Primary Schools In Greece Research Articles

Collaboration Skills and Puzzles: Development of a Performance-Based Assessment—Results from 12 Primary Schools in Greece

Collaboration Skills and Puzzles: Development of a Performance-Based Assessment—Results from 12 Primary Schools in Greece

Online homework assignments: A case study for 5<sup>th</sup> grade of primary school in Greece

There is a growing body of scientific literature and research data recognizing the value of using online homework. Online homework may transform the way students learn outside the classroom, offering a dynamic and interactive approach to reinforcing learning objectives. This paper explores the concerns of educators arising from the integration of the online homework assignment and presents an educational intervention for 5<sup>th</sup> grade students. The aim of the intervention was to engage students in online homework as a supplementary material to the educational process. Results from the evaluation of the intervention are presented and the benefits of the intervention are highlighted. Although there are various technological, pedagogical and social challenges that need to be addressed, online homework can contribute to a more positive learning environment. Teachers who assign online homework seem to help enhance students’ intrinsic learning motivation so that students may achieve better learning outcomes.

The use of new technologies in a provincial primary school in Greece: A case study

The introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the educational process is a necessary step for improving the quality of education, as it keeps pace with the rapid pace of technological progress. This study aims to explore primary school teachers' views on the usefulness and challenges they face in integrating ICT into their teaching. For the study, qualitative research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with six primary school teachers working in a 6/seat provincial primary school who use ICT in the educational process. The interviews were analysed using the thematic analysis method. The findings of the thematic analysis revealed four main themes: 1) the usefulness of ICT, 2) the types of ICT used, 3) the difficulties teachers face in using ICT, and 4) strategies for managing these difficulties. In particular, ICT improves the quality of the educational process, enhances student participation and interest, and improves educational outcomes for students with special educational needs, such as learning difficulties. The types of ICT preferred are computers, projectors, the Internet, educational videos and software games. The main difficulties identified include a lack of logistical infrastructure, limited teacher time based on the curriculum and insufficient teacher training. Strategies to manage these difficulties include initiatives to acquire equipment through Christmas bazaars, teacher adaptability and the need to attend training programmes. Suggestions for future research include expanding the sample and exploring the views of students and parents.

Developing and strengthening learning motivation: Evidence from a project for primary education in Greece

This study reports the results obtained from the implementation of an educational program for primary education in relation to the development or enhancement of students’ learning motivation. The publication of a school journal by 24 6<sup>th</sup> grade students at a public primary school in Greece and their teacher was the main project of the project. The students worked in a communicative and collaborative environment and were encouraged to actively participate in all stages of writing and publishing the magazine. The study describes the pedagogical approach followed by the teacher and the main topics of the journal. The way of collecting the qualitative and quantitative data of the research conducted and the analysis of the data are also mentioned. In relation to the quantitative data, the students’ motivation index (SMI) was calculated before and after the educational project. The results of the quantitative analysis showed that after the implementation of the program, SMI had increased, and the results were statistically significant for both boys and girls. Qualitative data collected agreed with the quantitative results.

The Association between the Dietary Antioxidant Index and Weight Status in Primary School Students: An Epidemiological Study.

Obesity is an emerging threat and a current challenge for children and adolescents worldwide. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the relationship between the Dietary Antioxidant Index (DAI) and the weight status of students in early adolescence. A sample of 1580 students aged 10-12 years from 47 primary schools in Greece were enrolled. Anthropometric characteristics were assessed, and calculation of the Body Mass Index (BMI) was used to categorize students into two weight-status groups. Dietary habits and physical activity were evaluated using a self-completed questionnaire, and the DAI was calculated through derived micronutrients' content, along with energy, macro-, and micro-nutrient intake. Crude and adjusted regression analysis showed a significant inverse association of the DAI and body weight status (Odds Ratio (OR): 0.719, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.576; 0.897, and adjusted Odds Ration (aOR): 0.667, 95% CI: 0.489; 0.907). An antioxidant diet seems to play a protective role against increased body weight among students in early adolescence. Thus, dietary patterns rich in antioxidants should be promoted to facilitate healthy habits early in life, and to fight the obesity threat.

Technology use and integration in state-funded primary schools: a structural equation model

ABSTRACT This research explored the factors that influence technology use and integration in primary schools and how these factors interact with each other. A large-scale survey was conducted. The participants were 534 teachers in state-funded primary schools in Greece. The most important factors for technology use were found to be the availability of equipment and the performance and effort expectancy, whilst the most significant factors predicting technology integration were the frequency of use of equipment, teachers’ knowledge and the school culture. This study recommends more funding for school technological equipment and more opportunities for teachers’ professional development.

The role of information technology in managing the human resource development of educators in inclusion-based primary schools in Greece

The rapid growth in technology offers both benefits and challenges to traditional teaching and learning methods in the field of education. Not only is information technology (IT) a study topic itself, but it also has a significant impact on all other academic fields. The ways in which teaching, learning, and human resource management are conducted in educational institutions are changing as a result of the integration of IT, particularly in inclusive settings. The purpose of this project is to investigate the effects of using a variety of IT tools and integrating IT into the curriculum in inclusive elementary schools in Greece. It looks at the ways in which these variables affect the development and management of human resources, with an emphasis on teachers working in inclusive environments. A questionnaire survey was sent to 396 education sector experts, which made it possible to get quantifiable information about these experts' opinions on the influence and integration of IT in learning environments. The findings show that the deployment of different IT tools in inclusive schools and the integration of these technologies into the inclusive curriculum have a favorable impact on the efficient management and development of human resources in these learning settings. The study confirms that integrating IT into the classroom is essential to prepare pupils for life in a knowledge-based society. To keep up with the rapid improvements in technology and economic globalization, educational institutions must proactively innovate and change their methods to human resource management.

Achieving digital education in primary schools: Success factors and policy recommendations

This paper examines the current education policy for achieving digital education in European Union overall and in Greece specifically. By using a theoretical framework of policy enactment, this study explored different factors which could predict technology integration and digital education. A survey was conducted with 205 classroom teachers across 32 primary schools in Greece. The analysis tracked the progress towards achieving digital education. The results of this study confirmed that current policies are accurately targeted on significant areas which are predictors of technology integration. This paper recommends strategies for achieving, scaling, and sustaining school system improvement for digital education.

Teacher Professional Development, In-School Training and STEM

Professional development has central value at the professional life of teachers, a fact that is sealed by the institutionalization of compulsory in-school training in Elementary schools. Equally important is STEM education, appearing in both new curricula and skills workshops. Teachers therefore find themselves on the receiving end of intense reform initiatives. This work aims to record the factors that enhance the participation of teachers in in-school trainings and to describe the relationship of professional development to in-school training and STEM, as expressed by the teachers themselves. This is a focused case study of 11 teachers of a primary school in Greece. Our findings focus on each participant professional profile, his/her experience of attending in-school education, the characteristics of in-school education, the perceived relation of in-school training and professional development, as well as in-school education and STEM education.

Challenging Greek Primary Students’ Knowledge of Ocean Acidification Using the Carbon Cycle Context

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of an intervention on primary school students’ construction of knowledge on ocean acidification and the development of their systems thinking. Eighty-five 11 to 12-year-old students from five different classes of two public primary schools in Greece participated in the 8-h intervention. The intervention included inquiry-based and knowledge-integration activities, and students worked in groups during all activities. Rich pictures, made by the groups at the beginning and the end of the intervention, were used to evaluate their progress in their knowledge concerning the carbon cycle, as well as in their systems thinking. Our findings showed that the intervention contributed to primary students’ conceptual knowledge of the carbon cycle and the inclusion of ocean acidification in the carbon cycle. It also helped them improve their systems thinking, indicating that students’ systems thinking at this age could be developed through formal instruction with interventions which emphasize content knowledge and use an earth systems approach. Moreover, our findings indicate that the systems thinking perspective can serve as an effective approach to help children better understand and critically engage with complex environmental issues, such as ocean acidification.

Constructing ‘the parents’ in primary schools in Greece: special education teachers’ whispers

The Greek educational system is highly centralized and the communication between parents and teachers is considered as a marginal or a grey area in the school function. Educational legislation favours parents’ involvement rather than participation and implies an imbalance between parents and professionals. Drawing on a study using a life history approach, this paper considers the ways in which special education teachers in both special education schools and integration units perceive the parents of their students. The boundaries between expert knowledge and personal experience form a contested terrain of power relationships. These relationships are shaped by circumstances and are highly contextualized. Special school teachers deem parents in a deficit discourse while Integration unit teachers deem parents in a client discourse. The construction of the “parents” seems to be a gendered and social class issue as well. This work also reveals some implications for the teachers’ training programmes in order to ensure a more equal partnership at more inclusive and democratic schools.

Education of students from Greek schools regarding natural disasters through STEAM

The goal of our research is to educate students at primary schools in Greece on rapid ongoing natural disasters through the holistic-interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM)-based method. As a learning tool, an integrated program was designed with a variety of actions and activities aiming to experientially educate students in a holistic-interdisciplinary STEAM-based way. These are based on science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. This three-month program was chosen to be conducted in a private school of Attica, Greece, for the course “skill laboratories”. It was conducted to students of the second (seven years old) and the fifth grade of primary school (10 years old). In the beginning and the end of the program, the 133 participating students were given questionnaires, in order for the program to be assessed as to whether it managed to accomplish the initial goals. A total of 266 digital questionnaires were collected through ArcGIS survey123 application (part of geospatial cloud by Esri), which is an integrated solution for the creation, distribution and analysis of survey data. From the statistical analysis of their answers, the conclusion was that the vast majority of the students felt stress, confusion, depression and shock when they saw a forest fire. Most kids stated that they have thought of the consequences of extended wildfires and the flood events that follow.

Implementing a scientifically based educational intervention in mainstream primary schools before and during COVID-19 era: Evidence from Greek-speaking children

BackgroundWhile morphological awareness has been recognized as a fundamental skill in students’ literacy acquisition, experimental evidence is still scarce, especially regarding studies during pandemic. AimThe aim of the study was to present a scientifically based educational intervention of morphological awareness which was implemented in two mainstream primary schools in Greece during COVID-19 era (2020–2021). MethodParticipants were 72 primary school students (3rd/4th Grades) who were divided into an intervention and a control group per class. All students were assessed via tests of intelligence, literacy and language before pandemic. The intervention took place during pandemic in the school classroom of the experimental groups and included a pre-test, a training program and a post-test. The experimental material comprised of compounds which pose particular difficulties to children in terms of spelling and meaning. ResultsThe results showed that the systematic exercise of the morphological structure of words increased significantly students’ spelling and semantic performance, including those with low literacy performance. ConclusionsThese findings underline the importance and feasibility of implementing scientifically based educational interventions in mainstream education during COVID-19 era. Theoretical and practical issues concerning the implementation of hybrid models of educational interventions and scientific research in education are discussed.

Schoolteachers Teach First Aid and Trauma Management to Young Primary School Children: An Experimental Study with Educational Intervention

Objectives: The primary objective of this pilot study was to examine the effectiveness of teaching first aid to 6–8-year-old children within their primary school setting. The study aimed to address two key research questions: (1) Can children of this age group acquire first aid and trauma management skills from their schoolteachers? (2) How long do children retain the acquired first aid knowledge? Methods: A pilot experimental study with an educational intervention was conducted in a single primary school in Greece. A total of 60 schoolchildren aged 6–8 years were randomly selected for participation, with 30 children assigned to the training group and 30 children assigned to the control group, which did not receive any intervention. To assess the children’s understanding of first aid, a specialized questionnaire was administered to all children one day before the training, as well as to the training group one day after the training, and at two and six months following the training. Results: Prior to the training, there were no significant differences in first aid knowledge between the children in the training group and those in the control group. However, one day after the training, the trained children demonstrated significantly higher scores (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. Over time, the first aid knowledge of the trained children gradually declined at the two- and six-month follow-up assessments, although it remained higher than their pre-training level. Conclusions: First aid training provided by their teachers improved the knowledge of 6–8-year-old primary school children in first aid and trauma management.

The Use of Open Educational Resources as Teaching Tools in Primary Education: Activities by Postgraduate Students of the Hellenic Open University

This paper attempts to explore the views of postgraduate students of the Hellenic Open University on the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) as teaching tools in teaching and learning for primary school students and more specifically the potential and limitations of OER. In this context, the research sample consisted of twenty-six (26) postgraduate students of the Hellenic Open University, who simultaneously worked as teachers in various Primary Schools in Greece. The sampling method followed was “convenience sampling”. The research tool for data collection was the use of an appropriately designed anonymous questionnaire in the form of a written questionnaire. It contained two open-ended questions which were considered - for the purposes of the research - as a questionnaire in the form of an open-ended structured interview. From the analysis and processing of the research data, the main conclusions are: i) the main potentials of OER as teaching tools recorded by the research subjects are open and easy access to information and virtual environments, reuse and continuous adaptation, modernization and innovation, variety and different forms of OER, saving financial resources, saving time for the teacher, etc. ii) the main constraints are the difficulty of quality control of OER, copyright restrictions, the lack of pedagogical and teaching criteria, the lack of logistical infrastructure, the need for internet access, the amount of time the teacher has to spend to identify them, the lack of knowledge and training on OER, the difficulty of finding OER relevant to the subjects, the lack of accessibility tools for students with special educational needs.

Differentiated Instruction as A Learner - Centred Form of Teaching in Primary Education: Views and Attitudes of Greek Teachers

The present study aims to explore the attitudes and opinions of active Greek teachers regarding the implementation of Differentiated Instruction (DI) as a student - centred form of teaching in Primary Education. In particular, it is investigated whether during the planning and implementation of teaching teachers proceed to specific teaching actions that have as their focus the student, such as collecting information before the beginning of the teaching process about the students' learning readiness, learning profile and interests, adapting the teaching of a teaching unit to areas that were not understood by the students, using a variety of ways and means in the presentation of the new content of the learning unit, using a variety of methods and media in the presentation of the new content of the learning unit, and using a variety of methods and media in order to improve the learning process. The research was conducted with a sample of two hundred and ten teachers who taught in primary schools in Greece. A structured questionnaire was used as a research tool. The main conclusions that emerged in the research are as follows: a) A high percentage of the research participants report that before the beginning of the teaching process they collect information about the students' learning readiness, learning profile and interests, b) A high percentage of the research participants report that they use the students' ideas and experiences to design activities in the classroom, that in designing activities they take into account the different ways in which each student.

Teaching of Primary School Social Studies in Greece: An Analysis of Curriculum Implementation

This study investigates how teachers and students assess curriculum implementation in social studies courses at primary school in Greece. Through a survey questionnaire teachers were asked to express their perceptions of the curriculum guidelines, materials and instructional and evaluation procedures. The results indicated that teachers find little help in curriculum guidelines in terms of determining instructional methods, materials and evaluation strategies they use in their class. The most common approach to classroom instruction in social studies is lecturing and discussion followed by recitation. The use of materials other than the course textbook is very limited, and textbook-related activities are the most common mode of homework assignment given to the students. Oral exams and short-answer tests are the most common mode of student evaluation in social studies classes.

Anti-Bullying Strategy towards Parents: A Comparative Analysis between Principals of Experimental and Non-Experimental Primary Schools in Greece

School bullying is a type of bullying that occurs in an educational setting. In the present study, we examine the differences in strategy towards parents followed by principals of public experimental and non-experimental primary schools in Greece in their effort to deal with bullying regarding issues related to the proper treatment of the phenomenon. A sample of 11 school principals was the focus of this research. In particular, the population examined were the principals of the three public experimental primary schools of the prefecture of Thessaloniki and eight randomly selected principals of non-experimental public primary schools of the same prefecture. In the prefecture of Thessaloniki, the problem of bullying seems to exist and concern to a great extent the principals of primary education who constitute the sample of this research and pursue their strategy to find appropriate solutions for its immediate and effective coping. At the same time, these principals follow, to a significant degree, common practices in dealing with the phenomenon in their effort to reduce it or even eliminate it, revealing however significant shortcomings on their part.

THE SOFT TOYS AS A CONSOLATION PLAY-OBJECT IN SCHOOL AFTER THE COVID PERIOD. THE “TEDDY BEAR PROJECT” IN PRIMARY ART CLASSROOM

Right after the post-COVID era, first-grade primary school children not only had to adapt to the school environment but also to make up for the social and emotional isolation they had experienced in the previous two years. Pupils experienced great difficulties in terms of their emotional response to the relational social networks that develop during their integration into primary school. This need, created the "Teddy bear project", a project that was shared with all first-grade classes in an experimental primary school in Greece. The project was carried out in three phases, during which, the students worked with their teddy bears in the art workshop. The transitional soft toys provided the children with feelings of comfort, companionship and intimacy. The children had the opportunity to observe themselves through their dolls and their classmates through their own dolls. Children developed empathy for others and made connections through their play-objects to themselves, their classmates and the school environment.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0005/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

USE OF ONE-TO-ONE IPAD IN PRIMARY SCHOOL TO TEACH THE CONCEPT OF ENERGY IN PHYSICS: A CASE STUDY

In recent years, technology has become an increasingly important tool in education. The use of technology in primary education has become increasingly popular in recent years, and the iPad has emerged as one of the most versatile and powerful tools for enhancing learning. This paper will focus on the impact of one-to-one iPad use in primary schools on teaching the concept of energy in physics. A total of 25 students in the 3rd grade from a primary school in Greece participated in the study, using iPads during their physics lessons. This study’s results showed that iPads significantly improved the student’s understanding of energy in physics. The students who used iPads had a more profound understanding of the concept, showed greater engagement and motivation and demonstrated a deeper understanding of the material.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0031/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>