An ordinary moonlighting activity? Determinants of the provision of private tutoring by Czech schoolteachers

Teacher moonlighting (teachers working other jobs in addition to teaching) may have positive as well as negative implications. In the context of post-socialist countries, the provision of private tutoring is one of the common forms of teacher moonlighting. The aim of the paper is to analyse the prevalence and factors that are associated with a) having a paid job in addition to one’s regular teaching obligations; b) provision of private tutoring among teachers. Results are drawn from a representative sample of 494 Czech teachers of academic school subjects in lower secondary schools who responded to an online questionnaire survey. Male teachers working part-time, with shorter professional experience, higher household financial burden and lower satisfaction with teacher salaries were more likely to moonlight. The provision of private tutoring was only associated with shorter professional experience and the teaching of core subjects, suggesting that Czech teachers’ motivation to provide private tutoring is currently not primarily financial.     

Facilitating flexible learning by replacing classroom time with an online learning environment: A systematic review of blended learning in higher education

Higher education institutions are trying to provide more flexibility and individualization, which is mainly realized through the use of new technologies and implemented in online or blended learning designs. This systematic review aims to investigate the impact of replacing classroom time with an online learning environment. The meta-analysis (k = 21 effect sizes) applied strict inclusion criteria concerning research design, measurement of learning outcomes and implementation of blended learning. The estimated effect size (Hedge's g) was positive, although not significantly different from zero and the confidence interval [-0.13, 0.25], suggesting that overall differences between blended and conventional classroom learning are small, and, at best, very small negative or moderate positive effects are plausible. This means that despite a reduction in classroom time between 30 and 79 per cent, equivalent learning outcomes were found. Consequently, blended learning with reduced classroom time is not systematically more or less effective than conventional classroom learning.     

Wellbeing: How we make sense of it and what this means for teachers

In this paper, the authors discuss their grounded research carried out with teachers about the wellbeing of teachers. They explore the importance of making the concept of wellbeing more intimate and consider hedonic and eudaimonic ways of looking at wellbeing. They present a model of layered reflection which illuminates key factors that have an impact on the wellbeing of teachers.     

Should I stay or should I go? Predictors and effects of studying abroad during high school

In an increasingly globalized and culturally diverse world, extended stays abroad during high school are considered important opportunities for acquiring and improving a variety of skills, most importantly, language achievement. This study examines both predictors and effects of studying abroad in an English-speaking country during high school, using population data from the second largest city in Germany (N = 5361; 13% went abroad). In order to determine the most central predictors of studying abroad, we employed logistic regression models in which students’ socioeconomic background emerged as the strongest predictor of studying abroad. To test the effects of studying abroad, we applied propensity score matching. Studying abroad had positive effects on standardized achievement, grades, and course choice in English, whereas it had hardly any effects on outcomes in math. Implications for studying abroad during high school and future research directions are discussed.     

指向武术核心素养的中小学武术有效教学策略与方法设计

为了有效促进学生武术核心素养的培育,针对我国武术教学中存在套路内容“繁难”、教法单一、重“形”轻“击”、重知识灌输,轻自主性培养、重教师的“教”,轻学生的“学”“学生不喜欢武术课”等一系列问题,提出了有效促进武术认知、武术运动能力、武术人格培育的原则,基于此原则,对“化难为易”策略、“化浅为深”策略、“化无趣为有趣”策略、“化技术为实践”策略、“知新温故”等策略进行了具体探索性设计,并对上述策略的具体实施方法进行了阐述,为中小学武术教学改革提供现实指导。     

图书馆情报学主要研究方法:了解、选择及使用

[目的/意义]研究方法在学术研究中发挥着至关重要的作用。确认图书馆情报学领域主要的研究方法，并对它们进行了解熟悉，以在开展研究时能合理选择、灵活使用，确保研究质量。[方法/过程]对近2 000篇图书馆情报学领域的研究文献以及相关研究方法论文进行内容分析，在此基础上对研究方法的类分命名、图书馆情报学界主要的研究方法的确定、特点和使用注意事项进行介绍和讨论。[结果/结论]研究方法应以数据收集法而不是数据分析法命名。图书馆情报学领域常用的研究方法包括实验法、问卷法、理论研讨法、内容分析法、访谈法和书目计量法，每种方法都有各自的特点。因而在选择使用时，既应根据具体研究课题及研究方法之特性，也要考虑使用注意事项，并尽量在同一研究中采用两种或更多的方法，以扬长避短，更有效地展开研究。     

Syllable-based reading improvement: Effects on word reading and reading comprehension in Grade 2

This study examined the effects of a syllable-based reading intervention for German second graders who demonstrated difficulties in the recognition of written words. The intervention focused on fostering word reading via syllable segmentation. The materials consisted of the 500 most frequent syllables typically read by 6- to 8-year-old children. The aims were to practice phonological recoding, consolidate orthographic representations of syllables, and routinize the access to these representations. Compared to children randomly assigned to a wait-list group, poor readers in the treatment condition showed significant improvements in standardized measures of phonological recoding, direct word recognition, and text-based reading comprehension after the 24-session intervention. Poor readers in the treatment condition also showed greater improvements in development of word recognition compared to children with efficient word recognition skills. The results provide evidence that a syllable-based reading intervention is a promising approach to increase struggling readers’ word recognition skills, which in turn will improve their reading comprehension.     

‘I would say nine times out of 10 they come to the LSA rather than the teacher’. The role of teaching assistants in supporting children's mental health

This research explored how seven primary school teaching assistants (TAs) experienced their role in supporting children's mental health. Interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The participants believed that they supported children's mental health and particularly referenced the close relationships that they formed with children. Throughout their accounts of supporting children, the TAs referenced helpful factors (e.g. support from other staff) and challenges (e.g. hierarchy) within the school system. Supporting children’s mental health was an emotional experience for the TAs; they discussed the rewarding element, however, the topic also elicited fear. The findings provide several implications for school staff and external professionals about how TAs can be supported in their role. These include involving TAs in training opportunities, providing TAs with supervision, considering communication systems in schools, and introducing a mental health policy.     

巧用概念图开展小学数学教学研究

概念图是小学课堂中重要的教学手段,它可以通过图片的形式,将数学知识点之间的联系表达出来,有利于培养学生的数学学科综合素养。本次研究根据小学生的特点,帮助学生培养运用概念图的习惯,以期获得良好的小学数学教学效果。     

面向幼儿发展的表现性评价实践研究

本研究采用表现性评价,对x幼儿园大班一个班级39名幼儿进行为期一年的发展性评价,在真实情境中对幼儿的发展状况作出连续性评价,获悉幼儿不同阶段的发展状况,同时对评价过程进行总结和反思。