Abstract:
Billions of dollars of public funding has been spent in Australia and New Zealand to build 'innovative learning environments' (ILEs). The Australian and New Zealand governments' push, since 2009, to build innovative spaces in schools have begun to raise questions as to the pedagogical value of these ILEs. These questions are being answered by research conducted within the Innovative Learning Environment and Teacher Change project. In particular, central to the project is the key research question; Can altering teacher mind frames unlock the potential of innovative learning environments? To answer this question requires developing suitable and valid methods of measuring teacher mind frames and student deep learning. Drawing on survey data from 822 principals and teachers in Australia and New Zealand, the aim of the paper is to discuss the teacher mind frames and student deep learning subscales developed and adapted in the context of innovative learning environments. The paper will discuss exploratory factor analysis to identify the relationship to the underlying variable, as well as analyses of reliability and validity within items and subscales. While many studies have investigated variants of teacher mindsets and attitudes and student learning approaches, none has done so in the context of innovative learning environment. Results of the analyses provide evidence that warrant the use of the scales to measure teacher mind frames and student deep learning. Further work examining factors that affect these phenomena may confirm the scales as an instrument, which might record differences and shifts in mind frames and deep learning. Such evidence can provide the much-needed acceptance of the changes in teacher practices needed for the successful implementation of innovative learning environments in schools.