Bulgarian Teachers Research Articles

A snapshot of Bulgarian school teachers’ familiarity with, use of, and opinions on artificial intelligence at the threshold of its incorporation into the educational process

The current study was designed within a survey-based quantitative research methodology in order to investigate Bulgarian teachers’ familiarity with, use of, and attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) at the nascent stage of its integration into the Bulgarian education system. The survey was completed by 2252 teachers, of whom 16.30% were men and 83.70% were women. The majority of the teachers (72%) reported some level of familiarity with AI technology. Higher levels of familiarity were significantly associated with younger teachers (aged 20 to 29), mathematics, sciences, and technology subject areas, as well as the male gender. More than 50% of the teachers reported using AI technology in their instruction. Familiarity with AI technology was the only significant predictor of AI use, overriding the effect of other variables. The teachers used AI technology to prepare teaching, assessment, and homework materials; design individual and team tasks; and grade students' work. The teachers who regularly used AI technology were more favorable towards AI in contrast to those who seldom or never employed AI. The majority of the respondents recognized the need for teacher training in AI technology and expressed willingness to participate in teacher training initiatives. Therefore, the current situation requires teacher education programs to harness teachers’ needs by equipping them with relevant AI literacy and skills that they could apply to the critical adoption of suitable AI tools. Educational institutions and stakeholders should provide guidelines and consultancy regarding technical, methodological, and ethical issues concerning the instructional use of AI technology.

A Research on the Application of Modern Information Technologies in Teaching

This paper examines the use of modern information technologies in Bulgarian pre-school and primary education, focusing on teachers' knowledge and use of technologies and the challenges they face. The study is based on an extensive literature review, which highlights the potential of modern information technologies such as programmable devices, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to improve the quality of education, student engagement and continuous learning. However, the research also identifies persistent barriers to their implementation, including insufficient resources, limited training opportunities and teacher resistance to technological change. The main objective of the study is to assess the level of knowledge and use of technologies among Bulgarian teachers, with a focus on identifying the main barriers to their effective integration into educational practice. The preliminary hypothesis suggests that despite the recognition of the potential benefits of technologies, their use remains limited due to institutional and personal factors. Methodologically, the study used a descriptive survey approach with 205 participants, including pre-school and primary school teachers, principals and education administrators. Data was collected using an online survey platform included in Microsoft Office 365. Key findings show varying levels of knowledge and use of modern technologies among teachers. Although a significant proportion of respondents use technology in their teaching, the level of adoption of more advanced technologies such as programmable devices, VR and AR is significantly lower. Teachers expressed a strong desire for additional information and training on modern technologies, highlighting their potential to enrich learning experiences in a variety of subjects. The study has important implications for the Bulgarian education system. It highlights the gap between the recognised potential of technologies and their practical application in the classroom. Addressing the identified barriers through targeted investment in resources, comprehensive professional development programmes and ongoing support for teachers is crucial. By overcoming these barriers, educational institutions can better prepare students for the challenges of the digital age, improve learning outcomes and create a more dynamic and effective educational environment.

Innovative Practices in Teachers’ and Students’ Trainings

The present work is dedicated to innovative educational practices, that are based on teaching and learning through the methods of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), combined with the use of various digital tools. These project activities are suitable for implementation in the learning process both in face-to-face and distance learning. They enable the development of communication and collaboration skills, critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and innovation, as well as the creation of digital content. The described practices and digital tools are used in the preparation of teachers in various qualification courses conducted by the Department for Qualification and Professional Development of Pedagogical Specialists at University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”. They are used and implemented also in education of students in lower-secondary schools (5th – 7th grade). The teaching practices are based on the results of a three-year study of already trained Bulgarian teachers, who try them daily in the learning process and notice their positive impact on students. The article describes a realized STEM project, named “European countries”.

TEACHER’S AND PUPIL’S IDENTITIES IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING

This paper explores the identity notion in the context of the teacher-pupil relationship and its impact on professional development. The study draws on international comparative research focusing on Bulgarian teachers and an example of one lesson in the mother tongue (Bulgarian language). The concept of professional identity is examined, encompassing various components such as the profession's philosophy, skills, attitude toward work, and interactions with colleagues. It is argued that professional identity is tied to social dedication and cultural values closely. The relationship between teachers and pupils involves coordination, cooperation, and co-construction which are essential for creating an orderly learning environment. The teacher's identity, social interactions, and significant memories influence the pupil's identity formation. The connection between the body and identity is also explored, highlighting the nature of subjectivity and its cultural influences. The research emphasizes the need for a qualitative approach to understand how the body shapes the identities of both teachers and pupils and how environmental factors contribute to this process. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of the complex nature of professional identity in the teaching profession.

The Correlation Between STE(A)M Education and Teachers' Digital Competence

The current article discusses teachers' digital competence and possible ways to enhance it through STEAM approach. It also provides examples and parameters related to using the potential of digital technologies in the application of STEAM, including the development of educators' knowledge and skills in all areas of digital competence. An analysis of the results of a survey among 200 Bulgarian teachers on their attitude towards STEAM learning and the competences developed through the approach is presented.

Digitalization in Bulgarian science education: a comparative analysis of the state of the art

The paper discusses the use of digital technologies (DT) in Bulgarian school science education through a review and analysis of national and international studies. Both the strengths and weaknesses of the application of DT in the Bulgarian school in a comparative plan with other European countries are highlighted. The findings show that the digital competence of Bulgarian students and teachers related to DigComp and DigCompEdu frameworks is generally lower than the European average despite the confidence in their digital skills. Problematic areas include creating and modifying digital content, collaboration among teachers, identifying fake news, assessing student progress, implementing constructivist approaches in e-learning. The quality of continuing teacher education for digital competences is also a concern. Nevertheless, many Bulgarian teachers express satisfaction with their work in distance learning and believe that the use of DT enhances their lessons. Analysis of digital technology use and student learning achievements in science education shows no clear evidence of a correlation. However, there are potential positive effects of using computers as a supplement to traditional instruction rather than as an alternative to it. Keywords: DigComp; DigCompEdu; digital competence; science education

Teacher Value Profile in a National Context

The paper presents data from a study of Bulgarian teachers' value orientations towards their work based on a sample of 401 professionals who come from different locations and school types. The data obtained are contrasted and comperatively analysed with data collected using the same methodology among a group of 2651 respondents from various professional fields in a national context. This is the first time that a study of this nature has been conducted in Bulgaria. The value profile of the teachers generally coincides with that of the general population. Additionally, there are some particularities that inspire fresh study inquiries. The results of the research allow to draw conclusions about the value dimensions of the teacher's work. The data verifies certain recent patterns of a growing interest in teaching jobs due to competitive advantages

STEM IN THE CONTEXT OF COMPETENCY-BASED APPROACH IN EDUCATION

One of the contemporary approaches in education is related to integration of knowledge from different subject areas. The current article highlights STEM competency – its essence, main components and structure, based on global research and reports from UNESCO, EC and others. Using the results from an inquiry among Bulgarian teachers, an analysis of competencies developed through STEAM, is derived, and presented. There is a growing need for the implementation of such an approach in Bulgarian schools in order to increase students’ interest toward natural sciences and math, while combining theoretical knowledge and practice in the process of development of key competencies.

Cultural Sensitivity Training for Bulgarian Teachers: Results from an Observation Experiment

Abstract: The articles presents training methods and results from an observation experiment in cultural sensitivity training of 39 Bulgarian teachers from a multi-ethnic secondary school in Vetovo, Ruse region. School children belong to 5 ethnic groups: Bulgarians, Bulgarian Christian Roma, Bulgarian Muslim Roma, Bulgarian Turks and Gagauz. The teachers were trained for 3 days in developing their cultural sensitivity, digital literacy and pedagogical competence. They were trained by 4 university professors and were divided into 4 groups of 10 people each, where each group had to switch training to go through all modules. The author's module included developing cultural sensitivity among teachers of all ages. The training included 6 tasks employing the following pedagogical methods: role play, discussion, feedback and group work. The following skills were developed: team work, creative thinking, conflict reconciliation, negotiation skills, adaptability, cultural intelligence, cultural self-awareness. Teachers shared in the course briefing that they felt it was difficult to adapt and use newly developed cultural sensitivity skills in the classroom because of the bureaucratic requirements in their daily work routine. They also expressed concern about the cultural distance between them and their pupils, which could become an obstacle to applying the newly learned skills in the classroom. Key words: cultural sensitivity, multicultural education, digital literacy, pedagogical competence, cultural intelligence.

Интеркултурна и мултилингвална комуникация в университетска среда

Abstract: This article presents the results of an analysis of the learning and management of intercultural virtual communication between students from the Republic of Greece and their lecturers from the South- West University “Neofit Rilski” in the Master‘s programme “Intercultural Education”. The focus of the study is on the use of English as a second language in the Master’s program and its impact on intercultural differences in the process of academic communication. The curriculum is reviewed and the students’ motives for choosing this program and their level of satisfaction with participation in it are identified using empirical research. The research includes 60 students enrolled in the 2021‒2022 academic year. The role of English as a lingua franca for Bulgarian teachers and Greek students is explored. Factors that contribute to difficulties and barriers in translation are elucidated. The study allows to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the Master’s programme on the one hand; and, on the other, about the satisfaction with the multilingual and intercultural dialogue between teachers and students of different national origins who use a language of instruction that is foreign to both groups. The prerequisites for effective intercultural communication are outlined, taking into account the principles of cultural diversity. Keywords: intercultural communication, multilingual virtual dialogue, university environment, intercultural virtual communication.

Analysis of Mathematics Teachers' Class Management Behaviors in Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece using Anchoring Vignettes

Countries participate in common tests to compare their positions with other countries and monitor their progress. While conducting these tests, comparing the achievement or attitudes between these countries or individuals without considering the differences between them will result in biased results. The anchoring vignette method was used in PISA 2012 as an alternative to eliminate this bias. In this study, the responses of Turkish, Bulgarian, and Greek students' to the survey questions in PISA 2012 about their mathematics teachers' class management and adjusted response categories based on their responses to anchoring vignettes were analyzed, and whether countries differ in class management or not was investigated. The data collected from 4,895 people were analyzed (1,665 from Bulgaria, 1,662 from Greece, and 1,568 from Turkey). All responses were not used; only three anchoring vignettes in the CLSMAN questionnaire and the 3rd item of the original questionnaire were used. The analyzes were performed in the R program with the ancors package. As a result of the research, it was found in both calculations that Greek teachers are quite flexible in starting class on time, and there is a significant difference between the response categories of other countries. According to the self-assessment responses, there is no difference between Turkish and Bulgarian teachers' class management; however, there is a significant difference between them according to the adjusted response. Different methods can be used in the process of evaluating anchoring vignettes using a non-parametric approach. Weighting is different in these methods. A single method can be used regarding the feature to be investigated or the researcher's algorithm preference; or as in this study, all the four methods can be used, and the comparisons can be interpreted.

Рефлексивният подход при формиране на личностни и социални компетентности чрез учебно съдържание в контекста на бежанската проб-лематика

A contemporary challenge for Bulgarian teachers is the presentation of learning content related to the refugee flows and the formation of personal and social competences in the context of intercultural education, aiming at awareness of the importance of the topic of migration in individual, community, national and international context. The reflective approach seems to be extremely appropriate for understanding the importance of this type of knowledge in terms of global migration processes, not only by students but also by teachers who have a wealth of opportunities to inform children and develop attitudes towards the issue within class activity, hour of class, extracurricular and out-of-school activities.

Същност на STEM обучението

The article discusses the essence of STEM learning – its occurrence, definitions and skills that it develops in students. Based on a survey among Bulgarian teachers, an analysis of their knowledge and understanding of the occurrence and applicability of STEM training in the Bulgarian school was made.

Reducing aggressive behaviour among children in educational and social practices

Current study research possible strategies in reducing aggressive behaviour of 3 target groups – preschoolers, at-risk children deprived of parental care and youth with severe disabilities. Target group 1 is researched within gathering evidence of the attitude of Bulgarian teachers and parents (n=1436) towards the Emotional Intelligence education of the preschoolers by applying a questionnaire with 7 items Likert scale. Bulgarian children without parents (n=40) comprised intervention within 4 interaction strategies using normal and high voice, positive and negative language and have been subjected to surveillance in a pre-standardized checklist. Children and youth with severe disabilities in Bulgaria comprised intervention (n=12) in a non-verbal alternative communication program and have been subjected by questionnaires and surveillance. Results of current study demonstrate that developing emotional intelligence and using different language and alternative strategies would reduce the aggression but should be considerate with individual specifics of children and current educational and social reality

Bulgarian teachers in Ploiesti in the 1860s-1870s

Bulgarian teachers in Ploiesti in the 1860s-1870s

Education reforms for inclusion? Interrogating policy-practice disjunctions in early childhood education in Bulgaria

ABSTRACTThis article examines how early childhood educators, as policy implementers, perceive reforms in Bulgaria’s education system that occurred between 2008 and 2018. Both Roma and non-Roma educators participated in this project that compares perceptions of Bulgarian teachers in public schools and Roma educators in informal educational settings operated by NGOs and religious institutions. Applying intersectionality as a framework, the study draws from anti-Romaism as a particular form of racism that militates against the inclusion of Roma to examine whether and to what extent discourses of minoritized and racialised children are evident in the views held by the Bulgarian educators, resulting, in spite of educational reforms, in practices of pathologizing Roma children. All but one of the participating non-Roma teachers expressed anti-Roma views related to support for school segregation and perceptions of Roma children’s inherent academic inability and language deficiency. These views contrast with those of Roma educators, who pointed to major structural problems, such as poverty and segregation, that remain intact despite the reforms and thus have failed to reduce educational disadvantage.

ПРОФЕСИОНАЛНА ПОДГОТОВКА И ПРОДЪЛЖАВАЩА КВАЛИФИКАЦИЯ НА УЧИТЕЛЯ

The study presents the problems of vocational training and the continuing qualification of Bulgarian teachers. Higher education institutions preparing pedagogical staff need effective interaction and evaluation of their activities by the users of the educational services, such as kindergarten and school directors.The article presents the results of an empirical study conducted with 50 kindergarten and school principals from 8 regions in the Republic of Bulgaria. The object of the study is the managerial reflection on the quality of the training of the newly appointed teachers. The subject of the study is the possibilities for improving their professional qualification. The results indicate that principals are partially satisfied with the quality of the theoretical and practical training of the teachers they hire. To the greatest extent they stimulate the enhancement of the professional competence of the teaching staff by financing their participation in continuing education courses.

200 години от рождението на учителя Иван Николов Момчилов. Създателят на поколение образовани българи и талантливи български учители

The author dedicates the article to an important anniversary – 200 years since the birth of the teacher Ivan Nikolov Momchilov (1819–1869). He is among the most highly educated Bulgarians. He had encyclopedic knowledge as well as native-language and foreign-language gifting. He writes and speaks Bulgarian, Turkish, Greek, Latin, German, Russian. His merits to the development of Slavicism are exceptional. Historical contributions of Momchilov to the Bulgarian education are also in use in present-day professional and practical training of students in pedagogical specialties. The young reformer created the first Bulgarian class school in Elena in 1843. It replaces the mutual learning method with a class-less system. He distributes pupils by class, creates a curriculum, introduces courses, conducts weekly lessons. He also furnishes the classrooms with desks, teacher’s table, blackboard. Momchilov equips the yard of the school with facilities for physical education. Following his ideas pupils organize themselves and obey the requirements of the chief duty teacher and his assistants – students on duty. He forbids corporal punishment and implements a humane, democratic approach in the relationship between teachers and pupils. He strengthens the psychological atmosphere: every class starts and ends with a bell; there is a break between classes; after the end of the classes, students leave school in order; supervisors monitor the behaviour of each student; students show their respect to Elena’s citizens and are obliged to congratulate others. Ivan Momchilov and Nikola Mihaylovski, the first Bulgarian scholar who defended a doctorate in Moscow, founded the first Bulgarian higher education institution for teachers – Elena Daskalolivnica. Teacher Momchilov has written textbooks and teaching aids on Bulgarian language, history, geography, arithmetic and others. He has created a generation of educated Bulgarians and talented Bulgarian teachers. Ivan Momchilov’s pupils founded Bulgarian schools in many towns and villages. They set the foundations of the school network on the Bulgarian lands.

EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PENALTY SYSTEM IN THE CONTEMPORARY BULGARIAN SCHOOL

School is a professionally competent institution established predominantly for socializing. Its mission along with families is to form the whole personality of an individual. Through knowledge and professionalism the teachers are the main actors in the processes of socialization and education. The presence of incomplete families and due to the transformation of the family into an area of insecurity, their role is even greater. The fulfillment of the basic functions of the education depend to a large extent on the teachers’ skills, values and abilities. The educational institution is mostly associated with the transfer of knowledge, norms, values, building the cultural foundations of society. Moreover, it is also an effective place for achieving of social experience. In addition to its specific activity related to the learning process, school also performs its external function of preserving and maintaining social order. This function is largely implemented through providing school discipline and complying with the school penalty system in a fair way. To solve the problems related to the discipline, the contemporary Bulgarian school has to focus on the efforts in two directions: 1) Continuous skills improvement of the pedagogical specialists so that the educational contents are presented in an accessible and understandable language, in a way consistent with the age characteristics of the students and improvement of their skills in the class management. Teacher-student relationships need to be built on a partnership basis; 2) The active interaction with the parents as the main actors in the chain “family-school-society” is the second direction where our efforts have to be focused on. The role of parents is crucial in the adoption and support of school policies. Parents and teachers should become a model of honesty, respect, reputation, and self-control to educate and develop adequate behavioural patterns in children. Harmonizing the Bulgarian with the European school legislation is related to the adoption of different normative regulations. A step towards improving the framework and special legislation is the adopted Pre-school and School Education Act, the State Standard for Inclusive Education and the Inclusive Education Regulation. Their goal is to achieve a new and better condition of process of education. Logically, it also includes the whole penalty and encouragement system. The effectiveness of each of the regulated normative punishments is analyzed on the basis of deep interviews conducted by the author among Bulgarian teachers and psychologists.

불가리아 소피아대학교 한국어 교사의 교육 경험 연구 - 불가리아 모국어 교사를 중심으로 -

This study investigates the educational experience of Bulgarian teachers of Korean language at the Department of Korean Studies, Sofia University, Bulgaria. To this end, the researcher conducted interviews with five teachers in January 2018. The study was conducted through narrative analysis, which is a method of qualitative research. In this study, the researcher first examined the history and current status of Korean-language education at Sofia University, where the teachers participating in this study work, and described the theoretical basis and methodology of the research. Further, the researcher investigated the Korean-language teachers’ educational experience by analyzing their narratives with regard to the following factors: “satisfaction and disappointment in teaching,” “the rendering of the Korean wave along with its problems and solutions,” “endeavors to impart good education,” “efforts to improve their teaching abilities,” and “dedication to the future development of the Korean department.” This study will contribute to our understanding of Korean-language education in Bulgaria and the life and educational philosophy of Korean-language teachers there. Further, this study significantly extends the research on Korean-language education by supplementing the limited extant research on Korean-language teachers in foreign countries.