Lower Secondary School Teachers Research Articles

Industry, science education, and teacher agency: A discourse analysis of teachers' evaluations of industry‐produced teaching resources

AbstractThis study examines teachers' evaluations of teaching resources produced by industry to support science and technology teaching. The aim is to contribute to an understanding of how teachers negotiate the usability of industrial school initiatives for compulsory school science and technology. These evaluations are conceptualized in terms of teacher agency and educational governance. The collected data consist of focus group interviews where Swedish lower secondary school teachers discuss the usability of industry‐produced teaching resources. A discourse analysis was conducted and five discourses discerned regarding teachers' practical evaluations of industry‐produced teaching resources: (1) the curriculum discourse, (2) the educational design discourse, (3) the practical discourse, (4) the correct science content discourse, and (5) the partiality and bias discourse. The teachers draw on the different discourses to different degrees, and the teacher agency achieved in specific situations will vary. Based on the results a tool aimed at strengthening teacher agency in the practical evaluations of teaching resources from the industry is proposed. The study also contributes to a critical discussion on the influence of industry on the local education policy arena and suggests directions for strengthening teacher agency in situations where teachers evaluate and make decisions about the use of industry‐produced teaching resources.

Teachers’ conceptions and uses of student collaboration in the classroom

ABSTRACT Background The ability to collaborate is a central competence that students need to be taught in school, in order to prepare them for the social and work realities that they will face in the 21st century. Research shows that students often study in educational settings that do not promote collaboration with peers. Based on a renewed focus on the ability to collaborate as an educational outcome in itself, this paper explores how teachers think about and use student collaboration in the classroom. Purpose This study, conducted in Norway, aimed to better understand teachers’ pedagogical reasons for using collaboration. Such insight can offer valuable knowledge about how collaboration is understood and might influence classroom practice. Methods A small scale, detailed qualitative study was undertaken. The participants comprised a teacher team of four lower secondary school teachers, and data were collected through individual, semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed in depth, using content analysis methods. Findings Five main themes were identified that illuminated the teachers’ conceptions of collaboration: (1) collaborative activities as a valued ingredient in teaching, (2) collaboration as organising, (3) collaboration as a tool, (4) collaboration as demanding and (5) collaboration skills ‘taken for granted’. The findings indicated that collaboration was regarded as a valued ingredient in teaching practice, despite sometimes being challenging to use. Further, it appeared that that the dual potential that lies in using collaborative activities – i.e. as a way to work with, and develop, the ability to collaborate – can be overshadowed by an academic focus. Interestingly, learning how to collaborate was rarely regarded as being an educational outcome in itself. Conclusion This paper highlights the need to accentuate the social pedagogy of collaborative activities, in order to prepare students for the social and work realities that lie before them. Opportunities for teachers to develop their understanding of student collaboration and learn about how best to structure teaching and learning to capture the dual potential that lies within should be embedded in teacher education and on-going professional learning.

ORTAOKUL ÖĞRETMENLERİNİN SINIF İÇİ DENETİME İLİŞKİN GÖRÜŞLERİ

Araştırmanın amacı Bakanlık Maarif Müfettişleri ya da okul müdürleri tarafından gerçekleştirilen sınıf içi denetim sürecine ilişkin ortaokul öğretmenlerinin görüşlerini tespit etmektir. Çalışmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden fenomenoloji deseni kullanılmıştır. Bu bağlamda çalışmada öğretmenlerin sınıf içi denetim olgusunu ne şekilde deneyimledikleri ve nasıl anlamlandırdıkları üzerinde durulmaktadır. Çalışma grubunun belirlenmesinde amaçlı örnekleme yöntemlerinden ölçüt örnekleme tekniği kullanılmıştır. Çalışma grubu, Antalya’nın Alanya ilçesinde bulunan devlet ortaokullarında farklı branşlarda görev yapmakta olan ve en az bir kere sınıf içi denetim tecrübesi yaşamış toplam 12 ortaokul öğretmeninden oluşmaktadır. Veri toplama sürecinde katılımcılar ile bire bir yüz yüze görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Görüşmelerin tamamı 2018-2019 eğitim öğretim yılı ikinci döneminde katılımcı öğretmenlerin çalışmakta oldukları okullarda gerçekleştirilmiştir. Veri toplama aracı olarak araştırmacılar tarafından hazırlanmış yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde hem betimsel analiz hem de tümevarımsal içerik analizi kullanılmıştır. Sonuç olarak öğretmenlerin, öğretmende gelişim sağlayan, süreç odaklı değerlendirmeyi esas alan, yapıcı-insancıl, demokratik, tarafsız ve belli kurallar doğrultusunda işleyen bir denetim sürecini arzuladıkları söylenebilir. Çalışmaya katılan öğretmenlerin çoğunluğunun sınıf içi denetim uygulamalarını kaygı verici-amaçtan uzaklaştırıcı ve bürokratik yönü ağır basan bir süreç olarak gördükleri belirlenmiştir. Aynı zamanda bazı öğretmenler sınıf içi denetimleri faydalı bulurken bazıları da faydasız veya kontrolden ibaret süreç olarak görmektedirler. Sınıf için denetim sürecinin öğrenciler üzerinde herhangi bir olumlu etkisinin olmadığı; hatta sınıfın doğal ortamının bozulması, öğrencilerin kaygılanması gibi bir takım olumsuz etkileri olduğu görülmüştür. Bu noktadan hareketle eğitim denetimi sisteminde öğretmenlerin mesleki gelişimlerini merkeze alarak sınıf içi öğrenme ve öğretme süreçlerini iyileştirmeye çalışan rehberlik odaklı eğitim denetimi yaklaşımlarının işe koşulması önem arz etmektedir. Böylece öğretmenlerin eğitim denetimi sistemine bakış açısı olumlu hale getirilip, denetime olan inancı artırılabilir ve denetimlerin daha etkili hale gelmesi sağlanabilir.

Discourses on encountering multilingual learners in Finnish schools

The study examines the narratives of Finnish lower secondary school teachers working in linguistically diverse schools by analysing their narratives’ discourses on encountering multilingual learners. The study reflects the current period when the Finnish education system is experiencing growth in linguistic diversity and a change in educational policies that require language awareness from all teachers. In the study, 16 teachers participated in semi-structured group interviews. The teachers’ narratives were analysed by applying a framework for linguistically responsive teaching (Lucas & Villegas, 2013) in combination with discourse analytical methods. The analysis resulted in six discourses concerning agency, acceptance, and change in the school culture. The findings provide insights into the complex and multivoiced ways in which teaching multilingual learners is discussed. By revealing contradictory and overlapping voices, the study deepens the understanding of the process of developing teachers’ preparedness for linguistically diverse classrooms.

Sérsniðið framhaldsnám grunnskólakennara: starfsþróun fagstéttar eða praktískt nám til almennra kennslustarfa?

Frá því að Kennaraháskóli Íslands öðlaðist lagaheimild til að útskrifa kennara með framhaldsgráður háskólanáms árið 1988 hefur þar verið boðið upp á fjölmargar leiðir í framhaldsnámi og starfsþróun kennara og fleiri stétta. Vorið 2014 stóð Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands fyrir könnun meðal grunnskólakennara með bakkalárgráðu í samstarfi við Kennarasamband Íslands. Spurt var um æskilegt inntak og skipulag framhaldsnáms, hugsanlega hvata til að sækja slíkt nám og hvernig mætti útfæra það. Af 734 svörum mátti ráða að umtalsverður áhugi væri á slíku framhaldsnámi. Haustið 2015 hófu 35 starfandi kennarar sérsniðið framhaldsnám byggt á niðurstöðum könnunarinnar og stefnu Háskóla Íslands um meistaranám grunnskólakennara. Hér er greint frá rannsókn á viðhorfum og reynslu þeirra sem sóttu hið sérsniðna nám á tímabilinu 2015 til 2019. Sjónum var beint að samhenginu milli fræða (teoríu) og starfs á vettvangi (praxis), hugmyndum þátttakenda um eigin fagmennsku og fagvitund og hugmyndum um möguleika og þarfir á starfsþróun. Niðurstöður benda til þess að tengsl fræða við starfið á vettvangi séu óskýr þegar kemur að starfsþróun og tilteknir þættir í kerfinu hindri jafnvel eðlilega þróun fagmennsku og fagvitundar kennara. Þar ber helst að nefna margþættar væntingar til starfsins og óljósar hugmyndir um það í hvers þágu starfsþróun kennara ætti að vera.

Augmented Reality in Lower Secondary Education: A Teacher Professional Development Program in Cyprus and Greece

The current article provides an overview of a Teacher Professional Development (TPD) program that has been designed, pilot tested, and implemented to investigate the impact of augmented reality (AR) on: (a) Teachers’ level of technology (AR) acceptance, adoption of inquiry-based instructional approaches, and confidence towards teaching twentieth-first century skills in STEM-related courses; and (b) students’ potential enhancement of specific twentieth-first century skills and motivation and interest during a STEM- (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)-related course supported with AR. This article focuses on the teachers’ points of view concerning the impact of their STEM-related interventions on their students’ motivation and learning, as well as the factors that influence the teachers’ technology acceptance. The TPD program has been implemented in Cyprus and Greece with twenty-five lower secondary school teachers (20 in Cyprus and 5 in Greece). The research methodology applied is Educational Design Research (EDR), including an initial phase of the TPD program and a second (improved) phase. The data collection tools consisted of questionnaires, interviews, and observation of classroom interventions. Initial findings and their implications for teaching and future research are discussed, indicating the potential benefits and challenges surrounding the integration of AR within the educational process.

French teachers’ informal formative assessment in the context of inquiry-based learning

ABSTRACT Discursive formative assessment (FA) practices during instruction have grown in importance in the education literature as a way of improving teaching and learning. This study involves three years of design-based research as part of an educational project. We examine lower secondary school teachers’ qualitative Informal Formative assessment (IFA) practices during inquiry-based Science, Mathematics and Technology-Engineering (STEM) lessons. In-service teachers (N = 9) were filmed during a whole-classroom discussion session with respect to students’ alternative solutions or predictions in the context of problem-solving or investigating a natural phenomenon. The analysed discussions in the project’s third year lasted 15–30 minutes. The ESRU (Eliciting, Student response, Recognising and Using phases) model is adapted to analyse IFA practices, while also considering the role played by students. Inquiry dimensions (e.g. conceptual and epistemic) were used to examine the inquiries given priority in these discussions. The results show frequent (>30%) ESRU complete-cycle implementations by most teachers, which is associated with effective IFA practices. Frequent complete-cycle implementation led to teachers eliciting the same students at different moments of the session with longer consecutive cycles. The dimensions the teachers implement are more epistemic than conceptual. Moreover, students took charge of several ESRU phases.

Effects of school climate and teacher self-efficacy on job satisfaction of mostly STEM teachers: a structural multigroup invariance approach

BackgroundIdentification and retention of effective teachers in STEM education play cardinal roles in teacher recruitment exercises worldwide. Studies on factors that characterize effective teachers have therefore gained popularity in recent times. Teacher self-efficacy, job satisfaction and school climate are among other factors that have attracted global attention. Thus, proper understanding of the relations between these factors is equally important. The purpose of this study is to validate and cross-validate a model of direct/indirect effects of school climate and teacher self-efficacy on job satisfaction.ResultsThe data used for the current study are extracted from a publicly available data of Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 survey. Structural equation modeling approach was used in the analyses coupled with robust maximum likelihood to ensure accurate estimations in the models. The results of the validated models show a strong direct impact of school climate on job satisfaction, a direct impact of teacher self-efficacy on job satisfaction and a mediating effect of teacher self-efficacy between school climate and job satisfaction. This model exhibits structural invariance in factor loadings, intercepts and regression weights across two independent samples from a population of 3951 lower secondary school teachers in Norway.ConclusionThe findings of this study do provide empirical evidence for the relations between teacher self-efficacy, job satisfaction and school climate among Norwegian lower secondary school teachers. The cross-validation of these relations was also established using an independent sample to enhance generalization of the findings. Two methodological observations concerning recoding of some items as well as an addition of item cross-loading in the measurement model of the job satisfaction scales are raised and addressed. It is therefore recommended that researchers who will be using TALIS 2018 data should take note of these observations.

The Cold War, Historical Culture and History Education: Swedish Teachers’ Entangled Narratives of History and Memory

AbstractThis article presents an analysis of seven Swedish lower secondary school teachers’ personal experiences of the Cold War period, told in life story interviews which also related to their profession as history teachers. The aim is to analyze how personal experiences of history and personal memories may affect how history is approached by teachers and to discuss what relevance that may have for history education. Applying theories of historical culture and collective memory, we argue that the interviewed teachers display a collectivized historical experience imbued with cultural contingency, both entangled with – and at the same time detached from – personal memory. The reproduction of historical culture and collective memory seems detached from personal experience and instead, related to cultural narratives. The study finds that the teachers’ personal experiences are strongly affected by and filtered through the culturally contingent narratives of the historical period in which the teachers have lived their lives. Furthermore, the interviewed teachers did not address the reconstructive and disciplinary aspects of history that may arguably be an essential aspect of history education in Sweden and most Western countries.
 Keywords: Collective Memory, History Education, Cold War, History Teachers, Historical Culture
 Kalla kriget, historiekultur och historieundervisning: Svenska lärares sammanflätning av historiska berättelser och minnen
 SammandragI den här artikeln analyseras sju svenska högstadielärares personliga upplevelser från kalla kriget, berättade i livsberättelse-intervjuer som också relaterade till deras yrke som lärare. Livsberättelse-intervjuerna skapade förutsättningar för en analys av hur lärarnas personliga erfarenheter av historia och deras personliga minnen kan påverka hur de närmar sig historien, vilket också öppnar för en diskussion om vilken relevans deras minnen har för deras historieundervisning. Genom en analys med historiekultur och kollektivt minne som teoretiska verktyg, menar vi att de intervjuade lärarna uppvisade tecken på en kollektiviserad historisk erfarenhet genomsyrad av kulturell kontingens sammanlänkad med – och samtidigt avskild från – personliga minnen. Reproduktionen av historiekulturen och ett kollektivt minne förefaller ha varit avskild från personliga erfarenheter och istället relaterad till kollektiva berättelser. Studien visar även att lärarnas personliga erfarenheter och minnen är starkt påverkade av, och filtrerade genom, de kulturellt betingade berättelser som beskriver den period då lärarna har levt. I intervjuerna saknades emellertid tecken på en insikt i hur lärarnas minnen påverkats av kulturellt betingade berättelser om kalla kriget. Lärarna utelämnar även diskussioner om de rekonstruktiva och disciplinära aspekterna av historia, som kan sägas vara en viktig del av historieundervisning i Sverige och i större delen av västvärlden.
 Nyckelord: kollektivt minne, historieundervisning, kalla kriget, historielärare, historiekultur

Teacher burnout profiles and proactive strategies

Teacher burnout has been identified as a significant occupational hazard. However, our understanding about individual variations in burnout risk among in-service teachers is still less than sufficient. This study explored socio-contextual burnout risk profiles and their association with the reported use of proactive strategies among in-service teachers by using a person-oriented approach. The survey data were collected from 2310 Finnish in-service primary and lower secondary school teachers using a probability sampling method. In the latent profile analysis, five socio-contextual burnout profiles were identified. The profiles differed from each other in terms of burnout symptoms and proactive strategy use. Results suggested that there is individual variation in teachers’ risk of burnout. In addition, the results imply that well-developed proactive strategies, both in terms of self- and co-regulative strategies, are related to lower risk of experiencing socio-contextual burnout. The utilization of strong co-regulative strategies was related to lower risk of experiencing exhaustion and inadequacy during teacher-pupil interactions. However, strong self-regulation combined with low levels of co-regulation was related to an increased risk of experiencing cynicism. This implies that learning proactive strategies may be useful in preventing teacher burnout.

Teachers’ regard for adolescent perspectives in feedback dialogues with students in lower-secondary schools

The teacher is a key agent in facilitating for adolescent perspectives during lessons. Feedback dialogues have an inherent capacity to capitalise on or undervalue adolescent perspectives in instruction and learning. The present study focused on lower-secondary school teachers’ regard for adolescent perspectives in feedback dialogues with students in lessons on English as a foreign language (EFL, n = 65) and mathematics (n = 113). The data material consisted of video recordings coded with the regard for adolescent perspectives dimension in the Classroom Assessment Scoring System–Secondary Manual. Teacher–student interactions in both EFL and mathematics lessons generally showed scores in the low range for regard for adolescent perspectives. The mathematics lessons had consistently lower scores for quality. Four cases represented the maximum and minimum mean scores for the dimension, regard for adolescent perspectives, in the observed lessons. These cases provided examples of episodes when teachers either succeeded or failed to make room for adolescent perspectives in teacher–student interactions. The results indicate that attention to adolescent perspectives seems to be a neglected aspect of feedback dialogues in lower-secondary school.
 Norsk sammendrag
 Norsk tittel: Læreres hensyn til ungdomsperspektiver i tilbakemeldingsdialoger med elever i ungdomsskolen
 Læreren er en nøkkelperson i å legge til rette for ungdomsperspektiver i undervisningen. Tilbakemeldingsdialoger har en iboende kapasitet til å styrke eller undervurdere ungdomsperspektiver i undervisning og læring. Denne studien fokuserte på ungdomsskolelæreres hensyn til ungdomsperspektiver i tilbakemeldingsdialoger med elever i engelsk- (n = 65) og matematikkundervisning (n = 113). Datamaterialet bestod av videoopptak kodet med «hensyn til ungdomsperspektiver»-dimensjonen i Classroom Assessment Scoring System– Secondary Manual. Lærer–elev interaksjoner i både engelsk og matematikk viste generelt skårer i det lavere området for hensyn til ungdomsperspektiver. Matematikktimene hadde konsekvent lavere kvalitetsskårer. Fire caser representerte maksimum- og minimumsgjennomsnittskårer for dimensjonen, hensyn til ungdomsperspektiver, i de observerte timene. Disse casene viste eksempler på episoder der lærere enten lyktes eller feilet med å gi rom til ungdomsperspektiver i lærer–elev interaksjoner. Resultatene indikerer at oppmerksomhet rundt ungdomsperspektiver ser ut til å være et forsømt aspekt av tilbakemeldingsdialoger i ungdomsskolen.

In-service teachers’ perception towards Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Myanmar

This study was carried out to explore Myanmar lower secondary school teachers’ perception on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The research focused on the teachers’ level of ESD awareness and knowledge, their attitudes towards ESD, and their willingness to adopt ESD within their classroom setting and as well as their teaching skills. The sample consisted of 248 lower secondary school teachers of thirty schools in Sagaing Township, Myanmar. The Five-point Likert scale questionnaire was developed. Its reliability was measured by Cronbach’s alpha. The results indicated that, in general, the teachers have positive attitude towards ESD and willingness to adopt ESD in their teaching subjects. However, the participants’ level of awareness of ESD concepts is rather low and they do not understand ESD concept clearly. They do not have adequate teaching skills for integrating ESD concept into their teaching subjects. The findings also revealed that although there is no significant difference in the level of awareness and knowledge of ESD concept and attitude towards ESD, level of science teachers’ teaching skills in integrating ESD into science topics is higher than that of other subject teachers, and a significant relationship exists in three variables: teachers’ knowledge of ESD concept, attitude towards ESD and their teaching skills respectively. These findings might be useful as a baseline survey in implementing in-service science teacher training program integrated with ESD in Myanmar.

The Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) Factorial Structure Evidence Review and New Evidence From Polish-Speaking Samples

Abstract. The Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) is a widely accepted and enthusiastically used measurement instrument. Unfortunately, little firm evidence is available to support its factorial structure. The article reports on the results of the TSES administered to large representative samples of primary (2,083) and lower-secondary school teachers (2,382) in Poland, along with the results of reanalyzed US data, based on which the scale was developed. The results support TSES as a reliable instrument applicable across countries. However, they also highlight the importance of analyzing the factorial structure of the scale with each application, as it may require modifications when administered to different samples. Additionally, moderate evidence was found in Polish data for TSES to be invariant between primary and lower-secondary school teachers.

Relevance of Life-Cycle Assessment in Context-Based Science Education: A Case Study in Lower Secondary School

The article introduces a science education intervention using life-cycle analysis of consumer products. The intervention aims to promote lower secondary school students’ science career awareness and interest toward science studies. In this study, two lower secondary school teachers planned an intervention on life-cycle analysis, which aimed to be relevant for the students from an individual, societal, and vocational perspective. The study then examined how students perceived the relevance of the intervention, based on classroom observations, students’ life-cycle presentations, questionnaire responses, as well as interviews. The findings indicate that students found life-cycle assessment to be a relevant topic both from an individual and societal perspective. However, findings on vocational relevance were two-fold, as students gained knowledge on different occupations, but this did not seem to directly affect their future career aspirations.

Overall and work-related well-being of teachers in socially disadvantaged schools: a population-based study of French teachers

ObjectivesAs a human service profession, teaching presents specific risk factors that could be intensified in socially disadvantaged schools and, ultimately, impact the service quality. The aim of the present study...

Diversity in teachers’ approaches to movement integration: A qualitative study of lower secondary school teachers’ perceptions of a state school reform involving daily physical activity

In the context of implementing a physical activity policy as part of a national school reform in Denmark, the purpose of this study was to explore lower secondary teachers’ interpretations and perceptions of the physical activity policy with a focus on movement integration. In total, 14 teachers from four different schools were selected to take part in this qualitative study, which involved semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, go-along observations and informal interviews. A thematic analysis framework was employed to identify and describe patterns of meaning within data. The findings showed substantial diversity among teachers’ interpretations and perceptions of movement integration, and consequently a lack of definitional clarity regarding movement integration and a possible misalignment between policy and practice. Teachers’ perceptions and interpretations of movement integration were influenced by other and more prioritised policies and discourses regarding academic achievement, as well as by intrapersonal, interpersonal and institutional factors. The findings also suggested a lack of support and collaboration within the school and provided insights into the strengths and weaknesses associated with the autonomy afforded in the Danish school reform.

Teacher Sorting within and across Schools and Nations: A Comparative Study of South Korea and the United States

Background Although most research on teacher sorting has taken place in the United States, where teacher distribution favors more advantaged children, there is some evidence that the distribution of teachers across schools is much more equitable in South Korea. This is the first study to directly compare teacher distribution across schools and classrooms in the two countries. Research Questions Our research questions are: (1) Are teachers in lower secondary schools distributed evenly across schools in South Korea and the United States? (2) Are teachers in lower secondary schools distributed evenly across classrooms in South Korea and the United States? (3) How does assignment of teachers to classrooms within schools differ in South Korea and the United States? Research Design We use data from the 2013 Teaching and Learning International Survey to examine the distribution of teachers across regions, schools, and classrooms in the United States and South Korea. To answer our research questions we employ a range of quantitative techniques, ranging from simple descriptive statistics and Gini indices of teacher variables, to multinomial and ordered logistic regressions of school and classroom conditions on key teacher quality variables. Results We find that across schools, inequitable teacher sorting patterns are more pronounced in the United States. In both countries teacher sorting is more pronounced across classrooms than across schools; specifically, teachers with more total experience are less likely to teach in classrooms with higher concentrations of economically disadvantaged students and students with behavioral problems. Further, U.S. teachers with more years of experience in their current schools are less likely to receive assignments in classrooms with more language minority students, economically disadvantaged students, and students with special needs. Conclusions We conclude that South Korea can provide lessons to the United States to help reduce inequities in disadvantaged children's access to qualified teachers across schools through policies like centralized assignment of teachers, incentives to teach in difficult-to-staff schools, and mandatory rotation of teachers across schools. In terms of cross-classroom teacher sorting, our results signal a warning for policy makers in both countries. We argue that the most effective way to reduce within-school teacher sorting is to better integrate language-minority, low-income, and special-needs students into classrooms so that teaching conditions do not differ significantly across classrooms, and teachers have fewer options to sort across.

What Do Teachers Know About Digital Safety?

The research objective was to determine the level of digital literacy (DL) among teachers. The scope of DL was narrowed to the issue of the safe use of electronic media. The research was conducted using a competency test and diagnostic survey. The following aspects of DL were measured: awareness of the mechanisms of communication with other Internet users and any threats resulting thereof, understanding what sexting is and what is meant by invasion of privacy, knowledge about copyright, ability to verify the credibility of information available online (the least developed area of DL), awareness of cyberbullying and the prevention thereof (the most developed DL skill), and the security of online financial operations. The study was conducted in the second half of 2016 in Poland and was commissioned by the Ministry of National Education responsible for the Bezpieczna+ (Safe+) project. The survey was carried out among 421 lower-secondary school teachers (covering three grades for children aged 12/13 to 15/16) from all over the country. The research results can be generalized at α = 0.95 level. The teachers surveyed showed different levels of DL. The teachers of technical subjects (including ICT) obtained the best results, whereas natural science teachers scored the lowest. Age was not a determinant of ICT expertise. A low level of DL and safety skills prevailed in the group of teachers who recently began their career in education (trainees). The group of beginner teachers in particular should be given educational support. This research also breaks the stereotype that young teachers have much more advanced DL than older teachers.

Well-Being and Working Conditions of Teachers in Sweden

BackgroundIn Sweden, teachers are subject to high turnover, unfavorable working conditions, and high incidence of stress-related disorders. The aim of the present study was to (a) assess teachers’ perceptions of work-related health and working conditions, (b) examine the relationship among sev- eral key characteristics in teachers’ work environment, and (c) examine the importance for well-being of job satisfaction, separation between work and spare time, and recovery from work.DesignPrimary and lower secondary school teachers in Sweden were invited to participate in a questionnaire study assessing five central aspects of health (subjective well-being, physical activity, self-rated health, sleep quality, and health complaints). Building on previous research, the effect of job satisfaction on well-being as well as on health complaints was tested using a mediation model with separation between work and spare time, and recovery from work, as mediators.ResultsOf the respondents, 40.2% scored below the cut-off recom- mended in the screening for depression, 43.8% qualified as leading a sed- entary lifestyle, and 33.7% reported insufficient recovery from work. Sixty- one percent reported one or more sleep problems indicative of insomnia. Well-being correlated highly with self-rated health, health complaints, and separation between work and spare time. There is moderate support for the two models used to analyze the associations between job satisfaction and the outcome variables – well-being and health complaints – as both separation between work and spare time, and recovery from work, partially mediate the associations.ConclusionThe results confirm recent research pointing to the teach- ing profession as a vulnerable occupational group. Especially disconcerting and relevant for teachers in Sweden are results indicative of problems with recovery from work and insufficient separation between work and spare time. (Less)

Teacher Roles in the Blended Classroom – Swedish Lower Secondary School Teachers’ Boundary Management between Physical and Virtual Learning Spaces

The purpose of the study is to explore how Swedish lower secondary school teachers manage blended learning environments, established through using a specific learning management system (LMS) application. In the study, four teachers were followed during a four-month (n)ethnographic fieldwork. Based on analyses of data from video-recordings and observations in physical and virtual classrooms, the study examines teachers’ practices of integrating and segmenting the two classroom domains. In order to unpack the realms of these practices, the study employs affordance and boundary theories. Through the analysis of participants’ boundary practices and their use of communicative affordances in and across space and time, four teacher roles, enacted and emerging through teaching practices, are presented. The paper concludes with a discussion of how participants’ engagement with virtual and physical learning environment compels teachers to reflect upon their preferred teacher role in the new multidimensional classrooms.