The study aims to investigate the role of digital stories in promoting the concepts of preventive health among primary stage students. The study tool used to conduct this study is a questionnaire ...that contains 30 items focusing on six areas, namely health food, risk management, personal health, environmental health, first aid, and physical health. The study sample consists of 218 male and female teachers. The study concluded that digital stories have an average role in promoting the concepts of preventive health in general among primary stage students from the viewpoint of class teachers. The study recommended the necessity of honing the skills of teachers of the primary stage regarding preventive health concepts. In addition, it is recommended that seminars and training courses should be conducted to teach teachers how to present such concepts to students using digital stories.
Introduction: Globalization provided people in once isolated lands with an array of democracy types and international principles. The boosting traditional, conventional, societal, ethnical, and ...cultural differences in countries all over the world are pushing educational authorities to reexamine their contemporary habits, customs, principles, and practices of citizenship. Examining the assumptions and methods of cultural democracy in education settings is the foundation of critical pedagogy. Thus, a critical multicultural pedagogy is formed on critical views on democracy and diversity by illuminating the transformative nature of citizenship. Accordingly, this study inquires the conceptual grounds of class teachers in a phenomenological tradition in that it investigates the conceptions of these teachers on the concept of diversity and democracy. The data of the study were gathered through a questionnaire, besides semi-structured interview questions designed by the researcher. Based on a mix method research design, this study makes use of both qualitative and quantitative techniques to collect the required data. 160 class teachers officially working in diverse regions in Turkey voluntarily participated in the study (N=150 for the questionnaire and N=10 for the interview). Related implications to raise the awareness of class teachers on diversity and democracy were presented at the end of the study. Methods: This study searched for the conceptual underpinnings of the class teachers in the phenomenological tradition (Marton, 1981). Just like other methods to utilize philosophical phenomenology to the social sciences (Entwistle, 1997), the interpretative process of phenomenographic research is quite similar to that of grounded theory which refers to a set of systematic inductive methods to practice qualitative research (Richardson, 1999). Based on a mix method research design, this study makes use of both qualitative and quantitative techniques to collect data. Results: The findings demonstrate that class teachers are open to new perspectives, diverse religions and different genders. Thus, it can be said that a critical perspective was adopted by class teachers. Further, class teachers should be included into curriculum and syllabus design which are solely carried out by policy makers. Otherwise, critical skills of class teachers might be destroyed in the process of education. Thus, primary school curriculums and textbooks need to focus on the importance of democracy and diversity. Policy makers, Ministry of National Education, Turkey and Higher Council of Education need to include critical theory and critical pedagogy into curriculum. Future studies should focus on the views of both novice and professional class teachers. In addition, views regarding democracy and diversity from different cultures need to be examined in future research. Direct democracy, representative democracy, gender diversity, cultural diversity and pluralistic perspectives need to be adopted by related textbook publishers, classroom teaching departments, administrators and policy makers. Discussion: The findings of the study show that the participants developed a positive perspective towards democracy and diversity, although some issues in the context of Turkey are hardly mentioned or criticized (Dodd, 1992). The most important problem in examining democracy and diversity was religion because the participants stated that they respect religion, in their case Islam, because they somewhat would not want to hear church bell in a land of Islam (Bader, 2007). Diversity has been conceptualized as a positive element in the study. Since democracy and diversity are interrelated and interwoven, the participants generally adopted these terms (Banks et al., 2005). Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that the respondents had positive conceptions on individual and cultural diversities. Further, they developed good attitudes towards cultural democracy and they believe in the power of integration through individual differences. Critical pedagogy is an educational theory which aims to form a progressive and democratic culture by means of critical inquiry, which consequently results in valuing and respecting personal and cultural differences. Critical pedagogy perceives teaching as a naturally political event, refuses the neutrality of knowledge, and asserts that matters of social justice and democracy are not recognizable from only educational activities.
Abstract
Aim: To study the effectiveness and cost of a new school vision screening program involving all class teachers (ACTs) compared with the standard program involving a limited number of ...selected teachers (STs) in Southern India.
Methods: A total of 12 schools were selected for intervention and 12 schools were matched as controls, from in and around Pondicherry, India. Teachers in both the intervention arm (ACTs) and the standard arm (STs) were trained to identify students between the ages of 6 and 17 years with visual acuity 20/30 in either eye or obvious ocular abnormalities and refer them to an ophthalmic team. The ophthalmic team, including an ophthalmologist, visited the schools to examine all children referred by teachers, provided medical treatment or a prescription for glasses, or referred them to the base hospital if required.
Results: ACTs (761 teachers) screened 39,357 children (97.7%) and STs (156 teachers) screened 38,469 children (95.7%). ACTs found significantly fewer screen-positive children (n = 3806, 9.7%) than the STs (n = 6387, 16.6%; p < 0.001), but had a significantly larger number of children with actual vision loss and other ocular pathology (2231, 5.7% and 1554, 4.0%, respectively, p < 0.001). More children from ACTs than STs reached the base hospital for further investigation within 3 months (p < 0.001). The cost of screening per child with actual ocular pathology was estimated to be US$1.91 for ACTs and US$4.83 for STs.
Conclusions: A school vision screening program involving ACTs resulted in more efficient screening than a program involving STs at about a third of the cost and also improved compliance with hospital referral.
The objectives of this study were to make clear the awareness of Individual Teaching Plans (ITPs) of teachers in regular class, to extract the factors affecting awareness of ITPs of teachers in ...regular class, and to investigate these factors using causal models. This study focused on the environmental and individual factors. The former were organizational climate and organization structure of schools, both of which affect composition of ITPs, and the latter were years of teaching experience, teaching experience on special needs education, and experience on designing ITPs. A total of 384 regular class teachers in Japan were the subjects of this study. The results show that regulating degree of appropriateness reduces the burden teachers of regular classes feel surrounding their ITP, gives them confidence, and results in them perceiving it to a greater degree as one of their own work duties. Furthermore, the results of the examination showed that collegial atmosphere at the school and experience preparing ITPs increased their confidence and acceptance as their own work duties. It is important to provide them with training and establish effective collaboration system between coordinators and special school teachers.
The shift to an earlier start in foreign language teaching in Finland took place nationwide in 2020. Both class teachers and subject teachers faced a new situation. They would be teaching children ...younger than before, or they would be teaching a completely new subject for them. This article examines teachers' conceptions of the skills and competencies, including required language skills, that are important for a teacher in early foreign language teaching. The data for this study were gathered through essays that teachers (n=44, subject teachers, class teachers, and double qualified teachers) turned in as tasks during an in-service teacher training for early teaching of foreign languages. The essays were analyzed with content analysis. The findings show that teachers found it the most essential that early foreign language teachers have enthusiasm for the job and are able to inspire learners. They also considered it important that teachers focus on learners and the learning environment, as well as have skills for early years pedagogy. The teachers did not consider foreign language education or language skills as important as the other skills but yet wished for teachers to be able to communicate in the target language in the class.
Besides the actual solving of the problem, the so-called setting up the
problem plays a very important role in the field of mathematics and
mathematical thinking. When students are engaged in the ...activity of setting
up the problem, they are actually placed in the ?role? of the mathematician
as a scientist and offered a possibility to experience a different aspect of
mathematics. Still, regardless of the positive effects shown by the results
of numerous research studies, this activity is not sufficiently represented
in the actual teaching practice of mathematics. Since teachers have the key
role in the preparation and implementation of the activity of setting up the
problem and their actions can influence the quality of knowledge and
understanding of mathematical concepts, as well as students? ideas, the main
aim of the research was to determine whether class teachers recognised the
importance of organising the activity of setting up the problem in teaching
mathematics to beginners. The sample included 161 class teachers. Data were
collected using an attitude scale. Combined standard quantitative and
qualitative methods were used to process the data. Research results have
confirmed that class teachers hold a positive attitude towards the activity
of setting up the problem. The established differences with respect to class
teachers? work experience and the level of education point to the fact that
more attention should be devoted to university education and in-service
teacher training when it comes to the activity of setting up the problem.
Future research should analyse the extent to which class teachers? teaching
practices actually reflect their attitudes.
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