Primary Education Program Research Articles

Changes in educational achievement and educational inequality in Lesotho: a relative distribution analysis

The fourth goal of the SDGs calls for the increase in access to quality education and the redress of educational inequalities. Monitoring progress towards this goal requires paying attention to changes in educational quality and inequality, not just to changes in average quality. Between 2000 and 2007, Lesotho implemented a multifaceted Free Primary Education programme that included fee eliminations, school-building, and teacher-recruitment components to increase school access and minimise the adverse effects on education quality. During this period, enrolment and average educational achievement increased. However, we do not know whether the increase in average performance was driven by all or just a few gifted students and how it affected educational inequality. This paper fills this knowledge gap by using grade 6 standardised test scores and employing the relative distribution method to analyse changes in educational achievement and educational inequality between 2000 and 2007 in Lesotho. Results show that, although educational achievement of all students increased during this period, much of the increase in overall educational achievement was attributable to improved performance of low- and high-achieving students. This increase in performance at the lower and upper tails of the performance distribution led to an increase in educational achievement and educational inequality, especially in reading proficiency. Further, changes in students’ compositional changes explain the increase in educational achievement.

The impact of teacher preparation on preservice teachers' attitudes toward inclusive education in Qatar

Teachers' beliefs and attitudes are a significant component in the development and success of inclusive education. Research indicates that the foundation of positive attitudes toward inclusive education can be established in preservice-teacher-preparation programs. This study examines the change in preservice teachers' attitudes toward inclusive education following an inclusion-centered course, combined with an 18-hr practicum. Using the Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES), 98 preservice teachers from primary and secondary teacher education programs in the College of Education at Qatar University in Doha, Qatar, were surveyed pre and post-course. It was found that all the participants' attitudes toward inclusive education changed significantly. No significant differences between primary and secondary preservice teachers were found at the end of the course. The results illustrated that combining information-based instruction with structured fieldwork experiences can potentially change preservice teachers' attitudes toward inclusive education. Implications for practice and future directions in research are considered.

Examining the relationship between pain interference, pain intensity, and mental health symptoms among veterans receiv-ing long-term opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain in primary care.

As part of the evaluation of the Whole Health Primary Care Pain Education and Opioid Monitoring Program (PC-POP), we examined the relationship between pain intensity, pain interference, and mental health symptoms among PC-POP enrollees. Retrospective cohort study examining self-reported symptoms of pain intensity, pain interference, anxiety, depression, substance use, and quality of life. Data were retrieved through a combination of chart review and data extracted from the VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure. Veterans Health Administration Health Care System Primary Care -service. Adult veterans with chronic noncancer pain receiving opioid therapy >3 months being managed in primary care and enrolled in PC-POP between August 1, 2018 and April 1, 2019. A total of 439 participants were included in the final analysis. Results showed that anxiety has a unique relationship to pain intensity and that depression and quality of life have unique relationships to pain interference when relevant covariates, eg, gender, age, pain diagnosis, and predictors are examined among this unique sample of veterans enrolled in a pain and opioid education and monitoring program. Given that primary care is the dominant healthcare setting in which opioids are prescribed for chronic noncancer pain, further research is needed to examine factors that influence pain management in this setting. This study examined the role mental health factors have on pain intensity and pain interference among patients enrolled in an opioid monitoring program and found that anxiety and depression appear to uniquely predict how intensely and impactful these veterans experience their pain. This study extends the literature by examining such factors among a unique population that has yet to be studied and offers some recommendations for monitoring and practice.

Fen Bilgisi Öğretmen Adaylarının “Enerji” Kavramına İlişkin Bilişsel Yapılarının ve Kavram Yanılgılarının Belirlenmesi

The concept of energy, which is one of the concepts directly related to vital activities, increases importance day by day with the increasing technology, industrialization and population. For this reason, the concept of energy learned in primary, secondary and higher education programs has a privileged place in science education since it is both an abstract and interdisciplinary concept.The aim of this study is to reveal the cognitive structures and to determine misconceptions of pre-service teachers related to the concept of energy. Qualitative research method was used in the study.The research was carried out with 95 pre-service teachers studying in the 3th and 4th grade of the faculty of education, science education program of a public university in 2018-2019. Word association test and drawing-writing technique were used to collect data.The data are categorized according to content analysis. The model of the pre-service teachers' cognitive structures on the concept of energy was prepared with the Vue program. Results shows that 7 categories were created from the word association test in the conceptual structures of pre-service science teachers regarding the concept of energy. In this context, it has been determined that the cognitive structures of pre-service science teachers are concentrated in the "Energy types", “Scientific terms that evoke the concept of energy” and "Energy sources" categories. In addition, with the data obtained in the study, it was determined that pre-service teachers had misconceptions about the concept of energy. Some of the misconceptions detected in pre-service science teachers are; There are three types of energy: potential, kinetic and mechanical, Only living things have energy.

The Comparison of Turkish and Chinese Primary Math Teacher Education Programs

The aim of this study is to compare Turkey and China in terms of admission to primary math teacher education programs, the content of primary math teacher training programs and appointment to teaching post. Within the scope of this aim, document analysis method was used in the study. As data sources the websites of Ministry of Education, OECD, National Center on Education and Economy and articles on primary Mathematics teacher education systems and teacher education systems in general were used. The documents were examined in terms of conditions of admission to teacher education programs, the content of curriculum and the appointment to teaching post in Turkey and China. While choosing the countries, 2018 PISA Math results of China and Turkey were considered. According to the findings of the study it was concluded that although Turkey and China have some similarities in terms of conditions of admission to teacher education programs, the content of curriculum and the appointment to teaching post, there are also big differences between two countries. Accordingly, some suggestions are proposed especially for the Turkish teacher education system. Some of the suggestions are increasing the hours of practicum, having an interview before they are accepted to education programs, having an interview and a written exam in every five years after they are appointed to a teaching post.

Music lecturers’ professional development through distant coteaching between two universities in Finland

At present, the idea of teacher professional development is widely highlighted in education. The present qualitative study examines whether coteaching in collaboration between music lecturers at two universities could enable their professional development and improve student learning. Our study consisted of piano courses in two independent primary school teacher education programs. In this conceptual work, it appears that the definitions of coteaching also allow a distant collaborative professional development of the two music lecturers. The main challenges were identified as access to a shared physical space and a common group of students, which could be diminished using digitalization.

Gender in initial teacher education: entry patterns, intersectionality and a dialectic rationale for diverse masculinities in schooling

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to debates about gender and diversity in teaching. Exploring the underrepresentation of males, socially constructed as a privileged group, is a complex task for researchers working within a social justice framework. Drawing on a national dataset (N = 5,627), we explore entry patterns to primary and post-primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes, socio-demographic backgrounds and career motivations of male and female ITE applicants and entrants in Ireland. Findings point to possible reasons for the underrepresentation of males in primary teaching, including competitive performance-based selection systems, Irish language competency requirements and a predominantly denominational school system. An intersectional analysis demonstrates the diversity which exists among male ITE applicants. New insights into the complexities of male positionalities in teaching can enhance dialectic debates about reasons for and implications of the underrepresentation of male teachers as well as the transformative potential of diverse and ‘caring’ masculinities for schools and society.

EL SENTIDO DEL CONTENIDO DEPORTE EN EL PROGRAMA DE EDUCACIÓN PRIMARIA (URUGUAY)

The article essays a theoretical critique of the current Early and Primary Education Program for the uruguayan school. First, it reviews the content of the general components of all the areas of the design, stopping then at the specific one of the Area of Body Knowledge - Physical Education, particularly in the treatment of the sport content. Its main conceptualizations are compiled and analyzed in order to identify internal contradictions. It is concluded that its dissonances alter the coherence of the global structure of the document, which affects the pedagogical interests to which its contents respond with their consequences in the national educational political project.

The Pedagogical Knowledge Deployed by a Primary Mathematics Teacher Educator in Teaching Symmetry

Although the knowledge required by mathematics teacher educators is a relatively recent area of research, there has been significant progress in the field over the last few years. The classic distinction of a teacher’s knowledge into content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge prompts us to reflect in this regard on what should constitute the content of primary teacher education programmes, and how the educator might mediate this content to make it accessible to their prospective teachers. This paper aims to contribute to this progress through a study into the work of Lucas, a teacher educator, during the course of a training session with prospective primary teachers. Critical observation of the video recording brought to the fore salient teaching situations on the topic of symmetry, which led us to explore the pedagogical content knowledge deployed in the session through a guided interview with the educator. Analysis of extracts from this interview enabled us to identify three main categories of this PCK: knowledge about how to teach programme content; knowledge about the characteristics of prospective primary teachers’ learning; and knowledge about the standards and norms of primary teacher education programmes.

PROBLEMS OF MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS: IDENTIFYING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CONCEPTS

The purpose of this article is to investigate how the undergraduate students in the primary education programs understand mathematical information (concepts). Having an understanding of the mathematical content allows the teacher to design different approaches to teaching younger students with different learning styles and abilities. The analysis of theoretical studies published in Russian scientific literature has shown that one of the important criteria for understanding information in a particular field of knowledge is to identify logical connections between the concepts of this field. In this article the authors present the results of their study on how undergraduate students studying in the profiles of “Primary Education" and "Psychological and Pedagogical Education” form the links between the concepts used in everyday life versus the connections between mathematical concepts. The results show that other disciplines/ fields of study influence the formation of connections between mathematical concepts. In addition, some specific difficulties in establishing some of these connections were identified. Based on this research, the authors provide recommendations on specific strategies to improve the professional education for future teachers in the area of mathematical knowledge.

Practicum in Early Childhood Education: Student Teachers’ Perspective

Practicum is a central component of initial teacher education programs. Most teacher education studies focus on practicum in primary and secondary school, while the practicum in kindergartens has received less attention in international literature. The goal of this study is to explore student teachers’ perceptions of practicum experience in kindergarten, within the context of an initial teacher education program. A total of 42 final year student teachers enrolled in the Pedagogy of Primary and Preschool Education program at a Romanian university participated in the study. They completed a questionnaire about their final practicum experience in kindergarten, concerning the benefits of the practicum, the difficulties encountered, and the ways of coping with them. The main benefits reported by the participants were: professional relationships, planning and practicing teaching, professional and personal skill development, and insights into the preschool education system. Difficulties included: implementing instruction, class management and self-concerns issues. The student teachers relied on internal resources, but also on external resources (the preschool mentor teachers, the student teacher supervisor and the colleagues) for overcoming the difficulties encountered during practicum. Based on their testimonies, we suggest possible improvements to the teacher education program.

The Relevance of Current Ethiopian Primary School Teacher Education Program for Pre-service Mathematics Teacher’s Knowledge and Teacher Educator’s Awareness about Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching

The major objective of this study was to examine the effect of Ethiopian pre-service primary school teacher education program to mathematics teacher’s knowledge and assess teacher educator’s awareness about Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching. The study employed quantitative and qualitative research approaches. It was also used survey and narration research design. The population of this study were all third-year pre-service teacher classes in generalist, specialist and linear modality classes in three sampled colleges of teacher education such as: Kotebe Metropolitan University, Hawassa College of teacher education and Arba Minch college of teacher education. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling. The result showed that program type has no effect on the mean scores between specialist and linear students in Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching scale. Significant difference was not observed in mean score of Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching test against gender. The findings also showed that teacher educators have no enough knowledge/awareness about the term Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching and its components. Thus, the study suggested that successive training should be organized to train teacher educators about Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching and mathematics pedagogies and recent mathematics education theories in general.

Познавательные универсальные учебные действия в структуре метапредметных результатов

The article deals with the peculiarities of the formation of cognitive universal learning actions in younger schoolchildren. The article describes four types of universal educational actions of primary school children: personal, regulatory, cognitive, communicative, which are an integral system in which the manifestation and development of each individual type of educational action is determined by its relationship with other types and the general logic of age-related development. Detailed characteristics of each of the cognitive universal educational activities of primary school children defined by the standard and the approximate program of primary general education will allow the primary school teacher to more consciously.

Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ+ Issues in Primary Initial Teacher Education Programs

Existing research has explored inclusion in education, however, issues related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ+ young people, with some notable exceptions, have, until recently, seldom been included in any meaningful academic discussion. Issues of youth race, gender and sexuality have been interrogated as discrete issues. This small but growing body of research demonstrates the potential impacts of intersectional disadvantages experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ+ young people in Australia (Uink, Liddelow-Hunt, Daglas, & Ducasse, 2020). This article seeks to explore the existing research and advocate for the embedding of a critical pedagogy of care in primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) curricula, inclusive of diversity of race, ethnicity, socio-economic-status, gender and sexuality. Employing intersectionality theory, this research will examine the specific disadvantages that arise as the result of occupying multiple minority demographic categories, which are relational, complex and shifting, rather than fixed and independent. Primary educators are well positioned to name disadvantage, racism and heterosexism, make them visible and, through culturally responsive pedagogical approaches and inclusive curricula, challenge the status quo. To ensure that learning and teaching moves beyond stereotypes, primary curricula should be representative of all students and present alternate ways of being human in culturally appropriate, positive ways, to the benefit of all students. ITE programs provide the ideal arena to equip teachers with the knowledge and competency to respond to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ+ young people.

ШЛЯХИ ФОРМУВАННЯ ЕСТЕТИЧНИХ ПОЧУТТІВ МОЛОДШИХ ШКОЛЯРІВ У ТРУДОВОМУ НАВЧАННІ

The article highlights the urgency of the problem of forming aesthetic feelings in labor education in primary school in the context of the national revival of Ukraine. The author identifies ways to form the aesthetic feelings of primary school children, analyzing the main legal documents of primary school (State Standard of Primary Education and Standard educational programs of the New Ukrainian School). The main way, according to the author, is the implementation of the provisions of the technological industry in the educational process of primary school. Labor education in primary school is aimed at forming the aesthetic attitude of junior students to work and working people, the experience of beauty in their own products and works of Ukrainian decorative and applied arts. Extracurricular work is a logical continuation of the accumulation of aesthetic experience of junior schoolchildren and improvement of emotional and value experiences of students in the field of technological education, which allows to organize the creative technological process according to interests, desires and opportunities of primary school students. Extracurricular activities contribute to the emergence of a common collective aesthetic sense during a meeting with the beauty of the work of masters of their craft, the perfection of technology and the harmonious result of work. And the third way to form the aesthetic feelings of younger students is labor training in the family. The family lays the foundations of children’s aesthetic attitude to the goals, process and results of work. Aesthetic aspects are present both in the process of labor activity (beauty of action) and in its results (beauty of product), and they should be revealed by parents by all possible pedagogically expedient means. The presented ways should work comprehensively, because the results in one area determine the effectiveness of others. Only in the interaction of certain ways it is possible to achieve ahigh level of formation of aesthetic feelings of junior students in labor training.

Application of Sentence-Based Sound Teaching Method for First Reading and Writing in Education

Sound based sentence method has been used since the 2005-2006 academic year in Turkey. However, criticism of these methods has brought the search for new methods to the agenda. One of these methods is sentence-based sound teaching method, which can be evaluated under the title of mixed methods specific to Turkish language. In the sentence-based sound teaching method, it is aimed to teach reading and writing with simple and regular sentences, reaching sounds in a short time and analyzing-synthesis-analysis logic. This process has five stages: “sentence stage, sentence completion stage, analysis, synthesis and evaluation”. The aim of this research is to evaluate the results of the sentence-based sound teaching method in practice according to the opinions of a primary school teacher and six teacher candidates. This research was designed as a case study from qualitative research patterns. It was carried out with a classroom teacher who stated that she had two students having difficulty in learning reading and writing in her classroom in a primary school in Muğla Province Center in 2018-2019 Spring Semester, and 6 volunteer teacher candidates who are registered to Muğla University Faculty of Education Primary Education Program and want to learn how to carry out their reading and writing activities in the first grades. Purposeful and criterion sampling methods were used to create the working group. The data were obtained by interview method and analyzed by descriptive analysis technique. In the heading of the findings, the opinions of the classroom teachers and teacher candidates who applied the sentence-based sound teaching method were evaluated under three sub-headings as “before application, during application and after application” impressions. The teacher candidates who applied the method in company with the class teacher also found the method useful. It was determined that it served their purpose and stated that they wanted to use the method when they became teachers.

UNIVERSALIZATION OF PRIMARY EDUCATION – A ROADMAP TO IMPROVE ENROLMENT IN PRIMARY EDUCATION DURING COVID-19

Education is any country helps to make a more civilized society. Implementation of education in making a better in making a better society is possible through the universalization of elementary education. The elementary education is the creation of progressive system which helps in providing education to all. The universal elementary education has its base from Millennium Development goals before 2000. In India the primary education is done through funding and District Primary Education Programme. This programme has been quite successful and helps to link districts and state level educational plans. This paper helps to provide suggestions like having volunteers who are expert in digital and suggesting changes in curriculum etc. Still India is facing lot of challenges and lot of efforts need to be taken so that needy and poor will be able to access the universal elementary education.

CAN THE PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE OF THE PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS REMOVE THE SOCIAL PREJUDICE TOWARDS THE PUPILS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS? A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

The aim of the study is to highlight the attitude of the students (N=72) from Pedagogy of Primary and Preschool Education Program (pre-service teacher), from first and third years of study, related to how they want, as future teachers, to develop pupils’ learning skills in the inclusive classroom by adopting certain behavioral management of pupils with special needs. The working tool used is the Behavior and Instructional Management Scale, developed by Martin and Sass (2010). The comparative analysis of the results obtained according to the year of study captures the existence of statistically significant differences in the aspect of the management of the behavior in the classroom, both in traditional and inclusive classes, during the lessons, with higher averages for the pre-service teachers of 3rd year. Also, pre-service teachers from the 3rd year of study have a higher level of expectations for implementing the rules in school activities with pupils with special needs, compared to the pre-service teachers of the 1st year, which draws attention to the importance of pedagogical practical stage in primary school.

The effect of the Universal Primary Education program on consumption and on the employment sector: Evidence from Tanzania

Abstract This paper uses the Tanzanian Universal Primary Education (UPE) program implemented between 1974 and 1978 to study the effect of education on household consumption and on labor market participation in a rural environment. Combining regional disparities of access to school with the timing of the program, I adopt a difference-in-difference approach. To estimate the returns to education for the entire population and not only for wage workers, I use a two-sample estimation approach to predict consumption for every household and find that education increases predicted consumption for household heads working in every sector. I also provide evidence that education increases the probability of working in agriculture for women. These results, at first surprising, suggest that education may influence the structural transformation and that returns to education are positive in agriculture, provided that skills taught at school are consistent with agriculture.

First- and Second-Generation Impacts of the Biafran War

We analyze long-term impacts of the 1967-1970 Nigerian Civil War, providing the first evidence of intergenerational impacts. Women exposed to the war in their growing years exhibit reduced adult stature, increased likelihood of being overweight, earlier age at first birth, and lower educational attainment. Exposure to a primary education program mitigates impacts of war exposure on education. War exposed men marry later and have fewer children. War exposure of mothers (but not fathers) has adverse impacts on child growth, survival, and education. Impacts vary with age of exposure. For mother and child health, the largest impacts stem from adolescent exposure.