Comprehensive Guidance and Counselling Programmes in the Primary Schools of Hong Kong: Teachers' Perceptions and Involvement

This article describes teachers' and Life Education Coordinators' perceptions of, and involvement in, the guidance and counselling activities in primary schools in Hong Kong. Respondents who completed a survey questionnaire comprised 367 class teachers and 66 Life Education Coordinators from 82 primary schools. The results indicated that guidance and counselling activities (including guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support) were being implemented in their schools to some reasonable extent. Some differences between teachers and Life Education Coordinators in terms of their involvement and perceptions are discussed. The survey identified a major weakness in the present guidance system in that many teachers who are involved in, and responsible for, implementing a guidance curriculum do not have any training in guidance work. Implications are discussed.     

Marketing of services in secondary schools in the Republic of Croatia

The goals of the research were to determine the quantity, variety and quality of service, the extent to which certain marketing activities are applied in Croatian high schools, to explore the attitudes of teachers in respect to the need for marketing activity application in secondary schools in Croatia, and the knowledge teachers have about the marketing of services. In order to achieve these goals, we conducted a survey including 271 teachers of public, private and religious high schools. Even though the research confirmed that all schools apply numerous marketing activities, teachers in religious (85%) and public (72%) high schools believe these activities are not present at all. Teachers in public (26%) and religious (48%) high schools share the opinion that marketing activities should not be applied since they work in non-profit institutions. This opinion indicates a lack of knowledge about marketing and even a wrong attitude toward it.     

家园合作渗入幼儿园科学教育活动的调查研究

抽取成都市开展了科学教育活动的幼儿园,通过对家长问卷调查和对教师访谈相结合的方法,对家园合作渗入幼儿园科学教育活动的现状进行调查分析,发现家园合作开展幼儿科学教育活动过程中存在家长观念陈旧、活动参与性不高,家园合作缺乏系统性和明确性等问题,分析其原因在于幼儿园缺乏系统的家园合作机制、合作形式化、教师缺乏创新、家长欠缺科学认识,为更好的实现家园合作,对社会、幼儿园、家长提出了有效性的建议,以此为促进幼儿科学启蒙教育打下坚实的基础.     

The role of schools’ perceived human resource policies in teachers’ professional development activities: a comparative study of innovations toward competence-based education

The change toward competence-based education has implications for teachers as well as school management. This study investigates which professional development activities teachers undertake related to this change and how these activities differ among schools with various human resource (HR) policies. Two types of HR policy were involved: (1) a government-enforced, national system of Integrated Personnel Management and (2) a voluntary, integrative approach of Schooling of teachers, Organizational development of schools and teacher training institutes, Action- and development-oriented research, and Professional development of teachers. Semi-structured interviews with 30 teachers in nine schools with different HR policies were held and analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Findings show that teachers undertake professional development activities in five categories: maintaining knowledge base, applying and experimenting, reflection, collaboration, and activities indirectly related to teaching practice. Teachers’ professional development activities were found to be relatively similar across schools with different HR policies. It is concluded that neither government-enforced nor voluntary HR policies seem to play much of a role in the participation by teachers in professional development activities. Implications for further research and school practice are discussed.     

The role of environmental factors in beginning teachers’ professional learning related to differentiated instruction

Little research has investigated factors that facilitate beginning teachers’ participation in professional learning activities related to differentiated instruction (DI). This study examines environmental factors for DI learning activities in a sample of 272 beginning teachers from 72 primary schools. Multilevel analyses show that teacher education, reflective dialogue, deprivatized practice, educational type, and diversity in student population are related to beginning teachers’ use of DI learning activities (i.e., learning in interaction and changes in practice). As such, the findings revealed that beginning teachers’ participation in such activities may depend on a multitude of factors. Several suggestions regarding these factors are made. First, teacher education can provide foundational knowledge of DI applications. Second, schools can enable teachers to have in-depth conversations with colleagues and provide opportunities to observe good teaching practices. Lastly, alternative schools and schools with diverse student populations can inspire other schools to enhance participation in DI learning activities.     

Teachers’ Classroom Teaching Practices in Amhara Region and Addis Ababa City,Ethiopia

The purpose of the study reported on was to investigate the current classroom practices of teachers. Using multistage sampling, 245 teachers were selected from primary and secondary schools in the Amhara Region and Addis Ababa City, Ethiopia. A survey design was used for the study. The major results obtained showed that problems were observed in implementing active teaching methods; applying a variety of assessment techniques; questioning skills; providing feedback; managing classroom behaviour; and establishing a positive classroom climate. The study results revealed that primary school teachers performed better than secondary school teachers and also female teachers performed better than male teachers in most teaching-learning activities; but there was no difference in terms of regions for most teaching-learning activities. Some of the recommendations are: training on active learning methods and assessment; providing feedback; student management; action research; and so on.     

Sense of belonging and transition to high schools in Peru

Sense of belonging is the degree to which students feel integrated with their peers and teachers at school. This study describes sense of belonging among Peruvian students entering high school. Socioeconomic status had no direct effect on sense of belonging but had an indirect effect through achievement. Rural students had a higher sense of belonging than their urban peers. This is likely due to rural children seeing the larger, better equipped high schools as improvements over their relatively small and more isolated primary schools. Some general orientation activities were organized by teachers and principals aimed at all incoming first graders but nothing was designed specifically for students who might face difficulties in adjusting to high school.     

Tracing the development of poor student motivation and performance in township secondary schools

Abstract

Unsatisfactory motivation levels related to learning and studying among students is a universal problem. Students represent a diverse collection of abilities, talents, personalities and aspirations and come from different social and political backgrounds which may affect their motivation to learn and study. Some students are taught in schools where there is an abundance of resources and facilities, whereas others are taught in schools with inadequate resources and facilities. Student motivation, however, is a prerequisite for academic performance. Consequently, students’ potential, qualified teachers and school resources and facilities count very little if students are not motivated. This article examines the development of the lack of student motivation and academic performance in township secondary schools. The study has found that the motivation of students in these schools has been eroded by the students’ and teachers’ protracted involvement in anti-academic activities which have disrupted the education process. Due to the poor motivation of students, academic performance has deteriorated markedly and this situation should be resolved.     

Beyond Changing Culture in Small High Schools: Reform Models and Changing Instruction With Project-Based Learning

This study describes the status of small school reforms in U.S. high schools and contemplates their future. It asks how cultural and instructional reforms differ across school reform types. Analyses focus on indicators of teacher and student culture as well as instructional reforms including project-based learning (PBL) and other inquiry-related practices. Findings are based on data from a national survey completed by 395 high school teachers who were responsible for and had used PBL in core academic subjects. Study participants taught in large, comprehensive high schools; in schools that had converted to small learning communities; and in newly created small school start-ups. Some of these small schools and conversions were based on a reform model, and others were not. Teachers in reform model schools reported the greatest number of cultural and instructional reforms, followed by teachers in other small schools. Reform models were particularly strong on instructional reforms and student culture. In general, start-up teachers reported more success implementing reforms than teachers in conversion schools, and teacher culture was reformed much more often than student culture and instruction. These findings help shed light on how widely practices and conditions have spread throughout the broader small schools movement, and which of these (including extensive PBL use) only seem to flourish in schools that subscribe to a holistic reform model.     

The changing relation between science and technology in Dutch secondary education

In 1993 a new subject, Technology, was introduced in all Dutch junior secondary schools. The results of an implementation study (part of the OECD/SMTE case studies project) are described inthe first part of the paper. Technologyclasses in three case-study schools are characterized and pupils' attitudes towards technology described. Pre-vocational schools emphasized practical activities more than other types of secondary schools. Introducing technology imposed a heavy teaching load and there were, as yet, no satisfactory textbooks. Little co-operation with other subjects had been achieved. The second part of the paper elaborates on the problems in the co-operation between science and technology teachers. Some recommendations for improved co-operation are offered.     

BACKGROUND AND TRAINING OF TEACHERS IN JEWISH SCHOOLS: CURRENT STATUS AND LEVERS FOR CHANGE

Abstract

This paper presents a secondary analysis of data from a survey of teachers in the Jewish schools of three communities. Previous findings had shown that only 19% of teachers have professional training in both Jewish content areas and in the field of education, and despite incomplete professional backgrounds, little professional growth was required of teachers. What can be done to enhance and expand professional growth activities for teachers in Jewish schools? Analyses reported in this paper examine three possible “levers” for changing standards for professional growth: state licensing requirements for pre‐schools, state requirements for continuing education among professionally‐trained teachers, and community incentives for training of supplementary school teachers. Results indicate that pre‐school teachers in state‐licensed pre‐schools and supplementary school teachers who were paid for meeting a professional growth standard reported that they were required to attend more in‐service workshops, compared to other teachers who were not subject to these conditions. In addition, standards for the quantity of in‐service were higher among teachers who have stronger Judaic backgrounds and who are committed to a career in Jewish education.     

Using Mentoring,Coaching, and Self-Mentoring to Support Public School Educators

Assimilating new teachers into schools is a critical component of administrative responsibility and sustainability. About 580 000 teachers (17% of all teachers) were newly hired at their school, according to the US Department of Education. Most of these positions were created because of “teacher turnover.” Some of these newly hired teachers filled new teaching positions in the workforce as well—which grew by three percent over the previous two years. As this number rises, there is a concentrated effort by building administrators to provide support and resources for beginning teachers to help eliminate teacher turnover and strengthen staffing at schools. Support for new teachers varies from district to district and even from school to school. Traditional induction programs offer mentoring and coaching methods. More recently, the concept of self-mentoring emerged. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of self-mentoring as a tool for beginning teachers.     

Impact of university lecturers’ intervention in school mathteaching

Some schools in the neighbourhood of Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) in South Africa persistently yielded poor mathematics results in the past years. This was of concern since maths is the main subject for many opportunities, including admissiontoSMUstudy programmes. Some SMU maths lecturers partnered with local schools to prepare the students in these schools. The aimwas to improve maths teaching and matric maths results. The teachers were assisted with maths concepts of most difficulty. This article describes the initiatives by some academics of SMU in achieving this.     

Teachers' Questions in the Infant,Junior and Secondary School

Ten teachers in infant schools, 10 in junior schools and 10 in secondary schools had their teaching recorded. Subsequent analysis was made of the teachers' use of questions categorised as of fact, closed solution, open solution, task supervision and routine. When the first two categories were combined, the results for the junior schools were very similar to those reported by Galton and his colleagues in 1980 and 1999. Moreover, the results for both the infant and secondary schools differed very little from those of the junior schools. Some implications of these results are discussed.     

The sustainability of a teacher professional development programme for beginning urban teachers

This study investigated the long-term effects of a professional development intervention for beginning urban teachers and explored which characteristics and activities in school organisations contributed to the sustainability of these effects. A quasi-experimental study (n = 72) investigated whether the positive effects of the programme were observed one year after the programme ended. Interviews with teachers and principals (n = 19) were used to explore which characteristics and activities in schools contributed to those positive effects. A significant long-term effect of the programme was found on teachers’ competences and professional orientation. An open culture in the schools was experienced as an important factor for the sustainability of the programme’s effects.     

湖南省农村中小学体育现状调查与对策

湖南省农村中小学体育教学大纲贯彻不彻底，课外体育活动开展不很正常，场地、器材不能满足需要，体育教师的积极性有待加强．针对这些情况，作者提出了一系列的建议，旨在为湖南省农村中小学体育的开展提供参考。     

The principals as literacy leaders with indigenous communities: professional learning and research

Recent educational changes in China such as the decentralization policy and the marketization of education have introduced concepts such as performativity, competition and effectiveness to the education sector and they have become part of the educational lexicon. Such policy shifts force more local participation in teacher education programmes and schools are now identified as the prime site for offering relevant professional learning activities to teachers. However, interestingly, research on professional development of teachers in China has not devoted significant attention to the voices of teachers. This paper examines how teachers from seven schools in Guangdong Province view the effectiveness of these school‐based learning activities within the new context of educational change.     

基于课堂观察技术的免费师范生研究型教育实习模式初探

为了突破传统经验型教育实习模式的低效性,切实提高免费师范生的培养质量,北京师范大学创立了一种"免费师范生研究型教育实习模式"。该模式是以标准化的实习流程为基础,以课堂观察技术为核心,以教育科学研究为主线的一种新型教育实习模式。该模式在教育实习中取得了良好的效果,有效地提高了实习学生的教育教学技能。     

Self-Initiated Learning Activities of Experienced Public School Teachers: Methods,sources, and relevant organizational influences

The self-initiated learning activities of experienced public school teachers are examined in this study. Twenty-two experienced teachers were interviewed to develop a greater understanding of the types of self-initiated learning activities in which they engage and the organizational characteristics that influence their participation in those activities. Analysis of the data showed that experienced teachers engaged in three types of self-initiated learning activities: knowledge exchanging, experimenting, and environmental scanning. Participation in these activities was influenced by the availability of resources, physical layout, and level of centralization in their schools. Implications of these findings for theory, practice, and future research in teacher learning and development are discussed.     

Successful School Management in India: Case Studies of Navodaya Vidyalayas

This research explored the management devices followed in successful schools in the Indian context. In-depth case studies of three successful Navodaya schools were carried out. The schools were identified on the basis of the academic performance of students in the last three years in the national examinations and their participation in co-curricular activities at the regional and national levels. The study employed triangulation approach in which data were collected employing different methodologies (personal interviews, observations, and questionnaires/schedules) from various categories of respondents (principals, teachers, students, parents, and in some cases alumni) by a team of researchers. Results indicated that successful schools adopted participative management system in running day-to-day activities of the schools, gave people autonomy but also made them accountable for successful completion of the tasks, followed democratic methods of taking decisions, gave priority to the welfare of students, maintained supportive relationship with teachers, attempted to establish linkage with parents, set up higher and higher goals for themselves and the schools, adopted innovative pedagogical methods and evaluation devices, and recognized good work of the teachers. The results have implications for other schools where some of these devices can be tried out to improve their performance.The Asian Network of Training and Research Institutions in Educational Planning, International Institute of Educational Planning, Paris, sponsored this study.