Significant Difference In Teachers Research Articles

Assessment of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Senior High School Business Teachers in the Central Region, Ghana

The study explored business teachers’ level of Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) in Senior High Schools in the Central Region of Ghana and examined the differences in teachers’ level of TPACK on the basis of some demographic variables using the mixed methods approach. The study used descriptive survey design. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 248 business teachers. Questionnaire was used to gather quantitative data. Mean and standard deviation were used to examine business teachers’ level of TPACK. Moreover, Independent samples t-test was used to examine whether differences exist in teachers’ TPACK and gender. One-way (ANOVA) was also used to examine whether differences exist in teachers’ TPACK based on age. The finding showed that teachers possessed higher Content, Pedagogical and Pedagogical Content Knowledge and moderate Technological Knowledge, Technological Content Knowledge, Technological Pedagogical Knowledge and TPACK. The study found that there was statistically significant difference in teachers’ TK, TCK and gender in favour of the male teachers. The study concluded that teachers’ high content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical knowledge suggests that teachers seem to focus much on developing these knowledge to the neglect of other vital contemporary skills such the use of technology. This was evident in their moderate level of technological knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge, technological content knowledge and technological pedagogical content knowledge. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education through Ghana Education Service and Government should organise refresher courses for in-service teachers to learning the use of technology in teaching.

Scientific and engineering practices aligned with the NGSS in the performance of secondary stage physics teachers.

The study aimed to unravel the degree to which scientific and engineering practices complied with the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) were present in the performance of physics teachers at the secondary stage in Taif city, Saudi Arabia. The study also sought to identify the effect of the qualification and years of experience variables on the degree to which the NGSS-aligned practices were present in the performance of physics teachers. The study adopted a mixed method in applying a closed-ended questionnaire and an interview. The questionnaire comprised 44 indicators and was applied to (49) teachers who were randomly selected. The interview was applied to (6) education supervisors who were purposively selected. The results revealed that the following five practices: "asking questions and identifying problems"; "obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information"; "planning and carrying out investigations"; "analyzing and interpreting data"; and "involvement with proofs and evidence" all rated medium. The three practices, "interpretation and solutions design"; "developing and using models"; and "using mathematics and computational thinking" all rated weak. Data analysis of education supervisors' interviews revealed that their opinions were, to an extent, concordant with the questionnaire findings. The results also revealed that graduate teachers exhibited a higher level of these practices than the teachers with just BS degrees while years of experience, as a variable, had no significant difference in teachers' use of these practices. It was concluded that teachers of physics need to reconsider their teaching practices to be aligned with NGSS. This study can be a contribution to teachers' professional development efforts that target the alignment of science instruction with the NGSS.

Teachers’ Perceptions of Promoting Student-Centred Learning Environment: An Exploratory Study of Teachers’ Behaviours in the Saudi EFL Context

Background. Although the constructivist and humanistic theories advocate for a more student-centred learning approach, the contemporary practice of English teachers is more oriented towards the behavioural approach in the Saudi EFL context.
 Purpose. This study aimed to explore teachers’ perceptions of promoting student-centred learning in the Saudi EFL context. It initially amplifies elements of effective student-centred EFL teaching and merges the elements with teachers’ behaviours, resulting in four measurable categories: assessment strategy, communicative approach to learning, teachers’ qualifications, and group activities in teaching EFL.
 Methods. Following the quantitative approach, a questionnaire on teachers’ observable behaviours, comprising 47 items and categorised under four constructs, with a three-point Likert scale, was carried out on a group of 302 English teachers. The instrument was devised through an online survey. To analyse data, descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was used. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to validate the study’s instrument.
 Results. The interpretation of data primarily showed teachers’ self-reported practices were more oriented toward a teacher-centred approach, specifically in teaching grammar. Other findings showed teachers’ positive attitude towards student-centred learning in lesson preparation, using ICT to prepare interactive teaching materials and giving constructive feedback. Teachers had a mediocre attitude towards their professional qualifications, indicating that the teachers might need more effective English language training workshops based on their needs. Additional data also proved that there was no significant difference in teachers’ perception in terms of their gender, location and status of the school, and classroom size.
 Implications. This study provides an overview of the teachers’ position on integrating student-centred learning in their English classroom and thus accentuates the need for potential opportunities for the teachers’ professional development and demands less content overload so that the teachers can ample their teaching process appropriately.

Assessing science teachers’ understanding about the nature of scientific inquiry and its reflection in students’ responses using the VASI questionnaire

ABSTRACT This study assessed teachers’ understanding about the nature of scientific inquiry (NOSI) and whether this understanding was reflected in their students’ responses. The data were collected through the ‘Views About Scientific Inquiry’ (VASI) questionnaire, a reliable tool for assessing understanding about the NOSI. The sample included science teachers and students of grade X purposively selected from five ‘schools affiliated with the local board’ (SALB) and five ‘schools affiliated with the international board’ (SAIB) for external examinations in Pakistan. The responses on the VASI were graded for quality to find the means, frequency count, percentage, and t-test values. The findings revealed no significant difference in teachers’ understanding of scientific inquiry (SI) in both school systems. Generally, the teachers had informed views while students held naïve views. The VASI also identified participants’ understanding on eight aspects of SI. The SAIB teachers understanding of SI was reflected in their students’ responses in some aspects of SI, unlike the SALB teachers. The study recommends incorporating NOSI aspects in teacher education programs and helping science teachers integrate NOSI aspects in their science instruction.

Investigating the Attitude of Bhutanese Teachers towards Implementing Life Skills Education

The present study examined the attitude of Bhutanese teachers towards implementing Life Skills Education in different level of Schools. The researcher used quantitative research approach with descriptive survey design. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select a total sample of 100 teachers from the Eastern part of Bhutan. The data collected were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics like t test and ANOVA using SPSS software. The findings revealed that the teachers with science background hold comparatively higher attitude towards imparting Life Skills Education compare to non-science teachers and significant difference was also found between the teachers holding post graduate and B.Ed. qualification towards infusing Life Skills Education. However, the findings disclosed that there does not exist significant difference in teachers’ attitude towards Life Skills Education in term of their teaching experience.

The Perception of Physical Education Teachers towards Physical Education at Public Secondary Schools Punjab, Pakistan

The study aimed to examine the physical education teacher's perception of physical education classes at public secondary schools in Punjab,Pakistan. The targeted population of this study was the physical education teachers working in secondary schools. The study sample was taken from four districts of Punjab (Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Rajanpur). Eighty physical education teachers participated in this study. Data was collected using an adapted questionnaire. The descriptive and inferential statistic techniques were applied to analyze the data. The gender perception differences of teachers were tested through an independent t-test. Age and qualification differences were measured through a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The relationship between age, qualification and perception was examined through correlation analysis. The findings revealed a significant difference in teachers' perceptions of gender, age and qualification groups. Age, qualification and perception have a positive and meaningful relationship. The results showed that male teachers have a higher perception of physical education than females.

Exploring the Characteristics of Gifted Pre-School Children: Teachers’ Perceptions

Based on SDG4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, and based on the fact that education is the core of Palestinian values, the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education launched an inclusive education policy in order to integrate all students into the educational system, regardless of their talents, abilities and disabilities. Therefore, the Palestinian Government seeks to develop educational practices to adapt to the needs of all students, including gifted children. Consequently, the identification of gifted pre-school children in Palestine aims to better include them in the general education curriculum. The current study aims to investigate the characteristics of gifted children through the perceptions of the pre-school teachers in Palestine. A mixed-methods approach was adopted. The quantitative data were collected by the “Scale for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Gifted and Talented Students”. The pre-school teachers in the sample were randomly selected, consisting of 450 female pre-school teachers. The qualitative data were collected by semi-structured interview, which 15 female pre-school teachers took part in. There was a significant difference in teachers’ perceptions according to their academic qualifications, and according to whether gifted children need a particular curriculum or not, but there was no significant difference in teachers’ perceptions according to their experiences. The final result shows that there were many positive perceptions regarding the characteristics of gifted children through qualitative data. Therefore, there was consistency between the qualitative and quantitative data of the study. This study emphasizes the significance of continuing to highlight the characteristics of gifted children and conducting more research to reveal them.

Особенности представлений дошкольных педагогов о детской игре и наблюдении за ней

There is a lack of studies about the interrelation between the quality of play support and teacher’s views on it. Our aim is to study teacher’s views on play and its observation; analyze the difference in views of the teachers from classrooms with different quality of play support. We conducted the survey to study teacher’s views and structured observation with “Play support rating scale” (PSRS) to assess the quality of psychological and pedagogical conditions for play. The sample included 180 preschool teachers; the observation was conducted in 25 classrooms. M= 3.63, min=1.57, max=6.00. The majority of teachers consider play as a form of teaching or a context for other children’s activities, but not as valuable itself. Teachers say that they observe play regularly and use their observations in planning play support. But the real quality of play support in the majority of groups is minimal. Regardless of their views on play, teachers rarely play with children as partners. There is no significant difference in teachers’ views on play and its observation in the classrooms with different conditions.

Middle and high school teachers' praise and reprimand delivery.

This exploratory study expands the literature on teachers' natural use of praise and reprimand, in terms of how teachers deliver praise and reprimand. Sixty-six middle and high school teachers' delivery of praise and reprimand to individual, small groups, and large groups during a 20-min observation were examined. Teachers delivered significantly more general praise (GP) to individual students, rather than small groups or large groups. However, there was no significant difference in teachers' delivery of behavior-specific praise (BSP) to individual, small groups, or large groups of students. Teachers delivered significantly more mild reprimand to individual students compared to small groups; however, no significant differences were found between mild reprimand delivery to individual and large groups of students. Implications and suggestions for future research are offered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

ÖĞRETMENLERİN DEĞERLER EĞİTİMİNE YÖNELİK TUTUMLARININ İNCELENMESİ

In research, it is aimed to examination of teachers' attitudes towards values education. The mixed research method was used in the research. Descriptive sequential design was used from the mixed research designs. İn the research, first quantitative data were collected and then qualitative data were collected. The universe of the research is 8524 teachers working in Elazig in the academic year 2019-2020. The sample of the research in the quantitative level was composed of 525 teachers, 273 classroom teachers and 252 branch teachers who worked in Elazig province in 2019-2020 academic year. The sample of the research in the qualitative level was composed of 30 teachers determined among these teachers. In the research, firstly, "attitude scale towards values education" was applied. In the qualitative part of the research, a semistructured interview form was used. In the quantitative analysis of the data; frequency, percentage distributions, standard error, mean, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis values, reliability, independent groups t test and Single factor Anova were used. The data obtained from the research were analyzed with the statistical package SPSS 22.0. In the analysis of the interview data, content analysis was made. According to the findings of the research; There is no significant difference in teachers' attitudes towards values education according to age, professional branch, professional seniority and school type variable, ıt was determined that there was a significant difference according to the gender variable. In the qualitative part, the answers given by the teachers were gathered under six topics; culture, belief, love, respect, social rula, experience, tolerance, family, role model were transformed into various codes and suggestions were made at the end of the research findings.

Secondary School Teachers’ Attitude Toward Teaching English as a Second Language: A Comparative Study

The study explores the comparative analysis of secondary school teachers’ attitude toward teaching English as a second language. The major objective of the study was; to find out secondary school teachers’ attitude toward teaching English related to different demographics. The researcher used quantitative research method that was descriptive in nature. The population of the study comprised all the male and female teachers at Secondary level in province of Punjab, Pakistan. The researchers selected the secondary school teachers in districts: Lahore, Multan, Sialkot and Vehari as the sample of the study. Questionnaire was used as a research tool for the study. The researchers distributed the questionnaire among the respondents of the study and collected data. For data analysis, researcher used the statistical techniques of mean score, t-test and ANOVA. The findings of the study informed that difference in mean scores of male and female teachers was not significant, t-value = -.075, p=.634>0.05. It was found that there was a significant difference in teachers’ attitude towards teaching English as second language having professional qualification of B.Ed. and M.Ed. at secondary school level, t-value = .521, p=.047<0.05. It was concluded that male and female respondents have almost same type of attitude of teaching English as second language.

Surveying Hungarian Teachers’ Beliefs about Digital Game-based Learning

This study examines Hungarian teachers’ beliefs and affective variables (confidence and motivation) in the context of digital game-based learning (DGBL). Our research questions were: How well does the Game-based-learning Teaching Belief Scale (GTBS) work among Hungarian teachers? What are Hungarian teachers’ beliefs about DGBL? To what extent do background variables (teaching level, gender, age, teaching experience) influence teachers’ beliefs about DGBL? We adapted the Game-based-learning Teaching Belief Scale to Hungarian. Primary and secondary school teachers (N=102) participating in our research completed the questionnaire online, in an anonymous form. Based on the results of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), we recommended deleting one item from the original questionnaire. The analyses were performed after deleting the item. Fillers have positive beliefs about DGBL, feel confident in applying DGBL, and are self-confident in their commitment to DGBL. Based on our results, teachers are happy to use digital educational games. Derived from the independent t-test, there is no significant difference in teachers’ beliefs about DGBL by teaching level and gender. Furthermore, determined from the ANOVA, there is no significant difference in the Hungarian teachers' beliefs about DGBL by age and teaching experience. The results highlight that the teachers are open to reform their teaching practices and to apply new methods. This could be an important aspect of teacher training.

English

Work-life balance has always been concerned with those interested in the quality of working life and its relation to broader quality of life. This study sought to establish the influence of characteristics of work-life balance on teachers’ levels of job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of supervisor support and gender on the teachers’ levels of job satisfaction. The study used Stacy Adams’ equity theory of which holds that individuals compare their ratio of inputs and outcomes to the input-outcomes of other individuals. This study was a descriptive survey design. The target population was 83 public secondary schools and 1759 public secondary school teachers’ with 67 principals and 670 teachers sampled. Data were collected using an interview schedule and questionnaires. Descriptive statistics was performed to analyze quantitative data. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the linear correlation between the independent variables and the dependent variable. Using null hypotheses, multiple regression analysis was done. The key findings were that the principals were supportive to their teachers especially in terms of readily giving them permission to attend to their personal needs and training opportunities. There was no statistically significant difference in teachers’ levels of job satisfaction between male and female teachers. The study recommends that the Teachers Service Commission should formulate policies that are specifically geared towards enhancing teachers’ work-life balance. Comparative studies should be carried out in the rural areas.   Key words: Gender, influence, job satisfaction, supervisor support and work-life balance.

Online Teaching Readiness of Teachers in Salesian Schools

Aims: The study assessed Salesian educators’ level of online teaching readiness and the challenges they have encountered during the conduct of online classes.
 Study Design: This descriptive-comparative and correlational study gathered data from Salesian Educators as respondents and Bosconians as assessors.
 Place and Duration of Study: Salesian Schools in the Philippines during the School Year 2020-2021
 Methodology: The study gathered data from 368 Salesian Educators as respondents and 365 Bosconians as assessors using a researcher-made survey. The respondents were the whole population of High School Salesian Educators from the different Salesian Schools in the Philippines with 365 students picked through stratified random sampling. Teachers’ online teaching readiness data were gathered using a researcher-made instrument based on the principles of technological, pedagogical, and attitudinal competencies.
 Results: As a whole, Salesian Educators demonstrate very high online teaching readiness with an obtained mean of 3.35 regardless of the teachers’ age, sex, length of service, and online teaching experience. Both the teachers’ assessment (M=3.42, SD=0.34) and the student assessment (M=3.28, SD=0.35) indicated very high online teaching readiness. Moreover, the findings suggest a significant difference in teachers’ online teaching readiness when the assessors are grouped according to teacher and student designation [U=51722.5, p=0.000]. Meanwhile, no significant relationship between age and the teachers’ online teaching readiness [ρ (366) =-0.064, p=0.222], length of service and teachers’ online teaching readiness [ρ (366) =-0.062, p=0.236], online teaching experience and teachers' online teaching readiness [χ2(2) =1.253, p=0.534]. On the other hand, a significant relationship between teachers’ online teaching readiness and sex [χ2(2) =8.811, p=0.012] was established. Majority of teachers' challenges include dealing with passive students (87.5%), following up students (78.8%), dealing with technical difficulties (67.1%).
 Conclusion: Salesian Educators are ready to teach online however, teachers must continuously upgrade and update to remain relevant in this fast-paced digital era.

Novice Teachers’ Implementation of Music in the Preschool Classrooms

This study examines the level of implementation of music by novice preschool teachers in central region of Malaysia. It also sought to investigate whether there is any difference in novice teachers’ implementation of music in relation to teaching subject option and age group. The specific content of the instrument items for implementation of music was developed by examining the 'Creativity Component of Physical and Aesthetic Strand in the National Preschool Curriculum Standard’ (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2010). This instrument also reflected the previous work of Wu (1999), Kwan (2006) and Chan and Kwan (2010). The sample consisted of 315 novice teachers. The mean score of novice preschool teachers’ implementation of music was 3.13 and the standard deviation was .57. There was a significant difference in teachers’ implementation of music in relation to teaching subject option for singing activities. The significant difference was also existed in teachers’ implementation of music in relation to age group for sound exploration activities. It is hoped that the findings and recommendations of this study will contribute towards the improving the implementation of music by novice preschool teachers in their classrooms.

KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY CONCEPTS AND ROLES IN PERSPECTIVES OF UNIVERSITY TEACHERS OF ASIAN AND EUROPEAN STATES

Purpose of the study: The study aimed to identify knowledge economy concepts and roles in perspectives of university teachers of Asian and European States and examine the relationship between knowledge economy concepts and roles of university teachers.
 Methodology: This study was quantitative correlation and survey type in nature. The study population was public sector universities teachers of three countries (Pakistan, United Kingdom, and India). Six public universities were included in the population. From population one hundred and eighty teachers selected as a sample of study conveniently.
 Main Findings: Teachers agree unanimously that human beings are knowledge capital because they generate new knowledge with innovative ideas and conducting researches in different fields. Humans are the source of producing and placement of knowledge excellently and professionally. There is a strong path relationship r = .8 between knowledge economy concepts of teachers and their roles regarding this. Findings showed that there was a significant difference in teachers’ conceptions of Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
 Applications of this study: The teachers may make clear conceptions about the knowledge economy and recognize their roles to produce innovative and skills-oriented human resources and data to strengthen the knowledge-based economy.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: The knowledge economy is a new concept itself in this context. University teachers’ of three different countries highlighted concepts and roles about the knowledge economy.

Mathematics teachers views on distance education and their beliefs about integrating computer technology in mathematics courses

This study examines mathematics teachers’ views on distance education and their beliefs about integrating computer technology in mathematics courses in terms of their gender, years of teaching experience and grade level taught. Moreover, this study investigates whether beliefs about integrating computer technology in mathematics courses can be a predictor of teachers’ views on distance education. Data were collected from the 133 middle school and secondary school mathematics teachers at the end of the fall term of the 2020-2021 academic year in Sivas, Turkey. Data collection tools were Distance Education Perceptions of Teachers Scale (DEPT) and Belief Scale towards Using Computer Technology in Mathematics Instruction (BSMI). Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The results showed that mathematics teachers' general DEPT scores were at a moderate level. And there was no significant difference in teachers’ DEPT scores regarding their gender, grade level taught and experience. The results also revealed that teachers' BSMI scores were mostly at a high level and there were no differences in their BSMI scores with respect to their gender, grade level taught and experience regarding. Moreover, these beliefs have been found to have an effect on their views on distance education; the BSMI variable explains 13% of teachers’ DEPT.

Öğretmenlerin Örgütsel Muhalefetin Nedenlerine İlişkin Görüşleri

In the study, it was aimed to present the perceptions of the teachers working at public and private schools located in Adapazarı, Serdivan and Erenler districts of Sakarya on causes of organizational dissent. The target population of the research consisted of 6277 teachers. As the sample of the study, 573 teachers who were chosen via stratified sampling method participated in the study. As the data collection tool, “Causes of Dissent”, a subscale of “Organizational Dissent Scale” which was developed by Özdemir (2010), was utilized. In the data analysis, means and standard deviations of the responses to the scale items were calculated. T-test and ANOVA were utilized to demonstrate whether the teachers’ perceptions on causes of organizational dissent showed any significant difference in accordance with different variables. The results of the study indicated that there is no significant difference in the teachers’ percepions on causes of organiational dissent according to gender, age, education level, work experience, marital status, union membership, school size, and managerial experience. On the other hand, it was found out that there is a significant difference in teachers’ perceptions on causes of organizational dissent in accordance with the perceived management style of school administrators.

Influence of Financial Motivation on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction in Public Secondary Schools in Kigoma District, Tanzania

There have been complains for many years among stakeholders about the status of secondary education in Tanzania. Teachers’ attrition, absenteeism and low teaching morale have attributed to the decline of educational quality in many countries including Tanzania. Inadequate financial motivation among educators has been the important agenda in provision of quality education in many parts of the world. Therefore, the study on the influence of financial motivation to job satisfaction among secondary school teachers was imperative. Specifically, this study intended to examine the extent of financial motivation to public secondary school teachers; find out levels of job satisfaction among secondary school teachers and establishing if there is a relationship between financial motivations and job satisfaction among public secondary school teachers in Kigoma district. The study was underpinned on scientific management theory and utilized descriptive survey design particularly cross-sectional survey. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 82 teachers while 10 Academic masters/mistresses and heads of schools were purposively included. Data were collected through questionnaires and interview schedules. Quantitative data was analyzed descriptively (frequencies and percentages) and inferentially (Chi-square test and spearman rank correlation method at .05 and .01 significant levels) while qualitative data from interviews was managed through thematic techniques. Generally, it was found out that there is a significant difference in financial motivation among public secondary school teachers. It was also found out that there is a significant difference in teachers’ job satisfaction among public secondary school teachers in Kigoma district. Furthermore, the study revealed that there is a positive relationship between financial motivation and job satisfaction among public secondary school teachers in Kigoma district (r=.355, p=.003) The study therefore recommends that policymakers in educational sector should enforce school managers and administrators to provide compensational rewards to teachers which reflect teachers’ status.

Teachers’ conceptions and choices of assessment tasks in a Nigerian postgraduate teacher training

Student assessment is a process that entails the collection of evidence of learning in diverse and systematic ways to make judgments on students’ learning. What then is the perception of this vital tool in the hands of the users (teachers)? This study investigates teachers’ conceptions of assessment and their choices of assessment tasks in postgraduate teacher training. Action research with one group pretest-posttest design was adopted for the study. The survey used to collect data for this study has three sections (A, B, & C). Section A elicits participants’ personal information; Section B contains 20 different assessment tasks. Section C includes 26 items that examined participants’ conceptions of assessment from four different sub-scales (school accountability, student accountability, improvement of teaching and learning, and irrelevance factors). The researchers further validated the survey, and the Alpha reliability coefficient of the whole scale was 0.85. Data collected from twenty-eight randomly selected teachers out of forty-five were analyzed using descriptive measures and paired sample t-test. Findings revealed that teachers enact both summative and formative assessment tasks but with preferences for summative tasks. A significant difference in teachers’ conception of assessment was recorded, but there was no significant difference in teachers’ assessment conception based on gender. Recommendations are presented to improve the research knowledgebase on assessment in the Nigerian education context.