Primary School Settings Research Articles

Reflections on conducting qualitative school-based research with children: A research note

This research note offers a critical reflection of the process of conducting qualitative research in the Irish primary school setting. The research discussed took place during the school year 2016–2017. It explored primary school children’s understandings of citizenship and, the kinds of collective social actions they participated in as citizens and peers at school. I reflect upon this in terms of my experiences of gaining and maintaining access in Irish primary schools. I also draw attention to social and cultural contexts within the research setting and the influence this has over data collection. I aim to offer some useful insights into the process of conducting qualitative research within formal education settings and, to encourage conversation between researchers and educators to find solutions to issues associated with conducting research in schools.

Quality Improvement in Teaching and Learning Science in Primary School Settings: Using a Metaphor to Approach the Concept of Light

The present study focuses on the approach of the concept of light by primary school students. The study explores how a teaching procedure founded on using the metaphor that light travels as a wave reflects on the concept of light as a distinct natural entity. The experimental method was used for the research. One hundred and fifty-two children aged between 7 to 8 years old (average age 7.59) from 9 different primary school classes in Colorado, USA, participated in the research. An experimental and control group was delineated. Following a socio-cognitive perspective, the experimental group took part in a teaching procedure based on using the metaphor that light travels as a wave. Following an empiricist perspective, the control group took part in a teaching procedure based on a description of the phenomenon without using a metaphor. Data had been collected through pre and post-test, which results were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. The quantitative analysis showed an essential difference between the two groups. The experimental group pupils achieve higher learning outcomes as they better understand light as a distinct entity. It is argued that using a metaphor allows children to make connections with their everyday life, wonder about, and conceptualize light in a more efficient and meaningful way. The study informs everyday educational practice by providing a quality improvement element for learning and teaching about the primary classroom light

Perspectives about Friendships and the School Learning Environment from Australian Adolescent Boys with AD/HD

ABSTRACT This paper focused on six adolescent Australian schoolboys with ADHD, their perspectives about managing and maintaining friendships at school and why the classroom environment was challenging for them. Utilising qualitative phenomenographical methodology, data were collected using semi-structured individual and focus group interviews. Findings suggested that these Australian adolescent boys experienced some difficulty making and managing friends in primary school but were able to maintain a small friendship group in secondary school. For them, the classroom was a challenging environment both in the primary and secondary school setting, but specific teacher/teaching strategies assisted each boy to better concentrate and focus on the learning process.

HealthLit4Kids: Dilemmas associated with student health literacy development in the primary school setting

Objective:To ascertain teachers’ articulation and experiences of navigating dilemmas that inhibit and/or enable the fostering of health literacy in primary school settings.Design:Qualitative analysis of teachers’ written reflections on introducing health literacy into their school and classroom.Setting:Tasmania, Australia.Method:Eighty-four teachers in five primary schools participated in the HealthLit4Kids programme. Teacher reflections were collected at the conclusion of the first year of the programme and assessed using Windschitl’s Dilemmas to identify recurrent themes raised by the conceptual, pedagogic, cultural and political dilemmas teachers faced.Results:Key dilemmas faced by teachers concerned the development of a whole-of-school approach, student engagement and professional development.Conclusion:Internationally few health literacy programmes for primary schools exist. The theory developed from the themes identified in this study will inform future health literacy programme design and implementation strategies. Purposeful consideration of each theme will guide their success, scalability and sustainability. Future research on the role of constructivist teaching styles in health literacy development in the school setting is urgently required.

Aboriginal dental assistants can safely apply fluoride varnish in regional, rural and remote primary schools in New South Wales, Australia.

There are significant inequalities in oral health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in Australia, particularly where the children have insufficient access to various forms of fluoride. There has been a growing interest in seeing fluoride varnish programs used more widely for Aboriginal children due to proven effectiveness. Despite this, there has been limited scale-up of these programs in Australia. This study investigates the feasibility of using Aboriginal dental assistants to provide regular fluoride varnish applications for Aboriginal children in the primary school setting. A mixed-methods approach including auditing the number of Aboriginal dental assistants were trained and then approved by the NSW Chief Health Officer to apply fluoride varnish, and collection and reporting of participant data on the each of the fluoride varnish days in the local patient management system. Six Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services from regional NSW were invited to participate in the study. They also nominated a primary school and an Aboriginal dental assistant to participate in the study. Data were obtained from four 'fluoride varnish days' held at the schools over a 12-month period between December 2017 and December 2018. The number of Aboriginal dental assistants were trained and then approved by the NSW Chief Health Officer to apply fluoride varnish is also reported. In total, 8 Aboriginal dental assistants were trained to apply fluoride varnish during the study. Overall, students participating in the study received three or more fluoride varnish applications. Results showed that Aboriginal dental assistants are able to safely and effectively apply fluoride varnish in a school setting with remote supervision. This program can be scaled at the state level in NSW, and this could provide the basis for a nationally consistent program. Initial discussions have been held with several jurisdictions to lead this process via the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC) based on the results of this study and the support of key stakeholders. The Poche Centre as part of its scale-up planning for the Fluoride Varnish Program is examining the feasibility of including the apply fluoride varnish skillset in its existing Aboriginal Dental Assistant Scholarship Program.

Errors in writing made by Malaysian rural primary school pupils

This study is to identify errors made by rural primary school pupils in writing and to get information about the causes or sources of errors that lead to pupils’ writing problems. The conceptual framework concerns four types of errors committed by rural primary school pupils in writing, namely tense, spelling, and vocabulary. The study is based on Corder’s (1971) Error Analysis (EA) and Richards’ (1974) Causes or Sources of Errors as its theoretical framework. It was conducted at two rural schools with 44 pupils of Primary 5, aged 11, as the research sample. A written task was taken as the study instrument in order to answer two research questions. This study has revealed that tense is the most frequent error committed by the pupils, followed by punctuation, vocabulary, and spelling. Moreover, the pupils’ errors are caused by both interlingual and intralingual transfer. It is concerned with rural primary school settings in Kerian where the majority of the pupils use the Malay language as their medium of instruction. In addition, this study has its implication for English Language Education in Malaysia, in which it affects rural pupils’ performance especially in Primary School Achievement Test also known as Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) in English Writing paper. Some adjustments in the education system and the total involvement from education departments are meant to better reduce the number of low performers, especially in English writing to enhance the level of English proficiency in rural schools.

Perspectives of primary school staff who work with children with additional needs: Insights that may help to improve support for visually impaired children

Educational support for children with visual impairments (VIs) at school relies on effective information-sharing between hospital eye services and schools. There may be delays in this process which impede school staff’s efforts to help affected children. As part of a programme of work aiming to improve outcomes for children with cerebral visual impairments (CVIs), this study carried out qualitative interviews to understand the views of primary school staff about receiving and using external specialist advice in general. These data can be used to inform and improve information-sharing aimed at supporting children in primary school who have VI. Views of primary school teachers and staff with responsibility for supporting children with additional needs were elicited in nine interviews, across three mainstream primary school settings in Gloucestershire, UK. Interviews were carried out in October 2017. Participants were asked about their experiences of working with children with additional needs and engaging with outside specialist providers. Thematic analysis was used to look for patterns in the data. Interviews revealed four major themes: understanding the condition (including training, individual differences, and understanding the aim of the strategy); translating reports into action (including adaptations to recommendations, team working, and communication formats); follow-up (including feedback and measuring progress); and barriers and opportunities for accessing support (including systematic barriers, going private, and ideal scenarios). This small study provides insights into how teachers and school staff perceive the relationship with external specialists. Services for children with VI in primary schools may be enhanced if they provide information about the impact of VI; about the underlying conditions if known, training and awareness activities for staff and offer a route for follow-up or enquiries. These insights can be used to inform service design and policy.

Teacher and school outcomes of the Physical Education and Physical Literacy (PEPL) approach: a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial of a multicomponent intervention to improve physical literacy in primary schools

ABSTRACT Background: Physical education (PE) can be considered the centrepiece of school physical literacy (PL) programs, but ineffective lessons or an absence of PE across the public primary school system has raised concern. This study aimed to evaluate the implementation, acceptability and impact of teacher delivery of PE as part of a multicomponent Physical Education Physical Literacy (PEPL) approach, designed to improve classroom teachers’ provision of PE and PL opportunities within a cluster of suburban primary schools. Method: Within a pragmatic randomised cluster-based trial with mixed methods, a PEPL coach was appointed to seven schools for one school year, with another seven schools continuing their usual practice as the control group. The coach’s role was to support and professionally develop classroom teachers to teach PE and to create opportunities that develop PL inside and outside the school environment. Focusing on Grade 5 teachers, the implementation, acceptability and teacher impact were assessed using direct observations of PE teaching style, a daily log kept by the coach and interviews with principals and teachers. Results: The PEPL coach visited each school on average once a week for the 33 available weeks of the school year. There were several positive effects for teachers and schools. With no classroom teacher initially taking PE or classroom physical activity breaks, all seven teachers regularly introduced a PE lesson and activity breaks into their weekly schedule. PE class instructional time increased (intervention; +4.8 vs. control; −3.5 min/lesson; β = 1.69; SE = 0.76; p = .05), with lessons of greater duration (intervention; +8.6 vs. control +1.9 min/lesson; β = 1.14, SE = 0.58, p = .05) and moderate and vigorous physical activity increased 5.7 min in intervention classes (p < .05). The PEPL coach introduced regular physical activities before and after school and linked the schools with a national sports coaching scheme. Interviews indicated that the PEPL approach was both valued and well-accepted by staff, that classroom teacher confidence to teach PE increased and that principals perceived a shift toward a school ‘culture’ of physical activity. Conclusions: Well-received by classroom teachers and principals, the PEPL approach resulted in classroom teachers introducing both PE and activity breaks into their weekly teaching program and schools were linked to external sport coaching programs. These effects suggest that the PEPL approach enhanced opportunities for the development of physical literacy in this suburban primary school setting. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry identifier: ACTRN12615000066583.

The inseparable connection between leadership, agency, power and collaboration in a primary educational setting

This paper critiques the empirically supported normative argument that distributed leadership allows for shared accountability and responsibility. Through the means of cognitive mapping and semi-structured interviews, we engaged in understanding how practices and structural conditions of distributed leadership within two English state primary school settings were established and accepted and where the inseparable connections between leadership, agency, power and collaboration positioned some members less well to participate and exercise influence than others. Our study utilises Foucault’s critical concepts of power as an interaction of social relations and his concept of ‘technologies of self’ whereby individuals undertake practices in order to shape themselves in particular ways to be accepted. Furthermore, drawing upon Bourdieu’s concepts of capital, habitus and field, findings indicate how within a distributed model of leadership individuals can be disconnected from the collective but enabled to feel good about this. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for distributed leadership and the necessity to problematise power more generally within a distributed model of leadership.

A flipped classroom model for inquiry-based learning in primary education context

A multi-case study will be presented in this publication which aimed to address an important gap in the current literature concerning the effective implementation of a flipped classroom (FC) model in a particular educational setting. There has been limited research focusing on utilising a FC model within the primary education context despite its potential benefits for young students, such as facilitating student-centred inquiry-based learning (IBL) and developing their higher order cognitive skills. This multi-case study has been drawn from authors’ collaborative action research project with other teacher participants, during which the authors explored the effective ways in which a FC model can be utilised to promote students’ IBL in primary school settings. The authors first develop an inquiry-based flipped classroom (IB-FC) model and applied the model into five primary schools in Cyprus for a school year (2017–2018). A total number of five teachers, 77 students and 48 of their parents were invited to participate in the project. A large volume of qualitative data was collected mainly through classroom observations and interviews. Data analysis of teachers’, students’ and parents’ experiences and perceptions led to the development of seven universal design principles. These principles can be used to support primary school teachers’ attempts to design effective instructions using the IB-FC model.

A RE-AIM Analysis of an Intergenerational Dementia Education Program

Objectives: Children often have a lack of dementia understanding and poor attitudes toward people with dementia. Intergenerational programs are increasingly common, but the effects on knowledge and attitudes related to dementia are mixed, especially in the long-term (6 months). Using a RE-AIM framework, we quantitatively evaluated the effects of an educational dementia program (with and without an intergenerational program) on dementia attitudes in the short and long-term, and qualitatively, which elements of the program facilitated this change.Methods: Eighty-one children (9.63 ± 0.52 years, 35 males) from three classes participated in an 8-week dementia education program and 52 also interacted with older adults through an intergenerational experience. Program reach was measured as the percentage of children who participated in the study. The Kids Insight into Dementia Survey (KIDS) was implemented to measure dementia knowledge and attitudes: efficacy and maintenance. Qualitative interviews with all participant groups informed both adoption and implementation. Cost-benefit analysis was used as a secondary outcome measure for efficacy.Results: The program demonstrated strong levels of impact reaching 93% of school children across the three included classes. Efficacy was demonstrated by a positive change in children's dementia knowledge and attitudes immediately post program, which remained increased (as compared to baseline) 6- months post intervention; there were no differences between groups (those who interacted with older adults and those who did not). Interviews identified positive changes in children's empathy and improved community awareness. Barriers to adoption included the project scope, time constraints incurred by school terms and the management of children-to-adult ratios.Conclusions: These findings provide the first evidence that school-based dementia education improves knowledge of and attitudes toward people with dementia long-term. We demonstrated programs such as this can be successful in both primary school and wider community settings, with support from school and community partners key to the success.

Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Inclusive Education: The Reality of Professional Experience Placements

AbstractDeveloping the knowledge and practical skills for implementing inclusive education is a legislative and policy imperative for contemporary graduate teachers. In this qualitative study, the authors investigated the experiences of 18 preservice teachers during their practical school placements in primary and secondary school settings and the impact of these experiences on their attitudes towards students with special needs and their readiness to teach in mainstream inclusive settings. Sixteen of the participants had completed 2 or more placements. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and analysed to categorise the observed and enacted practices and define themes that contribute to a deeper understanding of preservice teachers’ learning about inclusion through their practice in schools. The 4 identified themes show that contact, responsibility for instruction, modelled practices, and expectations for student learning all have significant impacts on the quality and outcomes of preservice teachers’ placements. Findings suggest that placement settings do not consistently represent contexts where aspiring teachers are exposed to the types of meaningful contact or successful experiences claimed to be fundamental preparation for inclusive practice. The implications for the preservice teachers themselves and for their future practice are discussed.

Metodi e strategie didattiche esperienziali all'Università per incoraggiare un approccio play-based nella scuola dell'infanzia e primaria

Il contributo presenta una proposta didattica ispirata ad Experiential e Active Learning rivolta a studenti e studentesse in Scienze della Formazione Primaria, con l'obiettivo di sensibilizzarli verso la centralità di un approccio play-based nella Scuola dell'Infanzia e Primaria. L'articolo presenta il framework metodologico di riferimento, gli obiettivi della strategia e la sua articolazione

Reference to a shared past event in primary school setting

This study investigates Reference to a Shared Past Event in a primary school setting drawing on video-recordings of 17 hours of social studies classroom interaction. Using Conversation Analysis, it examines how teachers as well as students employ it as part of the ongoing instruction to establish continuity and temporality across events. It is seen that they extend the ongoing instruction with Reference to a Shared Past Event in two ways: (1) by referring to a past learning event assumed to be shared by the whole class (RPLE) or (2) by referring to each other's past personal experiences having been already shared with at least one participant (RPPE). Reference to a Shared Past Event also manifests itself as a rich interactional resource that enhances ongoing instruction, creates micro-moments of understanding and encourages student participation. The findings can be integrated in primary school teacher education to show how teachers as well as students may create learning opportunities by orienting to the temporal nature of teaching and learning.

Students’ Perceptions of a Token Economy in an Undergraduate Science Flipped Class-Room

Abstract: Engaging students in higher education is a critical aspect of student learning (Barkley, 2009; Coates, 2005).Flipped classroom are being reported in the literature as a means to engage students in the learning process, compared to traditional lectures (O’Flaherty &amp; Phillips, 2015). However, flipped classrooms are difficult to implement without students taking an active role in the learning process (Long, Cummins, &amp; Waugh, 2017). Token economies, which are widely used in primary school settings but rarely reported in higher educational settings, enable instructors to provide students with rewards to reinforce targeted student behaviors (Hine, Ardoin, &amp; Call, 2018; McClurg &amp; Morris, 2014), and may be useful in the flipped classroom model. In this mixed methods case study, the researchers collected survey and focus group data from 48 undergraduate students who attended a science course with a token economy to determine the students’ perceptions of the token economy and satisfaction of the novel rewards offered. The findings indicated that over 90% of the students participated in the token economy and 74% of students indicated that the reward system reinforced the student behaviors necessary for an effective flipped classroom. The students also discussed how the token economy provided motivation and additional opportunities to master course content, decreased student anxiety, and enhanced the student-teacher relationship.&#x0D;

‘Just leave it blank’ non-religious children and their negotiation of prayer in school

ABSTRACT This article examines how non-religious children experience acts of collective worship and prayer in primary school settings and analyses how they negotiate religion and their non-religious identities in these events. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork examining non-religious childhoods and collective worship in three English primary schools, the authors explore how non-religious children demonstrate their agency when confronted with particular boundaries and concepts related to religion and non-religion in school contexts. Attending to the experiences, perspectives, and practices of non-religious children adds to our understanding of the varieties of non-religion, which has to date largely focused on elite, adult populations. Focusing on non-religious children’s experiences of prayer reveals how these children did not experience tensions between praying to God and their non-religious identities and articulated their own interpretations of these practices, deepening understanding of the lived realities of non-religious cultures and identities.

Examining the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program in a Regular Norwegian School Setting: Teacher-Reported Behavior Management Practice, Problem Behavior in Classroom and School Environment, Teacher Self- and Collective Efficacy, and Classroom Climate

In the present study, the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management (IY TCM) program was implemented as a universal preventive intervention in a regular, lower primary school setting. Outcomes for teacher’s behavior management practice, problem behavior in the classroom and the school environment, teacher self- and collective efficacy, and classroom climate were examined. Using a quasi-experimental pre–post comparison group design, teacher-reported outcomes were compared between 163 teachers in 21 schools who participated in the IY TCM program and 139 teachers from 23 schools who did not participate in the program. No significant main effects of the IY TCM program on teacher-reported outcomes were revealed by linear mixed model analyses. The findings suggest that further evaluation is warranted. Future research should explore the impact of training teachers more consistently (e.g., provision of additional individual coaching outside the Teacher Classroom Management [TCM] sessions) and over a longer period than provided in the present study.

Food and nutrition education opportunities within Australian primary schools.

Schools are regarded as a key setting for obesity prevention, providing an opportunity to reach a large number of children, frequently and over a prolonged period, through formal and informal opportunities to learn about health behaviours. However, the low value placed on health versus academic achievement is a barrier to effective implementation of food and nutrition (F&N) education. This study used a qualitative exploratory approach to explore the views of teachers and key health and education sector stakeholders regarding opportunities for F&N education within the Australian primary school setting. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore this topic from the perspectives of state-level coordination and development through to local-level implementation and support within the Australian primary school context. Only 2.6% of the Victorian Curriculum related to F&N education, taught through two (of seven) learning outcomes: Health and Physical Education, and Technologies. While stakeholders considered child health a priority, and schools an ideal setting for F&N education, barriers included a lack of strategic policy alignment, limited leadership and coordination, a 'crowded curriculum' and poor availability of shelf-ready resources with explicit curriculum links. A cross-curriculum approach was considered essential for F&N education to become embedded as a core component of the curriculum.

The association between homework and primary school children's academic achievement. International evidence from PIRLS and TIMSS

AbstractThe association between time devoted to homework and children's academic achievement has long been an issue of great debate. A small number of mainly correlational studies have been conducted into this issue in a primary school setting, but have produced somewhat mixed results. In this paper we contribute to this literature by investigating the relationship between time spent upon homework and children's outcomes across 24 countries. By using a student fixed‐effects approach, capturing differences in homework time amongst the same student across different school subjects, we argue that our results are likely to be subject to less confounding than much of the existing literature. We find little evidence that the amount of homework time primary school children are assigned is related to their academic achievement. This holds true across a large number of countries, survives various robustness tests and does not vary by gender or socio‐economic status. We interpret this finding as suggesting that the homework assigned to primary school pupils may not be adequate to produce a positive association, and needs be improved if this time‐consuming activity is ever going to bring benefits for children's academic achievement.

A School-Based Intervention Addressing Peer Perceptions of Disabilities

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted in 1975, mandates a free and public education for children with disabilities. Yet, research shows that children with disabilities still do not always feel accepted in the public school system, and there are many improvements needed for an inclusive environment to be fully realized. Better awareness of peers with disabilities in the school system allows for a positive classroom environment and learning experience for all children. Increased awareness provides the possibility of school systems to modify their curriculum to better suit individuals with disabilities. Disability awareness interventions can improve children’s knowledge about peers with disabilities and can be approached in many ways. The purpose of this study was to measure student attitudes and perceptions of individuals with disabilities in a primary school setting in rural Virginia. Results from the study indicated a positive change in the perceptions and attitudes of participants after administration of the Whitehorse Disability Kit lessons over the course of four weeks. This study supports previous similar research as the attitudes and perceptions of children with disabilities increased after implementing four weeks of lesson plans. This study demonstrates the positive impact of incorporating disability awareness programs in the school system.