Hypothesizing that gamification may have a positive effect on engagement; this study hopes to contribute to the implementation of gamification by presenting evidence from a real classroom. This study ...intended to reveal the effect of gamified instructional process to student engagement and the relationship between engagement and academic performances in a real classroom. The study includes reflections from the design of a one-term ICT course in which the participants were pre-service primary school teachers enrolled at a school of education. An engagement scale, activity evaluation rubrics, a gamification evaluation form were used to collect data. Clinical interviews were used to address the relationships among gamification, engagement and achievement. The results revealed that using the combination of elements provided quite a positive motivational impact on engagement. Also the use of gamification elements indirectly affected the academic achievement due to their positive effects on engagement in the classroom. Suggestions for using gamification elements in a real classroom environment were also included.
•Combination of five gamification elements were used together to stimulate students.•Qualitative and quantitative reflections from a gamified course were examined.•Leaderboard and points worked on university students well but real gifts did not.•Gamification played significant role on engagement-academic performance relation.•Suggestions were made for the use of each gamification elements in real ICT class.
According to an editorial coverage (The Hindu, 2021), published during the pandemic, students and teachers have not been able to use computers and the internet has been acknowledged to be a form of ...deprivation, especially during the pandemic, just as the inability to attend in-person classes is another. According to the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI), only 24% of Indian households have internet access. A major correspondence report (2020) by one of India's leading newspaper, The Hindu, explains how tragic impact of pandemic on the economy alone has made girls and young women more vulnerable to early marriage, early pregnancy and gender-based violence at home and has adversely affected their future with the school closures and the eventual shift to online education, which added to aggravate their situation. Notwithstanding these incessant articles and research studies bringing out the ruthless realities from different parts of the country, the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Afairs released a statement (PIB, 2021), that there has been a jump in number of smart phones being owned by students across rural India which has increased majorly from 36.5% in 2018 to 61.8% in 2020 and this would result in flling up the digital divide between urban and rural areas and, would ultimately lead to the end of gender based discrimination in education. ...with the virtual education, we have left the idea of inclusivity far behind and the worst part is that no one is considering an assessment of the number of adolescents who will be out of the education system if dependence on online classes increases with time, given the amount of uncertainty looming around (Jansata, 2020).
Technology is being a part of education development. Every sector use a digital tool to assist their work. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of distance learning ...e-portfolios. This research uses mixed methods by combining qualitative and quantitative research methods to be used together in research activity to obtain more comprehensive, valid, reliable, and objective data. The data collected used by collecting and analyzing qualitative data built on quantitative preliminary results to analyze web-based e-portfolios on distance learning in elementary schools. The result of this study state that using e-portfolio assessment wisely to balance classroom assessment and facilitate content knowledge learning is an alternative for teachers. Using a web-based portfolio can minimize the space as a place to store tasks with more diverse formats. Storage can also be neater, making it easy to find and easier to assess by educators.
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have spurred renewed interest in the epistemologies that students adopt as they engage in science practices. One framework for characterizing students' ...epistemologies is the "epistemologies in practice" framework (Berland et al. (2016), "Journal of Research in Science Teaching," 53(7), 1082-1112), which focuses on students' meaningful use of four epistemic considerations: Nature, Generality, Justification, and Audience. To date, research based on the framework has primarily examined students' use of the epistemic considerations in the context of diagrammatic modeling. However, with computational technologies becoming more prevalent in science classrooms, the framework could be applied to investigate students' engagement in computational modeling. Moreover, computational modeling could be particularly beneficial to a fast-growing population of multilingual learners (MLs) in the U.S. K-12 context, who benefit from leveraging multiple meaning-making resources (e.g., code, dynamic visualization). This study examined MLs' meaningful use of four epistemic considerations in the context of computational modeling in an elementary science classroom. Fifth-grade MLs (N = 11) participated in two interviews about computational models they had developed as part of two NGSS-designed instructional units that integrated computational modeling (in addition to other model types). Findings indicated that, while students used all four epistemic considerations across the interviews, some considerations (Nature and Generality) were used more frequently than others (Justification and Audience). Beyond diagrammatic modeling, "computational" modeling offered unique affordances for MLs to meaningfully use the considerations as well as to communicate this use, though not without some emergent challenges. Overall, this study highlights the promise of computational modeling for providing a rich sense-making and meaning-making context for MLs to use epistemic considerations. The study also highlights the importance of attending to both epistemic and linguistic aspects of MLs' science learning as well as the potential of interdisciplinary research for studying this learning.
Persistence has proven to be a great challenge in online learning environments. Gaming and interactivity have been suggested as essential features in reducing dropout and increasing persistence in ...online learning. Yet in interactive game-based learning environments, persistence in moving forward in the game may come at the expense of investing in each of the game’s levels. That is, the motivation to complete the game may have a deleterious effect on learning at specific levels and hence on learning from the game in general. Therefore, we have chosen to focus on microlevel persistence (i.e., persistence during each component of the learning process). We study microlevel persistence in the context of acquiring computational thinking—the thought process of solving problems through abstraction—which is a key component of the new literacies needed for tomorrow’s citizens. In this study, we analyze data collected from an online, game-based learning environment (CodeMonkey™). The data document the activity of first to sixth graders (N = 2,040). Overall, we find that persistence is positively associated with difficulty and that the most determined learners were highly persistent across topics in achieving the best solution.
A close student–teacher relationship is a protective factor for students’ psychological well-being, and it is associated with students’ internalizing and externalizing symptoms, but the mechanism ...underlying this association is unclear. To address this issue, this study investigated the role of children’s hope in the relationship between teachers’ perceived closeness in the student–teacher relationship and children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Participants consisted of 562 Italian students ages 4 to 9 years and 48 Italian teachers ages 26 to 60 years. Results indicated that the children’s hope played the mediating role between closeness and children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Findings, limitations, and suggestions for future research were discussed.
La actividad física (AF) es fundamental para el desarrollo de una vida saludable. Sin embargo, los profesores del sistema educacional chileno tienen extensas jornadas laborales y actividades ...curriculares, lo que podría restringir la práctica de actividad física y con ello, favorecer el deterioro de su calidad de vida. El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar la relación entre el nivel de actividad física y calidad de vida relacionada con la salud de profesores de ambos sexos de colegios públicos. Este estudio es de tipo cuantitativo, descriptivo-correlacional y evalúo 70 profesores de educación primaria de ambos géneros (19 hombres y 51 mujeres) entre 20 a 60 años pertenecientes a 5 colegios públicos de la ciudad de la ciudad de Villa Alegre, Chile, obtenidos a través de un muestro no probabilístico por conveniencia. Se utilizó el International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) versión corta y el cuestionario Short From Health Survey (SF-36) para medir la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud. Se realizó la prueba no paramétrica de Spearman para establecer la correlación entre variables. Como resultado destaca que existe una relación débil entre el nivel de AF con las dimensiones función física (p=0,003; r= 0,348), rol físico (p=0,026; r= 0,266), salud general (=0,012; r= 0,299) y una relación moderada con dolor corporal (p=0,001 r= 0,425). Similares resultados se observaron al separar a la muestra por sexo. Considerando que los profesores actualmente se ven expuestos a una alta carga laboral y mental que trae consigo dolor, alteraciones físicas y emocionales, es sumamente necesario promover la practica regular y sistemática de AF en esta población.
Palabras clave: Calidad de vida; profesor; actividad física; conducta sedentaria
Abstract. Physical activity (PA) is fundamental for the development of a healthy life; however, the teachers of the Chilean educational system have extensive working hours and curricular activities, which could restrict the practice of physical activity and with it, favor the deterioration of their quality of life. The objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between the level of physical activity and health-related quality of life of teachers of both sexes from public schools. This study is of a quantitative, descriptive-correlational type and evaluated 70 teachers at primary school of both genders (19 men and 51 women) between 20- and 60-years old belonging to 5 public schools in the city of Villa Alegre, Chile obtained through a non-probability sampling for convenience. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short version and the Short From Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire were used to measure health-related quality of life. Spearman's non-parametric test was performed to establish the correlation between variables. As a result, it stands out that there is a weak relationship between the level of PA with the dimensions physical function (p=0.003; r= 0.348), physical role (p=0.026; r= 0.266), general health (=0.012; r= 0.299) and a moderate relationship with bodily pain (p=0.001; r= 0.425). Similar results were observed when separating the sample by sex. Considering that teachers are currently exposed to a high work and mental load that brings with it pain, physical and emotional alterations, it is extremely necessary to promote the regular and systematic practice of PA in this population.
Keywords: Quality of life; professor; physical activity; sedentary behavior.
Background: Schools form a platform for molding habits in children, and teachers have a potential role in school-based dental education programs. Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate ...level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of school teachers regarding dental caries in children in schools of Navi Mumbai. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among school teachers in Navi Mumbai. A total of 554 teachers completed the questionnaire, which included questions on demographic data, knowledge about etiology of dental caries, its prevention, their attitude, practice, and role of teachers in the management of dental caries. The data were analyzed using Chi-square test. Results: A total of 554 school teachers filled the questionnaire. The number of female teachers (84.8%) was very high as compared to male teachers. Approximately 60% of study population considered bacteria and amount of sweets consumed as the cause of dental caries. More than 52% considered eating less sugar as one of the ways to prevent caries. Furthermore, 57.4% of teachers were willing to implement future training programs on caries prevention. Conclusion: Knowledge regarding dental caries among school teachers in Navi Mumbai was adequate. Teachers were willing to participate in oral health promotion training programs.
This study aimed to determine the effect of the model-based science writing heuristic (M-SWH) approach on students’ conceptual understanding and construction of model-based argumentations in ...elementary school science. Participants (
N
= 107) were students enrolled in 4 fourth-grade classes of a public elementary school. Two classes were assigned as the treatment group, and the other two classes were assigned as the comparison group in this quasi-experiment study. Students in the treatment group were instructed using the M-SWH approach, while a traditional approach was used in the comparison group. Tests measuring students’ conceptual understanding of
properties of matter
and
lighting and sound technologies
units were administered to both groups as pretests and posttests; the M-SWH reports were used to assess the treatment group’s ability to construct model-based argumentation. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, correlation analysis, and repeated measures ANOVA were used for data analysis. The results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in concept tests between the two groups in favor of the treatment group. These students’ ability to construct arguments using models developed significantly throughout the implementation of the M-SWH approach. Moreover, treatment group students’ conceptual understanding improved with their quality of writing.
