Effective Teacher Attributes Represented in the Narratives of American and Chinese Secondary Preservice Teachers

• In Event: Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: Teacher Knowledge and Beliefs in the Context of Schooling

Abstract

This study compared effective teacher attributes in American and Chinese cultures. Eighty American and 75 Chinese secondary preservice teachers each told a story about their own effective teacher. Content analyses generated six categories of effective teacher attributes, including teacher knowledge, professional attitude, classroom practice, rapport establishing, student motivating, and personality charms. MANOVAs and ANOVAs suggested that American and Chinese secondary preservice teachers are no difference in their perceptions of the importance of teacher knowledge, classroom practice, and student motivating. However, American participants are less concerned about teachers’ skills for rapport establishing and their personality charms but more concerned with teachers’ professional attitude than their Chinese counterparts. Findings were discussed in terms of different value systems in these two cultures.

Authors

• Minghui Gao, Arkansas State University

• Qinhua Liu, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology

• Changchun Wang, Normal University

• Yuheng Wang, China Higher Education Press