Pre-service Primary Teachers Research Articles

Pre-service primary teachers' perceptions of gamification as a methodology

Gamification involves making teaching processes fun with the intention of improving factors that affect learning, such as motivation. Although the focus is not on the game itself and the corresponding entertainment, its design and results provide an alternative for developing educational proposals that make students the protagonists and generate student engagement with their education. On that basis, this study aims to understand pre-service primary school teachers’ perceptions of gamification as an active methodology, taking the gender and time of analysis variables into account. To this end, a quantitative longitudinal panel design (pre-test and post-test) from a descriptive and inferential approach was applied. The sample consisted of 284 pre-service primary education teachers from the University of Málaga (2021/2022 academic year). The information was collected through a validated instrument that measures perceptions of both digital didactic resources and teaching methodologies. The results revealed positive perceptions of gamification as a methodology, with a significant improvement from the pre-test to post-test scores. As for the analysis of the gender variable, there were significant differences, with the male participants’ ratings of gamification being higher than those of the female participants. In conclusion, gamification constitutes a feasible methodology to implement due to being well-received by university students, as a result of its motiving and fun nature and the fact that it makes students the protagonists of the learning process.

Makerspaces: Building Confidence in STEM for Primary Preservice Teachers

‘Design and Technology’ has been propelled into the spotlight with the popularity of the idea of ‘STEM’. So much so that it is now common for primary schools to have ‘STEM classrooms’ or makerspaces. Whilst there has been an increasing exploration of the use of makerspaces, there has been limited research on the impacts, particularly with pre-service teachers (PST), who are known to lack confidence in STEM-related subjects. Therefore, in this research, we explore how different aspects of makerspaces may influence PST confidence. Participating PST worked in small groups in the Uni Makerspace to design a product as part of a formal university assessment in a primary education Science subject. The case study design includes four groups of PST and data from interviews, observations and artefacts. Results outline confidence development amongst PST with several key Makerspace influences identified, including the importance of learning to use sophisticated equipment and the key role played by the Makerspace facilitators. Implications for Makerspaces and STEM education are discussed, including the potential to leverage the ‘novelty effect’ of Makerspaces, and the need to offer extensive support, particularly in the early stages of engagement.

Factors influencing student teachers’ intention to use mobile augmented reality in primary science teaching

Thanks to the advancement of mobile technologies, Augmented Reality (AR) has become broadly accessible through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Mobile Augmented Reality can benefit science education in a variety of ways. However, except from some sporadic experimental cases, it is rather rarely employed by teachers and has not yet been fully introduced in education. Moreover, little research exists about the adoption behavior of mobile AR by pre-service teachers. Against this background, the current study proposes and validates an integrated adoption model to explain and predict the factors that significantly influence student teachers’ intentions to use mobile AR in teaching primary science. The study also introduces two new constructs, Perceived Immersion and Perceived Educational Value in the context of mobile AR. Eighty-nine undergraduate pre-service primary school teachers participated in a mobile augmented reality workshop creating mobile augmented reality experiences for teaching physics to primary school pupils. Following that, student teachers answered an online survey. The quantitative survey data was analysed using structural equation modelling. The study confirmed the proposed model explaining and predicting approximately 72% of the variance of student teachers’ Behavioral Intention to Use mobile AR to teach primary science. Perceived Immersion and Perceived Educational Value significantly influence Behavioral Intention to Use after being mediated by Perceived Usefulness. The study offers insight into the factors influencing pre-service primary teachers’ intentions to utilise mobile augmented reality (AR) in their future lessons, which is relevant given the growing interest in utilising these technologies in education. Implications are discussed.

Perceptions of the sustainable development goals: a Q-methodology study with Turkish preservice teachers

This study identified preservice teachers’ perceptions toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study group comprised 22 Turkish preservice primary school teachers. The Q-methodology was adopted, the statements of which concerned the 17 SDGs. The data analysis revealed two main perspectives: the prioritization of basic human needs and the prioritization of future human needs. As a common perception, preservice teachers placed a higher priority on peace, justice, and strong institutions, no poverty, and quality education than on any of the other SDGs. The results shed light on how preservice teachers perceive the SDGs. Different perspectives of preservice teachers on the SDGs may influence their future teaching practice. This study highlights the importance of considering different perspectives among preservice teachers to ensure the effective implementation of SDGs in education.

History of music, electromagnetism and the Sun: an innovative educational resource for pre-service primary school teachers

In general, science education programs for pre-service primary teachers encounter several challenges, including inadequate subject matter training and uninspiring lectures. This results in a disconnection between university learning and real-school experiences. To address these issues, an innovative science teaching course for primary school teachers is proposed. This course emphasizes interdisciplinarity, practical activities and didactical resources, with the ultimate goal of breaking the cycle of unmotivated and unskilled students by producing competent and enthusiastic science teachers. The course structure, implemented at the University of La Laguna, creatively blends experimental sciences, history, music, and maths through engaging methods and practical activities. The integration of simple demonstrations and interdisciplinary approaches has had a positive impact on the pre-service teachers. As a result, they are now better equipped to design innovative educational resources for future primary students and have gained confidence in their abilities to teach science.

Is the Spanish educational system ready for blended learning Analysing pre-service primary education teachers’ perceptions

Is the Spanish educational system ready for blended learning Analysing pre-service primary education teachers’ perceptions

FRACTION LEARNING USING DAILY CONTEXT FOR PRE-SERVICE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER EDUCATION

Fractions are important material to understand because fractions are often encountered in everyday life. This research aims to analyze the fraction learning process using the PMRI approach for pre-service primary school teachers. This type of research is descriptive qualitative research with a PMRI approach using the context of everyday life. The subjects of this research were 20 students at second semester. Data collection techniques included tests, documentation and observation. The data analysis technique uses the Miles and Huberman model. The results of this research are a description of the thinking framework of pre-service primary school teachers using daily life contexts in the form of objects and food in determining the concept of fractions. Students are able to implement the concept of fractions using the PMRI approach through the use of the context of objects and food that exist in everyday life. It is that this research will become a guide in learning fractions and can be developed into student worksheets

Examination of the fraction addition problems posed by primary pre-service teachers using the digital storytelling method

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to assess the fraction addition problems posed by pre-service teachers using digital storytelling and to identify their perspectives on this activity. 69 mathematics teacher candidates participated in the study. The research comprises two sections. Participants were expected to pose a problem via digital storytelling in the first round. After creating digital stories, participants were required to fill out an opinion survey. According to the study's findings, more than half of the participants correctly completed the problem-posing exercise. Additionally, pre-service teachers reported experiencing some difficulties when generating problems, despite their favorable opinions toward the use of digital storytelling to pose problems. Participants could pose problems involving the addition of two or three fractions. Participants encountered issues such as not being a problem or utilizing distinct operations. According to the participants’ opinions, some of their skills had improved and they enjoyed the experience.

The metacognitive awareness of reading strategy among pre-service primary teachers and the possibility of rating improvement using Rasch analysis

This study investigated pre-service primary teachers' reading strategies using the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy Inventory (MARSI) in the Indonesian version. The participants were 4377 pre-service primary teachers in Indonesia. The data were collected via an online form, and the invitations were sent out randomly. The participants were divided into two studies: 2912 participants were in study 1, which used a 5-point Likert scale, and 1465 participants were in study 2, using a 4-point Likert scale. The Rasch measurement approach was used in investigating the validity and reliability, rating improvement analysis, checking item difficulty functioning based on gender, and classifying pre-service primary teacher reading strategies. The adapted questionnaire satisfied all psychometric requirements based on Rasch modeling. The questionnaire with a 4-point scale showed better function than the 5-point one based on the observed measure average and curve probability category. The teachers' abilities ranged from − 6 logit to 6.45 logit.

An Exploratory Practice Study on the Impact of the Problem-Based Learning Approach in a TEYL Course on Pre-Service Primary School Teachers

This exploratory practice study explores the impact of problem-based learning (PBL) in a teaching English to young learners (TEYL) course on pre-service primary school teachers at the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts of Tataouine, Tunisia. A survey was used to collect information about pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards PBL. The findings suggest that the pre-service teachers found PBL to be effective and engaging as an instructional approach in that it helped them develop their critical thinking, team-building skills, and self-directed learning.

Puzzling Over Mechanical Errors: An Exploratory Practice Study

This study sought to solve the puzzle of persistent occurrence of mechanical errors in pre-service primary school teachers’ writings. Data consisted of short compositions from four intact classes (n=75) of second-year university students at the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts of Tataouine (ISAMT), Tunisia. Results of data analysis revealed a high rate of mechanical errors and indicated that negative transfer and fossilization were major obstacles in the process of mastering L2 writing.

Review of: "Influence of Motivation on Pre-service Primary Teachers’ Performance in Mathematics"

Review of: "Influence of Motivation on Pre-service Primary Teachers’ Performance in Mathematics"

EDUCATIONAL GRANT IMPLEMENTATION «WRITTEN RESOURCEFUL PRACTICES IN ENGLISH FOR PRESERVICE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY»

The purpose of the article is to highlight the practical experience in implementation of the educational grant «Written Resourceful Practices in English for Preservice Primary School Teachers in Times of Uncertainty» within future educators’ professional training at T.H. Shevchenko National University «Chernihiv Colehium». Methodology of the research paper is based on the theoretical methods (analysis, generalization and systematization of psychological and educational literature) and empirical methods (surveys, questionnaires, observation, educational conversation, self-observation, and reflection). The study is based on the concepts of the theory of cognition; theory of professional growth; theory of creative pedagogy; theories of pedagogical partnership and psychological resilience in preservice teachers. Scientific novelty is that for the first time, while implementing the educational grant, written resourceful practices in English have been used to train preservice primary school teachers in times of uncertainty for stress and anxiety relief; psychological discharge and crisis state overcome; resiliency development; mental health restoration; self-expression and self-discovery promotion; personal opinion expression; creative potential encouragement; preservice primary school teachers’ English written competence improvement in times of uncertainty. Conclusions. The experience of the educational grant «Written Resourceful Practices in English for Preservice Primary School Teachers in Times of Uncertainty» implementation has proved that one of the perspectives to reform the system of education is the successful international grant activity with the focus on the strategic European orientation and national priorities in the development of higher education. The project, which was aimed at raising the educational standards in Ukraine, contributed to the creation of necessary conditions for the applicants for higher education to acquire practical and psychological self-help skills while overcoming traumatic experience and developing written communication skills by means of written resourceful practices in English in the context of democracy values.

Primary and secondary pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education

The practice of inclusive education in schools has led to changes in policy and pedagogy, hence teacher acceptance and attitude are important components of its success. The aim of this study is to identify the differences in attitudes of primary and secondary pre-service teachers on inclusion and the potential relationship between demographic variables such as definitions of inclusion, previous experience working in a school, completion of a module on inclusive schools, and other variables. The study included 548 Australian university students studying primary (n = 348) or secondary (n = 193) professional teaching. All participants completed the Teacher Attitudes to Inclusion Scale (TAISA). Principle components analysis was performed to transform the TAISA questionnaire into smaller set of components and two-way between-groups analysis of variance was used to analyse data. Results showed that primary pre-service teachers have more positive attitudes towards inclusion than secondary pre-service teachers. Primary pre-service teachers were also more responsive to training on inclusive education. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Pre-service Teachers' Perception of Renewable Energy Sources: A Case Study of Düzce University

This research was conducted to examine pre-service teachers’ perception of renewable energy sources, tendency to use renewable energy and opinions about the future use of renewable energy sources and to investigate whether they have basic knowledge about renewable energy sources. To this end, the Renewable Energy Perception Scale, a 5-point Likert scale, was administered to a total of 755 pre-service teachers in the Science Teaching and Primary Teaching Departments in the Education Faculty of Düzce University. The scale has three sub-dimensions, namely “Renewable Energy Knowledge”, “Renewable Energy Future Vision”, and “Renewable Energy Tendency”. In the whole scale and its sub-dimensions of “Renewable Energy Knowledge” and “Renewable Energy Tendency”, it was found that the pre-service primary teachers had a statistically significantly better perception of renewable energy sources than the pre-service science teachers. Also, younger participants were found to have a statistically significantly better perception in the “Renewable Energy Tendency” sub-dimension. There is a statistically significant gender-based difference in the “Renewable Energy Future Vision” sub-dimension. On the other hand, no significant gender-based difference was found for the whole scale and the other sub-dimensions. This study shows the importance of examining pre-service teachers’ perception of renewable energy in terms of their better teaching these sources to their future students.

Learning to Teach in Out-of-University and Out-ofSchool Environments in Primary Teacher Education in Estonia, Finland, and Sweden

Learning in diverse settings during pre-service teacher training equips future primary teachers with the knowledge and skills to teach in authentic learning environments later in their work lives. This experience helps to meet the varying needs of their future students who have increasingly diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds with varying levels of access to learning and knowledge. During their university studies, pre-service teachers need to recognise the value of outof-school environments, reinforce awareness in practice, and reflect on experiences to deepen pedagogical thinking about learning environments. This multiple case study describes the common practices in the pre-service training of primary teachers at Tallinn University, University of Helsinki and Uppsala University concerning teaching in out-of-classroom learning environments. Our aim was to explore the ways that the three universities support pre-service primary teachers in using out-ofschool learning environments in their future practice. We intended to identify practices regarding our respective national curricula and university courses for pre-service primary teachers. We have three main suggestions for teacher educators regarding learning to teach in diverseenvironments: enable meaningful and reflective practical tasks in out of university learning environments for pre-service teachers; ensure the sustainability of external partnerships by stating collaborative practices in course programmes while leaving flexibility in the details; and reflect on professional networking across the boundaries of institutions.

An Application Based on the 5E Learning Cycle Model Supported by Concept Cartoon with Primary Pre-Service Teachers

The study aims to examine the effect of concept cartoon supported lesson plan development practices based on the 5E learning cycle model on the non-routine problem solving skills and attitudes towards mathematics teaching of primary pre-service teachers, to determine the level of problem construction, to evaluate the texts in the problems constructed with concept cartoons developed by primary pre-service teachers in terms of text writing success level and to reveal their opinions about the practices. The study utilized a nested design, which is a mixed-method research approach, and employed a convenient sampling method for participant selection. Data collection was carried out using the attitude towards mathematics teaching scale, problem solving scale, interview form, and lesson plans developed by primary pre-service teachers. The data were evaluated by content analysis, t-test for related samples, descriptive analysis, progressive scoring scale, problem posing skills scoring key, grading scale. Significant enhancements in attitudes toward mathematics teaching were observed in favor of the post-test, with opinions categorized into six distinct groups, highlighting challenges encountered during the evaluation phase and the process of problem posing. It was ascertained that the overall level of achievement in text creation was generally deemed satisfactory.

The Effect Of Cognitive Apprenticeship Enriched Argument-Driven Inquiry Method On Pre-Service Teachers' Academic Achievement And Scientific Research Skills

This study aimed to determine the effect of cognitive apprenticeship enriched argument-driven inquiry method on pre-service primary teachers’ academic achievement and scientific research skills about environmental issues/problems. The study was conducted with 24 1st-grade pre-service primary teachers from the Primary Teacher Department of a private university in Northern Cyprus. The study is conducted mixed-methods research design. The data collection tool used in this research is an academic achievement test, open-ended question form for transferring knowledge to daily life, and students' video/photo, reflective diary protocol, scientific research proposal-article-poster, and Moodle discussion contents. The research found that pre-service teachers' academic achievement and scientific research skills improved. According to this result, it can be said that cognitive apprenticeship enriched argument-driven inquiry improved pre-service teachers' academic achievement related to the Environmental Education Course and their scientific research skills related to environmental topics and concepts.

Implications from a Modelling based Flipped Mathematics Course

The present study investigated the effect of the flipped classroom model, which was practiced in an undergraduate mathematics class, on pre-service primary school teachers’ ability to solve problems related to real life and modelling. This study was designed as an action research study exploring the implementation of a new teaching technique. The participants were 16 pre-service teachers who voluntarily took part in the study. The implementation period, which lasted for five weeks, included the following topics: ordered pairs, Cartesian product, relation and its characteristics, the concept of function, types of functions, and linear relation. The data in this study consisted of worksheets that had problem-solving processes, video records of classroom practices, participant journals, and field notes taken by the researcher. The data were analyzed through content analysis. It was observed that the flipped classroom model in the study enabled students to develop their mathematics language, conceptual knowledge, and the use of multiple representations by providing them with an opportunity to work on modelling and real-life problems. This model allowed students to take responsibility for their learning and also provided the teacher with an opportunity to prevent mistakes and misconceptions of students. In addition, it was observed in the data collected from classroom practices and student journals that student–student and student–teacher interactions developed as a result of the classes taught in the flipped classroom model.

Preservice teachers’ health literacy levels and perceptions of teaching capabilities: an Australian case study

ABSTRACT Research studies focusing on schools and teachers’ capabilities to teach and develop students’ health literacy (HL) are few. Of the research that currently exists, teachers face difficulties when teaching health education to enhance students’ critical HL levels, with only one study examining preservice teachers (PSTs). The aim of this study is to explore one Australian University and two of its undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) programs and the role that it plays in developing PSTs’ HL levels and capabilities to plan for promoting students’ HL. Twenty-three final year Health and Physical Education (HPE) and thirty-four final year Primary Education participants completed a Health Literacy Questionnaire. Five PSTs from each ITE program consented and were involved in focus group and individual interviews. Current HL levels were found to be higher across all nine sections for HPE PSTs when compared with Primary PSTs, showing medium to very large effect size differences, with all but one section reporting statistical significance. Interviews emphasised the need for ITE programs to focus on developing PSTs’ HL levels and to implement authentic opportunities to practice enhancing students’ HL. Findings provide insight into the role ITE programs in promoting PSTs’ HL before becoming graduate teachers in schools.