Search results for: high school teachers

Authors: Mariana Paz Sajon, Paula Cecilia Primogerio, Mariana Albarracin

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This study recovers an experience of teacher training carried out in an Undergraduate Business School from a private university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The purpose of the project was to provide teachers with an opportunity to reflect on their teaching practices at the university. The aim of the study is to systematize lessons and challenges that emerge from this teacher training experience. A group of teachers who showed a willingness to learn teaching abilities was selected to work. They completed a formative journey working in learning communities starting from the immersion in different aspects of teaching and learning, class observations, and an individual and collaborative reflection exercise in a systematic way among colleagues. In this study, the productions of the eight teachers who are members of the learning communities are analyzed, framed in an e-portfolio that they prepared during the training journey. The analysis shows that after the process of shared reflection, traits related to powerful teaching and meaningful learning have appeared in the classes. For their part, teachers reflect having reached an awareness of their own practices, identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement, and the experience of sharing their own way and knowing the successes and failures of others was valued. It is an educational journey of pedagogical transformation of the teachers, which is infrequent in business education, which could lead to a change in teaching practices for the entire Business School. The present study involves theoretical and pedagogic aspects of education in a business school in Argentina and its flow-on implications for the workplace that may be transferred to other educational contexts.

Keywords: Argentina, learning community, meaningful learning, powerful teaching, reflective practice

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Authors: Mohsine Jebbour

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The ultimate aim of this study was to analyze a second-year baccalaureate textbook of English to see to what extent it includes elements of critical thinking. A further purpose was to assess the extent to which the teachers’ teaching practices help students develop some degree of critical thinking. The literature on critical thinking indicated that all the writers agree that critical thinking is skilled and dispositional oriented, and most of the definitions highlight the skill and disposition to select, collect, analyze and evaluate information effectively. In this study, two instruments were used, namely content analysis and questionnaire to ensure validity and reliability. The sample of this study, on the one hand, was a second year textbook of English, namely Ticket to English. The process of collecting data was carried out through designing a checklist to analyze the textbook of English. On the other hand, high school students (second baccalaureate grade) and teachers of English constituted the second sample. Two questionnaires were administered—One was completed by 28 high school teachers (18 males and10 females), and the other was completed by 51 students (26 males and 25 females) from Fez, Morocco. The items of the questionnaire tended to elicit both qualitative and quantitative data. An attempt was made to answer two research questions. One pertained to the extent to which the textbooks of English contain critical thinking elements (Critical thinking skills and dispositions, types of questions, language learning strategies, classroom activities); the second was concerned with whether the teaching practices of teachers of English help improve students’ critical thinking. The results demonstrated that the textbooks of English include elements of critical thinking, and the teachers’ teaching practices help the students develop some degree of critical thinking. Yet, the textbooks do not include problem-solving activities and media analysis and 86% of the teacher-respondents tended to skip activities in the textbooks, mainly the units dealing with Project Work and Study Skills which are necessary for enhancing critical thinking among the students. Therefore, the textbooks need to be designed around additional activities and the teachers are required to cover the units skipped so as to make the teaching of critical thinking effective.

Keywords: critical thinking, language learning strategies, language proficiency, teaching practices

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Authors: Mirriam M. Moleko, Sekanse A. Ntsala

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Language in mathematics instruction enables the teacher to communicate mathematical knowledge to the learners with precision. It also enables the learner to deal with mathematical activities effectively. This scholarly piece was motivated by the fact that mathematics performance in the South African primary classrooms has not been satisfactory, and English, which is a Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) for the majority of the learners, has been singled out as one of the major impediments. This is not only on the part of the learners, but also on the part of the teachers as well. The study thus focused on the lack of competency in English among the primary school teachers as one of the possible causes of poor performance in mathematics in primary classrooms. The qualitative processes, which were premised on the social interaction theory as a lens, sourced the narratives of 10 newly qualified primary school mathematics teachers from the disadvantaged schools on the matter. This was achieved through the use of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The data, which were analyzed thematically, highlighted the actuality that the challenges cut across the pre-service stage to the in-service stage. The findings revealed that the undergraduate mathematics courses in the number of the institutions neglect the importance of language. The study further revealed that the in-service mathematics teachers lack adequate linguistic command, thereby finding it difficult to successfully teach some mathematical concepts, or even to outline instructions clearly. The study thus suggests the need for training institutions to focus on improving the teachers’ English language competency. The need for intensive in-service training targeting the problem areas was also highlighted. The study thus contributes to the body of knowledge by providing suggestions on how the mathematics teachers’ language incompetency can be mitigated.

Keywords: Competency, English language proficiency, language of learning and teaching, primary mathematics teachers

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Authors: Bihan Qaimari

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In many areas of the world there are political conflicts the consequences of which have an inevitable impact on the educational system. Palestine is one such country where the experience of political conflict, going back over many years, has had a devastating effect on the development and maintenance of a stable educational environment for children and their teachers. Up to now there have been few studies that have focussed on the effects of living and working in a war zone on the professional identity of teachers. The aim of this study is to explore how the formation of Palestinian teachers’ professional identity is affected by their experience of the current political conflict its impact on the school social culture. In order to gain an in-depth understanding of the impact of political violence on the formation of the professional identity of Palestinian teachers, a qualitative multiple case-study approach was adopted which draws on sociocultural theories of identity formation. An initial study was first conducted in six schools and this was followed by an in-depth study of teachers working in three further primary schools. Data sources included participant observation, a research diary, semi-structured group and individual interviews. Grounded theory, constant-comparative methods, and discourse analysis procedures were used to interpret the data. The findings suggest that the Palestinian primary school teachers negotiate multiple conflicting identities through their every day experiences of political conflict and the schools’ social culture. This tension is formed as a result of the historical cultural meaning that teachers construct about themselves and within the current unstable and unsettling conditions that exist in their country. In addition, the data indicate that the geographical location of the schools in relation of their proximity to the events of the political conflict also had an influence on the degree of tension inherent in teachers’ professional identity. The study makes significant theoretical, practical, and methodical contributions to the study of the formation of teachers’ professional identity in countries affected by political conflict.

Keywords: identity, political conflict, Palestine, teacher's professional identity

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Authors: Davut Uysal

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Turkish higher education system has experienced some structural changes in recent decades, which resulted in the concentration on English language teaching as a foreign language at high education institutions. However, the number of studies examining the relationship between organizational culture and job satisfaction among language teachers at higher education institutions, who are the key elements of the teaching process, is very limited in the country. The main objective of this study is to find out the perceptions of English language instructors regarding organizational culture and its impact on their job satisfaction at School of Foreign Language, Anadolu University in Turkey. Questionnaire technique was used in data collection, and the collected data was analysed with the help of SPSS data analysis program. The findings of the study revealed that the respondents of the study had positive perceptions regarding current organizational culture indicating satisfaction with co-worker relations and administration, supervision support and the work itself, as well as their satisfaction with the available professional development opportunities provided by their institution. A significant relationship between overall organizational culture and job satisfaction was found in the study. This study also presents some key elements to increase the job satisfaction levels of the language teachers by managing corporate communication and to improve the organisational culture based on the findings of the study as they are two interrelated issues.

Keywords: corporate communication, English teacher, organizational culture, job satisfaction

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Authors: Vladimira Hornackova, Jana Kottasova, Zuzana Vanova, Anna Jungrova

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Present study deals with drama education in preschool education. The research made in this field brings a qualitative comparative survey with the aim to find out the use of methods and techniques of drama education in preschool education at university or secondary school graduate preschool teachers. The research uses a content analysis and an unstandardized questionnaire for preschool teachers and obtained data are processed with the help of descriptive methods and correlations. The results allow a comparison of aspects applied through drama in preschool education. The research brings impulses for education improvement in kindergartens and inspiration for university study programs of drama education in the professional training of preschool teachers.

Keywords: drama education, preschool education, preschool teacher, research

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Authors: Ade Dwi Utami

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Pedagogic competence is the basic competence of teachers to perform their tasks as educators. The ability to assess has become one of the demands in teachers pedagogic competence. Teachers ability to assess is related to curriculum instructions and applications. This research is aimed at obtaining data concerning teachers ability to assess that comprises of understanding assessment, determining assessment type, tools and procedure, conducting assessment process, and using assessment result information. It uses mixed method of explanatory technique in which qualitative data is used to verify the quantitative data obtained through a survey. The technique of quantitative data collection is by test whereas the qualitative data collection is by observation, interview and documentation. Then, the analyzed data is processed through a proportion study technique to be categorized into high, medium and low. The result of the research shows that teachers ability to assess can be grouped into 3 namely, 2% of high, 4% of medium and 94% of low. The data shows that teachers ability to assess is still relatively low. Teachers are lack of knowledge and comprehension in assessment application. The statement is verified by the qualitative data showing that teachers did not state which aspect was assessed in learning, record children’s behavior, and use the data result as a consideration to design a program. Teachers have assessment documents yet they only serve as means of completing teachers administration for the certification program. Thus, assessment documents were not used with the basis of acquired knowledge. The condition should become a consideration of the education institution of educators and the government to improve teachers pedagogic competence, including the ability to assess.

Keywords: assessment, early childhood education, pedagogic competence, teachers

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Authors: Tanvi Rajesh Sanghavi

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Introduction: Neurodiversity is a concept which captures the different ways in which everyone's brain functions and is considered as part of normal variation. It is a strength-based approach which focuses on the individual's strengths and capabilities and believes in providing support wherever necessary. In many parts of the world, those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder have been ostracized and ridiculed due to their sensory and communication differences. Hence, it becomes important for the teachers to have knowledge about autism and understand the needs of children with Autism. Need: India is rich in terms of culture, languages and religious diversity. It is important to study neurodiversity in such a population for better understanding of neurodiverse individuals and appropriate intervention. Aim & objectives: This study seeks teachers' knowledge of the causes, traits and educational requirements of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It also aims to find out whether mainstream schools actually provide training programs to the teachers to manage such children along with the necessary accommodations. Method: The current study was a cross-sectional study conducted among school teachers. A total of 30 school teachers were taken for the study. The participants were enrolled after informed consent. The participants were directed to a google form consisting of objective questions. The first part of the questionnaire elicited information about school, teaching experience, qualification, etc. There were specific questions extracting details on attending/conducting sensitization and professional programs in regard to care for autistic children. The second part of the questionnaire consisted of some basic questions on the teacher’s understanding of diagnosis, traits, causes, road to recovery and understanding the educational and communication needs of autistic children from the teacher’s perspective. The responses were tabulated and analyzed descriptively. Results: Most of the teachers had 5–10 years of teaching experience. The majority of the teachers used the term “special child” for autistic children. Around 54.8% (17 teachers) of the total teachers felt that the parents of autistic children should teach their child to learn adaptive skills and 41.9% of the teachers felt that they should take medical intervention. About 50% of the teachers felt that the cause of autism is related to pre-natal maternal factors and about 40% felt that its cause is genetic. Only a small percentage of teachers felt that they were trained to manage the children with autism. More than 50% of the teachers mentioned that their schools do not conduct training programs for managing these children. Discussion & Conclusion: In this study, the knowledge and perspectives of teachers on children with ASD were studied. The most widely held contemporary belief is that genetic factors play a major part in the development of ASD, although the existing evidence is muddled, with numerous opposing perspectives on the nature of this mechanism. It is worth noting that any culture's level of humanity is mirrored in how that society "treats" its vulnerable population.

Keywords: autism, neurodiversity, awareness, education

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Authors: Abdulwali H. Aldahmash, Naem M. Alamri

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The purpose of this study was to analyze Saudi Arabian science and mathematics teachers’ attitudes toward integrating STEM in teaching before and after they participated in a professional development workshop focused on STEM integration in a specific middle school science and mathematics unit. The participants were 48 Saudi Arabian science and mathematics teachers who participated in a three-day workshop held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The research method was a pretest-posttest group design. The primary data source was the instrument for teachers' attitudes toward teaching integrated STEM. The results indicate that Saudi Arabian science and mathematics teachers’ perceptions of difficulties decreased due to their participation in the professional development workshop on integrated STEM. Meanwhile, the teachers' self-efficacy improved following their participation in the STEM professional development (PD) workshop. However, no perceived effect was found for the teachers' perceptions of the relevance of or their anxiety about or enjoyment of integrated STEM teaching due to their participation in the three-day PD workshop.

Keywords: STEM integration, attitude toward STEM, STEM workshop, professional development

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Authors: Beatrice Tayo Ajayi, Dzever Linus Terry

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Pupils with autism in the general classroom have dare need to be adequately catered for in social and academic activities for successful attainment in school work and future life. However, adequate catering for autistic children by teachers that basically received no training in content related to inclusive education and lack the ability to use inclusive strategies during classroom instruction appears to be a mirage. This paper intends to examine the current classroom environment in relation to the level to which autistic primary school pupils are catered for in the regular classroom. The study also seeks to identify the challenges teachers experience in the course of catering to the needs of children with autism and the way out. The sample consists of thirty (30) primary school teachers of Ondo West Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria (10 male, 15 female), age grades between twenty five (25) to sixty (60). Data collection will be a survey using the researcher developed 18 statements Four Point- Likert Scale type to assess the level to which participants agree or disagree with the statement about catering for pupils with autism. Results are to be evaluated using descriptive statistical methods of mean scores and t-test.

Keywords: autism, catering, general classroom, way forward

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Authors: Iniye Irene Wodi, Kennedy B. Gibson

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Students’ poor performance in mathematics in both internal and external examinations has been a source of concern to researchers in Nigeria. The cause of this has been attributed to both teachers and students. To this end, this study sought to find out students’ perceptions of teachers’ attributes as a cause of mathematics phobia among secondary school students in Bayelsa State Nigeria. The population of the study comprised of all students of senior secondary schools in Yenagoa metropolis. A sample of 120 students was drawn from this population using clustering and simple random sampling techniques. The instrument for data collection was a researcher constructed questionnaire titled Mathematics Phobia Questionnaire (MPQ). Data were analysed, and the results revealed that students perceived teachers’ attributes such as methods and styles of teaching, difficulty in communication, etc. as causes of mathematics phobia among students in senior secondary schools in Bayelsa State. Based on the result, it was therefore recommended that mathematics teachers should be retrained periodically in order to learn new and innovative ways of teaching mathematics to prevent its phobia among students.

Keywords: mathematics phobia, teacher attributes, teaching method, teaching style

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Authors: Frederic Fovet

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Inclusive provisions have been statutorily mandated in North America for now over two decades. Despite a growing body of literature around inclusive practices, many in-service teachers continue to express difficulties when it comes to tangible implementation of inclusion in the everyday classroom. While there is debate around the various forms inclusion can take (UDL, differentiation, personalization, etc.), there appears to be a more significant hurdle in getting in-service teachers to fully embrace inclusion both as a goal and a practice. This paper investigates teachers’ degree of awareness around the Social Model of Disability. It argues that teachers often lack basic awareness of disability studies, more particularly of the Social Model of Disability, and that this has a direct impact on their capacity to conceptualize and embrace inclusion. The paper draws from the researcher’s experience as a graduate instructor with in-service teachers, as well as from his experience as a consultant working with schools and school boards. The methodology chosen here is phenomenology, and it draws on tools such as auto-ethnography. The paper opens a discussion around the reform and transformation of pre-service teacher training. It argues that disability studies should be integrated into teacher training as it plays a key role in having teachers develop a theoretical understanding of disability as a social construct.

Keywords: disability, K-12, inclusion, social model, in-service teachers

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Authors: Jhemson C. Elis, Alvin S. Magadia

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Our world is full of numbers, shapes, and figures that illustrate the wholeness of a thing. Indeed, this statement signifies that mathematics is everywhere. Mathematics in its broadest sense helps people in their everyday life that is why in education it is a must to be taken by the students as a subject. The study aims to determine the profile of the respondents in terms of gender and age, performance of the control and experimental groups in the pretest and posttest, impact of the instructional game used as instructional intervention in teaching algebra for high school students, significant difference between the level of performance of the two groups of respondents in their pre–test and post–test results, and the instructional intervention can be proposed. The descriptive method was also utilized in this study. The use of the certain approach was to that it corresponds to the main objective of this research that is to determine the effectiveness of the instructional game used as an instructional intervention in teaching algebra for high school students. There were 30 students served as respondents, having an equal size of the sample of 15 each while a greater number of female teacher respondents which totaled 7 or 70 percent and male were 3 or 30 percent. The study recommended that mathematics teacher should conceptualize instructional games for the students to learn mathematics with fun and enjoyment while learning. Mathematics education program supervisor should give training for teachers on how to conceptualize mathematics intervention for the students learning. Meaningful activities must be provided to sustain the student’s interest in learning. Students must be given time to have fun at the classroom through playing while learning since mathematics for them was considered as difficult. Future researcher must continue conceptualizing some mathematics intervention to suffice the needs of the students, and teachers should inculcate more educational games so that the discussion will be successful and joyful.

Keywords: instructional game in algebra, mathematical intervention, joyful, successful

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Authors: Tanimola Kazeem Abiodun

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In Nigeria, both formal education and distance learning opportunities are used in teacher training. Practical courses aim to improve the skills of teacher candidates in a school environment. Teacher candidates attend kindergarten classes under the supervision of a teacher. In this context, the guiding skills of teachers gain importance in terms of shaping candidates’ perceptions about teaching profession. In this study, the teachers’ perceptions related to the guiding skills within the practical courses were determined. Also, the perceptions and applications related to guiding skills were compared. A Likert scale questionnaire and an open-ended question were used to determine perceptions and applications. 120 questionnaires were taken into consideration and analyses of data were performed by using percentage distribution and QSR Nvivo 8 program. In this study, statements related to teachers’ perceptions about the guiding skills were asked and it is determined that almost all the teachers agreed about the importance of these statements. On the other hand, how these guidance skills are applied by teachers is also queried with an open-ended question. Finally, thoughts and applications related to guidance skills were compared to each other. Based on this comparison, it is seen that there are some differences between the thoughts and applications especially related with time management, planning, feedbacks, curriculum, workload, rules and guidance. It can be said that some guidance skills cannot be controlled only by teachers. For example, candidates’ motivation, attention, population and educational environment are also determinative factors for effective guidance. In summary, it is necessary to have prior conditions for teachers to apply these idealized guidance skills for training more successful candidates to pre-school education era. At this point, organization of practical courses by the faculties gains importance and in this context it is crucial for faculties to revise their applications based on more detailed researches.

Keywords: teacher training, guiding skills, education, practical courses

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Authors: Mary Luna Mancao Ninal

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This study aimed to determine the performance of the kindergarten teachers and its relation to pupils’ achievement in different learning areas in the Division of Kabankalan City. Using the standardized assessment and evaluation of the Department of Education secondary data, 100 kinder teachers and 2901 kinder pupils were investigated to determine the performance of the kindergarten teachers based on their Competency–Based Performance Appraisal System for Teachers and the periodic assessment of kinder pupils collected as secondary data. Weighted mean, Pearson–r, chi-square, Analysis of Variance were used in the study. Findings revealed that the kindergarten teacher respondents were 26-31 years old and most of them were female and married; they spent teaching for two years and less and passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers. They were very satisfactory as to instructional competences, school, and home and community involvement, personal, social, and professional characteristics. It also revealed that performance of the kindergarten pupils on their period of assessment shows that they were slightly advanced in their development. It also shows that domain as to performance of the kindergarten pupils were average overall development. Based on the results, it is recommended that Kindergarten teacher must augment their educational qualification and pursue their graduate studies and must develop the total personality of the children for them to achieve high advanced development to become productive individual.

Keywords: performance, kindergarten teacher, learning areas, professional, pupil

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Authors: Agnieszka Kałdonek-Crnjaković

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Research on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is abundant but not in the field of applied linguistics and foreign or second language education. To fill this research gap, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of ADHD on skills and systems development in a second and foreign language from the teacher's perspective. The participants were 51 English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Poland working in state pre-, primary, and high schools. Research questions were as follows: Do ADHD-type behaviors affect EFL learning of the individual with the condition and their classmates to the same extent considering different educational settings and specific skills and systems? And To what extent do ADHD-type behaviors affect ESL/EFL skills and systems considering different ADHD presentations? Data were collected by means of a questionnaire distributed via a Google form. It contained 14 statements on a six-point Likert scale related to the effect of ADHD on specific language skills and systems in the context of an individual with the condition and their classmates and situations related to inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity presentations of the condition, where the participants needed to identify skills and systems affected by the given ADHD manifestation. The results show that ADHD affects all language skills and systems development in both the individual with the condition and their classmates, but this effect is more significant in the latter. However, ADHD affected skills and systems to a different degree; writing skills were reported as the most affected by this disorder. Also, the effect of ADHD differed depending on the educational setting, being the highest in high school and lowest in the first three grades of primary school. These findings will be discussed in the context of foreign/second language teaching in the school context, considering different phases of education as well as future research on ADHD and language learning and teaching.

Keywords: ADHD, EFL teachers, foreign/second language learning, language skills and systems development

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Authors: Peter Akayuure

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One key determinant of the quality of mathematics learning is the teacher’s ability to assess students adequately and effectively and make assessment an integral part of the instructional practices. If the mathematics teacher lacks the required literacy to perform classroom assessment roles, the true trajectory of learning success and attainment of curriculum expectations might be indeterminate. It is therefore important that educators and policymakers understand and seek ways to improve the literacy level of mathematics teachers to implement classroom assessments that would meet curriculum demands. This study employed a descriptive survey design to explore perceived levels of assessment literacy of mathematics teachers to implement classroom assessment with the school based assessment framework in Ghana. A 25-item classroom assessment inventory on teachers’ assessment scenarios was adopted, modified, and administered to a purposive sample of 48 mathematics teachers from eleven Senior High Schools. Seven other items were included to further collect data on their self-efficacy towards assessment literacy. Data were analyzed using descriptive and bivariate correlation statistics. The result shows that, on average, 48.6% of the mathematics teachers attained standard levels of assessment literacy. Specifically, 50.0% met standard one in choosing appropriate assessment methods, 68.3% reached standard two in developing appropriate assessment tasks, 36.6% reached standard three in administering, scoring, and interpreting assessment results, 58.3% reached standard four in making appropriate assessment decisions, 41.7% reached standard five in developing valid grading procedures, 45.8% reached standard six in communicating assessment results, and 36.2 % reached standard seven by identifying unethical, illegal and inappropriate use of assessment results. Participants rated their self-efficacy belief in performing assessments high, making the relationships between participants’ assessment literacy scores and self-efficacy scores weak and statistically insignificant. The study recommends that institutions training mathematics teachers or providing professional developments should accentuate assessment literacy development to ensure standard assessment practices and quality instruction in mathematics education at senior high schools.

Keywords: assessment literacy, mathematics teacher, senior high schools, Ghana

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Authors: Sabina Mohsin

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The need for grounding of teachers and the trend of using innovative ways to deal with students of various abilities in schools, colleges and universities has always been essential in any part of the world. Teacher edification programs, and qualifications standards, all too repeatedly lack enough rigidity, extensiveness and profundity, resulting in high levels of unskilled teachers and squat student performance. Accordingly, the solution, from this viewpoint, lies in making the entry and training necessities for teaching deeper and more exact. Teachers’ continuous professional development is necessary to reach all kinds of learners in class. The training provided is a direct opportunity for new teachers to interact better and motivate students in a two way discussion class. The intention of the study was to scrutinize whether the teachers’ training played an important role to fabricate lectures and classroom activities and reflected the objectives of the training provided in various schools and universities. It also aims to examine the current practices used in the various teacher training programs and if there is any other method that can be associated to enhance the effectiveness of these programs further. This research uses qualitative data collected from interviews, peer discussions, classroom observations, reviews, feedback of students and teachers to study teacher training and teaching methods used in school and universities in Bangladesh. The study finds teacher training to be effective though it has some limitations. It also includes some suggestions to make teacher training more effective.

Keywords: current practices in teacher training, enhancing effectiveness, limitation, student motivation, teacher training

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Authors: Riin Seema

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Guidance and counseling as a whole-school responsibility is a global trend. Counseling is a specific competence, that consist of cognitive, emotional, attitudinal, and behavioral components. To authors best knowledge, there are no self-assessment scales for teachers in the whole world to measure teachers’ counseling competency. In 2016 an Estonian scale on teachers counseling competence was developed during an Interdisciplinary Project at Tallinn University. The team consisted of 10 interdisciplinary students (psychology, nursery school, special and adult education) and their supervisor. In 2017 another international Interdisciplinary Project was carried out for adapting the scale in English for international students. Firstly, the Estonian scale was translated by 2 professional translators, and then a group of international Erasmus students (again from psychology, nursery school, special and adult education) selected the most suitable translation for the scale. The developed ‘Teacher’s Counselling Competence Self-Efficacy Scale’ measures teacher’s self-efficacy beliefs in their own competence to perform different counseling tasks (creating a counseling relationship, using different reflection techniques, etc.). The scale consists of 47 questions in a 5-point numeric scale. The scale is created based on counseling theory and scale development and validation theory. The scale has been used as a teaching and learning material for counseling courses by 174 Estonian and 10 international student teachers. After filling out the scale, the students also reflected on the scale and their own counseling competencies. The study showed that the scale is unidimensional and has an excellent Cronbach alpha coefficient. Student’s qualitative feedback on the scale has been very positive, as the scale supports their self-reflection. In conclusion, the developed ‘Teacher’s Counselling Competence Self-Efficacy Scale’ is a useful tool for supporting student teachers’ learning.

Keywords: competency, counseling, self-efficacy, teacher students

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Authors: Tamara Tallman

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Collaboration is a powerful tool for professional development and central for creating opportunities for teachers to reflect on their practice. However, school districts continue to have difficulty both implementing and sustaining collaboration. The purpose of this research was to investigate the experience of the teacher in a creative, instructional collaboration. The teachers in this study found that teacher-initiated collaboration offered them trust and they were more open with their partners. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was used for this study as it told the story of the teacher’s experience. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was chosen for this study to capture the complex and contextual nature of the teacher experience from a creative, instructional collaborative experience. This study sought to answer the question of how teachers in a private, faith-based school experience collaboration. In particular, the researcher engaged the study’s participants in interviews where they shared their unique perspectives on their experiences in relation to this phenomenon. Through the use of interpretative phenomenological analysis, the researcher interpreted the experiences of each participant in an attempt to gain deeper insight into how teachers made sense of their understanding of collaboration. In addition to the researcher’s interpreting the meaning of this construct for each research participant, this study gave a voice to the individual experiences and positionality of each participant at the research site. Moreover, the key findings presented in this study shed light on how teachers within this particular context participated in and made sense of their experience of creating an instructional collaborative. The research presented the findings that speak to the meaning that each research participant experienced in their relation to participating in building a collaborative culture and its effect on professional and personal growth. The researcher provided recommendations for future practice and research possibilities. The research findings demonstrated the unique experiences of each participant as well as a connection to the literature within the field of teacher professional development. The results also supported the claim that teacher collaboration can facilitate school reform. Participating teachers felt less isolation and developed more teacher knowledge.

Keywords: collaboration, personal grwoth, professional development, teachers

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Authors: Azzeddine Atibi, Khadija El Kababi, Salim Ahmed, Mohamed Radid

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The primary aim of the present study is to undertake an extensive comparative examination of distance learning and blended learning modalities, with a particular focus on assessing their efficacy during the period of confinement imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This investigation is grounded in the firsthand experiences of educators at the high school and secondary levels across both private and public educational institutions. To gather the necessary data, we designed and distributed a meticulously crafted survey to these educators, soliciting detailed accounts of their professional experiences throughout this challenging period. The survey's objectives include elucidating the specific difficulties faced by teachers, as well as highlighting the innovative pedagogical strategies they developed in response to these challenges. By synthesizing the insights gained from this survey, we aim to foster an exchange of experiences among educators and to generate informed recommendations that will guide future educational reforms. Ultimately, this study aspires to contribute to the ongoing discourse on optimizing educational practices in the face of unprecedented disruptions.

Keywords: distance learning, blended learning, covid 19, secondary/ high school, teachingperformance, evaluation

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Authors: Huda S. Al-Azmi

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There is a growing consensus that adoption of teachers’ self-efficacy measurement tools help to assess teachers’ abilities in specific areas in order to improve their skills. As a result, different instruments to assess teachers’ ability were developed by academics and practitioners. However, many of these instruments focused either on general teaching skills, or on the other hand, were very specific to one subject. As such, these instruments do not offer a tool to measure the ability of teachers in teaching 21^st century skills such as innovation skills. Teaching innovation skills helps to prepare students for lives and careers in the 21^st century. The purpose of this study is to develop an instrument measuring teachers’ self-efficacy of teaching innovation skills related to the classroom context and evaluating the teachers’ beliefs regarding their ability in teaching innovation skills. To reach this goal, the 16-item instrument measures four dimensions of innovation skills: creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. 211 secondary-school teachers filled out the survey to quantitatively analyze the quality of the instrument. The instrument’s reliability and item analysis were measured by using jMetrik. The results concluded that the mean of self-efficacy ranged from 3 to 3.6 without extreme high or low self-efficacy scores. The discrimination analysis revealed that one item recorded a negative correlation with the total, and three items recorded low correlation with the total. The reliabilities of items ranged from 0.64 to 0.69 and the instrument needed a couple of revisions before practical use. The study concluded the need to discard one item and revise five items to increase the quality of the instrument for future work.

Keywords: critical thinking, collaboration, innovation skills, self-efficacy

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Authors: Abdelbasit Gadour

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This study explores the function of schools’ psychosocial services within Libyan mainstream schools in relation to children’s special educational needs (SEN). This is with the aim to examine the role of school social workers and psychologists in the assessment procedure of children with special educational needs. A semi-structured interview was used in this study, with 21 professionals working in the schools’ psychosocial services, of whom thirteen were school social workers (SSWs) and eight were school psychologists (SPs). The results of the interviews with SSWs and SPs provided insights into how SEN children are identified, assessed, and dealt with by school professionals. It appears from the results that what constitutes a problem has not changed significantly, and the link between learning difficulties and behavioral difficulties is also evident from this study. Children with behavior difficulties are more likely to be referred to school psychosocial services than children with learning difficulties. Yet, it is not clear from the interviews with SSWs and SPs whether children are excluded merely because of their behavior problems. Instead, they would surely be expelled from the school if they failed academically. Furthermore, the interviews with SSWs and SPs yield a rather unusual source accountable for children’s SEN; school-related difficulties were a major factor in which almost all participants attributed children’s learning and behavior problems to teachers’ deficiencies, followed by school lack of resources.

Keywords: psychologist, school, social workers, special education

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Authors: Jillian Correia, Ali Sakkal

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Lunchtime can play a pivotal role in shaping student eating habits. Studies have previously indicated that eating a healthy meal during the school day can improve students’ well-being and academic performance, and potentially prevent childhood obesity. This study investigated the school lunch program in the United Kingdom in order to gain an understanding of the attitudes and beliefs surrounding school meals and the realities of student food patterns. Using a qualitative research methodology, this study was conducted in three primary and secondary school systems in London, United Kingdom. In depth interviews consisting of 14 headteachers, teachers, staff, and chefs and fieldwork observations of approximately 830 primary and secondary school students in the three schools’ cafeterias provided the data. The results of interview responses and fieldwork observation yielded the following set of themes: (a) school meals are publicly portrayed as healthful and nutritious, yet students’ eating habits do not align with this advertising, (b) the level of importance placed on school lunch varies widely among participants and generates inconsistent views concerning who is responsible (government, families, caterers, or schools) for students’ eating habits, (c) role models (i.e. teachers and chefs) present varying levels of interaction with students and conflicting approaches when monitoring students’ eating habits. The latter finding expanded upon Osowski, Göranzon, and Fjellström’s (2013) concept of teacher roles to formulate three education philosophies – the Removed Authority Role Model, the Accommodating Role Model, and the Social Educational Role Model – concluding that the Social Educational Role Model was the most effective at fostering an environment that encouraged healthy eating habits and positive behavior. For schools looking to cultivate strong relationships between students and teachers and facilitate healthier eating habits, these findings were used to construct three key recommendations: (1) elevate the lunch environment by encouraging proper dining etiquette, (2) get teachers eating at the table with students, and (3) shift the focus from monitoring behavior to a teacher-student dialogue centered on food awareness.

Keywords: food culture, eating habits, school meals, student behavior, education, food patterns, lunchtime

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Authors: Preecha Pongpeng

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This research aims to study the education quality management to solve the problem of teachers shortage by the communities participation. This research is action research by using the tools is questionnaire to collect the data whit, students and community representatives and final will interview to ask the opinions of people in the community to help and support instruction in problems in teaching. Results found that people in the community are aware and working together to solve the lack the of teachers by collaboration between school personnel and community members by finding people who are knowledgeable, organized into local wisdom in the community, compound money to donate and hire someone in the community to teaching between classroom with people in the community. In addition, researcher discovered this research project contributes to cooperation between the school and community and there was a problem including administrative expenses and the school's academic quality management.

Keywords: education quality management, local wisdom, northern part of Thailand, participation of the community

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Authors: Aline Giardin, Maria Rosa Chitolina

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Our research conducted in 8 different schools in the city of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, we can clearly see that, even in modern times, where the search for equality between men and women is already over 60 years of struggle in this world where you show Much more than two genres and in this world that is proving that sex is not just biological, are confronted with sexist and phallocentric situations in our Schools, and among our students. The sample consisted of 503 students with a mean age between 13 and 21 years. 107 students identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The remainder was identified as heterosexual or none at all. Compared to LGBT students, transgender students faced the school's more hostile climates, while non-transgender female students were less likely to experience anti-LGBT victimization. In addition, transgender students experienced more negative experiences at school compared to students whose gender expression adhered to traditional gender norms. Transgender students were more likely to feel insecure at school, with 80.0% of transgender students reporting that they felt insecure at school because of their gender identity. Female students in our research reported lower frequencies of victimization based on sexual orientation and gender identity and were less likely to feel insecure at school. In all indicators of discrimination in school, high school students have outperformed elementary school students and have had fewer resources and supports related to LGBT. High school students reported higher rates of victimization on sexual orientation and gender expression than elementary school students. For example, about one-third (35.5%) of high school students suffered regular physical Very often) based on their sexual orientation, compared to less than a quarter (21.4%) of primary school students. The whole premise here is to perceive the phallocentrism and sexism hidden in our schools. Opposition between the sexes is not reflexive or articulates a biological fact, but a social construction.

Keywords: transgender students, school, psychological implications, discrimination

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Authors: A. Olusegun Egunjobi, Samson Sunday Adekunte

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This study investigated the teachers’ and learners’ ICT-readiness assessment for agricultural science instruction in secondary schools in Ogun State, Nigeria. However, the sample population of 6 and 120 agricultural science teachers and learners were randomly selected respectively from 3 public and 3 private senior secondary schools in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design of ex post-facto type was adopted for the study. Two structured questionnaires tagged Teachers’ and Learners’ Questionnaires on ICT-Readiness for Agricultural Science Instruction TQICTRASI and LQICTRASI respectively were used for data collection. The two questionnaires were subjected to Cronbach alpha coefficient with the results 0.86 and 0.82 respectively. Five research hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that teachers in private senior secondary school (SSS) were more ready and prepared than their counterparts in public SSS with the result t-value = 4.25 greater than t-critical = 2.77, df = 4 at p<0.05. Also, learners in private SSS were more prepared and ready for the utilisation of ICT-facilities for agricultural science instruction with the result t-value = 3.51 greater than t-critical = 1.98, df = 118 at p<0.05. However, male and female learners in both private and public SSS were equally prepared and ready for the ICT-facilities utilisation for agricultural science instruction, thus, there were no significant differences in their ICT-readiness. Therefore, the study proffered that, both male and female teachers and learners should be more ICT-compliant and always ready to upgrade their skills and knowledge in ICT-facilities, utilisation for agricultural science instruction and even for other school subjects particularly in Ogun State and in generally in Nigeria.

Keywords: ICT-readiness, teachers’ and learners’ assessment, private and public senior secondary schools, agricultural science instruction

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Authors: Tsai-Hsiu Lin

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Presentism is one of the orientations of teachers’ teaching culture. However, there are few researchers to explore it in Taiwan. The objective of this study is to establish an expert-based determination of the content of teachers’ presentism in Taiwan. The author reviewed the works of Jackson, Lortie, and Hargreaves and employed Hargreaves’ three forms of teachers’ presentism as a framework to design the questionnaire of this study. The questionnaire of teachers’ presentism comprised of 42 statements. A three-round web-based Delphi survey was proposed to 14 participants (two teacher educators, two educational administrators, three school principals, and seven schoolteachers), 13 participants (92.86%) completed the three-rounds of the study. The participants were invited to indicate the importance of each statement. The Delphi study used means and standard deviation to present information concerning the collective judgments of respondents. Finally, the author obtained consensual results for 67% (28/42). However, the outcome of this study could be the result of identifying a series of general statements rather than an in-depth exposition of the topic.

Keywords: Delphi Method, Teachers’ Presentism, Sociology of Teaching, Teaching Culture

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Authors: Saule Shazhanbayeva, Denise van der Merwe

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Study hypothesis: Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Kyzylorda’s Biology teachers can use STEM-integrated learning to improve students' problem-solving ability and responsibility as global citizens. The significance of this study is to indicate how the use of STEM integrative learning during Biology lessons could contribute to forming globally-minded students who are responsible community members. For the purposes of this study, worldview is defined as a view that is broader than the country of Kazakhstan, allowing students to see the significance of their scientific contributions to the world as global citizens. The context of worldview specifically indicates that most students have never traveled outside of their city or region within Kazakhstan. In order to broaden student understanding, it is imperative that students are exposed to different world views and contrasting ideas within the educational setting of Biology as the science being used for the research. This exposure promulgates students understanding of the significance they have as global citizens alongside the obligations which would rest on them as scientifically minded global citizens. Integrative learning should be Biological Science - with Technology and engineering in the form of problem-solving, and Mathematics to allow improved problem-solving skills to develop within the students of Nazarbayev Intellectual School (NIS) of Kyzylorda. The school's vision is to allow students to realise their role as global citizens and become responsible community members. STEM allows integrations by combining four subject skills to solve topical problems designed by educators. The methods used are based on qualitative analysis: for students’ performance during a problem-solution scenario; and Biology teacher interviews to ascertain their understanding of STEM implementation and willingness to integrate it into current lessons. The research indicated that NIS is ready for a shift into STEM lessons to promote globally responsible students. The only additional need is for proper STEM integrative lesson method training for teachers.

Keywords: global citizen, STEM, Biology, high-school

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Authors: Elżbieta Frołowicz

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Throughout the ages, pedeutological reflection has been accompanied by numerous controversies resulting from public discourse of social, economic and political forces. According to accepted ideologies or represented interests, these forces generate various visions of self, which should be the result of the educational process at school. Accuracy of visions is particularly important in times of fast and significant socio-cultural changes witnessed by us. The teacher – also the music teacher – is responsible for accomplishing them. The author tries to characterize the group of music teachers and some contexts of their functioning in modern Polish schools based on literature analysis and according to results of her research conducted in the years 2013-2014 and ten years later (2023-2024). The source of analysis material is mostly interviews with music teachers from different types of elementary schools in Poland. This research used a partially structured individual depth interview to ensure a quality encounter between two personalities during a personal conversation. Interviews were conducted with 8 people in 2013-2014 and with 7 in 2023-24. Music teachers' problems have remained essentially unchanged over the decade. In an attempt to formulate some general conclusions, the author offers an assertion that the functioning of music teachers at school is vastly restrained by the coercion of an institution and is not compatible with the present requirements in which they operate.

Keywords: educational strategies, interview, music teacher, public education

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