| The study was designed to investigate effective elementary teachers' belief systems in relation to their classroom practices. Specifically, the study was conducted to answer the following two questions: (1) What are the teaching principles employed by effective elementary teachers when they carry on four classroom practices: (a) promoting student learning, (b) creating an orderly classroom, (c) delivering instruction, and (d) monitoring students' learning progress and diagnosing students' learning problems? (2) What are the major goals that the effective teachers try to pursue?;Moreover, the findings of the study disclosed that there were five major Goals pursued by at least four of the teachers, each Goal standing for a goal commonly pursued by a number of the teachers. The results of a cross examination of the total classroom behaviors reported by the teachers suggest that the five Goals were the paramount guiding forces behind the four classroom practices reported by the teachers and the use of the total principles which governed the teachers' behaviors in conducting the four classroom practices.;Twelve elementary teachers who were either Teachers of the Year or Master Teachers in Kansas were included in the study. Via interview, nine questions were addressed to each of the teachers. The findings of the study revealed that 11 major principles were employed by at least three of the teachers when they made efforts to promote student learning, another 11 major principles to create an orderly classroom, six major principles to deliver instruction, and seven major principles to monitor students' learning progress and diagnose students' learning problems. The results of the study also revealed that the teachers functioned within the governance of the total principles when they implemented the four classroom practices. |
