Post-observation Interviews Research Articles

THE WASHBACK EFFECT OF THE MOROCCAN ENGLISH BACCALAUREATE EXAMINATION ON TEACHING PRACTICES

This study investigated the possible influence of the Moroccan English baccalaureate examination on what and how teachers teach in class. This study was carried out in the city of Fes, Morocco, where classroom observations were conducted in three high schools. These were followed by post-observation interviews and a structured questionnaire. The findings indicated that teachers’ choice of teaching materials, the content of their course, and their teaching methodology were affected by the examination. However, the teachers in the study revealed that they were subjected to different degrees of influence. Some teachers thought that it was necessary to adopt exam-oriented activities to meet the demands of the examinations, whereas others were aware of the limitations associated with concentrating on examination preparation and thus were not affected by it to a great extent. Based on those results, it was recommended that any reform of teaching materials or teaching methodology has to go hand in hand with a reform of the format and content of the English baccalaureate examination.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0741/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Identifying inclusive training needs with the inclusive practices in English language teaching observation scale

Quality inclusive education has been guaranteed at the international policy level, but for inclusive education to be realized, teachers must be prepared to teach students with a wide variety of support needs. With well over a billion English language learners worldwide, and considering the fact that language learning can present many unique barriers to students with disabilities, the TESOL field has a growing need to consider how to best train teachers to teach inclusively. English language teachers (ELTs) generally lack training to teach students with disabilities, and little research has been done to identify specific training needs. If language learning environments are to honor the human right to inclusive education, then this is a critical research gap to close. This study reports on the use of a novel instrument, the Inclusive Practices in English Language Teaching Observation Scale (IPELT), in combination with post-observation interviews, to determine specific training needs among ELTs working at the postsecondary level in Japan. Magnitude coding of IPELT results and thematic analysis of field notes and interview data from 13 participants suggests that ELTs in this particular context would likely benefit from training in differentiation and specific considerations for teaching students with disabilities, as well as identifying possible students with disabilities. The participants also demonstrated a foundational skill set to create inclusive learning environments despite a general lack of relevant training.

Understanding The Complexities of Teaching Marginalized Groups And Promoting Inclusive Education in Masjid Terminal School: Teachers’ Perspective

Behind the success of the government programs, various educational phenomena in Depok City must still be resolved, one of which is education for marginalized communities. “Marginalized people” is a more accurate description of the urban poor. Consequently, the paramount task for the government is to harness the potential of these underprivileged individuals through the promotion of inclusive education. The Masjid Terminal School (Master School) is one of the schools in Depok that provides inclusive education. A qualitative method with a case study approach is used in this study. Semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and post-observation interviews were conducted to collect the data. The findings of this study revealed that the challenges faced by students at Master School differ significantly from those encountered at other schools. Given that Master School is tailored for underprivileged students, economic hardships emerge as one of their most formidable obstacles. Nevertheless, students at Master School are afforded opportunities to enhance their capacities and skills while enrolled, as the school not only provides tuition-free lessons but also offers a variety of extracurricular activities open to all students. Furthermore, teachers and staff at Master School actively support students with a strong desire to pursue higher education, with many students having secured scholarships to study abroad.

Integration of topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge components in secondary school science teachers’ reflections on biology lessons

Teachers’ reflections on their practice are a powerful tool for measuring and supporting their professional knowledge. Pedagogical content knowledge is one of the most influential domains of teacher professional knowledge. This multiple-case study investigated the topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK) components that Zambian secondary school science teachers integrate when reflecting on biology lessons. Three teachers from the same school were observed teaching a biology lesson and attended post-observation interviews. Data were mainly collected through lesson plans, lesson observation field notes and post-observation interviews. The data were analysed using in-depth analysis of explicit TSPCK, enumerative and constant comparative approaches. TSPCK maps were constructed to illustrate each teachers’ integration of TSPCK components. The results revealed four features about the integration of TSPCK components: (a) None of the teachers depended solely on a single TSPCK component as they integrated other components (b) The components curricular saliency, students’ prior knowledge and misconceptions, and conceptual teaching strategies were central in the TSPCK maps of all the teachers, while representations and analogies, and what make the topic easy/difficult to teach/learn were least integrated (c) All teachers had different pairs of reciprocal connections among TSPCK components, and (d) All teachers had different pairs of most integrated components. The implications of these findings for science and teacher education research were presented and discussed. It was concluded that teachers’ reflections revealed the integration between TSPCK components and showed them differently. The study recommends investigating teachers’ reflections over several lessons and tracking any changes in their TSPCK integration.

Chemistry graduate teaching assistants’ teacher noticing

Chemistry graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) have substantial facetime with undergraduate students at large research institutions where they lead discussion and lab sessions. Emerging research describes GTAs’ content and teaching knowledge for introductory chemistry classes, but we need to know more about how GTAs manage their classes in the moment and how they assess student learning during class time. We conducted classroom observations and post-observation interviews with six chemistry GTAs with various years of teaching experience and who were teaching a variety of classes (e.g., general chemistry discussion, biochemistry discussion, organic chemistry lab, computational chemistry lab, and more). These GTAs were each observed and interviewed multiple times over the course of a semester. Through qualitative analysis guided by the teacher noticing framework, we describe what chemistry GTAs notice, or pay attention to, regarding student learning in their teaching sessions and how they interpret what they notice. We found that chemistry GTAs often paid attention to the types of questions that students asked but relied on their students to take initiative to ask questions in order to assess their learning. Also, GTAs often focused on superficial features of their class sessions to assess learning, like whether students finished their tasks and left their session early. However, some GTAs noticed more sophisticated evidence of student understanding, such as when students connected content covered across multiple class sessions. The results from this study contribute to our understanding of how chemistry GTAs lead their sessions and evaluate student learning during their sessions. Results serve to inform potential training designs that can support chemistry GTAs’ teacher learning through learning to notice—and to create opportunities to notice—significant features of their classrooms.

The diverse invitations to participate in early rehabilitation – A qualitative study of nurse-patient interactions in the intensive care unit

ObjectivesTo gain insight into the interaction between nurses and patients in early rehabilitation and the role of patient participation in this context. Research design and settingA qualitative study with a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach was conducted in two units/hospitals from January 2022 to January 2023, utilizing observations and video recordings of eight nurse/patient dyads combined with post observation interviews with the nurses. The study was analysed by systematic text condensation and video analysis, informed by interaction theory. FindingsTwo contrasting categories emerged: 1) Absent invitations: the nurse performed procedures without involving the patient; in other situations, the nurse informed the patient without requesting participation. Simultaneously, spontaneous patient movements were not acknowledged by the nurse. The nurses explained that this practice occurred due to time pressure, oversights, a lack of belief regarding patients’ capacities, the unit's culture and little training. 2) Invitations that strengthened participation: the nurse verbally requested activity that often resulted in an inadequate response, or bodily extended invitations that sometimes led to joint active movement. Patients were the most active participants when nurses combined verbal prompts, eye contact, physical handling, and dialogue. In the interviews, the nurses emphasized giving patients enough time to participate and repeatedly encouraged participation because the patient's condition and capacity constantly fluctuated. ConclusionInteractions that combine verbal and bodily invitations appear crucial for patient participation in early rehabilitation in the intensive care unit, emphasizing the importance of integrated tailored bodily communication. The nurses' lack of insight into and attention to the patient’s bodily potential for active movement combined with a paternalistic approach to the patient's situation may hinder patients' active participation. Implications for clinical practiceIntegrated forms of interaction that explore patients’ capacity and potential for participation should be employed in line with verbal communication. Developing competence in early rehabilitation should be emphasized in critical care nurses’ education and training.

An explanatory study of kindergarten teachers’ teaching behaviours in their visual arts classrooms

This study aimed at using a mixture of direct observations and interviews to investigate kindergarten teachers' knowledge and pedagogical approaches to visual arts. An adapted version of the Early Childhood Teacher Behaviour Observation (ECTBO) instrument was used to investigate the possible reasons for teachers' current behaviours in Hong Kong visual arts classrooms. In an observation study, a total of 18 classrooms with 76 children in two local kindergartens in Hong Kong were observed during a 30-min visual arts activity. Altogether, 540 min of video data were recorded and analysed using field notes and a time sampling strategy. In addition, 18 class teachers from the observed classrooms were invited to give post-observation interviews, and 810 min of data were recorded. The interview participants supported the importance of non-directive early childhood arts. However, the observation findings revealed that they still relied heavily on directive teaching in implementing early visual arts teaching. Thus, a discrepancy was found between the teachers’ subject matter knowledge in visual arts and the integration of their pedagogies in their actual classroom practice. The findings of this study in a local setting have the potential to significantly change the way in which early childhood visual arts teaching is conceptualised and discussed in international contexts.

English Language Teachers’ Perceptions, Knowledge and Practices of Analytical Thinking Skills

This study attempts to examine the knowledge, perceptions, and practices of English language teachers teaching analytical thinking skills in the English reading lesson and investigate the challenges that English language teachers face when incorporating analytical thinking skills in their English reading lessons. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 132 English language teachers from 10 National Secondary schools in the district of Kuala Muda, Kedah. In addition, two expert English language teachers’ reading lessons were observed, and post observation interviews were conducted with them. The data collected were analysed using a thematic analysis approach and descriptive statistics. The study found 79% of the participants exhibiting excellent knowledge of analytical thinking skills, while 19% of the participants showed a high level of knowledge and 2% of them had a fair amount of knowledge of analytical thinking skills. All 132 participants indicated positive perceptions of teaching analytical thinking skills in the English reading lessons. Observation of the two expert English language teachers revealed that ‘using open-ended questions, conducting collaborative learning among students, carrying out task-based learning as well as proper lesson planning’ as effective techniques that enhance the teaching of analytical thinking skills. On the other hand, sourcing teaching materials relevant to the topics stipulated in the syllabus and the poor English language proficiency of the students were found to be the major challenges for the two expert English language teachers when teaching analytical thinking skills.

A Case Study on Teaching English with Differentiated Instructions at a Junior High School in Taiwan

The article aims to explore a case of teaching with differentiated instructions approach at a Junior High School, Eastern County, Taiwan. The author used case study as the interpretivism paradigm in the methodology of exploring the contexts. The participants were twenty-five 12 graders. They were assigned by the school academic director to participate in the classroom demonstration on differentiated instruction with one of the senior teacher trainers from Taipei City. Pre-observation interview, observation, and post-observation interview were utilized to collect the data. The study indicated that a well-planned lesson for differentiated instruction would be able to help mixed-ability students get most of the lessons. Furthermore, it can also enhance the student’s engagement during the lesson in the classroom. Some suggestions for further research are proposed.

Using a Mixed-Methods Needs Analysis to Ensure the Sustainability and Success of English for Nursing Communication Courses: Improving Nurse-Patient Engagement Practices in Globalized Health Care

To better engage with patients, nurses need employ various communication skills, particularly “engagement strategies” that enable them to understand, elicit or empathize with patients’ concerns. Such engagement is essential to delivering good patient-centered care. This paper describes one part of a mixed-methods needs analysis: the aim was to find and analyze illustrative examples of actual nursing communication in English that showed engagement with between nurses and patients within an intercultural/international context in mainland China, where nurses are increasingly needing to interact with patients in English due to globalization. To confirm and concretely illustrate previously established engagement strategies found in the literature, direct observations were made of a nurse’s authentic interactions with a non-Chinese patient, which were then complemented by a post-observation interview. A detailed linguistic analysis of the data yielded a rich qualitative description of how engagement was practiced, along with quantitative data on the typical distribution and variety of communication strategies in everyday nurse-patient interactions. Drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), this paper details how various strategies for different speech functions were used within the different discourse moves of the interactions, and argues for a more central focus on the teaching of these useful engagement strategies and their patterns of use. The pedagogical benefits and clinical implications of this study will be apparent to practitioners of English for specific purposes (ESP) and nurse educators around the world who are involved in teaching nursing communication in English-medium or international contexts.

EMI Teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding culture teaching in Chinese higher education

ABSTRACT Although the potential of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) for intercultural learning and teaching is acknowledged, few studies have explored the teaching of culture in EMI programmes in higher education contexts. Thus, this study examined the perceptions and practices that six EMI teachers from a variety of disciplines have of culture and cultural instruction at a Chinese university. Data were obtained from 24 classroom observations and six post-observation interviews. Drawing on Larzen-Ostermark's tripartite culture-teaching orientations and Rasouli and Moradkhani's culture-teaching taxonomy, the findings revealed that teachers with a humanities and social sciences background had a fluid and dynamic view regarding the understanding of culture, while teachers with a science, technology, engineering and mathematics background did not recognise the need to incorporate cultural instruction into their EMI classes. In analysing classroom data, five categories of cultural instruction were identified: contrast, authentic material, groupwork, codeswitching and guided discussion of culture. The five categories are mainly in line with the affective and action orientations in Larzen-Ostermark's three-orientation framework. The paper concludes by exploring the implications of the study's findings for EMI policymakers and EMI teacher training programmes.

Contextual variations and pedagogy in the teaching of first additional languages in Grade 1: A multicase study

Background: The South African curriculum policy mandates the introduction of the first additional languages (FALs) teaching in Grade 1. Research on FAL teaching has been on the agenda in South Africa for more than a decade now. Several interventions in response to systemic findings have been made, yet little success is noted in terms of the advancement of FAL teaching in the foundation phase to a sustainable degree. Thus, there is a need for ongoing research in this focus area to enrich scholarly debates and the practice of FAL teaching with new insights.Aim: This paper seeks to further these debates through its attempt to explore and present findings on whether the contextual variations in which schools are located have any influence on Grade 1 FAL teachers’ pedagogical practices.Setting: The study was conducted in three geographically different Grade 1 classroom contexts, namely, urban, peri-urban and rural.Methods: This is an interpretivism qualitative small-scale multi-case study involving three Grade 1 teachers who taught FAL in three geographically different schools. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, observations and post-observation interviews. Thematic data analysis was applied, and the results are presented as collated essential findings.Results: Findings revealed variances in the way teachers taught FAL. These variances were linked to their pedagogical practices as influenced by spatial variation, learners’ exposure to second sites of FAL learning, to name a few.Conclusion: The study calls for teachers to be courageous in developing innovative FAL teaching approaches, thereby influencing curriculum policy on how FAL may be taught in Grade 1 classrooms in different geographical contexts.

The educational affordances of external clinician observation of GP trainee consultations.

There is widespread agreement about the importance of direct observation of trainee practice by clinical supervisors. Less is known about observation by observers external to the supervisory team. We explored the educational affordances of external observation of GP trainee consultations for educational and assessment purposes, from the perspectives of both observers and trainees. GP medical educators, who were scheduled to observe sessions of GP trainee consultations, were recruited as participant observers. They completed field notes, reflective memos and a focus group discussion, and conducted post-observation interviews with trainees, focused on trainee experiences of accessing educational input from supervisors and observers during the sessions. Thematic analysis was guided by constructivist realism and socio-cultural theory. A total of 23 observation sessions (131 observed patient consultations), 33 trainee interviews and 23 observer reflections were completed. External observers embraced teaching, coaching and pastoral opportunities, rather than being 'flies on the wall', despite also having research and assessment roles. They gained useful insights into the challenges of obtaining and providing in-consultation supervisory assistance and provided some in-consultation guidance themselves. Both trainees and observers experienced the sessions as valuable and collegial. Trainees appreciated post-consultation feedback conversations: topics included consultation challenges, managing uncertainty and variation in clinical practice. Patient expectations and pre-existing relationships influenced the distinctive interpersonal dynamic of the externally observed consultation. The educational affordances and interpersonal dynamics of external observation differ from supervisor observation. We recommend wider use in clinical training of observers who cross between educator and clinician communities.

Integrating riddles as instructional resource in the Competency-Based Curriculum for Early Years Education in Kenya

The introduction of the Competency-based curriculum in Kenya has had far-reaching changes in the teaching and learning of basic education in Kenya today. Teachers, are for instance, required to adopt innovative methods of content delivery in order to enhance learners’ mastery of the content. Such innovative practices have seen teachers deploy various locally available materials as instructional resources in their classrooms. While riddles have multiple functions to play in society, this paper analyses benefits that learners will obtain in using riddles as instructional resources in Early Years Education in Kenya. Primary data for analysis was obtained from a field study conducted among learners in purposively sampled primary schools in Manga sub-county, Nyamira County. Pre-observation interviews, lesson observation and post-observation interviews were used in data collection. Thus, the authors examine various competency-based skills embedded in riddles such as creative and critical thinking skills, cognitive skills, numeracy skills, collaborative skills, and environmental awareness skills. The article concludes that riddles enhance learners’ competencies and therefore there is need to embrace them as instructional resources in Early Years Education in Kenya.

Team -Teaching as a Tool for Professional Development

Team-teaching is a prominent approach used widely in the world especially in interdisciplinary and ESP (English for Special Purpose) teaching to enhance the quality of teaching and learning and foster teachers’ professional development. However, for many Vietnamese teachers, it remains unexplored territory because it is not fully employed in education system of Vietnam. The aim of this study was to explore the team-teaching teachers’ viewpoints and attitudes towards team-teaching as a tool for professional development through an interpretation of qualitative data derived from classroom observations and post-observation in-depth interviews with 5 participants in a People’s Police University setting. The findings of the study revealed that most participants claimed to have benefited from team-teaching as a tool to improve their professional development. They, however, also had to face some drawbacks arising from this approach. Some recommendations for the administrators and team-teachers were given in the hope of fostering the benefits and reducing the difficulties of team-teaching.

Investigating Professional Teacher Identity through ESP Courses: Voices from Three EFL Instructors via Case Studies

The current zeitgeist in language teacher education dwells on teacher identity regarding it as one of the big buzzwords to explore and critically reflect teacher qualities from a socio-cognitive perspective. Drawing from this current trend, the research intended to disambiguate three English language instructors’ sense of self-efficacy, perceptions, professional identity and professional competence in one of the most established and prestigious state universities in the country through the qualitative case study method. After selecting ESP practitioners following convenience sampling, autobiographies, informal dialogues, classroom observations, opening interviews, post-observation interviews, and field notes were utilized to gather data. Having scrutinized the professional identities of instructors through the lens of self-efficacy beliefs, perceptions, and professional competence, the study exposed that professional competence came to the fore being the best mediator to gain awareness of professional teacher identity. However, self-efficacy did not subserve as a predictor in exploring the complexity of teacher identity due to discordance with perceptions and realities of identity issues. Finally, some suggestions for further considerations were stated to be operationalized within the EFL context of in-service language teacher education.

Perezhivanie in Action

Analyzing a teacher’s perezhivanie shows how she both cognitively and emotionally experiences dramatic events and the mediation provided in response to such events, uncovering her professional development. This paper’s objective is threefold: (i) to illustrate how a novice English teacher’s perezhivanie refracts the contradictions she faces when her practice is inquired into by a more experienced peer; (ii) to analyze the quality and character of his mediation in response to these events; and (iii) to trace how the novice teacher’s perezhivanie shapes her professional development. Nine classroom observations followed by post-observation interviews were conducted. The findings illustrate how the teacher’s refraction of dramatic events and the responsive mediation offered allowed her to (re)visit and (re)shape her professional identity and activity.

Silence as absence, silence as presence: A discourse analysis of English language arts teachers’ descriptions of classroom silences

This article reports on a discourse analysis of five English language arts teachers' descriptions of classroom silences. Drawing on sociolinguistic and poststructuralist influences on discourse analysis, silence was theorized as a resource for building significance about aspects of classroom life and as an interface that connects local circumstances to social, cultural, and historical processes. Data analysis focused on teacher descriptions of silence in post-observation interviews and an excerpt from a 10th grade class discussion. Findings demonstrate how the teachers drew on two discourses of silence: silence as an absence of verbal participation and silence as a presence of dynamic interpretation. Teachers in the study used both of these discourses of silence to call forth particular aspects of their classrooms that would otherwise remain hidden to an outside observer, which is further analyzed through one teacher’s use of discourses of silence to add layers of meaning to a one-minute excerpt from a class discussion about Edgar Allan Poe's “The Masque of the Red Death.” These findings are complemented by a critical analysis of silencing in the class discussion, arguing close reading interpretive practices as applied to a canonized text contributed to the silencing of students’ backgrounds and knowledges. Implications of the study include using silence as a site of critical reflection in teacher education and theorizing silence, paradoxically, as (a) nonexistent and (b) a constant accompaniment to what is “sounded” in the classroom.

Enacted Pedagogical Content Knowledge Profiles of Chemistry Teachers

This research focuses on chemistry teachers’ enacted pedagogical content knowledge (ePCK) in equilibrium in chemical reactions. The enactment dimension of this pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) encompasses enacted knowledge and skills as well as those embedded in practice concerning the Refined Consensus Model of PCK, the most recent PCK model in science education. As ePCK plays out throughout the whole pedagogical cycle, it was conceptualized as to exist in three forms, such that ePCKP, ePCKT, and ePCKR. While ePCKP and ePCKR represent the knowledge and skills that a teacher uses for planning and reflecting respectively, ePCKT is related to what a teacher does in the classroom. The holistic nature of ePCK was investigated by using multiple data sources in real-life contexts. Specifically, pre-and post-observation interviews and lesson observations were used to elicit ePCK profiles and to provide triangulation. The grand rubric was customized for use both as an interview protocol and as an observational protocol for analyzing all of the three dimensions of ePCK around the analytical parameters of knowledge and skills related to curricular saliency, conceptual teaching strategies, and student understanding of science. Results revealed that chemistry teachers’ ePCK profiles are not uniform across planning, teaching, and reflecting phases, ePCK components, and evaluation criteria. Chemistry teachers perform highest in reflection concerning conceptual teaching strategies and lowest in teaching in terms of curricular saliency. Recommendations for science PCK research were shared.

Scheming and Re-scheming: Secondary Mathematics Teachers\u2019 Use and Re-use of Resources

In this article, we examine secondary mathematics teachers’ work with resources using the Documentational Approach to Didactics lens. Specifically, we look at the resources and a teacher’s scheme of use (aims, rules of actions, operational invariants, and inferences) of these resources across a set of lessons (macro-level analysis) that aim towards students’ preparation for the examinations and how this use emerges in a set of three lessons on the same topic (micro-level analysis) as a response to contingent moments. We propose the terms scheming—a teacher’s emerging scheme of use related to the same set of resources used for the same aim—and re-scheming, namely, shifts in such scheming. Our analysis of lesson observations and the teacher’s reflections on his actions from a post-observation interview demonstrate the interplay between the stable characteristics of the scheme of use and the scheming and re-scheming in individual lessons. We conclude this article with a discussion on the methodological potential of using both macro- and micro-level analyses in the investigation of teachers’ use of resources.