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1
Wilks, Patricia A., and n/a. "Teacher morale in A.C.T. primary schools." University of Canberra. Education, 1993. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20061110.132233.
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This study investigates morale as perceived by primary
school teachers. A survey was administered to level 1
teachers in A.C.T. government schools. Of the 280
surveys distributed 165 returns were able to be
processed, a 59% response rate.
Teacher morale has an effect on the quality of teaching
and hence student outcomes and is currently an
important aspect of the education debate. Teacher
stress, a product of low morale, has been of concern to
teacher unions and to education departments across
Australia.
Morale, for the purpose of this study, is defined as
a confident and forward looking state of mind relevant
to a shared and vital purpose.
The survey used in this study was a modified version of
Smith's Staff Morale Questionnaire. This instrument
identifies three factors of morale : "Cohesive Pride",
"Leadership Synergy", "Personal Challenge". Responses
relating to these factors were analysed with respect
to age, gender, years of experience, school in which
the teacher is employed and type of teaching duties.
Results indicated that school attended has an influence
on the level of "leadership synergy" and gender has an
influence on the level of "personal challenge".
This research may have implications for school
leadership and professional development programs and
policy.
2
Thornton, Marie Eileen. "Teacher specialisation and the primary curriculum." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1992. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10020197/.
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Govinda, Ishwar Lingam, and n/a. "Teacher preparation for the world of work: a study of pre-service primary teacher education in Fiji." Griffith University. School of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, 2004. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20041021.131036.
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This study was undertaken to selectively investigate pre-service primary teacher education in one of the Pacific island countries, and in particular to explore whether it provides an adequate and enriching professional preparation to beginning teachers with a view to satisfying the demands of work in the field. In doing so, the issue was examined in detail in a teacher education institution located in Fiji, namely, Lautoka Teachers College (LTC). An integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed to explore if beginning teachers from the College are provided with appropriate professional preparation as future teachers. Using LTC as a case study, basic data gathering methods utilized questionnaire surveys, interviews and documentary analyses. Survey-based data were gathered from the beginning teachers to find out their perceptions of the pre-service program that they had completed. Data were also gathered from their Head Teachers to ascertain views on the beginning teachers' professional preparation for the demands of work in their schools. In addition, an interview-based approach explored the perceptions of not only the College staff but also the Ministry of Education officials with regard to the preparation of teachers in meeting the demands of work and responsibilities in the field. Documentary-based research was also used to explore matters associated with teacher preparation at LTC and to integrate the findings with the data obtained in the surveys and interviews. The study indicated that the beginning teachers were not adequately prepared for the demands of work and responsibilities expected of them as perceived by the profession and other stakeholders. A number of factors were found to be contributing to the perceived inadequacy of the professional preparation of beginning teachers. Lack of physical facilities and quality of educational resources together with an outdated curriculum contributed to this situation. At the same time, lack of support from the principal stakeholder in terms of staff professional development and funding was also cited as impacting upon the quality of pre-service teacher education provided to the beginning teachers. An important emergent issue emanating from the study relates to colonial influence on Fiji's education in general, and teacher education at LTC in particular. Some of the problems LTC grappled with were attributable to certain features of the formalised educational system introduced during the colonial era. These aspects, such as the inheritance of the system of educational administration and centralised control, constrained the College in attempting to fulfil its professional role in an appropriate and responsive manner. The administrative system and related context, delivery and assessment elements established in education during the colonial period have been retained and not attuned to contemporary Fiji needs despite the changing times. In overview terms, the presence of these aspects appeared to have impacted negatively on College's effective conduct of its professional role and responsibilities. Further, this study provides specific insights into the pre-service primary teacher education in Fiji, in particular the importance of having relevant policies and programs to ensure the provision of an adequate and enriching professional preparation for teachers to meet the range of work commitments in the field. The study concluded that a number of factors influence the professional preparation of future teachers and these need to be considered with a view to ensuring that teachers are able to meet the demands of their profession. Based on these findings, the study recommends ways and means to improve the pre-service primary teacher education at LTC, which in turn could be expected to enhance the professional preparation of teachers and their competence within the context of teaching in Fiji primary schools. Additionally, some possible areas for future research have been suggested.
4
Pope, D. "Conceptions of subject knowledge in primary initial teacher training : the perspectives of student teachers and teacher educators." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2017. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/5762/.
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This study is about the ways in which the term subject knowledge is conceptualised and interpreted by student teachers, university tutors and school mentors in the context of undergraduate primary initial teacher training (ITT) in two post-1992 university providers. Subject knowledge has been a consistent feature of the policy context of ITT over decades, although disparities are apparent between the rhetoric of policy directives, the theoretical knowledge base and how primary teachers’ subject knowledge is represented, and enacted, in communities of practice in primary ITT. The conceptual framework for the research is underpinned by Shulman’s (1987) theoretical knowledge bases for teaching, and draws significantly on the conceptual tools of culture, practice and agents in educational settings, provided by Ellis’s (2007) situated model of subject knowledge. The perspective of the individual is developed further by utilising Kelchtermans’s (2009) personal interpretative framework. An additional lens is provided by the external political context, within which primary ITT is located. The research adopted an inductive, interpretative approach that incorporated multiple methods to construct a bricolage. Data collection included semi-structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews that incorporated the production of visual data, and content analysis of documents. The study indicates that subject knowledge was understood by participants as an umbrella term representing general teacher knowledge, rather than as a critically distinct concept. Overall, there was a general lack of emphasis on subject-specific pedagogical knowledge evident in the discourse around subject knowledge for primary teaching. Conceptualisations of subject knowledge were highly individualistic. The findings indicated that the culture and practice in different contexts is interpreted and experienced in very different ways by individuals to influence their interpretations of subject knowledge and its place in pedagogy. Thus, this study makes an original contribution to knowledge in the field by: 1) mapping the details of the conceptualisations of subject knowledge held by student primary teachers, university tutors and school mentors in the context of undergraduate primary ITT, to identify commonalities, and disparities, with the theoretical knowledge base; and 2) identifying and examining cross-contextual and personal influences on conceptions of subject knowledge and in so doing, extending and adapting Ellis’s (2007) model of subject knowledge, to the specific context of undergraduate primary ITT.
5
Grudnoff, Alexandra Barbara. "Becoming a Teacher: An Investigation of the Transition from Student Teacher to Teacher." The University of Waikato, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2647.
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This thesis seeks to gain greater knowledge of the process of transition and development that beginning primary teachers undergo over their first year of teaching. The research focus is on investigating and understanding this process from the standpoint of the beginning teacher. Of particular interest is an examination of how the teacher preparation programme, contextual features of the school, and participants' own beliefs and biographies influence and impact on their transition to teaching and their professional and identity development as first year teachers. This longitudinal study takes an interpretive approach to investigate the first year teaching experiences of 12 beginning teachers in 11 primary schools. The qualitative methodology used in this thesis shares characteristics with a case study approach and utilizes procedures associated with grounded theory. Data were gathered systematically over a year by way of 48 semi-structured, individual interviews, two focus group interviews, and 48 questionnaires, supplemented by field notes. The collected data were analyzed, coded, and categorized, and explanations and theory that emerged from this process were grounded in the data. The findings of this study have three broad sets of implications for the education and induction of beginning teachers. Firstly, they question the role that practicum plays in the transition from student to teacher. The findings suggest that the practicum component of teacher preparation programmes should be re-conceptualized and redesigned to provide authentic opportunities for student teachers to be exposed to the full range of work demands and complexity that they will encounter as beginning teachers. Secondly, becoming a successful teacher appears to depend on the quality of the school's professional and social relationships, particularly in terms of the frequency and type of formal and informal interactions that ii beginning teachers have with colleagues. While the major source of satisfaction and self-esteem came from seeing the children whom they taught achieving socially and academically, the beginning teachers also had a strong need for affiliation, which was enabled through positive, structured interactions and relationships with colleagues. The study also indicates that employment status influences the way that the beginning teachers view their work and themselves as teachers, with those in relieving positions displaying greater variability in terms of emotional reactions and a sense of professional confidence than those employed in permanent positions. The third set of implications relate to beginning teacher induction. The study points to variability in the quality of induction experiences and challenges policy makers and principals to ensure that all beginning teachers are provided with sound and systematic advice and guidance programmes which are necessary for their learning and development. While the study confirms the critical role played by tutor teachers in beginning teacher induction, it suggests that the focus is on emotional and practical support rather than on educative mentoring to enhance new teachers' thinking and practice. This thesis provides a comprehensive and nuanced view of how beginning to teach is experienced and interpreted. It paints a complex picture of the relationship between biography, beliefs, preparation, and context in the process of learning to teach. The study contributes to the literature on the education of beginning teachers. It highlights the need for developing a shared understanding amongst policy makers, teacher educators, and schools regarding the multiplicity and complexity of factors that influence the transition and development of beginning teachers.
6
Barron, Elaine Bernadette. "Primary headteachers' perceptions of training teachers fit to practise within changing landscapes of teacher training." Thesis, University of Bedfordshire, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10547/621834.
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Recent changes to the provision for teacher training have seen a move to place greater responsibility for the training of teachers with schools rather than with Higher Education Institutes. The rationale appears to be the view that this will produce the kind of teachers schools are looking to employ. However, there appears to be little research focused on the opinions of the senior management of primary schools about whether they believe this to be the case, whether they feel schools are in a good position to undertake this training, and what impact they perceive such a move will have on primary schools. This study took a constructivist grounded theory approach to explore primary school headteachers’ perceptions of how best to train primary school teachers seen by them as fit to practise and what they perceived schools could and could not provide to support this outcome. Data were initially collected in a feasibility study exploring the views of the headteacher, the school-based mentor and the former trainee teacher in identifying their perceptions of factors which contributed to the outstanding outcome for a trainee on the Graduate Trainee Programme on the completion of his training year. Reflections on one of these factors in particular, that of the crucial role of the headteacher in enabling the successful outcome, at a time when a number of significant reforms to teacher training were being implemented, prompted a reconsideration of the focus of the main study to an exploration of headteachers’ perceptions of training teachers seen by them as fit to practise in primary schools in a changing landscape of teacher training. Twelve primary school headteachers participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed utilising a constant comparison method (Strauss and Corbin, 1990; Charmaz, 2006). Conclusions from a small scale study cannot easily be generalised. However the findings from the main study suggested the headteachers believed teachers who were fit to practise demonstrated the ability to think critically about their practice and that this attribute was under-represented in standards for teachers. In terms of training to become teachers fit to practise the headteachers supported the viewpoint of the primacy of practice but believed that practice alone was not sufficient to develop the teachers they sought to employ in their schools. In order to become critical thinkers trainee teachers needed to study the theory underpinning the teaching in schools. This study should be guided by experts, who most of the headteachers identified as academic partners, in teacher training located outside of the school. There was a measure of hostility from some of the headteachers to the idea that a teaching school could fulfil this expert role. The headteachers used a number of synonyms to describe the teachers they were seeking but all appeared to mean teachers fit to practise in their schools. The headteachers believed they had the ability to recognise the potential to become a teacher fit to practise in applicants to teaching and they used this to identify trainee teachers who would fit their schools. With greater responsibility for teacher training moving to schools this highlighted issues of equality of opportunity and a potentially insular approach to the training and recruitment of teachers. According to the headteachers, schools which participated in teacher training required at least a good Ofsted grade, a climate and skilled staff to support novices and strategic leadership by the headteacher. As part of the remit of this strategic leadership the headteachers perceived it was their role to protect their schools from external pressures such as Ofsted inspections. This, they believed, gave them the autonomy to decide on their level of participation, if any, in teacher training on an annual basis. Recommendations for further research, policy and partnerships have been made.
7
Marino, Pamela R. "The National Numeracy Strategy and primary teacher confidence as perceived by teachers." Thesis, University of Bath, 2003. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.426173.
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Prestwich, Jeanne Sperry. "Teacher Definitions of Integration in Primary Grades." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2012. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3738.
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One obstacle that challenges the implementation of effective curriculum integration practices is the confusion caused by the existence of numerous definitions of this construct in the literature. This concern is further compounded by the potential disconnect between the varied definitions proposed by scholars and classroom teachers' acceptance and use of curriculum integration. The purpose of this study was to analyze K-3 grade teachers' self-reported definitions of curriculum integration. Teachers responded to an Internet survey in which they provided their personal definition of curriculum integration, described integrated teaching examples from their own classroom, and rated six teaching scenarios for quality of integration. Results suggest that teachers may not share the wide variety of definitions of integration described in the literature. Teachers in this study seemed to generally share one definition of integration, as measured by their explanation of the term integration and by the teaching examples they provided. In addition, the majority of the teachers' definitions aligned with their teaching examples, suggesting that the teachers both define and practice integration in similar ways. Finally, when teachers ranked teaching scenarios written to illustrate different levels of quality of curriculum integration, the majority of the teachers again appeared to agree on a shared definition. There were no statistical differences based on grade level, years of experience and education level. In addition to presentation of results, implications for future research and practice are discussed.
9
Crowhurst, S. J. "Explaining in the primary classroom." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.380782.
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10
Deruage, Joseph Kua. "Beginning primary teachers' induction and mentoring practices in Papua New Guinea." The University of Waikato, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2250.
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Professional development of beginning teachers through induction and mentoring has been commonly viewed as important for teachers' success and continuation in the teaching profession. Induction and specifically mentoring programs focus attention on transitions from one stage of teacher development to another. The three phases of teacher development are initial teacher education, known as pre-service, the induction phase and the ongoing teacher in-service education. The move from student to teacher is the most demanding change in learning to teach. The beginning teacher in this change must adjust from thinking and acting as a student, absorbed with his or her own learning and performance, to thinking and acting as a teacher, accepting responsibility for the learning and performance of others. Beginning teachers are fully engaged in this essential development, and mentoring programs are purposely intended to support them through this period of change. This study has established that beginning teachers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) do experience challenges in the first few months of teaching but these issues lapse over time with the support and assistance of mentors/supervisors. Mentoring has great potential for group effort and transformational teacher learning within schools as professional learning communities. In order for mentors to perform their tasks well and draw benefits from mentoring, appropriate support and training for mentors is recommended. As well as support and training, other incentives for mentors such as salary increments and reduced teaching loads would be a welcome step to enhancing induction and mentoring programs in PNG primary schools.
11
Lekome, Botsang Patricia. "Professional development of primary school educators through the developmental appraisal system." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2007. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-09122008-152948/.
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Keys, Philip Mark. "Primary And Secondary Teachers Shaping The Science Curriculum: The Influence Of Teacher Knowledge." Queensland University of Technology, 2003. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/15920/.
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This thesis reports on how primary and secondary teachers' knowledge influenced the implementation of a Year 1-10 science syllabus which was introduced into Queensland in 1999. The study investigated how the teachers' knowledge of the primary and secondary teachers differed and how teachers' knowledge impacted on the implementation of the science curriculum. Teacher knowledge otherwise referred to as teacher beliefs and practices has been acknowledged as an influence in the implementation of curriculum. Yet, a considerable portion of curriculum evaluation has focused on measuring the successful implementation of the intended curriculum and not the enactment. As a result, few studies have investigated how the curriculum has been influenced by teacher knowledge or have compared primary and secondary teacher knowledge. Furthermore, in order to provide a seamless grade one to ten science syllabus it is necessary to compare primary and secondary teacher beliefs and practices to determine whether or not the beliefs and practices held by these two groups of teachers is similar or dissimilar and how these beliefs and practices in turn, impact on the implementation of a curriculum. The research adopted Eisner's (1991) methodology of educational criticism and used a comparative case study approach to investigate the teacher knowledge of four primary and three secondary teachers. Data were presented as a dialogue between three composite characters, a lower primary, a middle/upper primary and a secondary teacher. The results revealed that teachers utilised three sets of beliefs to shape the implementation of the science curriculum. These were categorised as expressed, entrenched and manifested beliefs. The primary and secondary teachers did possess similar sets of beliefs and knowledge bases but their strategies for implementation in some instances were different. Furthermore, these sets of beliefs and knowledge bases served as motivator or an inhibitor to teach science in the manner that they did. A theoretical model was developed to explain how these sets of beliefs influenced the curriculum. This study provides professional developers with a framework to observe teacher beliefs in action and thereby to assist in the facilitation of curriculum change.
13
Short, Leanne. "Teachers' and pupils' views of teacher-pupil relationships through primary and middle school." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/2250.
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Research into teacher-pupil relationships is a rapidly expanding evidence-base with literature reporting these relationships to be fundamental to pupils’ psychological and academic development. Previous research focused on educational priorities of academic achievement, as opposed to social relationships and psychological well-being. The first paper critically reviews existing research using the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) as a measure of teachers’ views of teacher-pupil relationships through Primary and Middle School. The studies acknowledge the importance of teacher-pupil relationships and conclude close, supportive relationships which have low levels of conflict and dependency, significantly increase pupils’ social, emotional and behavioural development, and to a lesser degree, their academic achievement. As the research in the systematic literature review focused on teachers’ reports, pupils’ views are insufficiently represented. Due to this, the empirical research uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the factors that Year 6 pupils’ think affect their relationships with their teachers through Primary School. Transcripts of semi-structured interviews with four pupils were analysed and three super-ordinate themes were produced to capture the essence of their interpretations of their lived experiences of their relationships with their teachers. Overall, the Year 6 pupils’ views were in line with those reported by teachers in previous research. A supportive, inclusive relationship, with low levels of conflict and opportunities for shared experiences outside of the typical learning environment promotes pupils’ social, emotional and behavioural development, as well as their level of engagement in learning and subsequently, their overall academic achievement.
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Koljonen, Tuula. "Finnish Teacher Guides in Mathematics : Resources for primary school teachers in designing teaching." Licentiate thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för utbildning, kultur och kommunikation, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-25806.
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Previous research worldwide has shown that curriculum materials maintain a strong presence and constitute an important tool, artefact, in mathematics classrooms. Yet, there is a vast lack of research on the design and the characteristics of teacher guides. The thesis aims to: 1) investigate the features of the Finnish teacher guides for mathematics at primary school and 2) map the cultural specificities and norms for classroom practices as construed in Finnish teacher guides. The data consist of nine Finnish teacher guides in mathematics (belonging to three textbook series) for Grades 1-6 and comprise almost 90 percent of the teacher guides utilized in Finnish schools for 2008. These teacher guides are examined through three studies. In the first study, we developed an analytical tool based on Davis and Krajcik’s ideas about educative curriculum materials when analysing the teacher guides’ content. In the second study, we analysed a larger sample of the Finnish teacher guides using the same analytical tool, but extending the study to also analyse their form, i.e. their look, structure and voice. This study shows that there is a wide consensus on both the content and the form of the guides. While several educative aspects are weakly presented in the guides, the analysis shows that they offer rich and varied resources for teachers in their everyday work in designing and enacting mathematics teaching and hence, learning in practice. The third study delves more deeply into the characteristics of the support the guides offer to design mathematics classrooms. We characterize the cultural script of the reflected classroom practice by analysing the form and the function of the activities promoted in most of the guides. We found a relatively homogeneous script that promotes differentiation while keeping students in the same mathematical area, opportunities to participate in whole-class interaction that comprises a variety of activities, like mental calculation, games, problem-solving, individual and group work, and small piece of homework after every single lesson. The thesis contributes to the international research discourse on curriculum materials and in particular on teacher guides as resources for design of mathematics classroom in a specific educational context. The study is also of interest for teachers, and for text-book authors in developing teacher guides in line with research.Tidigare forskning visar att läromedel, så som elevernas lärobok och lärarhandledningar är den resurs som används i huvudsak som grund för matematikundervisning. Finsk forskning visar dessutom att finländska lärare (åk 1-6) i stor utsträckning använder lärarhandledningar i själva undervisningen och även för att planera och organisera sin undervisning. Studiens övergripande syfte är att se vilken typ av resurs de finländska lärarhandledningar utgör för läraren, men också att belysa vilken typ av klassrum som dessa lärarhandledningar verkar främja, då lärarna använder de uppgifter och aktiviteter som presenteras i lärarhandledningarna. Studien är genomförd som en dokumentanalys av tre läroboksserier i matematik för grundskolans årskurser 1, 3 och 6. Det är totalt nio lärarhandledningar som har analyserats. Dessa tre läroboksserier täcker nästan 90 procent av de lärarhandledningar som användes i och på finska skolor under år 2008. Avhandlingen består av tre studier. I den första studien som också betraktas som pilotstudie, utvecklade vi ett fungerande analytiskt verktyg som bygger på Davis och Krajciks idéer om ”lärande läromedel”. I den andra studien fördjupar vi resultaten från pilotstudien genom att analysera ett större urval med samma ramverk. Denna studie visar att det finns en bred enighet om både innehåll och form i lärarhandledningarna och vi identifierade sex återkommande aktiviteter som är närvarande på varje tilltänkt lektion. Vidare visar analysen att egenskaperna hos de finländska lärarhandledningarna erbjuder rika och varierande resurser för lärare i det dagliga arbetet vid både planering och genomförande av matematikundervisning. Den tredje studien är en fördjupning i analysverktygets femte kategori för att finna vilket stöd de erbjuder för att designa undervisning. Där kartlägger och karakteriserar vi det kulturella skript utifrån de finska lärarhandledningarna genom att analysera både form och funktion av de gemensamt föreslagna återkommande aktiviteterna. Vi identifierade en relativt homogen klassrumspraktik som lyfter fram helklassinteraktion, variation med hjälp av olika typer av aktiviteter, möjlighet för alla elever att delta och läxor som en förlängning av lärande av lektionens innehåll. Avhandlingen mynnar ut i en diskussion av resultatens slutsatser och dess praktiska implikationer, vilket kan vara av intresse för forskare, läromedelsförfattare men även för lärare, rektorer och kommuner som vill utveckla och förbättra undervisningen i matematik. Avhandlingen bidrar till den internationella forskningsdiskursen om läromedel i stort och om lärarhandledningar i synnerhet.
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Barrett, Angeline M. "Teacher identity in context : a comparison of Tanzanian with English primary school teachers." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/8732de07-0dc6-47da-b698-e74ffedf3452.
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The last two decades has seen a plethora of literature from Anglophonic Western countries treating teachers as thinking, feeling, believing, doing human beings. By contrast, primary school teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa are often represented as input-output functions, both causes and casualties as poor quality. An exception is the literature that has explored how the material, systemic and socio-cultural context of low-income countries constrains teachers' practice. This study sets out to open up a two-way conversation between Tanzanian primary school teachers' constructs of their occupational identity and models of English teacher identity to be found in literature. In so doing it aims to combine the insights of literature on teacher identity, treated as being culturally situated, with comparativists' alertness to context. A dialogic hermeneutic epistemological framework is used, within which knowledge creation is modelled as a conversation. Participants in the conversation include the inquirer (myself), individual research participants, the collective identities of Tanzanian and English primary teachers and academic literature. Borrowing from Hall's conceptualisation of cultural identity, occupational identity is understood as non-essentialist, always in the process of being re-defined as it is negotiated between different individuals and groups within the teaching profession. Tanzanian teachers' views on their responsibilities, the purpose of education and their relations to others were collected through interviews and discussion groups. These were supported by intensive observation of two schools and more extended conversation with and observation of three focus teachers. Findings are presented in the form of description of schools; personal narratives; teachers' perceptions of their relations and responsibilities towards pupils, society and the state and teachers' educational values discussed in relation to their classroom practice. These are drawn together into a theoretical model of the Tanzanian 'teacher identity landscape', which accommodates the difference amongst teachers and intergenerational movement in teacher identity. Bernstein's competence and performance pedagogic modes and their extension to professionalism by Osborn, Broadfoot & McNess are applied to the Tanzanian case. Explicit comparison allows interrogation of the culturally-situated nature of theory developed for the English context to arrive at description of a Tanzanian competence and performance mode of professionalism.
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Jacobs, Elfean Randall. "Teachers' perceptions whether school management teams contribute towards teacher leadership in primary schools." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6823.
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Teachers in South African schools are one of the most valuable role players in the execution and implementation of curricular and co-curricular activities. They perform almost every formal and informal task in their daily work to ensure the effectiveness of our schools. Teacher leadership, a relatively new leadership in South African education, which is embedded in a distributed leadership theory, places the emphasis of leadership not only on the principal and the school management team (SMT) but can be located to a wide range of people who work effectively to improve the organisation. The purpose of this study was to determine Post Level (PL) 1 teachers' perceptions of whether the SMT contributes towards teacher leadership in the school. In this case study, through purposive sampling, the researcher made use of one school in a case where a total of 19 teachers participated in the study. The researcher used one instrument to collect data on the PL 1 teachers' perceptions. A set of questionnaires was distributed to elicit responses from PL 1 teachers and the result was analysed by means of themes. Evidence revealed that teachers are not aware of the existence of the new model of teacher leadership. However, findings also revealed that some teachers are ready to perform as leaders. These findings can influence leadership practices, collaboration, improvements in the school, motivation, and job satisfaction, as well as learner performance.
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Mackenzie, Roderick. "The predicament of the new primary teacher : educating teachers as intellectuals in changing times." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/428.
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This thesis is based on a case study of the predicament of new primary teachers in a time of rapid and multiple change. It examines the proposal that emerging teachers should be supported as intellectuals in responding to the inherited collision of education policy and practice within postmodernity. Action research methodology was employed to investigate a small scale attempt to support student teachers as intellectuals in their final period of the BEd. Some participants were followed into the first year of teaching, using an ethnographic and autoethnographic methodology to evaluate and elaborate the initial proposal. The study shows that emerging teachers could function as intellectuals but there was little political or professional support for this. In particular there were neglected elements in both preparation and induction periods concerning professional purpose, vocation and orientation. The study contributes to our understanding of the dilemmas of tutoring emerging teachers as intellectuals. It also contributes to our understanding of the predicament of new teachers, which is typified as caught between the rock of the state and the increasingly hard place of the school. In this situation clarity of ideals and beliefs are required, and personal and social strategies are needed to carry these through in the problematic contexts of both policy and practice. It is recommended that the imbalance of preparation and induction programmes is reconsidered in order to allow for these neglected elements. Finall y the study offers a cultural rationale for professional purpose and vocation based on principles of equality, quality, diversity and democracy.
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Satchell, W. K. J. "Teacher preferences and environmental performance in primary schools." Thesis, Cardiff University, 1985. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.370804.
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Barişeri, Nurtuğ. "Primary music teacher education in England and Turkey." Thesis, Durham University, 2000. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/4287/.
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This research investigates the primary student teachers' music education in England and Turkey. It is aimed to determine the generalist PGCE and specialist B.Ed students' attitudes and confidence towards primary music teaching before and after their teacher education courses. Similarly it investigated the 3(^rd) and 4(^th) year generalist student teachers' attitudes and confidence towards primary music teaching. Pre and post course questionnaires, interviews and informal observations were used for the study in England and a single questionnaire was applied to Turkish students. Factor analysis was used to construct a valid post-course questionnaire, which was also used to interpret some of the findings. English students' attitudes towards music teaching are based on three factors: (I) confidence in pedagogical content knowledge, (II) beliefs about value of music, (III) enjoyment of teaching music. Turkish students' responses on attitude statements created four factors: (I) confidence in content of music, (II) teaching role and beliefs to the value of music, (III) confidence in pedagogy, (IV) enthusiasm for music teaching. Turkish students tended to separate their pedagogical confidence from their subject knowledge confidence, whereas these aspects were merged for English students. In contrast to the Turkish teacher education course, the PGCE course increased students' confidence in their pedagogical knowledge and in creative activities at the end of their course. 3(^rd) year Turkish students were more confident in their musical and teaching knowledge and had more positive beliefs about the value of music education than the 4(^th) year students. Lack of time for music teaching practice and class management problems were shown as the main obstacles to the development of students' confidence to teach music further. The main implication for Turkish courses is to give more emphasis on pedagogy and creative activities for the education of students and English students should be given more chance to teach music during their teaching practice. Key Words: primary music education, specialist-generalist student teachers, attitude, confidence, and teaching practice.
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Parker, Gemma Louise. "Teacher agency : curriculum development in English primary academies." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/3975.
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The genesis of this study was the confluence of the Academies Act (2010), which legislated academy status and disapplied the statutory nature of the National Curriculum (DfE, 2013), and the finding that primary schools’ curriculum capacity was a cause for concern (Alexander, 2010). This concurrence seemed to make apparent a serious gap between intentions of teacher autonomy conveyed through policy (DfE, 2010; DfE, 2016a) and the capacity for teacher agency. This was compounded by a context of teachers’ professional environments characterised by long-standing statutory (Education Act, 1988) and non-statutory curriculum guidance (DfEE, 1998; DfEE, 1999) and stringent accountability measures (Hammersley-Fletcher and Strain, 2011; Ball, 2003; Ball, 2016). My own professional experience of primary schools and university initial teacher education departments reinforced this concern, which was heightened by its context of curriculum as the pre-eminent element of education (Young, 2014). The focus of the study is the achievement of teacher agency, regarding curriculum development specifically. It draws upon the ecological approach to teacher agency (Priestley, Biesta and Robinson, 2013) in order to explore the causal influence of the interplay of personal capacity and ecological conditions. Twenty-two primary academy teachers, across six primary academies, participated. A critical realist approach governs the study, thus the search for causal mechanisms considers structures at the real ontological level and the manner in which they are actualised by conditions. The methodology aligns with this philosophical paradigm and through a case study design, a deep understanding of participants’ realities is facilitated. This interpretivist, qualitative approach means theorised trends are strongly rooted in the data. Ultimately, the study’s key finding is that teachers’ personal capacity is the defining factor for their achievement of agency due to the way in which it affects their perception of their working environment. The study also posits that it is key professional learning experiences which are a principal influence upon teachers’ personal capacity to achieve agency. This develops the existing ecological approach to teacher agency (Priestley, Biesta and Robinson, 2013) by adding detail regarding the nature and impact of important past experiences. Recommendations regarding teachers’ professional learning experiences are made.
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Dean, Geoffrey Brian. "Teacher knowledge of grammar in the primary school." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/27096.
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This thesis presents an investigation of the beliefs, personal epistemologies and knowledge held by 8 teachers of primary age pupils in Years 5 and 6 about the teaching of grammar, and whether learning grammar brings about an improvement in writing. The study was divided into three parts. In the first phase the teachers were interviewed about their knowledge and understanding of grammar before being taught an unfamiliar grammar programme to be administered to their classes. They were each filmed teaching a grammar-based lesson. After nine months the teachers were interviewed once more and a further grammar-based lesson was filmed. Fifteen months after the start of the project they were interviewed and filmed for a final time. The semi-structured interviews were designed to elicit their espoused changing attitudes to grammar teaching and to trace any increases in grammar knowledge over the period of the research. The filmed lessons enabled comparisons to be made between the teachers’ claims relating to their changing knowledge and pedagogies and what was actually evidenced in lessons. Interview answers were initially inductively open coded and then subjected to axial coding, leading to the identification of four main themes on which the findings have been based: subject knowledge; personal epistemologies; teacher pedagogies and pupil progress. This study is important as it is concerned with what primary teachers know about, and their epistemological positions relating to, the teaching of grammar at an unprecedented time in English education, when they must all include the teaching of grammar in their curriculum for the first time.
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Wagiet, Razeena. "Environmental education : a strategy for primary teacher education." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003394.
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This research focuses on environmental education in initial teacher education, and is grounded in three interlinked and widely recognised assumptions. First, that education for sustainable living can assist in resolving some environmental problems that are contributing to the environmental crises of sustainability currently facing South Africa and the rest of the world. Second, that education for sustainable living can assist in the establishment of a new environmental ethic that will foster a sustainable way of living. Third, that teacher education is a vital process for the attainment of both. These assumptions inform the aim of this research, which is to explore the potential for the implementation of education for sustainable living, and to identify a strategy for this, for initial teacher education, for senior primary school student teachers in the Western Cape. The strategy is derived following the grounded theory approach, developed through the case study method. In the process of identifying the strategy, this study establishes that there are challenges at macro, meso and micro levels that are obstructing the changes necessary for education for sustainable living. Change theory provides the basis for explaining these shortcomings, by helping to identify the barriers that might obstruct the realisation of the changes that are necessary for education for sustainable living. These challenges need to be perceived in the light of overcoming three sets of barriers in the way of the potential implementation of education for sustainable living in teacher education. First are those that can be ascribed to the formal education system that, while clinging to Western, Eurocentric values on the one hand, bave also failed to secure a policy for environmental education on the other. Second are the barriers ascribed to the teacher educators themselves, with the whole notion of their powerlessness at its core. Finally, there are the logistical barriers, which encompass, for example, time and financial constraints. With these barriers as a backdrop, to facilitate the incorporation of environmental education into initial teacher education, the study identifies a need for the development of a strategy to secure that education for sustainable living assumes its rightful place in the curriculum for initial teacher education. This framework emerges from the theory grounded in the interviewees' responses during the research, and from the theory grounded in the literature. Central to this framework is for education for sustainable living to contribute to the realisation of real change, change that would further the transformation of our conflict-riddled and inequitable society towards a more democratic and just one. This thesis demonstrates that the realisation of the changes necessary for education for sustainable living demand a reconstruction of current teacher education in order to secure and to sustain an appropriate and sound education ethic to form the basis of a trans formative teacher education curriculum for sustainable living within initial teacher education. Except formal policy, but central to overcoming these barriers, is the need for professional development programmes for teacher educators. A strategy in this regard, is outlined.
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Maphalala, Mncedisi Christian. "Teacher stress in primary schools at eNsingweni circuit." Thesis, University of Zululand, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10530/1307.
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Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2002.The object of this study was to determine teacher stress in primary schools at Ensingweni Circuit. The first aim was to determine through literature the characteristics of stress, its causes and effects. The second aim was to conduct an empirical investigation into stress among educators at Ensingweni Circuit. The last aim was to present finds, and recommendations, which emanate from the study. A questionnaire was developed by the investigators, which measured the extent to which educators experienced stress in their working environment. By using the questionnaire the investigator was interested in determining which teaching stressors educators found most stressful. Some 71% females and 29% males educators of primary schools at Ensingweni Circuit filled out questionnaires. The teaching stressors which this sample of educators found stressful, in order of most to least stressful, were curriculum changes, work load pressures, job insecurity, poor relationship with colleagues, reward and recognition, learners discipline problems, poor rapport with management and role ambiguity. In terms of factors associated with teacher stress, the results showed that a combination of outside and inside were associated with teacher stress. In terms of inside factors, organisational stressors and classroom stressors were associated with teacher stress. In terms of outside stressors minimal general life stressors were also found to be associated with teacher stress. The problems educators viewed as most stressful are consistent with other studies on teacher stress, namely policy changes. time-workload pressures and classroom discipline. These studies were conducted by Bernard (1989) Gold & Roth (1993) and Cole & Walker (1989). The last chapter of this study recommends a variety of strategies that could be employed by educators to alleviate stress in teaching.
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Fajardo, Castaneda Jose Alberto. "Teacher identity construction : exploring the nature of becoming a primary school language teacher." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/1326.
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Central to this study is the question of how teachers construct their professional identity. This research explores the process of becoming a teacher and consequently of the construction of identity in terms of three specific components: belonging to a teacher community, the relationship between systems of knowledge and beliefs and classroom practice, and professional expectations for the future. A group of six Colombian preservice teachers in the final stage of their five-year teacher education programme were research participants. This case study used interviews, stimulated recall and on-line blogs as methods of data collection, and content analysis as the analytical approach. The findings reveal that while the process of learning to teach is individually constructed and experienced, it is socially negotiated. A teacher’s identity not only comprises personal knowledge and action, but is also influenced by the ideological, political and cultural interests and circumstances surrounding teachers’ lives and work. The research participants exhibited a permanent struggle between developing a personal professional style and coping with the restrictions imposed by living in a particular type of society that has already defined what teachers should do. Nevertheless, they manifested wellgrounded principles and theories of language teaching and learning and the purpose of education, and awareness of their potential as a new generation of teachers. This suggests that they had developed a sense of professional identity; a way to see themselves as teachers. This evolving identity sometimes conflicted with experience once they had faced the reality of classrooms, assumed institutional roles or negotiated modes of participation within a teacher community. The findings could be used as a point of departure in order to introduce changes into the curricula of teacher education programmes. The study has relevance for policymakers in planning action promoting professional development in pre-service and in-service teacher education.
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Smith, Kenneth H. "The self-concept and verbal academic achievement of primary and secondary student teachers /." Connect to thesis, 2000. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00000222.
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Bu, Xun. "An investigation of the relationships between professional development, teacher efficacy and teacher stress among teachers in Shanghai public primary schools." Scholarly Commons, 2017. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/1.
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Under the theoretical framework of Guskey’s (2000) professional development models and Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory, this study sought to (a) identify how teachers in Shanghai public primary schools perceive the effectiveness of different types of professional development; (b) assess teachers’ self-efficacy and stress level; and (c) examine how teachers’ perceived effectiveness of professional development, their self-efficacy and stress level are related. A total of 562 public primary school teachers in Shanghai responded to the online survey which consisted of demographic information, the short version of Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, Teacher Stress Inventory and a designed Professional Development Scale regarding the participation in and perceived effectiveness of professional development activities. Results emerged after analyzing the data: 1) among various types of professional development, mentoring, observation and assessment and study groups were perceived to be the most effective types by both novice and career teachers; 2) teachers generally felt “quite a bit” of teacher efficacy but a majority reported moderate levels of stress; 3) compared with their career counterparts, novice teachers have significantly lower self-efficacy and also show significantly lower stress; 4) a negative relationship between teacher efficacy and teacher stress exists for both groups of teachers; 5) an association between the perceived effectiveness of professional development and teacher efficacy exists for career teachers only; 6) teacher efficacy was found to fully mediate the relationship between perceived effectiveness of professional development and teacher stress only among career teachers. Additional discussion of the findings and their implications and suggestions for further research were also presented.
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Lam, Yee-mei Loretta. "Teacher stress encountered by Hong Kong secondary and primary school teachers similarity and disparity /." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2006. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B37598673.
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Lee, Hui-Chun. "Primary-based newly qualified teachers' sense of efficacy and their perceptions of teacher professionalism." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.407204.
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So, Wing-mui Winnie, and 蘇詠梅. "Teacher thinking: a comparison of science elective and non-science elective primary school teachers." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1996. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31958941.
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Lam, Yee-mei Loretta, and 林綺薇. "Teacher stress encountered by Hong Kong secondary and primary school teachers: similarity and disparity." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2006. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B37598673.
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So, Wing-mui Winnie. "Teacher thinking : a comparison of science elective and non-science elective primary school teachers /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1996. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B17595927.
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Ellis, Bronwyn Wendy. "How teachers and parents perceive parent-teacher communication in resource-constrained primary school settings." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/62915.
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The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of parent-teacher communication, its purpose and how it is implemented in resource-constrained school settings. I employed a collective case study design involving four cases, namely parents of Grade 3 learners, parents of Grade 6 learners, Grade 3 teachers and Grade 6 teachers. I followed a qualitative research approach in order to gain rich, contextual information that portrays the perceptions of the participants. I identified three primary schools to participate by combining purposeful and convenience sampling strategies, and purposefully selected 11 teachers and eight parents as participants. Eight semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions were conducted to collect data. In addition, I relied on observation, field notes and a research diary. Following inductive thematic data analysis, I identified the following themes: general modes of parent-teacher communication, purposes of parent-teacher communication, role-players and their expectations, factors negatively impacting parent-teacher communication, and strategies to move towards effective parent-teacher communication. Findings of the study indicate that the participating schools utilised written communication, telephone contact and meetings in person to exchange information with parents, in support of learners’ performance. Children, School Management Teams and the Department of Basic Education were identified as additional important role-players in communication. However, the attitudes, behaviours and preferences of teachers and parents as well as resource-constrained contexts can negativity influence parent-teacher communication. On the other hand, more effective use of technology, the creation of more opportunities for open dialogue and the commitment of all role-players can potentially enhance regular two-way communication between parents and teachers.Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
Educational Psychology
MEd
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Sexton, Steven S. "Teacher Coginition: The effects of prior experience on becoming a teacher." University of Sydney, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/1864.
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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)Teachers are unique when compared to most other professionals, as pre-service teachers spend more than a decade observing teachers in practice before entering their own professional training. This study investigated teacher candidates at the earliest point of their teacher training, entry into a teacher certification program, at the University of Sydney and University of Auckland in 2005. Specifically, this study sought to address how prior experiences informed the teacher role identity of male primary, female secondary and non-traditional student teachers. These three teacher candidate groups emerged from a previous study (Sexton, 2002) which explored post-graduate teacher candidates’ beliefs with the most vivid and articulate prior experiences. The study used a mixed-model research design to explore the research question, How do pre-service teacher candidates interpret prior teacher experiences as to the type of teacher they do and do not want to become? 354 entry-level teacher candidates were surveyed using both closed item and open-ended responses. From these participants, 35 were then interviewed before their course commencement and then again after their first teaching practicum. The study showed that there were differences as to how prior teachers informed the teacher role identity of entry-level student teachers. Male primary candidates were more influenced by their positive primary experiences of role model teachers. Female secondary participants remembered those secondary teachers who encouraged the development of critical thinking and they now wish to emulate this in their practice. Non-traditional student teachers remembered a wider range of educational experiences and entered into their teaching program to make a difference in both their and their students’ lives. The study highlights how in-service teachers play an important role in not only who will become teachers but also what subjects and school level future teachers will teach.
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Sim, Ju Youn. "The impact of in-service teacher training : a case study of teachers' classroom practice and perception change." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2011. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/36858/.
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The central focus of this study concerns the impact in Korea of an in-service teacher training (INSET) course on teachers’ classroom practice and their perception change. A qualitative case study involving observation and interviews was carried out during a period of six months before and after an INSET course. The three-week INSET course itself was observed. This was followed by the observation of five consecutive English lessons given by the two teachers. The teachers also took part in four semi-structured interviews. While the observations shed light on how the teachers implemented what they had learnt from the INSET into their teaching practice, the interviews explored a range of issues. These included their general expectations and outcomes of the INSET course, their perception changes and difficulties in putting new ideas into practice. Interviews also explored their perceptions of longer-term outcomes. The main finding in this study indicated that the two teachers faced some difficulties and challenges in implementing new ideas or knowledge obtained from the INSET course into their classroom practice, and did not do so to the same extent. The contextual differences between the INSET and real practice, the content of the INSET, and lack of school support were identified as constraining factors that limit implementation. The analysis also showed that the teachers’ confidence and motivation resulting from the INSET led to their better career prospects and affected their professional identity. Some important implications from the study for language teacher training are discussed to highlight how the potential impact of INSET could be optimised: (i) INSET should provide ongoing support to promote developmental continuity after the course; (ii) INSET should consider teaching contexts sensitively, especially large classes and limited materials; and (iii) trainees continue their professional development under their own initiative even after the INSET course.
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Leo, Elizabeth Law. "Motivation and self-concept in primary school children." Thesis, Durham University, 1996. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1519/.
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Carnochan, Jean Kathleen. "Tourette's syndrome and primary education : child and teacher perceptions." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.616638.
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This study illustrates the creation, exploration and analysis of the narratives of five primary school children with a diagnosis of Tourette's syndrome (TS). Additionally it provides the analysis of thematic data gathered from semi-structured interviews conducted with their teachers which focused upon the teachers' perspectives of teaching a child with TS. The aims of this study are to: to gauge a better understanding of the children's views of their TS and their primary school experience; consider the interactions within this environment; and consider interventions and approaches that might support children in primary school. The children participating in this study do not wish to be defined by their TS, and they make semi-successful attempts to supress tics. However, their limited success at tic suppression sometimes leads to misinterpretation by teachers of the nature of tics. The children's attempts to suppress their tics and others' misinterpreted responses may have implications for their emotional development and access to learning. The children's teachers report a lack of easily accessible information about TS. Subsequently, they feel unsupported and unknowledgeable about how to provide effective support; instead, they build knowledge and understanding through experience. Having a 'sanctuary' within school and an adult to advocate on their behalf is cited as a potentially supportive strategy. Peer support and peer education are also thought to be of value; however, there are exceptions, making it important to listen to individual children about their perceived support needs. Implications for Educational Psychologist's practice and the limitations of this study are also discussed.
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Hodgen, Jeremy. "Teacher identity and professional development in primary school mathematics." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2003. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/teacher-identity-and-professional-development-in-primary-school-mathematics(3727b6d6-726a-4553-95b2-c74e350c4b7f).html.
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Dhan, Singh Dhami Manee Chaiteeranuwatsiri. "Teacher perceptions of diversity management in Nepalese primary schools /." Abstract, 2007. http://mulinet3.li.mahidol.ac.th/thesis/2550/cd400/4838018.pdf.
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Aljenahi, Nadia Bader E. A. "Teacher Evaluation policies and practices in Kuwaiti primary schools." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/3526.
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Governmental reform of Teacher Evaluation (TE) policies is a currently global phenomenon. Evidence indicates that evaluation of teachers can be the catalyst to improving the professional standards of staff. Working within the critical realist paradigm, this research investigates the causal power that can enable, or constrain, teacher agency and professional development through teacher evaluation mechanisms in primary schools in Kuwait. An examination of current teacher evaluation policies from two perspectives is provided: policy as ‘text’ and policy as ‘discourse’. In the analysis of policy as text, the research includes a critical comparative analysis of the operation and conceptual basis of teacher evaluation in Kuwait and England. Allied to evidence from literature on existing teacher evaluation practices, it can be concluded that cultural and economic factors are the most important variables to be considered in any comparative review of systems. This research adopts a mixed methods approach to examine the contribution of teachers’ evaluation policies to the improvement in the professional levels of primary schoolteachers. The empirical quantitative and qualitative data was collected through a questionnaire administered to a sample of 475 primary school teachers, from 19 schools, in four districts. Interviews were conducted with 12 primary school teachers, from 4 schools, and 4 supervisors, all from one district. The research findings revealed similarities between certain conceptually based policies in England and Kuwait. Both identified the purpose of TE as being to improve and evaluate teachers’ performance, through classroom observation. In both countries, the line-manager is considered to be the main player in the process. Teacher effectiveness is judged on the basis of a pre-determined set of criteria. Finally, each has a commitment to an annual evaluation cycle ending with a summative report. However, the major difference between the two countries lies in the interpretation of what constitutes an effective teacher and how the summative report is used. The empirical findings highlighted the perception by teachers of their marginalisation from the TE mechanism in the Kuwait. Nonetheless, approximately 67% of the teachers in the sample felt that the evaluation process was fair and useful, and 55% considered it led to an increase in job satisfaction. The research concludes with recommendations to increase the effectiveness of the TE mechanism in Kuwait, based on an analysis of participants’ responses ii and the conclusion that teachers, and those working directly with them, are best placed to identify strategies for improvement.
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Haddow, D., and Kimberly D. Hale. "Primary Partnership, the Changing Landscape, and Maximizing Teacher Potential." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2016. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/7030.
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Al-Omari, Khaled Mohammed. "Quality assurance mechanisms in Jordanian primary teacher education programmes." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.368323.
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This study explores the quality assurance mechanisms in primary teacher education programmes in Jordan in order to examine how the participants perceive the systems in their programmes. As a point of reference the English experience in quality assurance was incorporated. The main areas investigated were (i) The components of primary teacher education programmes in Jordan (the objectives, the theory, the school experience, the teaching methods, the management system, and facilities) (ii) The problems that hinder the implementation of the quality assurance systems (iii) Suggestions for promoting quality assurance (iv) Guidelines for quality assurance obtained from the English teacher education programmes. Data was collected from all public Jordanian universities that are concerned with primary teacher education programmes and in 9 English universities and one college. The three main research methods employed in the research were documentary analysis, questionnaires, and the interview. It is concluded that quality assurance systems are not clearly specified or implemented in the primary teacher education programmes in Jordan. The perceptions of the majority of the participants indicated that they were dissatisfied with both the components of the programme and the management system. The study argues that without the co-operation of the people involved in the quality assurance systems, the system will not totally achieve its objectives. Communication and commitment by all the participants are essential if quality assurance systems are to be effectively employed.
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Carney, Claire Geraldine Aine. "The training of the primary school teacher to teach National Curriculum physical education." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.481191.
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Andema, Samuel. "Digital literacy and teacher education in Uganda : the case of Bondo Primary Teachers' College (PTC)." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/14844.
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Claims about the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to transform education in the less developed countries of the world abound. This qualitative case study, which took place at Bondo (pseudonym) Primary Teachers’ College (PTC) in Uganda, from April to December 2008, was guided by two specific research questions, (1) What is the relationship between ICT policy and educational practice in Uganda? (2) To what extent do teacher educators use ICT in their professional practice and what challenges do they face in developing digital literacy? To address question one, the researcher did a content analysis of the National ICT policies and held a key informant interview with the ICT minister in Uganda. In order to address question two, the researcher drew on data collected from a sample of six teacher educators using questionnaires, focus group discussions, online group discussions, and journal reflections. The study found that at policy level, Uganda has made significant progress in systematizing the integration of ICT in education. The introduction of ICT training programs in PTCs has received positive response from the teacher educators, who are eager to use ICT in their professional practice and to develop their digital literacy skills. However, the study established that the teacher educators only use ICT in their professional practice to a limited extent, due to factors such as limited Internet access points at the PTC and in their communities. Other challenges include inadequate training and lack of support for professional development, cultural constraints, and irrelevant
materials from the Internet. Another major concern is that ICT initiatives in Uganda are geared more towards accessing global information than using ICT for knowledge production and wealth creation. It also emerged that ICT is still being used to perpetuate teacher-centered, examination-oriented, information-based teaching and learning in PTCs. The study concludes with a recommendation for more qualitative case studies on the possibility of incorporating ICT programs such as the e-Granary Digital Library, which do not rely on connectivity, as a basis for ICT and digital literacy skills development.
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Leung, Yuet Ha. "Information literacy skills : Hong Kong primary teachers' perceptions of the role of the teacher librarian." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2018. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/51333/.
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The thesis reviewed the changes to the role of teacher librarians and the implications of this for primary teachers. The study sought to explore the teachers’ views about information literacy skills, who should teach them and the role of the teacher librarian. This study took a mix-methods approach, i.e. quantitative and qualitative research, in which self-report data were collected through a questionnaire to classroom teachers followed by individual face to face interview with six questionnaire respondents. The findings of the study were that teachers associate information literacy skills with information technology skills. Though they said they understand information literacy skills, their understanding of information literacy skills was discrete and not systematic compared with the definition of information literacy skills in the literature. They agreed that information literacy skills were important and they have the responsibility to teach student such skills. They agreed that they have further professional development needs in terms of information literacy skills. Teachers who started teaching before 1998 reported some changes in teaching and learning made by the presence of the teacher librarian. They agreed with the provision of the teacher librarian post though they were not aware of the legislated role of the teacher librarian. They thought that awareness of the role of the teacher librarian and information literacy skills and the ability to develop students’ information literacy skills would help them utilize the skills of the teacher librarian. The findings have highlighted the implications for teacher education to train teacher information literacy skills, raise teachers’ awareness of the role of the teacher librarian especially in Cooperative Planning and Teaching with teachers to equip student information literacy skills. For serving teachers, piloting the role of the teacher librarian, Cooperative Planning and Teaching and flexible library timetable are necessary to facilitate implementation of the legislated role of the teacher librarian.
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Musingarabwi, Starlin. "Understanding current teacher implementation of Zimbabwe's primary school AIDS curriculum: a case study." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020912.
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Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Education Sport, Arts and Culture offers as one of the primary school curricula, an AIDS curriculum which all Grades 4 to 7 teachers in Zimbabwe’s primary schools mandatorily implement with a view to contributing towards the prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS among the young primary school learners. The purpose of this research was to explore and describe teachers’ understanding and implementation of Zimbabwe’s primary school AIDS curriculum regarding the ways in which they articulated teaching practices and processes in their classrooms. The study also aimed to elicit the teachers’ views on how personal and contextual factors impact their adaptation and enactment of the curriculum. The study also sought to establish teachers’ perceptions of their practical experiences with the implementation of Zimbabwe’s primary school AIDS curriculum and their suggestions for improving practice. The study follows a qualitative case study design with minimal quantitative results. It involved three purposively selected primary school grade six teachers (n=3) each of whom was asked to teach five lessons while being observed over a period of three months. Each teacher availed his or her teaching scheme/plan to the researcher who conducted document analysis to glean their symbolic conceptualisation of actual classroom practice of the curriculum. This was followed by three semi-structured interviews with each participating teacher to elicit their perceptions. A content analysis using ideas borrowed from the grounded theory approach was employed resulting in thematic findings. The findings of the study confirm and enhance the theoretical significance of the phenomenological-adaptive perspective of educational change and Honig’s (people, policy, places) and cognition model for describing teacher implementation of the mandatory AIDS curriculum. The findings also confirm the complex ways in which human-generated personal and contextual factors played out in framing and shaping teachers’ personal adaptation of the mandatory AIDS curriculum. The study confirms the adaptation claim that as cognitive sense-makers, teachers mutate and enact a curriculum according to their personal subjective interpretations in the context of unique use-setting implementation realities. Although one of the participants’ understanding and practice displayed considerable comprehension of the requirements of the curriculum, the other teachers displayed an understanding of this curriculum in a superficial way, and experienced few positive experiences and several conceptual and operational constraints in its implementation. Drawing on their practical experiences with the implementation of the curriculum, teachers offered suggestions for transforming the implementation proficiency of this curriculum, which formed part of the conceptual strategy I developed for improving practice. Thus the resultant achievement of the study was a conceptual strategy that was constructed from the key findings of the study to provide educational change leaders with nuanced ideas and insights for improving practice.
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Sinclair, LeeAnn Sharp. "Co-constructing text : the collaborative reading strategies of a first-grade teacher and her students /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 1997. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p9841360.
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Boddison, Adam. "Video conferencing : the experiences of a mathematics teacher." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2010. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/3624/.
Full textAbstract:
Video conferencing is a relatively new technology for primary schools in England and it is normally used as a tool for distance learning. This thesis is a phenomenological case study that describes a course of mathematical enrichment sessions delivered through the medium of video conferencing to a group of 36 able children across six primary schools. The sessions are delivered by me, which gives the study a reflective and reflexive aspect since I have a dual role as both the teacher and the researcher. As well describing the experiences of the children, there is a focus on the teaching strategies that are used in this virtual environment and how they evolve over time. The thesis is structured around a framework of teaching strategies consisting of four categories; cognitive, compensation, metacognitive and affective strategies. The project makes use of video recordings, children’s diaries, a personal log, lesson plans and interview transcripts and the methods used include visual discourse analysis and Bloom’s method of stimulated recall. Successful and effective are the terms used for describing the outcome of a video conference in relation to technology and pedagogy respectively. This study shows that the evolution of teaching strategies is centred around creating routines to address the uncertainty of the virtual environment rather than focusing directly on pedagogy. The three major findings of this study are: 1. Site facilitators are not an essential requirement for ensuring the smooth running of a video conference. This study has shown that the participants themselves are able to take on any required responsibilities in this area if the number at each endpoint is relatively small (i.e. between four and eight participants). 2. Remote behaviour management and monitoring strategies are an important aspect of the video conferencing tool-kit for teachers. This study has demonstrated the importance of screen layouts in facilitating the use of such strategies. 3. The production features associated with children’s educational television programmes may be able to inform effective pedagogy for teaching and learning through video conferencing. In particular, this study has highlighted the potential of using theme tunes as auditory anchors to emphasise key points during a video conference. By the end of this study, it will be argued that the children enjoyed taking part and they became more independent as learners. Furthermore, it will be shown that if the teaching strategies are appropriate and if the mathematical content is enriching and open-ended, then video conferencing can create valuable learning opportunities for children that are not readily available in the traditional classroom environment.
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Allingham, Pauline Kay, and n/a. "Thank God it's Friday : occupational stress and coping among Catholic primary teachers." University of Canberra. Teacher Education, 1996. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060531.155625.
Full textAbstract:
Occupational stress among teachers is a painful, prevalent and costly
phenomenon, one which impacts on individuals, families, schools and
wider society. A growing body of evidence suggests that individuals'
susceptibility to occupational stress is not determined exclusively by
environmental or personality factors, but by the cognitive and
behavioural transactions between the individual and potentially stressful
events. Two major factors which contribute to individual stress are a
person's appraisal of events as threatening or demanding, and the
strategies they use in coping with those events.
The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between
experience, stress levels and coping patterns in a group of primary school
teachers. Two groups of teachers were surveyed, 'Starters' who were in
their first year of teaching and 'Stayers' who had at least 10 years of
teaching experience. Stayers were divided, on the basis of their responses,
into Low-stress, Moderate-stress and High-stress groups. The aspects of
coping which were explored are:
1. The range of coping strategies used by teachers in each group,
2. The frequency of use of those coping strategies for each group, and
3. The coping styles preferred by teachers in each group.
The results of this study show no direct connexion between stress
level and any of the demographic variables (sex, age, religion, piety,
teaching experience, full-time teaching, part-time teaching and time away
from teaching). Nor are significant differences found between the coping
patterns of more or less experienced and more or less stress teachers.
A pattern is suggested by correlational analysis, wherein
inexperienced teachers (Starters) and highly-stressed experienced
teachers (High-stress Stayers) show the same preference for coping styles.
It is hypothesized that this similarity of preference relates to role of
control in reducing stress, and that these groups are examples of different
stages of adaptation to teaching. Implications for the use of these
preferences in detecting teacher stress, and for the inclusion of coping
strategies in teacher training are discussed.
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Passos, Ana Filipe José. "A comparative analysis of teacher competence and its effect on pupil performance in upper primary schools in Mozambique and other Sacmeq countries." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2009. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-09242009-235334.
Full text
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Bailey, Judith (Judy) Lyn. "Mathematical Investigations: A Primary Teacher Educator's Narrative Journey of Professional Awareness." The University of Waikato, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2472.
Full textAbstract:
Over a period of twenty months a mathematics teacher educator uses narrative inquiry, a form of story-telling, to investigate her professional practice in working alongside pre-service primary teachers. Two main themes emerge in this research. The first of these centres around the use of mathematical investigations as a vehicle for supporting pre-service primary teachers to consider what the learning and teaching of mathematics may entail. As part of this process the author personally undertook several mathematical investigations. This resulted in significant learning about previously unrecognised personal beliefs about the nature and learning of mathematics. These beliefs were discovered to include ideas that 'real' mathematicians solve problems quickly, do so on their own and do not get stuck. Surprisingly, all of these subconscious assumptions were contrary to what the author espoused in the classroom. A consequence of this learning included some changed beliefs and teaching practices. One such change has been moving from a conception of mathematics as a separate body of 'correct' mathematical ideas, and where the emphasis when doing mathematics was on attaining the correct answer, to now viewing mathematics as a sense-making activity involving discovering, doing and communicating in situations involving numbers, patterns, shape and space. Thus, mathematics is now perceived to primarily be found in the 'doing' rather than existing as a predetermined body of knowledge. As such one's interpretations of a mathematical problem are important to consider. Changes in teaching include using mathematical investigations as a teaching approach with the belief that students can effectively learn mathematical ideas using this approach; an acceptance that this may involve periods of being 'stuck' and that this does not mean that the teacher needs to immediately support the students in becoming 'unstuck'; more in-depth interactions, including questioning, to support this mathematical learning; and an acceptance that mathematics can be learned by people working in a collaborative manner. The second theme encountered in this narrative inquiry involves the exploration of narrative as a powerful means with which to pursue professional development. Narrative inquiry, including a mention of differing forms of narrative writing, is described. Issues also considered include the place of reflection in narrative; the notion of multiple perspectives that are encountered in qualitative research such as this; issues of validity and authenticity; a consideration of what the products of narrative research might be and who may benefit from such research; a brief mention of collaboration; and the place of emotion in qualitative research. The concept of change occurring within a narrative inquiry is not seen to imply an initial deficit position. Rather the research process is regarded as the building of a narrative layer that supports and grows alongside the writer's life as it occurs (Brown Jones, 2001). Thus there is not a seeking of perfection or an ideal, but a greater awareness of one's professional practice. The results of narrative research therefore, are not definitive statements or generalisations about an aspect of that which is being researched (e.g., Winkler, 2003). As such, a definitive statement about how to be a teacher of pre-service students learning mathematics is not offered. Rather, a story is shared that may connect with the stories of the reader.