Perspective Of Pupils Research Articles

Perception of the Classroom Climate from the Perspective of Teachers and Pupils

Perception of the Classroom Climate from the Perspective of Teachers and Pupils

Contents of Digital Literacy from the Perspective of Teachers and Pupils

This paper deals with the contents of digital literacy education on the primary and lower secondary schools from the perspective of teachers and pupils. It is based on the results of a relatively large exploratory survey, which involved more than thousand schools. This project aimed to improve specification of curriculum, processes and organizational aspects of students’ digital competence development and to determine the current state, structure and orientation of development of digital literacy in primary and lower secondary schools. This paper analyses selected results of this research project and concerns the content and concept of informatics subjects in primary and lower-secondary school and their evaluation by teachers and pupils.

Homework in Primary Education from the Perspective of Teachers and Pupils

This study aims to understand the perceptions of teachers and students of the 4th year of schooling regarding homework and its relationship with the act of studying. A comparative research of a descriptive-correlational nature was undertaken, comprising two questionnaires one to the teachers and another to their pupils. The study covered a sample of fourteen primary teachers from all Nelas municipality state schools (central region of Portugal), and 128 pupils, aged from 9 to 11 years and of both sexes, in identical percentage. Data obtained show that all teachers ask their students to do homework, especially in the areas of Portuguese and Mathematics and consider it essential for learning. The students generally like to do their homework and consider it important. For the most part, if they could decide, students would do homework because it helps them to consolidate the content taught. Knowing the teachers and students perceptions about the homework is fundamental to developing teaching strategies that contribute to the academic success of all students.

John Dewey and Entrepreneurship in School-A Swedish Case

<p>Progressive education, with its purpose of educating young people to become democratic citizens, has influenced the Swedish educational system for many years. Critical voices have been raised, claiming that progressive education has diminished Swedish pupils’ results. Since 2011, when entrepreneurship as a concept and as a pedagogical approach was instituted in Swedish curricula, the debate has emerged again. In this case, however, the problem was with the pedagogical ideas of the entrepreneurship in school. Critical voices claim that entrepreneurship is a part of the neoliberal agenda and that the language of progressive education has been appropriated and misused in order to create productive citizens who will maintain the capitalist state. This article is written from the perspective of pupils in an upper secondary school, illuminating and problematizing the sense in which the entrepreneurship in school can be said to be progressive in the spirit of John Dewey. The result shows that the entrepreneurship in school contains many similarities with the ideas of progressive education, especially in the way that pupils work and take part in activities. However, the lack of pupils who talk about learning to improve future society or to develop democracy is obvious. Thus, even if working methods seem to be equal, the overall educational goals are different. The goal of entrepreneurship in school is to educate young people to become independent, innovative individuals but in that education mission, there is a risk that democratic values are neglected.</p>

Understanding problematic pupil behaviour: perceptions of pupils and behaviour coordinators on secondary school exclusion in an English city

Background: The research reported in this article was commissioned by a consortium of inner-city schools located in central England. It was commissioned in response to the consortium’s concerns regarding increasing referrals of negative pupil behaviour amongst its secondary school pupils in Key Stage 3 (ages 11–14), resulting in temporary and permanent exclusions. The consortium also sought to explore the factors contributing to a perceived increase in incidents of serious misbehaviour by pupils in Year 8 (ages 12–13).Purpose: The research was designed to create a better understanding of the factors affecting school exclusion from the perspective of pupils and behaviour coordinators within the consortium’s schools.Sample: Study participants were 49 pupils in Year 9 (ages 13–14), comprising 23 girls and 26 boys, and eight behaviour coordinators from seven secondary schools and two centres for alternative provision (AP) in an inner-city area of the West Midlands.Design and methods: The research was designed using an ethnographic approach and involved individual semi-structured interviews and qualitative data analysis. Interviews were conducted over a 12-month period in each of the participating schools and centres for AP.Results: A series of related themes emerged from the data analysis. Amongst those factors identified as having the greatest bearing on negative pupil behaviour was the issue of transition. While many pupils imagine the transition to Key Stage 4 (ages 15–16) as a positive departure from their previous behavioural histories to a world of qualification opportunities, personal commitment, future employment and adulthood, this is not matched by the perceptions of many of the teaching staff. In particular, the move from primary school to secondary school was seen by many respondents as a traumatic period of transition and an underlying cause for negative behaviour. Respondents report that, when left unchecked, difficulties associated with primary–secondary school transition were often amplified throughout the first three years of secondary schooling.Conclusions: The implications from this small scale, qualitative investigation are that positive attention to transition experiences, amongst other factors, is likely to contribute to improved management of behaviour referrals and exclusions.

What Would Be the Best School Meal If You Were to Decide? Pupils’ Perceptions on What Constitutes a Good School Meal

Much attention is given to school meals as a way to prevent childhood obesity. This article is concerned with a perspective that is often lost in the pre- sent debate, namely the perspective of pupils on what constitutes a good meal. The article draws on the findings of an action research process in a Danish public school and presents the perspectives of a group of eighth-grade pupils, with the aim of voicing their opinions and positioning them as co-constructors of school meals. Inspired by the work of Henri Lefebvre and literature on the sociology of childhood and meals, the article demonstrates how pupils' perspectives on what constitutes a good school meal are concerned with much more than food and are only associated weakly with healthy nutrition. Pupils perceive school meals as a means of being social and as a break from the order of school life. They are concerned with the construction of meal spaces and with the sensuous experi- ence of eating. Subsequently, it is argued that there are both epistemological and ethical arguments for including pupils' perspectives in research on school meals. Furthermore, including pupils' preferences in the planning of school meals might eventually build school meals in which pupils enjoy to participate and are there- fore more likely to be health promoting.

Do children overestimate the extent of smoking among their peers? A feasibility study of the social norms approach to prevent smoking

Social norms approaches (SNA) are based on the premise that we frequently overestimate risk behaviours among our peers. By conducting campaigns to reduce these misperceptions, SNAs aim to reduce risk behaviours. This study examines the extent to which 12 to 13year old pupils overestimate smoking among their peers and explores the appropriateness of using SNA in secondary schools to prevent smoking uptake. MethodsThe extent of overestimation of smoking among peers was assessed through an on-line SNA questionnaire in five schools (n=595). Based on questionnaire results, pupils developed SNA campaigns in each school. Qualitative methods of focus groups (7), interviews (7) and observation were used to explore in-depth, from the perspective of staff and pupils, the appropriateness and feasibility of the SNA to prevent smoking uptake in secondary schools. ResultsA quarter of pupils, 25.9% (95% CI 25.6% to 26.1%) believed that most of their peers smoked, however, only 3% (95% CI 2.8% to 3.3%) reported that they actually did; a difference of 22.9% (95% CI 19.1% to 26.6%). Self-reported smoking was not significantly different between schools (X2=8.7 p=0.064), however, perceptions of year group smoking was significantly different across schools (X2=63.9 p<0.001). Qualitative analysis identified full school engagement, minimal teacher time requirements, pupils' belief in questionnaire results and understanding wider context, as key in optimising implementation. ConclusionThis study shows significant misperception between self-reported and perceived smoking among peers in secondary schools, thus supporting a key premise of social norms theory. Implementing SNAs and studying effects is feasible within secondary schools.

Playing the ‘Race’ card? Black and minority ethnic students' experiences of physical education teacher education

This paper reports on a study that explored black and minority ethnic (BME) students' experiences of physical education teacher education (PETE) in England. Widening the ethnic diversity of those choosing to enter the teaching profession has been a key policy objective of the Training and Development Agency—the government agency responsible for teacher education—for some years. However PETE programmes, designed to produce specialist physical education (PE) teachers to work with secondary age (11–18 years) pupils, reveal significant and enduring levels of under-representation of BME candidates, compared to other subject specialisms. The study reported here used semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with 25 BME participants from five universities involved in PETE in England. The findings show that BME PETE students share many of the characteristics with their White counterparts, being young, sporty and with a desire to improve PE experiences for future generations. However, in other ways, their experiences reveal the significance of ‘race’ ethnicity, and religion and how these are interwoven with gender to position them as ‘other’ in PETE spaces and within schools. Skin colour and religious dress were significant to stereotyping and everyday interactions that served to position them as ‘out of place’, particularly evident in practical activity sessions and on teaching placements. ‘Race’ and ethnicity as part of their professional education was at best a marginalised discourse, at worse, reproduced a deficit perspective of BME pupils’ and their schooling. The paper concludes by arguing for a critical analysis of the construction of Whiteness through PETE.

The contribution of ‘shared education’ to Catholic–Protestant reconciliation in Northern Ireland: a third way?

Northern Ireland has achieved political stability and its devolved government is now tackling public policy issues neglected during periods of sectarian violence. Notwithstanding the prevailing political optimism, one legacy of the conflict is a deeply divided society. This is particularly manifest in the education system where around 90% of children attend either state (controlled) schools (de facto Protestant) or Catholic (maintained) schools, with integrated schools accounting for less than 6% of the school population. In an attempt to address this duplication of services, in the context of 85,000 empty desks, external funders have piloted an initiative entitled The Shared Education Programme (SEP) where schools working in cross‐community partnerships deliver shared classes and activities in order to improve education outcomes. This paper attempts to: quantify the educational returns for pupils participating in the SEP; articulate the qualitative reconciliation benefits from the perspective of teachers, parents and pupils; and, locate the findings of the research in the ongoing policy debate about restructuring education provision in Northern Ireland at a time of budget retrenchment and declining school rolls.

Language learners’ identities in EFL settings: resistance and power through discourse

This research project aims at identifying and analyzing different identities students construct as learners of a foreign language wheninteracting within an EFL classroom, and how this identity construction might have possible effects on students’ language learning process.This study, which was carried out with undergraduate students from a private university in Bogotá, was the product of permanent observationto the development of students language learning process (specially speaking skill) and how the implicit or explicit student-teacher interactionmight constitute an important element to this development, relies under the principles of CCDA (Critical Classroom Discourse Analysis). Theidea of implementing this research methodology has to do with the need of looking beyond fixed categorizations and rather listen to howlearners negotiate different identities as they employ diverse cultural and linguistic resources to construct knowledge in classrooms. Throughoutthe process of data collection, with transcripts of oral interactions undertaken in the classroom and interviews to students as main sources ofanalysis, a new perspective of pupils as social actors who hold multiple social identities was discovered. The results show that issues such asthe use of L1 in the EFL classroom, the teacher‘s conception of language learning and teaching and the silent fight for power among teacherand students constitute important elements in the struggle of students when constructing their social and individual identities as learners withina given classroom community.

A child's eye view of primary school built environments

This article endeavours to make explicit the perspective of primary school pupils' on their likes, dislikes and wishes in relation to the built school environments they experience. Relevant findings in the literature are reviewed and the main themes summarized. The design of a study covering 127 pupils across two very different UK primary schools is described. The findings from an open-ended, investigator administered, questionnaire are summarized in some detail. These are then discussed in the context of the literature. It is found that, surprisingly, maintaining basic environmental factors within acceptable ranges do not figure at all in the responses of the pupils' to the open-ended questionnaire prompts. However, this is not the case for patently malfunctioning aspects such as creaky windows that impact more directly. A dominant aspect of school layout seems to be sheer size – bigger would be better. But the unpleasantness of ‘hard’ surfaces, such as stairs and flooring are also mentioned and are a reminder of how these quite small people experience the school environment very directly. Mention is made of opportunities for personalization (e.g. displays), good information and communication technology provision and control, but the desire for abundant useable outdoor space figured very prominently and is probably the most consistent aspect of the surveys.

Space Makers or Space Cadets? Exploring children’s perceptions of space and place in the context of a Dublin primary school

This paper discusses two interconnected themes: (1) the variegated role of space in primary school architecture; and (2), the perception of this space as a lived phenomenon from the perspective of pupils. In this context, space is not seen as being synonymous with the physical properties of a school (although this does exert an influence), but as an ‘active ingredient’ through which a particular social order is produced and sustained. Echoing the work of Lefebvre’s (1991) triadic conceptualisation of space, Markus’s (1993) meshing of architecture and power (via Foucault, 1991a, 1991b), certain extensions of ecological/ecosystemic theories of child and adolescent development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Deboutte et al., 2006; Deklerck et al., 2003), and Burke and Grosvenor (2008) on pedagogic practices and space, we argue that space, far from being a Cartesian ‘bucket’ to contain social action, is a fundamental dimension of any teaching and learning environment. More specifically, what we refer to as ‘space’ is structured (i.e. produced and organised) by the social actions of agents (pupils, teachers, parents and administrative staff) within the school environment, which is refracted back onto these agents and, in turn, structures them. By applying a predominately visually-orientated methodological approach, namely graphic elicitation and participant-generated images, the study focused on a cohort of 17 pupils in a senior primary school in Dublin. The discussion of the data explored how the pupils categorised space(s) in the primary school environment, and how their act of ‘structuring the structure’ generated complex and competing meanings. The results of this visual study indicated that it was pupils who maintained the power to appropriate spatial and social relations, creating possibilities of performance, repetition and regulation, contest and conflict within the school environment. Discussions of these results directed learning towards conceptions of space as a subject of ineluctable importance in educational and psychological research.

Visual impairment: The educational experiences of young people in Northern Ireland

During the last 30 years there has been an increasing commitment in many countries to inclusive education. This has yielded a substantial evidence base that addresses various aspects of inclusive education including its impact on teacher attitudes and on pupil experiences. In contrast, few studies have been undertaken to examine these issues from the perspective of pupils with a visual impairment (VI). To extend the evidence base this paper examines the mainstream and special education experiences of young people with a VI. Focus group discussions and one to one in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 young people age 15 to 23. All of the participants were educated in Northern Ireland. Findings demonstrate that those who experienced a mainstream education disliked school more and had fewer friends at school than their peers at special school. Teachers in both school sectors were perceived as discouraging and thought to hold low expectations for pupils with a VI. In the main, neither group enjoyed an active social life nor did they report having many friends at home.

Grading from the perspective of pupils

Grading is an integral, inevitable part of educational-upbringing process and presents an especially sensitive segment of teaching practice. With regard to that, the aim of our research was directed towards determining and analysing what pupils think about the process of grading and teachers in the context of grading. This research comprised 200 primary school pupils and 200 grammar school pupils. The questions were grouped into three thematic wholes (pupil's perception of teacher's actions in the process of grading; identification of pupil's preferred ways of grading and their reactions to grades and desirable and undesirable characteristics of teachers in the context of grading from pupil's perspective). On the basis of our findings, it can be concluded that pupils think: that teachers apply lower criteria when grading bad pupils, that they use grades as a disciplinary measure and that they are guided by pupil's grades in other subjects when grading. The grade is a strong motivator of a more active engagement of pupils in teaching process, where pupils especially appreciate regular checking and objective grading in teachers and object to excessively strict and unequal criterion of grading. The paper also provides the lists of desirable and undesirable characteristics of teachers in the context of grading, perceived on the part of pupils.

Journal of Radiology Nursing Continuing Education Credit Application

At present, virtualization and virtualization technology represent a powerful tool for the consolidation and simplification of vast hardware and software structures administration. Their potential is extensive, considering their employment; they are used in numerous branches and fields. It is therefore logical that the issue of virtualization technology is becoming a priority for educational institutions not only in terms of their internal information systems, but also as a means of solving particular educational issues regarding advanced administration and operation of information systems. The employment of virtualization and virtualization technology in educational institutions may therefore seem not only beneficial, but also, from the perspective of both teachers and pupils, stimulating.However, there emerges a question–is virtualization technology really employed at schools, and if so, in what way? Would it be possible to systematize this employment? In order to find at least a partially satisfactory answer to these questions, a theoretical model of integration of virtualization in education was designed, its aim being to systematize and describe possibilities of the said employment in education. In order to prove the model, a research was carried out, aimed at the explanation of the current state of employment of virtualization technology at school facilities as well. The submitted study deals with the description of both the designed model and the theoretical bases, which led to its composition (including the preparation, course, and results of the realized research).

Mental Health-Promoting Dialogue of School Nurses from the Perspective of Adolescent Pupils

Mental health is a major public health issue in Sweden, especially concerning children and adolescents. School plays a primary role as a health-promoting arena, where school nurses use the health d ...

‘Judgement day is coming!’: young people and the examination process in Scotland

There is mounting evidence to suggest that the examination process is assuming greater importance in young people’s lives. Economic change has intensified demand for academic qualifications. An emphasis on viewing young people in terms of outcomes related to future identity and their success or failure within this context involves substantial pressure on pupil self esteem as a result of performance in high-stakes testing. Yet little is known about young people’s views about the examination process and what success or failure means from the perspective of pupils. This article draws on findings from a study focusing on the significance of exam taking from the perspective of pupils, parents and teachers living in Scotland. Drawing on interviews with pupils, teachers and a survey of parents in two Scottish high schools, we begin to explore the exam process and its impact upon the lives of young people, their families and school communities.

DEVELOPING CHILD’S THINKING SKILLS BY SEMANTIC MAPPING STRATEGIES

1. Introduction The majority of studies on teaching have explored its aspects related to the transfer of knowledge from a more proficient person to another, who is less knowledgeable (Strauss et al. 2002). In this paper we will examine teaching from the perspective of pupils' cognitive development from the point of view of the semantic mapping teaching strategy. 1.1. Concept of semantic mapping The semantic mapping is a cognitive strategy in which information is categorically structured in a graphic/visual form. A number of similar terms can be found in literature, including semantic mapping, semantic webbing, modeling, graphic organizers, semantic networking, concept mapping, thinking maps and plot maps for labeling this concept (Fisher 1995, Lim et al. 2003, Moore 2003, Venger 1988, 1986). Of course, these terms are used to denote various strategies of graphic and visual representation of relationships between concepts and ideas. Thus, these terms are used to define similar strategies. However, some authors (e.g. Fisher) sometimes distinguish between thinking maps and concept maps: in thinking maps are listed like in brainstorming, while in concept maps links between words and ideas are represented. In the present work the role of links is emphasized, and such terms as semantic mapping/webbing, semantic networking, concept mapping and modeling will be used interchangeably. A semantic map, as a construction, has essentially two aspects: visual and conceptual. A visual semantic map is made up of forms, such as circles, triangles, etc. A conceptual semantic map contains verbal information inside and between the forms, which represents relationships between words/ideas (Fisher 1995:68). There are various map structures that people use for representing and organizing their knowledge. A simple concept map creates a semantic web from a simple idea or a concept, while hierarchical concept mapping is a more advanced strategy to organize concepts into a hierarchy (Fisher). Information in a concept map may be organized in different ways: in a arrangement, where relationships between concepts are represented in lines and/or arrows drawn between figures. In a form relationships between concepts are represented by a relative position of figures in space. Semantic maps are typically organized from top to bottom. First, a more general concept (central idea) is defined. Then more specific concepts follow and a location on a map is found for each of them taking into account their interrelations and links to the central idea. A semantic map is read in the same way as it is created--from top to bottom, establishing relationships between concepts according to the lines connecting them in the linear structure of the map or according to their relative position in the spatial graphic form. Semantic mapping as visual categorization of information serves a number of purposes. First, if one person shows to another how relationships between concepts may be represented using semantic mapping, s/he reveals the ways to categorize, relate, and organize ideas. According to Moore (2003:17), the teacher may transfer experience to children by showing them how scientists sort and classify objects. Fisher believes that semantic mapping is a very useful tool for teaching concept formation to children, because concept learning is a gradual process during which a child creates increasingly definite understanding of a concept by relating this concept to others. Lim et al. (2003) indicates that semantic mapping as a visual means stimulates cognitive skills of analysis, categorization, and synthesis. A study conducted by Pennequin and Fontaine (2000) using elderly subjects above 60 years of age found that semantic mapping training method may help optimize the inclusive reasoning of these individuals regardless of their level of education. As the study by Lim et al. …

Interpreting pupil participation into practice: contributions of the SEN Code of Practice (2001)

It is three years since the revised Code of Practice for special educational needs (Department for Education and Skills (DfES), 2001) was implemented within schools in England. In this document renewed emphasis was given to pupil participation, building upon and strengthening previous requirements. The inclusion of pupil participation in this document, which governs the ways in which schools must operate, provided cause for optimism by raising the status of the topic and embodying a tool by which to implement the participation rights of the child within the education system. This article scrutinises the sections on pupil participation within the Code for their potential to advance the field. It raises some crucial questions, opening up new areas for debate on the subject. It refers to research insights into participation from the perspective of pupils themselves to illustrate the issues being raised. The article calls for the participation of the pupils themselves to be acknowledged and accounted for, alongside current requirements that professionals encourage pupil participation and account for their perspectives.

Active learning—a cultural change needed in teacher education and schools

In this article, the purpose is to evaluate how teacher education may promote active learning and what the main obstacles are to reach this target. The problem is investigated from the perspective of student teachers, teacher educators, teachers and pupils in schools. All these groups have evaluated how active learning is applied and what the obstacles are to active learning. The results clearly indicated that schools and teacher education departments are in the middle of a cultural change. Many indicators of active learning can be seen, but there are many obstacles which should be overcome.