Compulsory School Subject Research Articles

Coding as Literacy in Preschool: A Case Study

Coding is increasingly recognized as a new literacy that should be encouraged at a young age. This understanding has recontextualized computer science as a compulsory school subject and has informed several developmentally appropriate approaches to computation, including for preschool children. This study focuses on the introduction of three approaches to computation in preschool (3–6 years), specifically computational thinking, programming, and robotics, from a cross-curricular perspective. This paper presents preliminary findings from one of the case studies currently being developed as part of project KML II—Laboratory of Technologies and Learning of Programming and Robotics for Preschool and Elementary School. The purpose of the KML II project is to characterize how approaches to computation can be integrated into preschool and elementary education, across different knowledge domains. The conclusions point to “expression and communication” as an initial framework for computational approaches in preschool, but also to multidisciplinary and more creative methodological activities that offer greater scope for the development of digital and computational competences, as well as for personal and social development.

The Current Status of Elementary Music Education in Yangon, Myanmar

Public schools in Myanmar have offered music education as part of the regular curriculum since 2000; however, very little information is available about the current teaching practices of music education as well as differences and problems regarding music education in different types of schools. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of elementary music education in Yangon, Myanmar in three different types of schools: Public schools, private schools, and international schools. A mixed-method design was employed to achieve the purposes of the study. Qualitative data were collected using in-depth interviews with seven key informants. Quantitative data were collected from 93 respondents—33 music teachers and 60 classroom teachers responsible for teaching music—using a web-based questionnaire and telephone interviews. Both the quantitative and qualitative results indicated that compared to private schools and public schools, international schools receive more practical support in terms of qualified music teachers, standard music programmes, and excellent facilities. Although the Ministry of Education in Myanmar has commenced curriculum reform to include music as a compulsory subject in public schools at the elementary level since the 2016-2017 academic year, there are still many challenges regarding music training for teachers, the effectiveness of music curricula, and adequate support for music facilities and other necessities such as musical instruments, teaching aids, musical equipment, and educational resources. The findings of the study also confirm that the support of the government is crucial for music education policy and partnership in Public schools and Private schools.

Gender Effect on Mathematics Anxiety of Secondary School Students in Ogun West Senatorial District, Nigeria

Mathematics has become an important and compulsory school subject in many countries of the world but it has been recognized by many researchers as causing panic and fear for many students and this has often made most of such students to fail the subject. This study therefore sought the effect of gender on the mathematics anxiety of senior secondary school students in Ogun West Senatorial District. The sample size for this study were 270 senior secondary school students 2 (SS2) who were selected through stratified random sampling technique. The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale-revised (MARS-R) was the only instrument used for the study. The data collected were analysed through Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and t-test. Results revealed a significant difference effect of gender on students’ mathematics anxiety. The study also revealed higher mathematics anxiety scores for male students than the female. The researcher recommended that counselors should use this study as a theoretical and empirical basis to help counselors see the need to help male students focus more on the subject so as to avoid being anxious. Schools should also sponsor seminars/workshops especially for male students on the importance of mathematics for career progression.

Relationships Education in English Primary Schools : Squaring the Circle of Equality in the Early 21st Century

This paper belongs to the field of curriculum research and is based on a case study, that of the No Outsiders project initiated in the Parkfield Community School in Birmingham which started teaching Relationships Education (RE) before it became a compulsory subject in English primary schools in September 2020. No Outsiders partly covers the contents of RE and clearly refers to same-sex relationships and LGBT issues. This is exactly what protesters daily contested outside the school in 2019. Government guidance on RE, No Outsiders and the arguments of the project’s opponents are based on the 2010 Equality Act which defines “protected” “characteristics” like “religion or belief” or “sex and sexual orientation”. Can the 2010 Act ensure all those “characteristics” are equally “protected”? The approach of the government to tackling same-sex relationships in primary schools and parents’ rights has been everything but clear and the 2010 Equality Act seems to fall short in its attempt to safeguard all the “characteristics” it lists.

The Obligation to Attend Religion Classes as a Manifestation of Special Institutional Authority

This paper is devoted to the issue of acceptability of defining religion classes as a compulsory subject in public schools run by religious legal persons. However, while taking into account the achievements of the ecclesiastical law doctrine, the author analyzes this issue from the point of view of the administrative law and indicates the possibility of appropriately applying to this case the regulations pertaining to public establishments and the special institutional governance. In realizing the established research goals the author considers such issues as a school as a public establishment, requirements regarding running public schools, the legal character of statutes of schools or the unique characteristics of the schools run by denominations having legal personality. As a result of the conducted legal analysis the author concluded that when taking into consideration the voluntariness of attending religion classes it is acceptable to, under the special institutional governance, recognize religion classes as a compulsory subject in the public schools run by entities other than local self-government units. However, such possibility exists only when there is no catchment area established for such schools which results in the voluntariness of selecting such schools as a place of realization of compulsory schooling as well as in the prospect of selecting a different public school in which parents or pupils of legal age may resign from attending religion classes.

Integration of Pancasila Values in Student Books of Islamic Religious Education and Character at High School Level

Islamic Education and Character Education as a compulsory subject in high schools, has an important role in providing education and understanding related to Pancasila and religion, to prevent the influence of anti-Pancasila in Indonesia. The purpose of this study is to describe the integration of Pancasila values contained in the textbooks of Islamic Education and Character Education for senior high school students. This research is a library research. The results showed that some materials could be integrated with Pancasila values. (1) Class X, found in chapter I, chapter IV, VI, VII, VIII, and IX. Class XI, found in chapter I, III, IX, and XI. Class XII, found in chapter I, IV, V, VI, IX and X. (2) The integration of Pancasila values with these materials is expected to increase the spirit of nationalism and overcome the spread of anti-Pancasila ideology in Indonesia, especially among adolescents

Опитът на Канада, Великобритания, Финландия и Испания за формиране на медийна грамотност сред учениците

The theoretical research focuses on the educational experience for the formation of media literacy among school-age children in different countries around the world. The article presents various options for the formation of media literacy, based on three educational models. According to the first model, media education is represented in the form of a compulsory subject in schools, which is studied by students in different grades. According to the second educational model, media habits are acquired within the interdisciplinary (integrated) approach – the use of the media in traditional school subjects, including native and foreign languages, literature, social sciences. The third model offers practical and informal integration of media education as a supplement and replacement of specific subjects or the intersection between them. The article examines in detail the media training opportunities offered in Canada, the United Kingdom, Finland and Spain, as their experience in media education is applied in a number of other countries around the world. Special attention is paid to the first steps in the introduction of media literacy training among students in Bulgaria, which is carried out only in the last 5-6 years.

The Ability to Understand Concepts: Cognitive Style, Cognitive Structure, Learning Styles and Learning Motivation

Mathematics is a compulsory subject in vocational high schools throughout Indonesia. The ability to understand concepts is a competency that must be possessed in mathematics learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the variables that affect the ability to understand mathematical concepts. The variables are cognitive style, cognitive structure, learning style and learning motivation. This is a survey research, with a sample of 100 people. The sample was selected by simple random technique from all vocational high school students in Bengkulu City. The research instrument consisted of five instruments, namely a test of the ability to understand mathematical concepts, and four questionnaires of cognitive style, cognitive structure, learning styles and learning motivation questionnaire. The research data were analyzed through path analysis using SPSS and the Lisrel Application Program. The results of this study are the variables of cognitive style, cognitive structure, learning style, and learning motivation have a positive direct effect on the ability to understand mathematical concepts. From this study it can be concluded that the ability to understand mathematical concepts through cognitive styles, cognitive structures, learning styles, and student learning motivation is in a good category.

Teachers’ Instructional Practices for Promoting Primary One Learners’ Mathematics Competence: A Comparative Study of Busiro and Luuka, Uganda

Purpose: Mathematics is a globally compulsory school subject and plays a fundamental role in an individual’s daily life activities. Elementary school teachers’ instructional practices are key in fostering among learners the foundational competences in basic number operations. This study explored the instructional practices Primary One teachers in Busiro North and Luuka North Counties can adopt from each other in order to enhance their learners’ mathematics competence.Methodology: A qualitative approach with an observational multiple case study design was employed to obtain data from 74 purposively selected teachers. Data was collected through non-participant observation. Each teacher was observed teaching mathematics to Primary One learners and interviewed after the lesson. Data obtained was analysed descriptively.Findings: Findings indicate that teachers use songs, rhymes and games involving mathematical concepts, in both English language and the local languages to help learners attain competence. Teachers have also embraced use of locally available materials like woven plastic propylene bags (buveera) and banana fibres to make and decorate charts in the classrooms’ mathematics learning areas. Attention grabbers like “Good children, Good teacher”; “We, Work”; are common verbal interactions between teacher and learners when the class seems to lose concentration. Teachers recognise learners’ efforts when they correctly answer oral, written or practical tasks by asking the class to give a classmate “flowers” or “the pa-pa-pa clap”.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: For teachers to help learners’ master mathematical concepts and augment their competence, they should build on learners’ experience and prior knowledge, give learners opportunities to explain their mathematical ideas and use the think – pair – share strategy during problem solving.

YOUNG LEARNERS´ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND MOTIVATION THROUGH THE USE OF A PUPPET

A worldwide trend nowadays is to teach English at an early age. However, teaching this language to young learners is a real challenge. Teachers need special training and suitable methodologies to engage these active learners. In Chile, English language teaching starts as a compulsory school subject with 10-year-old students. This is not an easy task in the Chilean EFL classroom as few universities offer training programs or minors to teach English at the primary or preschool levels. The following study focuses on developing a group of young learners´ speaking skill through the use of a puppet created by the English teacher. The experience takes place in a public school in Chile. It is a qualitative descriptive study. The puppet called Simon plays an active role in all the English lessons interacting constantly with the children. As a result, , it can be concluded that the use of puppetry in the EFL classroom effectively helped young learners to become more confident when they face the learning of a new language, encouraged them to speak in English and facilitated the teacher’s interaction with students, creating a suitable emotional environment that promoted the learning of a foreign language. Article visualizations:

Bağımsızlık Yıllarında Kırgızistan Okullarında Din Dersi Denemeleri ve Son Dönemdeki Gelişmeler

Kyrgyzstan is a Central Asian country that became independent on August 31, 1991. From this date, religion-state relations in the country have entered into a phase of restructuring. With independence, there has been an awareness of historical identity, religious beliefs, customs and traditions among Kyrgyz people. On the one hand, new concepts such as secularism and freedom of religion and conscience have begun to be used actively in the country, and on the other hand, the legitimacy of religious education in formal education institutions have begun to be discussed frequently by academics and politicians. Today we can see some developments in formal religious education in Kyrgyzstan. Especially, there have been several attempts of teaching religion courses at public schools of Kyrgyzstan. So in this article, religion courses in public schools of Kyrgyzstan are examined. In particular, the “Iyman” course, which was taught during the first years of independence and the “Adep” course which was introduced as a compulsory subject in public schools in 2004, were analyzed in terms of purpose and content. In addition, the History of Religious Culture course, which has been taught as a pilot project since the 2016-2017 academic year, is analyzed in terms of purpose, content, course teacher and time allocated to the course. [You may find an extended abstract of this article after the bibliography.]

Development of the GeoCapabilities project in Japan: furthering international debate on the GeoCapabilities approach

In this paper, in the interests of international debate, we introduce a Japan version of the GeoCapabilities project. In Japan, the current revision of the National Curriculum indicates that Geography will again become a compulsory subject in senior high schools. However, some unfavourable situations for the new compulsory subject still remain: such as the continuing shortage of geography specialist teachers. The GeoCapabilities approach can respond in new way to the situations facing Japanese geography education. The Japanese GeoCapabilities team was established in 2016, including teacher educators and teachers. Teachers themselves cooperate with teacher educators to create vignettes that involve “powerful disciplinary knowledge” (PDK). The project encourages teachers to embrace their role as the curriculum makers.

Pengembangan Pendidikan Agama Islam dalam Upaya Meningkatkan Kualitas Kepribadian Peserta Didik di SMAN 1 Karangbinangun Lamongan

Abstract: Abstract: This research is motivated by the reality showing the influence of the development of Islamic education on the personality of students. The position of Islamic religious education as a compulsory subject in schools expected to contribute sufficiently in improving the morale or behavior of learners seems difficult to realize. Therefore it is necessary to hold the development of Islamic religious education as an alternative to overcome the problems of Islamic religious education. The purpose of this study is to determine the development of Islamic religious education in an effort to improve the quality of student personality, supporting and inhibiting factors of the development of Islamic religious education, and to overcome the factors inhibiting the development of Islamic religious education. This is a descriptive qualitative research. The subjects in this research are principal, PAI teachers and students of SMAN 1 Karangbinangun. While data collection techniques are through interview, observation and documentation. This study concluded that firstly, the development of Islamic religious education in an effort to improve the quality of personality is a conscious effort. Second, the supporting factors of the development of Islamic religious education are the expected results, materials and time allocations, methods, students, interaction between parents, good education environment, religious teachers in supporting student success and inhibiting factors are less effective learning, educational curriculum, monotonous methods, less good environment, inadequate infrastructures. Third, to overcome the factors inhibiting the development of Islamic religious education is the approach must be effective, maximizing the competence of teachers, methods, creating a good environment, and providing school infrastructures to support effective learning process.Keywords: Quality of Islamic religious education, student personality, good environment

Understanding civic education in Hong Kong: a Bernsteinian approach

ABSTRACT This paper draws on Basil Bernstein’s theory of pedagogic discourse and practice to explain the controversy surrounding civic education in Hong Kong, through the case of a compulsory secondary school subject called Liberal Studies (LS). The distinct advantage of a Bernsteinian approach is that its conceptual grammar cogently captures the contentious nature of LS and locates the structural autonomy of teachers. This article highlights the fragmented nature of the LS curriculum, which attests to a historical legacy of the Hong Kong education system that favours a subject-based curriculum in practice and a managerialist approach to teacher staffing. These institutional parameters exert profound influences on LS teachers’ modalities of practice. This study contributes to the burgeoning interest in applying Bernsteinian scholarship to the East-Asian region by nuancing the role of teachers in mediating the contentious LS curriculum and implementing civic education. Finally, further application of the Bernsteinian approach will be discussed.

Managing Islamic Education Curriculum in Indonesian Schools: Best Practices and Policy Recommendations

Despite studies in the realm of Islamic education teaching has been extensively conducted, the application of Islamic education curriculum in Indonesian secondary schools receives scant academic attention from the previous researchers. To fill this void, the present exploratory case study aims to explain practices of Islamic education enacted as a nationally-mandated school subject in secondary schools and to explore to what extent the Indonesian government supports Islamic education teachers to handle this compulsory school subject. Four Islamic education teachers of junior secondary schools volunteered to participate in this research. Data were garnered through classroom observation and in-depth interviews. Framed in thematic analysis, this study reports that the syllabus, lesson plan, learning resources, classroom-based practices, and authentic assessment required thorough concern. In response to this, the government support was needed to promote the best practices, i.e. teacher professional development and provision of sufficient school facilities. To policy authorities in Indonesia, the study recommends facilitating Islamic education teachers with sustainable professional development and redesigning the government-prescribed textbooks to foster teacher creativity in their teaching and learning processes.

Muslim Students Learning L2 and FL in Minority Primary Schools in Thrace: Relational Instances of Tri/Bilingualism

The Muslim minority in Thrace is a heterogeneous group of people regarding their cultural and linguistic identities. It consists of Muslims of Turkish origin who speak Turkish as their mother tongue, of Pomaks, who speak Pomak, and of Roma, who speak Romani. Their educational-linguistic situation is fraught with long-lasting problems, which are attributed to the inherent characteristics of ‘Minority Εducation’, a term used to describe a specific group of primary and secondary schools, situated exclusively in the area of Thrace, that operates under a special regime, as stipulated in legal instruments of international law and bilateral agreements, and can be attended only by Muslim minority children.
 
 Extensive research over the years has shown that there are serious impediments in these students learning Greek as an L2, even after the implementation of the Project for Reform in the Education of Muslim Children (PEM) and the additional educational material that targeted this particular religious minority. The results show that most of these students do not achieve a language level of A2 in Greek and, thus, exhibit low school performance. Similar results have been recorded in research papers concerning learning English as a FL, which is a compulsory school subject, by Muslim minority students in both public and minority primary schools. These students also fail to achieve the foreign language attainment level set in the school curriculum.
 
 The present paper seeks to outline the unchartered causes of this situation, delve into the language situation of Muslim students and suggest possible and viable solutions.

Kineziologija i održiva budućnost

On the basis of a series of definitions (Findak, 1995; Klavora, 2008; Momirović, 1969; Mraković, 1971, 1992, 1997), Kinesiology as a science "studies the effectiveness of human movements, the controlled process of exercise, its principles and its consequences on human body in the broadest sense" (Prskalo & Sporiš, 2016, p. 12), and strives to realize its futuristic role in securing the future of humankind, especially with reference to its most sensitive and vulnerable members. This role is realized through all its applied areas and branches, and especially through kinesiology education, which is the only one that, in the course of every individual’s compulsory education, includes the entire population within the compulsory school subject Physical and Health Education. Apart from the already consensually accepted values ​of physical and health education: biological, economic, health, cultural and pedagogical (Findak, 1999), the same author (2014) highlighted the importance of changing the name Physical and Health Education to Kinesiology Education, which would reflect the attitudes of the fundamental science and profession; however, this change has not happened yet. In addition to the values realized through the school subject, whose name should be Kinesiology Education because of its scientific foundations, the value of kinesiology education has been confirmed in accomplishing a series of anthropological and educational tasks, and has even become the basis of different virtues including religion (Prskalo, 2017), which may be defined as a subjective mental state, a certain lifestyle and consistency in faith (Enciklopedijski teološki rječnik, 2009). Prskalo (2018) points out that the issues of sustainable development contained in the Millennium Declaration of the United Nations with goals attainable by 2015 and the ones applicable today (Državni zavod za statistiku et al., 2006; Pavić-Rogošić, 2016), such as world without poverty and hunger, health and wellbeing, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable energy from clean sources, dignified work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reducing inequality, sustainable cities and communities, responsible spending and production, climate protection, preservation of life on Earth, peace, justice and strong institutions, and consolidation of global partnership for sustainable development, are not exclusively related to one ​​scientific area or discipline. On the contrary, these issues belong to the field of kinesiology and all its applied fields. Key words: kinesiology, Kinesiology Education, sustainable development, students.

Making history a compulsory school subject – opportunities for memory institutions

Making history a compulsory school subject – opportunities for memory institutions

The construal of English as a global language in Korean EFL textbooks for primary school children

ABSTRACTReflecting the continued rise of English as a global language, English as a foreign language (EFL) has become a compulsory primary school subject across many non-English-speaking countries. This trend has been accompanied by publishers’ investment in the development of EFL teaching materials for young learners. Such materials rely heavily on images, with relatively sparse writing in English and the children’s first language. This study examines EFL textbooks for the year in which EFL is first introduced as a compulsory primary school subject in South Korea. Specifically, we analyse whether and how the multimodal resources used in five EFL textbooks approved by the South Korean government for use in Grade 3 address the curriculum requirement to present English as an important bridge connecting different countries. The critical multimodal content analysis of textbook characters and their interactions suggests that a general western bias and implicit support of native-speakerism are still existent in Korean EFL textbooks.

Teaching History in Schools: Captured Curriculum/Political Pedagogy?

Early in 2015, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) established the History Ministerial Task Team (HMTT) to investigate the proposed implementation of History as a compulsory subject in schools....