Pre-service Primary School Teachers Research Articles

Opinions and evaluations of mathematics teachers on concrete models of their design in the context of positive psychology.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the opinions and evaluations of pre-service mathematics and pre-service primary school teachers regarding the concrete models of their design during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the context of positive psychology. In this study, a mixed research method, in which quantitative and qualitative research methods are used together was used. The participant group of the study consists of 441 pre-service mathematics and pre-service primary school teachers studying at universities. For the conduct of the qualitative research, 44 pre-service teachers were selected using the purposive sampling method. “Mathematics Teaching Practices Enriched with Concrete Models Perception Scale” developed by the researchers was used to collect the quantitative data to reveal the opinions of teachers regarding mathematics teaching practices enriched with concrete models. In this study, open-ended questions were used to obtain qualitative data, and the data were evaluated with content analysis. According to the results of the study, it was determined that the majority of the pre-service teachers had positive perceptions of concrete models. Pre-service teachers argued that they would use concrete models in their professional lives and that these models were indispensable for mathematics education. In addition, advantages and disadvantages for mathematics educators regarding the use of concrete models are presented.

An online astronomy activity embedded with REACT strategy for preservice primary school teachers

The purpose of this study was to provide an online astronomy activity using the Stellarium program as a virtual planetarium. The implementation was conducted with 30 preservice primary school teachers (PPTs) who participated in a non-formal workshop that included interactive, technology-based astronomy practices embedded with the Relate, Engage, Applying, Cooperating, Transferring strategy. The activity featured in the implementation covers the zodiac constellations and common related misconceptions, the duration of the Sun in the constellations, and the concepts of astronomy, astrology, and star clusters. At the end of the implementation, an online-survey was conducted to elicit feedback from the PPTs. According to the results of this study, PPTs enjoyed using Stellarium as a virtual planetarium. The PPTs were aware of certain astronomical concepts and misconceptions, stated that the activity content related to daily life, and that they gained skills related to astronomy teaching. The PPTs reported being satisfied with working in groups, and actively communicating actively with their peers. They suggested adding mythological stories while teaching the constellations. In addition, they proposed increased preliminary preparation and practice prior to the activity so as to gain basic pre-skills in using a virtual environment.

Academic Entitlement Expectations of Preservice Primary School Teachers

The aim of this study is to examine whether the academic entitlement expectations of preservice teachers studying at primary school level differ according to their gender, grade level and the type of university they attend (public or foundation). The sample consists of a total of 397 preservice primary school teachers in one foundation and one public university. The data were collected with the “Academic Entitlement Expectation Scale”, after assessing the validity and reliability of the instrument. The independent samples t-test was performed to analyze whether the preservice primary school teachers’ academic entitlement expectations differed according to the variables of gender and type of university; while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether they differed according to the grade level variable. In the study, it was found that academic entitlement expectations of male students compared to female students; students attending the foundation university compared to those at the public university, and students in the first grade compared to those in the fourth grade were higher.

Effect of Collaborative Flipped Learning Strategy and Socio-cognitive Ability on Students’ Metacognitive Skills

The reality shows that instructors and students are having difficulty implementing online science education during the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of collaborative flipped learning (CFL) strategy and socio-cognitive ability on metacognitive skills and self-efficacy in primary school pre-service teachers who were currently enrolled in a Basic Science course. This objective was motivated by the current state of education and teaching, which necessitates the use of technology to facilitate learning activities. This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group and a 2 x 2 MANOVA inferential statistical test. Prior to undertaking the inferential statistical test, we ran assumption tests, specifically normality and homogeneity analyses. The analysis results showed that there was a discrepancy in metacognitive skills between students in the experimental class who were taught the CFL strategy and those who were instructed the conventional strategy, indicated by an Fcalculated value of 11.299 and a significance value of 0.001. The analysis results also showed that there was a significant difference in metacognitive skills between students with high socio-cognitive ability and those with poor socio-cognitive ability, indicated by an Fcalculated value of 39.9724 and a significance value of 0.000. It was also found that the interaction between the learning strategy and socio-cognitive ability influenced students’ metacognitive skills. These findings suggest that educators should consider cognitive and social factors while implementing the collaborative flipped learning strategy to help students enhance their metacognitive skills

Health Literacy and COVID-19 Awareness Among Preservice Primary School Teachers and Influencing Factors in Turkey.

BackgroundPrimary school teachers play an important role in furnishing children with basic knowledge about health literacy and awareness of COVID‐19. This study was conducted to determine the levels of health literacy and COVID‐19 awareness among preservice primary school teachers and the factors associated with this.MethodsThe sample of this cross‐sectional and correlational study consists of 978 preservice primary school teachers studying at 4 major universities in Turkey. The participation rate was 90.14%. Data were collected with 3 questionnaires, the Descriptive Characteristics Form, the Health Literacy Scale, and the COVID‐19 Awareness Scale.ResultsThe mean score of the Health Literacy scale was 105.16 (SD = 13.04). The mean scores of the Contagion Precaution Awareness, Awareness of Following Current Developments, and Hygiene Precaution Awareness subscales of the Coronavirus Awareness Scale were 34.27 (SD = 6.19), 12.94 (SD = 4.34), and 11.69 (SD = 3.60), respectively. It was determined that the total health literacy score was affected by gender, school, and grade/year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) and that COVID‐19 awareness was affected by gender, age, grade/year, school, having contracted COVID‐19 or not, and being vaccinated or not in the various subscales (p < 0.05).ConclusionsPreservice primary school teachers' health literacy was found to be sufficient with a moderate level of COVID‐19 awareness. We recommend planning interventions for preservice primary school teachers that will improve their health literacy and COVID‐19 awareness, taking influential factors into account when doing this planning.

Exploring Effective Pedagogies in Environmental and Sustainability Education for Teachers: A Story of New Zealand Pre-Service Teachers’ Learning Experiences

Although teachers have been identified as key change agents in the shift towards a flourishing planet for all, research into effective pedagogies for embedding environmental and sustainability education (ESE) into teacher education courses is an emerging area. Understandings about the most effective approaches and activities are needed, along with theories that could underpin teachers’ learning. This study explores 21 pre-service primary school teachers’ learning following their engagement in an elective course designed to help them embed ESE into their future practice. Qualitative data were gathered using reflections as well as peer and individual interviews. An analysis showed that the activities considered most valuable for learning were those that gave pre-service teachers space and time to think more deeply and in different ways. Mezirow’s transformative learning theory was used to explore their learning. The use of its three elements and six components identified that transformative learning took place for about half of these pre-service teachers. While it seems this theory has potential to underpin ESE teacher education courses, further research is needed to explore how transformation can occur for more teachers.

STUDY ON THE LEVEL AND DIFFERENCE OF EMOTION REGULATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PRE SERVICE TEACHERS

BackgroundPsychological capital is closely related to primary school teachers' profession. It can not only promote the growth of teachers, but also directly affect the quality of school education and teaching and the growth of students. Therefore, it is particularly important to establish positive psychological capital in the pre service training stage of primary school teachers. The purpose of this study is to understand the current situation of the psychological capital level of primary school pre service teachers in China and the differences under the influence of different factors, so as to provide a basis for the relevant research on improving the psychological capital level of primary school pre service teachers. The corresponding training suggestions are put forward.Subjects and MethodsThis study selected 864 pre service teachers majoring in primary education from four normal universities and three comprehensive universities in China, conducted a survey through the Internet, and collected 831 valid questionnaires. According to the four dimensions of psychological capital, this study designed a questionnaire of psychological capital of pre service primary school teachers to investigate the level of psychological capital of pre service primary school teachers.ResultsThe survey results showed that the psychological capital of pre service primary school teachers was generally at the upper middle level. There are significant differences in the overall level and dimension of pre service primary school teachers' psychological capital in terms of gender, origin and family economic status. Gender, family background and family economic status have a significant impact on the psychological capital level of pre service primary school teachers. Through the research, we found that citizens with higher levels of psychological capital have lower levels of anxiety and depression. Therefore, we can think that citizens with high internal psychological capital can alleviate the psychological pressure, anxiety and depression brought by psychological capital to a great extent through their own psychological quality. We also found that relatively speaking, citizens with high individual psychological capital are less affected by family factors, work and life, traffic safety, their own health and future fear. Teachers with high level of psychological capital will deal with the influence of family factors well. They are full of hope for the future and optimistic about life, and will not worry too much about the impact of life. From the questionnaire survey results, the internal consistency: odd and even split half reliability coefficient is 0.86 (Spearman Brown correlation coefficient is 0.93). Retest consistency: the stability coefficient of the scale retested within a few weeks is usually 0.70-0.80. It shows that the influence of students' Psychological Capital on anxiety is very key. If the patient is asked to answer according to the situation of the day, BDI evaluates state anxiety. If the patient is asked to answer according to the situation of the past week, the stability is much better. From the aggregation validity: BDI was significantly correlated with the evaluation of clinical depression, and the correlation coefficient was 0.60-0.90, which varied with the sample size. BDI score is also related to other clinical indicators, such as biological examination, electrophysiological examination, psychosocial test and the degree of sleep disorder. Therefore, its correlation with other scales must be good (r value range is 0.50-0.80). Factor analysis of BDI often leads to three interrelated factors: negative attitude or suicide, physical symptoms and operational difficulties. When the three factors are further (secondary) extracted, a “overall depression” factor can be obtained. The correlation of three skew factors and the generation of a single quadratic factor show that the internal consistency of the scale is good. Discriminant validity: the correlation between BDI and clinical depression (0.59) was greater than that with anxiety (0.14). Some authors doubt the discriminant validity of BDI, especially for anxiety and depression, but it can be used to distinguish different types of depression and different diagnoses. In addition, the answer to BDI items may be affected by social expectations, that is, to answer according to expectation tendency. The correlation between BDI and Edwards social expectation scale is about 0.80, because the latter partially shows people's self-esteem.ConclusionThe survey found that although the psychological capital of pre service primary school teachers is generally at the upper middle level, there is still much room for improvement. In order to enable pre service primary school teachers to better engage in the profession of primary school teachers, the improvement and training of psychological capital should be incorporated into the mental health education system of pre service primary school teachers, and pre service primary school teachers should be trained in optimism, hope, health and health, self-efficacy and resilience, so as to develop their own psychological potential and improve their competitive advantage.

South Korean pre-service primary school teachers’ opinions about acceleration for gifted students

ABSTRACT This study explored South Korean pre-service primary school teachers’ attitudes toward acceleration for gifted students. Researchers employed surveys, focus groups, and a review of literature in this mixed methods study. In total, 481 South Korean pre-service primary teachers participated in the survey and 13 out of the 481 survey participants joined the focus-group interviews afterward. Results of the survey analysis suggested that South Korean pre-service teachers showed slightly negative attitudes toward acceleration. In the follow-up focus group interviews, most of the participants had negative attitudes toward acceleration and related their attitudes to the competitive educational atmosphere in South Korea and possible detrimental social and emotional effects. They illustrated these concerns by citing the story of a famous figure in South Korea who had experienced a radical academic acceleration and experienced very poor outcomes. Recommendations are provided for university teaching programs and future study exploring how to best support gifted students.

Pre-Service Primary School Teachers’ Beliefs, Understanding and Intentions towards STEM Education: A Tool Adaptation Study

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Kurup, Brown, Powell ve Li (2017) tarafından geliştirilen sınıf öğretmeni adaylarının STEM eğitimine yönelik inanç, anlayış ve niyetlerini belirlemeyi hedefleyen ölçme aracının Türkçeye uyarlanmasıdır. Uyarlama aşamasında ilk olarak ölçeğin kaynak dilden Türkçeye çevirisi yapılmış, ardından ölçek tekrar orijinal diline çevrilmiş ve çeviriler arasındaki uygunluk alan uzmanları tarafından kontrol edilmiştir. Ölçme aracının uyarlama çalışması 2020-2021 eğitim öğretim yılında Batı Anadolu’da bir üniversitede eğitim gören 220 sınıf öğretmeni adayı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Uyarlaması yapılan ölçme aracının geçerlik ve güvenirlik analizleri yapılmıştır. Gerçekleştirilen Doğrulayıcı Faktör Analizi (DFA) sonucunda ölçme aracında yer alan inanç ölçeğinin 4 madde, anlayış ölçeğinin 5 madde ve niyet ölçeğinin 5 maddeden oluştuğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Ölçeklerin güvenirlik katsayıları, inanç ölçeği için .54, anlayış ölçeği için .69 ve niyet ölçeği için .82 olarak hesaplanmıştır. Ayrıca her ölçekteki her bir maddenin madde-toplam korelasyon değerleri ile alt %27 ve üst %27’lik gruplarda yer alanların puan ortalamaları bağımsız t-testi ile karşılaştırılması arasında bir farklılaşmanın olduğu görülmüştür. Bu sonuçlar doğrultusunda Türkçeye uyarlaması yapılan sınıf öğretmeni adayları için STEM eğitimine yönelik inanç, anlayış ve niyet ölçeğinin geçerli ve güvenilir bir ölçme aracı olduğu belirlenmiştir.

LEVEL OF ACCEPTANCE OF EPISTEMICALLY UNWARRANTED BELIEFS IN PRE-SERVICE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS: INFLUENCE OF COGNITIVE STYLE, ACADEMIC LEVEL AND GENDER

One of the main objectives of scientific literacy is the development of rational skills and critical thinking in citizens. This is a central goal for teachers. However, beliefs that lack rational foundation and supporting evidence, named “epistemically unwarranted beliefs” (EUB), spread rapidly among the population. If teachers had some of these EUB, their work could be compromised. The aim of this research was to determine the level of acceptance of different EUB in Spanish pre-service primary school teachers and to analyze the influence of their cognitive style, gender, and academic level. Two hundred and fifty undergraduate students of Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education participated in this study. Two questionnaires were used to collect data. ANOVA, ANCOVA, correlations, and linear regression analysis were used to quantify that influence. Results showed high levels of acceptance of some EUB in future teachers, with significant influences of gender and academic level, and a mediating role of cognitive styles. Experiential and rational cognitive styles, and academic level were significant predictors of EUB, being experiential thinking the most powerful one. Thus, pre-service teacher education should have an epistemological vigilance on future teachers’ scientific literacy and increase the presence of rational style among teachers. Keywords: cognitive style, epistemically unwarranted beliefs, gender influence, knowledge level, pre-service teachers, primary education

South Korean pre-service primary school teachers’ attitudes towards gifted students and gifted education

This study explores South Korean pre-service primary teachers’ attitudes towards gifted students and gifted education. Qualitative focus group interviews were conducted with 13 South Korean undergraduates who were in their final year of a primary education. Analysis of the interviews revealed that culture was a major factor that had affected the pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards gifted education. Even though the participants agreed with the necessity of gifted education to meet gifted students’ distinctive intellectual and emotional needs, they tended to have negative attitudes towards the gifted education in South Korea because of the highly competitive educational atmosphere. The South Korean pre-service teachers admitted that taking a gifted education course could be somewhat helpful but not enough. They suggested that there should be more elective gifted education course offerings and that the current compulsory special education courses should devote more time and space to gifted education.

Assessing Learners’ Conceptual Understanding of Introductory Group Theory Using the CI2GT: Development and Analysis of a Concept Inventory

Prior research has shown how incorporating group theory into upper secondary school or undergraduate mathematics education may positively impact learners’ conceptual understanding of mathematics in general and algebraic concepts in particular. Despite a recently increasing number of empirical research into student learning of introductory group theory, the development of a concept inventory that allows for the valid assessment of a respective conceptual understanding constitutes a desideratum to date. In this article, we contribute to closing this gap: We present the development and evaluation of the Concept Inventory of Introductory Group Theory—the CI2GT. Its development is based on a modern mathematics education research perspective regarding students‘ conceptual mathematics understanding. For the evaluation of the CI2GT, we follow a contemporary conception of validity: We report on results from two consecutive studies to empirically justify that our concept inventory allows for a valid test score interpretation. On the one hand, we present N=9 experts‘ opinions on various aspects of our concept inventory. On the other hand, we administered the CI2GT to N=143 pre-service primary school teachers as a post-test after a two weeks course into introductory group theory. The data allow for a psychometric characterization of the instrument, both from classical and probabilistic test theory perspectives. It is shown that the CI2GT has good to excellent psychometric properties, and the data show a good fit to the Rasch model. This establishes a valuable new concept inventory for assessing students’ conceptual understanding of introductory group theory and, thus, may serve as a fruitful starting point for future research into student learning of abstract algebra.

Male pre-service teachers: navigating masculinities on campus and on placement

ABSTRACT This paper reports on research examining how male pre-service primary school teachers negotiate masculinities during their time within majority-female spaces. Four white undergraduate pre-service teachers in the North of England, UK, who were training to teach children aged 5–11 years were recruited. Interviews took place pre-and-post their seven-week practicum within primary schools, relating to their experiences of masculinity within their course and practicum. Participants kept a solicited diary for the duration of the practicum. Using thematic analysis, we highlight how participants were both subject to and complicit in the (re)production of gendered stereotypes. Findings evidenced the participants’ awareness of gendered assumptions placed upon them; however, this did not necessarily predicate their rejection of such positions, suggesting male and female teachers share responsibility for largely maintaining current hegemonic constructions of masculinities within schools.

Pre-Service Primary School Teachers’ English Language Professional Development: Teachers’ Learning Motivations and Developments

English language teaching is one of the requirements for many Bachelor of Education programmes in Taiwanese education colleges and universities. In Taiwan, English language is considered one of the general education requirements (usually eight credits) for all undergraduate students. Although additional English language courses are not required for graduation, many universities require final-year students to achieve satisfactory grades on the TOEIC (The Test of English for International Communication) exam for graduation. The purpose of this study is to understand the motivations and reasons for the decision of a group of Bachelor of Education (Primary) students to study additional English courses beyond their curriculum. An online-based semi-structured interview tool was employed to recruit and collect data from 20 participants in the School of Education at a Taiwanese university. In line with the Social Cognitive Career and Motivation Theory, two themes were captured: 1) preparation for the TOEIC exam and 2) career promotions and opportunities. This study provides ideas for programme managers, department heads, and government departments for English language training beyond university requirements. Also, the outcomes indicate that exams played important roles in learners’ motivations, particularly in English language learning.

How field experience shapes pre-service primary teachers’ technology integration knowledge and practice

ABSTRACT The expectation for teachers to integrate technology within their classroom practice is growing. However, few studies examine the influences on pre-service teachers’ technology integration knowledge and practice, and the role of field experience in shaping these. Narratives from semi-structured pre-COVID interviews with 35 pre-service primary school teachers in one teacher education programme in Ireland, some of whom used a digital camera, were analysed using an inductive thematic approach. Opportunities for pre-service teachers to develop their knowledge and practice were shaped by their interaction with the primary school context, the people within it and the digital resources provided, the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). While the initial teacher education programme provided opportunities and digital resources to support the primary teachers’ learning, the Zone of Promoted Action, these were ultimately shaped by the ZPD. The results have implications for professional development programmes striving to support teachers in developing innovative practice in a post-COVID era.

Investigation of the computational estimation skills of and strategies employed by pre-service primary school teacher

This study intends to review the operational estimation skills of pre-service primary school teachers, and to see if they are able to use the correct strategy when making estimates. For this purpose, the “estimation skills test” comprised of 41 questions allowing estimates using 14 distinct estimation strategies was used. 209 pre-service primary school teachers took part in the study. The responses provided by the pre-service teachers were scored on the basis of the accuracy of the estimation. Furthermore, the responses to the questions in the test were scored with reference to the applicability of the estimation method, on a binary scale of 0 and 1. The study revealed that the pre-service primary school teachers had mediocre operational estimation skills, and that majority of them failed to use the optimal strategy. In this context, one should recommend the offering of undergraduate courses to pre-service primary school teachers to improve their estimation skills.

PRIMARY PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ METAPHORICAL PERCEPTIONS OF THE CONCEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Metaphors are expressions that are frequently used in people's minds to explain concepts with other unrelated concepts and have a personal emphasis on learning. The purpose of this study is to determine and interpret the metaphorical perceptions of primary school pre-service teachers towards environmental pollution. The "phenomenology" research design was used in this study. The study group of this research consists of a total of 372 primary pre-service teachers. Data were collected using semi-structured forms to determine the metaphorical perceptions of primary school pre-service teachers. The pre-service teachers were asked to complete the sentence, "Environmental pollution is like... because....". At the conclusion of multiple comparisons, by the relation degree between environmental pollution and its metaphors, it was determined that significant difference was in favour of the 2nd year between the 2nd and 4th years and in favour of the 3rd year between the 3rd and 4th years. As a result of the research, it was discovered that the majority of the metaphors produced by the pre-service teachers were in the "human" and "harmful/dangerous/uncomfortable situations" categories. Furthermore, the study discovered that as the year level increased, the number of related metaphors about environmental pollution decreased. Keywords: environmental pollution, metaphorical perceptions, primary pre-service teachers

The Relationship between Pre-service Primary School Teachers' Perception of 21st-Century Skills, Mathematical Literacy Self-Efficiency, and Financial Literacy Attitudes and Behaviors

Primary school teachers are one of the main actors in basic education. In this context, their 21st-century skills, math literacy, and financial literacy affect the quality of their teaching. This study aims at examining the relationship between pre-service primary school teachers' mathematical literacy, 21st-century skills, and financial literacy levels. This study used a relational survey model, and the study group involved a total of 276 pre-service primary school teachers. “Mathematical Literacy Self-Efficacy Scale,” “21st-Century Skills Efficacy Perceptions Scale,” and “Financial Literacy Attitude and Behavior Scale” were used in the study. The results showed that pre-service primary school teachers' perceptions of 21st-century skills efficiency were high, the mathematical literacy self-efficacy of the pre-service primary school teachers was above the average, and the pre-service primary school teachers' financial literacy attitude and behavior levels were low. Also, a positive and significant relationship was found between the mathematical literacy self-efficacy of pre-service primary school teachers and their perceptions of 21st-century skills efficiency. In addition, a negative and significant correlation was found between the mathematical literacy self-efficacy of the pre-service primary school teachers and their financial literacy attitudes and behaviors.

Motivacija za učenje matematike kod budućih učitelja razredne nastave

The aim of the study was to explore pre-service primary school teachers' motivational beliefs about mathematics in the light of the expectancy-value theory. We wanted to find out to what extent the motivational beliefs of pre-service teachers are related to their previous experiences in mathematics and to their engagement in learning mathematics and mathematics anxiety. The participants were 237 pre-service primary school teachers in their first year of study. They completed a mathematics exam and a questionnaire on their motivational beliefs (self-efficacy and subjective value), previous experiences in mathematics (level of high school math program, mathematics competencies, epistemic beliefs and achievement goals during high school), engagement and mathematics anxiety. The results of hierarchical regression analyses show that previous experiences with mathematics are important predictors of self-efficacy and subjective value. Furthermore, motivational beliefs are significant predictors of the pre-service teachers' engagement in learning mathematics and mathematics anxiety, along with their previous experiences with mathematics. The results are in line with the expectancy- -value theory and indicate that it is important to foster the development of adaptive beliefs about mathematics during the initial education of pre-service teachers.

Proactive Personality and Career Adaptability of Chinese Female Pre-Service Teachers in Primary Schools: The Role of Calling

Career adaptability has attracted extensive attention from international scholars as one of the important factors predicting the future sustainability of individuals. Proactive personality and calling have a positive influence on individual career development and life satisfaction, with reference to promoting the sustainable development of individuals. This study focuses on the positive effects of career adaptability and calling on shaping female primary school pre-service teachers and provides suggestions for training excellent elementary school teachers and building quality primary education. This study investigated the relationship between proactive personality, calling, and career adaptability among 707 female pre-service elementary school teachers in Chinese universities. The results showed that proactive personality positively predicts calling and that proactive personality and calling positively predict career adaptability. Calling partially mediated the relationship between proactive personality and career adaptability. Therefore, it is possible to enhance calling by cultivating the proactive personality of female pre-service teachers in elementary schools, thus further promoting the career adaptability of this group. On this basis, effective strategies should be adopted in the future to improve the career adaptability of female pre-service teachers in elementary schools for the sustainable development of this group.