Teacher and instruction characteristics and student achievement in reading and writing

Ugarković, Mirjana. (2010). Teacher and instruction characteristics and student achievement in reading and writing. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Psychology. [mentor Keresteš, Gordana].

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine teacher and instruction characteristics, their interrelations and their relations with student achievement in reading and writing tests. 549 students from 33 classrooms (18 second and 15 third grade) and their teachers participated in the study. To assess reading and writing skills of the students, Reading Comprehension Test, Word Chains Test and a Spelling Test (Dictation) were used. To assess reading instruction characteristics, teacher attitudes and expectations they have of their students, a teacher questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of the study. Data was gathered in 7 elementary schools (6 in Zagreb and 1 in Velika Gorica) during the period from February to June 2008. The results have shown that second grade teachers, in comparison to third grade teachers, use more diverse teaching materials, engage students in more diverse assignments, and have more positive beliefs about the possibility of influencing students' achievement. Teachers who believe they can influence student's achievement spend more time on teaching, use more diverse teaching materials and engage their students in more diverse assignments during instruction. Teaching experience of teachers and their beliefs about students' abilities are significantly correlated with students' achievement in reading and writing. Teachers with a longer experience in teaching are more strict in evaluating students' performance, but their students have better results in Reading Comprehension Test, and teachers with more positive beliefs about students' abilities have students who score higher in Spelling Test and have higher grades in Croatian language.

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