Peter D. Wiens

University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV · Department of Teaching and Learning

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...

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...