities and Taiwan’s teacher’ interaction activities.[[note]]碩