Primary School Learners Research Articles

Teacher’s views on professional learning and development in primary schools in Fiji

Teacher’s views on professional learning and development in primary schools in Fiji

越南汉语学习者低龄化趋势：成因与现状分析——以胡志明市商业华语培训中心为例

<p>In recent years, there has been a noticeable trend of younger learners taking up Chinese globally. Since the Vietnamese Ministry of Education included Chinese as an elective foreign language in primary schools in 2021, the number of primary and secondary school students learning Chinese has significantly increased. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the current state of Chinese learning in Vietnamese primary and secondary schools, identify potential challenges in the process of younger learners taking up Chinese, and provide valuable data support for the formulation of long-term Chinese education development plans, this study uses the Hoavan SHZ Chinese Training Center as a case study. It explores the enrollment situation and operational status of young learners over the past ten years. Through data analysis and interviews, the study examines changes in the age groups of young learners, the causes of the trend toward younger learners, the prospects for development, and the challenges faced. The results show that the number of young Chinese learners in Vietnam has been steadily increasing, with the age of learners continuously decreasing, including preschool children starting to learn Chinese. National education policies and the deepening of China-Vietnam cooperation are the main driving forces. To respond to this trend and meet the needs of parents and students, this paper advocates cultivating students' interest in learning, improving the quality of teachers, and refining teaching materials and methods.</p>

Analysis of Interactive Educational Puzzle Media to Improve Elementary School Students' English Language Skills

This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of interactive edugame puzzle media in improving English language skills of primary school students. The method used is a literature study that reviews various literature and previous research results related to using interactive learning media, especially edugame puzzles, in learning English at the primary school level. The results of the analysis show that interactive edugame puzzle media has significant potential to improve students’ English language skills, especially in the aspects of vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension. Factors contributing to this media’s effectiveness include interactive elements, immediate feedback, and fun aspects that increase students’ learning motivation. However, effective implementation requires careful design and support from teachers. This study concludes that interactive edugame puzzle media can be a valuable tool in English language learning in primary schools, with recommendations for further research into optimal design and implementation strategies in different learning contexts.

Fostering an enabling environment for Learners with Special Needs in rural primary schools in Lesotho

Successful inclusion of Learners with Special Educational Needs in mainstream teaching and learning is a challenge globally. This study explores fostering an enabling environment for Learners with Special Educational Needs in rural primary schools in Lesotho. Data for the study were collected using a qualitative approach using a case study design, and analysis was done through Thematic Analysis. Thirteen teachers from two primary schools in the rural community and two officials from the Ministry of Education and Training purposively were selected in Lesotho and participated in this study. Focus group discussions and one-on-one semi-structured interviews were used as instruments for data collection. Thematic results showed that teachers’ inflexibility hindered the creation of an enabling environment in terms of infrastructure and poor allocation of resources, which were critical challenges to support LSEN in their daily teaching and learning activities. The results revealed that not enabling environments and the unavailability of relevant resources increase the number of dropouts in schools among LSEN. The results further revealed that the lack of pertinent training for regular teachers to help special education learners succeed effectively handicapped the education of LSEN in mainstream teaching and learning. Therefore, the study recommends that teachers be given continuous workshops by MoET and in-service training to fill the gaps in special education programmes and produce teachers who can be relevant in inclusive teaching and learning in Lesotho's primary mainstream schools, particularly rural schools.

SCHOOL CULTURAL PRACTICES AND LEARNERS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN RWANDA: A CASE OF GASABO DISTRICT

This study investigates the impact of positive cultural practices in schools on the academic performance of learners in public primary schools in Gasabo District, Rwanda. It focuses on three key objectives: identifying the cultural practices upheld by school leaders, assessing the correlation between these practices and learners academic outcomes, and determining the overall influence of these practices on academic achievement. The research adopts both descriptive and correlational research designs, with data collected from a sample of 168 respondents through questionnaires and interviews. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Version 24, employing descriptive, correlational, and regression analyses to address the research questions. The findings reveal that 48.6% of schools do not prioritize cultural practices as a mean to enhance academic performance. However, 78.8% of respondents indicated that academic outcomes, including promotion, graduation rates, repetition rates, and test scores, are significantly influenced by the daily operations of schools. Additionally, 56.3% of respondents agreed that school norms, vision, goals, teacher-learner relationships, and assessment methods play a crucial role in academic success. Regression analysis demonstrated that school cultural practices account for 79.3% of the variance in academic performance (R-square), with a strong positive correlation (Pearsons coefficient = 0.916, p-value < 0.01) between these practices and academic outcomes. The study concludes that the implementation of shared goals, school symbols, norms, and positive teacher-learner relationships can significantly enhance academic performance. It recommends that the Rwandan Ministry of Education and educational planners provide training on cultural practices to school leaders to further improve learner outcomes.

An Analysis of the Value of Informal Learning in Primary Schools

An Analysis of the Value of Informal Learning in Primary Schools

The Role of L1 and Age Effect in the Acquisition of EnglishArticles among Croatian Young EFL Learners

The category of definiteness/indefiniteness is often seen as a linguistic universal (Chomsky 2000; Silić 2000) that exists in every human language but is expressed with different linguistic means and patterns in different languages. In English, this category is grammaticalized primarily via articles (Zergollern-Miletić 2008). The Croatian language does not contain an article system, and acquiring English articles represents a major problem for most learners of English as a foreign language (Balenović and Medved Krajnović 2013; Zergollern-Miletić 2015). The present paper investigates difficulties in acquiring English articles among young learners in Croatia in written tasks. Pupils involved in the research started learning English in the first grade of primary school. A total of 76 primary school learners from six different classes (schools) and different age groups were included in this research. The initial hypothesis is that the correct use of articles increases as learners’ overall L2 proficiency increases due to exposure to instructed EFL learning. A qualitative analysis was carried out using error analysis, i.e., proper/wrong use, or omission of the article. The findings partially confirmed the initial hypothesis and showed that our participants were becoming aware of the existence of English articles (they comprehended that articles should precede nouns), but we found very frequent article omission, which, according to our research results, indicates that the process of developing and understanding the semantic and pragmatic role of English articles is long and fluctuating specifically with learners whose L1 lacks the article system.

The Development of Raya-In: Learning Media Based on Smart Apps Creator to Improve Primary School Social Science Learning

Technology-based learning media in social science are not readily available in primary schools. Meanwhile, learning media, especially technology-based, supports social science competencies for primary school students. This study aimed to develop learning media, named Raya-In (Ragam Budaya Indonesia), based on Smart Apps Creator to improve the social science learning of fourth-grade students in SDN Kangkung 01 within the Indonesian cultural diversity theme. This study used the Borg and Gall model design, which consisted of 8 stages: potential and problem analysis, data collection, product design, product validation, revision, small-scale trial, large-scale trial, and final product. The study involved media experts and content experts to validate the media. The subjects were fourth-grade students of SDN Kangkung 1 (n=39). Data was collected by observation, interview, pretest, questionnaire, documentation, and posttest. The final result showed that Raya-In passed the media and content experts' evaluation and revision processes. The media and content experts gave high scores in the qualified category. The Pretest, posttest, T-test, and N-gain tests showed that Raya-In supported social science learning. The study aligned with learning in the current era, using technology-based media. Raya-In development based on Smart Apps Creator was validated to support social science learning in primary school.

The Influence of the Penggerak School Program and Teacher’s Work Motivation on the Quality of Primary School Learning

The Influence of the Penggerak School Program and Teacher’s Work Motivation on the Quality of Primary School Learning

The Influence of Guru Penggerak Education and Teacher’s Discipline on the Quality of Primary School Learning

The Influence of Guru Penggerak Education and Teacher’s Discipline on the Quality of Primary School Learning

Problems of Teachers Pedagogical Competence in Primary School Learning

<p>Kompetensi pedagogik guru menentukan kualitas pembelajaran, namun masih banyak guru yang belum memenuhi kualifikasi sebagai guru berkompeten sehingga sulit diwujudkan upaya dalam mencerdaskan generasi. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menguraikan problematika terkait kompetensi pedagogik guru sekolah dasar dalam pembelajaran serta solusi untuk mengatasi problematika tersebut. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif, yaitu dengan analisis literatur. Adapun yang menjadi sumber rujukan yaitu artikel yang ditulis oleh para ahli yang telah diterbitkan ke dalam jurnal nasional serta kebijakan pemerintah. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa dalam implementasinya terdapat banyak problematika pada kompetensi pedagogik guru, meliputi: kurangnya pemahaman guru terhadap siswa, desain dan pelaksanaan pembelajaran yang kurang baik, serta evaluasi hasil pembelajaran yang tidak memadai. Adapun solusi problematika tersebut dilakukan melalui penyelenggaraan program pengembangan profesionalisme guru yang efektif, peningkatan kompetensi guru melalui pelatihan penggunaan teknologi digital, dan mendorong guru untuk aktif dalam kegiatan ilmiah.</p>

Waist-based anthropometric measures and central adiposity-related comorbidities in children.

Waist-related measures are commonly used to classify central adiposity and related comorbidities. This classification may be essential among children, as it may identify the risk of future non-communicable diseases. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa, among 459 primary school learners aged 9-14 years. Height, weight and waist circumference (WC) were measured using standardised techniques recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). The anthropometric measurements, including body mass index (BMI), WC, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were computed and evaluated. Most participants were girls (57.70%) with an average age of 11.20 ± 1.60 years. The average weight was 38.81 kg ± 10.49 kg with an average height of 144.16 (standard deviation [s.d.] = 10.37) cm. The sample had a BMI of 18.41 kg/m2(s.d. = 3.19). The results showed, on average, WC of 62.10 cm ± 8.12 cm, WHR of 0.82 ± 0.15 and WHtR of 0.44 ± 0.05. Girls reported significantly higher BMI, WC and WHtR. Based on WHtR, the results showed the acceptable ability to classify children according to abdominal obesity, thus identifying their risk for comorbidities. Overall body fat indicated by BMI and central obesity shown by waist-related anthropometric measures can play a significant role in classifying children in terms of their risk of comorbidities.Contribution:To prevent the risks of metabolic diseases in childhood, it is necessary to detect abdominal obesity early using WC-based anthropometric measurements, especially WHtR, to identify those at risk.

Teachers’ perspectives on diverse genders and sexualities in a South African primary school

ABSTRACT How teachers respond to, and interact with, learners of diverse genders and sexualities is critical to ensuring their safe and inclusive schooling experiences. This paper examines the perspectives and responses towards learners of diverse genders and sexualities of a selected group of teachers in a primary school in South Africa. Twelve teachers were interviewed for this qualitative study, and the findings reveal that teachers had a limited understanding of diverse genders and sexualities and mostly held heteronormative and moralistic views. They also considered children as deficient and innocent and were awkward about acknowledging and responding to diverse genders and sexualities with primary school learners. To create a safe and supportive environment for children to understand and construct their genders and sexualities, teachers need to improve their understanding of gender and sexuality, critically reflect on their conservative socialisation and moral judgements, and address their discomfort concerning diverse genders and sexualities among children. Teacher education must prepare teachers in a manner that recognises the complex ways in which gender and sexuality infuse all aspects of learners’ lives. This education should prepare all teachers to adopt a non-judgemental approach to gender and sexuality inclusion in ways that challenge heteronormativity in the primary school.

The Efficacy of the Sensorimotor Training Program on Sensorimotor Development, Auditory and Visual Skills of Schoolchildren Aged 5–8 Years

Abstract Background Around 800 million young children worldwide have cognitive-developmental limitations due to issues related to biological, environmental, and psychosocial factors. These problems lead to educational challenges, limited skill development, and higher unemployment rates. Therefore, timely interventions addressing the underlying problems in institutional settings are critically important. Objective The authors created the “Sensorimotor Training Program” (STP) as a critical intervention to develop skills essential for starting school. This experimental study aimed to investigate the impact of the STP in an institutional setting, targeting the specific auditory and visual skills crucial for kindergarten and primary school learning. Methods The STP comprises 120 training sessions focused on sensorimotor maturation. Seven hundred and seventy-two children aged 5–8 participated in the study, with 704 in the experimental and 68 in the control group, each containing a relatively balanced ratio of boys to girls. The study spanned six to eight months, with three to five weekly sessions. Results The intervention resulted in significant improvements in sensorimotor development in the experimental compared to the control group [p < .001, effect size (d) = .483; auditory skills r = .605 p < .001, d = .366; visual skills r = .542, p < .001, d = .294]. The intervention group also improved compared to its baseline measurements. Conclusion These results show that implementing the STP in school settings can improve sensorimotor development, impacting auditory and visual skills in children aged 5–8. These intervention-based improvements are above and beyond biological maturation.

EGRA Teaching and Learning Resources on Reading Abilities of Early-Grade Learners in Public Primary Schools in Kiambu County, Kenya

Early Grade Reading Activities (EGRA) is a programme aimed at improving reading in grades one to three. This programme entails various interventions, including the development and distribution of teaching and learning resources. This study sought to investigate the influence of EGRA teaching and learning resources on the reading abilities of early-grade learners in public primary schools in Kiambu County. The study made use of the descriptive survey research design. The target population was 26,156 individuals from the 576 public primary schools in Kiambu County. This population comprised 1,408 grade one to three teachers and 24,748 grade 3 learners in the public primary schools in Kiambu County. A sample of 1066 individuals comprising 57 lower grade teachers and 1009 grade 3 learners were selected using the clustered sampling technique. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the teachers, while an achievement test was used to collect data from learners. Data was analysed using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviation, while the linear regression method was used to test the relationships between variables. Results showed that EGRA teaching and learning resources (β= 0.209, t= 2.263, p= .028) had a positive and statistically significant influence on learners reading abilities. Based on the findings, the study concludes that interventions that seek to improve teaching and learning resources are effective in improving early-grade reading abilities. This information could be of great significance in designing future programmes that reflect good practices and implementation. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education should sustain the flow of teaching and learning resources at the end of the EGRA programme because there is evidence that these resources are effective in promoting reading.

Professional Learning in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

The four International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes provide an inquiry- and concept-driven approach to teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools around the world. This educational philosophy is often different to teachers’ previous training and experience, yet little research has been done into how continuing professional development addresses the challenge of understanding and implementing the IB programmes. This phenomenological study explored the professional learning experiences of seven experienced IB Diploma Programme teachers working in different international schools. The findings provide a rich narrative of the teachers’ lived experience to show that, while official IB workshops are helpful in developing understanding of certain aspects of the Diploma Programme, ongoing, job-embedded learning is also required for deep understanding and effective implementation of the IB educational philosophy. This study shows how the theory of social constructivism provides a foundation for exploring a range of formal and informal learning options for teachers and schools to develop individual and collective understanding and implementation of the IB educational philosophy.

Technology-Based English Learning in Primary School: A Systematic Review

This systematic review aimed to investigate trends in technology-based English learning within primary education. Data were systematically collected, identified, reviewed, and interpreted from relevant research articles published in both national and international journals from 2010 to 2023. The review focused on research pertaining to trends in Technology-Based Learning (TBL) at the primary level, guided by specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 42 research articles addressing technology-based English learning trends were identified, with eight articles focusing specifically on primary education. While previous studies have broadly explored the role of technology in education, this review addresses a gap by examining current trends in technology use within primary schools. The findings indicate that internet-based learning tools, such as YouTube videos, represent a significant trend in TBL suitable for primary education. These tools offer notable benefits in developing listening and speaking skills, thereby enhancing storytelling competence. Additionally, the review identified challenges associated with TBL, particularly technophobia, which affects both teachers and students. Technophobia has been shown to have adverse effects on primary students’ learning experiences. The insights gained from this review provide valuable guidance for English teachers and researchers, highlighting current developments in technology-based English learning and offering strategies to address and mitigate technophobia among primary school educators and students.

Adaptation of the Child’s Body to Primary School Education

The systematic review of the literature presents data on the factors of the school environment, as well as on the psychological, social and physiological aspects of the child’s adaptation to learning in primary school. The criteria for successful adaptation in this aspect are academic performance, behavior and inclusion of the child in the social environment, as well as moderate shifts in physiological indicators. Modern approaches to the study of physiological reactions associated with adaptation to school are described, based primarily on the dynamics of cortisol in saliva and the variability of biological rhythms. The role of health is emphasized and data on the adaptation of children with disabilities to school are presented. The important role of the mother and intra-family relations on the nature and effectiveness of adaptation processes is shown.

The impact of Teachers Professional Development on Learners Academic Performance in Selected Primary Schools in Kumi District

The study was aimed at on examining the effects of teacher professional development on learners’ academic performance in Kumi district. Teacher professional development is one of the concerns among different stakeholders who have interest in education in most of the developed and developing nations. With a lot of pressure among the educators to improve the academic performance among the learners, teachers’ continuous professional development has become a necessity for the schools that are committed to improving the academic performance of their learners. Teachers' professional development refers to a continuous process of acquiring new knowledge, skills, and competencies to improve their teaching practices and enhance student learning outcomes. This development can take various forms and often involves both formal and informal learning opportunities. The study was guided by three objective (i) To examine the relationship between workshops and learners’ academic achievements ii to establish the relationship between teacher leadership and learners’ academic achievements iii To assess the relationship between motivation and learners academic achievements. The key aspects of professional development include online courses motivation, teacher leadership, workshops and seminars, mentoring, collaborative learning, in-service training, graduate education, peer observation and conferences. The purpose of this research paper was to find out how teachers professional development affects the academic performance of learners in primary schools in Kumi. This research was conducted in selected primary schools in Kumi district.

Intensity matters in CLIL: Evidence from primary school learners’ receptive skills

The implementation of L2-medium education, exemplified by Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), is becoming increasingly popular in primary schools (García Mayo, 2021). While previous research highlights CLIL's positive impact on linguistic competence (Jiménez-Catalán & Ruiz de Zarobe, 2009), differences in linguistic achievement are often associated with varying exposure hours (Pladevall-Ballester & Vallbona, 2016). Despite CLIL's growing popularity, studies examining linguistic achievement in varying-intensity CLIL programs remain scant. We address this gap by comparing low and high-intensity CLIL programs, alongside a standard English as a foreign language (EFL) program in primary schools. Focused on 11-year-olds' receptive skills, our results show that high-intensity programs significantly enhance proficiency in listening and reading when compared to their lower-intensity counterparts. Distinctions between low-intensity and EFL programs are non-significant. These findings underscore the critical role of the intensity of exposure in shaping the effectiveness of CLIL programs and contribute insights for refining CLIL program design guidelines.