Identifying and assessing the conceptions of teaching of secondary school physics teachers in China

Background. Recent research indicates that how lecturers think about the na ture of teaching influences both the way they teach and the way their stude nts learn and ultimately the learning outcomes they achieve. Such research has primarily been conducted at the tertiary level in Western countries and its relevance for school teaching and in non-Western contexts has yet to b e demonstrated. Aims. Study I aimed to develop a model of the conceptions of teaching of Ch inese secondary school teachers of physics and an instrument to assess thes e conceptions. Study 2 then tested the reliability and within-construct val idity of responses to the latter and the relationships between teaching exp erience and gender and teaching conceptions were investigated. Sample. The interview sample in Study I comprised 18 teachers of physics in Guangdong, China. The instrument was administrated to 450 physics teachers from the province in Study 2. Method. An in-depth emic approach involving both interviews and classroom o bservations was utilised to develop the model. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the fit of responses to the instrument to the proposed mo del. Results. Five lower order conceptions (Knowledge Delivery, Exam Preparation , Ability Development, Attitude Promotion, and Conduct Guidance) and two hi gher order orientations (Moulding and Cultivating) were identified. Respons es to the instrument were found to be of satisfactory internal consistency reliability and to fit the expected underlying factor model. Neither teachi ng experience nor gender was found to be related to conceptions of teaching . Conclusions. The model developed differed in some respects from those found in the Western tertiary literature due probably to cultural factors which emphasise more an affective, moral view of teaching and to a school context ual emphasis on exams. The instrument developed had very adequate psychomet ric properties and seems promising as a tool for assessing teaching concept ions in future research within China and across cultures.