Perceptions of Social Adjustment of Hearing-Impaired Pupils in an Integrated Secondary School Unit

The aim of this case study was to investigate issues surrounding the social inclusion of hearing-impaired pupils within a mainstream comprehensive school in a large northern city. The study focused on the four hearing-impaired pupils in Years 8 and 10. Year 7, Year 9 and Year 11 pupils, were omitted on the grounds that they were relatively new to the school (Year 7) or were involved in external examinations (Years 9 and 11). Sociometric questionnaires were completed by the hearing-impaired pupils and their form-group peers. Interviews were carried out with the hearing-impaired pupils, with their form-group peers identified as popular (sociometrically), and with those identified as having few friends. Form tutors and mainstream subject teachers of the hearing-impaired pupils were also interviewed. The data collected suggested that these hearing-impaired pupils were not particularly well integrated socially with their hearing peers. The sociometric data showed the hearing-impaired pupils to be of low status within friendship groups. Interview data from pupils suggested that the hearing-impaired young people's social experience was very akin to that of those children with very low sociometric status, and very unlike that of the 'popular' pupils, those with the highest sociometric status. Of note was the belief of popular pupils that the role of friendship--and the role of communication in establishing and maintaining friendship--was crucial to their happiness in school. Interview data from mainstream teachers suggested that they had little relevant knowledge of the personal concepts and social experiences of hearing-impaired pupils. Recommendations are made to improve the social skills of the hearing-impaired young people, and to foster a greater degree of peer-group support, with some adaptations to their curriculum to stress social learning and communication skills.     

Do trainee teachers harm pupil attainment? Isolating the effect of pre-service teachers on contemporaneous pupil performance in ‘high-stakes’ tests

The prevalence of ‘pre-service’ or ‘trainee’ teachers in schools is rising in England, driven by the expansion of school-led routes to qualified teacher status and increasing demand for newly qualified teachers. This may have important implications for schools, which have historically been concerned with the impact of trainee teachers on their pupils’ attainment. There are, however, confounding factors which affect both the decision to host a trainee teacher and pupil attainment. We empirically model the impact of trainee teachers on contemporaneous pupil attainment in ‘high-stakes’ exams, exploiting unique data combining national administrative data on pupil test scores with a survey of schools’ involvement with initial teacher training over multiple academic years. We use school fixed effects to account for time-invariant school factors which may determine both schools’ teacher training decisions and pupil attainment. Counter to schools’ concerns, we find that pupil attainment in high-stakes assessments, on average, is not significantly affected by the number of trainee teachers. This is an important empirical finding, as it suggests that the rapid expansion of school-led teacher training is not likely to have a detrimental effect on pupil attainment in England, conditional on the set of schools that choose to engage with initial teacher training remaining similar: trainee teachers may still affect pupil attainment in schools that do not currently participate in initial teacher training, as these schools are typically more constrained.     

The competencies needed for teaching hearing-impaired students. A comparison of elementary and secondary school teacher perceptions

Many hearing-impaired students demonstrate difficulty in academically measuring up to their hearing peers. The deficiencies become especially obvious during their secondary school years. This study surveyed a national sample of elementary and secondary level teachers of the hearing impaired to compare their perceptions of the competencies needed to work with hearing-impaired students. The results suggest that teachers at both levels believe that some skills are fundamental for all teachers of the hearing-impaired, regardless of the age level of the students. However, the data also suggest there are some important differences. Concerns about state certification procedures and current practices in teacher training programs are discussed.     

Social experiences of hearing-impaired high school youth

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the reasons why hearing-impaired students describe their high school experiences as positive or negative and to identify the specific classroom dynamics that contribute to or detract from social development. Data were collected from 49 hearing-impaired undergraduate students who were asked to describe their high school experiences on an open-ended questionnaire with a follow-up interview. The results indicated that graduates of residential programs described their social experiences significantly more positively than graduates of mainstream programs. Reasons included their teachers' ability to sign, socializing with friends and participation in after-school activities. Positive feelings in mainstream programs were associated with such factors as availability of supportive services, ability to voice and lipread, parent involvement, encouragement of interaction and deaf awareness by the teachers. Mainstream students who had the benefit of supportive services reported different perceptions of supportiveness of the academic environment and of teachers' expectations than did those who had no such services in high schools. Implications are drawn for the improved academic and social development of hearing-impaired high school students.     

More than Just Worksheets?: A Study of the Confidence of Newly Qualified Teachers of English in Teaching Personal, Social and Health Education in Secondary Schools

This paper addresses concerns regarding the preparedness of newly qualified teachers to deliver Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in the United Kingdom in relation to the training received during Initial Teacher Education and through early Continuing Professional Development. The paper is situated not only within a context where OfSTED has questioned the adequacy of some non-specialist PSHE teachers but also one where, due to a range of social and health concerns centred on young people, schools and teachers are being expected to play an increasingly important role in the social and health education of their pupils. As such, PSHE is increasingly seen as important across all curriculum areas. This paper relates specifically to the confidence of trainee and newly qualified teachers of English in teaching PSHE in secondary schools in the United Kingdom. Drawing on questionnaire data collected from recent Professional Graduate Certificate in Education graduates, the paper suggests that trainee and newly qualified teachers have the skills and knowledge drawn from their main subject (English) to deliver PSHE; however, many lack confidence and awareness to acknowledge these skills. The paper suggests that this situation may be addressed through increased opportunity to deliver and receive feedback on PSHE teaching during initial teacher training.     

The challenge of shaping socially responsible teachers*

It has been vigorously argued over decades that trainee teachers hold entrenched, stereotypical attitudes and beliefs about diverse groups of pupils. These assumptions have been shown to create discriminatory teaching practice which affects the educational attainment of pupils as young as five. This article reports on a study of the complex issues involved in challenging trainee teacher assumptions in an attempt to address the cycle of perpetuating stereotypes. The study was carried out within the context of Initial Teacher Training during a 10-month primary PGCE programme at an English university. The professional reflections of a participant sample of trainee teachers were analysed to ascertain the participants’ awareness of their own socio-cultural beliefs and assumptions and how the variety of instructional pedagogies supported or inhibited their examination of those beliefs. The findings provide implications for all teacher training programmes that attempt to ensure educational equality for children.     

师范专科生从教素质培养体系的构建与实践

近年来师范专科生生源素质严重下滑,从教素质堪忧。构建"校内模拟实践强化基本技能——教育见习实践培养职业感情——岗前培训强化角色意识——岗位实习形成初步从教能力"的从教素质培训体系,有利于有效培养师范专科生的从教素质,增强他们在就业中的竞争力。     

Pre-service teachers undertaking classroom research: developing reflection and enquiry skills

This paper reports on the development of reflectiveness and research skills in eight pre-service teachers, through their participation in a funded research project to develop the handwriting of children with literacy problems. The project aimed to analyse the reflections of the trainee teachers participating in an authentic research study and to consider what this reflection on practice might offer to the education of teachers in the current UK training context. The context for the paper was a project which engaged pre-service trainee teachers in researching the proposition that automaticity in handwriting plays a role in facilitating composing processes and that the automaticity of early writers can be trained. Some outcomes of the project for pupils are reported. The focus in the present paper is, however, on the participating trainee teachers and the paper suggests that conducting research was a significant learning event for these pre-service teachers and that, through working together, they were able to analyse their development as researchers and their learning during the research process. At a time when the English government views teacher training as a method of school improvement and the effectiveness of training is measured through its immediate impact on pupil outcomes, this study offers an example of how shared research can offer positive learning outcomes for pupils, develop the reflective thinking of pre-service teachers through researching a real problem, and develop links across a range of school and university settings.     

Hearing-impaired pupils in mainstream education in Finland: teachers’ experiences of inclusion and support

Today, in Finland, the majority of hearing-impaired pupils attend regular schools. This is in line with inclusive policy. This study aims to investigate do these pupils receive support from teachers, what kind of support is given and how is inclusion functioning. A questionnaire was used with 109 Finnish teachers, with both closed- and open-ended questions. All teachers taught hearing-impaired pupils in mainstream education, at primary or at secondary stage. According to the results, the main support categories were pedagogical and technical support. However, 48% of teachers gave no support. Inclusion was successful according to teachers. Various forms of support and key areas of teaching are discussed.     

English teachers of deaf and hard‐of‐hearing students in French schools: needs,barriers and strategies

This paper deals with English teachers who work with deaf and hard‐of‐hearing (D/HH) students. In France deaf students are required to attend foreign language classes – mostly English classes. The purpose is not to teach them British sign language (BSL) or American sign language (ASL), but written and/or spoken English. Indeed, sign languages are distinct from spoken languages and differ from country to country: there is no universal sign language. English teachers of the deaf are mostly hearing people. They work either in mainstream or special schools. Most of them have no specific qualifications. In this context, they are faced with the tremendous challenge of how to adjust their teaching to their students’ impairment and at the same time develop the latter's knowledge and skills in English. In order to analyse teaching practices in English classes, questionnaires, interviews and in‐class observations in several special and mainstream schools were conducted. Findings show that different teaching strategies are used in order to make English lessons accessible to D/HH students: teachers have to adapt their teaching language and also use written and visual supports to accommodate D/HH students. Obviously teacher training needs to be improved.     

Fostering Social Participation in Inclusive Classrooms of Students who are Deaf

ABSTRACT

Research indicates that children with hearing impairment are at higher risk regarding their social participation in school compared to their hearing peers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the social participation of 7th Grade students with hearing impairment in inclusive classrooms. Data from 62 7th Grade students across three classrooms and teachers were collected via paper-and-pencil questionnaires and from regular and special needs teachers via interviews. Results from the single case studies in three classrooms indicate that students with hearing impairment feel less socially integrated and less accepted by their peers. They do, however, interact more with other students with special needs and most students with hearing impairment have friends in their class. Teachers evaluated social integration, acceptance, interaction and friendships of their students with hearing impairment as average or as above average. The teachers’ evaluations only partly correspond to the self-perceptions of the students. Factors that either promote or hinder participation on an institutional, teacher, teaching and student level were exposed, which may have important practice and policy implications.     

Trainee teachers,gender and becoming the ‘right’ person for the job: care and authority in the vocational habitus of teaching

Drawing on a qualitative study of 32 UK student teachers, this paper asks what constitutes the vocational culture of teaching by exploring contradictory discourses of care and authority as they are presented to, and interpreted by, trainee teachers along their journey to becoming newly qualified teachers. Introducing the concept of ‘vocational habitus’ in relation to teaching, ‘ideal teacher narratives’ recounted by respondents are examined and mismatches between the expectations of individuals, institutions and wider policy contexts are explored. The later part of the article focuses specifically on three trainee teachers who struggled more than other research participants with their new roles as teachers. Their experiences suggest that simultaneous and gendered notions of caring and commanding respect can present considerable obstacles for the acquisition of a ‘successful’ vocational habitus. In light of proposed changes to teacher training in England, this paper argues that for government teacher education policies to be successful, they need to demonstrate an awareness and consideration of these contradictory notions.     

Initiations of social interactions by young hearing impaired preschoolers

This study examined strategies for initiating social interactions with peers, among 4 children with hearing impairment, aged 33 to 36 months, attending a special early education center or a regular kindergarten. The study investigated initiation type (related to partner's hearing status) and rates of initiation success/failure vis-a-vis hearing and deaf partners. Results revealed (a) more initiations in the regular program than in the special program; (b) in the special program, much more successful initiations toward children with hearing impairment than toward hearing children; (c) vocalization as the most frequent strategy used with both hearing and hearing-impaired partners; and (d) referential decisions about their initiations even among young children with hearing impairment (made by changing frequencies of various strategies according to partner's hearing status). The discussion addressed implications regarding integration of children with hearing impairment into regular educational settings.     

The peculiarities of teaching information and communication technology as a subject: a study of trainee and new ICT teachers in secondary schools

Abstract

This article reports on teaching information and communication technology (ICT) as a subject. It arises out of research carried out with ICT trainee teachers during their initial training and their first years of teaching. The backgrounds of four cohorts of new ICT teachers are described along with levels of retention in teaching. The associations that trainee and new teachers make with their subject are then explored. It was found that specialist ICT teachers see ICT as a practical subject offering pupils scope for variety and control over their learning. A key, and they felt unique, feature of ICT was its ever-changing nature. The research explores the planning and teaching of ICT and features of ICT subject knowledge. The article concludes by highlighting the continuing shortages of specialist ICT teachers in school and the need to support the career development of those teaching ICT.     

Pedagogical Content Knowledge: How do student teachers identify and describe the causes of their pupils' learning difficulties?

This study examines the pedagogical content knowledge of student teachers of biology during their teaching practice in school. The research focuses on the assessment of the teachers' ability to identify their pupils' learning difficulties and characterise their presumed sources. Diaries, kept by 40 student teachers in the course of the two stages of their teaching practice (comprising observation of their mentors in action and their own teaching experience), provided the data for a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the findings. A difference between the two stages was found only with regard to the identification of difficulties: the student teachers identified learning difficulties in most of the lessons they observed, but only in half of the lessons they taught. Their characterisation of the sources of the pupils' difficulties and their recurrence were similar during both stages. The sources of the difficulties were defined according to four categories: the pupil's cognitive and affective characteristics, the type of content, the teacher's methods, and factors inherent in the lesson. The characteristics of the pupil were considered the most frequent source of the difficulties. The study points to the need to increase the teacher educators' awareness of the important role of didactic processes, aimed at exposing the student teachers to their pupils' learning difficulties and help them deal with them effectively.     

Gender differences in academic achievement among Turkish prospective teachers of English as a foreign language

This study seeks to explain prevalent gender differences in academic achievement of 84 third‐year students enrolled in a pre‐service ELT (English Language Teaching) teacher training department. The study collected both qualitative and quantitative data through semi‐structured interviews from a sample of 38 students. A content analysis of the data indicated that male and female trainee teachers had differentiating perceptions of social roles and, as an artefact of these roles, they differed in the quality and quantity of time and effort allocated for their academic studies. Girls reported both longer periods of time and more efficient metacognitive disposition than their male peers. Another important factor for the observed differences appeared to be the perception of teaching as a profession. Female trainee teachers reported more intrinsic orientations towards the profession whereas male trainee teachers mentioned more extrinsic orientations, which seemed to directly influence the participants' engagement with their academic endeavour.     

Teachers' Understanding of the Role of Executive Functions in Mathematics Learning

Cognitive psychology research has suggested an important role for executive functions, the set of skills that monitor and control thought and action, in learning mathematics. However, there is currently little evidence about whether teachers are aware of the importance of these skills and, if so, how they come by this information. We conducted an online survey of teachers' views on the importance of a range of skills for mathematics learning. Teachers rated executive function skills, and in particular inhibition and shifting, to be important for mathematics. The value placed on executive function skills increased with increasing teaching experience. Most teachers reported that they were aware of these skills, although few knew the term “executive functions.” This awareness had come about through their teaching experience rather than from formal instruction. Researchers and teacher educators could do more to highlight the importance of these skills to trainee or new teachers.     

听障大学生在线开放课程建设探索——以《信息技术基础(听障)》为例

以《信息技术基础(听障)》为例,探讨听障大学生在线开放课程建设步骤。通过分析听障大学生的认知特点,构建静态与动态课程资源,提出"教学做"一体化的教学模式;采用任务驱动、项目导向的教学方法;运用自然手语为主要教学语言,字幕为辅助教学语言,合理设计自然手语、字幕、教学课件在录制屏幕上的呈现方式。     

Depth of reading vocabulary in hearing and hearing-impaired children

The main point of our study was to examine the vocabulary knowledge of pupils in grades 3–6, and in particular the relative reading vocabulary disadvantage of hearing-impaired pupils. The achievements of 394 pupils with normal hearing and 106 pupils with a hearing impairment were examined on two vocabulary assessment tasks: a lexical decision task and a use decision task. The target words in both tasks represent the vocabulary children should have at the end of primary school. The results showed that most hearing pupils reached this norm, whereas most hearing-impaired pupils did not. In addition, results showed that hearing-impaired pupils not only knew fewer words, but that they also knew them less well. This lack of deeper knowledge remained even when matching hearing and hearing-impaired children on minimal word knowledge. Additionally, comparison of the two tasks demonstrated the efficacy of the lexical decision task as a measure of lexical semantic knowledge.     

From mainstream school to pupil referral unit: a change in teachers’ self-understanding

As teachers are at the heart of education, a substantial number of studies have researched the perception that mainstream school teachers have of themselves in relation to their work. This investigation extends this field of inquiry by examining how teachers’ self-understanding is altered when they transfer from mainstream to special school education. This study adopts the methodology of interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) to examine in detail how three female teachers in inner London experienced the transition from mainstream secondary schools to teaching in alternative provision for excluded students referred to as a pupil referral unit (PRU). Central to IPA is how an individual experiences a substantial change in life and the influence this may have on his or her world views. The research approach adopted is, therefore, idiographic and reliant on the experiences of a small number of participants. The findings from this investigation indicate that the participants chose to leave mainstream school education when they came to the self-realisation that they wanted to engage in more creative and personally engaging professional practice with a stronger moral purpose. When they started to teach at a PRU, the more persistent and personal relationships with their students brought about a substantial change in self-understanding.