Education: Notable Studies

1932 - George Sanchez Study

• Found that intelligence tests were culturally biased against ethnic minority children

1997 - NASSP Study

• Found that secondary school students consistently mentioned teachers’ knowledge of their subject as top of the list of characteristics of effective teachers

2005 - Darling-Hammond and Bransford Study

• Study which found that some educational psychologists emphasize that many effective teachers use both a constructivist approach and a direct instruction approach rather than relying exclusively on one or the other

• Study which found that the process of instructional design requires that teachers figure out which things students should do when, in what order, and how

2012 - Williams et. al Study

• Found that secondary school students have consistently mentioned teachers’ knowledge of the subject

2015 - Berninger et. al Study

• Study which found that some circumstances may call for a constructivist approach whereas others may call for a direct instruction approach

2015 - Sarraj et al. Study

• Study which found that effective teachers need to be a broker (middle person) between the culture of the school and the culture of certain students, especially those who are unsuccessful academically

2016 - Anderman and Klassen Study

• Found that knowledge of subject matter includes more than just facts, terms, and general concepts and also includes knowledge about

  • Organizing ideas

  • Organizing connections among ideas

  • Ways of thinking and arguing

  • Patterns of change within a discipline

  • Beliefs about a discipline

  • The ability to carry ideas from one discipline to another

• Found that having a deep understanding of the subject matter is an important aspect of being a competent teacher

2016 - Feeney Study

• Study which found that understanding developmental pathways and progressions is extremely important for teaching in ways that are optimal for each child

2017 - Morrison Study

• Study which found that competent teachers have a good understanding of children’s development and know how to create instructional materials appropriate for their developmental levels

2017 - Hamilton and Duschi Study

• Found that having a thoughtful, flexible, conceptual understanding of subject matter is indispensable for being an effective teacher

2017 - Mayer and Alexander Study

• Found that effective teachers have

  • Good command of their subject matter and a solid core of teaching skills

  • Excellent instructional strategies supported by methods of goal setting, instructional planning, and classroom management

  • Know how to motivate, communicate, and work effectively with students who have different levels of skills and come from culturally diverse backgrounds

  • Understanding of how to use appropriate levels of technology in the classroom

2017 - Borich Study

• Found that teaching sometimes must depart from scientific recipes, requiring improvisation and spontaneity

2017 - Sternberg and Sternberg Study

• Study which found that getting students to think critically is not easy, many students develop a habit of passively learning material and rotely memorizing concepts rather than thinking deeply and reflectively

2020 - Parkay Study

• Found that teaching sometimes must depart from scientific recipes, requiring improvisation and spontaneity

2021 - Gollnick and Chinn Study

• Study which found that effective teachers encourage students to have positive personal contact with diverse students and think of ways to create such settings

• Study which found that effective teachers guide students in thinking critically about cultural and ethnic issues, forestall or reduce bias, cultivate acceptance, and serve as cultural meditators

2022 - Emmer Study

• Study which found that an important aspect of being an effective teacher is keeping the class as a whole working together and oriented toward classroom tasks

2022 - Evertson et al. Study

• Study which found that teachers need a repertoire of strategies for establishing rules and procedures, organizing groups, monitoring and pacing classroom activities and handling misbehavior to create an optimal learning environment