Community Teaching Research Articles

“For me, it is important to maintain self while adapting.” Understanding Chinese foreign language teachers’ identity in an intercultural context

ABSTRACT This qualitative exploratory study addresses how Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) teachers perceive their identity in an intercultural context in the Netherlands. In this study with twenty-one native Chinese-speaking language teachers, empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Foucault’s poststructuralist view of identity is employed to conceptualize teachers’ identity. The findings show teachers’ perceptions of their identity are shaped by their cultural and educational background, as well as their teaching experiences in an intercultural context. CFL teachers’ professional identity adapts during the process of interacting with students from another cultural background. Although CFL teachers sometimes struggle during this process of transformation, they generally showed willingness to adjust. The findings indicated that even if teachers’ identity reconstruction is inevitable in the cross-cultural setting, most CFL teachers hold onto their primary Chinese identity. Implications for teacher professional development and teaching Chinese in intercultural settings are discussed, for instance, the need for pedagogical courses that fit the Dutch educational context and consider the Chinese language’s specific features, and for the creation of a collaborative CFL teaching community.

Integrating social media-based community of inquiry with theory of planned behavior to promote equitable educational intentions among pre-service teachers in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan.

An equitable education system is essential for all students to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to become productive members of society. Pre-service teachers in education play a vital role in fostering equitable educational practices. This study aimed to measure the association between the social media-based community of inquiry and pre-service teachers' intentions toward social justice and equity in education. It focused on pre-service teachers enrolled in the education departments of universities in Gilgit Baltistan (GB), Pakistan. Census sampling was used to include all students enrolled in teacher education departments across universities in GB. The research utilized a multi-wave survey design, beginning with a baseline survey to assess pre-service teachers' presence on social media. This information guided the design of a community of inquiry on social media centered on the theme of social justice and equity in education. After 4 months, a second survey was conducted to measure the association between the community of inquiry and pre-service teachers' intentions toward social justice and equity. For data analysis, the study employed the partial least squares-consistent structural equation modeling (PLSc-SEM) approach. The novelty of the study lies in integrating the community of inquiry framework with the theory of planned behavior. We found a significant and positive association between the social media-based community of inquiry and pre-service teachers' attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control regarding their intentions to implement social justice and equity in education. These findings hold the potential for developing prospective teachers and educational leadership with a strong focus on equity. Future research could explore creating a community of inquiry for pre-service teachers to enhance their mindset and skills for inclusive education. This aligns with the broader objective of achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on fostering a more inclusive and equitable educational environment.

DIGITAL EDUCATION AS A BASIS FOR IMPROVING THE SOCIAL MECHANISM OF COMMITMENT TO THE PROFESSION OF HIGHER SCHOOL TEACHERS

The processes of cognition of the theory of commitment to the profession of a higher education teacher for the establishment of improved higher education and the accompanying scientific and expert discussions began long before the start of the reformation of the 21st century, however, the total transition to a new form of advanced training and innovative work of universities since 2021 has updated a new round of discussions about how the use of digital technologies is changing the landscape of higher education and the roles and modes of work of professionals. The article, based on a series of semi-structured interviews with teachers from 3 universities, most often of a humanitarian nature, which were collected in two stages from March to April 2021 and a survey of teachers in June 2023, discusses the transformation of the teaching profession in the new conditions after 2015. The key attention is paid to what is happening with the social mechanism of management in the new conditions, how the relationship between the administration and the teaching community is changing. It is shown that in the conditions of “forced bureaucratization” two divergent aspects are emerging. On the one hand, in the conditions of an unprecedented natural experiment on the mass transfer of all work processes into a mixed learning format, traditional forms of manifestation of the social management mechanism are being revived through the self-organization of the teaching community, the emergence of networks of cooperation and mutual support between professionals. On the other hand, teachers note increased administrative control and bureaucratization of the educational process. In some cases, this leads to an aggravation of conflict between the administration and the teaching community and is perceived by the latter as a threat to the social management mechanism. In this way, scientific algorithms are updated in relation to the future of the profession of a higher education teacher. The presented analysis concludes with a discussion of possible measures that can be taken to reduce the potential negative effects of the identified aspects on the entire higher education system.

Accept or challenge? Exploring the experiences of pre‐service teachers from minoritised groups

AbstractThe shortage of teachers from Black, Asian and minoritised groups is well documented. Over the past decade, a body of research has confirmed that discrimination and inequality is a factor in the recruitment of teachers from Black, Asian and minoritised groups in England. Drawing on findings from the 2017 Runnymede Trust Report, which highlighted Bristol's lack of racial diversity within the teaching community, this paper explores the experiences of a group of pre‐service teachers on university teacher education routes who are minoritised within the general teaching population. The identified lack of diversity in the teacher workforce extends beyond race to other aspects of identity and representation in the classroom and is mirrored in teacher education. A series of focus group interviews were conducted across a 9‐month period. Results are presented as vignettes to capture the voice of minoritised participants. The findings have implications for the recruitment and retention of a diverse teacher workforce, as well as highlighting the need to ensure a sense of belonging for all pre‐service teachers entering the teaching community. This paper proposes a model relating to the analysis of critical incidents, which aims to inform future research into how pre‐service teachers respond to critical incidents regarding their identity. This model seeks to clarify tensions in the diverse lived experiences of pre‐service teachers and helps to explore the importance of context.

Beginning, rise, fall, and comeback: Exploring the journey of a physical education teacher community in South Korea

Physical education teacher communities have been studied and implemented as a successful approach to teacher professional development. Despite a wealth of literature, less is known about three aspects: sustained nature of a community over time, power relations among community members, and a comprehensive case study. This study aimed to address these gaps in the literature by investigating the journey of a physical education community of practice (CoP) in South Korea. In this intrinsic case study, seven core members were interviewed using a timeline drawing method to elicit the stories behind the community's history. In addition, field notes from observations and documents from the official community website were used to corroborate the interview data. Inductive and collaborative data analysis organised the community's history into four phases: Beginning, Rise, Fall, and Comeback. Detailed explanations of each phase represent what happened and how the community evolved over time. Discussions suggested, first, that changing power relations facilitate different types of learning in CoPs. Initially, a strong leader drove learning as experiencing and doing, but as power shifted to members, the community changed to learning as belonging and becoming. Second, conflict can be a natural process to revisit the shared vision. Since the shared vision is not static but rather reflects contextual values, community members should revisit and discuss it as conflicts arise. Third, community engagement can be understood as an opportunity to gain recognition. This research underscores the significance of understanding long-term teacher motivation and the collective factors that drive it through community engagement.

Exploring a TESOL supervisor's role in building mentor teacher community in professional learning sessions

Exploring a <scp>TESOL</scp> supervisor's role in building mentor teacher community in professional learning sessions

SEATON SNOOK AND THE BUILDING OF A PARAFICTIONAL SEASIDE TOWN

AbstractSeaton Snook was a thriving community of fishermen, blacksmiths, teachers, seacoalers, labourers and musicians on the coast of County Durham, UK. After 1968, however, government records and newspaper reports referring to the town cease and there are, apparently, no former residents still living. This article outlines the creation of What Happened to Seaton Snook?, an internet-based archive of sounds and music from the area, its residents and its workers, devised to try and form a picture of the town and what happened there. Among the nearly 100 artefacts in this ethnomusicological study are pieces for piano and harpsichord, pedagogic works, folk tunes for voice and Northumbrian smallpipes, brass band music, Krautrock, psychedelic rock and works for magnetic tape. There are biographies and photographs of people key to the history of the town, and interviews with experts in matters pertaining to the artefacts. The archive also seeks to examine the economic and cultural neglect of the North East of England and the importance of the stories we tell around the music we make.

Visualization of the Values of the AL Anwar Islamic Boarding School to Improve the Personal Qualities of Santri

The Industrial Revolution has changed the values of Islamic Boarding Schools which have begun to fade among students as the nation's next generation. Santri are more busy with their social media than living socially with the community in teaching and exemplifying the characteristic educational values they receive at Islamic boarding schools. In fact, the values of Islamic boarding school education have not been a reflection of improving the quality of students in society. The theory used in this research to instill Islamic boarding school values in students is visualization through documentary videos as a learning medium, so that students can easily access and remember them in everyday life. The results of this research show that there is a change in the behavior of santri in an effort to improve personal quality, namely that the santri are more motivated to learn and are happy to do good as a reflection of the santri as role models for their community. The improvement in personal quality in question is related to increasing the moral quality and knowledge of students. The true philosophy of santri is the continuation of the struggle of teachers and ulama' to guide society in religious knowledge and face increasingly competitive life

Exploring the Impact of Artificial Intelligence Tools on Translation Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs and Professional Development

Objective: This study aimed to investigate how the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools impacts translation teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and professional development in the context of translation education. Methods: The research employed a combination of questionnaire surveys and interviews to gather data. A total of twenty-seven translation teachers, who were part of an online learning community for translation teachers in Chinese universities and colleges, willingly participated in the study. All the participants completed the questionnaire survey, and six of them further volunteered to take part in interviews after completing the survey. Results: The results of the study demonstrated that translation teachers possessed a high sense of self-efficacy in integrating AI tools in their teaching practices. They also recognized the positive impact of integrating AI tools on their professional development. Furthermore, they exhibited flexibility by adapting their instructional approaches to enhance students’ translation skills and accuracy. Conclusion: The research examined how the integration of AI tools affected translation teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and professional development, providing valuable insights into the relationship between these factors in the context of AI tool integration. The results showed that AI tool integration had a substantial impact on translation teachers’ self-efficacy and professional learning. This integration resulted in increased self-efficacy beliefs among teachers and contributed to their professional development. Consequently, teachers were motivated to adapt their teaching methods, aiming to enhance students’ translation skills and accuracy.

Subject-based lesson study supporting Merdeka Curriculum enactment: Findings from Malang City science teachers

Developing teacher capability in implementing the Merdeka curriculum can take advantage of the activity of sustainable lesson study. Lesson study conducted at the subject teacher community provides a place for teachers to learn collaboratively to improve their professionalism. This study aims at present the findings of the implementation of a subject-based lesson study carried out among junior high school science teachers in Malang City, Indonesia, and expose their responses regarding the impact of this activity on their professional development in supporting the Merdeka Curriculum enactment. Teachers are actively involved and enthusiastic in participating in lesson study activities. The teacher stated that the implementation of subject-based lesson study was a forum for mutual learning and improving teaching skills so that it supported the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum. Even so, continuous implementation accompanied by strengthening the principles of lesson study and learning principles that emphasize student involvement as well as developing students' thinking skills is needed. Finally, the constraints and expectations expressed by the teacher can be considered for designing a subject-based lesson study implementation model to form sustainable lesson study for learning communities in the future.

The Teacher Community Role toward Teacher Professionalism on Designing EFL Instructional Objectives

Developing professional competence is always required by the teacher to present meaningful learning experiences to reach the goal. Moreover, the pandemic has changed every side of life, including teaching and learning activities. One of the competencies is designing the instructional objectives, and the teacher community can support their development. This study explores the role of the teacher's community in developing teachers' professional competence in designing the instructional objective in the EFL context. This study uses qualitative methods with questionnaires and interview instruments to collect the data. Two teachers contribute to this study. They come from senior high school teachers. One teacher teaches in a public school, and the other teaches in a private one. The result showed that three types of teachers' communities play a role in respondents' development in teachers' professional competence in designing instructional learning objectives. Besides, they can design the learning objectives; further researchers may conduct follow-up research with a broader subject, complete literature, and more relevant methods to draw generalizations.

Learning silence and passivity: Novice teacher's participation in teaching community

This study investigates novice teachers' perceptions of the teaching community in Korea, and how its context shapes their participation in schools. Interviews were conducted with four primary school teachers who were in their first three years in the profession. The analysis revealed that schools neglected to create an environment conducive to the professional development of novice teachers by maintaining a power structure that favours senior teachers over educational values. Furthermore, the age-based inequality challenged the novice teachers’ autonomy, and forced them to remain passive and silent. Facilitating their voice is key to promoting constructive change in the community.

Retrospection and Reference: The Early Spread of Marxism in Chinese Universities in the Early 20th Century

At the beginning of the 20th century, universities were an important battlefield for the dissemination of early Marxism, and teachers, as members of intellectuals, played an important role in the early dissemination of Marxism in China. This article, from the perspective of the teacher community, traces and analyzes the background, group characteristics, channels, content, and effects of the early dissemination of Marxism by the teacher community. Taking history as a lesson, it explores the benefits of expanding dissemination channels and methods in combination with the characteristics of the times, strengthening the construction of ideological and political theory courses in universities, and promoting the popularization of Marxism.

Working conditions and health status of school workers (literature review)

In recent years, the range of publications concerning the high likelihood of teachers developing syndromes of professional burnout and professional destruction has been increasingly expanding. This trend is almost equally characteristic of most countries over the world: from Great Britain, Germany, and Scandinavia in Europe to China, Japan in Asia and Nigeria in Africa, and, over the last decade, in Russia. In other words, the problem under consideration is global in nature and depends little on the level of economic development of the country and its ethno-geographical characteristics.&#x0D; Purpose of work. Study foreign and domestic scientific literature directly related to the problems of creating working conditions and their impact on the health in education workers.&#x0D; The presented review is based on the publications of a number of domestic and foreign studies. The literature search was carried out using the databases Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, MedLine, RSCI. A total of forty two publications were analyzed for the period from 2001 to 2022. &#x0D; A systematic analysis of the world scientific literature was conducted on the management of events aimed at assessing the working conditions and health in teachers. The study examined various aspects related to the provision of medical care to education workers.&#x0D; After evaluating the results of the study, it became clear that there is some discrepancy between reports in the field of psychology and hygiene. In the first group of works devoted to the psychological aspect, insufficient attention is paid to the study of working conditions and their impact on the health of teachers, despite the widespread prevalence of professional burnout syndrome among the teaching community. At the same time, in the second group of studies devoted to hygienic aspects, the role of psychosocial factors influencing the health of teachers is not sufficiently addressed.&#x0D; Conclusion. In general, the analysis of the characteristics of working conditions and health of pedagogical workers allows concluding this topic to be relevant and in demand in the scientific world. It also highlights the need for further research and development in this area to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of related diseases.

EdTech in sociological education: Challenges and opportunities, risks and solutions

The contemporary system of sociological education undergoes all processes of digital transformation; therefore, the key challenges to the teaching community and risks associated with new functions and a decrease in the quality of education require serious rethinking in the context of digital transformation. Moreover, the tasks of identifying the capabilities of EdTech and constructive ways of using them in sociological education are also updated. The article considers the trends in the development of EdTech in education and conditions, technologies and directions for its use in sociological education. The empirical basis of the article is the results of sociological research conducted by international and Russian organizations on the use and development prospects of EdTech. The introduction and use of technologies in the education system determine the task of developing a new digital infrastructure and of the corresponding training/retraining of teaching staff. On the other hand, the education system should respond to students’ requests for emotional inclusion, support, psychological well-being and pedagogy of care in the digitally mediated environment. The author argues that the key tasks to be solved under the introduction of EdTech into sociological education are as follows: formation of a meaningful approach to the use of technology by all participants of the educational process; training in new methods for the analysis of transforming social reality; identification of legitimate ways to use artificial intelligence in education and research. The article emphasizes the dynamism of digital transformation in education, which determines the need for monitoring research and for a comprehensive (infrastructural, personnel, content) digital transformation strategy taking into account the features of educational programs.

Научно-методическое сопровождение как инструмент профессионально-личностного развития педагогов в системе дополнительного профессионального образования

Life-long learning is compulsory in the modern teaching community. School teachers need scientific and methodological support for their professional and personal development, especially as part of advanced professional education. A tailored academic program uses various techniques and methods to fill in gaps in one’s professional competencies. The author analyzed the structure of scientific and methodological support for the professional and personal development of schoolteachers based on personalized and personality-oriented approaches, e.g., such methods as supervision, coaching, and mentoring. The article introduces the concept of scientific and methodological support of schoolteachers as an integral system of interrelated actions and areas of work focused on the professional and personal development. Some elements of the scientific and methodological support system were tested at a series of practical webinars with students of a pedagogical university and schoolteachers.

Evaluation of the Educaplus website and its influence on education

This study aimed to evaluate and determine if the Educaplus website contributes to the learning of mathematics in primary school students. The methodology consisted of a pretest to know the initial status of the teachers who made up the study sample and their skills and perceptions about the use of digital tools in mathematics. Then, training in Educaplus was applied as a complementary tool for mathematics training, and then a final evaluation to determine the teachers' receptivity to the incorporation of new methodologies in teaching. The research design allowed us to observe that the teachers' initial lack of knowledge prevented them from having a clear vision of the use of computer applications for mathematics. However, the training managed to change the panorama in the teaching community and improve perceptions.

Social network analysis and educational change: unravelling the role of innovative teaching staff in a higher education environment

ABSTRACT As the higher education landscape has shifted and calls for change and improvements have grown louder, researchers have turned to empirical investigations of what makes change possible in higher education. Recent studies on the impact of informal interactions for promoting change have given impetus to social network analysis as an approach to studying higher education change. However, the relationship between teachers’ social network characteristics and their disposition to adopt changes remains largely unknown. In this study, we describe the characteristics of teaching networks and explain the network characteristics of the most innovative teaching staff. By capturing whole teaching and research networks within a STEM discipline department at a Norwegian university, we show that teachers tend to speak to the same colleagues about both research and teaching, and that teaching communities are constrained by departmental sub-units (i.e. research groups). Furthermore, by combining the network data with a survey on diffusion of innovation, we find that the most innovative teachers (1) are central in the network, having the largest personal networks, (2) have a substantial reach to the rest of the network, and (3) are highly interconnected. This paper contributes to the understanding of change theories in higher education and discusses how these results can inform the practice of change agents and educational developers. In addition to confirming the presence of a research-teaching nexus, we discuss why leveraging the networks of the most innovative teaching staff would be a promising strategy for facilitating change in higher education.

Where is ocean literacy in oceanic islands’ schools? The Azores case

Human life on Earth is possible and sustained mainly due to the ocean’s services that regulate the air we breathe, the climate and weather, and provide water and food. Moreover, the global economy and the regional incomes are based mainly on the resources, energy, transport and navigation, fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, and leisure, provided by the oceans. Ocean omnipresence in our lives is expected to be even more striking in ocean islands like the Azores Archipelago, but is this the case? This study explores the perception of Azorean school teachers on ocean literacy. This study aims to evaluate how ocean-related themes are incorporated into regular teaching activities and how Azorean schools are educating students to become environmentally responsive regarding ocean sustainability. Targeting SDG 14, an online questionnaire was sent to all public schools in the archipelago and distributed to teachers during the 2021/22 school year. A total of 426 answers from a potential target population of 5502 teachers were accepted as valid. We found that the teaching community has a generalised awareness of ocean literacy, which is not reflected in the pedagogical practice, as 58% of the respondents do not integrate ocean-related themes into their activities. Moreover, most schools in the archipelago are not integrated into ocean literacy projects. The results highlight the need to incorporate ocean themes in official curricula and manuals and develop easy-to-access ocean-related learning materials to ensure the ocean’s environmental sustainability.

Cultivating a sustained community of teaching and learning scholars across disciplines and institutions

AbstractThis article explores the evolutionary nature of higher education and how it continues to stress the need for the professoriate to be active within scholarly teaching. This qualitative study examines how each author navigates SoTL research and analyzes the authors' reflective journaling for themes and sub‐themes for alignment with Scholarship Reconsidered, Scholarship Assessed and Community of Scholars models. Study findings support the existing literature and showcases the importance of establishing a community of scholars that offers its members a place of psychological safety and support.