Primary School Programs Research Articles

Feasibility, acceptability and potential efficacy of a virtual physical activity program in primary and secondary schools in New South Wales, Australia: A quasi-experimental study.

Child and youth participation in physical activity (PA) is fundamental for healthy development and obesity prevention. Government policy requires schools to offer 150 minutes of PA each week, however compliance is low. Race around Australia (RAA) is a New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education, virtual PA program aimed at assisting schools in meeting the PA guidelines. A pre- and post-intervention, quasi-experimental study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach comprising teacher interviews, a student questionnaire and a 1.6 kilometre (km) timed run. Data were collected from April to September 2021 among students and teachers in Grades 5 to 8, from 10 schools in NSW, Australia. The analytical sample included data from 918 students and 17 teachers. The RAA program was deemed feasible and acceptable in primary schools, whereas there were several systemic and intrapersonal barriers to implementation success for secondary schools. In primary schools, RAA increased PA opportunities and the 1.6km timed runs revealed a statistically significant treatment by time effect in favour of the intervention group for cardiorespiratory fitness (-36.91 seconds, 95% CI [-63.14, -10.68], P=.006). RAA has demonstrated feasibility and potential efficacy in improving cardiorespiratory fitness. We recommend that program refinement be made to deliver an intervention that addresses the unique barriers of the secondary school setting through a multi-level ecological approach. SO WHAT?: Despite evident benefits, implementation of PA initiatives in the school setting reveals many challenges. Stronger consideration of the Health Promotion with Schools Framework is evidently needed.

Continuity of Language Learning from Primary to Secondary: Secondary School Language Learners’ Investment and Identity Development in Language Learning

ABSTRACT This paper explores secondary school students’ investment in their language learning after having graduated from one of four bilingual (also termed Content and Language Integrated Language (CLIL)) primary school programs in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. We show the different study pathways pursued by a selection of students and illustrate whether and how students continue with language learning from their bilingual primary program, how they may have invested in their language learning, and how this investment may have assisted with their identity development and related continuity with language study. Investment (individual and community) impacts upon learners’ identity development in the additional language, and thereby impacts choices made to continue or cease language learning when challenges are encountered in the progression of language learning across the year levels and as learners progress from primary to secondary school.

Development of a pilot human-canine ethogram for an animal-assisted education programme in primary schools – A case study

Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have received increased research and practice interest in Hong Kong. The physical and psychological well-being of trained animals in AAI has been advocated in Hong Kong, but it has not been assessed objectively to evaluate animal welfare. This paper describes the development of a pilot ethogram (i.e., The CARing Kids ethogram) to assess human-dog interaction in an animal-assisted humane-education programme. The ethogram aims to measure the stress responses of a ‘reading dog’ to which the participants were instructed to read a storybook and with which the participants interacted throughout the six sessions of the programme. A scoping review of existing ethograms was conducted, and relevant coding items were extracted to form the basis of the current programme-specific ethogram. Three coders analysed the frequency and duration of the canine stress behaviours when interacting with students and handler in the programme. An in-depth interview with the handler was then conducted to obtain additional information on the dog as a reference for comparing the school and home settings. The interrater reliability of the CARing Kids ethogram was 80%. Chi-square analyses were conducted to explore the changes of behaviours in the canine, students, and handler across the sessions. The results indicated that students had increased interactive behaviours in later sessions (X2(2) = 34.40, p < 0.01). No significant changes of pooled stress related canine behaviour (X2(2) = 2.75, p = 0.25) and handler behaviour (X2(2) = 1.24, p = 0.54) were observed. The study outlines the development of an ethogram that accessed both human and canine behaviours during the AAI. Although the analysis is limited by being a single-subject case study, it is the first attempt to apply an ethogram to capture the human-animal dynamic interaction in an animal-assisted education programme in a Hong Kong primary school setting. This pilot study has significant practical implications for developing future AAIs and advocacy work for animal welfare in Hong Kong. The results of this study and the methodology to analyse the behaviour of a reading dog, students, and handler may shed light on how to enhance the welfare of service animals in AAI.

Science Teachers’ Level of Concern on Dual Language Programme (DLP) in Primary Schools in Sri Aman District

This study aims to identify the Science teachers’ level of concern towards the implementation of Dual Language Programme (DLP) in primary schools in Sri Aman District. Concern Based Adaptation Model (CBAM) is applied as the theoretical framework. Meanwhile, the adapted Stage of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) is used as a research instrument to determine the level of teacher’s concern. A total of 45 Science teachers were selected by using purposive sampling method. Descriptive data analysis was conducted to generate demographic group profiles as well as general profiles of teachers’concerns based on the SoCQ Quick Scoring Device guidelines. The results of the study found both types of profiles; general and demographic, showed high concern for awareness (Stage 0), information (Stagel 1) and personal (Stage 2), whereas, low concern intensity scores for collaboration (Stage 5) and refocusing (Stage 6). Such concern level profiles reflect that teachers show little involvement with, general awareness of and uncertain feeling towards the DLP. The results are important for the stakeholders to provide intervention programmes to support teachers to undergo the curriculum innovation.

Gender, sex and equal health: school nurses’ strategies and experiences of including boys in the HPV vaccination programme in Swedish primary schools

ABSTRACT Since autumn 2020, boys in the fifth year of school (11-year-old students) in Sweden have been offered human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for free. Drawing from individual interviews with 21 school nurses working in primary schools in one of Sweden’s regions, the aim of this study was to explore nurses’ strategies and experiences of informing students and their guardians about the new vaccination programme, HPV and sex. Drawing on feminist theories on respectability and heteronormativity, findings indicate that heteronormative understandings of sexual relations frame school nurses’ narratives when informing students about HPV. The results also indicate that including boys in the vaccination programme has been fairly straightforward and when guardians hesitate or refuse to include their children in the vaccination programme, it is often girls’ guardians who do so. School nurses’ narratives suggest that guardians’ main argument for not vaccinating their daughters is because they believe they are too young. These narratives are framed around an understanding of the ‘respectable girl’. The results of our study highlight the importance of addressing equality, sexuality, sex and HPV as part of sexuality, consent and relations (sexualitet, samtycke och relationer) education in Swedish schools.

Developing a Reading Comprehension Support Program for Primary School Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Specific learning disabilities (SLD) is a general term referring to a heterogeneous group of disorders displayed by individuals with special needs. SLD refers to disorders in reading, writing and mathematics. A large proportion of students with SLD need support in reading as well as in reading comprehension skills, an important component and ultimate goal of reading. In this direction, this study aimed to develop the content of a reading comprehension program for second, third and fourth grade students with SLD. Designed as phenomenology which is a qualitative research approach, this study used semi-structured interview, observation, assessment tool administration, literature review and document analysis. Teachers reported that students with SLD have difficulties in reading, writing, reading fluency and reading comprehension; they lack self-confidence and need to be educated in special learning environments; they need support in Turkish and mathematics classes and a reading comprehension program is necessary for them. It was identified that expository and narrative texts and poems were used in primary school programs and some reading comprehension skills were acquired. There were two acquisitions related to reading comprehension in the SLD support program without any specifications as to how these should be taught and what content should be used. This study was limited to interviews conducted with five teachers and observations with 14 students with SLD and eight students with typical development. Although the studies on students with SLD have increased in Turkey in recent years, support programs that can be used at different education levels to improve reading, reading comprehension, writing and math skills for students with SLD are still limited. The program developed within the scope of this research was developed as printed material. Further studies can be planned to use the program in technological platforms by using tablets, computers, etc.

Meta-Thematic Analysis of the Studies on the Remedial Education Program in Primary Schools

The purpose of this research is to analyze the studies on the Remedial Education Program in Primary Schools using meta-thematic analysis. In this research, qualitative research papers containing the opinions of participants about the Remedial Education Program in Primary Schools (REPPS) were examined by reviewing using Google Scholar and TR Dizin databases. In our research, research papers were determined by making a search using the keywords “Remedial Education Program in Primary Schools” and “REPPS.” As a result of the review, 12 articles published as full text, using the qualitative research model and containing participant views, were included in the research. Five themes were developed as a result of this research.

WHERE ARE WE IN SPACE: EXAMINING TEACHERS’ ICT COMPETENCY IN TEACHING LEARNERS IN SPECIAL SCHOOLS IN KENYA

&lt;p&gt;Information Communication Technology (ICT) plays a central role in facilitating education in the 21st century. For successful integration of ICT in teaching and learning teachers play a key role. As such, there is a need for competent teachers in applying ICT skills to teach and facilitate learning. This study sought to examine teachers’ ICT competency in implementing Digital Literacy Programme (DLP) in public primary special schools in Nairobi County ii Kenya. The study used a semi-structured questionnaire tool to collect data from 99 teachers and 41 head teachers from public primary special schools in Nairobi County. Mixed-Methods Research (MMR) where both Statistical Methods and thematic analysis approaches were used to analyse the data. Statistical Methods used include descriptive analysis such as frequencies and percentages and bivariate analysis approaches including Chi-square tests of hypothesis regarding the relationship between teacher’s ICT competency and implementation of DLP. The study found that the role played by DLP in building teacher ICT skill capacity is 28.4% lower in special schools compared to regular schools. As a result, teachers of children with disabilities and special educational needs have limited relevant ICT skills such as assistive technology to support teaching and learning. The study also found that whilst there may be a significant proportion of teachers skilled with ICT skills, lack of access to digital devices and internet connectivity makes it difficult for them to demonstrate their competency and apply the same to the teaching of children with disabilities. Based on the results of this study, recommendations for policy enhancement and improvement of practice have been made.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0978/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Primary school teachers’ and students’ views about robotic coding course

Coding, which is among the 21st century skills, has been included in the curriculum of many countries in recent years from preschool to high school. Primary school teachers are very important in the teaching of coding. In this context, this study aims to reveal the coding education that primary school students receive and the contribution of this course to them from the perspective of classroom teachers and primary school students. In this study, the qualitative method and phenomenological design were used in the study. The study group consists of 8 classroom teachers and 16 primary school students in the city center of Amasya. Easily accessible sampling was used to constitute the study group. In order to obtain the data, a quasi-structured interview form consisting of six questions for teachers and one question for students was prepared. Nvivo 9 program was used to analyze the data. Content analysis has been done as previously created code and themes are used. According to the results of the research, Robotics and Coding course contributes to children's mental development and metacognitive skills such as creative and reflective thinking and improves their problem-solving skills. In addition, it was concluded that Robotics and Coding course should be given to students at an early age, so it should be included in primary school programs.

Teaching children the world is their oyster

Career-related learning programme in primary schools results in the majority of children believing they can strive to achieve the job they want when they grow up

Results of Hearing Screening in School-Age Children from Rural Areas of the Kujawsko- Pomorskie Region in Poland.

Objective: There is a need for regular surveillance of the hearing of children, no matter what their age. Screening of the hearing of school children can be done quickly and cheaply using teleaudiology. The primary aim of this study was to identify children who showed a suspected hearing impairment from rural areas of the Kujawsko–Pomorskie region and refer them for further audiological testing. A secondary aim was to estimate the prevalence of hearing loss in those children.Methods: There were 4754 children, made up of 1840 children aged 6–7 years old and 2914 children aged 12–13 years old. Pure-tone air conduction thresholds were obtained at 0.5–8 kHz. Audiometric test was supplemented by results of a brief questionnaire filled in by parents.Results: Of the 4754 children, 618 (13%) failed screening and were referred for detailed audiological diagnostics. The prevalence of hearing loss was estimated to be 7% and was significantly higher (OR = 2.12) in the group aged 6–7 y/o (10.1%) than in the group aged 12–13 y/o (5.0%). In our study the estimated prevalence of HL was twice as high in children aged 6–7 y/o (10.1%) than in children 12–13 y/o (5.0%). This difference was also evident in another study of Polish children from rural areas, where the prevalence of HL was 11.4% in younger children (6–9 y/o) and 5.5% in older children (12–13 y/o).Conclusion: Large numbers of school-age children in rural areas have hearing problems. It is recommended that a hearing screening program in primary schools based on e-health solutions should be adopted.

Facilitating dance in general education through the arts-school partnership: a case study of Ballet Ireland’s primary school program

ABSTRACT Dance as a performing art can be marginalized in general school arts provision, included in curriculum for its benefits in health and well-being rather than its intrinsic aesthetic appeal. In the Irish national curriculum, dance is primarily categorized as physical education, and can be culturally decontextualized because of this approach. Arts partnerships between dance organizations and schools can help address curricular neglect of aesthetic and cultural aspects of dance education. This paper presents a case study of an arts-school partnership established by Ballet Ireland in a Dublin primary school. While Ballet Ireland’s outreach work united an interdisciplinary arts approach to dance engagement with elements of authentic learning, this approach was complicated for their primary school program by the curricular position of dance in PE in Irish schools. A framing question for the study was the following: in what ways does the arts-school partnership work to establish dance as a meaningful subject in an Irish primary school context, among students and teachers? This question was explored in terms of the children and teachers’ affective and cognitive engagement with the dance classes. Methods included unstructured observations of classes and one-on-one and focus group interviews with teachers and students involved in the programme.

Mentorship programmes in public primary schools: Beginner teachers’ perspectives.

Many beginner teachers experience the transition from student teacher to beginner teacher as challenging and a huge reality shock. These adapting demands are often daunting and they therefore need assistance to navigate the transition. The researchers argue that mentorship programmes can assist in addressing these transition challenges. The study makes the point that literature on teacher mentorship in South Africa has largely been from the perspective of administrators, designers and providers of mentorship programmes, rather than from the perspective of the beginner teachers themselves. The aim of the study was therefore to ascertain the perception of beginner teachers in public primary schools in the Ugu district of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on mentorship programmes. The study was framed within the constructionist theoretical framework and made use of the qualitative approach, using structured interviews as a data collection instrument. The study revealed that beginner teachers experienced challenges with administration, classroom management and adjusting to the school environment. The findings further revealed that existing informal mentorship programmes failed to adequately address these challenges and meet beginner teachers’ professional needs. The researchers, however, argue that formal and well-designed mentorship programmes potentially have the ability to address the challenges beginner teachers encounter.

Physical education programme in public primary schools: Analysis of engagement time of pupils in six selected educational circuits

Cross sectional survey was used to assess engagement time for teaching and learning PE content in a typical school week in public primary schools. Subjects were 172 out of estimated population of 300 in six randomly sampled educational circuits. Validated and reliable self-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Pre-data analyses were performed to clean data from probable errors during data entering. All data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS for Windows, Version 17). The study found that the average engagement time of pupils in physical education programme in a typical school week was less than 50% of the total allocated time prescribed on the school time table for public primary schools. Statistically, the study revealed that male and female teachers in public primary schools did not significantly differ in terms of time spent teaching PE programme in a typical school week. Similarly, both upper and lower primary school teachers did not demonstrate statistically significant difference in engagement time of pupils in a typical school week.

The Exploration of the Food Education Program in Primary and Secondary Schools

Nowadays, unhealthy dietary habits, insufficient food knowledge, and lack of manual skills are typical issues among primary and secondary school students in China. To help students build up a strong constitution and life wisdom, Weifang Hansheng School of Shandong developed a food education course. This paper expounds on the course framework, contents of food education textbooks and the measures to implement the course.

The Exploration of the Food Education Program in Primary and Secondary Schools

Nowadays, unhealthy dietary habits, insufficient food knowledge, and lack of manual skills are typical issues among primary and secondary school students in China. To help students build up a strong constitution and life wisdom, Weifang Hansheng School of Shandong developed a food education course. This paper expounds on the course framework, contents of food education textbooks and the measures to implement the course.

Attitudes of Primary School Teachers Towards Inclusion of Children with Special Needs in Mainstream Educational Programs in Primary School

The article explores the attitudes of primary school teachers towards the inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream educational programs in primary schools. The theoretical part discusses the requirements of the new school system imposed on teachers. The empirical part presents a study on the attitudes of primary school teachers towards the inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream primary schools and on whether there are differences in attitudes between younger and older teachers. Descriptive and inferential methods of empirical pedagogical research were used in this paper. The data was collected through an online questionnaire filled out by primary school teachers across Slovenia. The study results showed that all teachers, regardless of age, feel that they are not sufficiently trained to work with children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). At the same time, they agree that they did not acquire enough skills during their undergraduate studies to work with these children. Furthermore, the teachers feel they do not have enough experience working with these children. At the same time, they agree that the children with SEND should be included in programs specifically tailored to their needs and not in mainstream primary school programs. Additionally, the results have shown that teachers think it is necessary to set different educational goals for children with SEND than for other students. The teachers feel that working with children with SEND means additional work. However, they think that the inclusion of children with SEND in mainstream educational programs is not assessed as problematic. They feel that other students are also specifically addressed in the class with children with SEND. However, older teachers than younger ones believe they did not acquire enough knowledge during their undergraduate studies.

THE INFLUENCE OF ADMINISTRATORS’ PERCEPTION OF THE CHILDREN ACT 8 OF 2001 ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING PROGRAMME IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN EAST POKOT SUB-COUNTY, BARINGO COUNTY, KENYA

&lt;p&gt;The Government of Kenya is committed to ensuring that all children within her borders have access to their rights as detailed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. School administrators in Kenya are mandated with the responsibility of managing primary school activities, as well as the task of ensuring the success of the school programmes and their perceptions greatly determines the success of the implementation of educational policies of guidance and counselling programmes. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of administrators’ perception of the Children Act 8 of 2001 on the implementation of the guidance and counselling programme in public primary schools in East Pokot Sub-county, Baringo County, Kenya. The study was guided by client-centred approach theory and McGregor’s Theory X and Y. The ex post facto research design was utilized. The target population under study comprised the 438 administrators in East Pokot Sub County. The total sample size was 280 respondents consisting of 140 head teachers and 140 teacher counsellors from 140 sampled schools. Purposive sampling was used to select head teachers and teacher counsellors from the five school divisions in East Pokot Sub-county. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. The instruments were pilot tested in 20 primary schools in the neighbouring Samburu County. The validity of the instruments was checked by the researcher through expert judgement from the department of Psychology, Counselling and Educational Foundations, Laikipia University. Reliability was determined by the use of the Cronbach coefficient alpha. The questionnaire was considered reliable after yielding a reliability coefficient alpha of 0.96 since a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.7 and above is considered sufficient to undertake the study. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer programme version 24.0 for windows was utilized to analyse the data. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics including percentages, means, and frequencies and simple regression which was tested at .05 level of significance. The study established that administrators’ perception of the Children Act 8 of 2001 influenced the implementation of the guidance and counselling programme in public primary schools in East Pokot Sub-county, Baringo County, Kenya. Findings might benefit the County Ministry of Education officers, parents, teachers and other stakeholders in the implementation of guidance and counselling programme in primary schools. The study determined that in the respondents’ opinion administrators’ perception of the Children Act 8 of 2001 does significantly influence the implementation of the guidance and counselling programme in public primary schools in East Pokot Sub-county, Baringo County, Kenya. The study thus recommends that intensive awareness on the Children Act 8 of 2001 among the administrators in primary schools be carried out to enhance the implementation of the guidance and counselling programme in public primary schools in the region.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0920/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

ICT Infrastructure for the Uptake of One Laptop Per Child Project in Homa Bay County, Kenya

The study was investigating the status of ICT infrastructure in preparation for the launch of Digital Literacy Programme (DLP) in public primary schools in Homa Bay County. Mixed approach research design was adopted. A total of 845 public primary schools were eligible for study. In addition, 845 public primary school head teachers and 6529 teachers were also targeted for interviews. The study randomly picked 85 schools, 6 head teachers and 12 primary school teachers for the study across the six sub counties of Homa Bay. The major findings showed that the general ICT infrastructure was low; however, majority of schools had computer laptop safes (79.9%), electric power (74.8%) and power sockets (90.0%) in readiness for DLP. The study concluded that ICT infrastructures were inequitably distributed in Homa Bay County and a lot was still needed to be done for the DLP rollout to be a success. It was recommended that the government through its line ministries of ICT and energy to improve on both electric power and internet supply to make the project a reality. Keywords: Infrastructure, Information, Communication and Technology, Digital Literacy Programme, One-Laptop-Per-Child DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-32-09 Publication date: November 30 th 2021

The Impact of National Lockdown as a Response to Covid-19 on Migrated Children: Evidence from Durban, South Africa

The Novel Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) has affected many countries from the beginning of 2020 as it began to spread across the globe. The response of most affected nations was to declare national lockdowns in varying severities. South Africa declared one of, if not the most, severe lockdown of all countries which was termed in the media as “hard lockdown”. This paper discusses the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa and the effects of the national lockdown on children, more specifically children from migrated parents that have settled in South Africa. The research adopted a qualitative approach, coupled with a review of published literature from March-September 14, 2020, to develop an understanding of the effects of the national lockdown on children, from migrated families in Durban. Furthermore, qualitative data was collected through telephonic interviews with10 participants (parents). This paper established that although lockdowns have shown some evidence that they have flattened the curve of the rate of infected persons, it has not gone without any unintended consequences. One of them being its impact on the children of migrated parents. It postulates that lockdown measures may unintentionally cause harm to children both socio-economically, psychologically and in some cases abuse. The researcher recommended that radio and television broadcasting options for primary and secondary school programs.