The aim of the paper is to identify different groups of in-service teachers based on their general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) and self-efficacy beliefs and to explore potential differences among ...these groups regarding their instructional quality and commitments to teaching. A sample of 161 in-service subject teachers (science, mathematics, or Estonian language) who taught in lower secondary schools in Estonia were included in the study. Data was collected with a GPK test and self-reported questionnaires on instructional quality and commitments to teaching in the context of an OECD Teacher Knowledge Survey. Based on the cluster analysis, three groups of in-service teachers were identified: "the over-confident" teachers with average self-efficacy and very low GPK, "the competent" teachers with high self-efficacy and GPK, and "the insecure" teachers with low self-efficacy and average GPK. These three types of teachers were different in terms of instructional quality and commitments to teaching. It seemed that teachers' self-efficacy beliefs are more important than GPK for instructional quality; however, GPK is more important for teachers' professional persistence illuminating their general sense of professional identity. Implications of these findings for teacher education and teacher retention will be discussed.
Background
Inquiry-based learning is widely applied in science education; however, so far, the outcomes of learning process have been systematically assessed mainly at the secondary school level. For ...primary school students, there is no valid instrument for assessing the outcomes of their science inquiry. The aim of the current study was to develop a test for assessing science learning outcomes (analytical skills, planning skills, interpretation skills, and science knowledge) related to the five phases of inquiry-based learning (Orientation, Conceptualization, Investigation, Conclusion, and Discussion) at primary education level (ISCED 1).
Results
A set of contextualized science tasks was created to assess each of the learning outcomes at three levels. The Science Inquiry Test for Primary Education (SIT-PE test) was developed through several phases, including pilot studies with large groups of fourth-grade students (10 to 11 years of age). The 1 PL Item Response Theory model was used to analyze the quality of the test and items based on the test’s reliability score, item difficulty measure, infit and outfit indices, estimation of item discrimination, item-scale correlation, and the quality of the scoring key. The final test, consisting of 24 items, was used with a sample of 1868 students. The analysis showed the SIT-PE test to be of good quality on test level and item level and to also have good predictive validity. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the correlated factors model and second-order factor model of the science learning outcomes both had a good fit to data collected with the SIT-PE test. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the multidimensionality of science learning outcomes and validated four dimensions of the model: analytical skills, planning skills, interpretation skills, and science knowledge.
Conclusions
In conclusion, the SIT-PE test could be further used for assessing students’ inquiry competence in primary education. However, it could be even further improved in several ways and this study provides guidelines on how to do that. In addition, the SIT-PE provides test developers with information on how to design derivations of the SIT-PE test for assessing particular science inquiry outcomes or the same outcomes in older age groups as well.
Teacher agency is an increasingly important area of research across different learning and professional development settings. In our study, we followed the ecological model of teacher agency and ...developed a questionnaire that allows us to differentiate eight dimensions of teacher agency. Confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable fit of the eight-factor model in two different domains where teachers often make decisions: planning of teaching and learning activities and using information and communication technologies in teaching. Comparisons of configural, metric, and scalar models revealed good metric invariance across pre-service and in-service teachers in both agency domains. However, scalar invariance was not supported. Therefore, the new questionnaire seems suitable and sensitive for assessing teacher agency in these groups separately, but comparisons of the groups should not be made.
The emergency caused by COVID-19 and the transition to distance learning has made teachers face novel decision-making situations. As the teachers’ pedagogical decisions have an impact on the ...students’ learning experience, the aim of this study was to describe and explain what influenced the teachers’ teaching-related decisions and how these decisions were reflected in the teaching process during distance learning. The study was based on semi-structured interviews with 16 Estonian basic school science teachers. The data were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. The results show that teachers’ teaching-related decisions were influenced by factors that were related to the existence of digital tools as well as to the ability to use them purposefully in the home settings of teachers and students. Teachers’ teaching decisions were mostly motivated by short-term goals, such as maintaining students’ social interaction and supporting student motivation. The desire of teachers to keep students’ and teachers’ own workload affordable was also considered as a factor influencing teachers’ teaching-related decisions. According to the interviews, the switch of focus to workload and well-being and valuing socialization and student motivation over subject matter competences seems to be unique for this new situation.
Siinse uuringu eesmärgid on matemaatikapädevust hindavate testide arendamine, matemaatikapädevuse empiiriliselt eristatavate dimensioonide kirjeldamine ja matemaatikapädevuse hindamise tulemuste ...tutvustamine DigiEfekti projekti valimi näitel Eesti 3., 6. ja 9. klassides, tuginedes Rootsis välja töötatud matemaatikapädevuse uurimise raamistikule (MCRF, Lithner et al., 2010), mida täpsustati uurijate poolt Eesti kontekstis (Johanson et al., 2021). Uuringust selgus, et loodud testid on kõrge reliaablusega ning võimaldavad nii kolmandates, kuuendates kui ka üheksandates klassides eristada viit matemaatikapädevuse dimensiooni. Dimensioonide eristamiseks loodud faktormudeleid iseloomustavad head sobitusastme näitajad, kuid faktorite vahelised korrelatsioonid on suhteliselt tugevad. Vastavalt empiirilist kinnitust leidnud mudelitele osutusid kõigis vaadeldud koolistmetes kõige keerulisemateks ülesanneteks kommunikatsioonipädevust ja arutluspädevust hindavad ülesanded ning kõige paremini lahendati protseduurilist pädevust ja esituspädevust kirjeldavaid ülesandeid.
Summary
Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) has attracted the interest of educational researchers in an attempt to see how teaching RRI can be introduced into education. The literature has focused on ...how to link the RRI framework to the specific field of science education in comprehensive school and upper secondary school. While explicit connections with existing philosophies of science education (Nature of Science, Inquiry-Based Learning, Socio-Scientific Issues, Citizenship Education) have been brought out, we still lack a more comprehensive and less fragmented picture. To overcome fragmentation and gain a coherent view of RRI in science education, in this article we provide what we call the RRI Map. We identify three main activities which teachers can engage learners in to relate to teaching science responsibly. Such activities are (1) making sense of the scientific enterprise, (2) taking action to face challenges by making use of scientific knowledge and (3) exploring theoretical possibilities.
Vaatamata kaasamist toetavatele poliitikatele ja uuringutele on kaasava hariduse rakendamine lasteaedades väljakutse. Selleks on oluline süsteemne ja terviklik lähenemine. Oleme loonud kirjanduse ...põhjal kaasava hariduse rakendamise mudeli. Siinne artikkel keskendub juhtumiuuringule, mille eesmärk on mudeli põhjal välja selgitada kaasava hariduse rakendamise tunnused lasteaias. Selgus, et kõik mudelis avatud võtmetunnused ilmnesid ka lasteaedades. Erinevused esinesid perekonna, institutsiooni ja riigiga seotud tunnustes, millele lasteaedades tähelepanu ei pööratud või mida ei teadvustatud. Lisaks ülevaatele kaasava hariduse rakendumisest seisneb uuringu praktiline väärtus ka ettepanekutes mudeli parandamiseks õpetaja ja institutsiooni tasandi täiendavate tunnustega. Kokkuvõttes ilmnes, et kaasava hariduse rakendamine lasteaedades sõltub eelkõige kaasava hariduse olemuse mõtestamisest ja rakendamise väljakutse seisneb riigi tasandi võtmetunnustes.
Summary
Hoolimata suurest hulgas maailmas korraldatud uuringutest ei ole kaasava hariduse kontseptsioon edukaks rakendamiseks piisavalt selge. Seetõttu tegime süstemaatilise kirjandusanalüüsi, et luua ...ülevaade kaasava hariduse definitsioonidest ja võtmetunnustest, mis toetaks selle rakendamist alushariduse tasemel. Selgus, et kaasava hariduse definitsioonis tuleks eristada selle filosoofilist ja praktilist olemust, mida kirjeldavad täpsemalt seitse aspekti. Nüüdisaegse kaasava hariduse rakendamisel olulised võtmetunnused alushariduse kontekstis on süstematiseeritavad 14 kategooria kaudu viiel tasandil: lapse, perekonna, õpetaja, institutsiooni ja riigi tasand. Definitsiooni ja võtmetunnuste alusel loodi mudel, millega toetada kaasava hariduse rakendamist eri poolte koostöös.
Summary
School effectiveness research (SER) and bi/multilingual education research have been largely developed as separate research paradigms. Hence, SER research does not facilitate clear conclusions on ...bi/multilingual (the term ‘multilingual’ is used henceforth) education and its effectiveness. Despite the intensification of multilingual education research over the last four decades, only a few authors and studies have focused on offering a compact overview of what factors need to be in place for the programs to be effective. These works are neither recent nor systematic. In this article, we aim to contribute to this research gap by systematically reviewing the research evidence on specific factors explaining multilingual student success in multilingual education programs. The findings of this systematic literature review integrate the current evidence regarding the critical factors conducive to student success in multilingual education. The results reveal that the reviewed studies mostly discussed school level factors and only occasionally talked about state/regional or individual level factors. We also underscore the critical role of leadership in making multilingual education successful. The implications of this review are twofold: by using a conceptual framework to discuss the success factors, the interdependence of the variables shaping multilingual education is highlighted, while the results collect the latest evidence for decision makers in multilingual education.
Uuring keskendus digipädevuse empiiriliselt eristatavate dimensioonide kirjeldamisele ja nende hindamiseks sobivate küsimuste leidmisele, tuginedes EU Kids Online’i küsitluse ja Eesti katselise ...digipädevuse tasemetöö andmetele. Kahe andmestiku põhjal eristati üheksa digipädevuse dimensiooni: digivahenditega operatsioonide tegemine, digimaailmas suhtlemine, digimaterjalide loomine, digisisu programmeerimine, hinnang digikeskkondades toimetulekule, võrdlev hinnang digipädevusele, digimaailmas seaduslik toimetamine, digimaailmas enese ja teiste kaitsmine ning digihoiakud. Dimensioonide eristamiseks loodud faktormudeleid iseloomustavad head sobitusastme näitajad ja mõõdukad korrelatsioonid faktorite vahel. Iga dimensiooni kirjeldamiseks leiti vähemalt kolm küsimust, mis sobivad ka uute küsimuste koostamise aluseks. Edasistes uuringutes on vaja hinnata 1) dimensioone tasakaalustatud arvu küsimustega ning 2) iga küsimuse keerukust ja õpilaste eristamise võimet.
Summary
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