Primary Teachers Research Articles

Association of school neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage and teaching staff’s risk of violence at work

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the association between neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage and teaching staff’s risk of workplace violence and whether workplace psychosocial resources can act as effect modifiers. Methods: Primary school teaching staff in the six largest cities in Finland responded to a survey in 2018 and were linked to information on school neighbourhood disadvantage obtained from the national grid database ( n = 3984). Results: After adjustment for confounders, staff working in schools located in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods had a 1.2-fold (95% confidence interval 1.07–1.35) risk of encountering violence or threat of violence compared with staff working in the most advantaged neighbourhoods. The association was less marked in schools with strong support from colleagues (risk ratio 1.14, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.98–1.32 for high support versus 1.23, 95% CI 1.07–1.43 for low/intermediate support), a strong culture of collaboration (1.08, 95% CI 0.93–1.26 versus 1.31, 95% CI 1.12–1.53), high leadership quality (1.12, 95% CI 0.96–1.31 versus 1.29, 95% CI 1.08–1.54), and high organizational justice (1.09, 95% CI 0.91–1.32 versus 1.29, 95% CI 1.09–1.52). Conclusions: The association between school neighbourhood and teaching staff’s risk of violence was weaker in schools with high workplace psychosocial resources, suggesting that targeting these factors might help in minimizing violence at schools, but future intervention studies are needed to confirm or refute this hypothesis.

Improvement of attitudes and skills using a MOOC about the basic science of climate change

Education needs to be at the forefront of the efforts to mitigate and adapt to Climate Change (CC) effects. We have introduced the Climate Change Competence (C3) to provide a comprehensive route to include the topics of sustainability and CC into the curriculum. This paper analyses how different primary and secondary teachers can improve this competence using a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on the basic science of CC. While the improvement in knowledge is expected, we have observed important advances on abilities, and attitudes on CC which are also essential to teach about CC mitigation and adaptation. The present study used a pre-experimental design, with pre-and post-test measurements with a sample of 530 students. While the MOOC focuses on the Science of CC, the participants also advance in attitudes and abilities, revealing an important correlation between these three dimensions of competence. Also, the study reveals that the MOOC improves the C3 in all the participants, but it does in diverse ways for diverse groups.

Job stressors and the innovative work behaviour of STEM teachers: serial multiple mediation role of creative self-efficacy and creative motivation

ABSTRACT STEM education is crucial in the digital intelligence era, imposing new demands and challenges on teachers. However, there is limited focus on the job stress and innovative work behaviour of STEM teachers, particularly on how job stressors influence their innovative behaviour. This study, from the perspective of school organisational administrators, based on the JDCS Model and social learning theory, surveyed 849 primary and secondary school STEM teachers across 11 provinces in China using scales for Job Stress, Creative Self-Efficacy, Creative Motivation, and Teachers’ Innovative Work Behaviour. Results indicated that job demand positively influences innovative work behaviour directly and indirectly through creative motivation and the serial mediation of creative self-efficacy and creative motivation, contributing 38.4%. Job control also positively influences innovative work behaviour indirectly via creative self-efficacy and the serial mediation of creative self-efficacy and creative motivation, contributing 32.2%. Similarly, job support impacts innovative work behaviour indirectly through creative self-efficacy and its serial mediation with creative motivation, contributing 21.9%. Collectively, job demand, control, and support affect STEM teachers’ job stress. It is recommended that school administrators balance job demand and support, adjust job control, and provide targeted support to enhance teachers’ creative self-efficacy and motivation, fostering innovative work behaviour.

Digital health literacy among primary and secondary school teachers-a quantitative study.

Digital health literacy (DHL) is a key competency for individuals' daily decisions toward their health behavior and wellbeing. While there is much focus on health literacy (HL) among the general population, teachers have been rarely addressed. Given the shortages in the teaching workforce in Europe and the impact of demanding working conditions on their health, it is important to address DHL in teachers. This paper examines the DHL of primary and secondary teachers and its associations with sociodemographic and school-related factors. An online cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,600 German primary and secondary school teachers between October and December 2022. To assess DHL, the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI) including seven subscales was used. Statistical analyses were conducted on item and subscale level and an overall DHL score was calculated. Next to descriptive analyses, bivariate and regression analyses were conducted to explore potential associations with sociodemographic and school-related factors. The frequency of difficulty in using digital health information varied across DHL dimensions and was greatest for protecting privacy (70.9%) and evaluating reliability (40.0%). In multivariate analysis, females more often reported a sufficient ability of adding content (OR = 1.61, CI = 1.05-2.48), while males more often reported a sufficient ability to protect their privacy (OR = 0.45, CI = 0.27-0.75). Teachers with leadership positions more often reported a sufficient ability in adding content (OR = 1.78, CI = 1.07-2.98). Regarding the ability to determine the relevance of online health-related information, no associations with a predictor variable were found. The results suggest that it is important to examine the individual dimensions of DHL and their distinct associations with sociodemographic and school-level factors, rather than just to rely on the overall level of DHL. The differential patterns identified in this study suggest a greater intervention need for teachers from higher age groups, primary and secondary general schools, and those without leadership roles. However, based on the limited predictive power of the variables included, further individual and school-level factors and their potential association with DHL should be investigated in the future. The promotion of DHL should be integrated into both teacher education and in-service training.

#InstaMind: teachers’ beliefs on educational technology to promote seamless technology integration in early education

BackgroundThe digital revolution has deeply affected every aspect of our daily lives, including education, transforming how we learn and teach. In Italy, this transformation has occurred naturally for the alpha generation, born in the era in which technology is an integral part of their education. Conversely, for teachers who are not digital natives, adapting to this technological era is a considerable challenge. This challenge is increasing for Italian teachers working with preschoolers. Indeed, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, such technologies were sparsely utilized within early education. This study aims to explore Italian teachers’ beliefs through internal factors—i.e., self- efficacy, outcome expectations, and interest, toward the integration of educational technology in teaching.MethodsTo this end, the standardized Intrapersonal Technology Integration Scale was selected to measure the Italian teachers’ beliefs. The study includes 180 teachers working with the alpha generation, which encompasses children currently attending pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and primary education.ResultsThe results obtained from the comparison among the three groups of teachers (pre- kindergarten, kindergarten, and primary education) on the internal factors are manifold. Mainly, although all teachers are interested in educational technologies, there is a reluctance and low self-efficacy perception to use them with preschoolers. Specifically, pre-kindergarten teachers perceive themselves as less effective and satisfied using such technologies than kindergarten and primary teachers. Moreover, greater teachers’ age and greater teaching experience predict a lower level of perceived self-efficacy and outcome expectations, highlighting resistance toward technological change. All results and their implications are detailed in this text.DiscussionThis study suggests focusing on perceived self-efficacy, offering customized training to enhance it, exploiting the teachers’ interest, enriching teachers’ knowledge through scientific dissemination seminars, and using an effective method. To conclude, understanding teachers’ beliefs is a challenge to better meet the needs of the digital-native generation and harness the potential of educational technologies in childhood education.

ESL Primary Teachers’ Perspectives of Multimodality in 21st Century English Classroom

ESL Primary Teachers’ Perspectives of Multimodality in 21st Century English Classroom

Contrasting mathematics educational values: An in-depth case study of primary and secondary teachers in Hong Kong

Using an in-depth case study approach, this study explored the mathematics educational values held by two in-service teachers at the primary and secondary levels in Hong Kong through lesson observations and deep structured interviews. The findings revealed that the primary teacher emphasized fun, flexibility, critical thinking, and coherence, while the secondary teacher prioritized achievement, control, higher-order thinking, and progression. Using Seah and Bishop's five complementary pairs framework, the primary teacher aligned with an activist, relational, relevance, and accessibility perspective, contrasting sharply with the secondary teacher. This reflected a shift in values in response to students’ educational stages, revealing the challenges of balancing social expectations and nurturing future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics talent. We discussed the implications for local education reforms, including modernizing assessment methods and curricula, reshaping the social climate, and updating professional development to address these tensions.

An Analysis of Primary School Classroom Teaching Evaluation Strategies Based on Chinese Core Literacy

As an important part of primary school Chinese education activities, the evaluation form of primary school Chinese classroom teaching determines the effect of Chinese teaching to a large extent. In response to the problems in the current Chinese classroom teaching evaluation, this paper explores the evaluation of Chinese classroom teaching from the starting point of Chinese core literacy, and proposes to use language construction and application literacy, thinking development and improvement literacy, aesthetic appreciation and creative literacy, cultural inheritance and understanding literacy as evaluation guidelines. It explores the primary school Chinese curriculum teaching evaluation strategy from the aspects of comprehensive evaluation content, diversified evaluation subjects, and standardized evaluation indicators, so as to give full play to the effectiveness of Chinese classroom teaching evaluation and improve primary school students' Chinese core literacy.

Using an ‘effective’ model of professional development in science education to improve primary teachers’ classroom practice: the CSSP experience

ABSTRACT The international research literature concludes that effective professional development for teachers needs to: be truly collaborative involving an active role for practitioners; help break down teacher insulation and isolation; provide opportunities for teachers to work together in developing their classroom practices. However, professional development, as understood in the Irish context, tends to be characterised by predominantly transmission of knowledge models. The Clare Small Schools Project (CSSP) is an innovative professional development programme in primary science education in Ireland. Its constituent partners are Clare Education Centre, Dublin City University and small rural primary schools in County Clare. It is planned and designed in accordance with agreed characteristics of transformative professional development: ongoing, collaborative, embedded in teachers’ work, with an emphasis on changing classroom practice. This paper draws on the key developments emerging from the programme. Findings show that the CSSP is making positive changes in teachers’ individual and collaborative practices and is helping teachers overcome professional isolation. Key to this is the prominent role the Education Centre plays in encouraging participatory approaches to practice. These findings add to what is known about providing transformative professional development. They have far-reaching implications for teacher educators in Ireland and farther afield.

Diagnosis of ADHD using virtual reality and artificial intelligence: an exploratory study of clinical applications.

Diagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is based on clinical evaluation of symptoms by a psychiatrist, referencing results of psychological tests. When diagnosing ADHD, the child's behavior and functionality in real-life situations are critical components. However, direct observation by a clinician is often not feasible in practice. Therefore, such information is typically gathered from primary caregivers or teachers, which can introduce subjective elements. To overcome these limitations, we developed AttnKare-D, an innovative digital diagnostic tool that could analyze children's behavioral data in Virtual Reality using Artificial Intelligence. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility and safety of AttnKare-D for clinical application. A total of 21 children aged between 6 and 12 years were recruited for this study. Among them, 15 were children diagnosed with ADHD, 5 were part of a normal control group, and 1 child was excluded due to withdrawal of consent. Psychological assessments, including K-WISC, Conners CPT, K-ARS, and K-CBCL, were conducted for participants and their primary caregivers. Diagnoses of ADHD were confirmed by child and adolescent psychiatrists based on comprehensive face-to-face evaluations and results of psychological assessments. Participants underwent VR diagnostic assessment by performing various cognitive and behavioral tasks in a VR environment. Collected data were analyzed using an AI model to assess ADHD diagnosis and the severity of symptoms. AttnKare-D demonstrated diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.893 when compared to diagnoses made by child and adolescent psychiatrist, showing a sensitivity of 0.8 and a specificity of 1.0 at a cut-off score of 18.44. AttnKare-D scores showed a high correlation with K-ARS scores rated by parents and experts, although the correlation was relatively low for inattention scores. Results of this study suggest that AttnKare-D can be a useful tool for diagnosing ADHD in children. This approach has potential to overcome limitations of current diagnostic methods, enhancing the accuracy and objectivity of ADHD diagnoses. This study lays the groundwork for further improvement and research on diagnostic tools integrating VR and AI technologies. For future clinical applications, it is necessary to conduct clinical trials involving a sufficient number of participants to ensure reliable use.

The Relationship Between Literacy and Numeracy Skills of Prospective Primary Education Teachers

Literacy and numeracy have become prerequisites for society to improve competence in social life. This research endeavor seeks to establish the correlation between the literacy components found in informational texts and literary texts and their impact on numeracy proficiency. This study involved 207 prospective primary education teachers of the Teacher Education Faculty of Tarbiyah Hamzanwadi Pancor Islamic Institute as the study population. The sampling technique used simple random sampling, so 78 prospective primary education teachers were obtained as research samples. The research findings show that there is a simultaneous relationship between literacy skills in the aspects of informational texts and literary texts with numeracy skills in prospective primary education teachers, Faculty of Tarbiyah, Hamzanwadi Islamic Institute Pancor. The contribution of literacy influence is 52% to increase numeracy ability. In addition, literacy skills in aspects of information texts and aspects of literary texts also partially affect the improvement of numeracy skills in students.

An exploration of microlearning as continuous professional development for English language teachers: initial findings and insights

ABSTRACT This article reports on a qualitative study conducted at primary schools in Hong Kong exploring the use of microlearning to support the self-directed continuing professional development (CPD) of English language teachers. Microlearning refers to short, concise, and easily consumable segments of learning about a knowledge point or skill. These activities tend to be multimodal and delivered through digital platforms, making them accessible anytime and anywhere. Currently, little is known about teachers’ perceptions of microlearning. To address this gap, we developed and delivered a mobile course that followed a microlearning approach and covered various aspects of digital technologies and English language teaching. Eight primary school English teachers engaged in the course and shared their perceptions of the experience in semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that they found microlearning to be more enriching and conducive to developing their digital competence than traditional CPD. It allowed them to address their immediate needs, develop practical skills, and integrate technology into their practices. The study provides important insights into the use of microlearning to support self-directed CPD.

Drawing the past to envision the future: supporting the development of primary STEM teacher identity

ABSTRACT Growing interest in STEM education and imminent curricular reform places new demands on teachers, giving impetus to re-examining how we prepare primary teachers for more integrated approaches. In addition to the acquisition of knowledge and skills, sustainable change demands the development of teacher identity, in which teachers are seen by themselves and others as STEM teachers. This paper reports on the emerging STEM teacher identities of five preservice primary teachers. Using STEM story-lines as an innovative graphing exercise, participants were prompted to reflect on key events that shaped their journey and share future-oriented narratives through drawing and storytelling, as they negotiated becoming STEM teachers. Findings suggest that although their own school experiences were varied and influential, an integrated STEM intervention was the common turning point in their STEM identity development, whereby participants aligned critical components of STEM with personal experiences and values. The reflective tools used supported identity work, by triggering a rediscovery and reinterpretation of their experiences with the benefit of increased knowledge for teaching STEM and, in turn, provided a means to re-envisage the future.

A qualitative study on Chinese primary school EFL teachers’ beliefs about incorporating intercultural competence into foreign language teaching

Intercultural competence has become one of the important goals of foreign language education. The potential and value of foreign language education on students' intercultural competence (IC) has been widely recognized by academia. Currently, most of the research on intercultural foreign language teachers in China focuses on university teachers, with little attention paid to primary school EFL teachers. However, the cultivation of IC is a staged and continuous process which cannot be achieved in one stroke. Therefore, it is necessary to include primary school EFL teachers in the study of IC cultivation. This paper presents data on Chinese primary school EFL teachers' beliefs about incorporating IC into foreign language teaching. Specifically, their understanding of culture, IC, and intercultural teaching practices are investigated through interviews. The interview transcriptions were analyzed using thematic analysis. The research found: 1. Chinese primary school EFL teachers generally hold an essentialist view of culture; 2. Teachers emphasize the attitudinal dimension of IC; however, they also exhibit a tendency to oversimplify IC or perceive it as a higher-order skill than language proficiency, hence deeming it unsuitable for cultivation at the primary school level; 3. Most cultural teaching practices are teacher-centered, focusing on background knowledge-style introduction. In general, teachers’ intercultural teaching practices align with their cultural outlook. At last, the study explores two suggestions for promoting intercultural foreign language teaching: 1. Supporting primary school EFL teachers in updating their language and culture concepts system; 2. Encouraging teachers to reflect on their daily teaching practices as a major opportunity to promote the development of intercultural foreign language teaching.

Implementation of Single National Curriculum Mathematics 2020 Intended and Enacted Determinants Perspective at Primary Level in Punjab

The current study was framed to determine the gap between intended and enacted single national mathematics curriculum implementation determinants instructional material, teaching methods, formative assessment, and teachers’ professional development. The nature of the study was quantitative descriptive based on the survey method. Single National Curriculum of Mathematics Implementation Questionnaire for Teachers (SNCMIQT) was developed for data collection from public primary school mathematics teachers. Content validity of SNCMIQT was ensured by five curriculum education experts and reliability was calculated employing Cronbach’s Alpha score; .918, and used to collect the data from the sample of 230 teachers selected through a simple random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed by applying descriptive and inferential statistics. The study results revealed that 82% of mathematics curriculum determinants were implemented and an 18% gap existed regarding SNC mathematics. The results further, showed that 78% of instructional materials were in use and a 22% gap existed regarding instructional materials. The results declared that 78% of teaching methods were used according to the SNC and a 22% gap existed in teaching methods. The results declared that 87% of formative assessment techniques were in use, while a 13% gap existed regarding the usage of formative assessment. The results revealed that 87% of teachers were provided with teacher training, while 13% were not provided with teacher training, furthermore, results declared no significant difference between locale curriculum implementation determinants. Based on the results of the study, it was recommended that the government provide funds for mathematics instructional materials; learning labs, teaching kits, and learning gadgets for the mathematics curriculum. The education department and head teachers ensured the implementation of curriculum-based teaching methods and formative assessment strategies. Teachers training institutions may provide mathematics curriculum-based teachers training on the usage of instructional materials, teaching methods, and assessment. Head teachers may bind teachers in using instructional materials, teaching methods, and formative assessment techniques for effective SNC mathematics curriculum implementation.

POSSIBILITIES OF USING DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES IN THE TEACHING PROCESS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL

Today, one of the urgent problems of primary school is the digitization of the teachingprocess. It is important to form themselves as competent specialists for primary school teachers from a professional point of view, adapting schoolchildren to the changing information society, effectively organizing digital educational resources in accordance with the requirements of modern society. Digital educational resources serve as ready-made multimedia interactive products aimed at solving didactic goals and specific learning tasks for teachers. In this direction, the aim of the research is to propose a model of training for future primary school teachers by analyzing the possibilities of using digital educational resources in primary school teaching process. A teaching model designed to make the educational process interesting and meaningful by creatively using digital educational resources was presented. In the article, the meanings of the terms «digital educational resources», «readiness of the future primary school teacher to use digital educational resources» have been analyzed from scientific and methodological points of view. Practical experiment work, directions for the special course program «Methods of using digital educational resources in primary schools» was offered aimed at mastering digital educational resources as a means of self-professional development of future specialists. The research used methods of theoretical literatureanalysis and a survey of digital educational resources as an empirical method. There is an opportunity of using the research results in the methodology of effective use of digital educational resources in the training of future primary school teachers of the country.

‘Gaming’ in the English primary school: ‘do whatever you need to do to make your data look good’

ABSTRACT In an international policy environment of intensified high-stakes accountability, pupil assessment data are an invaluable commodity and critical indicator of both school and teacher effectiveness. Teachers’ engagement with pupil data and the associated experiences of increased accountability are of great consequence, and highly contentious for perceptions and experiences of policy. In the context of the English primary school, this paper explores the progressively tactical nature of teachers’ enactment of assessment policy, and the impetus to ‘make the data look good’. It draws upon an empirical study of rich qualitative data from 42 interviews with 22 primary teachers employed in the South-East of England. The findings add to an evolving field about ‘gaming’, and particular consequences for teacher identity are discussed. The paper further advances insights about teachers’ experiences of ‘in-school assessment’ as pertinent for understanding gaming. It locates the pupil progress meeting as an iteration of teacher accountability and performativity, and particular site of contestation, and a specific contribution to knowledge in this regard.

Exploring pre-service primary teachers’ emotions in a geometry project with 3D design

This study explores the emotions that pre-service teachers (PSTs) experience when they interact with geometric knowledge and 3D design in a project focused on the way of Saint James pilgrimage route. The sample was made up of 101 PSTs from the University of Santiago de Compostela, the final point of the pilgrimage path. An emotional questionnaire, together with a participant observation notebook and a rubric, served as data collection instruments. The analytical frameworks included the didactical suitability criteria for mediational and affective facets, and SAMR (substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition) model for the effective integration of technology in schools. The results show a greater presence of pleasant emotions, highlighting the emotions of curiosity and cheerfulness. Despite this, less pleasant emotions such as brain-taster or bewilderment were notable. Pleasant emotions shown, as well, higher correlation rates. In conclusion, 3D design seems to indicate great potential for working on emotions with this group of students.

Effectiveness of the Symbolab Calculator in Improving Second Year Science and Mathematics Students Ability to Solve Trigonometric Equations

Trigonometry is a challenging area of mathematics for many students, especially for pre-service primary teachers in TTCs. The Symbolab calculator, software developed to assist mathematicians in solving complex problems, is used to improve students' performance and understanding. This study investigated the effectiveness of using the Symbolab calculator on second-year student-teachers, comparing their performance with those without the calculator. The data was analysed using the t-test. The findings showed that the integration of the Symbolab calculator significantly improved students' performance and understanding, reducing the time taken to solve trigonometric equations. It is recommended that further research be conducted on the effectiveness of combining different instructional methods in trigonometry instruction. There is a need to encourage teachers to adopt various pedagogical strategies for improved learning outcomes.

English Teachers’ Perceptions of the Importance of Essential Components and Early Grade Reading Instruction

This study examines English teachers’ perceptions of the importance of essential components and early grade reading instruction: Ethiopian context. To this end, the researchers chose a descriptive research design of quantitative-qualitative approaches. Twenty (20) randomly selected primary schools were the sources of data; 125 primary school English teachers of Hawassa City Administration filled in a questionnaire. Among the twenty schools, two were selected randomly and interviews were conducted with six English teachers of grades one to three (1-3). The quantitative data analysis was done by using software for data analysis (SPSS Version 25.0), descriptive statistics. The data gathered through semi-structured interview were analyzed descriptively in words. The results have shown that participant teachers were not practicing the strategies appropriate for literacy instruction although they have positive perceptions of importance of the critical components of early grade reading instruction. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that teacher preparation programs should reconsider the level of emphasis placed on early grade reading instruction, and practice focused trainings should be given to Ethiopian lower grades English teachers on early grade reading instruction and assessment.