Classroom Practice Research Articles

Language teachers’ emotions in online classrooms: Relations among teachers’ appraisals of classroom events, emotional responses, and instructional practices

Drawing upon Frenzel’s (2014) framework of appraisals, the current study explored language teachers’ emotional experiences and their antecedents in the online teaching context. Moreover, the interrelations between teachers’ emotions and their instructional practices were also investigated. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eleven language teachers from a top-tier international university in China. Our findings revealed that positive appraisals of online classroom events, including goal attainment, the capacity in and responsibility of effectively delivering lessons online, and the importance teachers attached to online teaching, tended to result in positive emotional experiences, which consequently led to motivational stimulations in more creative and productive instructional practices. By contrast, teachers who had negative appraisals of online teaching events tended to experience more unpleasant emotions and emotional vulnerability, which would possibly impede effective instructional practices and steer their teaching towards more traditional teaching methods. Our study contributes to the understanding of the relations among teachers’ appraisals of classroom events, emotional experiences, and instructional practices in online language classrooms. Implications for how to prepare teachers emotionally for online teaching are also discussed.

The Role of a School-Community Partnership in Enhancing Inclusive Special Education within a School District

ABSTRACT This study examined the role of a school-community partnership in enhancing special education within a public school district. Specifically, it sought to understand both the influences on and the influences of the school-community partnership. Factors considered by the partnership included research, data, expertise, resource constraints, and lived experiences. The partnership’s influence included changes in classroom practices and professional development, as well as increased knowledge about inclusive special education and families’ goodwill toward the school district. Though the partnership did not have a district-level policy influence on special education, it did have a demonstrable influence in localized yet impactful ways.

Developing survey-based measures of mathematics teachers’ pedagogical technology knowledge: a focus on computational thinking and programming tools

ABSTRACT The aim of this research is to develop a survey to explore Norwegian teachers’ perceptions regarding integrating computational thinking (CT) and programming tools into mathematics teaching by using Rasch analysis. For this purpose, three measures are developed: mathematical knowledge for teaching (with technology), instrumental genesis and personal orientations, aligning with the components of Pedagogical Technology Knowledge framework. The empirical data to validate and refine the developed measures includes a relatively large sample of 356 Norwegian primary and secondary school mathematics teachers. Through the three measures, analysis of the survey data revealed insights into teacher perceptions and challenges in tool adoption. These results, first, highlighted the complexity of tool integration and the necessity of unpacking country-specific competencies linking CT and programming to mathematics. Second, the results underlined a need for qualitative research to delve deeper into teacher perceptions and understandings of CT and programming to address challenges and enhance classroom practices.

What sits, what sticks: moving into lived, disruptive, co-produced filmmaking practices in literacy classrooms

ABSTRACT This article examines two ethnographers’ fieldwork with young people applying co-production film-making methods and three ways to approach youth-led filmmaking work for researchers and educators. Implicit to our argument is a belief, based on several multimodal projects, that filmmaking consolidates literacy skills and gives young people a more expansive, lived, and at times disruptive sense of literacy learning. In this special issue focusing on research into children’s language, literacy and literature, we give readers a way to take forward a living literacies approach to film work in 3–13 literacy teaching and learning.

Innovative ongoing support within a multifaceted computational thinking professional learning program improves teachers’ self-efficacy and classroom practices

In-service elementary school teachers need training to teach computational thinking (CT). A common model for CT professional learning programs includes an initial workshop followed by ongoing support. However, little research has examined the efficacy of ongoing support, the most effective types, and its impact on classroom practices. The current study details a multifaceted CT professional learning program with innovative ongoing support to help elementary school teachers implement the Code.org curriculum. It also empirically investigated the impact of the support on teachers' self-efficacy in coding and teaching CT, the effectiveness of each component of the support, and to what extent it affected teachers' classroom practices. Our ongoing support included an additional workshop, grade-level professional learning community (PLC) sessions, instructional videos, and teacher leaders’ support. Data included a pre-survey, four post-surveys, lesson observations, a focus group interview, tracking the number of video views, and surveys from PLC participants and teacher leaders. Results indicated that the ongoing support significantly increased teachers’ self-efficacy in coding and teaching CT. Regarding the effectiveness of the various components of the ongoing support, the additional workshop significantly increased teachers’ self-efficacy in coding and teaching CT. Teachers valued each component of the support, and this support improved teachers’ classroom practices.

Policy and Practice of Listening in Secondary English Education: A Critical Reflection from Bangladesh

The current National Curriculum 2012 of English (VI- X) in Bangladesh incorporates both listening and speaking skills for its English education. Textbooks have also been designed in accordance with the policy which is set by the National Curriculum and Textbook Broad (NCTB). The English textbook, titled English for Today (EfT), was designed in alignment with the current National Curriculum for English (VI-X) for students in grades 6 through 10. The target of the EfT is to achieve students’ competency in integrated four skills of English language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. However, although the listening module is now in policy and classroom practice, it is neither assessed in school or in public exams at the secondary level (Kabir, 2020). This study explores the perceptions of policy and practice of listening in secondary English education in Bangladesh. This study may be significant as little research has been done in Bangladesh on listening skill and its significance for language competence, let alone on the teaching of listening in connection to language learning. This qualitative study is based on in-depth interview data collected in 2019. The interviews included pertinent participants of policymakers and secondary English teachers. The findings indicated that there was a disconnect in curriculum, classroom practice and assessment in secondary English education.

Knowledge of Learning Strategies and Motivation to Use Them: Similarities and Differences between School Levels.

Students' motivation to learn and the strategies they use during learning are two important factors that affect their learning outcomes. Some learning strategies are more effective, and some are less effective (deep and surface strategies). Both the knowledge of and motivation to use certain learning strategies depend on students' individual characteristics (prior knowledge) and the context (classroom practices). The aims of the present study were (1) to examine differences between middle and high school students' perceptions of the effectiveness of specific learning strategies and motivation to use effective strategies and (2) to explore relations between motivation, learning strategies, and grades in these two subgroups. The participants were 6287 middle school students (aged 13-16) and 5476 high school students (aged 17-20 years). The students completed an electronic questionnaire during school hours. Their perceptions of the effectiveness of specific learning strategies in certain learning scenarios and motivational beliefs (self-efficacy, utility, and cost) concerning the use of effective strategies were assessed with rating scales; additionally, students' self-reported math and history grades were used. A network analysis was used to examine the relations between constructs. The results show small between-group differences in accordance with the theoretical expectations. The findings are discussed in relation to school level and educational context.

Exploring tertiary EFL learners’ and teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of EFL writing course syllabi: Pedagogical implications

Given the importance of effective and standard syllabi in developing tertiary students’ EFL writing skills, this study aimed to analyze the perceptions of Bangladeshi tertiary EFL learners and teachers towards the effectiveness of English writing course syllabi in developing writing proficiency. The study involved 392 students and 14 EFL teachers from seven Bangladeshi universities in a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire survey using a purposive sampling procedure. The results show that both students and teachers had a negative perception of the effectiveness of most of the components of the syllabus, namely, objectives of the syllabus, content and skill coverage, instructional time, suitability, and effectivity of the instructional materials covered in the syllabus. However, students had a positive perception of the effectiveness of the writing content, while teachers had a low perception of this aspect of the writing syllabus. Recommendations call for policymakers and syllabus designers to ensure that EFL writing course syllabi include essential subject components and skills, adhere to global standards, and provide ample classroom practice time for students. The study also highlights the need for devising better syllabi to meet the needs of tertiary EFL learners' academic and professional needs and guide EFL teachers to meet the expectations of Bangladeshi tertiary EFL education.

DIGITAL LEARNING SUPPORT ELEMENTS IN THE ONLINE TEACHING OF GERMAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

In recent years, pedagogical design and practice have undergone a forced transformation that has brought many innovative methods and tools to the implementation process. The transition to online education has demanded new infrastructural solutions that have temporarily replaced traditional classroom practices. Most teachers seem to have adapted well to these new challenges. Learning support platforms and online teaching elements had to be harnessed by teachers who, in many cases, acquired this knowledge on their own, in awareness of their importance. Our study examines the need for digital learning support elements in primary schools of the German national minority in Hungary. Our research tools comprised an online questionnaire survey conducted in 2022. The goal of our study was to identify the problems that teachers faced in the transition to online teaching during the period of distance learning introduced due to the COVID pandemic in 2020 and since; the forms of support teachers received nationwide; and the measure of success in their work as language teachers. We also looked at the factors that influenced the digital elements being used. Finally, we examined whether teachers are still willing to use online learning support tools when returning to face-to-face teaching.

Music Teacher Competences Oriented Toward Inclusive Education: An Analysis of Proposals in the Initial Pre-Service Teacher Training Phase

Initial pre-service teacher training should include insights and learning that are closely related to classroom practice. In this paper, we analyse the expectations voiced by pre-service teachers studying toward a master’s degree in secondary education as well as by in-service teachers. Both groups participated in a 6-month professional development project focusing on the competences they need as music teachers in order to achieve inclusion in the classroom. Results from interviews and focus groups confirm that music teachers require multidimensional and correlated training that combines and integrates didactic, pedagogical, disciplinary, and transversal competences in their professional practice. Multidimensional correlated training and a critical teaching attitude are essential for teachers to be equipped to rationally address music learning needs and problems in the inclusive classroom. Findings of this exploratory study can be used as guidelines for policy makers and curriculum developers.

Translation of a story into Chilean Sign Language: productions by deaf co-teachers

IntroductionThe incorporation of narratives in Chilean Sign Language enriches classroom practices, preserving and transmitting Deaf culture. However, that within the Chilean educational context, the narratives used for instructing Deaf students are translations from written Spanish. This study aims to describe and analyze the narrative structure and the use of Highly Iconic Structures in these translations conducted by Deaf co-teachers into Chilean Sign Language.MethodThe research adopts a qualitative approach and a descriptive case study design, involving two deaf teachers from an Inclusive Education Program in a school. The data analyzed focus on the video-recorded LSCh translations of the short story “The Greedy Squirrel”. Manual annotations were made on the corpus gloss transcription to first segment by narrative structure for description and then to identify the transfer operations.ResultsThe co-teachers make variations to the narrative structure of the translated text and incorporate specific visual-gestural elements such as the change of narrator to first person; the 45% of the translation is composed of transfer operations.DiscussionThese findings suggest that the variations in structure and the new visual-gestural information provided by the co-teachers reflect their understanding and use of sign language narrative norms for translation. The use of transfer operations enhances the storytelling experience, although it cannot be conclusively stated how and why teachers decide to use them in translation. The results are limited, as they require comparison with other corpora on translations from written Spanish to LSCh and software-assisted analysis to standardize data, which implies further research on the topic. For now, it is essential that the time allocated to the preparation of educational materials in LSCh be more extensive and better planned.

Tracking the terminal velocity and energy of a parachutist: A video analysis for Physics classroom experiment

Abstract This study primarily focuses on tracking a parachutist’s terminal velocity and energy during a free fall using video analysis. Also, this study looks into related literature about the implications of this experiment for classroom practice. High-quality and slow-motion videos of free-falling slotted masses acting as parachutists were captured, and the terminal velocities and energies were analyzed through software tracker video analysis and modeling. The data from the software revealed that, indeed, the terminal velocity is directly proportional to the square root of the masses. The 200g parachutist reaches terminal velocity first, then the less massive parachutist. The generated kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and total mechanical energy graphs were similar to the literature. The tracker video analysis can indeed track a parachutist’s terminal velocity and energy. However, the acceleration due to gravitational needed to be measured correctly due to some errors in the experiment. Furthermore, the literature has cited positive and negative implications for classroom practice. This study can say that the positive outweighs the negative. The positive repercussions were about enhanced engagement, accuracy, and data precision, while the negative ones were about the school’s technological divide.

Exploring History Teachers’ Understanding of the Goals of History Teaching and Historical Thinking Skills in Secondary Schools

The purpose of this study was to explore history teachers’ inclination toward the goals of teaching disciplinary history, active teaching methods, and their experiences with historical thinking skills during their college education and their classroom practices. The qualitative thematic analysis explores how secondary school history teachers’ beliefs and background knowledge about their subject matter influence classroom practices. It focuses on their conceptions of history and historical thinking, teaching goals, teaching methods, and instructional materials. The results revealed that teachers’ educational training and history courses significantly influence their disciplinary knowledge and teaching practices. In the quantitative phase, the findings reveal that the status of teacher experiences and efficacy with all the historical thinking skills indicators, namely, sourcing, contextualization, corroboration and explicit instruction, varies as revealed in the result section. To address this issue, the researchers suggested the need for teachers to update their professional development and incorporate historical thinking skills into classroom activities, fostering engagement and agency, and intensive training for in-service history teachers. In this preliminary phase, we use these exploratory findings and research on teachers’ conceptions of their discipline and practices of historical thinking skills to propose an interventional framework for teaching history.

A classroom practitioner's self‐study on theorizing a practicality ethic framework for adopting digital affordances in language education

AbstractThis article recounts a classroom practitioner's doing and thinking on the adoption of digital affordances in the context of Languages Other Than English education at an Australian school. Through the lens of practicality ethic, this practitioner employs a self‐study methodology to explore the dynamic relationships between private theories of teaching and teacher agency in their daily use of Information and Communications Technology. Using qualitative data and content analysis, this study explains how a teacher's situated knowledge influences their decision‐making when adopting specific affordances. The findings of this self‐study generate a unique type of knowledge, bridging the gap between theoretical usefulness and practical relevance in technology use. It sheds light on the significance of considering teachers' situatedness, their judgment, and their capacity to enhance classroom experiences. Through this self‐study, a practicality framework is developed, providing practitioners with an evidence base to examine their everyday use of technology. This line of self‐study scholarship rethinks and reframes educational research, highlighting the contemporary realities of teaching and learning. It offers an in‐depth understanding of how and why practitioners adopt specific digital affordances based on what they consider important. The article concludes with several critical implications for practitioners, policymakers, and academic researchers. Future research is recommended to explore collaborative self‐studies and studies across different curricula or various educational settings. Alternatively, nonreductive data analysis and other theoretical perspectives can be explored.

Managing Classroom Practices Involved in English Pronunciation Instruction

Managing Classroom Practices Involved in English Pronunciation Instruction

Implementing Learner Autonomy in English as a Foreign Language Classroom Through a Flipped Classroom Pedagogical Approach

This study is a small-scale action research on the problem of using the Flipped Classroom pedagogical approach to enhance learner autonomy in the target group of high school students in an EFL classroom. The main stages of the research were conducted in the spring semester of the academic year of 2023/24. The participants of the study are seven Ukrainian Grade 9 students and three teachers. The research aims at designing and implementing a method for engaging learners in autonomous practices through the Flipped Classroom model. The methodological basis of this study is the works of (Benson & Voller, 2014), the Flipped Learning Network (2014), (Moore, 2015), (Velegol, Zappe, & Mahoney, 2015), (O’Flaherty & Phillips, 2015), (Hung, 2015), (Huang & Hong, 2016), (Nichols, Burgh, & Kennedy, 2017), (Olakanmi, 2017), (Låg & Sæle, 2019), (Jung, Park, Kim, & Park, 2022), (Little, 2022) and other scientists. In this research, the mixed-method approach is used; the quantitative and qualitative data have been collected through guided observation, surveys (teacher interviews and student questionnaires), and mathematical statistics (descriptive and frequency methods). The essence of the designed method lies in the gradual engagement of students in reviewing short video lectures and reading relevant input before class; then, in class, discussing content and doing quizzes and exercises to reinforce understanding, and, finally, actively participating in creating content-related presentations or projects. The results of this study demonstrate that the Flipped Classroom approach has a considerable impact on learner self-awareness, beliefs, and attitudes implemented in autonomous classroom practices, in particular: effective use of free time for English studying; increased motivation to explore new content and understanding it; perception of a teacher as a facilitator, suggesting a move towards a more student-centered or collaborative learning environment; perception of knowledge as something to be gained rather than “transmitted”, taking on responsibility for evaluating learning outcomes through self-assessment or collaborative evaluation methods. Nevertheless, there are some limitations to using FC in the English language classroom: the willingness of teachers to apply learner-centered methods; the willingness of students to take responsibility for their learning; learners’ cognitive and metacognitive skills; the difficulty of the learning material meant for flipping (self-study), access to resources and technology. The results of this study can be used by researchers and practitioners working in the sectors of secondary and tertiary education.

Innovative research of comprehensive practice classroom teaching of Chinese reading

The innovative research of comprehensive practical classroom teaching of Chinese reading shows that teachers should pay attention to cultivating students 'interest in reading in the teaching process, improve their information screening and integration ability, and introduce diversified teaching strategies to stimulate students' learning initiative and creative thinking. Through the continuous innovation of teaching methods, we can enrich the reading practice activities, and provide students with a broader space for exploration and thinking. Classroom teaching is an important link in the field of education, and it has a key influence on students' learning effect and development. With the rapid change of society and the reform of education system, the traditional classroom teaching model faces many challenges. Therefore, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to study the innovation of comprehensive practical classroom teaching of Chinese reading and improve the teaching effect. First of all, the innovation of the comprehensive practical classroom teaching can promote the improvement of the quality of Chinese education. Through the exploration and application of the comprehensive practice innovation strategy of different Chinese reading, it can better meet students' learning needs, stimulate their interest and initiative in learning Chinese, and improve the effect and quality of Chinese learning. Secondly, the innovation of comprehensive practical classroom teaching of Chinese reading can promote the professional development of Chinese teachers. Teachers are the main implementers and organizers of classroom teaching, and their teaching ability and level are directly related to the quality and effect of classroom teaching. Studying the practical innovation of classroom teaching can help teachers to continuously improve their teaching ideas, teaching methods and teaching skills, and improve their professional quality and teaching level. In addition, the innovation of studying the comprehensive practical classroom teaching of Chinese reading can also promote the in-depth progress of educational reform. Education reform needs to learn from and introduce new educational ideas, teaching methods and teaching means, and all of these need to be verified and implemented through practical innovation. By studying the innovation of comprehensive practical classroom teaching of Chinese reading, it can provide practical experience and theoretical support for the promotion of educational reform.

Studies on language teachers' beliefs and emotions: Current status and future directions

This paper provides a historical overview of research on language teachers' beliefs and emotions, examining how studies on teacher emotions have influenced research on beliefs and classroom practices. Using bibliometric analysis, we mapped trends and paradigms in the literature, focusing on significant developments in this field. Our findings reveal a notable increase in publications on language teacher beliefs, particularly since 2018, indicating growing academic interest. Highly cited studies predominantly emphasize the emotional aspects of teaching, signaling a broader shift in research focus from cognitive to emotional dimensions, commonly referred to as the “emotional turn.” The analysis also identifies influential authors and institutions, with the USA, China, and the UK leading in contributions. Research themes have evolved over time, moving from foundational beliefs and teaching practices to more complex areas like teacher psychology, with particular attention to emotional regulation, identity, and agency in language teaching. Finally, we offer insights for future research, aiming to further explore the intricate relationship between teachers' beliefs and emotions.

Understanding Stance of English Language Teachers’ Cooperation with Parents and School Administrators in Classroom Management

Classroom Management (CM) possesses a key role in teaching in L2 classroom settings. So, it is fair to suggest that there is an increasing volume of research in addition to the research conducted in the mainstream CM studies. However, to our knowledge, the lack of research about cooperation among the insider and outsider stakeholders of L2 CM is still felt. Within this respect, the objective of this study is to explore how pre-service (PSTs) and in-service English language teachers (ISTs) view parent- and school administration-support in CM. Therefore, a semi-structured interview is utilised to delve into PSTs’ and ISTs’ stance towards cooperation with parents and school administration. Then, data yielded from the interview are analysed through content analysis. Thus, the outcomes have revealed some convergences and divergences between PSTs’ and ISTs’ views. Overall, some pedagogical implications are suggested to improve ISTs’ and PSTs’ classroom practices in tandem with L2 teaching pedagogy.

How Can Crosscutting Concepts Organize Formative Assessments across Science Classrooms? Results of a Video Study

Ambitious approaches to science teaching feature collaborative learning environments and engage students in rich discourse to make sense of their own and their peers’ ideas. Classroom assessment must cohere with and mutually reinforce these kinds of learning experiences. This paper explores how teachers’ enactment of formative assessment tasks can support such an ambitious vision of learning. We draw on video data collected through a year-long investigation to explore the ways that co-designing formative assessments linked to a learning progression for modeling energy in systems could help teachers coordinate classroom practices across high school physics, chemistry, and biology. Our analyses show that while there was some alignment of routines within content areas, students had differential opportunities to share and work on their ideas. Though the tasks were constructed for surfacing students’ ideas, they were not always facilitated to create space for teachers to take up and work with those ideas. This paper suggests the importance of designing and enacting formative assessment tasks to support ambitious reform efforts, as well as ongoing professional learning to support teachers in using those tasks in ways that will center discourse around students’ developing ideas.