Proofs through Exploration in Dynamic Geometry Environments

The recent development of powerful new technologies such as dynamic geometry software (DGS) with drag capability has made possible the continuous variation of geometric configurations and allows one to quickly and easily investigate whether particular conjectures are true or not. Because of the inductive nature of the DGS, the experimental-theoretical gap that exists in the acquisition and justification of geometrical knowledge becomes an important pedagogical concern. In this article we discuss the implications of the development of this new software for the teaching of proof and making proof meaningful to students. We describe how three prospective primary school teachers explored problems in geometry and how their constructions and conjectures led them see proofs in DGS. Constantinos Christou: Author for correspondence.     

Can an educational intervention,specifically Theatre in Education,influence students’ perceptions of and attitudes to cultural and religious diversity? A socio‐educational research

Contemporary thinking seems to be particularly interested in the investigation of the role of culture in socio‐political life. This article presents aspects of a research project, undertaken in Greece, looking into whether a cultural product can foster intercultural communication and influence young people’s perceptions of and attitudes to cultural and religious diversity. Such cultural products are the Theatre in Education (TiE) programmes, which focus on the use of the art of theatre as a means of educational intervention. For the purposes of our research a specially designed TiE programme was used as a means of intervention and as a research tool. Our research examines secondary education students’ perceptions of and attitudes to cultural and religious diversity prior to and following the intervention in Thessaloniki and in Thrace, Greece. This cultural intervention, which incorporates art and religion, offers new insights into the possibility of the use of TiE for the religious education of young people.     

Students' recording accuracy in the reciprocal and the self-check teaching styles in physical education

The aim of the study was to record students’ recording accuracy when they practised with the reciprocal and the self-check styles in physical education and examine whether recording accuracy contributed to students’ performance. Participants were 48 fifth- and sixth-grade students who were randomly assigned to 3 experimental groups (reciprocal style, self-check style, sequential use of the reciprocal and the self-check styles). The results showed that students were moderately accurate in peer- and self-recording with a tendency to overestimate their performance. No difference among the 3 experimental groups in recording accuracy was found. Students who received more accurate feedback outperformed in the chest pass test those who received less accurate feedback. The results are discussed with reference to the use of the reciprocal and the self-check styles and the development of self-regulated learning in physical education.     

Effort is virtuous: teacher preferences of pupil effort,ability and grading in physical education

Based on contemporary psychological approaches to attribution and emotions, this paper reports on three groups of pre‐ and inservice teachers and their preferences for different grading criteria for pupils based on the amount of effort and ability displayed in physical education. Consistent with our hypothesis derived from social psychological theories of social emotion, we found a clear preference for working with pupils who show effort. Two primary education student samples preferred students to achieve success in PE through effort rather than ability, whereas a sample of secondary PE teachers had a slight preference for high effort and high ability. This confirms other attributional research where ‘effort is virtuous’. As far as grading procedures were concerned, all three groups preferred to use pupil progress and effort the most. Scores on physical fitness tests and the performance of pupils relative to others were the least preferred options. Effort‐based grading procedures were correlated with a preference for pupils who showed high effort. All groups showed a preference to work with pupils who try hard and to grade them on this, as well as personal progress. There was little desire to assess pupils normatively.     

Struggling between tradition and modernity: gender and educational choice‐making in contemporary Cyprus

This article investigates the role of gender in educational choice‐making for post secondary school destinations in contemporary Cyprus. More specifically, it examines the cultural and ideological mechanisms that produce gender differentiation in the way educational choices are made by secondary school students and their families. Drawing on evidence from a qualitative investigation of parents of students graduating from secondary schools it supports that the unequal patterns observed can be partly explained by the diverse ways Cypriot parents perceive gender roles which in turn influence their willingness to invest economic and non monetary resources to support their children’s choices.     

Religious education in Greece: a new curriculum,an old issue

Religious Education (RE) in Greece is a compulsory school subject according the 2011 new framework for compulsory education, entitled ‘New School’. This article focuses on two statutory documents for RE, ‘The Curriculum for RE’ and the ‘The Teacher’s Guide for RE’, and the pilot scheme of the new curriculum running in school years, 2011–2014, in 188 schools (primary and secondary education). Findings of the research demonstrate that, though the revision seems inevitable, the pedagogical and theological dimension of the RE curriculum is radical as it is based on contemporary theories and methodologies of the construction of the curriculum and RE approaches. However, the article indicates constructivist and critical approaches to RE that influenced the change to an actual non-confessional compulsory subject and also highlighted the tension between an overall constructivist approach to learning and the traditional orthodox content of much of the curriculum. The author opens a discussion on problematic aspects that need to be taken in to consideration when revising the curriculum.     

Is physicality an important aspect of learning through science experimentation among kindergarten students?

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether physicality (actual and active touch of concrete material), as such, is a necessity for science experimentation learning at the kindergarten level. We compared the effects of student experimentation with Physical Manipulatives (PM) and Virtual Manipulatives (VM) on kindergarten students’ understanding of concepts related to the use of a beam balance as a means to compare and differentiate materials according to their mass. A pre-post comparison study design was used that involved four conditions, with 20 kindergarten students in each condition. The first and second conditions included students who had correct prior knowledge of what a balance beam does and who were given PM and VM, respectively, to use for the study's purposes. The third and fourth conditions included students who had an incorrect prior knowledge of what a balance beam does and who were also given PM and VM, respectively, to use. All conditions followed the same learning tasks, which was a series of experiments. The learning process occurred in the context of a clinical interview, which was used as a means to collect data before, during, and after the learning process. Findings revealed that kindergarteners learned more from experimentation in both PM conditions and the VM condition whose participants had correct prior knowledge of what a balance beam does than in the VM condition whose participants had an incorrect knowledge of what a balance beam does. Physicality appears to be a prerequisite for students’ understanding of concepts concerning the use of a beam balance, as a means to compare and differentiate materials according to their mass, only when the students have incorrect prior knowledge of what a beam balance does.     

Widening participation in postgraduate studies in Greece: mature working women attending an e‐learning programme

This article examines issues relating to widening participation in postgraduate study programmes in Greece. It focuses on a group of mature women and examines their experiences from attending a novel postgraduate e‐learning programme at the University of the Aegean. It presents findings from a study, which looked into mature women’s decision to return to higher education in relation to their responsibilities stemming from marriage, motherhood, work and housework. In particular it examines how these women balanced their different and often conflicting roles, managing to operate within very tight time schedules and demands from their postgraduate studies. The findings of this study have policy implications for issues of equality of educational opportunities and participation in higher education in Greece and elsewhere.