Teaching styles and conceptions of effective teachers: Tibetan and Han Chinese academics compared

The principal objective of this research is to ascertain if the “research–teaching dichotomy” as revealed in the relationship between conceptions of effective teachers and teaching styles among Han Chinese academics can be found among Tibetan academics. As a preliminary objective, this research examines the appropriateness of the Effective Teacher Inventory (Zhang, 2003) for evaluating Tibetan academics' conceptions of effective teachers and compares the conceptions of effective teachers between Tibetan and Han Chinese academics. The Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory (Grigorenko & Sternberg, 1993) and the Effective Teacher Inventory (Zhang, 2003) were administered to 162 Tibetan academics. For the purpose of comparison, data from 93 Han Chinese academics in Zhang's (2009) study were integrated into the present research.The results warranted two conclusions. First, the Effective Teacher Inventory was appropriate for assessing Tibetan academics' conceptions of effective teachers; and there was no substantial difference in the conceptions of effective teachers between the two samples. Second, as it was among Han Chinese academics, the apparent “research–teaching dichotomy” was identified among Tibetan academics. Limitations and significance of this research are discussed and directions for future research are proposed.

► The ETI is suitable for testing Tibetan academics' conceptions of effective teachers.
► Tibetan and Han Chinese academics had similar conceptions of effective teachers.
► The “research–teaching dichotomy” was confirmed among Tibetan academics.