AIMS

Former research has shown that how teachers think about learning and teaching explains how they teach (e.g. Hollingsworth, 1989; Calderhead & Robson, 1991). Our aim in this paper is to construct a holistic view on differences in teaching approaches in higher education. We assume that teaching approaches are interwoven with many influencing factors and therefore it seems appropriate to focus not only on teaching approaches as such but also on the interrelationships between multiple personal and contextual characteristics. By drawing a broader picture in framing differences in teaching approaches we think this theoretical expansion allows us to explore in a more critical and relational way teaching approaches and may therefore contribute to a deeper understanding why teachers in higher education teach the way they do.

METHODOLOGY

First we take a closer look upon the vast body of research findings concerning the interrelatedness between teaching conceptions and teaching approaches on the one hand and the influence of personal and contextual factors on the other. Taking into account the complex picture that emerges, we deduct a holistic framework for assessment of teaching approaches in higher education. Secondly we present two empirical studies which have been carried out in the context of higher education in Flanders using this holistic framework. These studies contribute to a more empirical understanding of the interrelatedness of variables and reveal key issues to be addressed in future research.

FINDINGS

Teachers in higher education enter their teaching environment with a range of prior conceptions of what is good teaching (Prosser & Trigwell, 1999). A study of Trigwell and Prosser (1996) reveals coherence between a teacher’s conception of teaching and his actual approach in a course. Teachers who show student-focused behaviour hold a complete conception focusing on changing students’ conceptions. A teacher who uses a teacher-focused strategy conceives of his teaching as limited to transmitting information. The expected consistency between teaching conceptions and teaching strategies is however not always apparent (Trigwell and Prosser, 1996; Murray and Macdonald, 1997): teacher’s perception of the context affects the way he acts. Prosser and Trigwell (1997) identified five aspects which were seen to affect the approach of teachers: feelings of control over how and what to teach, perception of appropriateness of class size, view on students’ ability, feelings of departmental support, perception of appropriate teaching load. These findings underline the importance of studying teaching approaches in close relationship with a variety of personal and contextual factors. Recent studies (e.g. Nevgi et al., 2004; Calderhead and Robson, 1991; Powell, 1992; Prosser et al., 2003) show the relevancy of the following personal factors: gender, prior education, conceptions of learning, learning strategies and teaching experience. Other studies (e.g. Lindblom-Ylänne et al., 2006; Entwistle et al., 2003) have argued for the attention of the context variables discipline, class size and level, student-teacher interactions and assessment. As teachers are also confronted with informal and formal professional development the influence of training activities and collaboration and support between peers have to be taken into account too (Gibbs and Coffey, 2004; Donche & Van Petegem, 2004).



Figure 1 (see appendix) shows the result of our attempt to compose a research model that can explain differences in teaching approaches. This model is not exhaustive but merely an attempt to capture complexity in studying differences in teaching approaches.

Two empirical studies partially explored this model and are illustrative pathways to deal with more complexity in studying teaching approaches. A first study (Stes, Gijbels & Van Petegem, submitted to Higher Education) investigated the relationship between teachers’ approaches to teaching and course context and teacher characteristics. Data were collected from 50 teachers from the University of Antwerp. The results showed no association of the conceptual change/student-focused approach to teaching with course context variables neither with teacher characteristics. This no-predetermination of teaching approach opens up perspectives for professional training activities. A second study explored the relationship between conceptions of learning and teaching strategies. Data were collected from 119 teacher educators. Questionnaires (Roelofs and Visser, 2001; Oosterheert et al., 2002) were adapted for use in the context of teacher education. Correlations were found between process-oriented learning conceptions and teaching strategies. In contradiction to former research (Kember & Kwan, 2000) no sound relationship between traditional conceptions of learning and teacher focused learning environments was found. As significant correlations were found between transmission-oriented environments and constructivist conceptions of learning, inconsistencies between similar conceptions of learning and teaching strategies occur. Possible explanations for disjunctions could be found in teacher characteristics like gender and teaching experience as these factors were found to be predictors for several conceptions about own learning and student teacher learning and were not found to be directly related to teaching strategies.

THEORETICAL AND EDUCATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

The proposed model for research into teaching conceptions and approaches can contribute to a better theoretical understanding of differences in teaching approaches. Drawing a broad picture on personal and contextual factors possibly influencing teaching conceptions and teaching approaches illustrates the complex issue to understand existing differences in teaching approaches. Carrying out research within this model is also fruitful with regard to the topic of professional development. Acquiring more empirical information about factors that obstruct or facilitate the transfer of conceptions for which the plea is made in actual training programmes, into daily approaches can be helpful to put ‘educational change’ into a relational and complex perspective. Teacher characteristics, characteristics of teacher’s learning and the course context influence the translation of conceptions into teaching approaches and should be taken into account in programmes of teacher training. Additionally it seems worthwhile to confront teachers with the interrelation of their teaching approach and other factors. The confrontation stimulates meta-cognition (Flavell, 1985) with regard to (learning to) teach(ing) and makes aware that if one wants to change teaching, one has to take into account a complex set of personal and contextual factors.