Teachers’ Journeys: A Case of Teachers of Learners Aged Five to Six

South Africa’s esteem is low with regard to current learner achievement in mathematics. Results from international studies, such as TIMMS and SACMEQ, continuously indicate that South African learners perform below international benchmarks in mathematics. Research and evaluation studies assert that teacher practices and poor early mathematics stimulation influence this state of affairs. Hence, this article reports on a study that explored the developmental progression of Grade R teachers’ mathematics knowledge and general knowledge of teaching participating in a professional development intervention. In this article I report on data collected after a two-day workshop conducted with the teachers. The video recordings of 14 teachers’ self-selected lessons were collected and transcribed, using a lesson observation tool, and analysed by means of thematic analysis. The findings indicated that teachers’ knowledge of number sense forms a strong foundation for improving the quality instruction of number knowledge. The first step seen to be taken by these teachers to engage the learners was the question and answer approach. The lessons of those who tried to let learners engage lacked structure and resulted in chaos. Demonstration and drill were used to develop the learners’ content knowledge. The teachers’ practices were inadequate as far as developing conceptual understanding is concerned; and their classroom management skills were not sufficiently developed to include all learners in their mediation. In instances where all the learners participated, the teacher directed the participation and did not allow for learner-to-learner engagement. It is crucial to note that they showed potential for growth and willingness to learn despite the limited or minimal the training they received.     

Student Preschool Teachers’ Experiences of Science and Its Role in Preschool

This article reports on student preschool teachers’ views of science and its role in preschool. Three cohorts of students have been given a written questionnaire with open-ended questions before and after a one-semester course including science (specifically Chemistry and Physics) in a 3.5-year preschool teacher programme in Sweden. The science content in the course is integrated with other subjects and lecturers with different subject backgrounds work together in forming an integrated and meaningful context. A phenomenographic qualitative analysis of responses to the questionnaires before and after the course is presented. The analysis indicated that many students equate science with biology (nature studies), and several did not adjust this view even though chemistry and physics were explicitly taught. Surprisingly few students were negative towards science, none after the course. However, several remain hesitantly positive. Most students described ‘what’ and ‘how’ perspectives of science, but few developed a synthesised view of science activities. However, there was a shift towards a more integrated perspective after the course. Also the quality and eloquence of the students’ responses were noticeably improved in responses given after the course. Prior expectations and implications of the results for preschool teacher education are discussed.     

Secondary School Teachers’ Perception of Corporal Punishment: A Case Study in India

This article examines secondary school teachers’ perceptions of corporal punishment in India. Although it has been banned in Indian schools, various types of corporal punishment are still used by teachers. It has been mainly used as a mechanism for controlling disciplinary problems in schools. Based on a pilot study of 160 secondary teachers, the result of the research reveals that teachers still perceive corporal punishment as an effective method of controlling indiscipline in class. However, some teachers state that corporal punishment is ineffective in deterring students from misbehaving. Corporal punishment is not a good method to maintain discipline. Adopting harsh methods indicates a lack of proper training in managing students in a classroom situation and a poor understanding by the teachers of students’ mental states. An awareness program for secondary school teachers about the effects of corporal punishment on children is needed. The solution is proper training for teachers and student-teachers in the use of counseling to manage behavioral problem. Also full-time counselors can be appointed in schools.     

Teachers’ Practices of Inquiry When Teaching Investigations: A Case Study

Teacher practices are essential for supporting learners in scientific inquiry practices of framing research questions, designing and conducting investigations, collecting data, and drawing conclusions. This study examines instructional practices of two Grade 11 Physical Science teachers engaged in teaching practical investigations. Data were collected from video recordings of teachers?? enactment of pre-laboratory, laboratory and post-laboratory practical investigation lessons. Other data sources included video-based classroom observations, teacher and learner interviews, and artefacts, such as teacher handouts, supplemental materials and learner work. The results suggest that when teachers introduce practical investigations, they vary in the practices they engage in as well as the quality of their use of these practices. Implications for teacher practices of scientific inquiry are explored.     

The Multifaceted Challenges in Teacher-Student Relationships: A Qualitative Study of Teachers’ and Principals’ Experiences and Views Regarding the Dropout Rate in Norwegian Upper-Secondary Education

The purpose of our study was to enhance understanding of teachers' and principals' experiences and views regarding the high dropout rate in Norwegian upper secondary schools. Qualitative analysis showed that the teacher-student relationships over years had become more complicated since the implementation of a new educational reform, making the syllabus increasingly theoretical and thus reducing the practical value for many students. Limitations in students' knowledge, skills and academic interest, contributed to the creation of huge differences in academic levels within the class and thus reduced the quality of teaching. Societal changes were identified as possible factors underlying the high dropout rate. Better guidance regarding educational choices, study programs adapted to the students' interests, and actively nurturing involvement may prevent dropout.     

The Role of Struggle in Pre-Service Elementary Teachers’ Experiences as Students and Approaches to Facilitating Science Learning

Science education researchers are concerned with preparing pre-service elementary teachers (PSETs) to teach in ways that support students to learn science in a meaningful way. Preparing elementary teachers to teach science is complicated given that they tend to be generalists and may not have the same experience with science as secondary teachers. During an elementary science methods course, we explored PSETs?? perspectives on the teaching and learning of science via a case study that included four PSETs. Using Frykholm??s (Journal of Curriculum and Supervision 19:125?C149, 2004) framework of ??educative?? and ??debilitating?? discomfort, we examined PSETs?? approaches to their own science learning and their approaches to science teaching. A theme apparent in PSETs?? perspectives was struggle. We described ways in which struggle was either educative or debilitating for PSETs, both in terms of their own learning and the ways in which they approached teaching. Some PSETs who struggled in their own learning developed learning experiences to engage their students in reform-based science teaching, while some PSETs developed learning experiences that prevented their students from experiencing any sort of struggle in their learning process. The ways in which these students dealt with their own learning struggles mirrored the ways in which they dealt with their struggles to become teachers of reform-based science instruction. Helping PSETs to deal with their feelings of discomfort with science content or ideas about the nature of science learning and teaching promoted by reform documents may be a key issue in developing their willingness to become facilitators of meaningful science learning.     

The Meaning and Rationale of Greece-Cyprus Unified Education: A Teachers’ and Parents’ Beliefs Study

The purpose of the present study was to investigate Cypriot teachers’ and parents’ attitudes towards, and understanding of, the educational policy of Greece-Cyprus Unified Education. The data of the study were collected through a 3-part questionnaire and an open question asking for attitudes towards, meaning and justification of the Unified Education. The results indicated that teachers and parents approve educational policy of Greece-Cyprus Unified Education and that they believe that it must be implemented more explicitly. In spite of the official declarations of this educational policy, teachers and parents believe that Greece-Cyprus Unified Education does not currently exist. The results are discussed in the light of the effects of cultural factors on teachers’ perceptions.     

Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Development of Self-Efficacy and Confidence to Teach Science: A Case Study

This study examines the self-efficacy of one preservice elementary school teacher (Kasey) during and after her participation in Science in Childhood Education—a 16-week, elementary preservice science methods course. The case study of this teacher is situated in the context of the class as a whole. This is accomplished through interviewing the one teacher and examining artifacts and observations of the entire class. The results of these experiences are studied to determine what changes have taken place in the participants’ self-efficacy in science teaching as well as the one preservice teacher in greater detail. Because self efficacy is influential to student learning, the results of this study have significant implications for the design of elementary teacher education programs and the support of elementary teachers in teaching science.     

The Confucian Educational Philosophy and Experienced Teachers’ Resistance: A Narrative Study in Macau

This study investigates experienced teachers’ resistance in an era of neoliberalism in Macau. The narratives of three experienced teachers are examined under a post-structuralist framework. The findings indicate that the traditional Chinese Confucian ideology of education guides the experienced teachers’ professional practice and offers them an alternative subject position to inhabit that makes it possible for them to establish a critical distance from the prevailing norms imposed by the hegemony of neoliberalism. Such a distance allows the experienced teachers to observe, to think otherwise and consequently to live out a different teaching life and to reassemble their identity around an empowered notion of self. The study concludes that the Confucian ideology of education has contributed to the transformation of the contemporary discursive context of Macau by promising a future for education, a future with a revisioned future rather than a neoliberal incorporation of the past.     

Multimedia e-Learning and Self-Regulated Science Learning: a Study of Primary School Learners’ Experiences and Perceptions

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Multimedia-supported e-learning is considered useful as it can offer an enjoyable independent learning experience to learners. However, the...     

A Survey of Adverbial Connectors in EFL Learners’ Writing:A Comparative Study

Through a comparative study of the use of ACs (ACs) in EFL learners’ writing at different English writing proficiency, Chinese EFL learners’ use of ACs are analyzed with the hope to provide valuabe suggestions in Enligh writing teaching and learning.     

A Survey of Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Reading Experiences in Kindergarten

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify, examine, and compare attitudes of kindergarten and primary teachers toward beginning reading instruction in kindergarten. A questionnaire was devised, and teachers were asked to indicate the importance, to kindergarten children, of certain reading skills, concepts, and activities; to designate which kindergarten children should engage in reading activities; and to specify the parent's role. Forty-two of 61 questionnaires were returned. Chi-square values were calculated to compare attitudes of primary and kindergarten teachers. Comments were examined and compiled. The writer concluded that most teachers were interested in and valued reading instruction in kindergarten, but that primary teachers would tend to approach such instruction more formally than kindergarten teachers.     

The Effects of Teachers’ Training on Pupils’ Achievement: The Case of Elementary Schools in France

This investigation examines the effects of teachers’ training on pupils’ achievement in French and mathematics. The aim of the research is to compare the effectiveness of three samples of elementary school teachers with different levels of experience and training. Using a multilevel model, the results demonstrate that training enhances the effectiveness of novice teachers. In addition, experience was also found to have a positive effect. Neither training nor experience have a significant effect on equity, defined as the capacity of reducing the initial gap between high and low achieving pupils.     

Embedded Mathematics in Chemistry: A Case Study of Students’ Attitudes and Mastery

There are many factors that shape students’ attitudes toward science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This exploratory study of high school students examined the effect of enriching chemistry with math on chemistry students’ attitudes toward math and careers involving math. To measure student attitudes, a survey was administered before and after the 18-week chemistry class; results from the chemistry class were compared to survey results from students in an elective science class that did not emphasize mathematics. At the end of the 18-week period, only the chemistry students exhibited more positive views toward their abilities in mathematics and careers that involve mathematics, as compared to their views at the outset of the course. To ensure that chemistry mastery was not hindered by the additional emphasis on math, and that mastery on state end-of-course examinations reflected knowledge acquired during the math-intensive chemistry class, a chemistry progress test was administered at the start and end of the term. This exploratory study suggests that emphasizing mathematical approaches in chemistry may positively influence attitudes toward math in general, as well as foster mastery of chemistry content.     

The Relation of Teachers’ Emotional Intelligence and Students’ Social Skills to Students’ Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties: A Study of Preschool Teachers’ Perceptions

The present study used hierarchical linear modeling to examine predictors of students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties in preschool classrooms. Specifically, the study examined (a) the link between teachers’ perceptions of their own emotional intelligence and students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties, (b) the link between teachers’ perceptions of students’ social skills and emotional and behavioral difficulties, and (c) how teachers’ perceptions of their own emotional intelligence were related differentially to their perceptions of students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties based on students’ social skills. Participants were 92 preschool teachers and 238 students from 52 state schools in central Greece. Research Findings: Results indicated that higher scores for teachers’ perceptions of emotional intelligence and students’ social skills were related to lower scores for teachers’ perceptions of students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties. Teachers’ perceptions of emotional intelligence were important in predicting students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties, especially in the case of students’ lack of social skills. Practice or Policy: This study provides empirical support for the predictors of students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties by taking into consideration both teachers’ perceptions of emotional intelligence and students’ social skills, thus suggesting new insights into the interpretation of emotional and behavioral difficulties in preschool.     

Notes and Case Studies: ‘A Live Case Study’

Abstract

The article describes and analyses some of the problems of running a live case study for undergraduate students at a real work place. The case was concerned with decision making in a business organisation in general and with the selection of an advertising strategy for lager in particular.

A discussion about the preparations needed is followed by an analysis of the costs and benefits derived. Learning strategies are briefly outlined and some issues of joint assessment between academics and industrialists are raised The article concludes with a number of findings which, it is hoped, colleagues planning similar exercises will find useful.     

Learning Approaches in the Architectural Education and the Role of Students’ Habitus: Case Study Pakistan

This study seeks to explore the impact of social upbringing on architectural learning. The theory of “habitus” helps to understand how students’ personality dispositions might affect the way they approach learning in the “field” of architectural education. The notions of learning approaches and knowledge codes in literature are used to develop a framework for the study that helps to explore the field of architectural education. It is a qualitative study, conducted through semi-structured interviews with 44 students in 10 architecture schools in Pakistan. Interviews explored students’ habitus as well as their learning approaches, later explored through the framework developed in the study. Interviews are transcribed and coded using Nvivo 12. A detailed analysis explores the connection between habitus and learning approaches and finds out that habitus plays a major role in determining the way students approach learning in Architecture, with most cultivated habitus students showing a deep learning approach.     

Influence of the Interplay of Habitual Affective Attributes and Classroom Learning Environments on Learners’ Situational Affective Experiences in Learning Science: The Narratives of Primary Pre-Service Teachers

Research in Science Education - Science education researchers have found that instructional design focusing more on learners’ affective needs can be powerful in nurturing effective and...