Bruce Torff
Biographic Data
| ID | 1603418 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bruce Torff |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bruce |
| FAMILY NAME | Torff |
| SIGNATURE | TORFF B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Hofstra University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 9 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Learning to Be a Responsive, Authoritative Teacher
Investigating the development of teachers’ interactional styles (related to “authoritative teaching”), survey research examined how interactional styles are predicted by teaching experience, age, and educational attainment, as well as gender. Secondary teachers (N = 272) completed an instructional-style scale measuring preferences concerning response, demand, and control. More experienced teachers, younger teachers, and females were significantly…
Placement of former english language learners in middle schools
Historically, many educators have attempted to help English Language Learners (ELLs) develop sufficient English skills to be reclassified so that they can be placed in general-education classrooms. At present, educators increasingly favor a policy of placing former ELLs in dual-language settings. But it remains unclear whether former ELLs in middle schools perform better academically in general-education (GE) or dual-language (DL) classrooms. Res…
Teachers’ beliefs about English learners
A persistent achievement gap for English learners (ELs) has prompted educators to search for contributing factors and pedagogical solutions. Research by Bruce Torff and Audrey Figueroa Murphy shows teachers’ beliefs about rigor of curriculum may contribute to the problem; teachers supported less rigorous curriculum for ELs, evincing a “rigor gap” likely to exacerbate the EL achievement gap. They suggest that systematic analysis of the linguistic …
Response, Demand, and Control
Theory and research in teachers’ interactional styles and authoritative teaching typically posit two factors, including response and a second factor featuring some combination of demand and control. Two survey-research projects examined how teachers construe interactional styles, with results suggesting three discrete factors: response, demand, and control. The optimal interactional style is more complex than the formula of high response and high…
Educators’ beliefs about appropriate pedagogical models for Spanish-speaking ELLs who differ in home-language and English-language literacy abilities in the United States
Survey research (n = 366) examined educators' beliefs about the efficacy of five pedagogical models (English as a second language (ESL) self-contained, ESL push-in, ESL pullout, bilingual, and dual language) for English language learners who differ in English literacy proficiency and home-language abilities (delimited to Spanish in this research). Dual language was preferred when students have high English proficiency; this effect was extremely s…
Assessment of Teachers’ Attitudes about Professional Development
This article reports three studies in which a scale for assessing teachers’ beliefs about professional-development initiatives was developed and its scores evaluated for reliability and validity. Results indicated that the Teachers’ Attitudes About Professional Development (TAP) scale produced scores with high reliability, a stable one-factor structure, and satisfactory construct and discriminant validity (relative to measures of need for social …
Assessment of Teachers’ Beliefs about Classroom Use of Critical-Thinking Activities
This article reports five studies in which a scale for assessing teachers’ beliefs about classroom use of critical-thinking (CT) activities was developed and its scores evaluated for reliability and validity. The Critical Thinking Belief Appraisal (CTBA) is based on a four-factor “advantage effect” model: the theoretical premise that teachers’ CT-related decision making is associated with their beliefs about the effectiveness of (a) high-CT activ…
The Effect of Perceived Learner Advantages on Teachers' Beliefs About Critical-Thinking Activities
To investigate teachers' beliefs about critical-thinking (CT) activities for different populations of learners, the Critical Thinking Belief Appraisal (CTBA) was administered to 145 practicing secondary teachers. Teachers rated both high-CT and low-CT activities as more effective for highadvantage learners than low-advantage ones, demonstrating strong "advantage effects." They also rated high-CT activities as more effective than low-CT ones for b…
No Research Left Behind
No Research Left Behind
Assessment of Teachers’ Attitudes about Professional Development
This article reports three studies in which a scale for assessing teachers’ beliefs about professional-development initiatives was developed and its scores evaluated for reliability and validity. Results indicated that the Teachers’ Attitudes About Professional Development (TAP) scale produced scores with high reliability, a stable one-factor structure, and satisfactory construct and discriminant validity (relative to measures of need for social …
Assessment of Teachers’ Beliefs about Classroom Use of Critical-Thinking Activities
This article reports five studies in which a scale for assessing teachers’ beliefs about classroom use of critical-thinking (CT) activities was developed and its scores evaluated for reliability and validity. The Critical Thinking Belief Appraisal (CTBA) is based on a four-factor “advantage effect” model: the theoretical premise that teachers’ CT-related decision making is associated with their beliefs about the effectiveness of (a) high-CT activ…
The Effect of Perceived Learner Advantages on Teachers' Beliefs About Critical-Thinking Activities
To investigate teachers' beliefs about critical-thinking (CT) activities for different populations of learners, the Critical Thinking Belief Appraisal (CTBA) was administered to 145 practicing secondary teachers. Teachers rated both high-CT and low-CT activities as more effective for highadvantage learners than low-advantage ones, demonstrating strong "advantage effects." They also rated high-CT activities as more effective than low-CT ones for b…
Educators’ beliefs about appropriate pedagogical models for Spanish-speaking ELLs who differ in home-language and English-language literacy abilities in the United States
Survey research (n = 366) examined educators' beliefs about the efficacy of five pedagogical models (English as a second language (ESL) self-contained, ESL push-in, ESL pullout, bilingual, and dual language) for English language learners who differ in English literacy proficiency and home-language abilities (delimited to Spanish in this research). Dual language was preferred when students have high English proficiency; this effect was extremely s…
Teachers’ beliefs about English learners
A persistent achievement gap for English learners (ELs) has prompted educators to search for contributing factors and pedagogical solutions. Research by Bruce Torff and Audrey Figueroa Murphy shows teachers’ beliefs about rigor of curriculum may contribute to the problem; teachers supported less rigorous curriculum for ELs, evincing a “rigor gap” likely to exacerbate the EL achievement gap. They suggest that systematic analysis of the linguistic …
Response, Demand, and Control
Theory and research in teachers’ interactional styles and authoritative teaching typically posit two factors, including response and a second factor featuring some combination of demand and control. Two survey-research projects examined how teachers construe interactional styles, with results suggesting three discrete factors: response, demand, and control. The optimal interactional style is more complex than the formula of high response and high…
Learning to Be a Responsive, Authoritative Teacher
Investigating the development of teachers’ interactional styles (related to “authoritative teaching”), survey research examined how interactional styles are predicted by teaching experience, age, and educational attainment, as well as gender. Secondary teachers (N = 272) completed an instructional-style scale measuring preferences concerning response, demand, and control. More experienced teachers, younger teachers, and females were significantly…
Placement of former english language learners in middle schools
Historically, many educators have attempted to help English Language Learners (ELLs) develop sufficient English skills to be reclassified so that they can be placed in general-education classrooms. At present, educators increasingly favor a policy of placing former ELLs in dual-language settings. But it remains unclear whether former ELLs in middle schools perform better academically in general-education (GE) or dual-language (DL) classrooms. Res…
Psychology (9 works) · Mathematics education (8 works) · Pedagogy (6 works) · Computer Science (4 works) · Developmental psychology (3 works) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (3 works) · Scale (ratio) (3 works) · Second Language Learning and Teaching (3 works) · Sociology (3 works) · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies (3 works)