Marvin F. Wideen

Bio: Marvin F. Wideen is an academic researcher from Simon Fraser University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Higher education & Science education. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 19 publications receiving 1590 citations.

A Critical Analysis of the Research on Learning to Teach: Making the Case for an Ecological Perspective on Inquiry

Abstract: 93 empirical studies on learning to teach were reviewed in order to establish what is currently known about how people learn to teach and to critique the quality of the reporting of that research. Among other observations concerning teacher education, the review highlights the tensions between the hopes and expectations of teacher educators and the expectations and experiences of beginning teachers. While this review supports the findings of others that many traditional programs of teacher education have little effect upon the firmly held beliefs of the beginning teachers, it also provides examples of successful programs. Such programs typically build upon the beliefs of pre service teachers and feature systematic and consistent long-term support in a collaborative setting. It is concluded that this body of research has advanced the field in significant ways, offering new directions for research and program reform. The critique of the papers themselves reveals that authors need to pay more careful attenti...

High-Stakes Testing and the Teaching of Science

Abstract: In a study of the relationship between high-stakes testing and the teaching of science, we conducted pilot case studies of two school districts, and then interviewed and observed a larger number of teachers in Grades 8, 10, and 12 drawn from 10 districts in British Columbia. We also interviewed principals, students, and district personnel. The data showed a decrease in the variety of instructional approaches from Grade 8 to Grade 12. Teachers' comments suggested that high-stakes examinations at Grade 12 were a major factor in the instructional differences we observed. We concluded not only that the examinations discouraged teachers from using strategies which promoted enquiry and active student learning, but also that this impoverishment affected the language of class

Research in Teacher Education: International Perspectives.

Abstract: The role played by research in teacher education, Marvin Wideen and Richard Tisher teacher education in Canada - a research review, Marvin Wideen and Patricia Holborn research on teacher education in Japan, Akira Sato and Jun Ushiwata a decade of research on teacher education in the Netherlands, Frans Kieviet one and a half decades of research on teacher education in Australia, Richard Tisher research on teacher education in West Germany, Hans Gerhard Klinzing research in teacher education in Singapore (1968-1988), Ho Wah Kam research on teacher training in a changing society - the case of Britain in the late 1980's, David McNamara indian researchers in teacher education - a review, R.Govinda and M.B.Buch scholary inquiry into teacher education in the United States, Nancy Zimpher and Kenneth Howey research on Swedish teacher training, Bertil Gran research on teacher education in Israel - topics, methods and findings, Miriam Ben-Peretz education reforms and research on teacher education in China, Zhaoyi Wu and Jean Chang a framework for research on teacher education programs, Lilian Katz and James Raths review, reflections and recommendations, Richard Tisher and Marvin Wideen.

Knowledge, Teacher Development and Change

Abstract: The importance of applying what we know to the resolution of social problems has long been a concern to social scientists (Love, 1975). Glasser (cited in Love, 1975) once remarked that civilization was a race between catastrophe and knowledge utilization. Others like Love, see a strong need for applying what social scientists know to the field of education. As he puts it:…most would agree that knowledge utilization, transferring it to a setting where it can be applied, and using that knowledge in some form is a worthwhile aim for social scientists concerned with improving education. (Love, 1975, p. 337)Despite this interest in knowledge utilization in the social sciences, researchers in education have not dealt with the issue of professional knowledge and the way teachers use it to inform their practice. The literature which has sought to identify the characteristics of effective schools, for example, typically fails to cite knowledge and the way teachers use it as a factor either in creating or defining such schools. Nor is knowledge use generally mentioned when implementation and change are discussed.

Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement

Abstract: Preface Chapter 1 The challenge Chapter 2 The nature of the evidence: A synthesis of meta-analyses Chapter 3 The argument: Visible teaching and visible learning Chapter 4: The contributions from the student Chapter 5 The contributions from the home Chapter 6 The contributions from the school Chapter 7 The contributions from the teacher Chapter 8 The contributions from the curricula Chapter 9 The contributions from teaching approaches - I Chapter 10 The contributions from teaching approaches - II Chapter 11: Bringing it all together Appendix A: The 800 meta-analyses Appendix B: The meta-analyses by rank order References

CONSTRUCTING 21st-CENTURY TEACHER EDUCATION

Abstract: Much of what teachers need to know to be successful is invisible to lay observers, leading to the view that teaching requires little formal study and to frequent disdain for teacher education programs. The weakness of traditional program models that are collections of largely unrelated courses reinforce this low regard. This article argues that we have learned a great deal about how to create stronger, more effective teacher education programs. Three critical components of such programs include tight coherence and integration among courses and between course work and clinical work in schools, extensive and intensely supervised clinical work integrated with course work using pedagogies linking theory and practice, and closer, proactive relationships with schools that serve diverse learners effectively and develop and model good teaching. Also, schools of education should resist pressures to water down preparation, which ultimately undermine the preparation of entering teachers, the reputation of schools of education, and the strength of the profession.

Purposeful sampling in qualitative research synthesis

Abstract: Informed decisions about sampling are critical to improving the quality of research synthesis. Even though several qualitative research synthesists have recommended purposeful sampling for synthesizing qualitative research, the published literature holds sparse discussion on how different strategies for purposeful sampling may be applied to a research synthesis. In primary research, Patton is frequently cited as an authority on the topic of purposeful sampling. In Patton’s original texts that are referred to in this article, Patton does not make any suggestion of using purposeful sampling for research synthesis. This article makes a unique contribution to the literature by examining the adaptability of each of Patton’s 16 purposeful sampling strategies to the process of qualitative research synthesis. It illuminates how different purposeful sampling strategies might be particularly suited to constructing multi‐perspectival, emancipatory, participatory and deconstructive interpretations of published research.

Conceptualizing Teacher Professional Learning

Abstract: This article adopts a complexity theory framework to review the literature on teachers’ professional development practices, the generative systems of these practices, and the impact that learning experiences have on their knowledge and changes in classroom practices. The review brings together multiple strands of literature on teacher professional development, teaching and learning, teacher change, and organizational learning. In doing so, it illustrates that process–product logic has dominated the literature on teacher professional learning and that this has limited explanatory ability. The review demonstrates the ways the elements of three subsystems (the teacher, the school, and the learning activity) interact and combine in different ways and with varying intensities to influence teacher learning. The limitations of studies focusing on specific elements or subsystems are highlighted. The article concludes that to understand teacher learning scholars must adopt methodological practices that focus on ex...

Scholars Before Researchers: On the Centrality of the Dissertation Literature Review in Research Preparation

Abstract: A thorough, sophisticated literature review is the foundation and inspiration for substantial, useful research. The complex nature of education research demands such thorough, sophisticated reviews. Although doctoral education is a key means for improving education research, the literature has given short shrift to the dissertation literature review. This article suggests criteria to evaluate the quality of dissertation literature reviews and reports a study that examined dissertations at three universities. Acquiring the skills and knowledge required to be education scholars, able to analyze and synthesize the research in a field of specialization, should be the focal, integrative activity of predissertation doctoral education. Such scholarship is a prerequisite for increased methodological sophistication and for improving the usefulness of education research.