Primary Teacher Education Research Articles

Whole Systems Thinking and Context of the University Teacher on Curricular Sustainability in Primary Education Teaching Degrees at the University of Zaragoza

The traditional, mechanistic university context is far from achieving commitment and accountability for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The whole structure must be redefined in terms of teaching, research, management, and the connection with the whole community. The main objective is based on identifying the cognitive perception that university teachers have in relation to curricular sustainability, and how this is linked to the context in which they develop their teaching practice. The sample is made up of 15 teachers, selected purposively and non-randomly: 3 women and 12 men, with a mean age of 45.57 ± 9.72. The information was obtained from focus groups, using a semi-structured questionnaire. The QRS NVIVO 12 software program was used for content analysis. The results show a preponderant lack of knowledge, skills, and abilities in sustainability, given a lack of attitude towards change. The results show that the transformation lies in teacher training, based on workshops, courses, or experiential activities. Finally, assessing their own context, the participants highlighted the lack of a joint institutional strategy on sustainability.

Integrating COIL in teacher training: An estimation of learners´ motivational attitudes

Collaborative Online International Learning experiences have gained popularity and presence in the last years, but the motivational impact they have on future Primary Education teachers in the field of teacher training education is to be researched. We present a quantitative study that tries to estimate the level of motivation of teacher training students that are in the trilingual degree in the Basque Country. This study examines the level of confidence, attention, satisfaction and relevance of learners in higher education according to Keller’s ARCS model of motivation. It compares the results obtained between learners that have taken part in the Collaborative Online International Learning project, from now on COIL, and those that did not have the opportunity to take part in the virtual exchange and that had to develop the project in the traditional way. It also reflects the opinions they have regarding the general satisfaction of the project. The study involved 43 students from the UPV/EHU (University of the Basque Country) and students from Masaryk University. The data was collected through a validated questionnaire IMMS created in Google Forms. Key findings include that this faculty driven intervention that in all the dimensions, except Satisfaction, show significance results. Therefore, it is confirmed that the dimensions of Attention, Relevance, Confidence, as well as the overall score of the instrument (Global IMMS), show significant differences between the two groups analyzed. The exceptionality of the Satisfaction dimension is very close to the rejection zone of the null hypothesis. This helps us to underline the positive value of the implementation of virtual exchanges and it is therefore concluded that the greater motivation, the higher the degree of positive attitudes towards taking part in virtual exchanges. These results allow decisions to be taken with regard to implementing these experiences in the initial training of teachers, since the data that has been collected has direct implications for global learning engagement level and as an effective pedagogical approach to prepare all students to cope with the requirements that a 21st century society has.

Status of Primary School Specialty Education - case study of Shantou City

This study takes Shantou City's primary education occupational labor force demand as a starting point，which determines the relevant concepts of vocational education for primary school teachers. By the means of literature analysis, investigation as well as interview methods, this paper investigated the training status and employment status of various majors in primary education, mathematics education, and primary education (general subjects) in Shantou Vocational and Technical College. First, the current situation of the school's current vocational education training is analyzed in terms of the existing professional training plans of each major in recent years. Second section is about the interviews and surveys on the current situation of the above-mentioned students of each major. The survey will be based on the students' personal information, students' acceptance of training, employment tendency, existing employment opportunities, long-term career and other pain points. The last section is about the investigation the needs of employers for primary school teachers in recent years.

Improving the Competence of Teacher Candidate: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Experiential Learning GURU Model assisted by Flip-HTML

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Experiential Learning GURU Model Flip-HTML assisted by Flip-HTML. This research uses the CIPP evaluation method by Stuffbleam, which consists of context, inputs, processes, and products. The research approach uses a mixed method approach, namely the sequential exploratory model, using a qualitative approach first, then the next stage using a quantitative approach. Data collection techniques use questionnaires, observation, and interviews. The subject of research is prospective primary school education teachers. Qualitative data were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman model, while quantitative data were processed by calculating percentages and categorization. The results of this study show that the context has been perfect, the input is quite good, the process is excellent, and the results are categorized as very good. Thus, the Experiential Learning model of Flip-HTML assisted teachers effectively improves prospective teachers' competence, but it still requires adequate internet facilities so that all prospective teachers can easily access it

The determination of the learning curve on the concept of energy using the alternatives ideas

In this study, alternative ideas of energy were evaluated for five different age groups. Research participants included primary school, middle school, and high school students, students of the department of primary education, and active teachers in primary education. The same questionnaire was used in all groups, indicating that age-related differences exist between answers. The sigmoid curve, which represents energy learning, is obtained by analyzing correct answers according to age. Correlations between age and all questions were statistically significant. An engaging perspective is imparted on energy education. According to our findings, misconceptions and preconceptions of students and teachers diminish with age or, more accurately, with educational attainment. In addition to improving science teaching classrooms and curriculum design, the results of our study may also benefit teachers’ professional growth.

What different education professionals know about ADHD and their attitudes towards it

ABSTRACT Teachers and school counsellors play a key role in the detection of symptoms associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and in interventions. The present study aimed to analyse differences in knowledge about and attitudes towards ADHD between five different types of educator: infant education teachers, primary education teachers, special education teachers, school counsellors, and secondary education teachers. The participants were 206 professionals from state-funded and independent schools in the north of Spain who completed the Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Teachers’ Knowledge of ADHD (which included four dimensions: general information, symptoms, aetiology and treatment) and the ADHD-Specific Knowledge and Attitudes of Teachers questionnaire (to assess attitudes towards ADHD). Results of univariate analysis of variance showed statistically significant differences between the five different types of educator. School counsellors and special education teachers exhibited greater knowledge and better attitudes towards ADHD. Training programs for teachers in infant, primary and secondary education, should be provided to improve knowledge and attitudes in relation to ADHD.

The Implementation of the Proposed Teaching Methods in the Curricula of Language Courses during the Use of Online Teaching in the Period of Covid-19: Opinions and Attitudes of Greek Teachers

Because of the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences, distance education and, in particular, "Online Education" (OE) was used in the educational systems of many countries, as in Greece. The main objective of this application was to keep students in touch with the educational reality, but also with the teaching and learning process. On this basis, the purpose of this study is to investigate the attitudes and opinions of Greek Primary Education teachers and Secondary Education teachers' philologists regarding the implementation of the proposed methods of teaching language courses in the use of OE. Seven hundred and thirty-four teachers constituted the sample of the study. A structured questionnaire was used to carry out the research and collect the data and the main findings of the research can be summarized as follows: the teachers' attitudes and opinions regarding the correlation of the proposed teaching methods in the Curriculum - such as the possibility for all students to produce various types of spoken and written language and the units designed for the cultivation of literacy to have the form of an action plan (project), etc. - with the use of OE are approximately neutral, namely neither positive nor negative.

Knowledge Attitudes and Sense of Self-Efficacy of Primary Education Teachers towards Students with Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

IntroductionThe positive attitude towards students with Diabetes Mellitus type 1(DM1) and the teacher’s knowledge seem to be important conditions both for the practical support of children with type 1 ED in primary education and for the self-efficacy of teachers in the school context. Self-efficacy involves the belief that a person has the ability to create change through personal actions.ObjectivesTo investigate the level of knowledge of Primary Education teachers about DM1, their attitudes towards students with insulin-dependent diabetes, as well as their levels of self-efficacy in the management of diabetes in the school environment.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study, where the sample consisted of 150 teachers working in Public Primary Schools of Athens, the capital of Greece. The following questionnaires were used to collect the data: (a) socio-demographic characteristics questionnaire, (b) primary education teachers’ knowledge and attitudes questionnaire about insulin-dependent diabetes, and (c) the generalized self-efficacy scale.Results24.7% of participants were male and the mean age was 43.79 (±10.11). The average percentage of correct answers to the knowledge questionnaire was 86.00 (±9.01), also, the average score of perceptions about the role of the school nurse was 90.53 (±9.39), for the role of students with DM1 89.17 (±11.42), for the readiness of teachers/educational system to manage students with DM1 48.10 (±13.22), and of the self-efficacy was 30.71 (±13, 67). The questions with the lowest percentage of correct answers were: “What is the normal range of blood sugar values when we are fasting?” (62.70%) and “If you find a child with DM1 unconscious what should you do immediately?” (52.70%). The percentage of correct responses was found to have a positive statistically significant correlation with self-efficacy score (p=0.05), years of service (p=0.003), age (p=0.014), teachers who had at some point students with DM1 in their classroom versus those who did not (p=0.045).ConclusionsExperienced and qualified staff could effectively support students not only practically by assisting them with daily activities but also by creating an environment based on understanding and acceptance.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Primary School PE Teachers Classroom Teaching Difficulties and Countermeasures

Physical education teachers are an important part of primary school teachers. As an important subject, physical education has a direct impact on the quality and level of physical education in China in terms of knowledge and skills. Therefore, physical education has received more and more attention. Physical education teachers are the key factors that determine the effectiveness of physical education. Through the investigation of the teaching situation of PE teachers in remote primary schools, it is found that most of them are part-time teachers. They are tired of teaching ideas, heavy teaching tasks and traditional teaching methods, which can not meet the needs of the rapid development of sports today. Through field investigation, this study explains the difficulties in the teaching of primary school physical education teachers, finds out the causes, and puts forward some feasible suggestions for these specific problems.

Pre-service Primary School Teachers’ View of Nature of Science Helps Decision-making on Socio-scientific Issues

Since the 20th century, science and technology have developed rapidly, and the industrialization and modernization of countries around the world have been in full swing. In this context, the education of Socio-scientific issues (SSI) in classroom teaching in primary and secondary schools becomes particularly important. SSIs can serve as an important carrier for scientific, ethical, and moral education, an important path to develop the core competencies of individuals in the 21st century. As future teachers, pre-service primary school teachers receive good science education in the university, develop fundamental scientific literacy, and obtain a basic understanding of nature of science (NOS). Their mastery of NOS has a significant impact on their decision-making skills on SSIs. In science education for pre-service primary school teachers, more attention should be paid to improving their comprehension of NOS and critical thinking ability.

Roles of Efficient Leadership Behavior of Principals/Leaders of School Units

The improvement of school unit efficiency is pursued today by those who are involved in the design of educational policy at national and transnational level. Pressure towards this direction is even more imperative today because of technological developments, competitiveness, and worldwide challenges (Middlewood et al., 2018). Bush et al. (2019) argue that learning, immediately after teaching quality, is associated at a secondary but still important level with school leadership and sociocultural context in which it is shaped. Within the context of the above, this study aims to showcase the view of primary education teachers of South Aegean about the leadership behaviors of the leaders of the school units at which they are employed. The particularity of this study lies in the approach of the subject since the above-mentioned objective is studied at two levels: a) At “implementation” level and b) At “desirable” level. The main research finding is the existence of a statistically significant differentiation of leadership behavior between the implementation and the desirable level.

University Teachers’ Experiences of Teaching Hands-On Components in Science and Technology in Primary Teacher Education during COVID-19

ABSTRACT Teacher education programs have the dual task of teaching specific subject content while also providing examples of how this content can be taught in schools. This task is especially important, and also problematic, when it comes to technology and science education, where hands-on components such as design/construction exercises, laboratory exercises, and excursions are central epistemic practices. When COVID-19 hit, Swedish universities were forced to change from campus-based teaching to online distance education, termed “emergency remote teaching (ERT).” The present study aims to investigate university teachers’ experiences of how hands-on components in science and technology education worked in the ERT mode that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis was performed with a social semiotics and community of inquiry framework, and shows that both the type of instruction and the subject content were impacted. In particular, the reduced opportunities for students to apply scientific and technical methods and the reduced ability of teachers to determine whether the students had understood their instruction generated new ways of communicating and supporting the students’ learning. Therefore, analysis of meaning making in science and technology online-learning contexts needs to address the topics of the nature of science (NOS) and the nature of technology (NOT). An extended, three-dimensional model of meaning making is suggested.

TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE LEVEL OF EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE AND REGULATION OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS

Emotional disturbance and regulation are key elements in special education classes but are still understudied. This study explores the topic of the emotions of students with special educational needs (SEN). The objective of this study is to examine the level of special education teachers' knowledge of (i) emotional disturbance and (ii) emotional regulation in SEN students. This study uses a quantitative approach in the form of survey as research design. A total of 74 primary school special education teachers were involved as respondents through a simple random sampling technique. Instrument used is a questionnaire adapted from the Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire by Mirabile (2014). Cronbach's Alpha validity obtained for the instrument after adaptation and pilot study was .838. Data was collected by distributing online questionnaire to the population of primary special education teachers through social media. Descriptive analysis was conducted on collected data through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software and summarized in table form. The findings of this study show a high level of special education teachers' knowledge of emotional disturbance in SEN students (mean=3.56) while teachers' knowledge of emotional regulation in SEN students recorded a moderate level (mean=2.94). Special education teachers have basic knowledge of emotions in SEN students but yet to reach the optimal level. The planning and implementation of learning in special education classes needs to emphasize the importance of regulating students' emotions and the role of teachers in emotions coregulations with SEN students.

Adaptation Difficulties of Children at the Beginning of School Attendance Based on the Optics of Primary School Teachers

The presented paper is devoted to finding out and analyzing the opinions of primary education teachers on the causes of the unsuccessful adaptation of current schoolchildren to the beginning of systematic education. To find out the above issues, pedagogical research was carried out at selected primary schools in Slovakia. The implementation of the research and the subsequent analysis of the research results confirmed that the length of teachers' pedagogical practice has a statistically significant effect on their views on the causes of adaptation difficulties in emotional, social, intellectual, and psychomotor areas of children's school readiness.

Differences in the Perception Regarding Inclusion Preparation among Teachers at Different Educational Stages

Inclusive education is fundamental, consisting of enabling all students, irrespective of their characteristics, to receive appropriate education and actively participate in school life. Teachers play an important role in this regard; thus, this study aims to analyze teachers' perceptions regarding their preparation for inclusion by assessing possible differences depending on the educational stage (early childhood, primary, or secondary education). A total of 1098 Spanish teachers, from Extremadura, responded to three dichotomic answers about their inclusive education preparation perception and the Evaluation of Teachers' Inclusion Readiness (CEFI-R) questionnaire, a 19-item tool composed of four dimensions: (1) conception of diversity, (2) methodology, (3) support, and (4) community participation. Pearson's chi-square test was used to assess differences between the dichotomous questions and educational stage; Kruskal-Wallis was used to determine whether the educational stage conditioned the CEFI-R dimensions responses, and the Spearman rho was used to test the association between age groups and the CEFI-R dimensions. Statistical differences were found between secondary education and preschool education and primary education teachers in the dimensions (1) conception of diversity, (2) methodology, and (3) support. Significant differences in dimension (4) community participation between preschool education teachers and secondary and primary education teachers were found.

The influence of school inclusive education climate on physical education teachers' inclusive education competency: The mediating role of teachers' agency.

Teachers' inclusive education competency is the key to the successful implementation of inclusive education. Under the background of China's vigorous development of inclusive education, the influence mechanism of inclusive education competency of Chinese physical education teachers has not been paid attention to. The present study concentrates on the relationships between school inclusive education climate, physical education teachers' agency, and inclusive education competency. Data were collected from 286 primary and junior high school physical education teachers through nationwide convenience sampling on the Internet in China by completing the School Inclusive Education Climate Scale, Physical Education Teachers' Agency Scale, PE Teachers' Inclusive Education Competency Scale. Results of structural equation modelling revealed that school inclusive education climate had a significant effect on physical education teachers' agency. School inclusive education climate had a significant influence on physical education teachers' inclusive education competency. The mediation effect of physical education teachers' agency on the relationship between school inclusive education climate and inclusive education competency was significant as well. These results demonstrate that school inclusive education climate plays a direct and indirect role in promoting physical education teachers' inclusive education competency.

Factors of educational inclusion to improve learning: Teachers' perspectives

In elementary school, inclusive education should be adapted to the needs of students with special abilities in areas such as recreational activities, feedback and methodologies and planning. The objective of the research is to analyze and describe the perspectives of educational inclusion factors among elementary school teachers to improve students’ learning with special abilities. The methodology of the research is descriptive with a quantitative correlational approach in which 823 elementary school teachers participated through a voluntary and anonymous online survey with a measurement instrument that had two dimensions of eight and ten items which were optimal in the different statistical tests as in the analysis of the reliability factors of Cronbach’s alpha (0. 968). The result shows that teachers are willing to improve the curriculum plan, provide specialized attention after training. There is a high perspective to interact with students with special abilities to improve student learning. There are institutional constraints on primary education teachers to improve the learning factors of inclusive education as well as unknown applications or technologies that can help the learning of students with special abilities in primary education. There are non-governmental organizations that seek the welfare of students with special abilities but the results are not very encouraging due to a lack of financial capacity.

Teachers' Innovative Work Behavior as a Function of Self-Efficacy, Burnout, and Irrational Beliefs: A Structural Equation Model.

Teachers' innovative work behavior (TIWB) is crucial in the contemporary demanding educational environments for overcoming any commonplace issues and to ensure sustainability and development. It refers to a process in which the employee tries to create new ideas, adopt them, apply them in the school context, and then communicate them to other members of the organization in order to achieve a communal benefit. Among a plethora of factors that could influence such behavior, self-efficacy, burnout, and irrational beliefs have been proposed as potential covariates. In the present study, the associations of the above constructs with TIWB are concomitantly investigated by employing structural equation modeling (SEM). Data were taken from the participation of in-service teachers (N = 964) in primary education via self-reported questionnaires. The proposed SEM model exhibited a satisfactory goodness-of-fit to the empirical data, highlighting the direct effects of the independent variables on TIWB, while mediation analysis showed that irrational beliefs and burnout act also as mediators between self-efficacy and innovative work behavior. The findings are in line with previous reports and are interpretable in the context of modern theories, while a discussion on theoretical and practical implications along with emerging ideas and perspectives for further research is provided.

STORYTELLING: SUPPORTING PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AT A PRIMARY TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM

One of the challenges identified in the performance of TEYL in Indonesia comes from the aspect of pre-service teachers of young learners who lack English proficiency. Utilizing storytelling as a teaching technique, this study explores the phenomenon of the storytelling implementation by pre-service teachers from the Primary Teacher Education Program and how it helps them develop their English language proficiency. In order to answer the research question employed in this study, two types of instruments are collected: an interview with four pre-service teachers and their English lecturer and storytelling performance videos created by four of the pre-service teachers. Believed to provide a more joyful environment in learning the language, the development was sensed in the plan step of storytelling where these four pre-service teachers prepare the story, read and listen to story references, and practice to make instruction targeted for young learners inside the class. From the videos and the interview, it was found how the activity of practice making instructions help them develop their speaking skills, indicating improvement in the use of word choice and the fluency performed once the plan step of storytelling is being experienced. Nevertheless, it was also found how the participants involved in this study experienced challenges in terms of the exploration of writing skills due to the limitation time provided in the Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris Anak Sekolah Dasar course, resulting them to experienced less development in writing skills during the implementation of storytelling inside the class as a teaching technique.

Academic assessment by general educators in inclusive schools on special needs

Academic assessment of students with diversified needs the model of Inclusive setup has gained more appreciation from the policy makers, teachers and parents in the past years. It is also established as an innovative approach and structured way of teaching and learning which helps in academic progress of children with disability and mainstreaming children with special needs in general schools. Role of regular teachers in assessing children with special needs is highly challenging in inclusive setup along with non-disabled children in the class room. Formative and summative approaches are applied in schools for assessment of students with special needs and general students in the same classroom setup. Teachers in general education face many difficulties in assessing written tests and oral examination for children with disabilities who are enrolled in inclusive setup. This research aims to discover the effect of assessment methods used by the primary teacher educators in evaluating disabled children. The result exhibited that activity-based methods paved way for quality assessment of children with various disabilities enrolled in inclusive education.