Browsing by Author "Joseph, Stephen"

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    Differentiating instruction: Experiences of pre-service and in-service trained teachers
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2013) Joseph, Stephen
    This study sought to investigate what pre-service and in-service trained teachers understand by differentiated instruction, and the extent to which they practised differentiating instruction in their classrooms. Three hundred and seventy-nine participants were randomly drawn from selected primary and secondary schools situated in the north-eastern, central, southern, and western parts of Trinidad. Findings of the study revealed that 58 percent of the respondents understood the concept of differentiated instruction. However, the majority of teachers did not differentiate content and product in their classrooms. While responses from participants in the questionnaire survey indicated that teachers generally understand and engage in process differentiation, responses from focus group interviews suggested that this type of differentiation is not a planned and conscious strategy. The study also highlighted various challenges related to implementation of differentiated instruction. These include the lack of time for planning adequate teaching, limited space for group work, and lack of administrative support
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    Teacher Educators: Perceptions, Self-Views and Participation in a Community of Practice
    (School of Education, UWI, 2018) Joseph, Stephen; Mitchell, Beular
    This study utilised an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to explore the perceptions and self-views of teacher educators as they engage in a community of practice. One hundred and twelve school-based and university-based teacher educators were purposively drawn from primary and secondary schools as well as tertiary-level institutions in Trinidad and Tobago. One-way ANOVA and independent samples t-tests were used to analyse differences between the teacher educator groups in the first phase of the study, while structured open-ended interviews were conducted in the second phase to explicate quantitative results obtained in the first phase. Results indicate that there was a statistically significant difference in teacher educators’ perceptions about themselves as members of a professional group, F(2, 107)=4.62, p=.012. Findings also suggest that while school-based teacher educators feel far more included in policy-making decisions at their institution than university-based teacher educators, university-based teacher educators place a higher value on professional learning activities than their school-based counterparts.
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    What Are Upper Secondary School Students Saying About History?
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2011) Joseph, Stephen
    This study sought to examine students' thinking about history to determine the extent to which their perceptions coincided with widely held views on the subject. The study employed a mixed-method research design aimed at triangulating quantitative and qualitative data obtained from questionnaires and focus group interviews. Four hundred and fifteen participants were randomly drawn from selected secondary schools in Tobago and the east/west corridor of Trinidad. Findings of the study revealed that while students largely rejected the notion that history is boring and irrelevant to contemporary life, many of them were still reluctant to pursue the subject further at the tertiary level. This apparent reluctance seems to be influenced by the perception that history becomes increasingly cumbersome and details-laden as one advances in study. Perhaps this perception could be adjusted if students were introduced to history differently at an earlier period. This study, therefore, has implications for curriculum policy and practice regarding the appropriate time history should be introduced as a subject in the school curriculum