Primary Teacher Education Research Articles

DIGITALIZACIA VYUCOVANIA, DIGITALNE UCEBNICE A DIGITALNE UCEBNE MATERIALY V PRAXI

The subject of the contribution is the identification of the possibilities and limits of incorporating work with digital forms of textbooks in the undergraduate training of future primary education teachers. The aim of the research was to determine the impact of incorporating additional digital teaching materials into the teaching of future primary education teachers in the master's degree on the level of digital competencies of the research sample. Through the analysis of the output data, we confirmed that the manipulation and mastering of work with digital textbooks and digital teaching materials for primary education within the undergraduate training of teacher students has the ability to positively influence the level of their information and data literacy.

Affective-sexual education in teacher training: the long road ahead in Spain

ABSTRACT This study involved an analysis of the teaching guides for the subjects included in Spain’s primary education teaching degree programmes to determine if content on affective-sexual education was included. Mixed methods were employed to examine 132 teaching guides from 108 universities. The results revealed an abundance of subject areas in which some of the subject content had a focus on sexuality diversity, but specific courses or modules with a focus on the topic were scarce. Three key thematic areas were identified: family diversity, gender, and sexuality and gender diversity. Our quantitative analysis identified that sexuality related content was offered to a greater extent in universities that were publicly funded, non-religious in their affiliation, founded before 1980, and with more than 10,000 students currently enrolled. The main conclusion we reached is that primary education teachers in Spain are not adequately prepared to engage with gender and sexuality diversity in the classroom.

Evaluation and total quality management: the case of primary education

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate perceptions of primary education (PE) teachers with respect to evaluation within the framework of Total Quality Management (TQM) and their readiness to engage in the process of quality improvement. Within this context, a relevant measurement instrument is developed and empirically validated.Design/methodology/approachThe instrument developed herein included 30 items distributed across seven dimensions. It was disseminated among public PE units in Greece, yielding a substantial 2,088 responses. Several tests were performed, including principal component analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling.FindingsThe findings supported the validity and reliability of the instrument, confirming that the proposed measures encapsulate actual dimensions that are most suitable for exploring evaluation perception and readiness in the context of TQM in PE. The study explored several correlations between the validated dimensions and independent variables such as gender, level of education, years of teaching experience and age. These analyses yielded additional valuable insights, enriching the depth of understanding provided by the present research.Practical implicationsThe fields of TQM and PE lack empirical evidence. However, this study offers valuable insights into teachers’ perceptions of evaluation and broader quality improvement efforts. This can help school managers, policymakers and practitioners refine their implementation strategies for educational excellence.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to focus on the examination of evaluation as a key aspect of TQM within the context of PE. Through the development and validation of a real-time measurement instrument, it bridges a significant research gap, providing practitioners and researchers with a vital tool to understand and improve educators’ evaluation perceptions, enabling targeted interventions for enhanced performance.

Sustainable meaningful learning through the tree of knowledge: a teaching project for Nepal

Introduction: The climate crisis and social justice are at the focus of UNESCO's 2030 Agenda, which presents 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) as a roadmap for the preservation of the planet. From the educational field, its achievement can be promoted through the design of educational projects that promote sustainable meaningful learning (SML) hand in hand with learning for social justice (LSJ). In this context, an innovative teaching practice was developed in 2021-22 using biosphere reserves in Nepal, in which students from the International Primary Education Teacher Degree Program designed teaching materials to be offered to nearby primary schools in Nepal, close to the selected biosphere reserve. Methodology: The students built knowledge models based on conceptual maps about the selected biosphere reserve, creating teaching units with activities aimed at students in Nepal. A tree of knowledge was also designed that summarized the joint project as a metacognitive tool for sustainable meaningful learning. Results: For the evaluation, a double rubric was used that analysed both the oral defence of the project and the different sections of the UD, and personal reflections were analysed, as well as the learning results and motivation. Discussion: Sustainable meaningful learning together with learning for social justice and the didactic tools that were used are very valid methodologies to stimulate international cooperation and promote meaningful, autonomous, motivating and sustainable learning.

Digital competency – Perspectives of teacher students and primary teachers

Digital transformation is regarded as the foremost priority for public governance reform across all sectors, encompassing the education domain, which has been undergoing its own digital transformation journey spanning from primary to higher education levels. Drawing from five elements of digital competency (DC) derived from conceptual references to competency, professional proficiency, digital technology, and digital transformation frameworks, opinions on these elements were sought from primary teachers and teacher students. The findings reveal disparities in the digital competency levels among teacher students relative to the demands, with notable concerns surrounding digital assessment, security, and safety in cyberspace. It is emphasized that additional emphasis should be placed on integrating digital competency domains into training programs, as digital competencies represent a deficiency in the criteria for teachers, which should be explicitly addressed in program learning outcomes (PLOs). Moreover, the increasing significance of digital competency underscores the necessity for its seamless integration into training programs catering to primary education teacher students. Further research is warranted to explore various aspects of this topic, including its scope, comparative analysis with teacher training in other sectors, and the perspectives of primary school principals.

Digital Skills and Gender Equity: Perceptions and Practices of Portuguese Primary Education Teachers

This study aims to characterize the digital skills and pedagogical practices using digital technology among primary teachers (first CEB), as well as to map their understanding and practices of promoting gender equality using digital technology. To this end, an online questionnaire survey was conducted among teachers, which yielded 3871 valid responses, representing 17.5% of the population. The sample structure is identical to that of the population, in terms of sociodemographic and territorial characteristics, as well as to the years of schooling covered. It was found that teachers perceive themselves as digitally competent to carry out the essential part of their teaching tasks. Most have already tried to carry out a diverse set of pedagogical practices and activities using digital technology. However, as the overwhelming majority did not find differences between the uses that boys and girls make of digital technology, they also do not act to promote digital skills differently among girls. Some contextual variables were also found that explain these differences in perception and practices regarding digital in education.

Individual and group emotional intelligence measurement of sex differences and invariance for individual (WLEIS-S) and group (WEIP-S) emotional intelligence measurement scales

Different international research groups focus on the study of socio-emotional resources and tools to facilitate adequate management of daily challenges and demands among teachers. This allows for better personal and professional performance. One of these resources that has attracted most attention in recent decades has been that of emotional intelligence. In this regard, the present study set out to analyse the psychometric properties of trait emotional intelligence as a construct. For this purpose, the study focused on two EI measurement instruments. One of the instruments (WLEIS-S) measures individual emotional intelligence and the other instrument (WEIP-S) measures group emotional intelligence. Against this background, the possible invariance of both scales with respect to the sex variable is analysed, as well as possible differences in the variables measured by the scales between sexes. To this end, 452 primary education teachers from Southern Spain filled in the WLEIS-S and WEIP-S tests. The results found in the factor analyses carried out with both instruments showed an excellent fit, as well as good internal consistency. Moreover, both instruments showed robust invariance, which indicates that both scales measure the emotional intelligence construct consistently for both women and men. No differences were found in the assessed latent variables between sexes. To conclude, this study shows psychometric evidence supporting the suitability of the WLEIS-S and WEIP-S scales for the accurate assessment of individual and group emotional intelligence in women and men in the teacher population.

Assessing the Opportunities Offered by the Implementation of the Teaching Method Through Thematic Project for Future Teachers in Preschool and Primary Education

The approach to the teaching process is continuously evolving. The main directions of reference are based on the integrated, modern perspective, respectively, of a single discipline, classic. Each of these has distinct benefits. The best framework is probably represented by a fusion of the two. Integrating thematic projects in science teaching at an early stage offers opportunities to develop and capitalize on multiple perspectives from different people’s interpretations and diverse disciplinary approaches to a given problem or situation. An integrated approach to learning enables teachers to implement the school’s core values in a natural and applied way, thereby elevating the learning experience to foster social-emotional strengths and character development. The research focused mainly on establishing the benefits of the future teacher who will be active in young education. Considering this context, research was conducted among second and third-year students from the primary and preschool education pedagogy area. The main findings that must be underlined relate to the future educator’s capacity to implement the new concepts. Even if they were not beneficiaries of the current methods, they can use these successfully and see their benefits.

Factors affecting teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching in primary education

ABSTRACT The quality of teaching is significantly influenced by teachers’ self-efficacy. Grounded in social cognitive theory, this study examined the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching, on the one hand, and individual factors, working conditions, and principal leadership, on the other. Data derived from 466 primary teachers were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching was positively associated with their teaching experience, beliefs in self-directed learning, and support from colleagues. These findings underscored the importance of teachers’ characteristics and collegial support in explaining teachers’ self-efficacy, highlighting the need for fostering a supportive and collaborative work environment in schools.

DEVELOPMENT OF ARTICULATE STORYLINE MEDIA FOR ENHANCING LEARNING OUTCOMES IN NATURAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Technology-based interactive media have yet to reach their full potential in elementary education, resulting in suboptimal learning outcomes in the natural and social sciences. This study aims to outline the development steps for interactive learning media using Articulate Storyline and to assess the quality and effectiveness of this media in teaching fifth-grade students about Earth and the Universe within natural and social science subjects. Employing a research and development approach, this study utilized the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model. The participants were fifth-grade students from the Muhammadiyah Elementary School of Karangbendo, Yogyakarta, with 28 students. Instruments used in this research are questionnaires and tests. The questionnaire was used to get data from the experts, whereas a test was used to get the data on learning outcomes. The findings suggest that the Articulate Storyline interactive learning media is suitable and effective, as evidenced by an average 'Highly Suitable' rating of 87% from experts in content knowledge, media, language, and teaching and learning in primary education and a 'Very Good' response rating of 98% from teachers and students. A significant improvement in learning outcomes was observed, with an average n-gain score of 0.73, indicating a high level of effectiveness. This media is recommended as an alternative for educational activities in schools, particularly for introducing topics related to Earth and the universe.

Symposium 1: Analyzing Special Needs Support through Networks and Learning Analytics in Primary Education

In this short paper, analytical issues of networked learning are related to special needs support and learning analytics research in primary education. Very brief suggestions for these analytical issues are discussed for the networked learning research field to continue to expand upon. In part, the discussion is intended to form the underpinnings of a work-in-progress research project with cross-disciplinary networked connections across multiple universities. Currently, teachers are faced with an expansion of their professional role that may be too economically demanding, which may result in consequences that is not beneficial for children with special needs. Researchers that aim to study inclusive education face the challenge to represent findings in a way that does not increase workload for teachers in primary education. Any failings in this regard may strengthen the intertwining of educational results and economical interest, which to a large extent could be considered as opposed to networked learning theory, dualistically separated from pedagogical concerns. The inclusive goal of addressing diversity for children with special needs may be promoted by providing an educational setting with networked connections that enhances variation to modes of behavior, by addressing specific and contextual strengths and challenges of students appropriately. With learning analytics, specific and contextual strengths and challenges of students might be easier to highlight with new database schemas, algorithms, and user interfaces to represent networked data. Radical behaviorist methodology may further emphasize specific contextual findings from primary education through strictly defined events of behavior, which may be of interest to the networked learning research community to further expand upon. Thus, this paper proposes suggestions for networked learning research of primary education, with approaches commonly implemented in special education, such as radical behaviorist methodology. The suggestions are based on networked consequences from three social dimensions: political, economic, and technology-developmental. 1 The political dimension is discussed through the notion of inclusive education for children with special needs and its current state, 2 the economic dimension is discussed through the 21st century role expansion of teachers, 3 the technology-developmental dimension is discussed through learning analytic research and its connection to bodily and biological associations. This dimension is especially noteworthy, as learning analytics is currently underutilized in primary education research as opposed to common higher education research.

Gamifying Teacher Education with FantasyClass: Effects on Attitudes towards Physics and Chemistry among Preservice Primary Teachers

This study investigates the impact of structural gamification, using the digital platform FantasyClass, on the attitudes and motivation of preservice primary education teachers towards physics and chemistry. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research combined quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis involving 65 second-year university students over a 14-week course. The quantitative component was framed within a quasi-experimental pre-post design, allowing for the comparison of students’ attitudes and motivations before and after the gamified intervention. The qualitative component was designed to complement the quantitative findings. Quantitative analysis revealed significant improvements in students’ perceptions and motivation, with notable increases in positive attitudes towards these sciences. Qualitative data further highlighted enhanced interest and enjoyment, with students reporting greater engagement and a shift in their perception of physics and chemistry as accessible and enjoyable. The study also noted an increase in self-confidence among future teachers and improved teaching self-efficacy. The findings suggest that integrating gamification in initial primary science teacher education can effectively foster more favorable attitudes, enhance motivation towards science, and improve teaching confidence. Future research should explore long-term impacts, as well as personalized gamification approaches to cater to different types of learners and maximize educational effectiveness.

Professional practice competence of primary school physical education teachers

ABSTRACT This study examined the professional practice competence (PPC) of primary school physical education (PE) teachers. Participants of the study were 382 availably selected primary school PE teachers in Amhara Region, in Ethiopia. Results revealed that, except for their lesson planning (LP), PE teachers’ instructional assessment (IA); their ability to create and maintain a safe and supportive learning environment (CMSSLE), and their overall PPC were low. However, female PE teachers performed their LP better than male teachers. Conversely, female PE teachers, degree holders, beginner and junior teachers, and rural PE teachers demonstrated lower proficiency in IA compared to others. The results also indicated that no significant differences were found in CMSSLE between male and female teachers, rural and urban teachers, and diploma and degree – holder teachers. Accordingly, the regional education bureaus, zonal education departments, and teacher education institutions have to pay due magnanimity and precaution while hiring, training, and deploying PE teachers in different areas of the nation. For the professional development and professional practice competence of PE teachers, need-based and continuous on-the-job capacity-building training should be designed by the concerned education policymakers.

Enacting the signature pedagogies of arts education in the online learning environment for primary teacher education

ABSTRACT In Australia, where initial teacher education is offered both on-campus and in a fully online mode, future primary-school generalist teachers study teaching across the school curriculum. This includes the arts curriculum where opportunities for future teachers to engage in authentic arts learning themselves are generally seen as essential for developing their arts teaching capabilities. However, a number of university educators have reservations about being able to do this effectively in the online environment because of the practical, experiential, and performative nature of arts learning. This study reviews the learning design of two compulsory arts education units in a fully online Bachelor of Education (Primary). It uses the “signature pedagogies” conceptualisation of the distinctive, durable, and pervasive pedagogical features of a discipline and explores whether arts education’s signature pedagogies can be sustained in the online environment. Using qualitative content analysis methodology, the study shows that the learning design preserves arts education’s signature pedagogies in the online context, though the expression of these is re-imagined for this learning environment. Augmented by survey data from students’ unit evaluations, the study shows that online teacher education can offer meaningful arts learning in units designed for future primary-school teachers.

Discussion on the Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Characteristic Curriculum into Primary Education Teaching Practice

Discussion on the Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Characteristic Curriculum into Primary Education Teaching Practice

The Application of Educational Games in Primary Education: A Theoretical Framework

This study aims to shed light on educational games in the field of learning and education, through the perspectives of educators and teachers in primary education. The goal is to identify the key determinants associated with this learning approach. Accordingly, this study seeks to explore the meaning and types of educational games, followed by the theories that have interpreted this type of learning.

Burnout, Engagement, and Resilience During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Keys to a Model for Teachers' Self-Efficacy.

Social isolation measures by the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted teaching work. In an "Emergency Remote Teaching" (ERT) context, it is relevant to investigate the factors that affect teachers' self-efficacy. A total of 289 teachers from schools in southern Spain have participated in this study. They have been asked about their levels of burnout, engagement, and resilience. Comparisons were made by groups in accordance with sex, type of center they belonged to, school social context, and educational level in which the teacher taught. Using a Structural Equations Model, the multivariate relationships between the variables related to burnout, engagement, and resilience were described. During the ERT, teachers' self-efficacy was influenced by the 3 factors: burnout-exhaustion and cynicism-engagement, and resilience. During the ERT, the teachers in semi-private and private centers showed greater self-efficacy. In turn, the teachers in childhood and primary education showed a significantly higher level of work engagement than the teachers in compulsory and post-compulsory secondary education. The results in relation to ERT are discussed in the context of the exceptionality and universal globality of the pandemic phenomenon and the complex self-perception of the social value of the teaching function.

Διοίκηση υπηρεσιών στην οργάνωση και διοίκηση των εκπαιδευτικών μονάδων. Παράγοντες και κίνητρα συμμετοχής σε Ευρωπαϊκά προγράμματα των εκπαιδευτικών Πρωτοβάθμιας Εκπαίδευσης. Έρευνα του Ν. Λάρισας και του Ν. Πιερίας

The European Educational Programmes hold an important place in the educational process and they constitute a form of educational tourism. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the participation of Primary Education teachers from the prefectures of Larisa and Pieria in European Educational Programmes. The personal motivation factors according to Herzberg are being researched, along with the push-pull theory and the travel risk during a crisis period. According to the research findings, the Primary Education teachers from the prefectures of Larisa and Pieria take into serious consideration both the push-pull motives and the personal motivation factors according to Herzberg for participating in European Educational Programmes. As far as travel risk is concerned, the teachers seem to take into considerable account the dangers that might occur due to some kind of crisis (health crisis, natural crisis, etc). The present study and its findings offer strategic and practical support to the administration services spectrum of the European organisations during the promotion and implementation of the European Educational Programmes.

ICT integration in FLT: An analysis of TPACK implementation in Spanish Primary Teacher Education

This study explores primary teachers´ initial training programs, focusing on Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) and its integration with technology. The research is grounded in two dimensions of contemporary society: plurilingual competence and digital literacy. The study employs the conceptual framework of "Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge" (TPACK) (Mishra & Kohler, 2006) and applies content analysis methodology. The scientific interest lies in the scarcity of studies examining this specific area within the Spanish context, because research on TPACK in FLT has primarily focused on Asia and the Middle East. To address this void, a comprehensive national study encompassing 39 public universities was conducted. This study involved an in-depth analysis of 496 course guides within the field of FLT in primary education teacher training programs. The research findings indicate that less than half of the subjects incorporate technology, and when they do, two prominent trends emerge: the integration of TPACK and the presentation of technology as a broad competency, not specifically tailored to FLT. The primary conclusion drawn from this study is that the incorporation of TPACK in this context is moderate, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive integration of technology within FLT teacher training programs.

Δύναμη και πίεση. Καθημερινότητα και επιστήμη: Απόψεις προπτυχιακών φοιτητών παιδαγωγικού τμήματος

The present paper investigates the degree of influence of the polysemy of the concepts "force" and "pressure" and of everyday language in the formation of the opinions of primary education teacher candidates, regarding these concepts in the context of Physics. The sample of the research was 69 undergraduate students of the 4th semester of the Pedagogigal Department and for the analysis of the results the qualitative research method was followed. The students expressed their opinions in writing about what they believe force and pressure are, while focus groups discussions with randomly selected students followed. The results highlight the diversity of the students" answers, the diversity of their thinking and the fact that their opinions are not necessarily scientifically wrong or conceptually different from the scientifically correct but semantically different, examining them with a strict criterion of their formulation in purely scientific terms.