In-service Training Research Articles

Teachers’ Capabilities in Implementing Inclusive Education: A South African Perspective

In this empirical paper, we discuss teachers’ capabilities in implementing inclusive education. The background to this paper is that teachers have challenges in implementing inclusive education in South African primary schools. The study is underpinned by critical emancipatory research (CER), which advocates for peace, hope, equality, freedom, and social justice. A transformative paradigm under a qualitative approach and participatory action research design was adopted to analyze the experiences of the stakeholders of the research school. This is a qualitative paper where interviews were used to collect data from 7 participants. The study found that teachers in primary schools are not well prepared to implement inclusive education. Considering the findings, the study argues that there is a need to ensure that teachers are well-prepared and supported for inclusive education through in-service training.

Nursing Knowledge and Preventive Practices of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia as Perceived by Intensive Care Nurses in Hail City, KSA

Context: Ventilator-associated Pneumonia (VAP) is a recognized nosocomial infection and a leading cause of high morbidity and mortality. Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses are in the best position to put the known evidence-based strategies into practice to prevent VAP. Aim: The study assessed nursing knowledge and preventive practices of ventilator-associated pneumonia as perceived by intensive care nurses in Hail City, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Data were collected using a descriptive cross-sectional research design. The study was conducted in intensive care units of Government hospitals in Hail City on a convenient sample of all available critical care nurses who met the inclusion criteria during the data collection period. The sample size (n) for this analysis was 84. Data were collected using a structured interview questionnaire including sociodemographic data and nurses' knowledge of VAP. The second tool is nurses’ practice observational checklist regarding VAP prevention. Results: revealed that age median (IQR) is 30(6), median years of experience (IQR) 6(6), 67.9% had received VAP prevention training, and 78.6% had received information for preventing VAP. The study also reveals that 38.09% of the nurses had poor knowledge regarding VAP prevention, and they had a good median (IQR) 6(4) in the preventive practice of VAP. Age, experience in nursing, in the ICU, training on VAP prevention, and receiving information on preventing VAP significantly affected nurses' knowledge about preventing VAP in ICU patients. Experience in ICU and educational institutions as source of information and more than one source of information significantly affect the nurses' total preventive practice regarding VAP. Correlation analysis between overall knowledge and practice indicates no statistically significant correlation (the p-value for the correlation was 0.060). Conclusion: Over one-third of the nurses had poor knowledge regarding VAP. The study recommended that there should be in-service training and periodic educational programs targeting nurses to improve nurse’s knowledge and practices regarding VAP guidelines by the Ministry of Health.

School Heads Leadership Competencies: A Comparative Analysis between the Perceptions of Male and Female Secondary School Teachers

This study seeks to investigate the insights of teachers about leadership competencies of secondary school heads in Malakand division. The study population consisted of 8481 teachers working in three districts i.e. Swat, Malakand and Dir lower. By using cluster sampling probability sampling method, 635 teachers were randomly selected as sample of the study. A highly valid and reliable questionnaire gathered data from secondary school teachers, revealing that heads exhibit strong competencies. Technical competency was highly observed, while conceptual competency was less so. No significant difference was found between male and female teachers' perceptions of school heads' leadership competencies. The study recommended that both pre and in-service trainings and leadership development programs may be arranged for heads to enhance their leadership competencies to effectively manage school activities. Senior teachers may also be involved in different school activities.

Optimizing Administrative Professionalism: A Strategic Approach to Elevate Clientele Satisfaction in Service-Oriented Environments

Professionalism is crucial in shaping client experience in organizations, yet many organizations lack strategies to enhance staff conduct, leading to inconsistent service, communication gaps, and inadequate training. Essential qualities such as competence, courtesy, honesty, integrity, and specialized knowledge significantly impact client interactions, complaint resolution, and organizational image. This study, conducted at the City College of Calamba, Philippines, surveyed 1,126 students to assess their perceptions of professionalism among administrative personnel providing student services and evaluate customer satisfaction. Using a descriptive correlational approach with stratified random sampling and simple statistical treatment such as mean and Goodman and Kruskal's Gamma Correlation, the study established a correlation between staff professionalism and satisfaction, proposing a development program based on its findings. The survey found high levels of professionalism and customer satisfaction, recognized staff strengths in professional communication and accountability, and indicated areas for growth in problem-solving. The significant relationships between job performance, service delivery, ethics, and satisfaction highlight professionalism’s impact on consumer perspectives. The novelty of this study lies in its focus on the correlation between professionalism and satisfaction within an educational setting, offering insights for targeted development programs. Limitations include a small sample size, which may affect generalizability, reliance on self-reported data, cross-sectional design, and a focus on one institution, which may overlook broader contextual nuances.

The Pharmacotherapy Practices and Clinical Outcomes of Pre-eclampsia/Eclampsia: An Observational Study

Background: This study observes fetal, pregnancy, and maternal outcomes with different regimens of Magnesium sulphate (MgSO4), used for prophylaxis and treatment of convulsions in eclampsia. Methods: In this observational study, the current prescribing practice and management outcomes of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia were observed in three tertiary care hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. Data were collected by using data collection form, containing information related to patient demographics, history, laboratory findings, drug administration record, and therapeutic outcomes for pregnancy, fetus, and mother. Results: Of the 50 patients studied, most (74%) were of eclampsia. The mean age of the patients was 25.7 (+5.05) years with the majority (36%) in the age range 21–25 years. Forty-one patients received MgSO4, of which most received the Pritchard regimen (n = 35), whereas only 5 patients were managed with Zuspan regimen. Liner logistic analysis revealed better fetal outcomes (OR 0.217, CI –0.283 – 1.543) and pregnancy outcomes (OR 0.186, CI –0.164 – 0.635) with Zuspan regimen as compared to Pritchard. Whereas, both regimens showed no difference in maternal outcomes (OR 0.044, CI –0.129 – 0.170). Conclusion: Zuspan regimen proved to be better in morbidity and mortality associated with eclampsia. Additionally, national as well as institutional guidelines should be developed, implemented, properly monitored, and evaluated for management of preeclampsia/ eclampsia. Mandatory in-service training and expertise should be provided for health professionals at all levels of the healthcare system, especially those working in gynecological setup.

Challenges in implementing English-only instruction: Insights from EFL student teachers in Taiwan

English-only instruction is promoted intensely by the Taiwanese government as an effective method to enhance students’ English language skills in primary schools. Determining how to effectively employ English-only instruction is a major concern for many English educators and authorities in Taiwan. This study explored the challenges encountered by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student teachers in their English language proficiency while providing English-only instruction in an English language teaching practicum at a Taiwanese elementary school. A qualitative research design was employed in this study. The participants of this study consisted of 11 EFL student teachers. Lesson plans, class observations, and reflective journal entries were the sources of the research data in this study. A thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data of this study. The results indicate that EFL student teachers’ English language proficiency gave them challenges while employing English-only instruction due to inappropriate and inadequate English usage, poor presentation, and infallible native speaker models. Moreover, there is no clear link between EFL student teachers’ English proficiency and their teaching effectiveness. The results also imply that the challenges encountered by EFL student teachers regarding their English language proficiency in employing English-only instruction are related to micro (classroom) and macro (Taiwanese society) relations. The results further provide insights for those involved in designing English-only instruction training programs to be more critically concerned about designing effective pre-service or in-service training programs for EFL teachers.

Development of An In-Service Training Program and Analysis of the Demands for Middle & High School Korean Language Teachers - focusing on Gangwon Province

Development of An In-Service Training Program and Analysis of the Demands for Middle & High School Korean Language Teachers - focusing on Gangwon Province

Effect of a simulation game on nursing students’ reflective thinking skills: a mixed methods study

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the effect of a simulation game called “The Ward” on reflective thinking skills of senior nursing students.MethodsA convergent mixed methods parallel research design was conducted between February-April 2018. The sample for this study was a convenience sample (n = 23) of senior nursing students. Student Information Form, Reflective Thinking Scale and a structured interview form were used as data collection tools. During study, simulation game was played once a week for seven weeks. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean) were used for analyzing data, t test for dependent groups tests were applied to determine differences within group and qualitative data was analyzed with content analysis.ResultsAfter playing the simulation game, nursing students’ reflective thinking scores (pre-test = 39.70 ± 5.15; post-test = 67.39 ± 8.13) increased significantly (p < 0.05). It was found students noticed their shortcomings and mislearnings by comparing their existing knowledge in setting of teamwork and cooperation created by the game, and consequently students’ motivation increased or decreased. The teamwork and collaboration created with in the simulation game caused students to gain self-confidence, to expand their perspectives, to develop effective decision-making skills, to increase their motivation, to discover their own incomplete knowledge, skills or mislearnings.ConclusionsThese results support that the simulation games can be used to improve reflective thinking level of students. This finding shows that nursing education curriculum needs to be restructured using new methods such as simulation games aimed at improving students’ reflective thinking skills. In this direction nurse educators should be involved with policy making and policy makers to develop strategies to ensure that graduated nursing students should gain reflective thinking skills. In addition nurse executives should encourage using simulation and simulation games in service training to improve nurses’ reflective thinking skills and life long learning.

The Impact of Introducing Generic Therapy Assistants to an Acute Occupational Therapy Stroke Service

Abstract Background It has been recommended that patients post-Stroke should receive 45 minutes of Occupational Therapy (OT) input on at least five days per week to evoke meaningful and significant improvements in patient-centred outcomes. However, service capacity cannot always meet recommended levels. Generic Therapy Assistants (GTAs) offer opportunities to bolster staffing and increase intensity and quality of OT input. This pilot aims to investigate the impact of the recruitment of two GTAs upon OT services in an acute Stroke unit. Methods Two GTAs were recruited to the service and underwent tailored training, followed by in-service training and supervision support. Data was collected prior to their recruitment for a four-week period (Timepoint 1) and again following their appointment (Timepoint 2). Duration of OT sessions were categorised as High (&amp;gt;36 minutes), Moderate (23-36 minutes) and Low Intensity (&amp;lt;23 Minutes). Key metrics were the number of sessions that took place, the proportion of sessions deemed low, moderate and high intensity and a functional measure of included patients using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Results Total sessions increased from 113 to 184 from Timepoint 1 to 2, and sessions deprioritized reduced from 116 to 71, with greater contact time per day during Timepoint 2. The proportion of sessions described as High Intensity increased from 45% to 63%. Twelve patients from each cohort had functional changes measured, with scores recorded on initial assessment and on discharge. Average increases of 3.75 points were observed during Timepoint 1, and 8 points at Timepoint 2. Conclusion The addition of two GTAs to the Stroke service in this acute hospital facilitated positive changes to the OT service capacity and delivery. Increased numbers of sessions and session duration were observed, alongside a greater proportion of sessions being of High Intensity, and greater functional improvements when compared to similar data collection prior to their recruitment.

Supporting kindergarten staff’s agency in inclusion through long-term in-service training

ABSTRACT Supporting teachers’ agency is essential for implementing inclusive education, as agentic teachers tend to take more responsibility for making a change and focus more on activities that benefit the children they teach. Lack of teacher agency might be one of the reasons why inclusive education has not been applied successfully in kindergartens. In our study, we focused on supporting teacher agency for inclusive education according to the ecological model of agency. Our approach to inclusive education was drawn from the holistic model of inclusive education. We developed an in-service training program to support the three dimensions of agency across different levels outlined in the model of the implementation of inclusive education. The aim of this study was to explore the improvement in participants’ agency during the in-service training program. We applied pre- and post-questionnaires to explore the agency of kindergarten staff members who attended the in-service training program. The results showed statistically significant changes in kindergarten staff’s agency in the iterational and projective dimensions of agency in implementing inclusion. Therefore, we can conclude that a long-term team-based in-service course is effective in supporting teacher agency related to inclusion.

The moderating role of emotional self-efficacy and gender in teacher empathy and inclusive education

The role of teacher empathy is recognized as a key factor in improving teacher–student interaction, motivation and academic performance. Despite the importance of teacher empathy, its role in promoting inclusive education is still largely unknown. High levels of empathy are not necessarily associated with greater ability to implement inclusive education, as they can lead to excessive emotional engagement and stress, which negatively affect teachers' abilities. Therefore, the present study explored whether the relationship between high empathy and perceived ability to implement inclusive education could be moderated by other variables, such as emotional self-efficacy and gender. A large sample of Italian support teachers (N = 739; Mage = 37.7; females = 86.9%) was recruited for this study. We found that higher levels of empathy were related to higher levels of self-efficacy in inclusive education, especially when levels of emotional self-efficacy were higher. This relationship was only found for female teachers. The results contribute to knowledge about the role of teachers' empathy for inclusion as well as the moderating role of the ability to regulate negative emotions. The study has implications for pre-service teacher education and in-service teacher training.

Training status in evidence-based practices among in-service special education teachers and its association with teaching in autism educational settings

The present study investigates the adequacy of training, perceived knowledge, and the frequency of use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) among in-service special education teachers and its association with their teaching practices in autism educational settings in Jordan. Additionally, it analyzes the influence of key variables, including gender, age, level of educational qualification, number of years teaching in special education, number of years teaching students with autism, number of students with autism in the classroom, and number of in-service professional development programs attended. Using an analytical descriptive approach utilizing survey-based research, a convenience sample of 121 teachers from seven specialized autism centers reported on their training adequacy, knowledge, and frequency of use of a set of 23 EBPs. The results showed that the adequacy of in-service training was higher than that of pre-service training. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between in-service training, teachers’ knowledge, and the use of EBPs. The number of in-service professional development training programs emerged as the only variable that significantly influenced the teachers’ responses regarding the adequacy of their in-service training. The multiple regression analysis revealed that in-service training programs and years of teaching students with autism were the only predictors of teachers’ knowledge and use of EBPs. The most reported EBPs were reinforcement, task analysis, and modeling, whereas the least reported were video modeling, social narratives, and functional communication. Further enhancements in teacher training in EBPs are needed to improve teacher training programs in Jordan.

Making Mathematics Accessible to Visually Impaired High School Learners in South Africa: Teachers’ Instructional Approaches, Assistive Devices and Challenges

ABSTRACT This case study explored the instructional approaches and assistive devices employed by high school mathematics teachers in teaching visually impaired (VI) learners and the challenges encountered by the teachers in facilitating the learners’ construction of mathematical knowledge. The participants were two high school mathematics teachers from a special school for the visually impaired in South Africa. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews and lesson observation. Inadequate skills in using Braille codes, time constraints, lack of learners’ home support structure, and technology failure are some of the challenges encountered by the teachers in teaching the VI learners. The approaches used by the teachers to teach mathematics to the VI learners in this study are direct instruction, contextual linking, scaffolding, peer tutoring, and problem-solving. The technologies the teachers used included text enlargers, text translators, text embossers, structure embossers, and scientific talking calculators. The study recommends in-service training for teachers teaching mathematics to

Teachers’ Quality and Students’ Academic Performance in Osun State Public Senior Secondary Schools, Nigeria

Effective and efficient quality of teachers improves the level of students’ academic performance. This study investigated teachers’ quality and students’ academic performance in Osun State Public Senior Secondary Schools, Nigeria. The objectives of this study were to establish the relationship between teachers’ academic qualifications; teachers’ years of teaching experience; teachers’ professional qualifications and teachers’ exposure to in-service training and students’ academic performance in Osun State Public Senior Secondary Schools. The study adopted a descriptive survey of correlational type. Three hundred respondents were used for the study. Teachers’ Quality Questionnaire” (TQQ) and Students’ Academic Performance Proforma (SAPP) were used for data collection. Five research questions were raised and answered to guide the study's conduct using descriptive statistics of frequency and percentages. Five research hypotheses were formulated and tested using inferential Pearson Product-Moment correlation statistics at 0.05 significance level. Findings showed that teachers’ quality has a positive and significant relationship with students’ academic performance in Osun State Public Secondary Schools, Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that; school management should ensure that teachers yet to register as professionals should be encouraged to do so. This will enable teachers to register with the Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) and be identified as qualified teachers also endeavours to motivate teachers to attend educational conferences to improve their teaching skills to be effective and efficient.

Robust optimization of train timetables with short-length and full-length services considering uncertain passenger volume and service choice behavior

Train timetables with a combination of short-length and full-length services can adapt to spatial and temporal variations in demand. However, with such timetables, some passengers may choose to catch an earlier short-length service and then transfer to a full-length service to reach their destinations rather than waiting for a crowded full-length service. This uncertain service choice behavior frequently occurs, which, however, was not well considered in most studies on demand-oriented timetabling. Therefore, this study presents a robust timetabling approach based on the scenario-based method considering uncertain passenger volumes and service choice behavior for choosing different types of train services. A customized decomposition-based method with an iterative solution procedure is designed to solve the proposed model. In each iteration, a multi-agent-based simulation algorithm is developed to update passengers’ travel utility and the service choice preference proportion based on the previous iteration’s timetabling results. To obtain high-quality solutions in an acceptable computing time, a hybrid “ALNS + GUROBI” algorithm is developed to handle the timetabling problems for large-scale cases. The proposed method optimizes the train timetables for Xi’an Metro Line 3 in China. Our results indicate that the proposed method can account for uncertain passenger volumes and service choice behavior by adjusting the short-length plans and train headways to match the transport capacity to passenger demand.

Attitudes and Experiences of Community Palliative Care Nurses Regarding Pediatric Home-Based End-of-Life Care: A Statewide Survey.

Objectives: Pediatric end-of-life (EOL) care at home is often provided by community palliative care (CPC) nurses who do not specialize in pediatrics. This study aimed to better understand the challenges CPC nurses face when providing EOL care to children at home. Methods: A total of 52 CPC nurses across New South Wales (NSW), Australia, participated in an online survey about their training, attitudes, and experiences regarding the provision of home-based pediatric EOL care. Participants were asked to reflect back over a "negative" experience of caring for a child at EOL, where things did not go as well as hoped, and a "positive" EOL care experience, where nurses perceived that care of the child and family went well, and respond to questions about these experiences. Results: Confidence of CPC nurses when providing EOL care to pediatric patients was significantly lower than when caring for adults (p's < .05). Most respondents expressed the desire for more training in pediatric EOL care. Cases identified as negative by CPC nurses did not significantly differ from positive cases in terms of the timing of the referral to CPC, clinical symptoms at EOL, or how well informed the nurses felt. Siblings were present at EOL in 74% of the negative experiences and 86% of the positive experiences, reportedly receiving significantly poorer support in the negative experiences (p = .002). Conclusion: This research contributes to an improved understanding of the challenges associated with home-based pediatric EOL care and highlights potential areas for improvement in CPC service delivery and training.

Competence Level of 21st Century Mathematics Teachers: Basis for In-Service Training Program

Competence Level of 21st Century Mathematics Teachers: Basis for In-Service Training Program

Video-based automatic people counting for public transport: On-bus versus off-bus deployment

Interest in Automatic People Counting (APC) for crowd detection and management is rapidly growing. While a range of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and systems exist, video analytics is emerging as a particularly attractive option — especially for applications where more traditional methods of people counting are not available, unreliable or expensive. In this paper we focus on automatic people counting in the public transport context – specifically, rail replacement bus services – in which bus companies are typically contracted to provide bus services to replace train services during periods of planned and unplanned line disruption. This presents a particularly compelling use-case for video-based people counting, while also presenting unique challenges. Field trials are thus vital to the proper assessment of video-based APC solutions, however remain relatively scarce in the literature. While datasets to support research and benchmarking exist, these do not capture the intrinsic complexities of real-world deployment and the implications of selected configurations — in particular, on-vehicle versus off-vehicle use cases. In this paper, we evaluate our own video-based APC solution, representative of state-of-the-art approaches in the literature, in two separate extensive (i.e, multi-day) metropolitan field trials covering both on and off-bus use-cases. Through real-world deployment of the system in both settings, we highlight key differences with respect to APC accuracy, as well as other practical considerations, and the validity of underlying assumptions in both on and off-bus scenarios.

In-service training as a correlate of teachers' productivity in Nigeria

In-service training as a correlate of teachers' productivity in Nigeria

Using Virtual Reality in the Educational Process to Increase Students' Motivation and Interest

This article aims to identify some obstacles and opportunities for using virtual reality tools in teaching English to students. The research method is a case study focusing on the perceptions and responses of four teachers. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect this data. The results show the importance of pre-service and in-service training for teachers to use a foreign language effectively - in this case, English - when teaching with these tools. Additionally, teachers highlight specific difficulties that hinder the realisation of the educational opportunities offered by virtual reality in the process of foreign language learning. The results show that, for example, despite the overall level of satisfaction, motivation is not always present in the use of smartphones. In contrast, satisfaction, motivation, and engagement are closely related in virtual reality. These differences emphasise the importance of technology in the learning process. The novelty of this paper is to study these discourses to find that the main motivations that drive teachers to use new virtual tools are related to both personal factors (curiosity, passion, interest) and pedagogical aspects (application, sharing experiences with colleagues, caring for students). These two forms of motivation, essential for proper technology integration, underline the strong desire of teachers to participate in the project to improve their teaching practice and optimise student learning. However, although motivation is an influential factor in integrating new technologies, teachers do not hide their doubts and concerns. The practical value of the study on using virtual reality (VR) in the educational process to increase students' motivation and interest is creating an interactive environment that can engage students and make learning more fun. This is especially important for those with difficulties with traditional teaching methods and individualising learning. VR allows you to adapt the material to the needs of each student, which contributes to more effective learning. Learners can work at their own pace and repeat the material as often as necessary.