OER 10/22 LSS

OER 10/22 LSS

Project ID: OER 10/22 LSS
Subject area: Language, Mathematics, Science, Arts;Sports, Humanities and Learner profiles
Principal Investigator: Dr Lee Shu Shing
Email: shushing.lee@nie.edu.sg

About the project

There is growing international research in the work of experienced and expert teachers that has informed the field on the practices of expert teachers. However, in the Singapore context, there seems to be little research on expert teachers that describes how teachers develop experiences and factors that shape the development of their expertise in aspects such as their practice and learning. Gaining insights into what Singapore expert teachers ‘do and think’ is essential in understanding the nature and type of factors and experiences that shape teacher expertise in the distinctive Singapore educational context that has been consistently recognised for its excellence. Furthermore, research indicates that the excellence of an educational system is linked to the quality and excellence of its teachers.

The proposed study engages in qualitative inquiry to describe factors that expert teachers consider as significant in enabling them develop expertise. The range of factors that will be explored relate to teachers’ professional learning experiences (both pre-service and in-service), professional teaching experience, content knowledge, learner profile expertise and contextual factors. The study employs a case study design.

Data collection involves in-depth interviews with about 35 senior, lead, master or/and principal master teachers, who are deemed as ‘expert teachers’ of their ‘lived experiences and realities’ that have shaped their expertise, learning, and practice. The study also collects artefacts that teachers described as valuable or significant for developing their expertise as supplementary materials to provide a holistic understanding of factors that influence the development of teacher expertise. Within-case and cross-case analyses will be done to understand factors and ways that influence expert teachers in how they acquire expertise and develop professionally. Findings will contribute to research and the design of teacher learning programmes by generating insights of what expert teachers do and think, and how they develop their professional expertise. 

Looking for   
  • Primary school teachers 
  • Secondary school teachers 
    What will be expected of you 
    • Sharing deep insights into the realities and experiences of expert teachers in the Singapore context
    • One 60 to 90 min in-depth online interview
    Other note(s)
    • The semi-structured interview will allow expert teachers to talk about their professional journey as a teacher, highlighting major incidents/factors/people whom they feel enabled them in their growth/development.
    • The semi-structured interview will include opportunities for expert teachers to discuss in detail the formal / informal pre-service and in-service professional learning experiences, mentorship and professional development experiences that matter the most to our expert teachers.
    • Expert teachers will also be given opportunities to elaborate these experiences in greater details.
    • Any clarifications relating to incidents / factors / people that shape expert teachers’ development will be followed up through emails and only, when absolutely necessary, a second interview will be scheduled.
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