Primary School-aged Students Research Articles

Oral health behavior among school children aged 11\u201313\u2009years in Saveh, Iran: an evaluation of a theory-driven intervention

BackgroundGood oral health (OH) is essential for physical, social, mental health, and overall quality of life. This study assessed the usefulness of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in changing oral health-related behaviors among school children aged 11–13 years in Saveh, Iran.MethodsIn this descriptive before and after study, participants were sixth-grade students at single sex primary schools in Saveh city, Iran. We recruited 356 school children in 2019. Using simple random sampling, a male and a female school per district were allocated to the experimental group and the remaining schools to the control group. Our planned oral health education consisted of four one-hour training sessions over 1 week. The first session familiarized the participants with important information about OH. In the second session, we applied a brain storming exercise to identify the benefits and barriers to flossing and brushing. In the third session, a short film about correct brushing and dental flossing technique was shown and research team also used role-playing to correct any mistakes. In the final session students were taught about the importance and the application of OH planning and given forms to help plan for brushing.ResultsParticipants for the study included 356 students (180 in the experimental group and 176 in the control group) who completed the post-test questionnaire. The mean age ± standard deviation was 11.55 years ±0.93 in the experimental group and 11.58 years ±1.01 in the control group. After the intervention, the paired t-test indicated a significant difference between the mean and standard deviation of the action plan and coping plan constructs in the experimental group before and after the intervention (p < 0.05). Covariance analysis indicated a significant difference between scores of intervention and control groups under statistical control of post-test in two groups (covariate) after a peer-led education program (post-test) (p < 0.05).ConclusionA shortage of professional health workers in education settings together with the ease, usefulness and low-cost of this peer-led method, suggest further steps should be taken to implement it more widely to improve and enhance primary school aged students’ oral health behavior.

ПРИЛОЖЕНИЕ НА КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТНИЯ ПОДХОД В ОБРАЗОВАНИЕТО – МЕТОДИ, ПОДХОДИ, ОРГАНИЗАЦИОННИ ФОРМИ, МЕТОДИЧЕСКИ РЕШЕНИЯ

The application of the competence approach in the education field is a complex process that requires the creation and testing in practice a number of methodological solutions. The change from a knowledgereproducing learning process to competence-oriented one must be realized at all levels of the educational structure. Even in their preparation, future teachers must get acquainted with the modern achievements of pedagogy and be ready to apply in practice a variety of organizational forms other than classroom-lesson. The article presents methods, approaches, forms that facilitate the application of the competence approach in the education of children and students of preschool and primary school age.

The effect of diagnostic labels on teachers' perceptions of behaviours of students with autism spectrum disorder.

In Singapore, despite the availability of specialized services and resources in mainstream schools for students with special educational needs, parents can still be hesitant to disclose their child's diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), for fear of stigma or negative attitudes from teachers and peers. This study aims to understand how diagnostic labels affect teachers' perceptions of behaviours in students with ASD in mainstream primary schools, particularly behaviours which are difficult for educators to manage in the classroom setting. Based on research suggesting that a diagnostic label can provide an alternative explanation for atypical behaviours and reduce negative impressions, we hypothesize that teachers would perceive these behaviours of children with ASD less negatively as compared to children without any diagnostic labels. The sample consisted of 120 mainstream primary school teachers who reported a mean of 9.97years (SD=7.96) of teaching experience. Majority of participants (65%) indicated that they had direct experience of teaching students with ASD in mainstream schools (mean years=3.58, SD=4.77). Participants read a total of 20 vignettes depicting a range of behaviours typically observed in primary school-aged students with ASD. Participants were asked to rate the featured student's behaviour on a 5-point Likert scale (i.e., 1=strongly negative, 2=negative, 3=neutral, 4=positive, and 5=strongly positive). The survey vignettes were presented in a randomized order, and participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (awareness of diagnostic label) or the control group (non-awareness of label). Results indicated that the experimental group rated the behaviours less negatively than the control group. Qualitative feedback from participants also indicated that knowledge of the diagnostic label helped them to perceive the behaviours more positively. Findings from this study have implications for parents regarding diagnosis disclosure and may serve as an encouragement to parents to consider disclosing their child's ASD diagnosis to the school.

НАУКОВО-ДОСЛІДНА ДІЯЛЬНІСТЬ У РОЗВИТКУ ТВОРЧОГО ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ СУЧАСНОГО ФАХІВЦЯ В УМОВАХ СОЦІАЛІЗАЦІЇ

The article substantiates the student's science and research activity as a condition for developing the creative competence of the future primary school teacher. The scientific novelty of the article is to identify the peculiarities of students’ research work organization in the conditions of university education. The creative potential is defined as a set of personality traits, expressed in the abilities, knowledge, skills, mental characteristics of the teacher, readiness for creative pedagogical activity, to change, rejection of stereotypes in pedagogical activity, finding original solutions to complex pedagogical problems in a situation of uncertainty etc. The experience of organizing research activity of students of specialty 013 «Primary education» of educational degree «Bachelor» at Mukachevo State University has been presented. The peculiarities of the organization of the scientific-methodological seminar "Professional training of the teacher in the conditions of European integration processes", aimed at identifying, promoting innovative pedagogical methods, work of the scientific student circle "Perspectives of educational and pedagogical science" have been characterized. It has been emphasized that the competences in the field of research activity allow students to see and analyze problems, make assumptions about their solution; be able to receive and select information according to the purpose or need, use it to achieve the goal and own development; be able to make assumptions about the possible causes and effects of the phenomena of the material and idealistic world, to formulate and justify hypotheses; to set goals, to analyze situations, to receive and practically realize the finished product, to carry out reflection and self-assessment; conduct individual and collective activity. It has been suggested to introduce into the educational process of preparation of future primary school teachers a selective course, which would contribute to the teaching of modern strategies of actualizing the creative potential of the personality of teachers and students of primary school age. It has been concluded that the student's Серія Економіка. Випуск 1(13) 123 research activity in the conditions of university education contributes to the formation of a future primary school teacher interest in research, search for alternative means and ways of solving the problem, prognostic thinking, activation of intellectual potential for the production of new ideas. Key words: research activity, organization of student activity, university education, future primary school teacher

Metacognitive Schemes as a Tool for Teaching English to Young Learners: Psychological Discourse

The article presents the results of a theoretical and empirical analysis of the problem of optimizing teaching English to students of primary school age, taking into account the requirements of the modern information society. It was stated that training should format an active approach to modeling the knowledge and competencies of students. This position of the authors allows us to consider thinking in a foreign language as the goal of learning and an indicator of the degree of language proficiency. As a research problem, the authors considered an attempt to evaluate the heuristic and developing resource of metacognitive schemes in the logic of projective-recursive technology for teaching English to primary school children. The authors present the results of a study of the dominant type of thinking of primary school students as an indicative construct of metacognitive development. It is proved that younger students are mostly characterized by sign and symbolic thinking; this confirms the possibility of using metacognitive schemes in teaching English to children of this age group. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the practical experience of using metacognitive schemes in the practice of teaching English to primary school children at the Educational Centre «Interclass» (Kryvyi Rih). This technique involves the construction of a mental denotative graph that performs the function of sense formation and mental interpretations modeling in the students' minds. The obtained results complement the materials presented by scientists regarding the trends in teaching English to primary school children using a resource of metacognitive schemes.

Развитие креативности школьников

The article discusses the problem of meaningful differentiation of creativity. Depending on the scope of functioning, two types of creativity are distinguished: subject and social. Subject creativity operates in the context of subject activity, social – in communication. They differ not only in content, complexity and functioning conditions, but also in the dynamics of age development. The author presents the results of an experimental study of creativity in students of primary, middle and senior school age of 248 people in total. It has been established that in all age groups, subject creativity in its development is ahead of social creativity. This is due to the features of the existing education system that is focused on the formation of not social, but subject thinking. Both types of creativity are characterized by uneven age development. However, the change in the pace of age-related development of subject and social creativity is not synchronous.

Medijatorski efekti matematičke anksioznosti u relaciji između očeve uključenosti u podučavanje i matematičkog postignuća učenika ranog osnovnoškolskog uzrasta

Previous studies of mathematics anxiety in early primary school students indicate that it has significant negative effects on various educational outcomes, and especially on mathematics achievement. When it comes to anxiety factors related to mathematics learning, one of the dominant research trends is focused on analysing the social factors of its occurrence, i.e. the behaviour of parents and teachers. However, there are only few studies that link father's behaviour, the occurrence of mathematical anxiety in children and mathematics achievement, since mothers have mostly been studied as the parents who are more focused on their child's education and upbringing. The aim of this study is to examine the mediating role of mathematics anxiety in the relationship between father's involvement in the teaching process and child's mathematics achievement. The sample consisted of 191 students (52.9% girls) of early primary school age (2nd to 4th grade), with an average age of 8.78 years, and their fathers, whose average age was 41. The research was conducted in primary schools in Vojvodina. The results show that evaluation anxiety plays a significant role as a mediator in the relationship between father's previous positive experience with mathematics and the perceived difficulties in child's learning of mathematics. Father's positive experiences with mathematics and the perceived difficulties in child's mathematics learning, besides acting partly through math anxiety, also have a direct impact on children's math achievement.

Организация коррекционной работы с детьми младшего школьного возраста с разными видами дисграфии

The article is devoted to the current problem – the organization of correctional work with primary school-aged children with different types of dysgraphia. The authors of the manuals used in the process of correctional and developmental work with primary school-aged children with different types of dysgraphia are indicated in the article. The purpose of the article is to reveal the peculiarities of the organization of correctional work on dysgraphia with primary school-aged children and to consider the specifics of identifying certain errors in writing, using traditional diagnostic methods, e.g. «Testing writing skills» by I.N. Sadovnikova and «Study of the writing process» by L.V. Venediktova and R.I. Lalaeva, as well as important pedagogical conditions, according to which correctional and developmental work becomes more effective. In effect, the success of correctional and developmental work with dysgraphia depends on pedagogical conditions: for mixed forms of dysgraphia, a differentiated approach will be used; close interaction of a special needs teacher, teacher-logopedist and primary school teacher, expressed in the fact that they are guided by a unified approach to practical work with primary school-aged students. During the study the following methods were applied: analysis, observation and descriptive. The data from experimental and development study of writing skills in primary school-aged students with different types of dysgraphia, a detailed description of the stages of the study, as well as the analysis of the study results are outlined in the article. The authors come to conclusion that it is necessary to cooperate the teacher-defectologist, teacher-speech therapist and primary school teacher for the effective organization of correctional work with primary school-age children with different types of dysgraphy.

A small group intervention for older primary school-aged low-progress readers: Further evidence for efficacy

The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy of a small-group reading instruction program that was delivered over two school terms to Australian students in Years 3 through 6. A large cohort (n = 239) of primary school children was assessed on their literacy skills before and after receiving ‘MacqLit’, a phonics-based program designed for older struggling readers. Parametric and nonparametric difference tests were used to compare results at pre- and postintervention time points. Statistically significant improvements with large effect sizes were observed on all raw score measures of word reading, nonword reading, passage reading and spelling. Statistically significant improvements were also observed on standard score measures of nonword reading and passage reading, suggesting the gains were greater than what might be expected to have resulted from typical classroom instruction. The results indicate that older middle primary school-aged students may benefit from phonics-based, small-group reading instruction.

The Effect of Health Counseling on Handwashing Technique in Primary Schools

Hand hygiene must be considered because 98% of the spread of germs comes from hands. One easy way to sanitize your hands from spreading germs is through the habit of washing hands properly. Primary School (PS) students aged 6-12 years, where the school is a place for students to gain main experiences. Health services and counseling for primary school age students aim to make every child has the awareness to have a clean and healthy lifestyle. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of health education on hand washing techniques in primary school students. This type of research is pre-experiment with a one group pretest-posttest design. The study population was all students in grade IV and V State Primary School Gombang, Mlati, Sleman, Yogyakarta, with total sampling technique obtained 42 respondents. Test data analysis using the Wilcoxon test results obtained p-value 0.001, which means that there is an effect of health education on hand washing techniques in students of State Primary School Gombang Mlati Sleman, Yogyakarta. It is hoped that primary students can apply the habit of washing hands properly, namely washing hands in 6 steps with soap and running water in their daily activities.

Effects of different balance interventions for primary school students

This study examines the effects of two different 8-week balance intervention programs for students of primary school age. Static and dynamic balance were assessed in 380 students (6–12 years) before and after an 8-week balance intervention program. Students were divided and assigned into a no intervention control group, a direct instructional model (DIM) or a tactical games model (TGM). Static and dynamic balance improved after both intervention programs, but results differed by grade (age). DIM was the most effective for G2 (7–8 years), and TGM was most effective for G4-G6 (9–12 years) students. Thus, at the youngest ages of primary school DIM balance programs in which skills are taught and practised in isolation and students work individually are more effective, but for improving balance. At more advanced ages (>8 years), TGM balance programs may be more effective.

Green Edge Outreach Project: A large-scale public and educational initiative

AbstractA collective outreach approach is fundamental for a scientific project. The Green Edge Project studied the impact of climate change on the dynamics of phytoplankton and their role in the Arctic Ocean, including the impact on human populations. We involved scientists and target audiences to ensure that the communications strategy was in agreement with scientists and audience requirements. We developed websites (academic site and blogs and an educational platform). Then, we produced a 52-minute documentary, ‘Arctic Bloom’, and infographics were created to explain experiments on the ice. We also organised a photo exhibition and live videos that enabled primary school-age students to ask questions directly of scientists working on the research icebreaker. Finally, both students and professionals drew their own conception of Arctic science, and our social media sites reached diverse groups of people. The evaluation results showed a large number of education structures (approximately 8000 schools and 104 museums or educational organisations) engaged with our communications outputs and encouraging statistics about website visits (117 021 and 3739 visits on the blog and the YouTube channel, respectively). Selecting different, but intersecting techniques, to promote a better understanding of the science contributed to the success of the communication and outreach outputs of the 3-year project.

The UNICEF/Washington Group Child Functioning Module-Accuracy, Inter-Rater Reliability and Cut-Off Level for Disability Disaggregation of Fiji's Education Management Information System.

This paper explores the validity (sensitivity and specificity) of different cut-off levels of the UNICEF/Washington Group Child Functioning Module (CFM) and the inter-rater reliability between teachers and parents as proxy respondents, for disaggregating Fiji’s education management information system (EMIS) by disability. The method used was a cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study comparing CFM items to standard clinical assessments for 472 primary school aged students in Fiji. Whilst previous domain-specific results showed “good” to “excellent” accuracy of the CFM domains seeing, hearing, walking and speaking, newer analysis shows only “fair” to “poor” accuracy of the cognitive domains (learning, remembering and focusing attention) and “fair” of the overall CFM (area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve: 0.763 parent responses, 0.786 teacher responses). Severe impairments are reported relatively evenly across CFM response categories “some difficulty”, “a lot of difficulty” and “cannot do at all”. Most moderate impairments are reported as “some difficulty”. The CFM provides a core component of data required for disaggregating Fiji’s EMIS by disability. However, choice of cut-off level and mixture of impairment severity reported across response categories are challenges. The CFM alone is not accurate enough to determine funding eligibility. For identifying children with disabilities, the CFM should be part of a broader data collection including learning and support needs data and undertaking eligibility verification visits.

Promoting Environmental Education for Primary School-aged Students Using Digital Technologies

As demands on the environment continue to intensify, it becomes increasingly urgent to act sustainably, responsibly and respectfully, to protect and restore environments. Digital technologies, including videoconferencing, mobile apps and virtual and augmented realities, can provide new ways of engaging students in environmental stewardship. Such technologies can pique student interest, while enabling them to capture experiences of local and distal environments, to collect data and share their findings with broader audiences. This article critically explores innovative, formal and informal learning practices in experiential environmental education approaches among schools, families and communities, such as citizen science projects. It draws on qualitative case study vignettes, as well as the authors’ previous work and broader literature, to consider the potential and limitations of such technologies and approaches. The key question concerns how existing and emerging technologies might serve as bridges or barriers to apprenticing young people into globally-minded, environmentally responsible and respectful behaviours.

PERILAKU ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) DALAM PROSES PEMBELAJARAN (STUDI KASUS PESERTA DIDIK) DI KELAS IV SD NEGERI GEJAYAN

The behavior of primary school-age students today is very diverse, one of these behaviors are children who are very difficult to manage, can not be silent and as if not paying attention to the lessons in the classroom. These children usually experience emotional and behavioral disorders in its development of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). This study aims to describe the behavior and impact of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the learning process in grade 4 students of SD Negeri Gejayan.This type of research is a type of Descriptive Qualitative research, with data collection techniques of observation, interview, and doumentation. The subjects in this research are DA fourth graders of SD Negeri Gejayan. While the data analysis techniques using data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions.The results showed that there was Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) behavior in the learning process in Grade IV of Gejayan State Elementary School which consisted of three behaviors: inattensi, hyperactive and impulsive behavior. The impact of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) behavior affects three aspects including (1) impact on learning process or education, (2) impact on student's behavior in learning process and, (3) impact to social aspect of student in process learning.

Widening participation in medicine? New insights from school students' aspirations.

Students from lower socio-economic status backgrounds continue to be under-represented in medical education. Although various initiatives have been implemented by universities to widen participation, their effectiveness and their timing remain contentious. Prior studies have primarily focused on students already on a medical pathway, with little analytical attention given to the aspirations of primary and secondary school-aged students. The aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of students who express early interest in medicine and ascertain the degree to which diversification of the future medical student cohort is indicated. As part of a longitudinal study of educational and occupational aspirations (2012-2015), students in Years 3-12 (n=6492) from government schools in New South Wales, Australia, completed an annual online survey. Their individual responses were linked with prior academic achievement and demographic data. Logistic regression models were used to examine the significance of student- and school-related variables as predictors of interest in medicine. Significant predictors were: being in the early years of secondary school, possessing high cultural capital, coming from a language background other than English, being female, and perceiving oneself as 'well above average' relative to peers. Socio-economic status was a significant predictor when examined independently, but not when all variables were considered in the full regression model. For medical schools seeking to widen participation, this study underscores the importance of recognising the intersection of other factors with socio-economic status and how they contribute to students' aspirational biographies. If medical schools are to select from a more diverse range of applicants, recruitment strategies must take into account the discursive positioning of the discipline. Sustained outreach into primary and secondary schools may be critical to interrupting the current social reproduction of medical schooling.

A Qualitative Exploration of Primary School Students’ Experience and Utilisation of Mindfulness

Despite the increasing utilisation of mindfulness-based interventions in children, research investigating the impact of these interventions in children is still in its infancy. One significant gap in the literature is the general omission of the child’s voice in how they experience and benefit from mindfulness-based intervention. Therefore, the present study explored children’s experiences of a mindfulness-based intervention, as well as why and how they utilised mindfulness techniques. A semi-structured interview was undertaken with eight upper primary school-aged students after completion of a classroom-based eight-session mindfulness intervention. Thematic analysis elicited 11 key themes across the three research questions. Students generally liked the mindfulness-based intervention but preferred experiential over passive program components. Students utilised mindfulness techniques for emotion regulation, typically by focusing on their breathing, shifting their attention to the present, and using a smartphone application. These findings provide insights into factors contributing to program engagement and children’s use of mindfulness as a strategy for emotion regulation.

Sex differences and violence among primary school students

Sex differences and violence among primary school students

TEXTS, TALK AND TECHNOLOGY: THE LITERACY PRACTICES OF BILINGUALLY-EDUCATED STUDENTS

ABSTRACT It is widely recognized that to be literate in today's world requires conscious, creative and critical deployment of language (and other semiotic devices) for different social purposes, contexts and audiences (FREEBODY &amp; LUKE, 1990, 2003). This notion of literacy as social practice (BARTON &amp; HAMILTON, 2000; STREET, 1995) has been extended to include the idea of multiliteracies (NEW LONDON GROUP, 1996; KALANTZIS &amp; COPE, 2012), in recognition of the roles technology and digital text use and production play in young people's lives. However, the literacy practices of primary school-aged students, as they enact them in their daily in-school and out-of-school lives, remain under-investigated. This is particularly the case with bilingually-educated students whose literacy practices, involving texts, talk and technology, are deployed across languages. The research reported here investigated the literacy practices and language use of 68 students at three primary schools in Melbourne, Australia. Each of these schools offered bilingual programs to their students (involving instruction in Mandarin Chinese or Vietnamese, along with English). Data collected through individually administered questionnaires and small group interviews reveal these students live highly multilingual lives, where sophisticated linguistic choices and translanguaging are part of both their in-school and out-of-school lives. The research revealed that direct connections are made between the languages learned at school and personal, family and community literacy practices. As such, the students were found to attach high levels of importance to becoming biliterate, and powerfully attest to the linguistic, educational, social and functional benefits of bilingualism and a bilingual education. The research findings provide valuable insights into bilingual and multilingual practices involving texts, talk and technology. This article posits that bilingual education, as implemented at the three research sites, enhances students' learning and their sense of personal identity, as well as affording them skills and understandings they deploy in their own increasingly technology-mediated lives.

What do preservice teachers want to learn about puberty and sexuality education? An Australian perspective

The processes of puberty are now commonly observed in primary school-aged students. Schools, therefore, need to address puberty and sexuality education for students’ health, well-being, safety and pastoral care. Similarly, preservice teacher education needs to address future primary school teachers’ unfamiliarity and lack of confidence with these issues and topics, and develop appropriate and normative learning and teaching practices to benefit students of all ages. This paper explores the types of sexuality education content and pedagogies student-teachers prefer to learn about, and be assessed on, in a dedicated sexuality education course in their preservice Bachelor of Education (Primary) degree. A mixed-method design collected quantitative preference ratings and qualitative responses revealing that student-teachers prefer content about the social, developmental and psychological aspects of primary school children’s puberty and sexuality. Student-teachers also prefer school counsellors and school nurses as guest speakers, learning pedagogies in tutorial or small groups and assessments through case studies by oneself or small groups. This Australian evidence may be useful to designers of preservice health and sexuality education courses, who aim to assist primary school student-teachers become more competent, confident and professionally trained in puberty and sexuality education.