Lithuanian Teachers Research Articles

Factors associated with teachers' intention to leave their profession: teacher portraits from two European countries.

Turnover of teachers is an mportant factor that impedes building and maintaining sustainable positive pedagogical practices to facilitate students' adjustment. The aim of this study was to elicit a portrait of teachers wanting to leave their profession. The research sample comprised 784 teachers from two European countries, namely 357 teachers from Latvia and 427 from Lithuania. Teachers were surveyed on their perceived stress, burnout, and intentions to leave their work alongside socio-demographic variables (age and work experience). It was found that although teachers in both countries reported moderate stress and burnout levels, Lithuanian teachers indicated higher levels of two burnout dimensions, namely exhaustion and inadequacy. However, Latvian teachers indicated significantly higher turnover intentions. The portrait of teachers who intended to leave their profession was different in both countries. An unexpected finding was that Latvian teachers with a higher desire to leave their profession indicated lower stress and burnout rates. They were mostly 45-64 years old and had more than 25 years of work experience. In Lithuania, teachers' intention to leave their work was reported by older and more experienced teachers experiencing higher stress and burnout. The findings highlight the need to consistently support the professional well-being of educators, both for committed teachers who want to stay in their profession and for those who might experience some detachment from their work at school.

On the uses of machine translation for education purposes: Attitudes and perceptions of Lithuanian teachers

Abstract Technology in the context of education is a subject of debate, from a very positive experience that promotes learning to a very negative one that prohibits the use of various smart devices, tools, programmes, and platforms in the classroom. The problem is how to find a balance between the two positions and how to encourage teachers to introduce possibilities of technologies to benefit the general education process. The topic of machine translation in educational contexts has gained the attention of the research community only recently. Previous studies not only point to the benefits that the technology may bring to the classroom, especially in foreign language learning, but also report mixed views of educators. This study, which is based on the findings from a survey of Lithuanian secondary school teachers, seeks to explore the current status of the inclusion of machine translation in the educational process from teachers’ perspective to envisage the teacher’s role as a facilitator or a mediator in developing children’s machine translation literacy. The conclusions that can be drawn imply that machine translation is rarely considered to be a useful technology by teachers, and its benefits are either unknown or underestimated. Therefore, the need for machine translation literacy instruction emerges.

Phenomenon-Based Learning in Teaching a Foreign Language: Experiences of Lithuanian Teachers

Phenomenon-based learning (hereinafter PhenoBL) is widely studied in the majority of European countries, especially given that research data indicate that PhenoBL is more successful in providing effective learning, better student achievement, a stronger interest in science, and even a higher happiness index. However, there are sparse data on the educational practice of this method in Lithuania, particularly in foreign language teaching (FLT). Thus, teachers’ professional preparation for the effective implementation of PhenoBL remains one of the most relevant research problems. For this reason, this study aims to analyse the experiences of Lithuanian foreign language teachers in incorporating PhenoBL into FLT. Fifteen individual semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the obtained data were analysed by applying qualitative inductive content analysis. An inductive content analysis of the interview reports revealed six themes and related categories: the perception of student-centred teaching, the development of subject integration competencies, teamwork development competencies, research-planning skills, the positioning of personal responsibilities and duties, and foreign language usage emancipation, i.e. setting free from personal fears (fear to make grammar, vocabulary mistakes, while speaking in public) to speak a foreign languages. The content of the revealed themes indicated that teachers highlighted the flexibility of PhenoBL from the perspective of its application to different language learning levels within one group. The majority of the respondents underlined the necessity for the development of an active didactic competence. Other respondents mentioned the importance of the correlation between personal creativity competence development and success in PhenoBL. It was also stressed that if a teacher wants to be successful while using PhenoB, they must to be prepared to work with integration-based and communication-emancipatory methods, must be student-centred, must have competencies in teaching several subjects, must be good at teamwork, and must be good at managing learning time.

Teachers’ perceptions of the barriers and drivers for the integration of Informatics in primary education

A growing trend of integrating and teaching Informatics and Computational Thinking (CT) skills at primary education levels poses different challenges for teachers. Research demonstrates that it is challenging to introduce Informatics in schools without well-prepared teachers. In this paper, we examine Lithuanian teachers' perceptions of the barriers and drivers to integrate the renewed Informatics curricula in primary education and the relation between them. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary school teachers, and a mixed-methods approach was employed to analyze them. The results show that explicit guidelines for renewed curricula and motivation to learn Informatics are both identified as the main barriers and drivers for integrating Informatics. The study further highlights the critical role of resources, appropriate tools, and guidelines in facilitating the successful implementation of Informatics. The study provides knowledge that could, for instance, benefit teacher training programmes and help better understand how teachers can be better supported to meet current and future challenges.

Teachers’ Attitude towards Inclusive Education: Latvian and Lithuanian Experiences

Inclusive education is a continuous process of transformation of the education system. It is both an approach to teaching and learning, as well as a different organization of the educational process that welcomes all students regardless of their social skills and physical and intellectual abilities. The qualitative implementation of inclusive education requires competent staff. The study reflects a comparative study carried out in Latvia and Lithuania, and it focuses on Latvian and Lithuanian teachers’ attitude self-assessment regarding the implementation of inclusive education. A three-dimensional model, including the cognitive, affective, and behaviour components, are used for the study. The Technical Manual for Attitudes Towards Teaching All Students Instrument developed by Gregory Jess L. and Noto Lori A. has been applied in the study. The SPSS 25.0 programme, Pearson Correlation, and One-Way ANOVA tests were used for the statistical analysis of the data. The results reveal, and generally confirm, differences in the structure of Latvian and Lithuanian teachers’ attitudes, as well as emphasize the importance of teachers and support specialists’ competence improvement to ensure optimal teaching and learning processes for all learners involved in the educational process.

Teachers' contributions to the school climate and using empathy at work: implications from qualitative research in two European countries.

This research aimed to reveal the factors that, based on their experiences, teachers consider important in their contribution to a positive school climate and in their relationship with students when it comes to using empathy. Teachers from two European countries-Latvia (n = 83) and Lithuania (n = 69)-participated in the research. Data were collected through focus group-based interviews and analyzed using latent qualitative content analysis. The results revealed the teachers' shared understanding of the importance of communication and professional development. However, only Lithuanian teachers emphasized strengthening institutional values and other more collectivistic aspects; the answers of Latvian teachers were specific and suggested more of an individualistic attitude, like allocating personal responsibility to use appropriate instructional strategies. This study draws attention to contextual and cultural factors of teachers' work and actualizes their educational needs.

Education of Gifted Children: Lithuanian Teachers’ Attitudes and Experience

Gifted children’s education is one of the most relevant pedagogical and psychological problemsin education worldwide. The inclusion of gifted education programs in schools depends on theeducational system and teachers’ education and experiences. This study explores Lithuanianteachers’ view and experiences regarding the education of gifted children. A total of 500 teachers,representing 45 schools in Lithuania, participated in a written survey. Study data were collectedthrough written responses to a survey which included: questions regarding experiences workingwith gifted children (12 questions) and respondents’ demographics. The questions with responsechoices provided explored the areas of respondents’ experiences in gifted education, including theapplication of gifted children’s education programs in their school; work experience with giftedstudents; and preparation and willingness to work with gifted children. Reflecting on the results,it’s clear that Lithuanian teachers face great difficulties in educating gifted children, dependingon both external/objective conditions (funding, appropriate atmosphere, working conditions,cooperation among teachers) and’ subjective experiences (well-being, emotional state, evaluation,and feeling of the significance of their work).

Linking supportive school leadership and teacher resilience: The mediating role of job resources

Employee resilience is commonly understood as a process that protects against distressing conditions and helps employees to cope with stress factors, to survive and adapt to changing work environments. Over the past few years Lithuanian teachers have had to deal with unexpected force majeure situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, a large influx of Ukrainian refugee pupils, ongoing school related issues, such as the introduction of new curricula, full inclusion of children with special needs, reorganizations, and increasing workloads. Our study based on the four-dimensional Teacher Resilience Framework and Job Demands-Resources theory aimed to examine relationships between supportive leadership, job resources and teacher resilience, and to reveal the mediating role of job resources in the relationships between supportive leadership and teacher resilience. A cross-sectional research sample included 455 Lithuanian teachers working in elementary and secondary schools. Data were collected using a self-administered online survey. The study identified that supportive leadership and job resources, i.e., feedback, autonomy, opportunities for development, and social support – were positively related with teacher resilience and its four dimensions. The mediation analysis established an indirect impact of supportive leadership on resilience types via job resources, however, the role of work resources as mediators differed depending on resilience type. The results complement studies analyzing the role of work environments in resilience, such as personal capability studies. They suggest that supportive school leadership and job characteristics as contextual resources available at the workplace should be considered when planning and implementing interventions aimed at strengthening teacher resilience.

Factors Influencing Teachers’ Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction is important both for the qualitative development of activities of an organisation and for the well-being of employees when their work activities also meet the needs that are important to an individual. In today’s education system, the turnover of teachers and their retention in general education institutions pose many challenges; thus, the issue of job satisfaction is becoming increasingly more relevant. Moreover, research on teachers’ job satisfaction is significant not only because of its importance for staff turnover and retention but also because of its impact on students’ learning outcomes. The subject of this research is teachers’ job satisfaction. The aim of the study is to theoretically substantiate the concept of teachers’ job satisfaction and to reveal the factors influencing the job satisfaction of Lithuanian teachers. To achieve the aim of the study, a quantitative research method and a questionnaire survey were chosen. The Job Satisfaction Survey by Paul E. Spector was used to assess teachers’ job satisfaction. The study results revealed that teachers’ job satisfaction is most strongly affected by the nature of their work and communication at work, while teachers are least satisfied with their pay and promotion opportunities.

Development of pedagogical competencies of the vocational teachers in Italy and Lithuania: implications of competence-based VET curriculum reforms

PurposeThe present study aims to reveal common and diverging trends in the development of pedagogical competences of vocational education and training (VET) teachers and trainers in Italy and Lithuania.Design/methodology/approachA structured survey was administered to Italian and Lithuanian teachers. The collected data were analysed and compared.FindingsResults show that there are many common challenges and problems in the development of pedagogical competencies of the VET teachers in both countries; e.g.: the marginalisation of the VET teacher's work and working conditions, especially the dissatisfying wages and poor career opportunities, and the absent or weak institutionalisation of the VET teacher's qualifications and training.Originality/valueThe emerged results can be useful for directors of VET-centres and VET-schools to manage training and pedagogical growth of teachers both in Italy and in Lithuania. Moreover, the outputs can be considered as a set of suggestions also by the policymakers both at national and European level.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL COMPETENCE OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS: SELF- ASSESSMENT RESEARCH

In today’s life, the formation of a new twenty-first century society structure, which is changing people’s personal, professional and social conditions of existence, more and more frequent are demands from the public and there is a trend of social competence development. First of all, thinking about the teachers, who often run initiatives, internal motivation, knowledge, sometimes in interaction with students in strengthening the social competence phenomena such as communication and cooperation. It is never too late to improve communication and cooperation culture. The article seeks to reveal the importance of social competence for self-assessment process. The article presents the theoretical background of self-assessment process. In order to reveal social competence, a model which illustrates the parts of social competence such as communication (reciprocity) and cooperation (activity) is presented. That‘s why teacher-teacher, teacher-student, student-student, student-teacher have been chosen as research subjects who reflect the characteristics of reciprocity and activity in the process of learning. The instrument of the research is a questionnaire. The research participants were 49 Lithuanian teachers, 142 students and 23 Belgian teachers and 86 students.

Teachers’ Self-Efficacy: How does it Predict Children's Task Persistence and Behavioral Self-Regulation?

It has been suggested that the quality of pre-primary education influences children's learning abilities in a variety of ways. Teachers’ behaviors are among the major factors relating to the quality of the classrooms, and one aspect of them – teachers’ self-efficacy – has been put forward to predict successful development of childrens’ learning and abilities to learn. Given this, it is surprising that relatively few studies have taken pre-primary techers' self-efficasy into account, and no research on the topic has been conducted in Lithuania.
 Futhermore, a few studies have analyzed how teachers' self-efficacy relates to childrens' learning abilities, such as, tasks persistence and self-regulation. Consequently, the present study analyzed relations between teachers' self-efficacy, childrens' task persistence and self-regulation. This study is based on the theory of teachers’ self-efficacy by Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy (2001). The aim of the current study is to determine whether the self-efficacy of Lithuanian pre-primary teachers' is related to the learning outcomes, in particular, childrens' tasks persistence and ability to regulate their behavior. Childrens' tasks persistence was measured using the Behavioral strategy rating scale (teachers' form) (Aunola et al., 2000; Zhang et al., 2011); the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (McCellandet al., 2007; Ponitz et al., 2008; Ponitz at al., 2009) was used to measure childrens' self-regulation.
 Participants were 18 pre-primary education teachers from six Lithuanian schools and their 229 pre-primary class students (116 [50.7%] girls and 113 [49.3%] boys). Teachers answered questionnaires concerning their self-efficacy towards the whole class and towards each child’s task persistence; school psychologists tested each child on their self-regulation. The statistical analyses of this study comprised of correlation analyses and hierarchical regression analyses.
 The results supported our expectations about the positive significant relations between teachers' self-efficacy, childrens' tasks persistence and self-regulation. That is, the greater teachers' self-efficacy was, better childrens' tasks persistence and self-regulation were. The results stayed significant even after controlling for, child gender, parental education, and teachers’ experience. MoreoverIn particular, gilrs and children of higher educated parents were more likely to have better task persistence and self-regulation. Moreover, surprisingly, it was found that teachers' work experience predicted childrens' self-regulation. Taken together, the results have verified that techers' self-efficacy plays a meaningful role in promoting childrens’ tasks persistence and self-regulation in Lithuanian preschool. Thus, from the practical point of view, in order to facilitate children’s learning in preschool and primary school, one should also pay attention to the ways of strengthening teachers’ self-efficacy.

DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENT LANGUAGE SKILLS: APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF NEURODIDACTICS IN LITHUANIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

Neurodidactics, which is grounded on integration of neurosciences into the educational process, and its contribution to education have been more and more extensively analysed lately. The scholarly literature distinguishes four principles of neurodidactics: linking of new information with the already possessed one; revision; positive emotions; information assimilation employing several senses is important for development of school learners’ linguistic abilities. Taking into account significantly lower learning outcomes of Lithuanian as the state language, which were observed among national minority learners, and responding to the unified primary education curriculum of Lithuanian language for schools with Lithuanian as the language of instruction and for national minority schools, which entered into force in 2016, attempts are made to search for well-targeted and neuroscience-based ways of language education. Therefore, the goal of the research is to theoretically substantiate and empirically investigate the development of primary learners’ linguistic abilities applying neurodidactic principles. The phenomenographic research strategy was used to attain the research goal employing the semi-structured interview with Lithuanian teachers from national minority schools. The empirical data was analysed applying the content analysis. The obtained results allow stating that during the lessons only two senses (i.e., sight and hearing) are mainly considered aiming at development of linguistic abilities. While revising the material learnt in the classroom, all the linguistic abilities are developed but revising this material at home the focus is laid only on one of the abilities. It was also revealed that speaking the state language evoked negative emotions to national minority learners. Keywords: development of linguistic abilities, application of neurodidactic principles, primary school learners, schools of national minorities.

What Factors Matter for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers? Analysis from Four Countries

Abstract In the 21st century, teachers’ learning is viewed through the lens of sustainable development as a holistic, transformative and collaborative learning process. Acknowledging that teacher professional development is a prerequisite for educational quality, it becomes necessary to look for professional development factors that could be relevant to sustainable professional development. The article explores factors of sustainable professional development of teachers based on data of TALIS 2018 from four Baltic countries (Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania). The study also discusses distinct characteristics of teacher professional development in the analyzed countries. Although traditional forms and methods of professional development still prevail in all countries, teachers also learn through active cooperation. Finnish teachers, more often than teachers in the other countries, worked in teams and shared material, knowledge, etc. with each other; Estonian teachers, more so than teachers in the other countries, took part in long-term training; Latvian teachers were more likely than teachers in the other countries to observe other teachers’ classes and provide feedback. Lithuanian teachers were perhaps the most active in terms of learning, but young teachers with fewer years of service were more likely to engage in long-term and collaborative activities. Finally, the implications for further research are discussed.

The Relationships of Problem-Solving, Anger Expression and Control, Self-Reflection and Insight of Prospective and In-Service Teachers

The article presents the research on relations of problem-solving, anger, self-reflection of prospective and in-service teachers. The research within the sample of Lithuanian teachers disclosed positive correlations between their rationality in problem-solving, self-reflection, and anger control as well as between anger expression and emotionality in problem-solving. The regression analysis allowed stating that emotionality, rationality, need for self-reflection, and insight can help to forecast the expression of anger index.

Valstybinės kalbos mokymas Lietuvos žydų gimnazijose ir progimnazijose 1919–1940 metais

Valstybinės kalbos mokymas Lietuvos žydų gimnazijose ir progimnazijose 1919–1940 metais

Relationship between organisational silence and employee demographic characteristics: the case of Lithuanian teachers

Abstract Organisational development requires creative and open employees, who must feel confident to use their inventiveness and share ideas. However, some entities encounter organisational silence. The lack of research into this phenomenon in Lithuanian educational institutions encouraged the authors of the article to investigate how demographic characteristics of teachers relate to types of organisational silence. The authors used two nonparametric tests for analyses, i.e. Mann–Whitney U to study gender and Kruskal–Wallis H to investigate age and marital status. The quantitative research targeted teachers of 104 Lithuanian secondary schools. The research findings contribute to filling the knowledge gap in the topic of organisational silence in Lithuania. The enclosed demographic characteristics can help rectify the current situation in educational institutions.

The Interaction between Teachers’ Professional Burnout and Professional Satisfaction

The world is facing with requirements, which are changing the way people and the environment interact, changing needs, and long-term challenges. School is no exception, where endless reforms cause a great deal of chaos that teachers, students, and their parents are tired of. The article discusses the extent to which professional burnout is expressed in Lithuanian teachers ’community as a whole, and its relation to teachers’ professional satisfaction. The aim of the research is to reveal the interaction between burnout and professional satisfaction of Lithuanian teachers in order to increase their professional satisfaction. The analysis of scientific literature was selected due to the theoretical explanation of the research problem. The quantitative research method was selected due to empirical research. The indicators on the questionnaire scales providedan opportunity to determine the links between Lithuanian teachers’ professional burnout and professional satisfaction according to different structural stress dimensions. Statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 23) for Windows. The survey included 398 teachers (a representative sample of the study was 381 respondents). The main results. Based on the results of theoretical and empirical research, the main factors influencing the interaction between professional burnout and professional satisfaction were identified. A significant negative interaction between professional satisfaction and professional burnout was also confirmed.

INVESTIGATING TEACHER LEADERSHIP: FRACTIONS OF TEACHER LIFEWORLD EXPERIENCE

The phenomenon of teacher leadership has been investigated over the past few decades. The purpose of the current paper is to explore the phenomenon of teacher leadership through investigation of lifeworld experience of Lithuanian in-service teachers in terms of eight lifeworld experience fractions: selfhood, sociality, embodiment, temporality, spatiality, project, discourse and moodedness. The focus group interview method was applied in order to explore the opinions and experiences of teachers. In total, 5 focus group interviews with 12 teachers were conducted. The research results indicate that the fractions of selfhood, moodedness and sociality are the most salient for Lithuanian teachers. The interpersonal nature of teacher leadership, the need of social persuasion and capability to sustain a successful interaction with students are discussed.

Implementing Inclusive Education in Lithuania: What are the main Challenges according to Teachers’ Experiences?

The purpose of this article was to analyse the challenges primary and subject teachers had experienced concerning the implementation of inclusive education in Lithuanian primary schools, progymnasiums and gymnasiums. In this study, 86 Lithuanian teachers reflected on their experiences of teaching in heterogeneous classes. The data were collected from 13 group interviews. The article highlights the challenges encountered by the primary and subject teachers in implementing inclusive teaching. The findings were arranged under four themes. Concerning teachers’ pedagogical competence, the teachers highlighted difficulties in differentiating their teaching and including the students with special educational needs in the classes’ social peer networks. Teachers also pointed out the need for multiprofessional collaboration and dialogue with parents. The themes were then interpreted in the theoretical frames of teachers’ professional competences. At a practical level, the study’s findings may help teacher educators understand the teacher competences needed to implement inclusive education and support them to develop existing teaching programs to target the successful implementation of inclusive education. At a conceptual level, this study presents evidence for preparing teachers to work in the conditions of striving towards inclusive education.