Quality Teaching: Finding the Factors That Foster Student Performance in Junior High School Classrooms

Abstract

In this study, we examined the characteristics of secondary school teachers that are effective at promoting student performance. Using a multilevel analysis design, we examined teachers’ instruction using the effective factors in the Dynamic Model of Educational Effectiveness (D.M.E.E.). The research involved 21 teachers and 697 students. Written tests in Modern Greek were administered to the student sample at both the beginning and the end of the school year 2016–2017. An observer assessed teacher factors through three different instruments, and a student questionnaire was also used to evaluate teacher effectiveness. The data showed the effects that teachers in the sample had on the learning development of their students and highlighted effective teaching skills and weaknesses. Implications for practice to promote teacher effectiveness are drawn.