This article presents the situation of the education of Ukrainian refugee children in Lithuania. It analyses the political and practical actions taken by the Lithuanian state when, after the outbreak ...of the war in Ukraine, schools unexpectedly received a large number of children from Ukraine who had not come of their own free will, having fled the war. This article presents how Lithuanian municipalities have acted and the decisions taken to strengthen the psychological microclimate and devise a suitable model of language education. The aim of this study was to describe the experience of different regions of Lithuania in integrating Ukrainian war refugee children into educational institutions in terms of psychological, material, and linguistic support. Semi-structured group interviews (n = 12) were carried out with municipal education department staff, the staff of pedagogical qualification centres, and school managers (n = 206) who have worked on the integration of war refugee children in their municipality. The interviews were analysed using thematic content analysis. The results were divided into the following groups: (1) psychological needs of the children, (2) physical needs of the children, (3) the chosen model of Lithuanian language education, and (4) support measures for the integration of the children. The study shows that the quick but timely decisions taken in Lithuania to recruit teachers from Ukraine have helped to resolve the traumatic situations regarding the integration of children.
The importance of teacher leaders has been increasingly emphasized in innovative educational practices. In this study, we present the experiences of innovative teacher leaders (N = 10) in Lithuania. ...The sample of respondents is qualitative-purposive. Teachers who have been awarded for their innovative practice took part in the study. In addition, teachers nominated by their school communities as innovative educators who are making a difference in their schools were also included. The data analyzed by the method of critical analysis of qualitative research discourse will help the reader understand what helps teacher leaders develop innovative educational culture practices. Additionally, the data reveal how teacher leaders themselves understand leadership, which motivates them to work innovatively. We found that innovative teachers in Lithuania perceive the phenomenon of transformational leadership in four categories, namely: attention to others, initiating change, community building, development, and improvement. The participants in the study also described the meaning of innovative teacher behavior, which is revealed in the analysis of two categories: quality of education and educational change. The third component, innovative organizational culture, was discussed by presenting teachers' insights on three categories: planning, implementation, and motivation. Teacher leaders support, create and nurture a culture of innovation by motivating and encouraging their colleagues to improve. The findings of this study are useful for school communities wanting to make changes, as they provide answers to what motivates teachers to change their practices and to mobilise other educators for common goals.
The paper analyzes what personal goals primary school pupils are able to set on their own and how they achieve them in their decision-making process, thereby developing competence in learning to ...learn. In this work, the reader will be able to get acquainted with the theoretically grounded concept of the development of competence in learning and the possibilities of developing this competence in primary schools. In addition, it provides practical tools for the quality development of students’ learning competence, where students not only set personal goals and plan the steps to achieve them but also reflect on their experiences. An action research study analyzed the content of students’ (N = 50) personal learning diaries, discussing the students’ learning goals and the choices they make to achieve them and reflecting on the efforts made, and results were obtained in the development of the competence to learn. Based on the study findings, it is evident that fourth-grade students exhibit distinct patterns in individual goal setting, action-planning, and reflection processes. The analysis presented in this paper analyzes the general highlights and overarching themes and provides specific instances of goals, activity tasks, and reflections, offering insight into the cognitive processes of fourth-graders and their perceptions regarding the benefits and challenges of learning.
Competency-based education practice is a priority area, but there is limited scientific research analyzing the education process of holistically developing students' competencies and subject matter ...skills. The aim of the study is to provide scientific evidence for the integrated competency-based education practice of primary school students during the process of conducting natural science research and presenting the findings. The study involved 15 third-grade pupils (4 girls and 11 boys) from a private school in Lithuania, and two teachers who facilitated the class (a primary school teacher and an English language teacher). Convenience sampling was used. The article describes the detailed process of the study and the learning process of the students, reflecting on the intentional use of digital content in the learning process, when students sought the meanings of natural science concepts in both Lithuanian and English. The data were analyzed using a qualitative content thematic analysis, organized to the following clusters: interest in the activity, group work, information search, exploration and poster creation. In conclusion, it can be said that the students developed a learning culture in Lithuanian and English, reasoned and confidently shared their insights while seeking answers about different materials, their combustion properties. However, when faced with difficulty, even though they worked in a group, they first turned to the teacher for help rather than to their peers. The students have strong independent work skills, as they initiated the activity of improving the poster themselves. The development of communication culture in the education process not only allowed for the analysis of natural science content in Lithuanian and English, but also for the improvement of communication, social-emotional and digital competence skills.
The article analyses the concept of mentorship in primary education, discusses the shared leadership experiences of mentors and beginners, which were acquired when young teachers interacted with ...mentors during school adaptation. After completing their studies, educators acquire professional knowledge, which they can apply in their pedagogical activities, but when they start working at school, in practical activities they often face situations they have never encountered during their studies. Primary school teachers have to do not only pedagogical work during lessons, but also solve conflicts between pupils, communicate with the pupils' parents, and perform certain administrative tasks related to filling in documents. A mentor with both pedagogical experience and leadership qualities can help a beginner with these issues. The study used semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed according to the coding categories, which are considered to be the mentor's main functions, i.e. mentoring to help the pre-service teacher to acquire practical skills (career function) that are directed towards professional development, mentoring to help with personal development (psychosocial function) and counselling and emotional support (counselling and emotional support function). 10 participants took part in the study, including 4 mentors and 6 novice teachers.
One of the problems in Lithuania is the shortage of heads of educational institutions; many schools are looking for teachers, and there is a constant shortage of teaching staff. In addition, the ...issue of quality education is often debated. The article analyses the concept of a quality educational institution: the attributes and personal qualities of a manager-leader. The research was conducted in two schools in Lithuania (a large city and a district centre), which are characterised as high-quality educational institutions. These schools in Lithuania are highly rated in terms of pupil achievement, external audit data, and statements made by school communities in public space and social networks. The aim of the study is to investigate the attributes of a leader of a quality educational institution and its leader. The study used a qualitative methodology: semi-structured interviews with school leaders, teachers, and parents of students belonging to the school council. Qualitative research was chosen because it would be difficult to reveal the meaning of the problem using a quantitative method, as each respondent has his or her own individual opinion, which depends on his or her experiences. The data were analysed according to coding categories. According to the study, it can be stated that for a leader of a quality educational institution, it is very important to follow such principles as respect for others, knowledge of others, democratic values, belief in colleagues and their abilities, and lifelong learning should be part of the daily life of the educational community.
Contemporary educational theory and practice promote the development of subject-specific and generic competences. Cooperative learning is a generic competence whose development is recommended in all ...subject lessons/activities. The development of fundamental individual values that rely not only on individual achievements but also on empathy and helping others, the ability to listen, mentor, and assist is integral to primary education. Such education is supported by positive inclusion in the process and good-willed communication within the group to achieve a common result. It is through achieving common goals and witnessing the variety of activity approaches that certain activities become a success. The study aimed to include all students in the development process on the basis of cooperative learning and improve each and every student’s individual learning of language performance in all subjects. The study is based on 186 first-to-fourth-year students from one major city school, representing a total of 8 classes. After the school-wide activities on cooperative learning, all pupils took part in a questionnaire survey halfway through the school year. The survey used a written questionnaire. The questions in the questionnaire were designed to explore pupils’ attitudes towards school and language-related aspects of successful group cooperation. The collected data were analysed using SPSS version 20. The data analysis used a descriptive approach, calculating the answers chosen by the pupils. An analysis of the survey results shows that the majority of pupils in years 1 to 4 think they can work in groups and cooperate because they are willing to listen to others, explain and help others, are not bored, are interested in working together, and are interested in learning new subjects.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Aim. The aim of the research is to provide a scientific justification for the integrated development of general and subject-specific competences of primary school pupils.
Methods. The exploratory ...qualitative case study was conducted in a private school in Lithuania. The integrated activities covered the content of Lithuanian language and science education, as well as general competences such as communication and digital competences. The activity was implemented in grade 4 with 12 pupils (8 boys and 4 girls). A semi-structured interview with the class teacher was also conducted.
Results and conclusion. The data from the empirical study were analysed according to the following thematic clusters: interest in the activity, group work, searching for information in the encyclopaedia and in electronic sources, working with a robot when integrating the digital skills and the content of science education, descriptions of animals as a summarising and consolidating activity. The study found that if the educational process is well thought out, if the pupils are interested, they can work independently and support each other in explaining the content, while the teacher becomes an observer, a facilitator, and can concentrate on the pupils’ individual activities during this process. Well-designed tasks with the robot develop not only digital literacy skills, but also the reinforcement of subject content related to the use of concepts.
Originality. The case study provides valuable insights into the implementation of an educational process that integrates general and subject-specific competences, and the detailed description of the activities shows which tasks support students’ independent learning.
Contemporary educational theory and practice increasingly emphasise the importance of integrated education in creating the conditions for success for primary school students. In Lithuania, as part of ...the 2020–2024 curriculum update and the development of general curricula, integrated education is highlighted as one of the priorities for achieving harmony between pupils’ academic achievements and the development of general competences, as well as the creation of a favourable emotional environment for pupils. This creates a strategic perspective on the content of education. However, there is a lack of research and insights into how such practices can be developed smoothly. For this reason, our research was carried out by targeting one of the Francophone institutes in southern France, which has successfully implemented an integrated education practice that enables learning for every pupil in the primary grades. The study analysed the context, i.e. the concept of the educational institution’s activities, which shows what should be done and how it should be done in order to achieve the quality of integrated education. In addition, the data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 4 teachers at the Institute with experience in integrated education. Qualitative content analysis was used to inductively search for answers describing the essence of integrated education, the most important processes to reflect on before engaging with pupils, and to deductively identify how certain elements contribute to creating the conditions conducive to integrated education and pupils’ successful learning.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
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