Primary School Teacher Education Program Research Articles

Building Professional Competencies Through a Service Learning ‘Gallery Walk’ in Primary School Teacher Education

This article reports on a service learning project in a South African primary school teacher education programme, as experiential and practice-based pedagogy in a social studies methods course. We aimed to broaden understanding of service learning as a form of non-placement work-integrated learning for the development of teacher professional competencies. Student teachers drew on topics in the middle school social studies curriculum and incorporated Indigenous geographical elements with local community history in the design of a service learning ‘gallery walk’ for Grade 5 learners. Using a generic qualitative design, data were generated from students’ and teachers’ reflective journals, lesson plans, photographs and video recordings. It was analysed for common content themes and prominent discourse markers of students’ developing professional knowledge and competencies. The findings provide evidence of deepened student learning, particularly on the influence of context and curriculum differentiation and how their struggles with group work enabled the development of collaboration and co-operation required by professionals. In addition, the service learning prompted changing notions of citizenship and reciprocity of learning.

Primary school pre-service teachers’ technology self-efficacy in creating e-learning content using CourseLab 2.4

This was descriptive research aiming at providing a general description of primary school pre-service teachers’ technology self-efficacy in creating e-learning content using CourseLab 2.4. The main instrument of this research was a self-report questionnaire consisting of both scaled and free-response items. The questionnaire was distributed to 46 sophomores of Primary School Teacher Education Program of Sanata Dharma University taking Media Pembelajaran Berbasis ICT (MPB ICT) course as one of their compulsory courses. The analysis of the data gathered from the questionnaire responses showed that 58.7% of the primary school pre-service teachers of Sanata Dharma University had ‘average’ technology self-efficacy in creating e-learning content using CourseLab 2.4 while only 41.3% having ‘high’ self-efficacy in using the same software. The average technology self-efficacy was attributed to their unfamiliarity to the authoring software and their limited experience in course content development as well as in coding in general. The student teachers, however, credited the software for providing them with tools and machinery to create their own tests or quizzes for any learning materials they had previously created.Keywords: Pre-service teachers, primary school, self-efficacy, CourseLab 2.4

Teacher educators’ predictability and student selection paradigms in entrance examinations for the Finnish Primary School Teacher Education programme

ABSTRACTThis article investigates the perceived and actual predictability of teacher educators working as assessors in entrance examinations for the Finnish Primary School Teacher Education (PSTE) programme. The section examining perceived predictability was conducted as a survey. The data for actual predictability, containing student teachers’ entrance examination scores and student achievements, was collected from the student register. The findings indicate that although teacher educators consider themselves able to predict applicants’ performance in the PSTE programme, their actual predictability in entrance examinations was poor. The assessments predicted only slightly student teachers’ study pace in the PSTE programme, while better scores in entrance examinations predicted, in fact, weaker grades in studies. Teacher educators also conform to hidden quotas based on Finnish student selection paradigms in awarding better entrance examination scores to male and older applicants. The findings highlight teacher educators’ need for more structured professional learning in a gatekeeping context.

Towards Meaningful Reflection and a Holistic Approach: Creating a Reflection Framework in Teacher Education

ABSTRACT This study aims to find out how student teachers’ meaning-oriented reflection can be enhanced with the help of video in a primary school teacher education programme. The study shows how student teachers (n = 10) and their supervisors (n = 9) followed the video-enhanced reflection procedure during one practicum period. The data were collected through focus group or individual interviews and audio recordings of supervisory discussions. Content and phenomenographic analysis were conducted. The results indicated that the reflection procedure was beneficial for the student teachers in their self- and peer reflection and in the supervisory process. Some supervisors lacked the necessary theoretical tools, and the student teachers did not reach the appropriate level of critical reflection in their discussions. The results suggest that to support deeper reflection, it is important to pay attention to the characteristics of the reflection procedures and the theoretical basis of supervision.

The development of angklung composition teaching materials using Music Notation Software with virtual studio technology integration

Teaching Angklung composition by only displaying notations might not be sufficient. To learn conveniently, learners require a conception of the Angklung composition tones in addition to the notation display, especially for songs with new arrangements. This paper aims at analyzing a way in developing Angklung composition teaching materials using computer technology, which are Sibelius as a music notation software and Kontakt as a virtual studio that can play high-quality sound samples of music instruments, including Angklung. To analyze the Angklung composition creation process, the computational methods were used. The analysis includes the integration process of Sibelius and Kontakt. After creating the Angklung compositions, a sound quality test was conducted to 54 students of primary school teacher education program taking art concentration using survey technique. The results indicated that the combination of Sibelius and Kontakt produced Angklung music compositions with natural, neat, and clear notes. The majority of the students found the Angklung sound samples to sound real. The students were also interested to learn Angklung through computer. Thus, it can be concluded that the development of Angklung composition teaching materials using a combination of music notation software and sounds sample-based instruments can potentially appear interesting to learners.

Pre-service Teachers Use of Visual Representation

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the type and accuracy of the visual representations that the pre-service teachers generate in the pedagogical solution of the word problems in terms of the spatial skill levels of the pre-service teachers. It is designed as a descriptive study in the screening model in accordance with the purpose of the study. The research was carried out in 2017 with 55 pre-service teachers attending the Primary School Teacher Education programme at Ordu University. The data on participants' spatial competence levels were obtained through Purdue Spatial Visualization Test and on the type of visual representations were obtained by coding the data obtained from the solution of a word problem given to the participants according to the criteria specified by the researchers. In the analysis of the data, descriptive analysis and content analysis were applied. As a result of the research, the visual representation types (schematic and pictorial) generated by the pre-service teachers have been determined and it was found that the pre-service teachers with high spatial ability generated correctly structured schematic representations; whereas candidates with low spatial skills usually generated pictorial representations.

Instrument of Lecturer Performance and Student Activity In the Lecture at Primary School Teacher Education Program

The purpose of the study was to develop lecturer performance instruments to measure the ability of lecturers to bring lectures and instruments for student activities while attending the lecture. This study is a research and development (R & D) design developed from the instrument by Rusilowati, which included: (1) needs analysis, (2) determination of indicators and grids, (3) development of questions, (4) expert review, limited trials, field trial (is a cycle activity between review and revision), (5) analysis of trial results and (6) product assembly. The results of the study (1) indicators for lecturer performance instruments were: work ability, initiative in work, work quality, accuracy of work, lecturers’ behavior and appearance, communication and nationalism. (2) indicators for lecture activity instruments: readiness to attend lectures, attendance in lectures and timeliness of completing assignments. (3) the instrument tested on 50 students and lecturers in the Primary School Teacher Education program at STKIP Persada Khatulistiwa Sintang shows that both instruments were valid and reliable. It was concluded that the two instruments can be applied because they were valid and reliable to measure lecturers in bringing lectures and student lecture activities while attending lectures.

The profile of problem-solving ability of students of distance education in science learning

This study aims to analyze the students' problem-solving ability in science learning and lesson-planning ability. The method used is descriptive-quantitative. The subjects of the study were undergraduate students of Distance Higher Education located in Serang, majoring in Primary Teacher Education in-service training. Samples were taken thoroughly from 2 groups taking the course of Science Learning in Primary School in the first term of 2017, amounted to 39 students. The technique of data collection used is essay test of problem solving from case study done at the beginning of lecture in February 2017. The results of this research can be concluded that In-service Training of Primary School Teacher Education Program are categorized as quite capable (score 66) in solving science learning problem and planning science lesson. Therefore, efforts need to be done to improve the ability of students in problem solving, for instance through online tutorials with the basis of interactive discussions.

The Potential of Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition in Biology Learning at Higher Education

The implementation of CIRC learning is expected to increase the academic achievement in biology of pre-service elementary school teachers. Cooperative learning is based on positive interdependency, face to face interaction, individual responsibility, communication between members in group and process evaluation in group. The research aimed to study the influence of CIRC on academic achievement in biology in Course of Basic Concept of Biology for Elementary School. The research was conducted for one semester to all students of Primary School Teacher Education Program in Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Pakuan University, Indonesia consisted of 59 students. The research was quasi experiment with randomize factor. Research variables consisted of learning model and academic achievement in biology. Indicators used in academic achievement in biology referred to the cognitive domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy level. Data used was the result of pretest and posttest of academic achievement in biology. Ancova and descriptive data statistic were used as data analysis. Ancova test resulted in significance level of 0.000 less than alpha of 0.05. It can be concluded that CIRC gave better influence on academic achievement in biology compare to conventional learning. It was suggested that lecturer and teacher could implement CIRC to increase biology achievement. Active learning with CIRC is able to make students reconstruct biological material, thus the knowledge could be in long term memory.

PENGARUH MODEL PEMBELAJARAN AKTIF TIPE CARD SORT DAN MOTIVASI BELAJAR DALAM MATA KULIAH KETERAMPILAN BERBAHASA INDONESIA KE-SD-AN MAHASISWA PRODI PGSD

Research begins from the low ability of learning Indonesian Language Skills to elementary school students Elementary School Education Studies. This is seen in the midterm exam results as well as interviews with lecturers of Indonesian Language Skills Speaking to SD-an. The objective of this research is to know the influence of active learning model of card sort type to learning Indonesian Language Skills to Elementary School Primary School Teacher Education Program students. The type of this research is Quasi Eksperimen. Data collection techniques using questionnaires and learning result tests and data analysis techniques with t-test and ANAVA. The results showed that the students' learning outcomes by using the active learning model of card sort type is higher than the conventional learning model both from the whole and from the learning motivation. And there is no interaction of learning model with learning motivation to Indonesian Speaking Skill to SD-an. So it can be concluded that the active learning model of the type of card sort and motivation to learn influence on Indonesian Skills to SD-an. Keywords: card sort, learning motivation, Indonesian language

Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of the Mathematics Courses Included in the Primary School Teacher Education Program

<p style="text-align:justify">Mathematics educators have reported on many issues regarding students’ mathematical education, particularly students who received mathematics education at different departments such as engineering, science or primary school, including their difficulties with mathematical concepts, their understanding of and preferences for mathematical concepts. This study aimed to investigate the opinions of primary-school teacher education students in terms of their perceptions of difficulty level of the mathematics courses, change in their achievement, if there is any, and interest in mathematics after completing these courses, and factors affecting their achievement and interest level in these courses. Being qualitative in nature, this study was a case study. The data were analyzed using the content analysis and descriptive methods. According to the results, most students stated that they faced mathematics course content with unexpected level of difficulty. After taking basic mathematics courses, the percentage of students with decreased level of interest and achievement in mathematics was found higher than the students who experienced an increase in their interest and achievement. Students underlined such significant factors for the change of their interest and achievement in mathematics as prior knowledge, lecturer(s), and content coverage. Finally, most of the students viewed mathematics courses as a beneficiary tool for their professional development.</p>

Understanding the Cognition Process of the Students using the Internet as a Learning Resource

This study aims to investigate how students search and process the information found on the Internet to meet the needs of their academic tasks as well as how they view such information compared to printed materials. The study was conducted targeting the student teachers at Primary School Teacher Education (PGMI) Program and Kindergarten Teacher Education Program (PGRA) in State Islamic University Sunan Ampel Surabaya. Such information search and processing are then later viewed through the lens of Blooms’ taxonomy. A qualitative method using the phenomenological approach is adopted in the study. Nine student participants of 1st, 2nd, 3rd-year classes were interviewed. The study indicates that the presence of the Internet as a source of learning has not shifted the role of the textbook as a primary source of information for the students while working on their academic assignments. It was revealed that the information search activities on the Internet have facilitated students to experience the four domains of the learning process in Bloom's Taxonomy.

Effect of PDEODE Teaching Strategy on Turkish Students' Conceptual Understanding: Particulate Nature of Matter

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of activities developed in accordance with PDEODE teaching strategy on students’ understanding of the particulate nature of matter. The sample of the study consists of the first grade students who study in the Primary School Teacher Education Program. In order to determine the conceptual change on students a test consisting of 8 questions was applied to the sample. This test was applied as pre-test, post-test and delayed post-test. The difference between the measurements was found statistically significant (p<0.05). This result shows that the treatment promotes the conceptual change and enhances students’ conceptual understanding. As a result of a post-hoc test (Tukey HSD test) it was established that there is a statistically significant difference between the means of pre-test and post-test, and pre-test and delayed test (p<0.05), there isn’t a significant difference between the means of post-test and delayed test (p>0.05).

Prospective Primary School Teachers’ Understanding on States Of Matter and Their Changes

This study investigated Prospective Primary School Teachers (PPST)’ conceptual understandings on states of matter and their changes. Data were collected from 37 students Primary School Teacher Education Program. The students were given open-ended questions that explored their understandings on states of matter and their changes divided into macroscopic, submicroscopic and symbolic levels. Their understandings were divided into categories: understand, partial understand, misconception, and do not understand. The results showed that almost all students understood that matters are composed of particles. But most of them did not understand that between the particles exists “particle-free space”. Almost all students knew most of phenomena (macroscopic level) related to states of matter and their changes. However, most of them could not explain the phenomena at submicroscopic and symbolic levels. At these levels, their understandings were still largely in the categories of partial understanding, misconception, or do not understand. Given these results it can be concluded that most of the students did not have fully understandings on states of matter and their changes. These results imply the need for improving the teaching and learning quality on states of matter and their changes for PPST in Indonesia.

An evaluation of primary school teacher education program according to the views of teacher educators and prospective teachers

An evaluation of primary school teacher education program according to the views of teacher educators and prospective teachers

What is history? Views from a primary school teacher education programme

This article focuses on how history as a concept is understood by first-year BA Education students. Students were asked to respond to the following questions: ‘what is history?’, ‘what is history to you?’ and ‘who writes history?’ Verbal and written consent was obtained from the students to participate in the study. Their answers demonstrated a concept of history that is imbued with a spatial and temporal as well as ideological and moral position. This article argues that, through the data, it seems that for these students the concept of history emerges as an object that is given a moral value, rather than history being seen as having value as a knowledge or skill set. I draw parallels between my findings and Donovan and Bransford’s work on how history is learnt by primary school students in the United States. There are clear similarities between the primary school understandings recorded in Donovan and Bransford, and first-year university understandings that emerged in the data of this study. This article argues that if history is understood as moral, as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, critical thinking and analytic skills which learning history can imbue are vastly diminished. Furthermore, this article uses Lauren Berlant’s concept of ‘cruel optimism’ to consider the implications of how the participating students understand what history is.

Keefektifan Program Pendidikan Guru Sekolah Dasar

The study is aimed at investigating the efectiveness of the Primary School Teacher Education Program (PGSD) in achieving its goals. Data were gathered from 12 Institutes/Faculties of Teacher Training and Education (LPTK) by using questionnaire, interview, observation, tests, and documentary study. Percentage and mean measures were applied to analyze the data. The results showed that the PGSD programs implemented since 1990 was effective, although for some PGSDs the effectiveness level is not sufficient. The insufficiency found in some PGSDs is due to shortcomings in the availability as well as the condition of program inputs and implementation processes: student, curriculum, staff and facilities, program implementation and management

EFEKTIFITAS PENERAPAN PROJECT BASED LEARNING BERBANTUAN WEB 2.0 TOOLS DAN DEMING CYCLE PADA MATAKULIAH PEMECAHAN MASALAH MATEMATIKA

<p>This is a Quasi Experimental research which aimed to know the effectiveness of implementing Project Based Learning (PBL) with assistance of Web 2.0 tools and Deming Cycle towards the learning achievement in Mathematics Problem Soving Course of undergraduate students in Primary School Teacher Education Program in Satya Wacana Christian Univerisity (PGSD, UKSW). This research included 52 students which were devided into two classes consist of 26 students. In the experimental group, the treatment were given by implementing a PBL with Web 2.0 tools and Deming Cycle whereas in control group, PBL was implemented but without the use of Web 2.0 tools and Deming Cycle. The T-Test anylisis showed that the experimental group had the significant increasing of learning achievement compare to the control group. As the result, in the third term of 2013/2014 accademic year, it is effective to improve students learning achievement in Mathematics Problem Solving Course by implementing PBL with the assistance of Web 2.0 tools and Deming Cylce.</p>

ÖĞRETMEN ADAYLARININ SOSYAL BİLİMLER VE SOSYAL BİLGİLER KAVRAMLARINA İLİŞKİN BİLİŞSEL YAPILARI: KELİME İLİŞKİLENDİRME TESTİ UYGULAMASI

This study aims to investigate cognitive structure of primary education pre-service teachers regarding social studies and social sciences. 3rd grade primary education pre-service teachers who were taking the course of Social Studies Education in Primary School Teacher Education Program at the Education Faculty of Anadolu University in the spring 2012-2013 participated in this survey model designed study. In this study, word association test was used as a data collection tool to reveal the cognitive structure of primary school teacher candidates. Cut-off points were figured out in light of information about how many different answers were given and how many times these answers were used for which key concepts. Cut-off points used to prepare the concept maps. According to results of the study, it is seen that pre-service teachers mostly repeated “citizenship” for social studies, and “History” for social sciences. Also, History, skills, society-socialization, values, social participation, Geography and culture were given for both of two concepts. It can be claimed that pre-service teachers have much more conceptual information about social studies, and much more misconception about social sciences.

Using Constructivist and Collaborative Approach to Enhance Pre-service Teachers’ Attitude Toward Computer in Computer Course: Learning and using MS Excel Functions in Problem-based Scenarios

The purpose of present research is to determine the difference between teacher centered training & individual application process (TCT&Iapp) group and problem-based scenarios & collaborative application process (PBS&Capp) group according to their attitudes toward computer (AtC) by an experimental design process. The study group of the research includes 125 pre-service teachers attending to department of primary school teacher education program. TCT&Iapp group (n=65) was assigned as control group and the PBS&Capp group (n=60) was assigned as experimental group. The application continued six weeks period during four course hours in a week. The results of the study reveal that the AtC scores of the students in PBS&Capp group are significantly higher than scores of TCT&Iapp group.