Biography
Dr. Woon Chia LIU
Dr. Woon Chia LIU
National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Title: Autonomy-supportive teachers: Who are they and when are they autonomy-supportive?
Abstract: 
Teachers have always played a crucial role in the classroom. They engage directly with students, and structure the classroom environment that these students come to and learn from every day. Their motivating styles can affect students’ motivation, learning, emotion, and performance. A teacher’s autonomy-supportive style has been found to be associated with a wide range of important student benefits, while a teacher’s controlling or pressuring style is associated with a wide range of important student costs. Research has shown that a number of factors influence teachers toward a more autonomy-supportive or a more controlling motivating style. These influential factors can be categorized as “factors from above” (e.g., principals, school climate, and social contextual performance pressures), “factors from within” (e.g., teachers’ need satisfaction, teachers’ causality orientation) and “factors from below” (e.g., students’ in-class displays of motivation, engagement, and prosocial behavior).
Using Singapore as the context, the address will take a closer look at the antecedents of teachers’ motivating styles. Research findings will be shared, together with challenges and considerations for policy makers, school leaders and educators.
Biography: 
Woon Chia LIU is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She is the Dean of Teacher Education, and a co-founder of the NIE’s Motivation in Educational Research Laboratory (MERL). During her Deanship, she led and developed the NTU-NIE Teaching Scholars Programme, reviewed and enhanced the Bachelor of Arts (Education)/Science (Education) and the Postgraduate Diploma in Education programmes, and conceptualised and launched the IoT@NIE Learning Lab in collaboration with the Info-communications Media Development Authority, Singapore. In addition, she was a key member of the steering committee and a co-chair of the working committee that shaped the Singapore Teaching Practice model that makes explicit how effective teaching and learning is achieved in Singapore schools.
She is a Past President of the Educational Research Association of Singapore (ERAS), and represented Singapore in the World Education Research Association (WERA) Council. She was also the co-convener of the WERA-IRN (International Research Network) titled “Teacher education for the 21st century: Developing teachers who are thoughtful, reflective, and inquiring.”
Her research interests include motivation, teacher education, innovative pedagogy, e-portfolio and clinical practice. She is currently working on a number of funded research projects including ‘Creating a Motivating School’, ‘Factors Influencing the Teachers’ Use of Motivational Strategies in the Classroom’, ‘Field Experience in Teacher Education II: Student Teachers’ Perception and Experience’ and ‘An exploratory study of beginning teacher mentoring practices in Singapore’.