Effective and Inspiring Teaching in STEM Classrooms: Evidence from Classroom Observations with Instrument Comparisons

Abstract

AbstractThis book chapter reports findings in a case study on the video clips of 97 STEM lessons at a local secondary school. The impact of Effective and inspiring teaching on student engagement in classrooms was explored using the same high-inference classroom observation instruments. Cluster analysis indicated that effective teaching dimensions tended to cluster together. However, inspiring teaching dimensions (i.e., Flexibility, Innovative teaching, and Teaching reflective thinking) tended to cluster with Teaching collaborative learning. While there was no subject difference for inspiring teaching practices, Mathematics significantly performed the best and Technology the worst in effective teaching practices. Multiple regression results indicated that both effective and inspiring teaching practices have a significant but moderate impact on learner engagement, but none showed significant effects on student engagement. In contrast, while the effective teaching dimension Professional knowledge and expectations positively affected overall teaching quality perceptions.