Primary School Classes Research Articles

Teaching civics: lessons from a project in civic education at a UK primary school

ABSTRACT The aim of this research was to investigate the potential for issue-based civic education. Applying the concept of critical pedagogy to civic education, this article presents the findings of a study conducted in a primary school class in a socio-economically deprived area of the United Kingdom. The analysis of interview and focus group, participant observation and class discussion data suggests that critical, issue-based models of civic education can engage young people in conceptualising their own roles in both politics and civic life more generally. By moving away from a fact-based institutional model of civics such as set out in the National Curriculum, students’ interest was also facilitated by the ability to make their own decisions about which issues they most wanted to engage with.

Sources influencing primary school student teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in their music studies

ABSTRACT In numerous countries, primary school class teachers have problems regarding music teaching. It has been reported that there is a lack of both confidence and musical skills. However, the question often relates not only to a lack of self-efficacy beliefs but also to the organisation of the studies. This research looks for sources influencing the formation of self-efficacy beliefs through the lens of self-efficacy theory considering music studies and seeks possible solutions to motivate and develop student teachers’ interest in teaching music at the primary school level. The research revealed several self-efficacy factors that had a significant influence on student teachers’ later motivation for teaching music in the future.

Formation of research skills of students through solving problems in teaching mathematics in primary classes

This study aimed to create students’ research skills by solving problems in teaching mathematics in primary school classes and was designed according to this purpose. In this context, it is aimed to conduct a study on teaching mathematics to primary school students. The research was created and implemented in the 2021–2022 spring academic year. 296 primary school students voluntarily participated in the research. In the research, problem-solving training in mathematics teaching was given to the students participating in the study in the form of a 2-week online education. To collect data in the study, the ‘mathematics and problem-solving’ data collection tool, which was developed by the researchers and whose validity and reliability were obtained, was used. The data collection tool used in the research was delivered and collected by the online method. The analysis of the data was made by using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences programme, frequency analysis and t-test, and the results were added to the research in the presence of tables. As a result of the research, it is seen that primary school students’ problem-solving situations improved with mathematics teaching and they enjoyed these methods and achieved positive results.
 Keywords: Primary school students, teaching mathematics, problem-solving, distance education;

Pedagogue students’ opinions on ideal teacher interaction

Based on Leary’s interpersonal model (Interpersonal Circumplex), Wubbels elaborated the scheme of interpersonal behaviour that was completed by questionnaires (Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI)). Our research involved 336 students of four teacher training institutions of the Carpathian Basin. In our survey, we searched for the answer to the question of what opinions students held about the ideal interpersonal behaviour. The reliability of the Hungarian version of the QTI query proved to be similar to that of the English version. According to the students, the main characteristics of the ideal interpersonal behaviour are decisive, directive, helpful and understanding; it is less characterised by doubt and emotionality. In terms of imposing and compliant manner, opinions are rather divided. It is preschool teachers and teachers of lower primary school classes who prefer cooperation with the children the most, while teachers of upper classes tend to emphasise the importance of directive behaviour.

Организация педагогической помощи и поддержки младшим школьникам с разным темпом психического развития

The article is devoted to the problems of organizing individually differentiated work with younger students who experience difficulties in learning within the framework of inclusive education. The main indicators of children with the risks of mental retardation, which prevent their successful co-education with ordinary peers in the general class of a mass primary school, are characterized. The necessary conditions for the organization of pedagogical assistance and the features of an individually differentiated approach to children with different rates of mental development are considered in detail.

The caught being good game in a middle primary school class.

The caught being good game in a middle primary school class.

“Keep calm and earn more points”: What research says about token economy systems

ABSTRACT The use of reward systems is common in education, particularly at the primary school level. Indeed, there are very few classes in primary schools in which such systems are not implemented. Token economy are used to encourage students to adopt appropriate target social and academic behaviors. However, consensus on their effectiveness is lacking. It is beyond the scope of this article to determine whether token economy systems actually achieve their intended purpose. This article does provide important insights into their origins and offers an up-to-date overview of the research on their effects, which serve as a basis for recommendations to educators and administrators who may need to take a position on their use.

Earthquake Response for Students with Different Severe Degrees of Disabilities: An Investigation of the Special Education Classes in Primary Schools in Taipei.

Taipei has been ranked as the most vulnerable city to a wider combination of risks. Although the Special Education Law addresses the consideration of disaster preparedness for students with disabilities enrolling in Special Education Schools, more attention needs to be given to the far larger number of students with disabilities enrolling in normal schools. These schools need to consider the care for students with different types and severe degrees of disabilities. The aim of the research is to investigate challenges of earthquake preparation and response for students with different severe degrees of disabilities who enrol in the special education classes in general primary schools. The objectives of the research include the following: (1) investigating the challenges and requirements for support of students with different severe degrees of disabilities; (2) examining the need and support for students with different degrees of disabilities during the earthquake response process; and (3) exploring the best practice in the curriculum building for students with different severity of disabilities. The purposive sampling was used to select four primary schools in Taipei as participant groups in the research. The research team used semi-structured interviews to interview eight participants: one special education class teacher and one administrator of each school were invited. Findings include the following: (1) ensuring the appropriate design of physical environment for earthquake response in schools, including rapid response, evacuation, and assembly points for students with different severe degrees of disabilities; (2) proposing suitable staff to student ratio to be planned for the response phase; (3) identifying the appropriate individualised curriculum and learning objectives to suit students with different severe degrees of disabilities.

Classic Expression: the effect of storytelling in a classical concert for children

The traditional way of classical concerts – i.e. a concert of 1,5 hour, no moving or making sounds, no interaction – is not the way to attract children to classical music. There are different inviting ways to interest children in a classical performance, for example with interaction, participation or storytelling. In this research we investigate if storytelling has an effect on children’s enthusiasm for classical music and their likeability of playing an instrument themselves. Furthermore, we assess if there is a relation between musical interest, engagement and/or emotional intensity during the concert. We do this by comparing a story-condition with a technical information-condition, in which the presenter talks about the instruments or the performance location. It is executed in the Classic Express, a concert truck in which laureates of the Prinses Christina Concours, a Dutch competition for young musicians, perform and present classical music for primary school classes. Children answer questions before, directly after and one week after the concert about how much they like the music, if they want to experience it again and if they are interested in playing a musical instrument themselves. The results can support musicians wanting to give engaging performances to children, improve the quality of concerts for this target audience and raise likeability of classical music in young generations.

Giftedness and peer group: an exploration of the representational repertory on giftedness in the early school age

There has been growing interest in the issue of giftedness and in educational paths which can counteract the development of misrepresentations and negative attitudes on the theme. These forms of common sense contribute to interpreting social reality using shortcuts in thinking that are sometimes inadequate to explain the complexity of human personality and that, therefore, may generate some stereotypes and prejudices. The analysis and orientation of distorted representations could prompt the activation of inclusive behaviour towards gifted peers. This contribution therefore focuses on the representations concerning giftedness in the peer group. The project, carried out with pupils of primary school class, aims to explore the representations and attitudes of children exposed to a path of awareness on giftedness in order to support a correct and inclusive representation of the phenomenon.

The multiple constraints of addressed questions in whole-class interaction: Responses from unaddressed pupils

This article explores pupils’ responses to addressed questions in two third-year primary school classes, organized as plenary interaction and based on the next-speaker selection. In this context, unaddressed pupils often produce responses of various kinds spontaneously, showing that the next-speaker selection per se does not exclude unaddressed pupils from participating. Analysis of the design and position of these responses show their orderly nature as mainly depending on the following dimensions: the position of the address term in the question and who has primary access to answers. Pupils’ responses display a high level of awareness of the next-speaker selection rule operating in this setting, and more globally, of the turn-taking system. This competence enables pupils to understand and navigate the other-selection rule, often gaining their right to speakership. In line with prior studies on multiparty interactions, the article shows that teachers’ questions pose multiple constraints on responses.

Research on Innovative Practice of Midi Music Production in Music Class of Primary and Secondary Schools

Under the new curriculum reform, there are higher requirements for music teaching in primary and secondary schools in information technology based teaching, which also provides channels and platforms for the application and practice of Midi and music software in classroom teaching, and thus becoming one of the important content of music classroom reform in primary and secondary schools. In this study, the Midi music based theory knowledge is introduced with probes into the concrete methods for Midi music production. Through the computer music works creation practice, students can understand the Midi music production process so as to independently make a relatively complete works of music, improving primary and secondary school music classroom teaching effect.

A test of the maintenance of the effects of imagined contact framed with supportive social norms as a teacher-led field intervention

As the arrival of refugees and asylum seekers continues to increase, schools continue to become a vital center for children to develop positive intergroup attitudes. Teacher-led activities can become useful tools in sustainable prejudice reduction. A field intervention incorporated normative in-group influence with imagined intergroup contact to reduce children's anti-refugee bias. Ten primary school classes (N = 269, Mage = 10.69 years) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (a) class norm-framed imagined contact (n = 88), (b) family norm-framed imagined contact (n = 49), (c) religious in-group norm-framed imagined contact (n = 51), or (d) standard (n = 80) imagined contact. Teachers facilitated a series of four imagined contact activities over 4 weeks, with anti-refugee bias measured at baseline and 2 weeks after the final activity. Imagined contact framed in the class context was associated with significantly lower post-intervention contact intentions bias as compared to standard imagined contact. There were no significant effects of family or religion norm framed imagined contact conditions. Findings are discussed in relation to the feasibility of teacher-led school-based interventions and the importance of a supportive normative context in the classroom for anti-refugee bias.

Prevalence of molar incisor hypomineralization among school children in Rome, Italy.

Molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is a highly prevalent condition associated with increased caries experience, dental pain and treatment need. Aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of MIH in a group of 7–8 years old primary school children living in Rome, Italy; and to assess the association with caries experience and possible perinatal risk factors. A survey has been conducted in the city of Rome, between April 2019 and March 2020 with a total of 49 primary schools and 176 2nd grade primary school classes and a total of 3611 children being involved. Of these, a subset of 346 children of 21 primary schools was selected for the epidemiological investigation. The prevalence of MIH was of 18.2%, with girls showing twice the probability of being subject to a mild-severe condition. Molar location was present in 71.4%, while location on both molar plus incisor was present in 28.6% of cases. The mean DMFT was 0.44 ± 0.78, “D” was 0.17 ± 0.58; the mean dmft was 1.7 ± 2.56, “d” was 1.32 ± 2.21. Female gender, caries experience, insufficient oral hygiene were risk factors. The incidence of MIH is increasing in the pediatric population. Knowledge about diagnosis and treatment options should be disseminated among dental professionals.

Teacher mindset change in boundary-crossing lesson study:a case from China

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide an alternative approach to teacher learning on top of the usual practices of listening to experts' lectures and conducting school-based activities among peers in China. A boundary-crossing lesson study (BCLS) through school-university partnership served as an example to illustrate how a class teacher's mindset changed towards her students in equal interactions with university scholars.Design/methodology/approachWith the lenses of action science theory and boundary-crossing learning theory, the study used qualitative research approach to collect and analyze data. One Chinese primary school class teacher from a workshop on narrative action research was selected as the case for this study. Interviewing, observation and document analysis were used to collect data. Data analysis methods included categorization and contextualization of the teacher's mindset change towards her student.FindingsThe case teacher, Mrs. Li, collaborated closely in paired teaching with her university partner AP Yu in all the four phases of their BCLS. Each phase was marked with an interactive event such as dialogic illumination, reflexive theorization, embodied conversation, and fusion of teacher and trainer roles. With inspirational trust as a major interactive mechanism, Mrs. Li jumped out of her single-loop learning (changing strategies according to results) to double-loop learning (changing both strategies and values/values). As a result, her mindset changed from attribution to appreciation towards her low-achieving student.Originality/valueThis study made contributions in two ways. First, it examined a class teacher's mindset change towards her student, rather than that of subject matter teachers towards their teaching materials and methods. Second, it revealed how reflective interactions in a special kind of BCLS by school teachers and university scholars may promote the teacher's mindset change. The findings further confirm that having differences as boundaries is not enough for teacher learning. For deep learning like Mrs. Li's mindset change, it requires a respectful and inspirational relationship between school teachers and university scholars in the BCLS.

Utilizing a storyline approach to facilitating pupils’ agency in primary school sustainability education context

This article presents a six-week long action research study in two primary school classes, with the aim of exploring how a Storyline approach can facilitate learning and acting on sustainability issues, and how this approach might enhance pupils’ agency. This study is underpinned by and analyzed through theories of relational pedagogy, in which communication processes and interaction are central aspects of the learning process. The empirical material consists of video observations from classroom situations. The results show relational aspects of the teacher’s work in a Storyline and highlight the importance of the teacher’s caring role Storyline instruction. Further, results suggest that the reflective process entails critical thinking and has potential to support development of pupils’ democratic capabilities, including a civic dimension. This action research study adds to evidence concerning how relational agency has been exercised and performed through features of a Storyline.

Observed Quality of Formative Peer and Self-Assessment in Everyday Mathematics Teaching and its Effects on Student Performance

<p style="text-align: justify;">The positive effect of peer assessment and self-assessment strategies on learners' performance has been widely confirmed in experimental or quasi-experimental studies. However, whether peer and self-assessment within everyday mathematics teaching affect student learning and achievement, has rarely been studied. This study aimed to determine with what quality peer and self-assessment occur in everyday mathematics instruction and whether and which students benefit from it in terms of achievement and the learning process. Two lessons on division were video-recorded and rated to determine the quality of peer and self-assessment. Six hundred thirty-four students of fourth-grade primary school classes in German-speaking Switzerland participated in the study and completed a performance test on division. Multilevel analyses showed no general effect of the quality of peer or self-assessment on performance. However, high-quality self-assessment was beneficial for lower-performing students, who used a larger repertoire of calculation strategies, which helped them perform better. In conclusion, peer and self-assessment in real-life settings only have a small effect on the student performance in this Swiss study.</p>

Speaking Skills Enhancement through Digital Storytelling among Primary School Students in Malaysia

Speaking skills can be considered a key measure of success in learning a language. Learning Tamil, as an elective language in Malaysian National Primary schools, is extremely difficult for beginners compared to students in National Type Tamil Primary Schools in Malaysia. The aim of the research is to apply digital storytelling as a pedagogical approach in speaking classes in national primary schools with a view to promote Tamil speaking abilities of children. A collaborative quasi-experimental action research design was adopted to measure the efficacy of digital storytelling in enhancing students’ Tamil speaking skills. Action research was conducted with thirteen 2nd standard students aged between 7 and 8 years old, in a national primary school, in Pasir Gudang district, Johor, on a pilot project. The Tamil digital storytelling modules were developed in a mobile application with pre-and post-test survey tools and the respective class teachers were trained on the module to work with children in a regular classroom setting. The results showed that significant improvements were observed in students' comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency elements of the speaking skills after their participation in the digital storytelling sessions. As a result, the study suggests that digital storytelling may be an effective pedagogical approach to enhance students’ speaking abilities in the classroom and beyond to improve the students’ mother-tongue as second-language learning in schools.

Randomized Trial on the Effects of a Mindfulness Intervention on Temperament, Anxiety, and Depression: A Multi-Arm Psychometric Study.

Mindfulness is a mental state that can be achieved through meditation. So far, studies have shown that practicing mindfulness on a consistent and regular basis can improve attentional functions and emotional well-being. Mindfulness has recently begun to be used in the field of child development. The goal of this study is to assess if a mindfulness program may help primary school students in reducing anxiety and depression while also improving their temperamental characteristics. This multi-arm pre-post study included 41 subjects recruited in the fifth year of two primary school classes. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group, but not the control group, underwent an eight-week mindfulness training. Every week, the program included 60-min group sessions. QUIT (Italian Questionnaires of Temperament) and TAD (Test for Anxiety and Depression in Childhood and Adolescence) were used to assess temperament, and anxiety and depression, respectively. Both groups were administered both instruments before and after mindfulness intervention. The mindfulness program lowered anxiety levels and was effective in changing temperament dimensions: there was an increase in social orientation (SO), positive emotionality (PE), and attention (AT), as well as a decrease in inhibition to novelty (IN) and negative emotionality. Path analysis revealed that AT may promote the improvement of both SO and IN. Similarly, PE may be promoted by the decrease of IN. Clinical implications are discussed.

Effective Combination of Primary School Mathematics Teaching and Class Teacher Management

Effective Combination of Primary School Mathematics Teaching and Class Teacher Management