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Perceptions and Practices: A Pre-service

Teacher’s Survey of Teaching Styles

By Adeline Nors, Shannon Manley, and Nicole Pearce

The researcher, a preservice teacher, conducted this study to investigate how elementary teachers in a rural public
school district perceived and implemented teaching styles, specifically examining student-centered and teacher-
centered approaches. Conducted through surveys, the research gathered insights into teachers’ views on these
styles, strategies associated with them, and their reflections on knowledge, professional development, and practical
application. The findings highlight a preference for student-centered approaches and reveal teachers’ perceptions on
implementation. The study emphasizes the need for continued support and training.

n elementary classrooms, teaching and learning include two distinct approaches
Ito instruction: student-centered and teacher-centered. Hannafin et al. (2014)
defined student-centered instruction as a teaching and learning approach in which
both students and teachers collaboratively generate learning opportunities and
dynamically reconstruct knowledge in an open-ended environment. Students
actively engage in collaborative learning experiences, while the teacher assumes
the role of a guide or co-learner, ensuring learning outcomes align with standards,
concepts, and skills. In contrast, teacher-centered learning places greater emphasis
on a rigid curriculum, focusing on content rather than on students’ self-discovery.
In this approach, teachers deliver instruction, and students passively listen, working
independently on assignments aligned with standards but without consideration for
individual strengths, needs, and interests.
Gathering reflections on teachers’ knowledge, professional development, and
practical application relative to these two approaches to teaching and learning
enabled the researcher—a preservice educator—to gain a deeper understanding of
the two approaches. The researcher, seeking an Early Childhood–Grade 6 (EC–6)
certification degree while aspiring for an upper elementary teaching position, chose
to conduct a survey with teachers in third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms. Because
of the challenges small, rural schools face (TEA, 2017b), the researcher selected one
small, rural school district to gain insights from a context that potentially could
shed more insights into implementing student-centered approaches to teaching
and learning. Additionally, the survey explored teachers’ perceptions of the Texas
Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS), a professional development tool
focusing on student-centered instruction across four domains: planning, instruction,
learning environment, and professional practices and responsibilities (TEA, 2017).
The researcher’s own lesson evaluations as a preservice teacher also relied on a
modified version of the T-TESS. Utilizing a Likert scale and open-ended questions,
the researcher aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of teachers’ perceptions
on the benefits of and their success in implementing these teaching styles in their
classrooms.

Review of Literature
Previous research has extensively explored teachers’ perceptions of student-
centered and teacher-centered instruction, as well as their relevance to teaching
excellence. For instance, studies have shown that teachers often view student-centered
approaches as more conducive to fostering student engagement, critical thinking
skills, and overall academic achievement (Hannafin et al., 2014; Speaker, 2001).

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