Graduate Teaching Assistant Resources: A Literature Review
December 16, 2019
by Estefany Palacio
Educational Specialist for Scholarly Teaching and Part-Time Instructor of American
Studies
Kennesaw State University
Graduate Teaching Assistant Resources
Article
A New Conceptual Model for Understanding International Student's College Needs
By: Eyad Alfattal
Abstract: This study concerns the theory and practice of international marketing in
higher education with the purpose of exploring a conceptual model for understanding
international students’ needs in the context of a four-year college in the United
States. A transcendental phenomenological design was employed to investigate the essence
of international students’ needs within their study experiences and explore a conceptual
model that can explain these needs. Qualitative data were collected from 12 undergraduate
and graduate international students through semi-structured interviews. Using thematic
analysis, findings expand typical marketing mix frameworks and advance an eight-dimensional
international student needs model: Program, Place, Price, Promotion, Process, People,
Physical Facility, and Peace.
Source Location: Journal of International Students
Article
Critical Teacher Talk: Successful English for Academic Purposes Classroom Practices
in a Global Campus
By: Namsook Kim
Abstract: Drawn on the sociocultural paradigm, I examined teacher-student communication
with emphasis on teacher’s talk and its role on international students’ learning English
as a Second Language in an English for Academic Purposes classroom in a global campus
in the U.S. Developmental data analyses of class observations, teacher and student
interviews, and documents led to finding multidimensional characteristics of Critical
Teacher Talk (CTT). I also found evidence of the role of CTT on production-process-
affective aspects of learning English as an International Language. The findings further
shed insights on the need to train and practice Critical International Language Pedagogy
with the triadic principles—transnational culture building, critical caring, and authentic
learning—among international higher education educators and teacher educators.
Source Location: Journal of International Students
Article
Answering and Asking Questions
By: William E. Cashin
Abstract: This paper focuses on the answering and asking of questions in college-level
courses and makes suggestions regarding questioning techniques for lecture classes
and discussion groups. "Question" (Q) is defined as "any eliciting of an answer (response)
regardless of grammatical form. "Answer" (A) is defined as "any response that fulfills
the expectation of the question.""Reaction" (R) is defined as "any response that modifies
(clarifies, expands) or rates (positively or negatively) a previous statement (question,
answer, or another reaction)." It is pointed out that instructors experience difficulty
in handling pauses and silence after posing a question, and it is recommended that
instructors wait for a response. It is emphasized that it is desirable for an instructor
to create a classroom atmosphere that welcomes questions from students. This atmosphere
can be evoked by the teacher's asking for questions, listening to the students' questions
adequately and answering the questions without belittling the students.
Source Location: IDEA Paper
Article
Assessing Graduate Teacher Training Programs: Can a Teaching Seminar Reduce Anxiety
and Increase Confidence?
By: Julie A. Pelton
Abstract: Some effort to test the effectiveness of teacher assistant training programs
is common, but these evaluations are typically limited to measures of student satisfaction. Two
forms of assessment commonly used in elementary and secondary teacher training programs,
measuring levels of teaching anxiety and teacher efficacy, may be of use for sociology
programs interested in formally evaluating the effect of teaching seminars. The aim
of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of a newly established teaching
seminar using the Teaching Anxiety Scale and a Teaching Confidence Scale. Findings
from pre- and posttest data show that the seminar lowered graduate students' feelings
of anxiety about teaching for the first time and increased their levels of confidence
regarding mastery of common pedagogical skills. Qualitative feedback from evaluations
further illustrates the positive effects of the seminar on students' senses of themselves
as teachers and their knowledge of effective teaching practices.
Source Location: Teaching Sociology
Article
Best Practice Strategies for Effective Use of Questions as a Teaching Tool
By: Toyin Tofade, Jamie Elsner, Stuart T. Haines
Abstract: Questions have long been used as a teaching tool by teachers and preceptors
to assess students' knowledge, promote comprehension, and stimulate critical thinking. Well-crafted
questions lead to new insights, generate discussion, and promote the comprehensive
exploration of subject matter. Poorly constructed questions can stifle learning by
creating confusion, intimidating students, and limiting creative thinking. Teachers
most often ask lower-order, convergent questions that rely on students' factual recall
of prior knowledge rather than asking higher-order, divergent questions that promote
deep thinking, requiring students to analyze and evaluate concepts. This review summarizes
the taxonomy of questions, provides strategies for formulating effective questions,
and explores practical considerations to enhance student engagement and promote critical
thinking. These concepts can be applied in the classroom and in experiential learning
environments.
Source Location: American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
Article
Capturing the Experiences of International Teaching Assistants in the US American
Classroom
By: Aparna Hebbani, Katherine Grace Hendrix
Abstract: This chapter presents findings from a qualitative study which investigated
the perceptions of twenty-five ITAs toward US American undergraduates. The participant
cohort comprised fourteen PhD and eleven master's students, of which, three were male
and twenty-two were female ITAs teaching oral communication or a communication course
requiring at least two graded assignments. The responses gathered via an online survey
were content analyzed using Leximancer, a text analytic software program. We found
that the master's students reflected more about issues pertaining to their own public
speaking and confidence, while the PhD students were more concerned with the preparation
and presentation of the course material. In addition to discussing these findings,
one coauthor of this study adds her reflexive voice to the experience of being a nonnative
English speaker teaching American students.
Source Location: New Directions for Teaching & Learning
Article
Developing Graduate Students' Self-Efficacy with Learner-Centered Lecturing
By: Meagan Troop, Lauren Wallar, Erin Aspenliender
Abstract: This paper presents the findings of a mixed-method case study conducted
at the University of Guelph on the relationship between practice lecturing and graduate
student self-efficacy. Building on the work of Boman (2013), and using surveys and
individual interviews, we measured and characterized the perceived changes in graduate
students' self-efficacy in learner-centred lecturing. Our research question was: In
what ways, if any, does microteaching contribute to participants' perceived self-
efficacy in learner-centred lecturing? Our results and discussion reveal that practice
increases self-efficacy with respect to the design, facilitation, and assessment of
learner-centred lectures, and is a vital component to graduate student teaching development
programming.
Source Location: Canadian Journal of Higher Education
Article
Evaluating the Differential Impact of Teaching Assistant Training Programs on International
Graduate Student Teaching
By: Ken N. Meadows, Karyn C. Olsen, Nanda Dimitrov, Debra L. Dawson
Abstract: In this study, we compared the effects of a traditional teaching assistant
(TA) training program to those of a specialized program, with a substantial intercultural
component, for international graduate students. We expected both programs to result
in an increase in international graduate students' teaching self-efficacy, observed
teaching effectiveness, and adoption of student-centred approaches to teaching, and
we anticipated a greater degree of change for the participants in the specialized
program. We found the expected increases for graduate students in both programs, with
a larger increase in observed teaching effectiveness for students in the specialized
program. We discuss the implications of tailoring TA training programs for international
graduate students and of providing time and learning activities for the development
of student-centred teaching and reflective practice.
Source Location: Canadian Journal of Higher Education
Article
Exploring teaching concerns and characteristics of graduate teaching assistants
By: YoonJung Cho, Myouongsook Kim, Marilla D. Svinicki, Mark Lowry Decker
Abstract: The purpose of the study was to explore a conceptual structure of graduate
teaching assistant (GTA) teaching concerns. Results indicated that GTAs experience
five distinct, inter-related types of concerns: class control, external evaluation,
task, impact and role/time/communication. These 'teaching concerns' were further analysed
by examining their relationship with the value placed on them by the GTAs and the
confidence in dealing with the teaching-related issues of concern. The results revealed
that GTAs tend to have concerns about self, task or role/time/communication- related
issues when the nature of the concerned issues is perceived as being valuable but
challenging. On the other hand, GTAs are more likely to have concerns with impact-
related issues when the nature of the issues is perceived as both being valuable and
manageable. Several GTA characteristics, such as teaching experience, teacher efficacy,
participation in professional development and values on teaching practices, were examined
as predictors of GTA teaching concerns.
Source Location: Teaching in Higher Education
Article
Graduate Student Teaching Development: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Training in
Relation to Graduate Student Characteristics
By: Jennifer S. Boman
Abstract: In recent years, much attention has been given to the need for more empirical
research to evaluate training programs that help prepare graduate students for their
current and future teaching responsibilities. The present study investigated the effectiveness
of a training workshop for graduate students who had varying levels of experience
and diverse cultural backgrounds. Results indicated that over the course of training
participants significantly increased their self-efficacy and effective teaching behaviours
and decreased their public speaking apprehension. Although participants with varying
levels of experience as well as participants with Canadian and international backgrounds
benefited from the program, the results highlighted the need for additional teaching
development opportunities for international graduate students.
Source Location: Canadian Journal of Higher Education
Article
International graduate students' difficulties: graduate classes as a community of
practices
By: Hye Yeong Kim
Abstract: This study explores the factors that cause international graduate students
to struggle and these students' ways of dealing with such problems in light of sociocultural
theory, which views learning as a social and cultural act. The findings show that
graduate classes function as communities of practices in which classmates and professors
mutually engage with each other, share a repertoire and engage in joint enterprises.
The practices were not always transparent to international students, which became
a source of difficulty and often led them to feel excluded. Peripheral participation
comprised a significant part of some students' learning process and identity formation,
but it allowed them to participate in course-related activities as fully as they felt
comfortable doing. This study suggests a need for more sensitive and dialogical efforts
by educators in higher education to provide better learning environments for international
learners.
Source Location: Teaching in Higher Education
Article
Living Life in Two Worlds: Acculturative Stress among Asian International Graduate
Student Parents and Spouses
By: Judith A. Myers-Walls, Larissa V. Frias, Kyong-Ah Kwon, Mei-Ju Meryl Ko, ting
Lu
Abstract: This qualitative study examined the experiences of Asian international graduate
students and spouses with children at a university in the U. S. Participants (n= 31)
from China, Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan were interviewed regarding their Stressors.
Some Stressors were identified in the answers of the group as a whole: (a) adjustment
to a new culture; (b) feeling overwhelmed; (c) language difficulty; (d) feelings of
isolation; (e) financial stress; and (f) marital stress. Stressors found only in the
answers of the students were: (a) balancing multiple roles; (b) adjusting to the academic
culture; (c) finding child care; and, among male students, d) worrying about the non-student
spouse. Stressors unique to nonstudent spouses included: (a) loss of roles and status;
(b) power imbalance in the couple relationships; and (c) feeling inadequate. Implications
for research and practice with international graduate student parents/spouses are
provided.
Source Location: Journal of Comparative Family Studies
Article
Mentoring Graduate Students in Teaching: The FCCIC Model
By: Jessie K. Finch, Celestino Fernandez
Abstract: Research has consistently shown the high value of mentorship for graduate
students in various areas—program satisfaction, professional self-image, confidence,
productivity, and so on. However, specific templates of how to best mentor graduate
students, especially in the vital area of teaching, are lacking. This article outlines
the mentoring model called “From Conception to Co-instructor to Completion” (FCCIC).
This five-step method provides a plan of action for faculty and graduate students
who wish to co-develop a course in such a way that graduate student mentees are exposed
to the entire teaching process with the supervision and assistance of a faculty mentor.
This relationship moves beyond the traditional “professor/teaching assistant” hierarchy
(the TA model) to create equally operational co-instructors. In this note, the FCCIC
method is summarized and then illustrated through the development of a sociology course
on happiness as an exemplar of how to better mentor graduate students in teaching.
Source Location: Teaching Sociology
Article
Professional Development Through Community Partnership: How a Class Project Led to
Graduate Student Teaching Practices
By: Heidi Laidemitt, Sarah Demola, Jaymee Martin, Caroline Kelley
Abstract: This article is written from the perspective of 4 current MA TESOL graduate
students at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). These students
have written about their experiences by incorporating their theoretical and pedagogical
English language-teaching knowledge into the growth and maintenance of a community-based
ESL program at the Peace Resource Center in Seaside, California. The article highlights
the continual development of their original peace and social justice-themed curriculum,
which involves graduate students in Linguistics, Education, and non-TESOL courses
at MIIS. The writers respectively reflect upon professional growth as a result of
their commitment to the ESL program. In addition, their appendices and details of
their work may serve as resources and tools for the TESOL community interested in
curriculum development, needs assessment, community-based language instruction, language-
program administration, ESL critical pedagogy, and content-based instruction.
Source Location: CATESOL Journal
Article
Reducing international graduate students’ language anxiety through oral pronunciation
corrections
By: Eun Jeong Lee
Abstract: This mixed methods study examines the relationships between teachers' oral
corrective feedback (CF) and changes in international graduate students' language
anxiety levels. The participants were sixty advanced-level adult ESL students, all
of whom were training to be teaching assistants (TAs) at a large Midwestern US university.
The data were collected through classroom observations, survey questionnaires (pre-
and post-surveys), and in-depth follow-up interviews with 40 of the 60 students. The
study revealed that most of the teachers' oral CF had positive impacts on the students'
affective variables, specifically lowering their anxiety about speaking English. However,
certain clarification requests increased the students’ anxiety instead. These results
highlight the potential affective risks of CF, and the study suggests how ESL instructors
can use CF to encourage or even create positive emotional states in their ESL students.
Source Location: System
Article
Rethinking ESL Service Courses for International Graduate Students
By: Young-Kyung Min
Abstract: Drawing on data from a writing program in English as a second language (ESL)
at a large university in the midwestern United States, this article addresses the
significant gap in programmatic and pedagogical responses for graduate writing support
by probing the notion of ESL service courses that approach graduate writing courses
as being essentially the same as undergraduate writing courses. It looks into the
teaching of writing and writing instructor training in TESOL by tracing the complex
phenomenon by which first-year students in a master's in teaching English as a second
language (MATESL) program-both native and nonnative speakers who do not have any experience
of teaching let alone writing-become instructors of ESL graduate writing courses in
which many doctoral students are enrolled. It raises questions about ESL practitioners'
assumptions about the transfer of writing skills across disciplines and genres and
examines the implications of English for academic purposes pedagogy for graduate students'
writing practices. This article aims to prompt critical reflection on, and ultimately
innovation in, writing programs designed for international graduate students while
contributing to the development of a meta-disciplinary awareness of the study of ESL
writing in TESOL.
Source Location: TESOL Journal
Article
Rites of Pedagogical Passage: How Graduate Student Instructors Negotiate the Challenges
of First-time Teaching
By: Leandra M. Smollin, Arnold Arluke
Abstract: This study examines the dynamics of the first-time teaching experience of
graduate instructors, drawing on interview and focus group data from 35 sociology
students in a doctoral program at a large university in the United States. Results
indicate the majority of graduate instructors felt a great deal of anxiety due to
challenges they faced when teaching their own course for the first time: challenges
such as feelings of unpreparedness, constant and unremitting time demands, problems
with students, a lack of confidence, and insufficient support. Instructors employed
a number of informal strategies in attempts to mediate the personal and professional
impact of these challenges. Strategies included adjusting expectations, making sacrifices,
becoming savvy, and creating informal peer networks that provided social support and
increased access to resources. Findings indicate the need for institutional-level
changes, including how graduate student teaching is viewed within the discipline and
the ways graduate instructors are supported and prepared to teach. This article concludes
with specific recommendations for graduate programs and sociology departments of sociology.
Source Location: Teaching Sociology
Article
Student to Scholar: Learning Experiences of International Students
By: Yolanda Michelle Palmer
Abstract: The author discusses the learning experiences and processes of selected
international graduate students within a Canadian university as they progressed from
student to scholar. Inspired by social learning theorists Lave and Wenger's (1991)
notion of apprentice to masters in situated learning and communities of practice,
the student to scholar framework sheds new light on the phenomenon of being an international
graduate student. The arguments within the paper counter traditional views of learning
as occurring solely through classroom engagements and offers that international graduate
students learn and achieve "scholar" status through situated practice, professor mentoring
and triple learning. Data were captured through observations and in-depth phenomenological
and semi-structured interviews.
Source Location: Journal of International Students
Article
Surviving and Thriving: Recommendations for Graduate Student-teachers from Colleagues
Further Along the Path
By: Carolyn Hoessler, Laura Kinderman, Alicia Hussain, Amelia Horsburgh
Abstract: Graduate students involved in teaching face multiple challenges, including
providing frontline support for students, balancing relationships and time commitments,
creating welcoming and effective classroom environments, engaging students, and creating
or seeking supports as needed. They are supported by peers, who share insights and
resources, and by faculty and staff, who provide teaching development opportunities.
Going beyond informal conversations in teaching assistant offices, this article draws
on the lived experience of interviewed graduate student-teachers, as well as faculty
and staff who support them, to identify five key advice themes. Each theme was developed
inductively from quotations, which have been interwoven with scholarship to provide
advice that synthesizes the collective, scholarly, and personal insights of current
and future graduate student-teachers, as well as the individuals and institutions
seeking to support quality graduate student teaching.
Source Location: Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning Journal
Article
Teacher Communication Concerns Revisited: Calling into Question the Gnawing Pull Towards
Equilibrium
By: Deanna P. Dannels
Abstract: This study revisits the long-standing teacher communication concerns framework
originating over three decades ago. Analysis of 10 years of contemporary GTA teacher
communication concerns reveals a typology of 10 concerns, which taken together construct
teaching as a process of negotiating relationships, managing identities, and focusing
attention. Results add depth to the original teacher communication concerns framework,
yet complicate the typological distinctions that often define that framework. Specifically,
results suggest that teacher communication concerns are multidimensional, multimodal,
dynamic, iterative, and equilibrium-driven. Based on the results, I suggest a new
metaphorical framework for teacher-training scholarship and practice.
Source Location: Communication Education
Article
The graduate teaching assistant (GTA): lessons from North American experience
By: Chris Park
Abstract: The employment of graduate students on a part-time basis to help with the
teaching of undergraduates is growing in the UK and many higher education institutions
are confronted with challenges about how best to do this. UK institutions have much
to learn from North American experience of appointing graduate teaching assistants
(GTAs), and this paper seeks to highlight key lessons by reviewing published literature
on the use of GTAs in North America. After sketching out the emerging context in the
UK, some important implications of North American experience in the selection and
preparation, training, supervision and mentoring of GTAs are explored. The paper also
identifies lessons relating to practical issues (including communication and managing
conflict), personal issues (including reflective practices, and issues of identity
and self-worth) and professional development issues (including GTAs as aspiring academics
and the ambiguity of the GTA role).
Source Location: Teaching in Higher Education
Article
The Not-so-Easy Road of Overseas Study: Life Like an Outsider
By: Yolanda Palmer
Abstract: Contemplating my graduate student experience overseas, I constantly viewed
myself as an isolate, one who did not belong in the new community of practice. I encountered
numerous lingua-cultural, academic and social challenges which led to my lack of community
and belonging. This paper is a reflection of my experiences as an international graduate
student in a Canadian university. Through this reflection, I explore some of my most
potent experiences and how these influenced me as I sojourned through the not-so-easy
road of study overseas. This paper also describes the processes I used that enabled
me to successfully maneuver and negotiate my journey on the not-so-easy-road of studying
in a post-secondary institution overseas.
Source Location: Journal of International Students
Article
When inputs are outputs: The case of graduate student instructors
By: Eric P. Bettinger, Bridget Terry Long, Eric S. Taylor
Abstract: We examine graduate student teaching as an input to two production processes:
the education of undergraduates and the development of graduate students themselves.
Undergraduates are more likely to major in a subject if their first course in the
subject was taught by a graduate student, a result opposite of estimates that ignore
selection. Graduate students who teach more frequently graduate earlier and are more
likely to subsequently be employed by a college or university.
Source Location: Economics of Education Review
Book
Teaching at University : A Guide for Postgraduates and Researchers
By: Kate Morss, Rowena Murray
Source Location: KSU Library Online Access
Book
Learner-centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice
By: Maryellen Weimer
Source Location: KSU Library Online Access
Book
Developing learner-centered teaching a practical guide for faculty
By: Phyllis Blumberg
Source Location: KSU Library Online Access
Book
Learner-centered teaching putting the research on learning into practice
By: Terry Doyle
Source Location: KSU Library Online Access
Book
Learner-centered instruction : building relationships for student success
By: Jeffrey H. Cornelius-White, Adam P. Harbaugh
Source Location: Johnson Library General Collection
Book
The Professional development of graduate teaching assistants
By: Michele Marincovich, Jack Prostko, Frederic Stout
Source Location: GIL Express
Book
Planning a college course: a guidebook for the graduate teaching assistant
By: Michael P. Ryan, Gretchen G. Martens
Source Location: Sturgis Library General Collection
Book
Strategies for teaching first-year composition
By: Duane H. Roen
Source Location: Johnson Library General Collection
Book
The graduate student as teacher
By: Vincent Nowlis, Kenneth E. Clark, Miriam Rock
Source Location: Johnson Library General Collection
