This article examines the role of the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) in primary schools in Ireland, an area that is under researched with little or no empirical data available. The ...current qualitative study, congruent with an interpretivist paradigm, provides narratives from four SENCOs offering insight into both the operational and leadership role of the SENCO in Irish primary schools, focusing mainly on the latter as a distributed model approach. The findings indicate that this sample of SENCOs may be constructed as 'apparatuses of knowledge' (Foucault 1980) within five broad areas of responsibilities: (1) identifying children with additional needs and administrating assessments, (2) fostering in-school collaboration and supporting others, (3) determining and monitoring resource allocation, (4) providing staff development and (5) liaising with external agencies. Emerging from the findings is a reinforcement of the value of the SENCO as a leader through a distribution of power situating them as forward thinking and proactive. Despite this, there is a reluctance in assuming the position of a SENCO due to the heavy workloads and lack of recognition of the administration and coordination duties. This research calls for a consideration of the SENCO position in national policy with both monetary and leadership titled recognition for the role.
The entrepreneurial element is one of the aspects emphasized in the primary school mathematics education curriculum in Malaysia. However, previous studies have found that application of ...entrepreneurial elements in mathematics teaching is still lacking. This study was therefore conducted to identify the real challenges that mathematics teachers face in applying the entrepreneurial element in mathematics teaching. This study is qualitative case study which involved six primary school mathematics teachers. Semi-structured interviews, observation, document analysis and field notes were used for the data collection process in this study. The data obtained was analyzed using the constant comparative analysis method to determine themes and sub-themes. The findings were that a teacher's knowledge, teaching style, limited time of teaching, and attitudes, and in-service courses and training are among the identified challenges in applying entrepreneurial elements in mathematics teaching. This study expands knowledge and the literature on the challenges faced by school mathematics teachers in applying entrepreneurial elements in mathematics teaching. Various initiatives need to be taken to ensure that all the challenges can be overcome, and ultimately enable the entrepreneurial elements to be applied to students more widely.
The article analyses the process of formation and functioning of zemstvo institutions in Podillia from the perspective of cultural and educational space. The political and socio-economic specificity ...of Podillia province in particular and Right-Bank Ukraine in general largely determined the correction of the zemstvo reform in the region. Zemstvos were forbidden to interfere in the pedagogical process of schools. The state did not assign them the role of rebuilding primary education, but it turned out that as local governments, zemstvos independently expanded their powers. Thanks to the active work of these institutions, primary education became universal. The main achievement of zemstvos in the field of education in Podillia province was the opening and constant financial support of primary schools, the publication of educational literature, and the arrangement of libraries.
Working or studying in a comfortable environment enhances not only well being, but also satisfaction and therefore productivity and learning. This research collects some pictures of indoor ...environmental conditions taken in seven primary schools near Venice (Italy, North-East). Spot measurements were recorded in 28 non air-conditioned classrooms, in springtime, while 614 children (age 9–11) completed a questionnaire about the evaluation of indoor environmental conditions and the related psychological impact, their behaviour towards discomfort and if their level of interaction with the environment (opening a window, switching off a light etc.). Nonparametric statistical tests were carried out to find significant differences between schools and between girls and boys in the same school and to see if gender might influence perception. Moreover, physical measurements were compared to the answers given to the questionnaire to find a relationship between them. Finally, children's reactions towards discomfort were evaluated to understand if pupils behave like “passive users” as frequently occurs with adults. Monitoring revealed very high CO2 concentration levels, which confirm insufficient air exchange by means of open windows, occasional insufficient lighting levels over the desks and, in general, nonuniform illuminance-distribution, probably due to improper solar shading use or even inappropriate shades. Pupils complained mostly about thermal conditions in warm seasons, poor indoor air quality and noise. Classroom conditions depended strongly on teachers' preferences; therefore a building management system would be advisable to provide good indoor environmental quality, which cannot be otherwise guaranteed.
► Analysis of indoor environmental conditions in 7 Italian primary schools. ► Physical measurements and a survey, submitted to 614 pupils. ► Psychological impact of indoor conditions on pupils and their interaction with environment. ► Nonparametric statistics evaluated the differences in the schools and between genders. ► The main problems are related to thermal condition, air quality and noise.
Introduction
Recent research investigating the benefits of being outdoors and contact with nature in children showed strong associations with children’s health and development. More teachers are ...choosing to integrate outdoor learning (OL) into their practice in Quebec, but few studies have focused on OL in the school environment, particularly in Canada and more specifically in Quebec, despite the fact that the school context lends itself favorably to this practice.
Objective
The purpose of this study was to portray OL in preschool and primary schools in Québec by identifying three key elements: (1) teachers’ perception of the outdoors, (2) the uses of OL in schools, and (3) teaching strategies and factors that influence teachers’ integration of OL.
Methodology
Semi-structured group interviews (
n
= 4) conducted with 14 teachers and participant observations (
n
= 4) were used for data collection. Inclusion criteria were to be a preschool or primary school teacher, to have taught at least eight sessions of OL in the past year, and to have no connection or contact with the research team prior to the start of the study.
Results
First, the results showed that teachers commonly understood the outdoors as being in the open air, practicing a physical activity, having the presence of nature, providing physical freedom and targeting a pedagogical intention. Second, teachers appeared to incorporate a variety of pedagogical intentions in OL (e.g., environmental awareness, interdisciplinary learning), in a variety of settings (e.g., city parks, woodlands), and with a variety of academic subjects (e.g., French, mathematics) and learning tasks (e.g., walking, nature shelter building). Third, teachers used a wide range of teaching strategies in OL (e.g., flexible planning, well-established routines). Participants also identified multiple factors specific to their setting that appeared to facilitate (e.g., parental support) or limit (e.g., storage of materials) their integration of OL into the school environment.
Conclusion
This study provided a better understanding of the current use of the OL in the Quebec school environment by identifying the common characteristics, limitations and winning strategies of its use in schools. Teachers and schools interested in OL could benefit from the results of this study, particularly those interested in adopting a
Forest School
or
Udeskole
approach.
The study focused on the needs of principals as instructional leaders in the foundation phase in South Africa. This was done because unless instructional leaders are appropriately empowered by ...addressing their needs, they may not be able to play their role as agents that are a fulcrum to educational reforms especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The qualitative research approach was used. Methods used are interviews and field notes. The findings revealed that there is a need to include clarification of instructional leadership roles, mobile digital technological resources, adequate support from the Department of Basic Education, and parental involvement in education.
Purpose. Curriculum preferences of physical education (PE) teachers in primary schools differ, depending on educational policy, local guidelines, and particular needs of students (pupils); therefore, ...the survey objective was aimed at determining the curriculum preferences of PE teachers in primary schools in terms of differences in length of pedagogical practice. Material and methods. Curriculum preferences of PE teachers in primary schools (survey instrument) was conducted 6 months (January – June, 2022), through the purposive sampling of size (survey group) of 1 300 (100%) PE teachers in primary schools: (i) Pedagogical practice ≥10 years (n = 518, 39.84%); (ii) Pedagogical practice ˂10 years (n = 782, 60.16%). Descriptive (e.g., percentage frequency, arithmetic mean), inferential (e.g., Pearson's r, chi-square test) statistics were used to evaluate (e.g., analyze, compare) the data. Results. Significant differences (0.01, 0.05) between the pedagogical practice ≥10 years (n = 518, 39.84%) and ˂10 years (n = 782, 60.16%) of PE teachers (n = 1 300, 100%) were as follows: (i) Curriculum preferences of PE teachers (χ2(3) = 77.75, p = 9.35E-17); (ii) Demanding teaching activity in PE teachers (χ2(4) = 29.34; p = 6.65E-06); (iii) Undemanding teaching activity in PE teachers (χ2(4) = 30.10, p = 4.68E-06). No differences (p˃0.05), between the pedagogical practice ≥10 years (n = 518, 39.84%) and ˂10 years (n = 782, 60.16%) of PE teachers (n = 1 300, 100%), were as follows: (i) Popular teaching activity in PE teachers (χ2(4) = 6.82, p = 0.15); (ii) Unpopular teaching activity in PE teachers (χ2(4) = 8.78, p = 0.06). Conclusions. Curricular reform in Slovak primary schools allows PE teachers autonomy (partial) in selecting the educational content (course) in terms of meeting the specific needs of students and learning environment, in consultation with board of education (school board) in terms of meeting the particular needs of students and learning environment, recognizing the importance of PE teachers' autonomy and value of tailoring education.
The purpose of this article is to examine the experiences of elementary school teachers in Mahabad city regarding religious education and its elements. To achieve this goal, the phenomenological ...method has been used. The research community is all primary school teachers in Mahabad city and the method of selecting participants is purposeful. The number of interviewees is 30 and its tool is a semi-structured interview. To analyze the data, an interpretative analysis method based on Smith, Flowers, & Larkin's model has been used. The findings indicate that regarding the goals of religious education, the overarching themes are knowing God as one of the principles of religion, recognizing resurrection as one of the principles of religion, recognizing prophethood as one of the principles of religion, knowing and understanding God’s Words, knowing religious ethics and the ways of practicing it and knowing the branches of religion.. Regarding the content of religious education, two overarching themes are non-observance of the principles governing the selection of content and non-observance of the principles governing the organization of content. Regarding the religious education method, the overarching themes are emphasis on the active teaching method in teaching religious concepts, emphasis on new teaching methods in teaching religious concepts, paying attention to objective teaching of religious concepts, and the use of new technologies in teaching religious concepts. Regarding the evaluation methods of religious education, the themes are observational assessment themes, descriptive evaluation, performance tests and written academic progress tests. And regarding learning religious education activities, overarching themes are emphasis on interactive and participatory methods in learning activities related to religious concepts, paying attention to the principle of student activity in learning activities, emphasis on educational technology in carrying out learning activities.
Schools are regarded as a key setting for obesity prevention, providing an opportunity to reach a large number of children, frequently and over a prolonged period, through formal and informal ...opportunities to learn about health behaviours. However, the low value placed on health versus academic achievement is a barrier to effective implementation of food and nutrition (F&N) education. This study used a qualitative exploratory approach to explore the views of teachers and key health and education sector stakeholders regarding opportunities for F&N education within the Australian primary school setting. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore this topic from the perspectives of state-level coordination and development through to local-level implementation and support within the Australian primary school context. Only 2.6% of the Victorian Curriculum related to F&N education, taught through two (of seven) learning outcomes: Health and Physical Education, and Technologies. While stakeholders considered child health a priority, and schools an ideal setting for F&N education, barriers included a lack of strategic policy alignment, limited leadership and coordination, a 'crowded curriculum' and poor availability of shelf-ready resources with explicit curriculum links. A cross-curriculum approach was considered essential for F&N education to become embedded as a core component of the curriculum.
This study investigated whether the bystanders' behaviors (reinforcing the bully vs. defending the victim) in bullying situations are related to the frequency of bullying in a classroom. The sample ...consisted of 6,764 primary school children from Grades 3 to 5 (9-11 years of age), who were nested within 385 classrooms in 77 schools. The students filled out Internet-based questionnaires in their schools' computer labs. The results from multilevel models showed that defending the victim was negatively associated with the frequency of bullying in a classroom, whereas the effect of reinforcing the bully was positive and strong. The results suggest that bystander responses influence the frequency of bullying, which makes them suitable targets for antibullying interventions.
