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Article
Publication date: 18 December 2007

Shiaw‐Wen Tien, Chung‐Ching Chiu, Chih‐Hung Tsai, Yi‐Chan Chung and Ya‐Chin Chang

This research treated the secondary school teachers as the research scale and the research targets included the following: secondary school (employ unit), center of teacher

Abstract

This research treated the secondary school teachers as the research scale and the research targets included the following: secondary school (employ unit), center of teacher education, and qualified teachers. In terms of these three groups of people, the topics of exploration focused on the perception of suitable teachers, perception of evaluation standard during the process of teacher examination and the relationship among teacher examination systems. The research was managed by two phases: the first phase referred to literature reorganization, expert interview, the qualities and conditions of suitable teachers, important evaluation standard during the process of teacher examination and teacher examination system used; the second phase included questionnaire survey, employ school acquisition, the perception of centers of teacher education and qualified teachers toward the suitability condition and examination evaluation standard in the first phase and teacher examination system used. This research found out that as to the perception of suitable teachers, through data collection, there were six factors reorganized. The levels of their importance were as follows: education devotion, teaching capacity, class management, capacity to guide special students, capacity to communicate with the parents and the will to undertake administrative works. Noticeably, employee unit and centers of teacher education apparently valued class management more, compared with trained teachers; as to evaluation standard of examination, the analytical result found out that the perception of three groups were different in terms of the views toward educational works, written examination data, candidate’s age, club experience at school and capacity to use multimedia support teaching materials. This research further proposed six suggestions for centers of teacher education and trained teachers: (1) employ schools considerably valued educational devotion; (2) trained teachers tended to neglect the importance of class management; (3) employee unit considerably cared about the new teachers’ competence to use multimedia support teaching materials; however, trained teachers did not have the same view; (4) employee unit considerably cared about new teachers’ views toward educational works as well as the candidates’ ages; (5) generally speaking, trained teachers neglected the importance of club experience at school; (6) the data revealed that written examination data was not relatively important in terms of teacher examination

Details

Asian Journal on Quality, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1598-2688

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 August 2016

Lokman Mohd Tahir, Sui Liang Lee, Mohammed Borhandden Musah, Hadijah Jaffri, Mohd Nihra Haruzuan Mohamad Said and Mohd Hanafi Mohd Yasin

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the issues and challenges faced by headteachers in practicing the suggested distributed leadership (DL) approach in three primary…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the issues and challenges faced by headteachers in practicing the suggested distributed leadership (DL) approach in three primary schools to their middle layer leaders.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed a case study design and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. A total of three headteachers were interviewed in examining and exploring challenges within the DL practices. The transcripts from the semi-structured interviews formed the basis of the findings.

Findings

The findings suggest that senior teachers lack confidence in making decisions and rely on the consent from headteachers even though they are empowered to make their own decisions. Another significant issue faced by headteachers when distributing their leadership is the ability, expertise, experience, and willingness of teachers to hold leadership roles and responsibilities.

Originality/value

The results are important since there have been few empirical studies on the issues and challenges faced by headteachers in practising DL approach in primary schools in the context of Malaysia. This initiative sidelines the traditional school leadership approach which emphasises on the accountability of headteachers as the sole school leader.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 30 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 16 May 2022

Alessandro Ramploud, Silvia Funghi and Maria Giuseppina Bartolini

The aim of this paper is to explore the rationale and findings of the implementation of a Chinese lesson study (CLS)-informed model of mathematics teacher education in Italian…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to explore the rationale and findings of the implementation of a Chinese lesson study (CLS)-informed model of mathematics teacher education in Italian schools. The study focuses on the modifications and invariance when introducing CLS in a different culture.

Design/methodology/approach

In a previous work (Bartolini Bussi et al., 2017), the authors focused on a single case of activity inspired by the CLS in Italy, and identified some conflicts emerging between the cultures of teaching in China and Italy and explored the way to overcome the conflicts. In the following years, the authors implemented lesson study (LS) experimentations with dozens of in-service primary school teachers and pre-service teachers who were gradually introduced to the model of CLS. The tensions/constraints occurred prominently when extending the experiments with many dozens of other in-service teachers and pre-service teachers.

Findings

The authors highlighted how the process of deconstruction allowed the participants in the study to either appropriate or reject some features of the CLS, linking this process to the cultural differences.

Practical implications

The authors believe and argue that LS, and CLS in particular, must be modified in the transfer from one culture to another, considering the cultural beliefs of the involved teachers.

Originality/value

The authors claim that the features of CLS compels the Western researchers to adopt local and culturally determined choices and to be aware of the rationale of these choices.

Details

International Journal for Lesson & Learning Studies, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-8253

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 July 2020

Hung Kei Kenneth Lo

This paper aims to present and discuss the findings from a qualitative study of victim-offender mediation meetings in two non-government organisations in Hong Kong between January…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present and discuss the findings from a qualitative study of victim-offender mediation meetings in two non-government organisations in Hong Kong between January 2015 and February 2016. It argues that mediators in Hong Kong have a unique interpretation of the criteria for someone to be considered a “macro-community member”. Confucian relational ethics emphasises that everyone lives in a personal nexus and wrongdoings will disturb this nexus. In this specific context, therefore, mediators feel that reconciliation and reparation should be dealt with by the people in the offender’s network while the involvement of unknown macro-community members is discouraged.

Design/methodology/approach

The semi-structured interview was adopted for use in this study, and an interview schedule with 12 open-ended questions was prepared as a guideline for conducting the interviews.

Findings

Mediators in Hong Kong have a unique interpretation of the criteria for someone to be considered a “macro-community member” Confucian relational ethics emphasises that everyone lives in a personal nexus and wrongdoings will disturb this nexus. Reconciliation and reparation should be dealt with by the people in the network, and the involvement of macro-community members will certainly disturb this network.

Originality/value

This study was conducted by the author between January 2015 and February 2016 for the purpose of obtaining a doctorate. The paper has neither been published previously nor is it under review for publication in any other journal at this time.

Details

Safer Communities, vol. 19 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-8043

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 29 May 2023

Eva Schmidthaler, Corinna Hörmann, Marina Rottenhofer, Barbara Sabitzer and Zsolt Lavicza

This research paper aims to provide information about certified learning apps for biological education and gave an ordered list of all learning apps currently used by Austrian…

1051

Abstract

Purpose

This research paper aims to provide information about certified learning apps for biological education and gave an ordered list of all learning apps currently used by Austrian biology teachers in the classroom, which should serve as an overview for all biology teachers. In addition, the (currently little known) certification process of learning apps (seal of quality for educational applications) is described.

Design/methodology/approach

Online questionnaire for all biology teachers throughout Austria, on the one hand to find out the apps, and on the other hand to research how Austrian teachers find suitable apps. The data were evaluated using descriptive statistics.

Findings

A total of84 different learning apps are currently used by biology teachers in Austria. There are two certified lernapps in Austria, both are used. The most common app in biology lessons is “Anton”. The teachers find the information about apps throughout their own research or through colleagues. There are regional and school-specific differences in regards of usage and knowledge about seal of quality. It needs its own teacher training (TT) via suitable learning apps, because problems (data protection, advertising) are sometimes not taken into account during use.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of this paper are that some of the teachers indicated the apps from other subjects (mathematics) to use this learning app, although this is not possible for biology lessons. Data protection was stated to the best of the authors’ knowledge by the authors, if the authors were not sure it says “unsure”. The participants are mainly women, but this corresponds to the gender ratio, which is typical of the Austrian teaching profession.

Practical implications

The overview of the apps, compiled by this Austria-wide research, can be taken over into the biology lessons of all teachers. In addition, on the basis of this study, a TT at the University of Education 2023 in Linz was created. In addition, the (currently little known) certification process of learning apps is described.

Social implications

The TT and the overview of the learning apps used serve as guidelines for teachers as to which apps they can use in biology lessons without hesitation. Above all, the aspect of the follow-up of digital media/apps will be emphasized. Data backup, inappropriate advertising must be processed in class or completely omitted. Biology teachers need the right training (TT) and appropriate materials and tools (apps) to reduce problems (cybercrimes).

Originality/value

Currently, there is no prepared list of suitable (certified and uncertified) learning apps for biology lessons. There are isolated recommendations and individual apps, but the selection criteria and backgrounds of the authors are not clear. This list shows which apps (how often) are used by which teachers. In addition, the (currently little known) certification process of learning apps is described.

Details

Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2397-7604

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 April 2024

Mandy Hommel

In Germany, various approaches have been taken to tackle the current teacher shortage in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). One attempt to remedy the shortage…

Abstract

Purpose

In Germany, various approaches have been taken to tackle the current teacher shortage in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). One attempt to remedy the shortage in Bavaria has been the introduction of an engineering education study programme at universities of applied sciences. Ideal candidates for this programme should have an interest in both engineering and social interaction. For effective recruitment, therefore, it is necessary to know applicants’ characteristics such as their vocational interests. In this study, the vocational interest profiles of students in TVET teacher training programmes were identified and their interest profiles and further characteristics were compared with those of other VET students at universities and universities of applied sciences.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire based on Holland’s interest theory and adapted from the Allgemeiner-Interessen-Struktur-Test-3 (interest structure test) was administered to 85 students in TVET teacher training programmes at universities and universities of applied sciences in Bavaria. Items regarding reasons for choosing a particular study programme, university location and other personal details were added.

Findings

The vocational interest profiles of students at universities and universities of applied sciences can be described as similar but weakly differentiated. Insights are provided by the characteristics of students such as the majority being first-time academics in the family. The reasons for choosing the degree programme and university location highlight the fact that a large proportion of students in engineering education would not have chosen a teaching-related degree programme if it had not been offered at the respective university of applied sciences.

Research limitations/implications

Although the sample in this study was small and, therefore, limiting, it represented a high proportion of TVET teacher training students in Bavaria and a substantial proportion of first-year students in TVET teacher training programmes at universities and universities of applied sciences in Bavaria (section 2.2 and 3.1). Thus, the findings provide valuable insights into commonalities in interest profiles between engineering education students at universities of applied sciences and other TVET students at universities. With respect to the domain of the chosen vocational specialisation, differentiated profiles emerged that, for example, showed a stronger artistic orientation among students in construction technology/wood. For further analysis, the previous variable-centred orientation of the analysis can be supplemented by person-centred analyses (e.g. cluster analysis and latent variable mixture modelling, LVMM) (cf. Leon et al., 2021).

Practical implications

The findings in this study reveal the potential for attracting candidates to universities of applied sciences if they prefer to study in rather rural areas close to their hometowns. With the aim to educate prospective teachers for future work not only in metropolitan regions but in rural areas too, offering bachelor degree programmes in rural areas would seem promising. A regional option can boost the recruitment of new students and attract candidates that otherwise would be unable to pursue studies or a career as a teacher in vocational education. The results of this study and those of previous studies suggest that universities of applied sciences can cooperate with universities to help solve the teacher shortage problem.

Social implications

Overall, it is apparent that the students' interests reached comparatively high values in all interest orientations and thus are only weakly differentiated. If undifferentiated profiles indicate low levels of career readiness, this significantly affects the recruitment of young people for the teaching profession. Assessing career orientation and promoting vocational interests should be prioritised during secondary school education. Vocational orientation measures are essential and should provide insight into typical activities of daily work life in different professions and thus pique and foster interests.

Originality/value

This study provides insight into how to respond to the teacher shortage in VET by identifying important characteristics of engineering education students using vocational interest profiling.

Details

Education + Training, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 May 2021

Orna Levin and Bilha Paryente

This study aims to examine the process of using simulation to select candidates from a pool of teacher-education-programme applicants, considering the applicants’ perspective. The…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the process of using simulation to select candidates from a pool of teacher-education-programme applicants, considering the applicants’ perspective. The population of applicants to teacher-education programmes has been the subject of numerous studies; however, only a minor portion of these examined the applicants’ perspective regarding the applicant-selection process. Furthermore, the process of using simulation as a tool for applicant selection to a teacher-education has not been studied yet.

Design/methodology/approach

This case study focuses on applicants’ experience of the simulation-based selection (SBS) and its potential advantages. A total of 188 applicants completed a reflection questionnaire and participated in interviews; 15 of them also participated in focus groups. The data were analysed using the thematic-cognitive method.

Findings

Data analysis revealed three major themes and nine subthemes, which represent the value of SBS from the applicants’ perspective in terms of social–interpersonal, cognitive–professional and emotional–personal skills.

Practical implications

Research findings may enable decision-makers in teacher-education programmes to improve the candidate selection process, which will lead to the absorption of suitable teachers on the one hand and prevent the integration of unsuitable candidates on the other.

Originality/value

This pioneering study contributes to our understanding of the applicant-selection process and offers practical recommendations for using SBS to enhance the quality of the selection process.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 29 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 1969

Parker of, Melford Stevenson and J.J. Willis

May 1,1969 Redundancy — “Offer of suitable employment” — Headmaster — Dismissal — Offer of employment at same salary in mobile pool of teachers — Whether “suitable” employment …

Abstract

May 1,1969 Redundancy — “Offer of suitable employment” — Headmaster — Dismissal — Offer of employment at same salary in mobile pool of teachers — Whether “suitable” employment — Whether “unreasonably refused” — Redundancy Payments Act, 1965 (c. 62), ss. l(2)(a), 2(4)

Details

Managerial Law, vol. 6 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0558

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2005

Katri Hämeen‐Anttila, Mirja Juvonen, Riita Ahonen, Patricia J. Bush and Marja Airaksinen

This study is part of a larger project, which aims to develop medicine education materials for teachers. The aim of the present study was to discover children's interests in…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study is part of a larger project, which aims to develop medicine education materials for teachers. The aim of the present study was to discover children's interests in medicines and teachers' opinions on what should be taught about medicines to children of different ages. Furthermore, teachers' opinions were assessed about the importance of medicine education as a part of school health education. The aim of the recommendations, based on our research and the materials developed during this process, is to clarify what proper use of medicines can mean, and in this way help teachers fulfil the requirements of the new Finnish health education curriculum.

Design/methodology/approach

Twelve focus group discussions were conducted among a convenience sample of first‐graders (7‐8 years, n=23), fourth‐graders (10‐11 years, n=24) and seventh‐graders (13‐14 years, n=19). A national representative survey was conducted to gather data from the teachers (n=284, response rate 71 percent).

Findings

Children's interests and teachers' opinions on what could be taught about medicines to children of different ages were quite similar. However, fourth‐graders were interested in many topics which teachers considered suitable for older children, for example, how medicines work, how to avoid adverse reactions, and abuse of medicines. The vast majority of the teachers (93 percent) considered teaching about the proper use of medicines so important that it should be included in the national curriculum of health education. Of the children, fourth‐graders were the most interested in medicines.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies, which combine the opinions of children and teachers, on what to teach children of different ages about the proper use of medicines. During the study, evidence‐based recommendations on what to teach children about medicines and teaching materials were created.

Details

Health Education, vol. 105 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 June 2009

Orly Shapira‐Lishchinsky

The purpose of this paper is to identify Israeli teachers' perceptions about the relationships between mentoring styles and team culture and the effect of these relationships on…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify Israeli teachers' perceptions about the relationships between mentoring styles and team culture and the effect of these relationships on mentoring effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consisted of 169 Israeli teachers from 22 science and technology teams in junior high schools. Four mentoring styles and four dimensions of team culture are examined. Data analysis is carried out on an individual level, whilst taking into consideration the influence of the entire team.

Findings

Meaning attribution style influences the perception of mentoring effectiveness in every team culture. Contrary to the expected outcome, the “fit” between the other mentoring styles and team culture has no significant bearing on mentoring effectiveness.

Research limitations/implications

The self‐reported instrument is vulnerable to a same‐source bias. However, since the focus of this paper is teachers' perceptions of their specific mentors' effectiveness, rather than mentoring effectiveness in practice, it seems to be a suitable tool. In addition, the study sample is limited to science and technology teams, However, it appears that these findings can be generalised beyond these teams, since the study variables, which have a general psychological character, have been used previously in other fields.

Practical implications

These findings will be able to assist supervisors in recruiting and assigning suitable mentors, thus contributing to school effectiveness.

Originality/value

The paper contributed to the design of a model that explains mentoring effectiveness. This model raises doubts regarding the perception that “fit” between mentoring styles and team culture is necessary for improving mentoring effectiveness.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 23 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 14000