Classroom Level Research Articles

A Scoping Review of Hispanic-Serving Institutions Literature in STEM

ABSTRACT Hispanic-Serving Institutions are critical in providing Latino/a/x learners with educational and professional opportunities. Despite Hispanic-Serving Institutional support for learners at the classroom, program, and institutional levels, no syntheses or meta-analyses of Latino/a/x learner outcomes, specifically in STEM-related subjects, exist. A scoping review using a servingness framework was employed to identify the breadth and depth of STEM learner outcomes at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Findings hold significance for academic personnel who research and educate STEM learners.

Thinking and Learning in Nested Systems: The Classroom Level.

Teaching and learning in college chemistry classrooms is affected by a variety of structural and psychosocial factors that influence classroom dynamics. In this second part of a two-part perspective [Talanquer et al. J. Chem. Educ.10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00838], we review and discuss the results from research that has helped us understand the complex social and knowledge dynamics that emerge in interactive learning environments. We use this analysis to make explicit major insights about curriculum, instruction, assessment, teachers, and students gained in the past 25 years and to summarize their implications for chemistry education.

The joint effects of individual-level and classroom-level teacher−child relationships on children’s psychosocial adjustment: A longitudinal study

This longitudinal study examined the interactive effects of individual- and classroom-level teacher−child relationships on developing externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviors in kindergarten children over time. On two occasions separated by about 1 year, data were collected from 473 kindergarten children (52% boys, Mage = 4.36 years) and their class teachers and mothers in Hong Kong, China. Class teachers reported the closeness and conflict in their relationships with each participating child of their class at Time 1, and mothers reported the child’s externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviors at Times 1 and 2. Results indicated that controlling for child age, gender, grade, maternal education, and prior levels of child adjustment, individual-level teacher−child closeness was negatively associated with internalizing behaviors, and individual-level teacher−child conflict was positively associated with child externalizing behaviors over time. Classroom-level teacher−child closeness and conflict emerged as moderators. The longitudinal association between individual-level teacher−child closeness and externalizing behaviors was negative in low-closeness classrooms but not in high-closeness classrooms. However, the longitudinal association between individual-level teacher−child conflict and child prosocial behaviors was negative in low-conflict classrooms but not in high-conflict classrooms. Despite the statistical significance of the cross-level interaction effects, they were of small effect sizes and explained only very small amounts of variance. Theoretically, our findings demonstrated the interplay of the individual- and classroom-level teacher−child relationships in shaping children’s psychosocial adjustment over time. Practically, our findings highlighted the importance of enhancing teachers’ awareness of the affective quality of their relationships with children at both classroom and individual levels, which could potentially impede or promote child development.

Enactment of English medium instruction in under-resourced educational contexts: A case of multilingual public secondary schools in Nepal

English as a medium of instruction (EMI) policy has shown substantial growth in all levels of education, driven by diverse aspirations such as raising individuals’ global competitiveness and internationalization of education. Such a growth of EMI has been questioned from equity perspective. However, they largely draw on perception-based evidence, and do not capture exactly why and how the EMI has arisen and been practiced at the school and classroom levels, against the official, multilingual policy. This paper explores the practiced EMI policy through a qualitative multi-case study, involving in-depth interviews, focus groups and classroom observations in three Nepalese public secondary schools. The data were analysed thematically drawing on the theory of policy enactment and translanguaging. Findings showed that schools consciously chose EMI in full or part for practical reasons (e.g., career prospect) opening some equity-related issues, but teachers and students commonly adopted translanguaging strategies to deal with language and content-related problems and to level the ground for students with limited English proficiency. The findings ask critical language policy researchers to seriously consider the context in theorising equitable language policy. Practical measures to increase educational equity, such as legitimising the use of community languages in class, are also proposed.

The Investigation of the Secondary School Students' Acceptance Levels of Flipped Mathematics Classroom

In this study, it is aimed to determine the secondary school students' acceptance levels of flipped mathematics classroom and to examine their acceptance levels in terms of gender, grade level, internet access, and perception of ability in learning mathematics alone at home. Another aim of the present study is to determine whether students' autonomous learning levels predict their acceptance levels of flipped mathematics classroom. The research was carried out using descriptive and correlational survey model. The study group of the research consisted of 345 secondary school students. The Personal Information Form, Flipped Mathematics Classroom Acceptance Scale, and Autonomous Learning Scale were used as data collection tools. As a result of the research, it was determined that the students' acceptance of flipped mathematics classroom was at a good level. While the acceptance levels of the students did not differ according to the variables of gender and grade level, statistically significant differences were determined in terms of the variables of the internet access and the perception of ability in learning mathematics alone at home. In addition, it was determined in the present study that students' autonomous learning levels were statistically significant predictors of their acceptance levels of flipped mathematics classroom.

Assessment and Optimization Strategies of Campus Sound Environment

A good sound environment is essential in creating a harmonious and peaceful campus, improving students’learning outcomes, promoting physical and mental health, and creating a green and healthy campus. This study investigated the impact of new buildings on existing ones by optimizing the spacing between new buildings and the sound insulation structure of building enclosures. The results indicated that building 4 was affected by the noise from new building 1 and its surroundings, with a maximum outdoor daytime noise level reaching 69 dB, and the indoor background noise level in the least favorable classroom was 43.73 dB, less than 45 dB, which was within the acceptable range. It is recommended that the sound insulation design be improved in the planning of new teaching buildings. Besides, the surrounding traffic conditions should be improved, and the usage time of sports facilities should be scheduled appropriately to prevent the noise from sporting activities from affecting the classroom activities. The findings of this study provide valuable references for future architectural acoustics design and campus planning, contributing to the creation of peaceful and comfortable campus environments.

Exploring the role of educator personality on structural and process quality in early childhood education and care settings

Given the significant time that children aged zero to six spend in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, it is imperative that we understand the drivers of ECEC quality. The role of educator personality in the quality of ECEC settings has received little attention from researchers. Using a sample of 595 educators from 240 infant and toddler classrooms, the present study examined (1) the role that educator personality plays on key quality indicators in Canadian ECEC settings, (2) the factor validity of the Mini Markers, a commonly used measure of personality, and (3) whether there are subgroups of educators based on personality characteristics, using a latent profile analysis (LPA). Results showed an acceptable factor structure of the Mini Markers measure of personality with early childhood educators. Furthermore, personality was positively related to both structural and process quality indicators. Specifically, the structural indicators of income and years in the classroom were positively and significantly related to Agreeableness and Extraversion (small and medium effects, respectively). In terms of process quality, educators’ level of Extraversion had a positive and significant relationship with the quality of responsive interactions they provide to children (small effect). Finally, the LPA revealed diverse educator personality types with no significant variation at the classroom level. This study highlights the need for ongoing research to explore the connection between educators' personalities and quality in ECEC, with implications discussed for practical application.

A short-term longitudinal study on the development of moral disengagement among schoolchildren: the role of collective moral disengagement, authoritative teaching, and student-teacher relationship quality.

The aim of this study was to examine whether collective moral disengagement and authoritative teaching at the classroom level, and student-teacher relationship quality at the individual level, predicted individual moral disengagement among pre-adolescent students 1 year later. In this short-term longitudinal study, 1,373 students from 108 classrooms answered a web-based questionnaire on tablets during school, once in fifth grade (T1) and once in sixth grade (T2). The results showed, after controlling for T1 moral disengagement, gender, and immigrant background, that students with better student-teacher relationship quality at T1 were more inclined to score lower on moral disengagement at T2, whereas students in classrooms with higher levels of collective moral disengagement at T1 were more inclined to score higher on moral disengagement at T2. In addition, both collective moral disengagement and authoritative teaching were found to moderate the associations between student-teacher relationship quality at T1 and moral disengagement at T2. These findings underscore the importance of fostering positive relationships between students and teachers, as well as minimizing collective moral disengagement in classrooms. These measures may prevent the potential escalation of moral disengagement in a negative direction.

An Analysis of the Competency-Based Assessment Process in Mathematics Education at the Senior Secondary Level in Sri Lanka

Background: Sri Lanka has a long history of having an examination-based education system that caters to three main examinations conducted nationally. After over a decade, the country has yet to achieve its objective of the competency-based education system introduced in 2007. Sri Lanka practices an eight-year curriculum cycle reform, which is presently overdue. The current study analyses the existing situation of the competency-based assessment process, which will provide information from the classroom level. The research will address three questions: 1. What assessment methods are used? 2. What are the challenges teachers face in the application? 3. What types of training and support are given by the authorities for applying CBE-based mathematics assessments at the senior secondary level? Methods: The study employed a quantitative approach, using a stratified random sampling method. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 276 mathematics teachers who teach grades ten and eleven in the Western Province. Results: The results revealed that the challenges were a lack of support facilities and resources, long working hours, overcrowded classrooms, and a low understanding of CBE concepts among teachers. Paper-and-pencil tests and questioning are the most common evaluation methods used in classrooms. Conclusion: It is recommended that the Department of Education, with the help of the school authorities, monitor the assessment process and provide adequate training for the teachers to integrate assessment with classroom activities, and provide necessary resources. A school-based assessment method must be integrated with the end-of-term examination, giving it equal weight.

Analysis of the Advancement and Practice of Smart Education Models on Adolescent Physical and Mental Health Education

Abstract This paper utilizes a correlation-based smart prediction model to construct a smart teaching model for mental health. In the ABaisSvd model, the GD algorithm is used to iteratively update the matrix and optimize it by minimizing the error between the reconstructed achievement matrix and the original achievement matrix. The potential impact of attendance behavior and bias factors on grade prediction was also considered, and the prediction function was implemented and optimized after analyzing the correlation between student grades, attendance behavior, and bias factors through dimensionality reduction. According to the analysis of smart psychological teaching practices, 8.1% and 0.65% of students at University X experienced moderate and severe psychological problems, respectively. The smart classroom achieved a score of more than 87 points for the dimensions of appropriate use of educational techniques and obvious educational effects. The level of smart classroom and mental health in Group I was significantly higher than before the experimental intervention. There was no significant change in Group II before and after the intervention. Still, the level of mental health after the intervention (1.75) was also slightly higher than that before the intervention (1.74), and more than half of the students got a sense of theoretical, practical, and emotional gain in wisdom teaching. To sum up, the wisdom education model in this paper has the potential to significantly improve the mental health of college students.

Beyond traditional narratives about teacher professional development: A critical perspective on teachers' working life

We argue that overlooking teacher professional development's (TPD) temporal and spatial situatedness neglects similarities and differences throughout teachers' career stages and organizational contexts. Using latent profile analyses for early-career (n = 383), mid-career (n = 355), and late-career (n = 296) teacher groups, we found four TPD profiles in each career phase. Results showed more heterogeneity of profiles within than between career phases; most early-career teachers shared common TPD patterns with other career phases. Throughout the phases, teachers need TPD addressing their work at both the classroom and organizational levels. Our research invites researchers to rethink reductionist narratives regarding TPD.

The “Integrated Curriculum” for Primary Schools in Lesotho: Where Is the ‘Integration’?

In the era of reforms, the text of curriculum policy and its supporting documents provide a blueprint that drives the teaching and learning processes in the new directions envisaged by policymakers. One dominant narrative within new curriculum policies is ‘integration.’ However, education systems have embraced this narrative without much unpacking of what it means for the agents and their extant practices. The dominant narrative in Lesotho’s ‘new’ curriculum suggests that it was designed to foster integration in the country’s primary schools. This study sought to uncover evidence of integration and or lack thereof through the deconstruction of this narrative and by unpacking the curriculum discourse and its implications for practice. The paper uses Derrida’s deconstruction theory to read and engage with the discourse on curriculum integration in these documents: Curriculum and Assessment Policy (2009), Guide to Continuous Assessment and Integrated Curriculum (Grade 1-7 syllabi). By deconstructing the integration narrative in these policy documents, the study's findings reveal contradictory messages about integration within the curriculum policy and its supporting documents. The policy advocates for a ‘holistic view and treatment of issues', yet the syllabi promote compartmentalisation of subjects. The policy also espouses different integration models within the new curriculum. Therefore, this paper argues that the contradictory messages and the unclear integration model followed can lead to multiple interpretations by the implementing agents, which ultimately cripples the implementation at the classroom level. This deconstruction and unpacking of discourse may contribute to scholarship, curriculum evaluation and policy implementation during educational reforms.

Curriculum Reform for Social Justice: A Critical Policy Historiography of Transformation in Lesotho, Zimbabwe and South Africa

The call for social justice in education has been echoed across the globe for many decades. However, the dual hatchets of racial and social-class segregation have refused to be buried in the 21st century. Inequalities within and across nations remain pervasive and conspicuous. Tapping into the framework of policy genealogy, this theoretical qualitative historiography teases the evolution of curriculum reform in three post-colonial states – Lesotho, Zimbabwe and South Africa. These three nations share a common legacy of British colonialism and unequal access to education anchored in race, social class, gender and other manifestations of injustice. Using primary and secondary documents available in the public domain, the paper traces and juxtaposes post-colonial curriculum policies initiated in search for social justice and how these policies were implemented at school and classroom levels. The grounded theory emerging from this policy historiography is that the genealogy of curriculum reform policies was dictated by historical circumstances and the unique context of each country, rather than deliberate policy sharing among decision-makers in the three post-colonial states. Although reform policy espouses equitable education, the attainment of social justice in the three nations remains largely a mirage. Only children of the new Black elite are enjoying the fruits of post-colonial curriculum reform by attending expensive and generously resourced former White-only schools, but the poor majority remain marginalised in poorly resourced schools. This study recommends collaboration among policy makers in the three nations so that policy talk may be translated into policy action.

A dual analysis study of classroom interactions in Japan and South Africa

The demands of raising education at a classroom level to international standards require a nuanced analytical lens involving multiple perspectives to contribute to the best practices. Most classroom research adopts a singular perspective, usually from researchers who are familiar with the nuances of the classroom context under study. In other words, published studies involving classroom observations are often analyzed by insiders who already have the insight to understand the situated dynamics of the classroom interactions they analyze. While this is an important analytical orientation, this stance may overlook important insights about teaching and learning that outsiders’ perspectives may be able to identify. The study employed a qualitative approach. Which was guided by the dialogic interactive theory. The methodological approach in Japan was face-to-face semi-structured interviews while in the South African context, virtual data generation methods were employed to interview teachers on the classroom interactions with students. The study population was English students, while in South Africa it was health course teachers who taught students from various health professions. A total of eight teachers were purposively recruited in South Africa with one student participant in Japan. Findings revealed similarities and differences in dialogic interactions and the interpretation of such interactions. Participants from both contexts had deliberate silence and reluctance to speak which was interpreted differently by the teachers, and lack of reciprocal and purposive engagements by students. Based on the dialogic interactive theory, it can be concluded that the aspirations to achieve an inclusive quality of education can best be achieved when teachers are transparent about the expected interactions for all the tenets of the dialogic theory to be achieved. It is therefore recommended that broader conversations about the analysis of situated dynamics of classroom interaction be encouraged to yield critical insights for education towards the attainment of inclusive quality education.

An Exploration of Teacher Leadership: Are Future Teachers Ready to Lead?

The teaching profession has become increasingly complex in the last decades. The changing role of teachers has called for a new paradigm of the teaching profession that recognises the potential of teachers to lead for supporting school development and change. The influence teachers have on the school community and their commitment to school change are at the core of teacher leadership definitions. Preparing future teachers to act as leaders in their schools can support the overall efforts for school improvement. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore pre-service teacher leadership development. The study utilised a qualitative methodology to address: (i) pre-service teachers’ understanding of teacher leadership, (ii) the role of initial teacher education in shaping the understanding of teacher leadership, and (iii) the contribution of initial teacher education to pre-service teachers’ readiness for exercising leadership roles for school improvement. The study was conducted with pre-service teachers in the leading initial teacher education institution in Kosovo. A total of 42 pre-service teachers from all years of the Primary Teacher Education programme participated in four group interviews with the aim of discussing in depth the core elements of teacher leadership in order to better grasp the pre-service teachers’ understanding of this concept as well as their readiness to exercise leadership roles. A model devised by Snoek et al. (2019) was used as an analytical framework to determine the development of teacher leadership in initial teacher education. The study reveals that there is no consensus on the definition of teacher leadership. The findings show that the understanding of teacher leadership is based on a contextually drawn vision of what it means to be a teacher, resulting in a narrow view of leadership with regard to individual and classroom levels. The study concludes that initial teacher education has a critical role in contributing to shifting the conceptualisation of teacher leadership beyond the isolated views of individual and formal leadership. The findings have imperative implications for providing good models of initial teacher education that support the preparation and readiness of future teacher leaders to tackle the ever-increasing complexities of the teaching profession.

Investigation of acoustic comfort, productivity, and engagement in naturally ventilated university classrooms: Role of background noise and students’ noise sensitivity

Optimal classroom acoustics enhance students' engagement and learning efficiency. In warm-humid climate, ceiling fans are used at different speeds to enhance thermal comfort in naturally ventilated classrooms. Although ceiling fans enhance thermal comfort, using fans at higher speeds significantly increases Background Noise (BGN), interfering with acoustic comfort. To achieve an optimal acoustic environment, it is important to understand the effect of BGN on acoustic comfort. Hence, focusing on ceiling fan noise in classrooms, this study investigates the effect of acoustic environment and students' noise sensitivity on acoustic comfort, productivity, and engagement. A four-month-long field study was conducted in 11 naturally ventilated classrooms, obtaining 828 responses. Sound pressure levels in active classrooms were measured to calculate BGN and Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Reverberation time (RT) was measured both in students' presence and absence. Acoustic comfort conditions, productivity, and engagement of students at every seat were obtained through questionnaire survey. BGN levels and RT ranged from 58.2 to 65.3 dBA and 0.7–2.1 s, respectively. A positive correlation was found between acoustic comfort and engagement level and productivity. Regression analysis showed that students with high noise sensitivity reported acoustic discomfort when the BGN exceeded 62.4 dBA, RT was above 1.7 s and SNR was below 3.7 dBA. Chi-square test involving the acceptability vote indicated that students were more likely to accept the BGN ≤61 dBA, RT ≤ 0.7 s, and SNR ≥6.5 dBA. This study establishes the relation of BGN, RT, and SNR with acoustic comfort in naturally ventilated classrooms, offering insights for classroom acoustic environment enhancement.

The effect of post-COVID-19 ventilation measures on indoor air quality in primary schools.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has made people acutely aware of the importance of indoor air quality (IAQ) and building ventilation systems, particularly in densely occupied places like offices and schools. As a result, governments and other public entities are increasingly investing in the installation, maintenance, and upgrades of ventilation systems in public buildings. However, little is known about the effect of building ventilation systems on actual IAQ and its impact on occupant behavior. This paper exploits exogenous closing and opening events of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with policy measures focusing on maximizing ventilation rates inside classrooms, to assess the effectiveness of building ventilation systems in primary schools. We use a unique sensor network implemented before the COVID-19 pandemic, consisting of measurement devices installed in 252 classrooms across 27 Dutch primary schools, continuously monitoring IAQ indicators such as CO2 levels and fine particle concentrations. Using high-frequency data from 2018 to 2022 school years, we compare the IAQ differences between natural and mechanical ventilation through a fixed-effect identification strategy. Our results show that mechanically ventilated classrooms perform better with respect to CO2 and fine particle levels. However, the post-COVID-19 ventilation measures implemented after school reopening had stronger effects on naturally ventilated (NV) classrooms, suggesting behavioral changes at the classroom level. We also investigate the longer term effects of these post-COVID-19 ventilation measures and show some evidence of decay in effectiveness, as well as a strong seasonal effect, particularly in NV classrooms, which seems the result of a trade-off between ventilation and thermal comfort.

Associations between students’ reading performance and literacy instruction in first grade: a cross-lagged study

This cross-lagged study examined the classroom-level associations between the reading performance of first-grade students (N = 537) and observed literacy instruction activities in classrooms (N = 30) in the autumn and spring terms. The multilevel analyses indicated that lower average word reading skills in the classrooms (i.e., there were more students who were learning to read) in the autumn were associated with higher amount of activities supporting consolidation of reading and spelling skills in the spring. In contrast, higher average word reading skills in the classrooms in the autumn were associated with higher amount of independent meaning-focused activities in the spring. Higher extent of whole-group meaning-focused activities in the autumn was positively associated with reading comprehension at classroom level in the spring, whereas independent phonological recoding practice in the autumn was negatively associated with reading comprehension in the spring. The study provides novel understanding of the associations between students’ reading performance and literacy instruction especially showing how students’ reading skills at classroom level may inform instruction in the classroom. This information may guide teachers to adapt their instruction at classroom level but also to identify the students needing differentiation. The results also acknowledge the affordances and limitations students’ skills may set for the instruction.

Science education in the Anthropocene: the aesthetics of climate change education in an epoch of uncertainty

We have a responsibility as science educators to work with young people to enact education that enables collective rebalancing of relationships between humans and more-than-humans that are disturbed by human-induced climate change. However, to date, climate change education has not been prioritized in school science at a policy, curricula, classroom and community level, due to an aesthetic which does not sufficiently value climate science or recognize the social impacts of science as part of the discipline. We argue in this conceptual research paper from a pragmatist perspective that an aesthetic shift is required to include science as part of climate change education as a transdisciplinary endeavor that focuses on addressing socio-ecological challenges through student agency and community action. We explore the synergy between science education aesthetics and climate change aesthetics as we advocate for a transformative aesthetics of climate change education. We do so through a process of reflection on and conceptualization of our stories of climate change education in Australia. We propose that such an aesthetic (how we ought to value) should not be considered in isolation but rather that it forms the basis for the ethics (how we ought to conduct ourselves) and logic (how we ought to think) of young people being with us in a community of inquiry in the Anthropocene. We argue that we (teachers and students) ought to conduct ourselves in loving ways toward human and more-than-human kin that necessitates that we think as a community of inquiry to address the challenges of the Anthropocene. In doing so we suggest that we can realize a radical pragmatist meliorism for climate change education that is underpinned by the three normative sciences, the most foundational of which is aesthetics.

Conversations reflecting boundary-objects-related details of a teacher’s local practices with spreadsheet algebra programs on variables

The ways teachers converse about their work in relation to information and communications technologies (ICTs) are worth studying. We analyse how a teacher converses about her local practices in relation to two spreadsheet algebra programs (SAPs) on variables. During the conversations we noticed that the teacher keeps different policy documents – boundary objects – firmly in view, in relation to the design of the two other boundary objects, namely the two SAPs. The policy documents provide details on the operative curricula which entail the intended, implemented and examined curricula. Of these curricula, the teacher regarded the examined curriculum and associated examinations as most important. Also, she conversed about how she intends to align the design features of the two SAPs with particular policy documents, especially in the context of the South African high-stakes National Senior Certificate examinations and the attendant examination pressure. Our results confirm current professional development (PD) literature suggestions that emphasise fostering coherence, for example between policy boundary objects details and what university-based PD providers do when they interact with school teachers.Contribution: The results provide guidelines for university-based PD providers to integrate SAPs or other ICTs related to algebra and variables by keeping teachers’ local practices in view. These providers should note that different policy-related boundary objects shape the ways teachers understand and converse about their local practices, namely their work at the classroom level.