Developing learner-centred education among secondary trainee teachers in Malawi: The dilemma of appropriation and application

This article is mainly concerned with the capability of trainee teachers to implement learner-centred practice at one of the teacher education institutions in Malawi. The notion of learner-centred education has assumed a positive policy position for teaching and learning in both primary and secondary sectors not only in Malawi, but also in the wider world. However, there is no clear evidence on the extent to which trainee teachers or indeed qualified teachers develop and utilise learner-centred education during their classroom pedagogical practices. The appropriation and application of a pedagogical theory involves adopting tools for thinking that are made available by various social agents, structures and systems within cultural learning settings. The findings in the study indicate that appropriation and application of learner-centred education is constrained by various factors. These findings resonate with findings from other countries and indicate that progressive pedagogical notions aligned with social constructivism promoted in teacher education institutions have not resulted in widespread change in classroom practice. Teacher educators and policy makers need to be aware of this and examine relevant ways and possibly adaptations that can be reasonably made to ensure that secondary teaching appropriately benefits from the strength of learner-centred pedagogy.     

Exposure to bullying,reactions and psychological adjustment of secondary school students

A sample of 575 secondary school students aged 11–15 years was administered a checklist on experiences of bullying, then divided into groups of victims, witnesses and not exposed, and by gender. Participants completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire on psychosocial adjustment. Victims and witnesses completed another questionnaire on the extent to which they would endorse retaliation/vengeance and avoidance towards the perpetrator. Girls reported being victimised significantly more than boys. Amongst victims, boys scored higher than girls on desire for retaliation/vengeance and on externalising behaviours; girls scored higher on internalising behaviour. Experience of bullying victimisation, rather than merely witnessing it or not being exposed to it, was associated with internalising behaviours for both boys and girls. These measures of psychosocial adjustment were associated with the desire for retaliation/vengeance. Implications are discussed of the links between gender, exposure to bullying, reactions and psychosocial adjustment of secondary school children.     

高职院校实习生容易出现的心理问题及其原因和对策

目前,高职院校对于心理健康状况的探究、咨询和解决方法多仅限于校内,对实习生心理问题关注较少。因此,研究、探讨实习生种种心理问题的成因,及时采取矫正措施,是提高高职院校顶岗实习效率,实现高职院校顶岗实习这一教学实践环节目标的重要保证。     

Exploring relationships among TPACK constructs and ICT achievement among trainee teachers

Teaching in the classroom today can no longer sustain the interest of students and be effective if the process involves traditional approach - teachers as sole provider of content information. In recent years technology has played a significant role in transforming education to more progressive and interactive activities. However the use of technology itself does not produce positive results in quality of learning and students’ achievement. Teachers must be competent in subject knowledge, pedagogical skills and technological know-how. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge or TPACK as a conceptual framework can guide teachers to understand the complex relations between the six components of the model. There has been numerous studies on TPACK in international contexts beyond cultural and language boundaries. This paper examined recent studies on TPACK in various countries and reports findings from a study conducted with student teachers in the UAE.     

The experience of black African religious education trainee teachers training in England

This study addresses issues surrounding the recruitment and training of black African religious education teachers within the context of the government’s intention to make the teaching profession more representative of the wider community. In relation to this there is a strong emphasis in the Teacher Training Agency’s Qualifying to Teach on selection procedures which promote equality of opportunity and the recognition of individual training needs. The study is informed by the work of Sikes and Everington who have highlighted the place of religion and culture within the personal histories of religious education teachers. Black African members of two successive cohorts of PGCE students are tracked to identify their training needs in relation to their cultural and religious backgrounds. The data identifies four cultural and religious factors which impact on their training to teach religious education in the UK. Finally, as advised by the Carrington Report, recommendations are made for the practice of teacher educators.     

Psychological distress and help seeking amongst higher education students: findings from a mixed method study of undergraduate nursing/midwifery and teacher education students in Ireland

Psychological distress as experienced by higher education students is of major concern because of its potential to adversely impact academic performance, retention, mental health and lifestyle. This paper reports a mixed method investigation of student self-reported psychological distress and help-seeking behaviour. The sample comprised all students (n?=?1557) registered on undergraduate nursing/midwifery and teacher education programmes at an Irish university. Participants (n?=?1112) completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) to determine their self-reported psychological distress and the Lifestyle Behaviour Questionnaire to examine sources of distress, lifestyle and demographic variables. Individual interviews (n?=?59) explored student experiences of psychological distress and their help-seeking behaviours. Forty two percent of respondents exceeded the GHQ threshold ≥5, which signifies risk of mental or physical health problems. Sources of distress included academic, financial and psychosocial stressors. Regression analysis identified that demographic, programmatic and lifestyle variables predicted GHQ scores. Despite the distress experienced, students were reluctant users of support services. Many actively avoided seeking help. These findings raise serious concerns about the extent of psychological distress among this population. They also alert education providers to be vigilant for student psychological distress and to provide effective interventions, cognisant of the impact of stigma on help seeking.     

河南省农村中职学校教师心理健康状况的调查研究

为了解河南省农村中等职业学校教师的心理健康状况,文章采用SCL-90临床症状自评量表与自编的"河南省农村中等职业学校教师压力问卷"对河南省部分农村中职学校教师进行调查,结果显示:第一,与全国常模相比,农村中等职业学校教师各个因子的得分均显著高于全国常模,说明他们的心理健康水平低于全国常模;第二,恐怖、躯体化、强迫症状和抑郁是教师的主要心理问题;第三,农村中等职业学校教师的压力主要来自于职业认同、经济、职称评定等方面。由此文章建议建立农村中职教师心理健康的多维教育、预防和维护体系,以提高农村中职学校教师的心理健康水平。     

Teaching beliefs: a comparison between Italian primary and secondary school trainee teachers

This paper presents research which compares the teaching beliefs of primary and secondary school trainee teachers. Participants were 177 trainee teachers, 92 enrolled in a primary school teacher degree course, and 85 enrolled in a postgraduate teacher training course specifically for music teaching at secondary school level (middle and high school). A questionnaire was employed for assessing beliefs. By performing factor analysis, the following four dimensions were extracted: innovative teaching and cooperative learning, teacher-centred approach, learner-centred approach and working collaboratively. Data were subjected to analysis of variance for each factor of the questionnaire. Significant differences between primary and secondary trainee teachers in the way they think about music teaching were found. The relevance of these factors and differences was discussed in considering how to improve the education of teachers.     

教师心理健康问题的解决策略

解决教师心理健康问题已成为目前教师培训和教师管理中的重要环节,教师心理健康问题的解决策略包括愉快心境获得训练、自我意识健康训练、人际交往适应训练和教师专业化认知训练。     

Experiences of teachers and trainee teachers who are dyslexic

In the current climate of inclusion, an important issue involves the inclusion of teachers with a range of disabilities. The Dyslexia in Higher Education Report raised concerns about the negative attitude of some teacher training departments to admitting and supporting students with dyslexia. This study interviewed a small number of practising teachers and trainee teachers with dyslexia about their experiences of teaching and training and the specific coping strategies they adopted in the classroom. They were all asked if (and how) their own experiences of literacy difficulties had influenced the way they taught children, and especially those with literacy difficulties. All the participants reported using a number of effective coping strategies and felt on balance the advantages of being dyslexic outweighed the disadvantages in terms of giving them greater empathy and understanding of children's problems. The majority felt their own very negative experiences of school had been a strong motivating factor in wanting to teach in order to give children a better educational experience than their own. Trainee and newly qualified teachers were fearful of being ‘found out’ by other members of staff and often felt low in confidence despite performing well in the classroom. Most would have welcomed constructive support and mentoring from experienced teachers with dyslexia. In a supposedly inclusive education culture, it is argued that a more enabling and open attitude to teachers with dyslexia should be adopted     

Using Wicked problems to foster interdisciplinary practice among UK trainee teachers

ABSTRACT

An uncertain world characterised by the complexity associated with ‘Wicked’ problems presents formidable challenges for the preparation of teachers. This paper reports on one cycle in a larger action research project in which subject specialist trainee teachers worked in inter-disciplinary groups to design and run classroom-based workshops on climate change for pupils aged 12–14. While the project sought to explore interdisciplinary working, subject specialisms and their values were not abandoned, recognising that diversity can lead to more powerful, collective knowledge being generated. The Wicked problem of climate change was initially examined from different subject perspectives, identifying the opportunities that the work afforded in each subject, along with the challenges that accompanied them. The findings suggest that trainee teachers valued the collaboration and the opportunity to develop different pedagogical approaches used by different subjects. The framing of the project around a Wicked problem supported trainee teachers in understanding that no one subject had an authoritative prerogative over the topic while the disquiet that the interdisciplinary project provoked, in some cases, served to instigate new transformative learning which stretched beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.     

心理契约在促进高职院校青年教师心理稳定性中的重要意义

高职院校青年教师在成长发展过程中不稳定的心理状态影响制约了学校师资队伍建设进程,在青年教师成长的不同阶段,利用心理契约对其实行心理干预,实施柔性化管理,促进其个体成长发展与学校发展和谐统一。     

College Students' Reported Financial Stress and Its Relationship to Psychological Distress

This study examined how financial stress was related to psychological distress as measured by the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms–62 (Locke et al., 2011). Data were collected from students seeking psychological services at a large midwestern university. Results indicated that higher levels of financial stress are associated with greater family distress, academic distress, overall distress, and lower grade point average. Group differences are presented and discussed. Suggestions for addressing financial stress in counseling are provided.     

成人高校教师心理契约初探

心理契约是员工与组织之间责任和承诺的一种期望,它给成人高校人力资源管理开拓了新视角。文章从心理契约的概念及特征出发,结合成人高校教师的职业特点,分析了成人高校教师心理契约违背给成人高校造成的影响,并针对如何进行成人高校教师的心理契约管理提出了建议。     

中小学体育教师职业倦怠与心理资本关系研究——以河南省“国培计划”教师为例

通过对近两年参加河南省"国培"的中、小学体育教师进行职业倦怠和心理资本测试,并对职业倦怠与心理资本之间关系进行分析,试图通过心理资本的干预达到干预职业倦怠的目的.研究结果表明:体育教师职业倦怠水平不高,心理资本水平中等偏上,职业倦怠维度受性别、年龄等人口统计学因素的影响,心理资本及其4个维度分别与职业倦怠及其3个维度有负相关关系,且大多数都达到显著性差异.在此基础上,提出通过干预心理资本,改善中小学体育教师职业倦怠现状策略.     

Stress management strategies of secondary school teachers in Nigeria

The study provides empirical evidence for the management of stress by teachers of secondary schools in Nigeria. A total of 3466 teachers, drawn from secondary schools in Ogun State of Nigeria, returned their questionnaire for the study. Data were analysed using simple percentage and chi-square. The findings indicate that teachers frequently use the active behavioural and inactive (escape) strategies in managing stress. This is an indication that the average Nigerian teacher prefers to organize him/herself in such a way that his/her pedagogic duties will not be hampered by domestic chores. It also implies that, whenever the teacher is stressed, he/she consoles him/herself with the fact that work is not everything and therefore feels less stressed. The active cognitive strategies are never used by the teachers. Their feeling is that nothing probably can be challenged in stressful situations. The teachers also express mixed feelings about the adoption of inactive behavioural strategies. While the majority of the teachers never engage in physical exercises or, say, watch films in order to manage any stressful situation, they prefer to keep away from any situation that could cause stress, as well as endeavouring to separate themselves from people who cause stressful situations.     

浅谈大学生的就业压力与心理承受力

随着大学毕业生人数的增多，就业压力也随之增大。大学毕业生的心理素质正面临着严峻的考验。本文从就业压力产生的原因，就业压力引发的心理问题，努力提高心理承受力三方面，对大学生的就业压力及心理承受力进行了初步的分析和论述，旨在提高大学生心理承受力，沉着冷静地面对当前巨大的就业压力。     

高校教师心理和谐的现状与对策

心理和谐是心理健康的重要体现,是个体心理健康的核心内容。已有的研究表明,高校教师的心理健康状况低于全国常模,而高校教师的心理和谐很大程度上将直接影响到学生的心理和谐以及教与学的心理和谐。当前高校教师可以从个体内部心理自我认识的和谐、知情意的和谐和人格的和谐,以及外在关系的人际和谐、家庭和谐、社会的和谐等方面来构建自身的心理和谐;高校的管理可以从建立健全教师管理体制、营造和谐的环境和积极的社会支持系统等方面给高校教师提供心理和谐的支持,为构建和谐校园提供有力保障。     

心理冲突与应激水平、主观幸福感关系研究

采用自编的心理冲突调查问卷、Cawte量表和主观幸福感指数量表(WBIS),调查531名大学生的心理冲突状况、应激水平及主观幸福感。结果为:(1)过多的心理冲突可引起生理与心理应激水平的升高;(2)心理冲突频率与应激水平呈显著的正相关(r=0.533,P<0.01);(3)心理冲突频率与主观幸福感呈显著的负相关(r=-0.158,P<0.01)。因此,过多的心理冲突已构成应激源,是影响学生身心健康的重要因素之一。大学生心理冲突问题应予以关注。     

中职学生心理教育探析

在中等职业教育迎来前所未有的发展机遇的同时,也对中职教师提出了新的挑战、新的要求。中职教师要适应职业教育发展的新形势,迎接新挑战就要做好最基本的道德教育,在德育的基础上发展学生个性。