Primary Education Degree Research Articles

Flipped classroom and creative learning resources for teaching history

The study aims to analyse the perceptions and pedagogical skills of university students in the implementation of the flipped classroom in the degree of primary education. The sample consists of 209 students following the bilingual English programme at the University of Córdoba, Spain. The study is described as a non-experimental quantitative research, which means that it focuses on the collection and analysis of data without intervention or manipulation of variables. A fifteen-item Likert-type questionnaire was used to collect the data. The questionnaire appears to be on a scale of 1 to 5, where participants rate their answers according to the options given. The findings suggest that new electronic learning strategies need to be incorporated into teaching methodology. There is an emphasis on the importance of providing practical approaches to digital teaching and didactic resources. Students have shown a positive attitude towards their training needs, particularly in consolidating historical thinking and integrating active learning methods with good teaching practice.

Imágenes sobre la educación para la ciudadanía en la formación inicial del profesorado

Although in the past decades a lot has been written about citizenship education, at least in Spain little is known about how pre-service teachers are formed to educate for citizenship. In recent years we have tried to cover this gap with a line of research that to date has focused on the teacher educators of the Primary Education Degree at the University of Cantabria. After gathering their verbal rationalizations about political life and citizenship education through semi-structured interviews, we realized that we needed to go beyond this level of analysis and use new research techniques to delve into the tacit perceptions of the teachers, since they cannot be considered as the mere product of deliberate mental exercises. Hence, we chose to examine certain language tropes less subject to conscious control like metaphors, taking advantage of the recent contributions of cognitive science and neuroscience about the automatic thinking (Kahneman, 2012) and its influence on our political decisions (Haidt, 2012; Lakoff, 2008). This look at the data allowed us to detect allegories such as “citizens as plants”, “citizenship as motor” and “democracy as a goal” that outline an idealized narrative about citizenship education.

#QuadrosDiscentes: Research into memes and art in teacher training in Brazil and Spain

In this paper we reflect on and present the results of part of a research project we conducted in academic years 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 with students of the Double Degree in Infant and Primary Education of the University of Girona - UdG (Catalonia, Spain) and students of the Degree in Visual Arts of Santa Catarina State University - UDESC (Brazil), concerning Internet memes and their linguistic strategies. In order to bring the two fields of study together and facilitate collaboration, a closed group within the Facebook social network was used as a space of interaction between the research subjects. The researchers took part in the experience, in accordance with the protocols of the action research method. The results point towards reflections and potential modifications that could be introduced in new research into how to learn and teach about volatile images—typical of cyberculture—in educational processes for teacher training.

Assessing peer teamwork competence: adapting and validating the comprehensive assessment of team member effectiveness–short in university students

IntroductionThe Bologna Plan has promoted competency-based training in European higher education, which requires developing accurate, appropriate assessment tools for its measurement and evaluation.MethodThis study adapted and validated the Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness questionnaire on teamwork competence in a university population in the Basque Country, Spain. The questionnaire was first back-translated and adapted by two experts in educational research and then completed by 642 students pursuing baccalaureate degrees in primary education and physical activity and sport sciences at the University of Deusto [215 women, 426 men; ages: 17–25 years (M = 21.5; SD = 1.3)].Results and discussionA confirmatory factor analysis yielded adequate goodness-of-fit indices, confirming the validity of the instrument’s measurement model and indicating that it may be an appropriate tool for assessing teamwork competence among peers for university students in the Basque Country.

Current Experience in the Use of Digital Educational Resources: Future Primary School Teachers’ Training

The article presents theoretical insight into thorough analyses of the outstanding experience and best practices in using digital educational resources by educators. We attempt to integrate these findings into training students who obtain a Master’s degree in Primary Education. Intensive use of information and communication technologies has proved efficient in preparing a new generation of innovative highly skilled would-be teachers for primary school in recent years. Although Ukrainian practice in this context is significant, however, huge accomplishments of the best world researchers still produce a noticeable impact on education advancement in many countries. The author draws attention to the relevant issue of training future educators in primary school to use digital open educational resources in their professional activities. The best practical experience of eminent Ukrainian and foreign scholars and teachers was analyzed. The suggested digital resources are examined on the field, purpose, and efficiency of their application with primary school children. The article highlights the educational potential of the popular tools for interactive online and offline communication and assessment of learning outcomes; vivid presentation of the educational content; creative thinking and soft skills development in the classroom as well as automated writing evaluation. Frequent challenges and hardships that educators have to deal with while using digital tools in the classroom are singled out and some solutions to the problem are suggested. The author points out the urgent necessity for young educators to gain new knowledge and skills for not only personal growth and self-development but also, for greater opportunities to be competitive in the contemporary labor market.

Discussion groups in teacher training: analysis of inclusive didactic strategies

The present study analysed the use of active and participatory methodologies in teacher training, exploring inclusive didactic strategies from Universal Design for Learning (UDL), using a mixed methodology. The data were gathered through discussion groups (DG). The main aim was to promote active and participatory methodologies in higher education through the use of inclusive didactic strategies. The sample was constituted by 73 students of the Degree of Primary Education from the Faculty of Education Sciences at the University of Seville (Spain), who were organised in 20 DGs. The research instruments employed were: UDL training session sheet and DG script on inclusive educational strategies and UDL. These instruments were validated by expert judgement. The results were organised by strategy, based on UDL guidelines (quantitative data: frequencies and percentages), and the data obtained from the DG minutes (qualitative data: content analysis) were organised by UDL dimension. The results confirm that the use of different didactic strategies favours reflective and critical thinking and promotes participation, generating shared knowledge and information management in different formats using ICTs, thereby contributing to improving the quality of teacher training.

Changing Spanish preservice teachers' environmental attitudes with a citizen science program integrated in Environmental Education subject

AbstractThis research analyzes the effect of the implementation of citizen science activities in the Environmental Education (EE) subject program of the Degree in Primary Education applying Experiential Learning Theory. Environmental Attitudes Inventory (EAI) was used to measure the change in environmental attitudes (EA) of 173 preservice teachers through a pre‐test–post‐test experimental design without a control group. Participation in the training program significantly improved EA in the 12 dimensions defined in the EAI. Of the dimensions included in the second order factor Preservation, Enjoyment of nature reached the largest effect size and Environmental movement activism is the one that obtains the smallest effect size. With regard to Utilization, all dimensions presented a large effect size. No significant differences were found in EA based on the gender variable. It can be concluded that the incorporation of citizen science activities in the EE program significantly improves EA.

Global Citizenship Education and Its Role in Sustainability at the University Level

The contents linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be introduced in studies in the field of education. This research analyzes the knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda among 477 participants from the University of Murcia and the University of Valencia in the Degree of Primary Education, Social Education, and the Master of Teacher Training in the Faculty of Education. A descriptive–comparative methodology with a quantitative approach was used based on an ad hoc questionnaire. The educational intervention included theoretical–practical modules on the SDGs and citizenship, with academic readings and case studies on the implementation of the SDGs in various sectors, which positively impacted future education professionals who were to be part of their initial training. The results showed significant differences in the knowledge of the SDGs between the experimental group and the control group at the end of the term, especially among the experimental group, which worked on the SDG concepts in the subjects taken. Greater knowledge was also observed among the students with a Social Education degree who took a subject related to this topic.

Students perceptions of fake news created by artificial intelligence: The case of deep Soria

Fake news and artificial intelligence are phenomena addressed in academia and research within the fields of communication and audiovisual education. As a medium and language, cinema has mirrored these challenges, exemplified by the short film Deep Soria. The primary objective proposed in this study is to ascertain whether this short film, directed by Pedro Estepa in 2021, is perceived as a mockumentary and to explore students’ perceptions of the social issues it raises and the way it expresses them. An ad hoc questionnaire was employed specifically for the short film, enabling the assessment of 118 students from the Journalism and Primary Education Degree programmes at the University of Valladolid. The method used is exploratory and descriptive. Results were obtained by combining descriptive statistical analysis and content analysis of the open-ended questions in the questionnaire. Notably, the study highlights the detection of the documentary’s central themes- fake news and depopulation- the use of humour, the focus on depopulation, and suggestions for incorporating more elements of “everyday reality”, such as images and testimonies from the inhabitants of Soria and the city/province. At the same time, the short film has been reevaluated for its propensity to address social issues.

The Bilingual Education Cycle: From learning to teaching Physical Education in a Foreign Language

This research examines the influence of studying Non-Language Areas (NLA) subjects in a Foreign Language (FL) during pre-university education on three key factors: students' Foreign Language Competence (FLC), their perception of the FL training received during their Primary Education Degree (PED), and their intention to teach Physical Education (PE) in a FL in the future. A targeted sample of 160 students pursuing a PED was surveyed using a purposeful non-random questionnaire. The findings reveal a positive correlation between studying these subjects and enhanced FLC, both perceived and certified. Additionally, students exhibit a more favorable attitude towards the FL training in their PED and the prospect of teaching PE in a FL. Despite existing challenges in Bilingual Education (BE) program implementation at national and regional levels, exposure to NLA subjects in a FL in pre-university education yields positive outcomes in these areas.

ICT mediated gamification in education degrees: A commitment to sustainability

This research explores the perception of university students of Degrees in Education towards gamification mediated by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as an innovative teaching strategy, aligned with the principles of educational quality of the UN Agenda 2030. A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional and inferential research has been carried out, based on the survey technique. The research was carried out using the population of students in the first year of the Degrees in Early Childhood, Primary and Social Education at the University of Jaén during the 2022-23 academic year (n=521). A questionnaire was used as a research tool. The data collected were analyzed using the SPSS programme, carrying out descriptive statistical analysis, comparison of means and regression analysis. The results reflect a positive receptiveness on the part of the students towards ICT-supported gamification, considering it fun and dynamic. This strategy is widely known by students, which favors its implementation in the university environment. Specifically, quiz games and classroom management games stand out as the best-known ICT-supported gamification strategies. However, students of the Degree in Primary Education show greater knowledge compared to those of Pre-school Education; likewise, those who plan to use gamification in their future professional practice express more favourable evaluations. Gamification is considered an active and innovative methodology being a key element for quality improvement in Higher Education.

Training Future Teachers in Genre Pedagogy: Does it Improve their Written Texts?

Recently, there has been growing interest in studying the factors affecting the development of academic writing competences of university students in different disciplinary areas. Less attention, however, has been devoted to the influence on this phenomenon of the specialised training students receive, even in undergraduate and postgraduate teacher training programmes where models of writing development are analysed and implemented. In this paper we measure the effect on the writing of 22 students in the Bachelor´s Degree in Primary Education of the knowledge of the genre pedagogy in the Reading to Learn model, based on Systemic Functional Linguistics. For this purpose, two groups of students in the subject Spanish Language Didactics wrote a descriptive report or an anecdote before and after a didactic intervention. From the 82 participants, texts by 11 from each group were selected. The 44 texts were evaluated by applying a scoring scheme with 8 items (rated from 1 to 4) covering features from genre to clause level, following the field, tenor and mode components established by Systemic Functional Linguistics. The statistical study shows post-intervention improvements in all the variables analysed. The Wilcoxon test shows these were significant for the narrative texts (TN1: 23.36; TN2: 30.91), but not for the informative ones (TED1: 25.20; TED 32:26).

Training attitudes of primary school foreign language teachers

Abstract Schooling practices founded upon the principles of Instructed Second Language Acquisition (ISLA) do not appear to have attained widespread adoption among teachers, consequently hindering the implementation of didactic measures that foster foreign language acquisition. These measures are closely entwined with the classroom climate, wherein the fundamental element often hinges upon the attitude of the teacher. For the most part, foreign language teachers are better equipped to embrace this attitude after having personally experienced it as learners themselves. To explore this matter further, the present study adopts a mixed-methods research design to gather insights from participants (n = 74) who attended the Didactics of Foreign Language in Primary Education – German course within the Bachelor Degree in Primary Education at the University of Cádiz (Spain) during the last nine editions; that is, from 2014/15 to 2022/23. The research findings reveal a near-unanimous consensus among all participants, regardless of nationality, teaching experience, or age, on the influential role of a classroom climate in shaping their teaching attitude. Based on the results, pre-service foreign language teachers must be allowed to acquaint themselves with effective didactic measures, together with a well-defined classroom climate wherein the significance of teaching attitude is accordingly recognized as one of the most influential factors in motivating learners.

Tutoria invertida no ensino superior: Satisfação dos alunos em experiência de inovação educacional

Introduction. University tutoring rarely includes innovative contributions that lead to new procedures to generate interest and have an impact on the university community. Objective. This paper analyzes student satisfaction with the experience of educational innovation based on flipped tutoring, focusing on the difference between initial expectations and final perception. Method. The research was based on a quantitative methodological approach and a non-experimental, descriptive, and longitudinal design. The participants in the study, 164 students from an Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, and Pedagogy degree, answered a valid and reliable questionnaire designed ad hoc. Results. The results showed student satisfaction with the employ of the tutoring method and the Kahoot platform. On the contrary, the students expressed dissatisfaction with the use of virtual forums. Conclusions. These digital tools offer pedagogical alternatives that facilitate the work of the tutor. Kahoot is perceived as a success in detecting training needs, while virtual forums require teacher reflection for their incorporation into flipped tutoring processes.

University Students' Achievement of Meaningful Learning through Participation in Thinking Routines.

This study was conducted among undergraduate students pursuing a Primary Education degree at the University of Zaragoza. Its primary aim was to enhance and elevate the quality of participation during theoretical sessions, thereby fostering meaningful learning that contributes to the improvement of academic performance among the participants. To achieve this objective, a quasi-experimental case study was meticulously crafted. This research design was structured to not only stimulate and augment participation but also to cultivate meaningful learning, ultimately enhancing students' academic achievements. The study employed a comprehensive approach to monitor participation, utilizing observation records to track engagement levels, and anecdotal records to delineate the progression of sessions and the quality of responses. Through meticulous analysis, it can be deduced that the integration of thinking routines as a pedagogical tool in expository sessions significantly enhances student engagement. These routines effectively activate students' prior knowledge, establishing meaningful connections with the subject matter at hand. Moreover, the incorporation of thinking routines has been observed to elevate the quality of student participation. By fostering reflective practices, aiding in the formulation of inquiries, promoting collaborative learning, and nurturing critical thinking skills, these routines play a pivotal role in enriching the educational experience and bolstering academic performance.

Gamifying the university classroom: a comparative analysis of game dimensions through educational Escape Room and a digital board game

IntroductionUniversity education is looking for innovative ways to enrich the teaching-learning process.MethodsThis study aims to describe and compare two gamified experiences: an educational Escape Room and a digital goose board game with Genially. The design of this research follows a quantitative correlational methodology. A total of 135 university students in the first year of the Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education participated in the study.ResultsData were collected using the Gamified Game Experience Scale (GAMEX). The results of contrasting means for the game dimensions between both gamified experiences reveal a significant variability (p < 0.01) in favor of the Escape Room in fun, absorption, creative thinking, activation and mastery. On the other hand, the absence of negative affect was significant (p < 0.05) in favor of the digital board game.DiscussionIt could be said that the educational Escape Room manifests itself as a powerful resource for learning. However, it can induce a high level of stress, generating discomfort, hostility and frustration in students, so its implementation is not free of negative effects. These findings provide additional empirical evidence that could guide the design of gamified experiences in the Higher Education environment.

Concepciones del alumnado del Grado en Educación Primaria de la Universidad de Huelva en torno al patrimonio de Huelva capital

This research focuses on the exploration of conceptions about heritage among students of the Degree in Primary Education, with a particular focus on heritage perspective, knowledge of heritage typology and teaching-strategies learning that influence such conceptions. The purpose is to achieve a significant learning rooted in the foundations of civilization, emphasizing the importance of understanding the conceptions of teachers in formation about the heritage of Huelva. The study focuses on analysing the conceptions of teachers in training about the heritage of Huelva, with the aim of understanding how they will teach this heritage from the initial educational stages. The research, in mixed format, is carried out among fourth-year students of the Degree in Primary Education of the University of Huelva, using a questionnaire on the Google Forms platform and a system of categories for analysis. The results reveal concepts related to visible and physically valuable heritage elements, such as the Columbus Monument, a historical heritage perspective, and the importance attributed to the natural and historical-temporal heritage typology. As for the teaching-learning strategies for the development of their initial training, the preference for master classes, talks and colloquiums, as well as the development of general curricular elements, stands out, including conceptual content and competence in linguistic communication. These results point to the need for a genuine dissemination of history through future teachers, thus ensuring the effective transmission of cultural heritage.

Identity Formation of Pre-Service Teachers. Relations with Training and Attitudes toward Cultural Diversity

The university years represents a pivotal period in the student's life, influencing decision-making and impacting their identity. The new experiences encountered during this phase may give rise to a certain identity crisis, allowing for a reconsideration of previously adopted commitments, and potentially influencing the development of future educators, with a special issue such as cultural diversity among others. This study aims to identify the identity status of prospective education teachers and analyse attitudes towards cultural diversity among students. The research design is quantitative, ex-post-facto, descriptive, and inferential. The incidental sample comprises a total of 378 students from the degrees in Early Childhood Education and Primary Education at the University of Córdoba (Spain). Of the total sample, being 74.03% female, with an average age of 20.64 (SD = 2.95). The results reflected that students in a mature status are those who exhibit higher scores in attitudes towards cultural diversity. In this context, the initial teacher training should consider identity as a factor to be taken into account for promoting positive attitudes towards cultural diversity, specifically emphasizing the development of responsible decision-making in the curriculum of Education degrees.

Development of Transdisciplinary and Complex Learning in Inclusive Educational Practices

This study examines the process of creating digital resources to meet the specific educational needs of primary education students at a school in the province of Valencia (Spain). The resources were developed by students of the Teaching program at the University of Valencia as part of the special educational needs subject. The research focuses on transdisciplinarity and the use of new technologies and sustainable development objectives to enrich the educational experience at the school as well as to study this approach with students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Primary Education. To analyze students’ perceptions of this practice and compare their reflective and transdisciplinary thinking, a validated questionnaire was administered to a sample of 39 participants. In addition, seven focus groups were organized. The results demonstrate that via transdisciplinarity and the use of technological resources, students enhance their abilities to address complex situations, fostering creativity and innovation by relating different areas of knowledge in real and contextualized settings. Furthermore, an increase in reflective capacity and research skills is highlighted, contributing to better understanding and learning based on digital technologies.

The impact of collaborative ePortfolios on academic learning in a university setting

This study is focused on promoting self-reflection and self-regulation of learning through the use of digital tools to improve the academic performance of university students. Specifically, the main objective is to evaluate the impact of the use of collaborative ePortfolios on facilitating the comprehension of the concepts being studied. During the 2021/2022 academic term, a voluntary survey was administered to 60 students in the Adaptation Course of the Primary Education Degree Program. Through a structural equation analysis, a theoretical model was analyzed in which the intensity of participation in the ePortfolio appears as a mediating variable between the different independent variables and the improvement in academic learning. The results of the study confirm this mediating function for some variables, while at the same time they show a direct positive relationship between the intensity of participation in the ePortfolio and comprehension of the course concepts. The findings of this study can have important implications for the promotion of digital tools, such as ePortfolios, to improve learning in the university context. In addition, the work offers methodological alternatives to the recurring problem of analyzing complex relationships (both direct and indirect effects) with small samples.