An ordinary moonlighting activity? Determinants of the provision of private tutoring by Czech schoolteachers

Teacher moonlighting (teachers working other jobs in addition to teaching) may have positive as well as negative implications. In the context of post-socialist countries, the provision of private tutoring is one of the common forms of teacher moonlighting. The aim of the paper is to analyse the prevalence and factors that are associated with a) having a paid job in addition to one’s regular teaching obligations; b) provision of private tutoring among teachers. Results are drawn from a representative sample of 494 Czech teachers of academic school subjects in lower secondary schools who responded to an online questionnaire survey. Male teachers working part-time, with shorter professional experience, higher household financial burden and lower satisfaction with teacher salaries were more likely to moonlight. The provision of private tutoring was only associated with shorter professional experience and the teaching of core subjects, suggesting that Czech teachers’ motivation to provide private tutoring is currently not primarily financial.     

Teachers’ self-efficacy and intercultural classroom practices in diverse classroom contexts: A cross-national comparison

This cross-national study provides new insights in teacher efficacy in today’s culturally diverse classrooms using survey data of 269 early childhood and primary school teachers in England, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. Teacher efficacy can be viewed as a two dimensional concept in which both general beliefs are measured alongside (diversity-related) domain-specific beliefs. These beliefs are related to the cultural classroom context and the use of intercultural classroom practices. Our results indicate that policies and professional development targeted at the reciprocal relation between diversity-related efficacy and practices are important when preparing teachers for working in diverse classroom contexts.     

Individual and cultural factors in teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion: A meta-analysis

The success of inclusive education is dependent upon classroom teachers implementing adaptations for children with disabilities. Given that willingness to make such adaptations is influenced by teacher attitudes, the current study examined teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education through a meta-analysis of 64 samples that were found via a systematic literature search. The results indicated that teachers hold a positive attitude towards inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream schools and that these attitudes are moderated by an interplay of cultural and demographical factors. The findings offer a renewed basis for intervention research into improving educational opportunities for children around the world.     

体育教学中师生交往的研究

本文从体育教师本身、体育教学模式和体育考核模式中分析了当前体育教学中师生交往中所存在的问题 ;从体育教师观念转变、体育教学模式的改变和改革体育考核方法几个方面提出相应的对策。     

Reconceptualising educational assessment in South Africa — testing times for teachers

This paper explores some of the problems arising when Continuous Assessment (CA) is grafted onto established pedagogic practices. It focuses on three issues: teachers' restricted understandings of assessment, teachers' emphasis on criteria that demonstrate concern with social control, and some of the problems connected with peer assessment. Two vignettes derived from fieldwork associated with a project to improve the quality of primary education are used to raise the issues. We argue that the development of desired practices is hampered above all by tacit values in tension with those underpinning the new curriculum. These values, together with the complexity of curriculum design, create serious problems of manageability and interpretation, which can only be addressed through detailed interactive in-service training, aimed at reconceptualising teachers' notions of assessment.     

我院中青年教师队伍的现状分析与发展对策

在对我院的中青年师资队伍现状分析的基础上，提出中青年教师队伍建设的建议：（1）提高中青年教师的思想政治素养和职业道德修养；（2）以学院整体发展目标为出发点，提高中青年教师的综合素质和专业水平；（3）建立和完善激励机制，为中青年教师的成长创造良好条件；（4）建立合理的分配机制，重视和加强中青年学科带头人的培养；（5）加强中青年教师科研能力的培养。     

Social relations as predictors of achievement in math in Kenyan primary schools

In sub-Saharan Africa, where there is limited financial and human capital, it is important to examine how social relationships may serve to promote or undermine human capital formation. However, little is known about the contributions of social relations to human capital development, especially in terms of academic achievement in Africa. This study examined how variations in key aspects of social relations among teachers; between teachers and students; between principals, teachers, parents and students affect achievement in mathematics among sixth graders in 70 schools in six districts in Kenya. We modeled mathematics achievement as a function of measures of social perception and support while adjusting for school-, classroom- and student level background characteristics. We found that net of teacher subject knowledge and background characteristics, teachers who display commitment to teaching by always correcting homework and keeping students engaged during math lessons had their students performing better. Teacher absenteeism and lack of interest in teaching were negatively associated with performance in math. Lack of parental involvement in the classroom also had negative effects on grades. At the school level, the level of engagement of the principal, measured by supervision of teachers and good interpersonal interactions with parents had positive effects on math achievement. Schools where parents provided material and financial support had better grades, while student delinquency and absenteeism negatively affected grades.     

Teachers' perspectives of changes in their practice during a technology in mathematics education research project

Teachers' perception of changes to their teaching practice, with respect to digital technology use in secondary school mathematics, during their participation in a research project are reported. Two case studies are presented of teacher perspectives illustrative of the range of perceived changes teachers made to their practice and positions along the ‘path of change’ during their participation in the project. Participating in a project supportive of teacher change and resulting in perception of substantial change was necessary, but not sufficient, to meet the goal of transformative use of digital technologies to increase the level of cognitive demand experienced by students.