Teachers Encounter Research Articles

Challenges in Implementing Indonesian Language Teaching Materials in Elementary Schools

The success of the learning process greatly depends on the smooth functioning of its components. This study aims to shed light on the challenges faced by elementary school teachers when implementing teaching materials in the Indonesian language learning process. The research employs a descriptive design by utilizing quantitative methods, questionnaires as the research instruments. The questionnaires used are teacher challenges (14 items) and proficiencies questionnaires (13 items) on a Likert scale, which was presented using Google Forms and distributed through WhatsApp groups. The sample comprised 94 respondents, elementary school teachers from many regions in Sumatra, Indonesia. According to the research findings, it can be deduced that elementary school teachers encounter various difficulties when teaching Indonesian language. These challenges encompass the impact of the local or mother tongue on the learning process and the complexities associated with dynamic language development. Moreover, the study employed factor analysis to pinpoint four specific areas that teachers can enhance, as they significantly improve the obstacles they face. These factors consist of ensuring adequate learning resources, enabling teachers to develop teaching materials that align with the existing curriculum, enabling teachers to design teaching materials based on students' characteristics, and fostering the ability of teachers to establish a positive and captivating learning environment.

First-Year Teachers’ Perceptions of Pre-Service Wellness and Physical Activity Integration Coursework and the First-Year Transition

First-year teachers encounter complex challenges such as classroom management, time constraints, expansive curricula, and adapting to a new school environment. Transitioning can be difficult for first-year teachers who are not exposed to such realities during teacher preparation. To investigate this topic a qualitative approach was employed to examine first-year teachers’ perceptions of four sequential pre-service courses designed to address the first-year transition. A focus group was conducted to determine preparedness for the transition, usefulness of the coursework, and its impact on first-year teachers’ pedagogy and student learning. Following data analyses the following themes emerged: a) feasibility of putting it into practice; b) sharing and collaboration; and c) preparation is in the details. In sum, first-year teachers indicated they were prepared for their first year, feasibly collaborated and shared their integrated pedagogical methods, and ultimately developed a sense of belonging as a result of their experiences in the pre-service coursework.

Digital Assessment: A Survey of Romanian Higher Education Teachers’ Practices and Needs

Within the European Commission’s Digital Education Action Plan (2021–2027) and the DigCompEdu framework, our research focuses on the competence area of teachers’ assessment practices and needs. We designed a 24-item online questionnaire for Romanian higher education teachers who are using digital technologies for assessing students’ learning, learning outcomes and practical skills. The present paper analyzes how the 60 respondents from Romanian universities evaluate their own digital competence and how they are using digital assessment, but also what training needs they have in these regards. This study, carried out in May–June 2022, therefore attempts to identify the main concerns, challenges and obstacles higher education teachers encounter when designing and using digital assessment. Our findings indicate the importance of empowering teachers through continuous learning, embracing flexible hybrid models and reimagining assessment strategies for digital literacy. The ANOVA analysis reveals variations among three groups categorized by self-reported digital competencies in their utilization of digital tools. Responsible knowledge-sharing, AI literacy and adaptive curriculum design emerged as critical imperatives. Our study advocates for a transformative shift towards AI-based pedagogy, emphasizing personalized learning that aligns with teachers’ competencies and specific assessment needs while adhering to fundamental teaching principles.

Towards a Framework for a Nation-Wide Implementation of Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality in K-12 Technical and Vocational Education

As augmented, virtual and mixed reality have become more user-friendly and affordable, these technologies gained increasing interest from education. Teachers all over the world are triggered by the perceived benefits and start experimenting. However, teachers encounter obstacles to pursue effective implementation. This paper describes how these obstacles are being tackled in Flanders (Belgium) via a large-scale, nation-wide framework for the implementation of augmented, virtual and mixed reality in K-12 technical and vocational education. This framework was designed, adopting an Educational Design Research approach, and consists of five interrelated pillars: hardware, software, professional development of teachers, practice-oriented research, and coordination. The proposed framework provides guidelines, both for researchers and education policy makers.

Procesy modelowania glottodydaktycznego w ujęciu wybranych współczesnych teorii lingwistycznych

Contemporary glottodidactics uses numerous models of foreign language learning and teaching. Although glottodidactics is a highly interdisciplinary science and its development is determined by many scientific disciplines, linguistic studies have significantly contributed to the development of theoretical foundations for glottodidactics as an independent science for decades. The paper discusses and summarizes the state of research on glottodidactic modeling processes (Grucza 1978, Woźniewicz 1987, Pfeiffer 2001, Dakowska 2010, Grucza 2010b, Gębal 2013 and the author's model) and proposes a new model that integrates the most important elements of earlier systems. The author distinguishes two levels of the glottodidactic modeling process: internal (referring to individual language skills and intrapersonal properties of the learner in the sense of F. Grucza's anthropocentric linguistics, as well as selected theories of cognitive linguistics) and external (teacher and multidimensional determinants of the glottodidactic process that the teacher encounters in this process). The special positioning of the learner in the system emphasizes the individual and unique dimension of the foreign language teaching process of each learner, who, by constructing the structures of a foreign language and, as a result, also communicative competence in a given foreign language, significantly broadens and develops its cognitive framework.

The Utilization of Information Technology for the Professional Development of Islamic Education Teachers in Indonesia

The professional development of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) teachers is crucial to enhancing the quality of PAI learning in schools. One effective means to support their professional growth is through the utilization of technology as a learning medium and information source. This article aims to explore the use of technology by PAI teachers in their professional development, focusing on three key aspects: (1) The Importance of Integrating Technology in Teacher Professionalism; (2) Types and Functions of Technology Used by PAI Teachers; (3) Challenges Encountered by PAI Teachers in Advancing Professionalism through Technology. The research methodology used the qualitative method with the literature review approach, encompassing data collection and analysis from diverse sources such as journals, books, reports, and websites. The findings reveal that PAI teachers in Indonesia employ various technologies, including computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, internet connectivity, social media platforms, applications, and software, for multiple purposes like information retrieval, communication, collaboration, content creation, presentation, and assessment of learning. The use of technology among PAI teachers yields several advantages, including the enhancement of knowledge, skills, motivation, creativity, networking opportunities, and learning resources. However, they face challenges related to limited infrastructure, access, costs, and support. Moreover, there's a lack of readiness, competence, and awareness regarding ethics and security among these educators. PAI teachers encounter difficulties, obstacles, and risks such as network disruptions, viruses, malware, spam, phishing, hacking, cyberbullying, and plagiarism. The challenges of utilizing technology for teacher professional development encompass skills, attitudes, infrastructure, and ethical considerations. Therefore, PAI teachers must possess adequate competence and readiness to integrate technology into their professional development.

Bringing Critical Mathematics Education and Actor–Network Theory to a Statistics Course in Mathematics Teacher Education: Actants for Articulating Complexity in Student Teachers’ Foregrounds

In this paper, we discuss how critical mathematics education (CME) and actor–network theory (ANT) come together in a mathematics teacher education course that focuses on the thematic context of climate change to study statistics. Acknowledging the complexity that student teachers encounter when asked to move from a mainly instrumental treatment of statistics toward a critical foreground of data in society, we turn to explore the actant networks, as theorized by ANT, utilized by student teachers when asked to imagine teaching from a CME perspective. For this, our study is based on a series of interviews with student teachers who participated in a statistics course where pollution data graphs were discussed, inquiring about their role as future critical mathematics teachers. The transcribed interviews, analyzed through ANT, inform us as to how student teachers’ foregrounds are being shaped by actants such as the curriculum, social justice, democracy, and source critique, among others. Based on the above, we recommend that teacher education should invite active discussion of the complexity created when a CME perspective is required. This move would allow for a critical approach to critical mathematics education itself that could prepare student teachers to navigate, instead of ignoring or opposing, such complexity.

“I never knew this was here”: White epiphanies, difficult history, and pedagogy

Teacher decision-making is a key component in teaching difficult history. In this instrumental case study, we examined how pre-service teachers (PSTs) encounter difficult history at a local historic site. The findings showed PSTs gained important difficult history content knowledge, yet the learning centered white racial epiphanies instead of the experiences of oppressed people highlighted in the local difficult histories we encountered. These findings prompted us to interrogate our teacher decision-making in planning and teaching local difficult histories. In this article, we extend the difficult history dialogue by examining how teacher decision-making allows or disrupts the centering of whiteness in difficult history pedagogy.

Primary School Teachers’ Views on Integrating Technology in English Language Instruction in Rural School Contexts in the Lubombo Region of Eswatini

The realization that traditional methods of teaching have become inadequate hence can no longer be exclusively used when teaching, has seen technology being integrated in instruction for all curricula. This study intended to explore the views of primary school teachers on the integration of technology when teaching English language in rural school contexts in the Lubombo region of Eswatini. The study was based on the following research questions: What are the views of primary school English language teachers on the integration of technology in English language instruction in rural school contexts? What are the benefits of integrating technology in English language instruction in rural school contexts? How do primary school teachers integrate technology in English Language instruction in rural school contexts? What challenges do primary school English language teachers encounter when integrating technology in English language instruction in rural school contexts? The study adopted the interpretivist research paradigm which was used with the qualitative research approach and the case study research design. While the simple random sampling technique was used to select four (4) schools that took part in the study, purposive sampling was used to select eight (8) teachers that took part in the study (two teachers from each school). Data were gathered using an interview guide where teachers were interviewed on a one on one. The data were analyzed using Thematic Content Analysis. The study found that some teachers had a misconception about technology integration in instruction as they view it as the teaching of basic computer skills. Another finding was that integrating technology in English language instruction was viewed as very beneficial as it resulted in optimum lesson delivery since learners generally have a big interest in technology. Challenges that teachers encountered when integrating technology in instruction included lack of training and unavailability of technological gadgets as well as poor internet connections. The study therefore recommends that The Ministry of Education, through the In-service department should train the teachers on how they can integrate technology in their teaching. Another recommendation is that Headteachers should organize teachers from other schools who are known to be effectively using the approach to come and assist teachers in rural schools.

University EFL Teachers’ Perceptions Of Critical Thinking Barriers In Higher Education

This study aims to uncover university EFL teachers’ perceptions regarding the barriers to implementing critical thinking in higher education. Due to the scarcity of previous studies in the Moroccan context, understanding the challenges that prevent critical thinking from being implemented effectively requires recognizing the difficulties that EFL teachers encounter in the process of its integration. This study was conducted with a qualitative design. Specifically, data were collected using semi-structured interviews with university EFL professors affiliated with different faculties and higher education institutions in Morocco. Interview data was analyzed by deploying thematic analysis. Results indicate that university EFL teachers consider four factors to be the main challenges of implementing critical thinking in higher education. These factors include students, cultural, educational, and class size-related constraints. Furthermore, the interviews’ results provide feasible suggestions to overcome critical thinking barriers in Moroccan higher education.

Unveiling the Hurdles in Promoting Inclusive Culture within the Classroom: Insights from Teachers at Government Primary Schools

Inclusive education strives to provide all students with equal opportunities irrespective of their capacities or learning requirements. However, the success of inclusive education relies on understanding teacher perspectives, as they play a central role in this new approach. The objective of the current quantitative research study was to assess the hurdles that primary teachers encounter when trying to foster an inclusive culture in mainstream government primary schools in the district of Multan. To ensure a representative sample, a multistage sampling technique was employed to select participants for the study. The findings of the study revealed a range of hurdles and issues faced by teachers in promoting inclusive practices within the classroom, including insufficient training, limited availability of resources, and a lack of support services. This research might contribute valuable insights to policymakers, administrators, and educational stakeholders, enabling them to design targeted interventions and support mechanisms that effectively address these challenges.

Teaching Method In Writing Descriptive Text (A Descriptive Study at the Seventh Grade Students of Thammislam Foundation School Academic Year 2023)


 
 
 
 This study investigates the instructional approach English teachers employ in teaching descriptive writing to seventh-grade students at Thammislam Foundation School during the Academic Year 2023. What challenges does the English teacher encounter when instructing seventh-grade students at Thammislam Foundation School during the Academic Year 2023 in the area of writing descriptive texts? The research objectives are categorized into three distinct areas: writing, descriptive text, and the instructional methods employed by English teachers. The present study employed a descriptive qualitative research design. The researcher assumed the role of a non-participant observer. The researcher conducted three observations in a seventh-grade classroom and interviewed with an English teacher to gather information about the instructional methods employed in teaching descriptive writing. The observed population comprises 28 students enrolled in the seventh grade at Thammislam Foundation School during the academic year of 2023. The data collection instruments employed in this study encompassed observation, interviews, and the examination of relevant study documents, including modules, student worksheets, and curriculum materials. The researcher employed a three-step process to analyze the data. The three main components of the research process include data reduction, data display, and conclusion verification. Researchers employ triangulation as a means to enhance the trustworthiness of the data. The research findings indicate that the activities conducted by the teacher during the initial and subsequent meetings were consistent with the principles and framework of task-based language teaching. Implementing task-based language teaching in a classroom typically involves three distinct stages: the pre-task stage, the task cycle, and the language focus stage. The challenges encountered by the student included a limited vocabulary and a need for more proficiency in selecting appropriate verbs for constructing sentences. The instructor assigned exercises to enhance the students' vocabulary and proficiency in selecting the appropriate verb for each sentence. The models used for the tasks were evaluated based on their ability to match the given criteria accurately. In addition, the instructor employed a systematic approach to facilitate comprehension among the students, particularly in the context of composing descriptive texts.
 
 
 

EFL Teachers’ Burnout: Do Mobile Teaching Affordances Matter?

In recent years, integrating mobile devices and network technologies has been a critical issue in the teaching and learning process, especially within the scope of English teaching and learning. The importance of technology integration in the learning and teaching process by teachers can only be deemed effective if users can realize the intended affordances in the teaching. Teachers’ affordances, accordingly, can be defined as the relationship between the properties of an educational intervention and the characteristics of the learner that enable particular kinds of learning by individuals. On the other hand, one of the critical core barriers that EFL teachers encounter in their job is the issue of burnout. Thus, because of the increased attention to the capabilities and affordances of mobile usage among teachers, this study intended to examine the relationship between EFL teachers’ mobile affordances and their burnout as its main focus. The study also aimed at determining whether gender differences influence the teachers` mobile affordances and their burnout. To this aim, 228 EFL teachers were invited to participate in this study. Data were gathered using Mobile Teaching Affordances and Maslach Burnout Inventory, and processed, analyzed, and reported using Pearson product-moment correlations and independent samples t-test. Findings proposed teachers` perceptions of mobile affordances and their burnout had significantly and negatively correlated. Furthermore, the results indicated that there was not a significant difference between males' and females` mobile affordances, however, there was a significant difference between males and females in burnout scores favoring males.

CHALLENGES AND COPING STRATEGIES OF KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS: INPUT TO THE FORMULATION OF A CONTEXTUALIZED TEACHING MODEL

This qualitative case study aimed to investigate the challenges faced by Kindergarten teachers in public elementary schools in the Tagudin District, Schools Division of Ilocos Sur during the School Year 2022-2023. The study utilized purposive sampling and conducted interviews to gather data from Kindergarten teachers who met specific criteria. The findings revealed that Kindergarten teachers encounter various challenges in their teaching practice, including managing classroom behaviors, addressing parental attitudes, managing separation anxiety, creating an optimal learning environment, meeting diverse needs, and enhancing communication with learners. The teachers employed coping strategies such as collaboration, stress management, embracing challenges, creating supportive environments, and building school-home partnerships. Based from the findings of the study, it was evident that Kindergarten teachers face multifaceted challenges that require continuous learning and professional development. The Kindergarten teachers are resourceful and resilient in addressing the challenges for effective teaching and learning experiences. The proposed contextualized teaching model can guide Kindergarten teachers in delivering effective instruction and creating inclusive learning environments. To further expand the knowledge in this area, future research should explore the specific challenges faced by Kindergarten teachers and examine the effectiveness of coping strategies in areas such as classroom management, student engagement, resource limitations, behavior management, and addressing individual differences. Additionally, it is recommended to investigate the implementation and effectiveness of the contextualized teaching model in Kindergarten classrooms and explore its impact on instruction and inclusive learning environments. Kindergarten teachers from different regions and educational systems would be provided with more diverse perspectives and enhance the understanding of challenges in different kindergarten teaching contexts.

Nauczyciel wobec zmian edukacyjnych. Kształcenie językowe w szkole ponadpodstawowej z wykorzystaniem podręczników Wydawnictwa Pedagogicznego Operon (z doświadczeń praktyka)

The article presents opportunities and challenges connected with teaching the mother tongue in contemporary secondary schools in Poland. The subject of reflection is the concept of language teaching included in the newest core curriculum for high schools, technical schools, and vocational schools as well as its implementation in the series of coursebooks (7 volumes) published by the Operon Publishing House in 2019–2022. Both the school content and the detailed realization in coursebooks as well as additional materials reflect the tendencies in contemporary didactics. The adopted solutions functionalizing the language knowledge and shaping the students’ language skills were analyzed. There have been pointed out difficulties that the authors of coursebooks and Polish teachers encounter while not being able to identify the detailed school content in the core curriculum. The suggested conclusions are to complete the content described in the core curriculum by giving more details about set readings. That way, students would be informed about issues in the areas of language teaching in accordance with the current language scientific knowledge.

Rethinking Terms: Dohā, Vajra-, and Caryāgīti

Dohās, vajragīti, and caryāgīti are key terms associated with the poetic writings of the Mahāsiddhas. This study focuses on Apabhraṃśa dohās, their commentaries, Tibetan translations, and collections containing them, shedding light on previously neglected aspects of this text type. By investigating the historical and original contexts of these three terms and comparing them to their later applications in traditional contexts and academia, this paper argues against the prevailing notion that they are genetically distinct and that this text type is primarily defined by orality and spontaneity. Consequently, it challenges the romanticized myth of certain origin narratives, such as student–teacher encounters. Instead, this brief presentation demonstrates that the often-repeated stereotypical definitions of these terms should be largely rejected, as they are merely different labels for the same text type with blurred and ill-defined subcategories. The analysis of primary sources reveals that various facets, e.g., compilation (an important but neglected aspect), go beyond the strongly emphasized oral component of this text type, thereby leading to the inaccurate definitions of the terms. In conclusion, intertextuality, compilation, and assigned authorship are crucial yet overlooked elements in defining the text type and understanding its function.

Pengaruh Keterampilan Literasi Digital Terhadap Kreativitas Guru Dalam Menulis Penelitian Tindakan Kelas

This research is motivated by the low literacy of teachers and principals in Elemetary and Junior High School in Garut Regency in producing scientific papers. The objectives to be achieved in this study were to determine the skills of principals and teachers in the field of learning technology to create scientific papers. This study uses a quantitative descriptive survey approach. The subjects of this study are the principal and teachers. The data collection technique uses a questionnaire which is supported by observation, interviews and documentation studies. Based on the results of the research findings in the field, it can be concluded that (1) the skills of the principal and teachers are quite effective although there are several obstacles such as the teacher's lack of mastery of digital literacy, (2) the problems that the principal and teachers encounter from the results of distributing questionnaires because they have not there is training specifically studying digital literacy.

Enhancing Teachers’ Competence in Developing Lesson Plans through Continuous Guidance: A School Action Research

Teachers are required to be able to develop lesson plans as a guide or reference for conducting learning activities. However, many teachers encounter difficulties in developing lesson plans due to various factors. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how the implementation of continuous guidance can enhance the competence of high school teachers in developing lesson implementation plans. This school action research (SAR) involved 60 teachers from MAN 2 Bone, South Sulawesi, as participants. The SAR was conducted in two cycles, with four meetings in each cycle. Data were collected through observation, questionnaires, and interviews. The findings of this SAR reveal that continuous guidance can greatly enhance teachers' ability in developing the one-page lesson plan Merdeka Belajar. The teachers' abilities in formulating learning objectives, designing learning activities, and creating assessments – the main components of the lesson plan – improved from cycle 1 to cycle 2. Furthermore, continuous guidance also improvemud the alignment of instructional implementation with the lesson plan. In the first cycle, 45% of the teachers showed good and very good performance. However, after receiving guidance, their performance in the second cycle significantly improved, with around 92% of the teachers achieving good and very good performance.Keywords: Continuous guidance, Lesson plan, School action research, Teacher competence

A Narrative Inquiry of Live Video Streaming: Voices of EFL Teachers to Reflect on Their Online Learning

Despite being widely investigated by previous studies in online learning, live video streaming (LVS) as a strategy for teaching English as a foreign language receives scanty attention. The present narrative inquiry aims to showcase an empirical insight into how live video streaming on Facebook is organized in online learning to fill this void. Two EFL teachers of a senior secondary school in Central Java, Indonesia, volunteered to participate in this study. Data were garnered through interviews and classroom observation. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study’s findings demonstrated that teaching through LVS on Facebook assisted EFL teachers in managing their online learning. The LVS-mediated learning process portrayed teaching, social, and cognitive presence during online learning. This result indicates that the learning platform provides promising prospects for teachers to optimize online English-speaking courses. The study also explored several challenges the EFL teachers encounter when managing LVS in their online classes with material and media preparation, time allocation, and internet connection. This study concludes with some pedagogical implications for how a teacher as a curriculum designer engages students in learning English and empowers them in online learning.

Lack of progression is the dividing line: mentoring teachers’ perspectives on student teachers’ emotional challenges during work placement education

ABSTRACT Student teachers commonly report encountering emotional challenges in work placements during teacher education. Even so, the perspective of mentoring teachers has been given little attention regarding the student teachers’ emotional challenges. In this study, the authors’ aim is to investigate what mentoring teachers perceive to be the emotional challenges student teachers face and what support they think they can offer student teachers. A sample of 25 Swedish mentoring teachers participated in an interview study. According to the findings, the mentoring teachers reported three main emotional challenges that they perceived that student teachers encounter: conflicts with/among pupils, encountering diverse pupil populations and dealing with failure. Mentoring teachers’ reports can be understood in the light of their idea of what work placement should be. Their rationales included the need for student teachers to be either exposed to ‘reality’ or protected from worst-case scenarios.