What Influences Teachers' Autonomy Support Behaviors? An International Comparison Between the East and West

• In Event: Teachers' Practices and Practical Knowledge

Abstract

From the perspective of teacher professional growth, the current study investigated what factors affecting teachers' autonomy support. Given the different cultural backgrounds and similar outstanding achievements in TIMSS2015, we selected Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, the United States, and Finland to investigate whether the hypothesized model fit the real data. It was found that after controlling for gender, education major, and science major, teacher collaborations and their professional training could enhance teachers’ autonomy support behaviors through direct effect or via influencing instructional self-concept in both samples. However, the variation was identified in terms of the mediating effect of teachers’ self-concept. It was suggested that school managers should provide teachers with more collaborative opportunities for joint teaching seminars and vocational training.

Authors

• Yiran Cui, Shandong University

• Danhui Zhang, Beijing Normal University

• Tong Ran, Beijing Normal University