Development Of Teachers Research Articles

Development and validation of an English teachers’ visual literacy scale for smartphone photography grounded in social semiotic theory

Smartphones and the literacy to harness the educational affordances of photographs currently rest on the bedrock of second language (L2) education. Building on social semiotic theory, this study developed and validated a visual literacy scale for smartphone photography (VLS4SP). Despite the importance of visuals and smartphones, no valid scale is available in the domain of English language teaching (ELT) to measure L2 teachers’ VL. In developing and validating the new VLS4SP, initially, some items were generated and tested for validity. Second, the scale was tested through rigorous psychometric analyses. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) suggested the existence of 28 items that represent the established conceptualization of VL in the literature and the three areas of meaning metafunctions in the social semiotic theory: representational, interactive, and compositional. Overall, the study tapped upon two crucial technological and literacy factors in ELT which paves the way for further research and the applications of the scale in ELT.

Fundamental Movement Skills in Hong Kong Kindergartens: A Grade-Level Analysis

Fundamental movement skills (FMSs) are essential building blocks for children’s physical development and future participation in physical activities. While early childhood curriculum frameworks recognize the importance of teaching FMSs, little research has been conducted to explore actual teaching practices in center-based programs and their variations across different grade levels. The goals of this study were to investigate (1) the frequency of a variety of FMSs in the physical activities conducted by Hong Kong kindergarten teachers, (2) the association among these FMSs based on the frequency of use in the classroom, and (3) potential differences in FMSs across the three grade levels of kindergarten education in Hong Kong. The participants were 526 kindergarten teachers. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and parametric statistical techniques (e.g., one-way ANOVA) were employed to analyze their responses to a survey, in which we asked teachers to report the frequency with which FMSs are involved in their classroom physical activities. Overall, we found that the participants practiced an imbalanced set of FMSs in classrooms. K3 teachers were found to incorporate a wider variety of FMSs into their physical activities compared to K1 and K2 teachers. Through principal component analysis, seven components of activities were identified. K3 teachers were found to implement more activities involving springing, object manipulation, uneven locomotor movements, and agility and coordination. We concluded that there is a need to provide structured opportunities for teachers to better facilitate children’s FMS acquisition. Offering more explicit guidelines and further professional development for teachers is crucial to enhancing this situation.

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES OF SOCIALEMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) AMONG SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

This study aimed to analyze the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of socialemotional learning (SEL) among school administrators. This study involved 265 primary school administrators in Negeri Sembilan who were selected through a systematic random sampling from the districts of Seremban, Rembau, and Tampin. Data were collected through a questionnaire measuring three main constructs: knowledge of SEL, attitudes towards SEL, and SEL practices. Descriptive analysis and mean with standard deviation analysis were employed to analyze the data.The findings revealed that school administrators demonstrated high levels of knowledge, positive attitudes, and consistent implementation of SEL practices. Significant positive correlations were found between knowledge and attitudes, knowledge and practices, and attitudes and practices regarding SEL. These results suggest that a thorough understanding of SEL fosters positive attitudes towards it, which in turn motivates administrators to implement various practices that support SEL in schools. This study offers valuable implications for educational policymakers, school administrators, teachers, and other stakeholders in their efforts to enhance the effectiveness of SEL in schools. These implications include establishing clear SEL competency standards, integrating SEL into educational leadership curricula, providing ongoing professional development for administrators and teachers, and actively involving parents and the community in supporting SEL initiatives. Further research is recommended to include teachers in school management to understand the most effective administrative practices. This recommendation is based on the study's findings, which indicate that teacher involvement in school management and administration plays a crucial role in achieving teacher job satisfaction.

E-learning-oriented assessment and collaborative reflection for situated learning in language teacher education

Online teacher education programs can be more situated by engaging student teachers in Internet-based collaborative reflection (ICR) and e-learning-oriented assessment (ELOA) via Web 2.0 technology. Thus, this study explored how the role of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) student teachers’ ICR practices and ELOA can enhance student teachers’ situated online teacher education. In this qualitative study, 15 Iranian EFL student teachers were chosen purposively within a transcendental phenomenology to conduct ICR on ELOA practices during situated learning in online teacher education. The results showed that implementing ICR on ELOA tended to enhance student-centered teacher education; collaborative and reflective teacher development; social, professional, cognitive, and emotional growth; and the connection of teaching, learning, and assessment within online teacher education. More specifically, ELOA practices allowed for meaningful tasks and authentic activities based on practical experience, triggered continuous feedback on EFL student teachers’ performance via technology, directed online learning and teaching, and enhanced a performance-based and learning-oriented assessment process. Pedagogical implications for the design of student teacher programs are discussed.

The emergence of a digital third space: Opportunities and constraints of digital practice assessment in teacher education

Practitioners and policymakers worldwide emphasise the need for research-based and professionally relevant teacher education, highlighting the importance of integrating epistemologies across schools and teacher education institutions. Drawing on the affordance concept, this study qualitatively investigates the perceived opportunities and constraints of Digital Practice Assessment (DPA) as a collaborative platform for triads of pre-service teachers, school-based and university-based teacher educators. It explores the perspectives of these stakeholders on the use of technology in teaching practice assessment and examines how their collaboration within these triads can facilitate the emergence of a third space. The third space is a metaphor that denotes the meeting place of epistemologies from research and practice in teacher education, where all stakeholders’ voices are heard. This examination sheds light on the potential benefits and challenges that DPA brings to the assessment process and highlights the importance of understanding the interplay between technology, collaboration, and professional development in teacher education. Through video-stimulated recall interviews of the assessment sessions, we show how recordings of teaching practice offer opportunities such as detailed feedback, enhanced reflections, and knowledge sharing, which are essential to research-based and practice-oriented teacher education. However, certain constraints were identified, such as the lack of contextual information and rigid roles within the assessment process. Still, despite the summative nature of DPA, our findings suggest that it has the potential to integrate formative assessment to foster the emergence of a third space and to support the development and learning of pre-service teachers.

THE PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE OF POLISH TEACHERS AS PRESERVED IN THEIR DIARIES FROM THE FIRST MONTHS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The article presents the conclusions formulated on the basis of a qualitative analysis of diaries submitted by Polish teachers in response to the competition conducted in the years 2020-2021 by the Institute of Social Economy of the Warsaw School of Economics. The analysis of the diaries made it possible to answer questions about the condition of not only the teachers themselves, but also, and above all, about the emerging picture of the state of the Polish education system. The difficult times and new circumstances of school functioning during the pandemic highlighted the importance and essence of the teacher profession. However, these experiences also revealed the weaknesses of the education system, forcing us to look at the extent to which teachers are able to adequately recognize the situation of their activities, to what extent they have the ability to recognize the essence of “what is good and right”, how their awareness of their socio-professional role is shaped, what importance they attach to their work and what are their abilities to overcome extraordinary difficulties.The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for education that have resulted in profound changes in the way we think about school and its environment and about the work and professional development of teachers.

Supervisi Klinis dalam Peningkatan Kompetensi Profesionalisme Guru

Enhancing teachers' professional competence is a key factor in improving the quality of education. One effort to achieve this goal is through clinical supervision. Clinical supervision is a systematic and collaborative approach that involves the observation, evaluation, and coaching of teachers' teaching practices. This method aims to help teachers identify their strengths and weaknesses and provide the necessary guidance for continuous improvement. This research employs a qualitative descriptive method with a case study approach. Data were collected through direct observations, in-depth interviews with teachers and supervisors, and the analysis of relevant documents. The research subjects consisted of junior high school teachers who had received clinical supervision for one semester. The data analysis was conducted using triangulation techniques to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings. The results of the study show that clinical supervision has a positive impact on enhancing teachers' professional competence. Teachers who received clinical supervision demonstrated improvements in lesson planning, the implementation of the teaching-learning process, and the evaluation and reflection of learning activities. Moreover, the collaborative relationship between teachers and supervisors also provides additional motivation for teachers to continuously develop their professional skills. These findings indicate that clinical supervision can be an effective strategy for improving the quality of education through the development of teachers' professionalism

IT Applications for the Tuvan Language: Regional Practices and Future Plans

In the era of digitalization and globalization, the likelihood of the disappearance of small languages, including the Tuvan language is very high. One of the reliable and promising solutions for preserving a language is its inclusion in the digital space as a language of accumulation, processing and transmission of information, a language of communication on the Internet. Currently, a number of tasks aimed at preserving and popularizing the Tuvan language are being car­ried out within the framework of the state program to support the development of the Tuvan language in the Republic of Tuva. Various government agencies of the Republic of Tuva and interested IT specialists are working on the digitalization of the Tuvan language. Tuvan State University (TuvSU) also makes a significant contribution to the development and popularization of the Tuvan language. Teachers of the Department of Informatics of TuvSU together with scientists from the Faculty of Philology and the "Turkology" scientific and educational centerwork in the following areas: development of software products for teaching the Tuvan language, creation of software tools for text processing in the Tuvan language, creation of linguistic information resources. Along with TuvSU teachers, students from the faculties of physics, mathematics and philology also take part in this research work. The topics of students' coursework and final qualification papers are related to IT developments. This article presents the experience of research and development of teachers of the Department of Computer Science in the field of preservation, study and development of the Tuvan language using information and communication technologies in these three areas. In the first direction, electronic textbooks, interactive simulators, and mobile applications for teaching the Tuvan language are being developed. The second direction is focused on the creation of software products for processing texts in the Tuvan language — a morphological analyzer of the Tuvan language, program for checking Tuvan texts for plagiarism. The last direction is related to the creation of electronic dictionaries and translators for the Tuvan language, which can be used in all spheres of life.

The Relationship Between Project-Based Assessments and Students’ Creativity in Secondary Schools

This study investigates the relationship between the frequency of project-based assessments and the enhancement of creativity among secondary school students. Employing a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from a sample of 100 students, 55 teachers and 02 academic masters across two secondary schools. The findings reveal a significant positive correlation between the regular implementation of project-based assessments and elevated levels of creativity in students. Specifically, students who frequently engaged in project-based tasks demonstrated higher creative thinking and problem-solving skills compared to those with less exposure. The results suggest that project-based assessments are a valuable tool in fostering creativity, an essential skill in today’s dynamic educational landscape. However, challenges such as time constraints and resource limitations were identified, indicating a need for further support and resources to maximize the effectiveness of these assessments. The study concludes by recommending increased professional development for teachers and more structured integration of project-based learning into the curriculum to enhance student creativity further.

Impacts of British Council’s Core Skills Activities on Students-Teachers’ Performance and Whole School Environment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

A good teacher can bring more positive changes in the behavior of students, the teacher’s knowledge and skills are important to achieve the required targets of the institution. The researcher aimed to explore the effectiveness and benefits of British Council’s trainings programs, a professionally skillful teacher may impart knowledge and skills to the students. The main objective of the study is to know the impacts of British Council’s Core Skills Activities on the student-teachers’ performance and whole school environment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It was a descriptive and survey type research. The population of the study was 480 governments male-female primary, middle and high schools and 960 teachers trained by British Council for connecting classrooms Core Skills Activities. The sampling of the study was 200 teachers of 100 randomly selected schools of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The six core skills are Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Communication & Collaboration, Creativity & Imagination, Citizenship, Digital Literacy, and Student Leadership & Personal Development. The selected data was properly analyzed, tabulated, explained and interpreted through some statistical tools and a chi square test was used. The major findings showed that British Council is an international organization which works positively for the professional development of teachers and uplift of students. The findings depicted that majority the teachers greed with the statement that British Council Connecting Classrooms activities i.e. Core Skills also called Twenty First Century Skills improved the overall performance of students-teachers and whole school environment. The traditional teaching methodology of teaching was changed to activity and conceptual based teaching. The most important fact was found that critical thinking and problem solving skills was the need of the day, it really develops the thinking approach of the students and teachers. Communication, computer and leadership skills of students were also developed by adapting core skills activities in and outside the class. On the basis of findings some recommendations were made that the Core Skills activities may be embedded by the teachers in school curriculum. Such training session may be provided to all teachers and head teachers by the Elementary & Secondary Education Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the supervision of British Council experienced and skillful team.

INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION: ENHANCING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN THE DIGITAL AGE

This paper explores integrating technology in elementary education to enhance student engagement and differentiated instruction. By leveraging digital tools such as tablets, laptops, and interactive software, educators can create dynamic and personalized learning environments that move beyond traditional methods. The study reviews various research findings, highlighting the benefits of technology in increasing student engagement, fostering flexible learning spaces, and promoting higher cognitive and interactive involvement. It also examines the role of technology in supporting differentiated instruction, enabling teachers to tailor their approaches to meet diverse student needs. Furthermore, the paper discusses the shift towards student-centered learning, emphasizing the importance of aligning curricula with digital resources to engage students actively in their learning process. Key strategies for designing digital-age learning experiences and assessments are presented, showcasing real-world applications that connect students with peers and experts globally. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for ongoing professional development for teachers to adapt to the evolving digital landscape, ultimately preparing students for the demands of the digital age.

Mentoring Matters When Growing Your Own Educators

The journey to establish the Future Educator Pathway (FEP), formerly known as Project Teacher Development, has been a long yet gratifying one. My colleagues and my students have been instrumental in helping to design a pathway for middle school and high school students of color to pursue a career in education. The whole process began with the Color of Teaching Mentoring Program (CoT) established in 2007 and now includes the CoT, Side-by-Side (SBS) in-school seminars for high school students, a Future Educator Academy (FEA), which is a summer residential college experience, and an opportunity for high school students to take up to four dual enrollment courses to jump start their college careers. The mentoring components of the FEP are the most crucial as they establish effective mentor-mentee relationships to foster a sense of belonging on a college campus, encourage exploration of careers in education, support mentees’ goal achievement, and endeavor to diversify the educator workforce. This paper describes the development and impact of the FEP on recruiting and retaining students of color to pursue a career in education. Findings indicate that mentees who participate in at least two of the four FEP programs persist toward their goal at a higher rate, and mentors report growth in their understanding of the importance of being culturally responsive mentors and educators demonstrating the reciprocal nature of mentoring.

Mind the Gap, Please!

This mixed-methods study investigates the mismatch between student use of AI for academic tasks and teacher awareness in Saudi Arabian higher education. Surveys of 78 teachers and 243 students in English for Specific Purposes courses at public and private universities included Likert-scale items and an open-ended question on AI tools' benefits, challenges, and impact on learning and academic integrity. The study reveals a significant gap between teachers' perceptions of students' AI skills and the reality of AI integration, leading to discrepancies in judging student knowledge and assessment authenticity. To address these challenges, the manuscript proposes strategies, including targeted professional development for teachers, swift adoption of best practices for ethical use of generative AI in classrooms, and fostering open dialogue within institutions. This research provides insights to inform teaching practices, curriculum development, and policy-making in higher education's evolving landscape. Future research could benefit from more comprehensive sampling to enhance generalizability

Implementation of Teacher Training: Providing Specialized Training for Teachers to Handle Multilingual Classrooms Effectively

The rapid globalization and increased migration have led to a significant rise in multilingual classrooms. This dynamic presents unique challenges and opportunities in educational settings, necessitating specialized training for teachers. The increasing diversity in classrooms requires teachers to have the necessary skills and knowledge to cater to the needs of multilingual students. The findings and discussions highlight the benefits of specialized training for teachers and its impact on student outcomes. This article examines the implementation of teacher training programs focused on equipping educators with the skills and strategies needed to effectively manage and teach in multilingual environments. The article reviews literature on the challenges faced by teachers in multilingual classrooms and the impact of specialized training on teacher effectiveness. The method section outlines the various training programmes available for teachers and their effectiveness. Drawing on data from recent studies, statistics, and case examples, the paper examines the effectiveness of these training programmes and offers recommendations for future practice. The findings suggest that specialised training significantly improves teachers' ability to manage multilingual classrooms, promotes inclusive education, and enhances student outcomes. The conclusion emphasises the need for ongoing professional development for teachers in multilingual settings.

Empowering teachers: The impact of transformational leadership and teacher competence on performance through organizational commitment

The success of education is largely determined by the performance of quality teachers in planning, implementing, and evaluating learning, maintaining task discipline, and being active in the classroom. This study examined the interrelationships between transformational leadership style, teacher competence, organizational commitment, and teacher performance within educational environments. This quantitative study used the SmartPLS software with the bootstrapping method. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the 75 participants. Transformational leadership has a significant influence on both teacher and organizational commitment. Although competence positively influences organizational commitment, it does not affect teacher performance. Likewise, organizational commitment does not affect teacher performance. Furthermore, Transformational Leadership did not significantly affect Teacher Performance through Organizational Commitment. Similarly, Teacher Competence does not have a significant effect on teacher performance through Organizational Commitment. Understanding these dynamics could enhance strategies for improving teacher effectiveness and organizational outcomes in educational settings. The findings contribute both practically, by informing leadership practices and teacher development programs, and theoretically, by advancing the understanding of the complex relationships among leadership, competence, commitment, and performance in educational contexts.

Perceived impacts of a school-based growth mindset programme ‘Mindset Teams’ in Scotland: a qualitative study

BackgroundTeachers as delivery agents within school-based mindset programmes is a potential intervention strategy for improving pupils’ outcomes. The Mindset Teams programme, utilises teachers as delivery agents, with an aim to improve learning resilience for health and attainment outcomes among schools in Scotland. This study examined the perceived impacts of the programme to develop a programme theory of change and refine an earlier co-produced logic model.MethodsAcross six intervention schools, one-to-one interviews were conducted with teachers (N = 18) and focus groups were conducted with 23 pupils aged 8-11-years. Fourteen stakeholders involved in programme provision, secondary school delivery, funding decisions or policy-related areas also participated in a one-to-one interview. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis with a combined deductive and inductive coding approach.ResultsThemes were identified in relation to impacts on teachers (five themes), pupils (eight themes), and broader outcomes (two themes), with most themes discussed by teachers and wider stakeholders. Across data, findings highlighted the proposed mechanisms by which the programme was intending to produce impacts, largely through increasing teacher knowledge and facilitating a positive school environment. Themes demonstrated the breadth of perceived programme impacts, highlighting both attainment and wellbeing outcomes among pupils.ConclusionsFindings provide support for Mindset programmes focusing on the development of teachers’ mindsets, highlighting the resultant perceived impacts this can have on both teachers and pupils alike. Future research should seek to capture health and wellbeing measures alongside attainment data to fully explore programme impacts.

Correction: A mixed-methods study on the changes in teachers’ perceptions of and strategies for student-centred teaching in programming following teacher development courses

Correction: A mixed-methods study on the changes in teachers’ perceptions of and strategies for student-centred teaching in programming following teacher development courses

“I’ve become more critical”: Development of Dutch elementary teachers’ beliefs about history and history teaching in an inquiry-based professional learning program

This study aims to explore how elementary school teachers’ beliefs about the nature of history and pedagogical beliefs about teaching history developed over the course of a two-year professional development (PD) program and which elements of the program stimulated this development. This PD program aimed to develop participants’ skills in historical reasoning and in designing inquiry-based history lessons that encourage students to reason historically. Teachers engaged in historical reasoning and developed and implemented activities for inquiry-based learning in their history lessons. In this qualitative study, we interviewed nine teachers before and after the program, and they completed the Beliefs about Learning and Teaching History questionnaire before, during and after the program. Thematic analysis of the data shows that elementary teachers participating in our PD program developed more nuanced beliefs about history. Both epistemic and pedagogical beliefs became more crystallized and more criterialist in nature, but it is especially participants’ pedagogical beliefs that became more oriented toward inquiry into historical sources and the importance of developing historical reasoning skills in students. Our findings also indicate that more naïve ideas remained in addition to more nuanced beliefs. Participants indicated that their pedagogical beliefs about teaching history and conducting historical inquiry changed because of the program. Based on the final interviews, we identified five elements that enhanced participants’ professional development toward teaching inquiry-based history lessons and influenced their epistemic beliefs. It was the combination of engaging in historical inquiry, modeling by the facilitator, participating in group discussions about historical inquiry, searching for historical sources themselves and developing and discussing their own lesson designs and putting them into practice that made participants see the possibilities of inquiry-based history learning and stimulated the development of their beliefs. The findings of this study imply that to prepare elementary teachers to teach history in a way that fosters inquiry into historical sources and historical reasoning, PD programs and teacher education should pay attention to the epistemology of history as a discipline and provide teachers with tools to do inquiry.

Health literacy pedagogies and assessment embedded in a school-based health education program

AbstractStudies have focused on the development of teachers’ Health Literacy (HL) pedagogies but have yet to focus on building teachers’ assessment capacity. The aims of this research study were three-fold: 1) professionally develop teachers to enhance the HL planned in a Health and Physical Education (HPE) program and assessment task; 2) validate a previously developed curricular model of HL assessment (rubric) using student work samples; 3) measure students HL learning using an adaptation of the validated rubric. Researchers used a descriptive single school case study, using a mixed methods approach in an Independent, coeducational early learning, primary and secondary day school in Sydney, Australia to work closely with participants to review the pedagogical knowledge, learning activities and assessment within a HPE program using Nutbeam’s three level HL hierarchy. Using Messick’s six aspects of construct validity testing of the rubric was completed using 20 sample assessment tasks, as well as receiving feedback on the adaptability and feasibility of the rubric. The validated rubric was then adapted to the assessment task to measure students’ HL. Results demonstrated that professional development had a positive impact on the development of planned HL pedagogies as shown by a 17% increase in planned critical HL learning activities. Findings suggest that the validated rubric is a feasible and adaptable tool that teachers can use to measure students’ HL. This is the first study to validate a curricular model of measuring HL. Future research needs to develop teachers’ HL capabilities and assessment literacy.

The Impact of Participation in Professional Learning Communities on Physical Education Instructional Leaders

This study investigates the assessment of the physical education teachers and department chairpersons in five institutions in Hunan Province, China, about professional learning communities for physical education and their levels of participation. Stratified sampling was used to generate 187 P.E. teacher-respondents and 52 P.E. chairperson-respondents. Under the Quantitative Research Method, this study utilized weighted mean score and multiple regression to predict the variables in professional learning communities. Based on the findings, as for the profile of the respondents with the combined results from the P.E. teachers and P.E. chairpersons, the following emerged from the data: the age bracket of 41–45 has the highest number of respondents with a master’s degree, constituting 29.7%, the male respondents dominated the data with 64.9%, a total of 79.9% of the respondents are Master's Degree holders, and the length of service revealed 29.7% for 16 years and above. Five variables were tested in the study: professional commitment, strategic approaches, pedagogical and technological knowledge, supportive organizational teaching and learning environments, and professional ethics and standards. The combined mean scores of the two groups of respondents resulted in no significant difference in most of the variables and no significant relationship between the respondents’ assessment of professional learning communities and their level of participation. However, some indicators are not rated highly, and the study calls for a teacher development program. The five variables are considered predictors of the participation of the respondents in PLCs. Furthermore, all the variables are predictors in the professional development of physical education teachers. The strongest predictor is professional ethics and standards, followed by professional commitment. Physical education teachers can be motivated by their chairpersons to join seriously in PLCs to further enhance their capabilities in teaching physical education.