Volunteer Teachers Research Articles

Student and teacher outcomes from participating in a Philosophy for Children program: Volunteer ethics teachers’ perspectives

<p class="Body">Despite the growth of philosophy for/with children (P4C) over the last five decades, its legitimacy remains contested. Key themes within the P4C literature are the potential learning outcomes for children as well as possible personal and professional development benefits for those that teach it. The literature on the former, while extensive, presents a mixed picture and highlights the challenges inherent in determining the impact of P4C on learning outcomes. The literature on the latter, while little explored, may provide valuable insights for teacher professional development. Unlike much of the literature, this paper examines the impact of P4C from the P4C educators’ perspective. The paper presents the findings from a pilot study of volunteer teachers with the Primary Ethics program in Sydney, Australia. Two key findings emerged. First, ethics teachers felt they were making a material and positive difference to the children they taught, which included: the development of critical thinking and reasoning skills; increased confidence to express themselves; and enjoyment derived from class discussions. Second, teachers that use a philosophical and a community of inquiry approach with their students may themselves become more reflective and engage in critical thinking and ethical reasoning.

Monitoring dan Evaluasi Penyelenggaraan Relawan Guru Pendidikan Kristen dan Katolik BKGS Salatiga

Primary schools lack Christian and Catholic teachers so there are volunteer teachers of the religious teaching staff. The volunteer has not enough education and teaching experiences. Therefore, provision is important both from a spiritual perspective, introduction to vision and mission, core values of BKGS, and as well as intellectually Christian and Catholic learning methods. The method that we used was to distribute the instrument to partner schools. The activity is carried out in several steps: Preparation, Implementation, Evaluation, and Reporting. The outcome and achievement are the performance of BKGS volunteers who are placed in schools, especially primary school in Salatiga, are classified good. This activity implies that teachers can improve learning strategies in schools through evaluations.

LITERASI ASURANSI PADA MASA PANDEMI COVID-19

Risks can occur anytime and anywhere due to health insurance, natural disaster losses, business protection, property protection, however, public awareness of the protection given to other parties such as insurance companies is relatively lacking. Many insurance companies take approaches so that people have an interest in insurance, one of which is by holding a teacher volunteer program (TVP) for the first time by the Indonesian General Insurance Association (AAUI) as a literacy program by providing an in-depth understanding of insurance for the community for students and the community. , this program is a literacy stage before the inclusion stage. The method of implementing TVP is carried out by volunteer teachers or teaching staff selected by AAUI which is carried out by each teacher or teaching staff, one of which is through community service in an environment where teachers or teachers can provide insurance literacy in accordance with the goals of TVP in schools or community communities. TVP has succeeded in providing online training, online tests and then providing literacy to the community by 37 teachers and teaching staff throughout Indonesia, both in junior high schools, high schools, and universities. Sekolah Tinggi Teknologi Wastukancana in Purwakarta is one of the places for providing insurance literacy to students through community service programs.

Giving Free English Lessons and Vocabulary Modules: Learning Beyond the Classroom Walls Through A Community Service Program

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The community service aims at providing free English lessons and English vocabulary learning modules to grade 3 and 4 students in one learning community in Duren Sawit East Jakarta through a six-week teaching program that is integrated with one subject offered in the Master Program of Applied English Linguistics at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia. Ten master students became the voluntary teachers (together with other volunteers). The program is a continuation of a similar program held from January to June 2019 by the first author. The student-teachers used a variety of learning approaches and methods that are predicted to suit the students’ needs. They identified that different groups of students required different approaches, materials, and activities in order to learn English enjoyably. It is suggested that future teacher volunteers use the ready-made modules as a basis of their teaching and continually adjust them based on the students’ needs. Another recommendation is the scaffolding-based learning method and the sustenance of the English program that appreciates the cultural, social and linguistic assets students brought to the class. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Presenting Causal Model in Explaining the Relationship between Self-differentiation and Forgiveness with Marital Satisfaction based on the Mediating Role of Religious Orientation

Aim: The aim of this study was to explain the relationship between self-differentiation and forgiveness with marital satisfaction based on the mediating role of religious orientation. Methods: The research method was descriptive-correlational and the statistical population included all married teachers working in the sixth and seventh grade in Tehran's 6th educational district, with a total of 4,080 people, among whom 28 schools and 304 volunteer teachers were randomly selected. To collect research data, the following tools were used: Differentiation of Self Inventory by Skowron, E. A., &amp; Schmitt (2003), Family Forgiveness Scale by Pollard, Anderson, Anderson &amp; Jennings (1998), Religious Orientation Questionnaire by Allport &amp; Ross (1967), and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale by Fournier, Olson &amp; Druckman (1983) were used. After deleting 10 distorted questionnaires and 3 outliers, structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Results: In this study, the direct path coefficient between internal religious orientation and marital satisfaction (P&lt;0.01, β=0.337) was positive and significant at the 0.01 level. Indirect path coefficient between self-differentiation and marital satisfaction (β = 0.149, P &lt;0.01) and indirect path coefficient between forgiveness and marital satisfaction (P &lt;0.01, β = 0.129) were positive and significant at 0.01 level. Conclusion: Since internal religious orientation can be effective in improving relationships and marital satisfaction, it is suggested that in marital counseling, strengthening the religious beliefs of couples be used.

The Honey Gatherer

SummaryThe story, of course, is about a honey gatherer. But it’s also about the uncertainties and ambiguities of fieldwork. I’ve often written about Gabra nomads, far to the north of where “The Honey Gatherer” takes place. Many years ago, before I went north, I lived and worked as a volunteer teacher near Bungoma, in western Kenya, where this story takes place. Those experiences turned me from my early career in journalism to anthropology. Throughout my life, I’ve befriended beekeepers and honey gatherers. The story is part of a larger project on identity and place.

The effect of the e-mentoring-based education program on professional development of preschool teachers.

The qualification of a preschool teacher is one of the important factors that determine the quality of preschool education. To increase the quality in education, teachers should be equipped with the necessary knowledge starting from pre-service training, and in-service training should support the upgrading of their knowledge. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop an e-Mentoring-Based Education Program (e-MENTE:PT) for preschool teachers and to test its effectiveness on their professional development during the in-service support period. The study used a design-based research approach. First, focus group interviews were conducted with one-hundred-and-five preschool teachers to find out their needs. Then, an e-MENTE:PT Program was developed based on these needs and devised to be used on the Canvas learning management system (LMS), which involves all opportunities of e-learning and allows one-to-one e-mentoring. The e-MENTE:PT Program involved twelve modules related to the pedagogical content knowledge of the preschool education program. Each module included contents, goals, module materials, e-books, videos, pre- and post-module evaluation questions, discussion questions, live lessons and e-portfolios, all of which were integrated in the LMS. Next, eighteen full-time and nine substitute voluntary teachers from five different provinces were selected as mentees by means of criterion sampling. Nine academicians working in these provinces acted as mentors and implemented the application, each working with two mentees for two months. Qualitative data were analysed by means of descriptive analysis and quantitative data were analysed by means of the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The research concluded that the e-MENTE:PT program supported preschool teachers’ professional knowledge, learning environments and classroom applications, and an e-mentoring based teaching management system was effective on professional development.

Developing of EDGIV web application to support voluntary teaching program

The problem of equitable access to quality education in Indonesia is increase seen during the Covid-19. Mataharikecil, as one of the social foundations, is trying to take apart. But based on our observation, not all volunteers know how to teach the students. It can cause the education quality provided does not meet the qualifications set by the government. The purpose of this research is to provide a digital platform that can help volunteer teachers in the learning process, starting from preparation, implementation, to evaluation of the learning process. The platform developed is a web-based application called EDGIV. EDGIV is built using the Framework for Application of System Thinking (FAST) method with the stages consisting of Scope Definition, Problem Analysis, Requirements Analysis, Logic Design, Decision Analysis, Physical Design and Integration, Construction, and Testing, Installation and Delivery. EDGIV provides learning materials features based on the curriculum set by the government, course tracking, and the administration feature. EDGIV uses web technology so volunteer teachers can access EDGIV from any device, anytime, and anywhere. It is hoped that EDGIV can provide guidance for volunteer teachers in providing standardized teaching and make the learning experience enjoyable for teachers and students.

What are the Purposes of Teachers for Using the eTwinning Platform and the Effects of the Platform on Teachers?

Abstract: This study is a qualitative case study research, determining the purposes of teachers to use the eTwinning platform and to examine the effects of the platform on teachers. The study group consisted of 15 volunteer teachers who carried out eTwinning projects rewarded with quality labels. In the study, the data were obtained through a semi-structured interview form, and the content analysis method was used in the data analysis. According to the results obtained, it was concluded that teachers used the eTwinning platform in order to make projects, participate in online courses, contribute to their professional development and collaborate. The platform has a great contribution to teachers both personally and professionally. As a result, it is obvious that the eTwinning platform is very useful for teachers. The platform is so effective that it contributes to the professional and personal development of teachers, and even changes their perspective on the profession.

An English Learning: Rural Students Beliefs

This study departs from the researcher's experience as a volunteer teacher in a school where students face obstacles in learning English due to a lack of motivation and supporting facilities that impact their English performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze beliefs in learning English. This study uses a quantitative method with a survey design using Horwitz's Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory questionnaire as a research instrument. The population in this study found 136 students. The instrument used to collect data is a questionnaire. The technique used to analyze the research data is qualitative and quantitative analysis. The findings show that students support various beliefs about learning English. The most common beliefs held by students are motivation and expectations. Students have reasonable confidence in motivation and hope (72.35%) because they have a better education, and a future career can be achieved through good English skills. It can be said that students have good motivation to learn English because they think it will be helpful for their dream job in the future.

Targeted Individual Support for Ethnic Minority Preschoolers in the Silent Period in Learning Chinese

The silent period is most frequently used to describe the period of second language (L2) acquisition where the learner displays no obvious language output. In Hong Kong, ethnic minority (EM) preschoolers face challenges on home, school and community levels in learning Chinese as a second language, meaning that for those in the silent period, it may particularly difficult to begin speaking Chinese, leading to slower language development. A support service was established, targeting EM preschoolers in Hong Kong who are experiencing the silent period in learning Chinese as a second language. Volunteer teachers conduct individual, one-to-one training with these preschoolers at their homes or at community centers. This study aims to explore the approximate length of the silent period for EM preschoolers in learning Chinese as a second language, comparing the effect of receiving the support as opposed to none, and identify perceived effective practices in the targeted individual support, using a mixed methods approach. Analysis on speaking scores of the Language Progression Framework (LPF) revealed that the average silent period without support lasted for approximately two years, which can be shortened by half a year with the support service. A case study on a preschooler and a semi-structured focus group interview with volunteer teachers revealed perceived effective practices including interesting activities and teaching materials, opportunities for social interaction with peers, establishing rapport between teachers and their preschoolers, and a positive attitude from parents in supporting their children in learning Chinese. Implications for EM preschoolers learning Chinese, integration with the local community, teaching practices and policy making are discussed.

Technology-Mediated Language Training: Developing and Assessing a Module for a Blended Curriculum for Newcomers

Newcomers to Canada with low proficiency in English or French often face challenges in the workforce (Kustec, 2012). While language classes provide workplace language training, not all newcomers are able to attend face-to-face classes (Shaffir &amp; Satzewich 2010), suggesting a need for outside the classroom, occupation-specific language training. The use of technology has been shown to be advantageous for second language (L2) learning (Stockwell, 2007), especially when used outside the classroom (i.e., mobile-assisted language learning), as mobile technology affords learners greater control and flexibility over their own learning (Yang, 2013). This paper reports on a study investigating the development of a blended curriculum for L2 learners employed in customer service. A technology-mediated module was designed and developed within a task-based language teaching framework to provide workplace-linguistic support on mobile devices, enabling learners to access the language instruction they needed, when they needed it. The module contents and usability were assessed by high-beginner English proficiency newcomers employed in customer service (n=4) and their volunteer teachers (n=4). Results confirm the overall benefits of using language learning technology in providing instruction that meets participant language needs, ensuring opportunities for individualized training. Implications for designing, implementing, and researching technology-mediated modules are discussed.

Developing Inquiry-Based Science Activities in Early Childhood Education: An Action Research

This study was carried out as collaborative action research aims to develop inquiry-based science activities in early childhood education. One volunteer teacher (T2) who desired to develop inquiry-based science activities, 14 of her students and the researcher participated in action research. The action phase consisted of six action cycles that reflect the progress over time. Data were collected through interviews and observations. Inductive thematic analysis was performed on the obtained qualitative data. Results showed that during the development of inquiry-based science activities, the teacher had supportive behaviors and utterances. At first, the teacher was planning and implementing at the confirmatory and structured inquiry level but afterwards, she could practice the guided inquiry and also achieved to activate all the inquiry skills during the fifth and sixth cycles. However, some difficulties originated from the teacher, school culture and parental involvement in the process. As a result, the teacher made significant progress in planning, implementing and evaluating inquiry-based science activities in her classroom for preschoolers. Finally, we conclude that inquiry-based science activities can be practicing at various inquiry levels in early childhood education.

Modelling the Effect of TPACK and Computational Thinking on Classroom Management in Technology Enriched Courses

One of the fundamental obstacles associated with technology integration into educational settings is classroom management problems. In this sense, it is important to delve into the crucial factors playing key role in classroom management in ICT assisted courses. In this study, the relationship between classroom management in technology-enriched courses, computational thinking (CT) and technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) was investigated. In this study, in which the relational screening research model was used, a total of 125 volunteer teachers participated. Three instruments were used for data collection in this research and the obtained data were analyzed by Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model. The findings show that the relative effect of TPACK and CT on classroom management is significant. Additionally, it has been found that CT has a significant impact on TPACK level.

How do digital games utilization levels predict a teacher’s digital material development self-efficacy?

This study is a correlation research that aims to reveal whether digital material game usage sub-dimensions, gender, school level, in-service training for education in the digital environment, digital game playing status, devices and remote education variables, are significant predictors of digital material development self-efficacy level sub-dimensions. The study group consisted of 330 teachers. The study group consists of voluntary teachers from all education levels who provide remote education during the pandemic in Malatya city in the 2020–2021 academic year. This study found that there is a negative relationship between teachers’ seniority and Web 2.0 development self-efficacy; a positive significant relationship between attitudes to use digital games in the class and Web 2.0 development skills; higher design self-efficacy perception in teachers with in-service training compared to those who did not have in-service training; higher design self-efficacy for teachers with high attitude towards using digital games in class; and negative attitudes towards digital games increased as the negative perspective towards digital material development self-efficacy increased. Experimental and qualitative studies regarding digital game-based digital teaching material efficiency can be recommended.&#x0D; Keywords: Digital games, digital material, material development, COVID-19 pandemic, self-efficacy.

Introducing and Evaluating the Effective Inclusion of Gender Dimension in STEM Higher Education

The need to incorporate the gender dimension in higher education is a central element of gender equality policies within the European Union (EU). When most institutions of higher education have already strengthened and consolidated their curricula, the next challenge is to include and ensure that all people have the same opportunities to progress in education. This study intends to incorporate the gender dimension in teaching through a guide providing recommendations for the introduction of changes that will allow its effective incorporation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas. It will take into account the administration in charge of formulating policies in the field of education, the students, and, mainly, the teaching staff. Its objective is to cover aspects related to the principles of equal opportunities and gender equality in STEM higher education disciplines. For this purpose, 41 volunteer teachers from 8 degrees and master’s degrees from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Spain participated. To achieve the results of this study, aspects related to social and gender relevance of the subjects, inclusive methodology, classroom management and assessment were considered. As a preliminary step to the development of the guide of recommendations, a teacher’s self-assessment tool and a questionnaire for students to analyze the perception of the gender dimension were developed.

Opinions of Social Studies Teacher Candidates About Smoking Addiction

The aim of this study is to examine the opinions of social studies teacher candidates about smoking addiction. For the purpose of the study, phenomenological research design, which is one of the designs of qualitative research method, was used. The study group consisted of 20 volunteer teacher candidates (10 male and 10 female) who have been studying at Usak University Faculty of Education in the 2019-2020 academic year and who have been smoking for the last year. Data were collected with a semi-structured interview form. The interview form, which is a data collection tool, was prepared based on the opinions of three experts. 6 open-ended questions were asked to the participants according to expert opinions. The data was analyzed by content analysis.

Application of Sentence-Based Sound Teaching Method for First Reading and Writing in Education

Sound based sentence method has been used since the 2005-2006 academic year in Turkey. However, criticism of these methods has brought the search for new methods to the agenda. One of these methods is sentence-based sound teaching method, which can be evaluated under the title of mixed methods specific to Turkish language. In the sentence-based sound teaching method, it is aimed to teach reading and writing with simple and regular sentences, reaching sounds in a short time and analyzing-synthesis-analysis logic. This process has five stages: “sentence stage, sentence completion stage, analysis, synthesis and evaluation”. The aim of this research is to evaluate the results of the sentence-based sound teaching method in practice according to the opinions of a primary school teacher and six teacher candidates. This research was designed as a case study from qualitative research patterns. It was carried out with a classroom teacher who stated that she had two students having difficulty in learning reading and writing in her classroom in a primary school in Muğla Province Center in 2018-2019 Spring Semester, and 6 volunteer teacher candidates who are registered to Muğla University Faculty of Education Primary Education Program and want to learn how to carry out their reading and writing activities in the first grades. Purposeful and criterion sampling methods were used to create the working group. The data were obtained by interview method and analyzed by descriptive analysis technique. In the heading of the findings, the opinions of the classroom teachers and teacher candidates who applied the sentence-based sound teaching method were evaluated under three sub-headings as “before application, during application and after application” impressions. The teacher candidates who applied the method in company with the class teacher also found the method useful. It was determined that it served their purpose and stated that they wanted to use the method when they became teachers.

YÖNETİCİLERİN YILDIRICI DAVRANIŞLARININ ÖZEL OKUL ÖĞRETMEN MOTİVASYONUNA ETKİSİ

Yıldırma hem bireysel hem grupsal etki açısından negatif sonuçları olan soyut ve karmaşık bir yapıdır. Çalışma alanında uygulanan yıldırma, daha çok hem çalışan üzerinde hem de başkalarına karşı yapılan; tahammülsüzlük, psikolojik yıldırma, düşüncülere baskı kurma, farklılıklara karşı kabullenmeme gibi durumlardır. Bu çalışmada yıldırmanın Özel okul öğretmenlerin motivasyonu üzerindeki etkilerine değinilmiş ve bu etki açıklanmaya çalışılmıştır. Araştırmamıza 14 erkek, 27 kadın olmak üzere toplam 41 kişi gönüllü olarak katılmıştır. Bu araştırma, yöntem olarak nicel tarama modeli ve kesitsel tarama tasarımına dayalı olarak hazırlanmıştır. Verilerin elde edilmesinde ‘İş yerinde psikolojik taciz ölçeği’ ile ‘Kişisel Bilgi Formu’ kullanılmıştır. Normallik testi için Kolmogrov-Smirnov (KS) testi uygulanmıştır. P değerleri 0,05 ten küçük çıkmıştır. Bu durum verilerin normal dağılmadığını göstermiştir. Daha sonra betimsel analiz yapılarak frekans, ortalama ve yüzde değerleri hesaplanmıştır. Normal olmayan dağılımlarda paremetrik olmayan analizler yapılır (Yıldırım &amp;amp; Şimşek, 2016). İki değişkenli kategorik bağımsız değişkenlerimiz olan cinsiyetin bağımlı değişken üzerindeki etkisi Mann-Whitney U testi ile analiz edilmiştir. Beş değişkenli olan hizmet süresi ve yaş ile on değişkenli olan branş değişkenlerinin etkileri ise Kruskal – Wallies testi ile yapılmıştır. 28 bağımlı değişken üzerinde; cinsiyet, hizmet süresi, yaş, ve branşa göre anlamlılık ilişkisi aranmıştır. Analiz sonuçları bize yıldrmanın çok düşük miktarda olduğunu göstermiştir. Erkeklerin kadınlara göre, matematik branşının diğer branşlar göre, işe yönelik davranışlar açısından sınıf öğretmenliği branşı diğer branşlara göre, daha fazla, yıldırmaya maruz kalmıştır. Yine benzer şekilde dışlayan davranışlar ile sözlü, yazılı ve görsel saldırılar açısından matematik branşının daha fazla yıldırmaya maruz kaldığı görülmektedir. Hizmet süresi ve yaş değişkenlerine göre boyutlar arsında ve ölçeğin ortalamasında anlamlı farklar bulunmamıştır.

The spatial imaginaries of international volunteer teachers: Contrapuntal and disconnected geographies

Scholars argue that international volunteering must not be framed as altruism or charity; rather, it should invoke themes from decolonial justice theorizing. Volunteers who have benefited from colonial-imperial structural advantages should understand their labor as a kind of reparation for ongoing structural dispossession. I argue that spatial imaginaries are central to this project. Volunteers can better situate themselves with decolonial intentionality if they adopt what Edward Said called contrapuntal theories of geography. The volunteer orientation phase is the best time to instill this spatial imaginary. This study analyzes how volunteers theorize “home” and “away” as they become teachers in Namibia. Drawing from a “netnographic” discourse analysis of their public blogs, I find that volunteers are likely to subscribe to a geographical imaginary of atomized and disconnected spaces, lacking the conceptual tools needed to grapple with decolonial justice and to implement dues-paying volunteering in their classrooms.