Professional Development: Critical Thinking

From APEC HRDWG Wiki

Teacher quality is an important aspect of any education system and although debate exists as to what exactly constitutes a teacher quality indicator, most observers agree that teacher professional development is one element that relates to the quality or effectiveness of the teacher. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is administered to 4th and 8th grade students across various APEC economies to test student curriculum-based knowledge. The TIMSS also administers a teacher questionnaire to the teachers of the students surveyed. This questionnaire includes many items related to teacher quality, such as teacher professional development. Although not all APEC economies participate in the TIMSS, the data that is available allows for a comparison of various factors across participating APEC economies. The rest of this page contains information on teacher professional development in critical thinking of those teachers surveyed during the 2007 TIMSS in the selected participating APEC economies.

For other information on teacher quality, please visit the Teacher Quality Portal page.

Summary

According to the international average, most 4th grade Mathematics teachers do not participate in Professional Development in improving students' critical thinking or problem solving skills. On the other hand, the average of the selected countries shows that 52% of 4th grade teachers do participate in this type of Professional Development in the selected APEC economies. Chinese Taipei and Japan are the only selected economies in which less than half of the 4th grade teachers participate in Professional Development in critical thinking. The highest percentage of 4th grade teacher participation in this type of Professional Development is found in Hong Kong and Singapore at 72% and 66% repectively.

Internationally, more 8th grade than 4th grade Mathematics teachers participate in Professional Development in critical thiking, but this percentage is still less than half of the teachers. The average of the selected countries once again shows that more than half of the teachers in the selected APEC economies do participate in this type of Professional Development. In terms of 8th grade Mathematics teachers, less than half of those in Australia, Chinese Taipei, Japan and the Republic of Korea participate in Professional Development in critical thinking. Compared to 4th grade teachers, even less 8th grade teachers participate in this type of Professional Development in Australia, Chinese Taipei, and Japan. Similarly, less 8th grade than 4th grade teachers in Hong Kong and Singapore participtate in Professional Development in critical thinking. For the other economies included on both graphs, the percent of teacher participation increases from 4th to 8th grade, with the biggest increase found in the United States.

Chart 1. Percentage of 4th Grade Math Teachers Participation in Professional Development in Student Critical Thinking 

Chart 2. Percentage of 8th Grade Math Teachers Participation in Professional Development in Student Critical Thinking