Primary Teachers Research Articles

A national survey on the peritraumatic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on South African teachers: A cross-sectional study

The effects of COVID-19 have resulted in peritraumatic stress experiences within various groups, including teachers. With this study we aimed to determine the prevalence of peritraumatic stress and the factors associated with each level of PTSD among teachers in South Africa. A cross-sectional study was conducted in South Africa among teachers using an online survey. A sample consisted of a total of 1,008 primary and secondary teachers responded to the COVID-19 peritraumatic distress index and the occupation-specific survey. Descriptive and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to analyse the data. There was evidence of high levels of distress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic among teaching professionals in South Africa. Therefore, there is a need to create mental health awareness among teaching professionals and to create systems that support the uptake of psychological services among the members of this population.

Pengaruh Layanan Bimbingan Kelompok terhadap Keberanian Bertanya Siswa di Kelas XI SMK Swasta Karya Utama Dolok Masihul Tahun Ajaran 2021-2022

This study aims to find out the influence of group mentoring services on the courage of asking students. The data capture technique consists of a lift. This research was carried out at Dolok Masihul Primary Teaching Year 2021-2022, which has a total of 10 students. The design of the study was pre-test and post-test group design. To obtain the data, the researchers used a closed lift and a concentration scale instrument of 45 particles, but after testing it turned out there were 8 invalid lifts, so the lifts used in this study were only 37. This study shows that the courage of asking students before giving group guidance services to students in class XI SMK Private Primary Works Dolok Masihul is in the middle category, this can be seen based on the average score of courage ask students before being given service of 85.3 then courage to ask students in grade XI SmK Private Main Works Dolek Masihul was in the medium category.

INTERACTION ANALYSIS OF CLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONS IN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

The study aimed to analyze the interaction dynamics of classroom instructions in the Reading and Writing, Statistics and Probability, and Empowerment Technology classes among Senior High School students in the HUMSS, ABM, and ICT strands at Doña Francisca Lacsamana de Ortega Memorial National High School for the School Year 2023-2024. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative data to investigate teachers' communication adjustments, primary teaching functions, the use of different language functions, and the development of outputs to enhance classroom interaction. The study also assessed the acceptability of a proposed training design to improve these interactions.

A dual mediation model of the association between principal inclusive leadership and teacher innovative behavior

Teacher innovation is crucial for the education system to adapt to contemporary society's evolving demands. However, the underlying mechanism of how inclusive leadership positively impacts employees’ innovative behavior remains incomplete. Therefore, drawing upon the social cognitive theory, this study aims to comprehensively examine the mediating effects of teachers’ psychological empowerment and school innovation climate on the relationship between inclusive leadership and innovative behavior among primary and junior teachers. A total of 358 valid questionnaires were administered to primary and junior teachers in mainland China using a convenience sampling approach. The data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling and bootstrap testing, revealing a positive relationship between principal inclusive leadership and teacher innovative behavior. Additionally, teachers’ psychological empowerment and school innovation climate were found to mediate this relationship, with the former playing a crucial role. The findings can enhance existing research on the impact of inclusive leadership in basic education. They also offer a new perspective for analyzing how inclusive leadership affects employees’ innovative behavior and provide valuable insights into stimulating innovation among primary and junior teachers.

Instructional Materials and Pupils’ Academic Performance in English in Central Division Selected Primary Schools of Ishaka Municipality, Uganda

The study examined the link between instructional materials and pupils’ English language learning in primary schools in Central Division, Ishaka Municipality. The study adopted cross sectional survey design. The quantitative data were collected using questionnaires. The data were presented and analysed using percentage, frequency tables, and arithmetic means. According to the findings, instructional resources included textbooks,chalkboards, computers, exercise books, and other supplies. From the study, factors affecting students' performance in school include lack of school fees, as many students are chased home to get fees and miss assignments and tests, negative attitude, inadequate learning facilities like books, lack of basic needs like shelter, food, poor time management, and lack of school facilities like libraries. Based on these findings, the study proposes that government and private sector stakeholders must contribute financially and materially to provide instructional materials and resources for junior primary school students. More so, regular workshops/seminars for primary teachers, head teachers, and principals on the growth and progress of instructional materials andresources in schools are urgently needed. Additionally, to improve learners' utilisation of instructional materials and resources, school leaders, directors, and ministry officials should supervise schools regularly. Finally, through government and professional seminars, workshops, and conferences, teachers should upgrade their instructional material improvisation abilities. Keywords: Academic performance, English language, Instructional materials, Learning aids, Pupils

F2F, zoom, or asynchronous learning? Higher education students’ preferences and perceived benefits and pitfalls

ABSTRACT Higher education institutions are trying to optimise course designs. During COVID-19, distance education became the primary teaching format worldwide, and current studies suggest that the online experience may have changed students’ learning format preferences, which prior to the pandemic leaned toward face-to-face (F2F) learning. This study aimed to (1) examine students’ stated and revealed (i.e. actual attendance) learning format preferences when provided F2F, synchronous online, and asynchronous online attendance options and (2) examine students’ perceived benefits and pitfalls of the three learning formats before and after their learning experience. Overall, 158 undergraduate students attended hybrid physics courses, allowing them to attend F2F, synchronously online via Zoom, or asynchronously online via lesson recordings. After the first lesson, students answered closed and open-ended questions about their stated learning format preferences. At the end of the course, students filled in their revealed learning format and answered open-ended questions regarding their motives. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Most students initially preferred to learn F2F, but many shifted to a hybrid format, combining F2F and online learning. Thematic analysis revealed themes concerning the benefits and pitfalls of each learning format, and interviews uncovered students’ behaviour.

Research on the Strategy of Applying Mixed Teaching Mode to Primary School Mathematics Teaching

With the rapid development of science and technology in today's society, great changes have taken place in all aspects of human life. The education industry has also been continuously innovated under the impetus of information technology. The rise of network information technology has significantly improved the transmission amount and efficiency of knowledge, breaking the time-space boundary of education and teaching. It provides abundant educational resources and more convenient educational methods for education and teaching, which has a certain impact on the traditional educational methods. Driven by science and technology, the application of blended teaching mode is born, which is a new teaching method produced with the development of network information technology. The combination of online teaching and offline teaching is a revolution to the traditional teaching method. Under this background, primary school mathematics teaching must change the traditional teaching methods, take moral education as the fundamental task, and give full play to the important role of primary school mathematics curriculum in cultivating students' innovative ability and creative spirit. Combined with the attributes of mathematics subject and the practice of primary school mathematics teaching, the mixed teaching mode provides a new idea for primary school mathematics teaching, which is of great significance to the implementation and development of primary school mathematics teaching.

The Cultivation of Intercultural Communication Competence in the Unit Integrity Teaching of the Primary English

As China's international status rises, the country needs more and more talents with intercultural communication skills. This paper finds that primary school English teaching materials neglect the cultivation of students' intercultural communication competence, teachers lack the awareness of intercultural communication, teachers' own intercultural literacy is insufficient, and students lack the interest of intercultural communication. The author puts forward suggestions on these aspects, hoping to provide help for elementary school English teachers regarding the cultivation of students' intercultural communicative competence.

Yes We Can: Promoting Gender Equality from University to Primary Education Teaching through the Design of Knowledge Models

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are important issues that still need to be addressed, despite some progress in recent years. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to tackle various global challenges, including the 4th (Quality Education) and 5th (Gender Equality) goals that were used to frame an activity in a science education subject in a primary education teaching degree. Previous research has found a decrease in girls’ interest in STEM and STEM-related jobs in primary and secondary education. To encourage girls in primary education towards STEM-related professions, an activity was organized in a science subject at a university in Navarre, Spain. The goal of this activity was to identify inspiring women scientists who could serve as role models for university and primary school students. A knowledge model, which is a concise and graphical representation of knowledge through concept maps, was created using the methodology of knowledge model design (Cañas et al. Revista De Informática Educativa 13:145–158, 2000) to showcase all the women scientists selected by the students. This final model is publicly accessible and can be shared with any educational center interested in promoting gender diversity in STEM fields. The results showed that the students learned meaningfully as they inquired about women scientists in professions that are typically considered more suitable for men. As these students are trainee primary school teachers, they can become part of an educational network that empowers girls by developing STEM-related activities that promote gender equality.

Prospective Teachers' Views on Teaching Science Concepts

This study aims to investigate the views of pre-service teachers who have taken the "Science Teaching" course in the undergraduate program of classroom teaching about the teaching of science concepts. In this study, the phenomenology study approach, one of the qualitative research designs, was used. The study group of this research consisted 75 pre-service teachers, 56 female and 19 male, studying in the third year of the undergraduate primary teaching program of a state university. In this study, the views of the pre-service teachers who took the science teaching course about the teaching of science concepts were determined through four open-ended questions followed by face-to-face semi-structured interviews with eight participants. It can be said that the idea that prototype examples should be given about a concept in concept teaching is known by pre-service teachers (82.3%). It was observed that the pre-service teachers were aware of a misconception about force as a science concept (90.7%), but they had difficulty writing the main views of learning theories (48.0%). It is an important detail that the participants did not see the exams as tools to eliminate misconceptions at a high rate (82.7%). Interviews were conducted with eight participants who volunteered and had available time about the answers they wrote for four open-ended questions. It was seen that the participants’ opinions supported the findings of this study. Some suggestions were made based on the findings of the study.

Teachers learning to use student voice in primary physical education – ready, steady, go!

Primary physical education lags behind student voice developments in research and practice internationally ( Gillett-Swan and Baroutsis, 2023 ) and in post-primary physical education ( Howley and O'Sullivan, 2021 ; Iannucci and Parker, 2022a ). Furthermore, evidence is lacking on how to guide primary teachers learning to implement student voice pedagogies in physical education successfully. This research begins to fill this gap by focusing on the research question: What direction can be taken from primary teachers’ experiences of learning to enact student voice in physical education? Insight on what mattered in teachers’ learning to enact student voice can guide how to promote student voice pedagogies as everyday primary physical education pedagogies. Within a professional learning community ( n = 10), nine primary teachers enacted student voice pedagogical strategies over a six-month period. Data sources included recordings of monthly collective meetings with teachers ( n = 7), mid-point ( n = 4) and/or end-point ( n = 6) individual interviews with the teachers, blog posts ( n = 2), conference presentations ( n = 2), and three focus groups with children ( n = 12). Drawing on teachers’ and children's experiences, a roadmap for teachers getting started with enactment of student voice pedagogies is presented with attention to: starting small, starting smart, and not stopping. Teachers valued the outcomes of enactment of student voice pedagogies for the children in their classes in ways that changed their teaching approaches and sustained their commitment to student voice pedagogies. The roadmap presented can be used to support teachers learning how to enact student voice as an everyday pedagogy in primary physical education.

The teachers’ readiness to incorporate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the teaching and learning of English as a Second Language in Zimbabwe’s Urban Primary Schools

Any nation's ability to educate its citizens depends on its teachers, thus teacher preparation is essential to the integration of ICT in teaching. The success of ICT integration in the classroom therefore depends on the teachers' readiness to incorporate these tools into the curriculum. No paradigm shift in the educational process can be successfully imagined without teachers being the first participants of the intention. This study set out to find out how urban primary school English teachers in Zimbabwe felt about their own preparedness to use ICTs in the classroom. The resources that are available, the abilities of the teachers, our urban primary schools in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province were the target population. Qualitative research methodology was employed in the study. Data were gathered for this study using ten randomly chosen English teachers from 3 selected primary schools of Bulawayo. The teachers' preparedness was investigated using semi-structured interviews. The results demonstrated that English teachers lacked the necessary preparation to both integrate ICT into the teaching and learning process and execute blended learning. Teachers view ICT in blended learning positively, however the existing ICT tools were insufficient for teaching and learning since there was little to no technical support available to assist teachers who needed it. The study provided several recommendations, including that teachers should receive ongoing training, be aware of the value of ICT, and ensure that schools have working ICT resources that are available to them.

Views on Situational Teaching Method

Situational approach is widely used in English teaching. Up to now it has great achievements in the English teaching of primary schools. Under the circumstances, based on a teaching experiment and a questionnaire survey, the author is to discover the main points we should pay attention to when applying the situational teaching method to English teaching in primary schools. Focusing on primary school English teaching, this study aims to explore how to create effective situational teaching approach in primary school English learning by creating effective situations, such as intuitive teaching method, the description method, the using of multimedia, the play method, the song method. The research results showed that situational teaching method is valuable to English learning and teaching.

Assessing the Approaches and Challenges Encountered by Primary School Teachers in Managing Inclusive Classrooms

This study assessed how primary education teachers who handle inclusive classrooms utilized the teaching approaches and the challenges they experienced. This descriptive correlation study had 30 purposively selected teacher respondents who answered the researcher-made survey questionnaire containing ten indicators for the teaching approaches used and the ten challenges encountered. The data gathered were treated using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that the respondents’ perceptions of their teaching approaches in managing the mainstream classroom in terms of: managing teacher-student interaction were generally positive opinion of the teaching methodologies used to manage teacher-student interaction; classroom conduct and demeanor was diverse; fostering logical development was favorable tendency towards it; and there was a general alignment with constructivist teaching methods but emphasizing opportunities for improvement. The respondents’ perception of the challenges encountered in fulfilling their role in an inclusive education setting highlighted the need for better teacher preparation, curricular adaptation, and inclusive and collaborative education. Targeted professional development, curriculum reform, and stronger parent partnerships could improve inclusive education and help all students succeed academically and socially. There was no significant relationship between teacher-student interactions and fostering logical development, and challenges experienced by the teachers. There was a significant relationship between the classroom conduct and demeanor, implementing a constructivist teaching approach and the challenges experienced by the teachers. It is recommended that educational institutions and policymakers should prioritize inclusive education teacher competency through focused professional development and collaboration among all stakeholders.

Continuous Hidden Markov Algorithm-Based Multimedia Melody Retrieval System for Music Education

Education professionals receive instruction in Music Education (ME) to prepare for prospective jobs like secondary or primary music teachers, schools ensembles executives, or ensembles directors at music institutions. In the discipline of music education, educators do original research on different approaches to teaching and studying music. The most accurate and effective method of extracting music from huge music databases has become one of the most frequently discussed participants in contemporary multimedia information retrieval development. The essence of multimedia material is presented within a range of techniques since it is not bound to a single side. These several categories could consist of the song’s audio components and lyrics for musical information. Retrieving melodic information, subsequently, becomes the main focus of most recent studies. Aside from being an expensive deviate from academics, music programs are neither a viable profession neither a valid pastime. Therefore, in this study, we offer a Continuous Hidden Markov Algorithm (CHMA) related a novel method for recovering melodies from musical multimedia recordings. CHMA is considered to be the most basic dynamic Bayesian network. Two various types of audio frame features and audio example features are extracted throughout the feature extraction procedure from the audio signal according to unit length. Every music clip receives a unique approach that we implement with concurrently using various CHMA. The initial music gets processed using a trained CHMA that monitors fundamental frequencies, maps states, and generates retrieval outcomes. The training time for Traditional opera reached 455.76 minutes, the testing time for Narration achieved 56.10 minutes, and the recognition accuracy for advertisement reached an impressive 98.02%. A subsequently experimental result validates the applicability of the proposed approach.

Reading Intervention Through “Brigada Sa Pagbasa”: Viewpoint of Primary Grade Teachers

This study unfolded the views of teachers in implementing the Brigada sa Pagbasa to improve the learners’ reading skill. The narratives were reflective of both perspective and challenges of teachers in implementing the Brigada sa Pagbasa program that improve learners’ reading ability. There were seven (7) teacher-participants are involved in this study. The participants are primary grade teachers who have implemented the Brigada sa Pagbasa program, and they are purposively selected as informants. The data gathering of information in this phenomenological inquiry had employed in-depth interview of participants through virtual conference and limited face-to-face subsequently observing strict compliance of standard health protocol. Using thematic analysis, the views of teachers in implementing the Brigada sa Pagbasa to improve the learners’ reading skill were as follows: Promote a reading culture and Develop reading skills. On the challenges of the teachers in in implementing the reading program to improve the learners’ reading skill, the following were the themes and findings of the study: Lack of Parental support and Lack of motivation in reading. From the perspectives and challenges of teachers, the following were the insights drawn from the findings of the study: Encourage parental involvement in reading programs and Conduct trainings/seminar for teachers in reading. From the start, this study endeavored to contribute insights of the teachers in implementing the Brigada sa Pagbasa to improve the learners’ reading skill. The new knowledge drawn from this study is noteworthy for quality delivery of education in school.

Examining the Relationship Between Teachers’ Patience Levels and Professional Resilience

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between teachers' patience levels and their professional resilience. In this research, which was designed in a relational survey model, the “Teacher Patience Scale” developed by Meriç and Erdem (2022) and the “Teacher Professional Resilience Scale” developed by Näswall, Malinen, Kuntz, and Hodliffe (2019) and adapted into Turkish by Limon (2022) were used as data collection tools. The sample of the research consists of 404 teachers working in public schools in the Kartal and Tuzla districts of Istanbul. According to the research findings, it was found that the teachers' patience levels and professional resilience levels were high. In addition, while the patience and professional resilience levels of teachers do not show a statistically significant difference according to the gender of the teachers, their educational status, and the number of teachers working in their schools, they show statistically significant differences according to their professional seniority and educational levels. These differences are in favor of teachers working in primary and secondary schools and teachers with lower seniority. According to another finding obtained from the research, there is a positive, high, and significant relationship between teachers' patience levels and their professional resilience levels. As a result of the regression analysis, it was seen that teacher patience was a significant predictor of professional resilience. Teacher patience explains 73% of professional resilience.

Examining the Impact of Problem-Based and Project-Based Learning on University Students' Self-Confidence and Writing Skills

This study aimed to examine the impact of project-based learning (PBL) and problem-based learning (PjBL) on students' self-confidence and short story writing ability in the Primary Teacher Education department at FKIP, Jambi University. The research included 161 second-semester students and employed a quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent pre-test and post-test control groups. Instruments used were pre-tests and post-tests, and data analysis included Normality Test, Homogeneity Test, and Hypothesis Test. The findings indicated that both PBL and PjBL positively influenced students' short story writing abilities. Additionally, self-confidence significantly impacted students' writing skills. An interaction effect was observed between the learning models and self-confidence in writing ability. The two-way ANOVA results of the post-test for the experimental groups (PBL and PjBL) and the control group showed a significance value of 0.014 (0.05), indicating a rejection of the null hypothesis and acceptance of the alternative hypothesis. Thus, the application of PBL and PjBL models significantly improved the short story writing abilities of FKIP students at Jambi University.

Implementing CLIL Innovation in a Collaborative Teacher Education Ecosystem

AbstractThis paper reports on the implementation of a 6‐month collaborative teacher education project (CTEP) in China, designed to help teachers adopt CLIL in response to new primary school curriculum requirements. A multi‐site case study was conducted to track two focal teachers' changes in CLIL implementation and its sustainability. Adopting ecological theory, the study investigated how teachers' interactions with university‐based, district‐based, and school‐based teacher educators in the project contributed to their professional development. Our research focused on an innovative dimension of the project, namely, close collaboration among university researchers, teacher educators, and primary teachers who all contributed to the CTEP ecosystem. Data collection involved semi‐structured interviews at the pre‐stage, while‐stage, post‐stage, and delayed post‐stages of the project, classroom observation notes, lesson study minutes, field notes, informal exchanges, and project documents. Our data analysis revealed that although both teachers had a positive attitude towards CLIL, they exhibited different trajectories of changes in their pedagogical practices. The teachers' interactions with teacher educators within and across the four sub‐contexts in the CTEP ecosystem played a significant role in their professional development. Notably, the school‐based teacher educators contributed by establishing a collaborative teaching study group (TSG) that ensured sustainable professional development for the teachers. The findings of this study have important implications for educational policymaking and for designing and implementing collaborative teacher education programmes that offer an alternative to traditional top‐down modes of language teacher professional development.

Rethinking student teachers' professional learning in Wales: Promoting reflection‐in‐action

AbstractNearly forty years ago, Stenhouse argued that the function of the curriculum was to stimulate teachers' everyday reflection about and learning from practice. This suggestion, alongside his support for teachers as researchers, aligns with the Welsh Government's commitment to build an evidence‐informed profession as part of ongoing major education system‐level reforms, including the implementation of the new Curriculum for Wales from September 2022. University initial teacher education (ITE) partnerships are playing an important role in building collaborative research capacity. This paper describes a case study of one such partnership which aims to promote research‐informed, reflective practice among its postgraduate primary student teachers. We use one of Stenhouse's principles of empirical study to frame our discussion of how student teachers' reflective practice is supported through brief conversations with their teacher educators (mentors) during lessons. Using a mixed methods approach, the findings show that student teachers value in‐the‐moment feedback. The intervention also helps them to question aspects of teaching and learning, although such reflection is at a technical level. Our study is useful for teacher educators who are interested in supporting reflective practice through coaching and mentoring. It also cautions school leaders and policymakers implementing major curriculum reforms not to lose sight of Stenhouse's view that ‘it is teachers who, in the end, will change the world of the school by understanding it’. The paper concludes by discussing the research implications in shaping emerging practice and policy in the context of ongoing system‐level reform and curriculum implementation in Wales, with potential applicability and portability to other contexts and jurisdictions.