Peter D. Wiens

• PhD
• PostDoc Position at University of Nevada, Las Vegas

A growing body of research on culturally and linguistically responsive social studies instruction continues to identify essential understandings regarding the teaching and learning of social studies among multilingual students. Yet a preponderance of these studies utilize ethnographic and other highly contextualized qualitative methods. In order to...

Drawing on data from 355 early career teachers in the Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018, linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between Initial Teacher Preparation (ITP), motivations to become a teacher, and teacher self-efficacy (TSE). Results indicated that ITP and motivations statistically significant...

The complexity of contemporary schools necessitates principals supporting teachers to become teacher leaders while also supporting their instructional practices. Drawing on data from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey, principal and teacher surveys examined how principal instructional support and a climate of shared leadership are...

This study, using data from the American Teacher Panel survey given by the RAND corporation in 2017, examined teachers’ experiences with teacher leadership (TL) in the United States. Geographic features like urbanicity and teacher demographic characteristics were used to predict different components of TL. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BI...

This study is a response to calls for more research on diversity in teacher leadership (TL), particularly in urban schools. Critical race theory illuminated the role race and racism can play in determining who gets access to TL positions and how that access is characterized using liberal discourse and ideology. We used a component mixed methods des...

School practitioners’ receptivity to reform influences the success of policy implementation. In Taiwan, the Ministry of Education launched a curriculum reform in 2019. To determine how to enhance school agency for the policy, we explored the individual and contextual factors affecting receptivity to the new curriculum. With a survey design, this st...

This study explores the motivations for becoming a teacher, teachers’ self-efficacy, and the relationship among motivations and teacher self-efficacy using data from the TALIS 2018. The data included responses from 1933 United States teachers with six or more years of teaching experience. Results indicate that motivations, which were more intrinsic...

Research reviews contribute to understanding the evolution and trends of studies and guide future studies. Since no science mapping was provided to reveal the citation patterns and the research structure of teacher leadership (TL), we conducted a bibliometric review of 704 documents (1964e2021) in Scopus. We found that the academic area as a social...

Throughout the world, educational leaders are pushing for a movement away from teacher-directed learning to engaging students in student-driven learning. Project-based learning (PBL) has been adopted as an instructional approach that promotes student inquiry and cognitive growth. At the national level, Taiwan has launched a curriculum reform to enc...

Teacher leaders function in many roles in supporting school success including instructional leadership and supporting colleagues. This study draws upon the Status of the Social Studies Survey (Fitchett, P. G., and P. J. Vanfossen. 2013. ‘Survey on the Status of Social Studies: Development and Analysis.’ Social Studies Research and Practice 8 (1): 1...

Using data from TALIS 2018, this study analyzed the relationship of U.S. social studies teachers' initial teacher education (ITE) and their self-efficacy, with an emphasis on the newly added construct of multicultural teacher self-efficacy. Results indicated that content and pedagogy training is present in the vast majority of ITE programs that U.S...

Private Christian schools in North America endeavour to provide an educational experience that integrates religious and academic training for their preK-12 students. The integration of faith and academics has been studied in higher education institutions in North America, but not substantially in preK-12 schools. This study uses the lens of teacher...

Many calls have been made for more research on social studies teachers' practices and preservice training. Instructional practices employed by teachers are important for encouraging student learning. However, there is a history of social studies teachers focusing much of their time on teacher-centered instructional techniques that have not demonstr...

Christian educators must regularly articulate the ways in which they add value to the learning experiences of students, recognizing that pedagogy and purpose are inextricably linked. This study investigates the relationship between constructivist teaching practices and the religious beliefs of Christian educators. Drawing on mixed-methods analysis...

This study examines the creation and implementation of a video-based assessment of teacher knowledge of effective teaching called the Video Assessment of Teacher Knowledge (VATK). The VATK was developed with the intention of creating an easily administered, standardised assessment that can potentially provide information on teacher candidate knowle...

Research about in-service teachers has shown that specific skills such as the skill to identify effective teaching interactions in others relates to the teachers’ skill to engage in effective classroom interactions related to student learning. This study aimed to examine the relationship between these skills for 130 preservice teachers in the final...

There continues to be a debate as to the role and value of educator preparation programs throughout the world. This paper examines self-report data of the instructional language learning methods of Nigerien English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. This study sought to understand what instructional methods EFL teachers are using in their classr...

Niger is a French-speaking country with a history of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in its middle and high schools. The teachers providing instruction in these programs have been trained in different ways including university-based programs, out of country programs, or no training at all. This study sought to examine the beliefs of Ni...

Niger is a French-speaking country with a history of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in its middle and high schools. The teachers providing instruction in these programs have been trained in different ways including university-based programs, out of country programs, or no training at all. This study sought to examine the beliefs of Ni...

Teaching English as foreign language (EFL) has grown around the world. However, certain regions have experienced little empirical research into the practices and results of these EFL programs. This study looks at English as foreign language teachers in Niger, an Expanding Circle country, to understand their training, instruction, and attitudes. The...

The Video Assessment of Interactions and Learning (VAIL), a video-based assessment of teacher understanding of effective teaching strategies and behaviors, was administered to preservice teachers. Descriptive and regression analyzes were conducted to examine trends among participants and identify predictors at the individual level and program level...

Teacher education has recently come under attack for its perceived lack of efficacy in preparing teachers for classroom duty. A lack of comprehensive research in teacher education makes it difficult to understand the effects of teacher education programs on student learning. There is a missing link between what happens in teacher education programs...

In our study, we examined variation in mentoring aspects of an induction program for 77 novice teachers and associations with self-efficacy, reflection, and quality of student–teacher interactions. Mentors’ previous experience and full- vs. part-time status predicted novices’ perception of support, reflection, and observed student–teacher interacti...