Utopia vs. reality: the effectiveness of in‐service training courses for EFL teachers

The article explores the long‐term effectiveness of in‐service teacher training courses for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in the Greek educational context. It presents the results of a questionnaire designed and issued to teacher‐trainees a year after the completion of 60‐hour courses. The questionnaire assessed, among others, (a) teacher trainees' beliefs regarding the relevance of the knowledge acquired to their individual needs, (b) the extent to which they used the materials provided in the course, and (c) the usefulness of the subjects offered. The data are discussed in relation to strategies for optimising teacher training services and implications are drawn for the implementation of change in a broader educational context. A ‘cooperative model' is proposed for the promotion of change involving active cooperation between all agents involved in the educational process and necessitating top‐down and bottom‐up cooperation.     

Teachers’ views on the effectiveness of in‐service courses on the new curriculum in Turkey

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of in‐service courses conducted by the Ministry of National Education in order to inform teachers about the changes introduced by the new primary and secondary school curricula. The study also aims to reveal whether these changes have entered the classrooms based on the teachers’ views of the INSET courses they attended. For this purpose, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with both primary and secondary school teachers during the 2007–2008 academic year. Data were analysed based on the effective INSET criteria identified from the literature. According to the findings, the INSET courses were found to be ineffective, mainly in terms of the quality of the instructors, teaching methods employed, duration of the courses and support after training. Suggestions to conduct effective INSET courses, especially when change is afoot, are included at the end of this paper.     

Teachers' in‐service training needs in Cyprus

Needs‐identification studies should be systematically conducted to bring clarity to the decisions about the expectations from particular in‐service training schemes. This article aims to present the results of a research study diagnosing teachers' in‐service training needs in Cyprus. For the purposes of the study, questionnaires were distributed to a random stratified sample of schools state‐wide. Findings outline teachers' preferences on aspects of professional development, such as content, teacher participation, efficiency and organization. Despite the resulting diversity of collected views, emerging recommendations focus on the adoption of preferred thematic orientations, the development of alternative forms of in‐service training, the establishment of links with school improvement, the shift of organizational models from the central to the local level and the enhancement of teacher involvement in in‐service training activities. These findings can prove significant in shaping professional development policies within the framework of a recently announced initiative for educational reform in Cyprus.

Il serait indispensable de mener systématiquement des études d'identification de besoins afin d'apporter des clarifications sur les attentes de différents programmes de formation continue. L'objectif de cet article est de présenter les résultats d'une étude de recherche menée dans le but de diagnostiquer les besoins de formation initiale des enseignants à Chypre. A cette fin, des questionnaires ont été distribués à un échantillon stratifié aléatoire d'écoles dans tout l'état. Les résultats schématisent les préférences des enseignants sur des aspects du développement professionnel, tels que le contenu, la participation du professeur, l'efficacité et l'organisation. En dépit de la diversité résultante des points de vue rassemblés, les recommandations présentées se focalisent sur l'adoption d'orientations thématiques préférées, le développement de formes alternatives de formation continue, l'établissement de liens avec l'amélioration d'école, le déplacement de modèles d'organisation du niveau central au niveau local et l'encouragement de la participation des enseignants dans les activités de formation continue. Ces résultats peuvent prouver importants à la formation des politiques de développement professionnel dans le cadre d'une initiative récemment annoncée pour la réforme de l'enseignement à Chypre.

Los estudios de las necesidades‐identificación se deben realizar sistemáticamente para traer la claridad a las decisiones acerca de las esperanzas de la instrucción de esquemas particulares de instrucción interna. Este artículo se propone presentar los resultados de un estudio de investigación diagnostica de las necesidades en instrucción interna de los maestros en Chipre. Por eso, los cuestionarios fueron distribuidos a una muestra estratificada aleatoria de escuelas en todo el país. Las conclusiones resumen las preferencias de los maestros en aspectos del desarrollo profesional, tal como: contento, la participación del maestro, la eficiencia y la organización. A pesar de la diversidad resultante de vistas completas, las recomendaciones que surgieron, enfocan en la adopción de orientaciones temáticas preferidas, el desarrollo de formas alternativas de la instrucción interna, el establecimiento de conexiones con la mejora de la escuela, el cambio de modelos de la organización desde el central al nivel local y el aumento de la participación del maestro en las actividades de la instrucción interna. Estas conclusiones pueden ser importantes en la formación de las políticas profesionales del desarrollo dentro del marco de una iniciativa recientemente anunciada de la reforma educativa en Chipre.

Studien zur Identifikation von Bedürfnissen sollten methodisch durchgeführt werden, um Klarheit zu schaffen hinsichtlich der Erwartungshaltung gegenüber speziellen betrieblichen Berufsförderungsprogrammen. In diesem Artikel möchte ich die Ergebnisse einer Untersuchung betrieblicher Berufsförderung von Lehrern in Zypern darstellen. Im Rahmen der Untersuchung wurden, als Stichproben, Fragebögen an Schulen in ganz Zypern ausgeteilt. Die Resultate zeigen die Präferenzen der Lehrer hinsichtlich Aspekten beruflicher Bildung, wie Inhalt, Teilnahme der Lehrer, Effizienz und Organisation. Obwohl die Ergebnisse unterschiedliche Ansichten aufzeigen, fokussieren sich die präsentierten Empfehlungen auf die Annahme bevorzugter thematischer Zielrichtungen, die Entwicklung alternativer Formen in der betrieblichen Berufsförderung, die Einrichtung von Mitteln zur Verbesserung der Schulen, die Verschiebung organisatorischer Vorbilder von der zentralen auf die lokale Ebene, sowie ein gesteigertes Engagement der Lehrer in der betrieblichen Berufsförderung. Im Rahmen einer kürzlich angekündigten Initiative für die pädagogische Verbesserung in Zypern können sich diese Resultate als bedeutend erweisen für die Herausbildung beruflicher Entwicklungsmethoden.     

ICT in‐service training and school practices: in search for the impact

This study set out to measure the perceptions of pre‐primary and primary school teachers in Cyprus regarding the impact and efficiency of a particular ICT in‐service training initiative. The research was carried out through telephone interviews with two groups of trained teachers. Teachers' responses indicated a significant impact of such training on their personal attitudes and skills. However, the professional practices which developed did not outline significant gains in student learning and achievement. Teachers' views on the efficiency of the training scheme highlighted the need for a more flexible ‘pick and mix’ training structure to tailor individual needs, and for professional development activities to become more relevant, to the context of classroom practices. The study also suggested that for ICT professional development to impact school practices, there is a need for contextual factors such as access to resources, curriculum time and a change‐oriented environment to be taken into account.     

Pre‐service elementary teachers’ beliefs about use of the Internet in the social studies classroom

The Internet has become one of the most common instructional tools because of recent developments in telecommunications and Internet technology. Accordingly, educators increasingly support the use of the Internet in the social studies classroom. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate pre‐service elementary teachers’ beliefs about the use of the Internet in the social studies classroom. Data were collected through an open‐ended questionnaire from 37 pre‐service elementary teachers in a large Turkish university. An inductive analysis approach was used to analyse the data. Thus, the emergent patterns of the data were used to develop coding categories. The data analysis indicated that the majority of the participants supported the use of the Internet in the social studies classroom, while they acknowledged the disadvantages and negative aspects of the use of the Internet.     

The impact of pre‐service field training sessions on the probability of future teachers using ICT in school

Most industrialised countries have adopted training strategies for pre‐service teachers that place experienced teacher guidance centre stage, particularly within the context of regular pre‐service field training sessions. In this article, after analysing the data taken from a longitudinal survey on the computer skills and attitudes of students toward the integration of ICT in teaching in primary and secondary school teacher education programmes at the University of Sherbrooke, the authors underline the potential contradictory effects between the classroom teaching observed during practicum and the effort to support the use of computer technology in school during university training. They conclude by underlining the importance of supporting the professional development of practising teachers regarding the use of ICT, with the aim of changing practices observed by students in training and optimising the probability of increasing the use of these technologies in their future role as teachers.     

An analysis of the effects of in‐service teacher training on Turkish preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion

Any implementation of an inclusive policy is largely dependent on educators’ attitudes. In Turkey, many teachers who educate preschool children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), and who have not received in‐service teacher training (INSET) are observed to have negative attitudes towards their SEN students. The aim of this article is to examine differences between the attitudes of preschool teachers before and after an INSET course. Sixty‐six preschool teachers were selected for this study which had a single group pre–post‐test design. The teachers’ opinions and attitudes relating to mainstreaming SEN students in regular educational environments were assessed using the ‘Opinions Relative to Mainstreaming’ scale. The data indicate that these teachers were affected by the INSET programme in such a way that their attitudes towards the inclusion of SEN students became more positive.     

Democratising the curriculum or training the children of the poor: school‐based vocational training in Australia

This article examines the views of staff employed in UK higher education institutions (HEIs) about how those institutions are dealing with the impact of recent UK equality legislation and related European employment directives. Assumptions underlying current approaches to equality in UK HEIs are examined, particularly the notion of meritocracy, which advocates job selection and promotion based on normatively and culturally neutral measures of merit. The article is based on a project funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, using qualitative case studies of six English, Welsh and Scottish HEIs. The project data suggest that equality policies for staff and students are in tension with each other, that staff policies may clash with other institutional policies, for example on research excellence or enhancing the student experience, and that the rhetoric of equality policies is not always matched by the day‐to‐day experience of staff. The article suggests that the case study UK HEIs, with their continued focus on meritocracy and excellence, have not yet adapted to the new climate of employee equality legislation and perhaps need to consider a different approach than the meritocratic one.     

Critical social theory and transformative learning: evidence in pre‐service teachers’ service‐learning reflection logs

This paper reports on the opportunities for transformational learning experienced by a group of pre‐service teachers who were engaged in service‐learning as a pedagogical process with a focus on reflection. Critical social theory informed the design of the reflection process as it enabled a move away from knowledge transmission toward knowledge transformation. The structured reflection log was designed to illustrate the critical social theory expectations of quality learning that teach students to think critically: ideology critique and utopian critique. Butin’s lenses and a reflection framework informed by the work of Bain, Ballantyne, Mills and Lester were used in the design of the service‐learning reflection log. Reported data provide evidence of transformational learning and highlight how the students critique their world and imagine how they could contribute to a better world in their work as a beginning teacher.     

How Sustainable Are In‐service Teacher‐training Courses?

The present research addressed the issue of ‘life after a course’. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of four in‐service teacher‐training courses at the Hong Kong Institute of Education in terms of their usefulness and relevance to the teachers’ needs on return to school. An end‐of‐course evaluation questionnaire and a follow‐up questionnaire were sent six months after the courses to see if there were any significant differences in the participants’ views on the effectiveness of a course at two different time points. Qualitative data collected from interviews between the tutors and participants six months after the courses were also analysed to find out which aspects of the courses were considered to be most useful to the teachers on their return to school, and why they were useful. The findings from the research give valuable insights into the design of teacher‐education courses.     

Facilitating early career leadership through pre‐service training

Current research indicates that new teachers want to be involved in school‐level decision‐making. Upon entering the profession, many novice teachers are surprised and disillusioned to find they have considerably less involvement and influence than expected. Based on strategies that have been developed, revised, and refined over a number of years in two teacher preparation programs in the eastern US, the current discussion proposes that teacher preparation programs incorporate training in school‐based management as a means to better prepare new teachers for the political realities of the profession. Intended for teacher educators, this paper describes how the research component common to most teacher education programs can be used as a venue to train teacher candidates in school‐based management.     

Management teams and the promotion of staff well‐being

For several years small primary schools have been threatened with closure and their viability is frequently a subject of much discussion. One of the major issues in this debate, particularly in light of the 1988 Education Reform Act, is whether they can provide an effective education for their pupils due to their size and their mixed age range classes. This article discusses the major arguments related to this issue and draws several important conclusions to guide practice and decision making not only in small schools, but also in all other primary schools where differentiation in teaching and learning methods is now of crucial significance. Supporting evidence is taken mainly from a Teacher Fellowship project funded by West Glamorgan County Council.     

E‐learning and the transformation of social interaction in higher education

This article examines the way in which e‐learning is transforming the nature of social interaction in higher education. In this new educational environment, radical societal transitions and the opportunities afforded by modern communication technologies together produce formidable challenges. Significant as these challenges may be, concentration upon problems of a practical kind draws attention away from the more theoretical concerns in understanding e‐learning. By drawing together developments in social, educational and communicational theory and Gilly Salmon’s hands‐on approach to teaching and learning online, this article reveals some unintended consequences: e‐moderation and the use of e‐tivities may perpetuate the very conditions that limit our chances of dealing successfully with the challenges posed by e‐learning. While theory may muddle what might otherwise be communicated meaningfully to those in search of practical answers, theoretical developments provide concepts and frameworks that can be placed in the service of a critical understanding of e‐learning and the transformation of social interaction in higher education.     

The national in‐service courses for science teachers and their effect on educational reform in Mexico

The educational system in Mexico has undergone important changes in recent decades. One of the most important took place in 1993, when the compulsory character of secondary school (ages 12–15) was established. National In‐service Courses (NICs) were established as a way to bring curricular changes proposed in the reform near to the teachers. The results, according to the National Certification Exams, have not been satisfactory. In this paper, we describe the general context of education in Mexico, putting emphasis on teacher initial preparation and the reform that took place as well as the way in‐service courses are implemented, analyzing their possibilities to bring about real changes in science teaching and learning.     

Sustainable development in early childhood education: in‐service students' comprehension of the concept

The purpose of this article is to explore day care attendants' comprehension of the concept of sustainable development (SD) and to analyse the associated pedagogical practices at their place of work in pre‐schools. The empirical data comprise written exam reports from 32 practising day care attendants attending an in‐service education course. The participants study early childhood education (ECE) part time at Mälardalen University, Sweden, and the rest of their time they work in their pre‐schools. The analysis was based on a qualitative content analysis approach, and the results show a multi‐faceted understanding of the concept. SD was seen as a holistic approach, an environmental issue or a democratic issue. The article explores how these different ways of approaching the concept relate to different attitudes and day‐to‐day practices in the pedagogical programme in the pre‐schools.