What makes a good teacher? The relative importance of mathematics teachers' cognitive ability, personality, knowledge, beliefs, and motivation for instructional quality.

BACKGROUND Teachers differ substantially in their instructional performance in the classroom. Thus, researchers and policymakers are interested in how these differences can be explained and how the instruction provided by low-performing teachers can be improved. Previous research has focused either on generic (cognitive ability and personality) or profession-specific (professional knowledge, beliefs, and motivation for teaching) teacher characteristics as predictors of instructional quality but their relative importance has not yet been tested. AIMS Hardly any studies have combined central generic and profession-specific variables in ascertaining their relative importance for instructional quality. In the present study, we seek to close this research gap. SAMPLES We investigated 209 German mathematics teachers and their 4,672 students attending grades 7-10 (13- to 16-year-old students). METHODS Teacher characteristics (cognitive ability, personality, professional knowledge, beliefs about, and enthusiasm for teaching) were assessed using standardized tests and self-report measures. Instructional quality (learning support, classroom disruptions, and cognitive activation) was rated by the students. RESULTS Using structural equation modelling, we found extraversion, enthusiasm for teaching, and pedagogical/psychological knowledge to be significant predictors of learning support (R2  = .31) and conscientiousness and enthusiasm for teaching to be significant predictors of classroom discipline (R2  = .21). We did not find significant predictors for cognitive activation. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate the relative significance of generic and profession-specific teacher variables for instructional quality. Overall, a substantial amount of variance in instructional quality is explained by teacher characteristics.

• Publication year

  2018

• Venue

  British Journal of Educational Psychology

• Publication date

  2018-11-11

• Fields of study

  Mathematics, Medicine, Education, Psychology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1111/bjep.12256PMID 30417329
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Generic dimensions of teaching quality: the German framework of Three Basic Dimensions

  2018cited by this paper
• Teacher Personality and Teacher Effectiveness in Secondary School: Personality Predicts Teacher Support and Student Self-Efficacy but Not Academic Achievement

  2017cited by this paper
• A Temperament for Teaching? Associations Between Personality Traits and Beginning Teacher Performance and Retention

  2017cited by this paper
• Effects of Cognitive Activation in Biology Lessons on Students’ Situational Interest and Achievement

  2017cited by this paper
• Student and teacher ratings of instructional quality: Consistency of ratings over time, agreement, and predictive power.

  2016cited by this paper
• A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Classroom Management Strategies and Classroom Management Programs on Students' Academic, Behavioral, Emotional, and Motivational Outcomes

  2016cited by this paper
• Is teacher knowledge associated with performance? On the relationship between teachers’ general pedagogical knowledge and instructional quality

  2016cited by this paper
• Can low skill teachers make good students? Empirical evidence from PIAAC and PISA

  2015cited by this paper
• When Knowing is Not Enough – the Relevance of Teachers’ Cognitive and Emotional Resources for Classroom Management

  2015cited by this paper
• Student ratings of teaching quality in primary school: Dimensions and prediction of student outcomes

  2014cited by this paper
• Teachers’ self-efficacy, personality, and teaching effectiveness: A meta-analysis

  2014cited by this paper
• Die Bedeutung des pädagogisch-psychologischen Wissens von angehenden Lehrkräften für die Unterrichtsqualität

  2014cited by this paper
• Professional Competence of Teachers: Effects on Instructional Quality and Student Development

  2013cited by this paper
• Mathematics Teachers’ Beliefs

  2013cited by this paper
• Motivation as an Aspect of Professional Competence: Research Findings on Teacher Enthusiasm

  2013cited by this paper
• The Development of Teachers’ Professional Competence

  2013cited by this paper
• Effective teachers and teaching: Characteristics and practices related to positive student outcomes.

  2012cited by this paper
• Spring cleaning for the “messy” construct of teachers’ beliefs: What are they? Which have been examined? What can they tell us?

  2012cited by this paper
• Assessment of teacher knowledge across countries: a review of the state of research

  2012cited by this paper
• Assessing Teacher Candidates' General Pedagogical/Psychological Knowledge: Test Construction and Validation.

  2011cited by this paper
• Subjective and objective evaluations of teacher effectiveness: Evidence from New York City☆

  2011cited by this paper
• Teachers’ Mathematical Knowledge, Cognitive Activation in the Classroom, and Student Progress

  2010cited by this paper
• Conceptualization, Measurement, and Improvement of Classroom Processes: Standardized Observation Can Leverage Capacity

  2009cited by this paper
• Teacher Verbal Ability and School Outcomes

  2009cited by this paper
• Students' and mathematics teachers' perceptions of teacher enthusiasm and instruction

  2008cited by this paper
• Reliability and agreement of student ratings of the classroom environment: A reanalysis of TIMSS data

  2007cited by this paper
• Effective Classroom Management and the Development of Subject-Related Interest.

  2007cited by this paper
• Cross-sectional age differences and longitudinal age changes of personality in middle adulthood and old age.

  2007cited by this paper
• Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies.

  2003cited by this paper
• To Parcel or Not to Parcel: Exploring the Question, Weighing the Merits

  2002cited by this paper
• The Nature of Teachers' Pedagogical Content Beliefs Matters for Students' Achievement Gains: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Elementary Mathematics.

  2002cited by this paper
• Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being.

  2000cited by this paper

• Die Vergessenen: Einblicke in kriteriale Präferenzen und die Gewichtung von mündlichen Schulnoten durch Lehrpersonen

  2026cites this paper
• The role of teacher characteristics for instructional quality: A meta-analysis

  2026cites this paper
• “Jack of all trades”? Exploring the dual role of the subject teaching guidance counsellor in Irish schools

  2026cites this paper
• Beyond self-regulation: The role of mentalizing in shaping pedagogical competencies among novice special education teachers

  2026cites this paper
• Necessity Analysis of Majalengka Picture-Based Teaching Materials Toward Historical Literacy of Elementary School

  2026cites this paper
• Is motivation the key? Linking motivational orientations and mental health among novice special education teachers

  2026cites this paper
• Numeracy skills students profile of Riau Province: content and construct instrument-based Riau culture and evaluation results

  2025cites this paper
• Early Childhood Teachers’ STEM Knowledge and Teaching Attitudes and Beliefs Predict Students’ STEM Habits of Mind: A Multilevel Model

  2025cites this paper
• Beliefs about inclusive teaching, motivation, and self-efficacy among preservice teacher candidates in the second phase of teacher education in Germany

  2025cites this paper
• Bibliometric Profiling of Augmented Reality and Mathematics Literature: A Comprehensive Analysis using RStudio

  2025cites this paper
• Pengaruh Gaya Kepemimpinan, Human Capital dan Ketidakpastian Lingkungan Terhadap Kinerja Karyawan Pada PT. EI

  2025cites this paper
• Navigate the start: Affective-motivational competence drives beginning teachers' instructional quality and occupational well-being

  2025cites this paper
• The impact of Chinese mathematics teachers’ competence on students’ affective learning outcomes and the mediating role of instructional quality

  2025cites this paper
• The Service of Education. Reconceptualising Teaching Quality and Its Measurement in Higher Education

  2025cites this paper
• When accuracy does not make a difference—The relationship between future teachers’ self-assessment accuracy, quality of learning material and subsequent topical interest

  2025cites this paper
• Professional competencies, motivation, cognitive abilities and personality in pre-service teachers

  2025cites this paper
• Teachers’ Competencies on Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge: In Relation to their Teaching Performance

  2025cites this paper
• The Moderating Role of Gender in the Relationship Between Teacher Competence, Learning Satisfaction, and Students' Intrinsic Motivation

  2025cites this paper
• Ta'lim Management Through the Integration of Verses 30-35 Surah of Al-Baqarah and Hadith: a Historical and Textual Analysis

  2025cites this paper
• Mathematics teachers’ beliefs about primary school students’ mathematical attitudes

  2025cites this paper
• Teachers’ professional beliefs made a difference for instructional quality in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

  2025cites this paper
• “Establishing pathways to excellence in the teaching profession”: an exploration of teachers’ experiences on sustaining motivation in Medical sciences universities

  2025cites this paper
• The Role of Collaborative Work Culture in Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in SMK Negeri 1 Pabelan

  2025cites this paper
• The interplay among school climate, instructional quality and teacher job satisfaction: Mediation of teacher motivation

  2025cites this paper
• The role of teachers’ beliefs and professional development in students’ mathematics motivation in primary education

  2025cites this paper
• Systematic Literature Review of Academic Service Quality in Higher Education

  2025cites this paper
• The effect of teacher personality on the social competence of students: an empirical study in primary education classrooms

  2025cites this paper
• Students need analysis in developing mobile English application for English as a foreign language young learner

  2025cites this paper
• Transformative leadership: cultivating teacher excellence through satisfaction, environment, and self-efficacy

  2025cites this paper
• Teachers’ Organizational Commitment: Effects of Support, Servant Leadership, Personality, and Job Satisfaction

  2025cites this paper
• Hasil Analisis Peran Gojek dalam Menggenggam Pasar dengan Strategi Pemasaran Digital

  2025cites this paper
• Pengaruh Kualitas Laba terhadap Nilai Perusahaan dengan Kepemilikan Manajerial sebagai Variabel Moderasi

  2025cites this paper
• Teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards teaching and learning mathematics: a bibliometric analysis in scopus database (1991–2024)

  2025cites this paper
• What drives enthusiasm for teaching with digital media? A study of the relative importance of intrinsic value, utility value and self-efficacy using the model averaging approach

  2025cites this paper
• An Exploration of the Characteristics and Factors of Good English Teachers in the Mind of Primary School Teachers and Students

  2024cites this paper
• Modeling the hierarchy of teacher personality: The predictive power of domains and incremental facets for teacher job-related outcomes

  2024cites this paper
• Elementary teachers’ understanding of pedagogical content knowledge analysis disaster mitigation: stories from Indonesia

  2024cites this paper
• Una aproximación al estudio de la selección negativa en el acceso a la formación docente

  2024cites this paper
• Towards an Integrated Perspective of Teachers’ Technology Integration: A Preliminary Model and Future Research Directions

  2024cites this paper
• Long-term changes in teacher beliefs and motivation: Progress, stagnation or regress?

  2024cites this paper
• Research on Improving Classroom Teaching Ability by Using Multimedia Image Processing Technology

  2024cites this paper
• The Effects of Educators' Mathematics Pedagogical Content Knowledge on The Mentoring of Grade 12 Students Using Problem-Based Learning

  2024cites this paper
• Teaching Competencies Based on Comparative Assessment at Diverse School Levels

  2024cites this paper
• The Association Between Teacher Competence and College Students’ Academic Achievement: The Mediating Role of College Students’ Mental Health

  2024cites this paper
• How does pre-service teachers’ general pedagogical knowledge develop during university teacher education? Examining the impact of learning opportunities and entry characteristics over five time points using longitudinal models

  2024cites this paper
• The essential role of teacher self-efficacy and enthusiasm for differentiated instruction

  2024cites this paper
• Mathematical Problem-Solving Ability in STAD Learning Assisted by Question Cards in Terms of Student Learning Motivation

  2024cites this paper
• Berücksichtigung heterogener Lernbedarfe im Rahmen der Arbeit mit Wochenplänen

  2024cites this paper
• Preference for Student Activity over Teacher Guidance: Effects of Task-Related Knowledge and Learner or Instructor Roles

  2024cites this paper
• Does formal teacher competence matter for students’ mathematics achievement? Results from Swedish TIMSS 2019

  2024cites this paper
• Professional development and teaching quality: Evidence from Indonesian teachers

  2024cites this paper
• The flip side of teacher enthusiasm?

  2024cites this paper
• Validation of a teacher mathematics knowledge scale based on the Ernest framework among Malaysian teachers

  2024cites this paper
• Persepsi Mahasiswa terhadap Penerapan Pembelajaran Blended Learning Pada Mata Kuliah English for Survival

  2024cites this paper
• Akreditasi Sekolah Atau Madrasah Dalam Meningkatkan Mutu Pendidikan Islam

  2024cites this paper
• Do prompts and strategy instruction contribute to pre-service teachers’ peer-feedback on technology-integration?

  2024cites this paper
• Who thinks about dropping out and why? Cognitive and affective-motivational profiles of student teachers explain differences in their intention to quit their teaching degree

  2024cites this paper
• Links between instructional quality and classroom composition in classes taught by the same teacher

  2024cites this paper
• Customer satisfaction optimization: Impact of PLN mobile application and price in the context of PT. PLN Palembang services

  2024cites this paper
• Identifying the Needs for a Learning Model Based on Genre in English Language Teaching: A Mixed Method Approach

  2024cites this paper
• Exploring the predictor of teaching quality using the job demands-resources model

  2024cites this paper
• Building the Character of a Community Concerned with Ecology through the Environmental Reforestation Program in Madiun City

  2024cites this paper
• Full-time education: Assessment of the impact on learning of the Brazilian program Novo Mais Educação

  2024cites this paper
• The role of students’ perceived teacher support in student motivation: A longitudinal study of student motivation profiles

  2024cites this paper
• Strategic Design of Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Professional Literacy Teaching Content in the Modern Service Industry Program in Higher Education Institutions

  2024cites this paper
• Preservice teachers’ pedagogical and psychological knowledge: Structure and learning opportunities

  2024cites this paper
• Developing Students’ Critical Thinking Skills Through Differentiated Problem-Based Learning

  2024cites this paper
• Mindfulness and connection training during preservice teacher education reduces early career teacher attrition 4 years later.

  2024cites this paper
• Enhancing TPACK for Excellent Vocational Teachers: The Role of Teacher Engagement in Implementing the Merdeka Curriculum

  2024cites this paper
• Validity and Reliability of the Qualities of Online Programming Teacher Inventory

  2024cites this paper
• Research on the Path of Teaching Ability Improvement of College Teachers Supported by Artificial Intelligence Technology

  2024cites this paper
• The Influence of Understanding Curriculum and Motivation on the Teacher’s Performance

  2024cites this paper
• The Use of Freeze Framing and Prediction Technique in YouTube to Improve Students’ Writing Skill

  2024cites this paper
• Tackling the Future: Optimizing TVET Students of Employability Skills Through Self-Regulated Learning and Self-Efficacy

  2024cites this paper
• Company Size and Price-Earnings Ratio as A Signal in Influencing Firm Value Moderated by Investment Decisions

  2024cites this paper
• Implementasi Text Mining untuk Analisis Review pada Aplikasi Crowdfunding LX dan ST Menggunakan Metode Sentiment Analysis

  2024cites this paper
• PENYULUHAN STRATEGI PENJUALAN PRODUK LOKAL UMKM BALAIDESA TLASIH TULANGAN SIDOARJO JAWA TIMUR DALAM MENINGKATKAN PENGHASILAN

  2024cites this paper
• Applying the TPACK model to HCI Education: Relationships between Perceived Instructional Quality and Teacher Knowledge

  2023cites this paper
• Application of Video-Assisted Online Interactive Learning to Improve Student Mathematics Learning Outcomes

  2023cites this paper
• Entrepreneurship Teacher Training; Transformational Strategies for Teacher Training in Iran

  2023cites this paper
• Motivation to teach and preparedness for teaching among preservice teachers in China: The effect of conscientiousness and constructivist teaching beliefs

  2023cites this paper
• Do they know what they know? Accuracy in teacher candidates' self‐assessments and its influencing factors

  2023cites this paper
• Construction and Initial Validation of the DECCS Questionnaire to Assess How Students Deal with Emotionally Challenging Classroom Situations (Grades 4–7)

  2023cites this paper
• Factores personales del alumnado que predicen el rendimiento en matemáticas en Educación Primaria en Estados Unidos

  2023cites this paper
• Revisiting effects of teacher characteristics on physiological and psychological stress: a virtual reality study

  2023cites this paper
• Building Vocabulary Bridges: Exploring Pre-Service Primary School Teachers’ Dispositions on L2 Vocabulary Instruction for Emergent Bilinguals through Interactive Book Reading

  2023cites this paper
• Star Wars: The Role of Technology Infrastructure in Equalizing Prospective Educator Competence

  2023cites this paper
• Examining the Potential of Cartoon-Based Simulations for Studying Mathematics Teachers’ Handling of Student Emotions: A Replication Study

  2023cites this paper
• Development and Improvement of Teaching Ability of University Teachers in the Context of Mobile Learning

  2023cites this paper
• Enhancing students' pedagogical potential with practice-oriented courses in teacher education universities

  2023cites this paper
• Teacher personality domains and facets: Their unique associations with student-ratings of teaching quality and teacher enthusiasm

  2023cites this paper
• The Mediating Effect of Study Skills on the Relationship Between Mathematical Beliefs and Teaching Method of Secondary School Teachers

  2023cites this paper
• Teacher emotions are linked with teaching quality: Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence from two field studies

  2023cites this paper
• The Relationship of Supporting Factors That Influence the Performance of Hindu Religious Teachers

  2023cites this paper
• Striving for personal growth matters: The relationship between personal growth initiative, teacher engagement and instructional quality.

  2023cites this paper
• Forschungs- und Entwicklungsfelder der Lehrkräftebildung – Diskussion ausgewählter Erkenntnisse und weiterführender Bedarfe

  2023cites this paper
• Kognitive Aktivierung in Befragungen von Schülerinnen und Schülern

  2023cites this paper
• Analysis of the Content and Pedagogical Competencies Management of Secondary School’s Science Teachers

  2023cites this paper
• What motivates and demotivates Estonian mathematics teachers to continue teaching? The roles of self-efficacy, work satisfaction, and work experience

  2023cites this paper
• An elementary school project-based learning program based on a Javanese comic

  2023cites this paper