Teachers’ Perceptions of Lesson Study in China: Suggestions for Improving Lesson Study

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to investigate teachers' awareness and attitudes on lesson study from the perspective of their practice. We will then analyze the factors that influence teachers' perceptions of lesson study from personal attributes and work environment. We will try to provide improvement strategies for teachers in terms of lesson study in China. A survey of primary and secondary school teachers in southwestern China is used for the analysis in this paper. A total of 2042 teachers participated in the survey, and the number of valid responses was 1364. The findings of this study can be summarized as follows. First, teachers with administrative positions and higher salaries rated lesson study higher. Second, job perception, teaching satisfaction and workload greatly influenced on teachers' awareness and attitudes toward lesson study.

These findings show that teachers' perceptions of lesson study vary depending on the situation they are in. Therefore, the following issues to improve lesson study efficiency in primary and secondary schools can be pointed out. First, it is necessary to pay attention to the teachers' subjectivity. It is also necessary to consider improvement measures that encompass all aspects of teachers' professional life to promote their development.