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Article
Publication date: 13 September 2024

Ayubu Ismail Ngao and Guoyuan Sang

Despite the positive impact of professional learning communities (PLCs) in improving teaching practices, many teachers still struggle to effectively integrate information and…

Abstract

Purpose

Despite the positive impact of professional learning communities (PLCs) in improving teaching practices, many teachers still struggle to effectively integrate information and communication technologies (ICTs) into their teaching and learning. Drawing from human capital theory and spillover effects, this paper examines how teachers PLCs can facilitate ICT integration.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a qualitative methodology, the researchers designed a phenomenological study. From semi-structured interviews, data were collected from 15 selected secondary school teachers from four selected secondary schools in Tanzania.

Findings

The study revealed that teachers use various strategies to enhance ICT integration in teaching practices, namely, community collaboration, practice-based approaches to ICT integration and the utilization of digital learning tools in instructional practices. Furthermore, the results showed several constraints on the ability of teachers’ PLCs to encourage ICT integration. These constraints were divided into three parts, i.e. major challenges at the macro, meso and micro levels.

Practical implications

The paper has the potential to inform policy and practice, particularly in the area of PLCs. Also, it helps to better understand the changing practices with ICTs through PLCs when there are insufficient resources for ICT integration.

Originality/value

To support teachers in using ICTs in their instructional practices, it is essential to build their capacities through PLCs to increase their confidence and competence in ICT integration.

Details

Journal of Professional Capital and Community, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-9548

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 July 2024

Zeina Hojeij, Mohammad Amin Kuhail and Areej ElSayary

This study aims investigate in-service teachers’ perspectives on the integration of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven chatbot, into United Arab Emirates (UAE…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims investigate in-service teachers’ perspectives on the integration of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven chatbot, into United Arab Emirates (UAE) private schools. As the UAE progresses towards a knowledge-based economy, aligning with the goals of the UAE 2030 vision, this research assesses the capacity of ChatGPT to enhance the educational experience within the framework of technological pedagogical content knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-methods approach is used, combining a survey assessing teachers’ attitudes and a thematic analysis of open-ended responses, to explore the effectiveness, challenges and pedagogical implications of ChatGPT’s use in the classroom.

Findings

Findings reveal that teachers value ChatGPT for its potential to individualize learning and streamline the creation of educational materials, aligning with the shift towards student-centred approaches and the demands of 21st-century skills. However, significant challenges are noted, including ethical concerns, the need for reliable content and a necessity for extensive professional development to fully realize ChatGPT’s benefits.

Practical implications

While ChatGPT transforms teaching and learning practices, realizing this potential requires addressing critical issues through adaptive policy-making, continuous educator training and thoughtful integration into the curriculum.

Originality/value

The study highlights the importance of a collaborative approach to dealing with the details of AI in education, ensuring that advancements like ChatGPT align with the evolving educational paradigms of the UAE.

Details

Interactive Technology and Smart Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-5659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 July 2024

Jung Won Hur

This study aims to investigate how preservice teachers’ stages of concern, beliefs, confidence and interest in AI literacy education evolve as they deepen their understanding of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how preservice teachers’ stages of concern, beliefs, confidence and interest in AI literacy education evolve as they deepen their understanding of AI concepts and AI literacy education.

Design/methodology/approach

AI literacy lessons were integrated into a technology integration course for preservice teachers, and the impacts of the lessons were evaluated through a mixed-methods study. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model was employed as the analytical framework to explore participants’ specific concerns related to AI.

Findings

Findings revealed that participants initially lacked AI knowledge and awareness. However, targeted AI literacy education enhanced preservice teachers’ awareness and confidence in teaching AI. While acknowledging AI’s educational benefits, participants expressed ongoing concerns after AI literacy lessons, such as fears of teacher displacement and the potential adverse effects of incorporating generative AI on students’ critical learning skills development.

Originality/value

Despite the importance of providing preservice teachers with AI literacy skills and knowledge, research in this domain remains scarce. This study fills this gap by enhancing the AI-related knowledge and skills of future educators, while also identifying their specific concerns regarding the integration of AI into their future classrooms. The findings of this study offer valuable insights and guidelines for teacher educators to incorporate AI literacy education into teacher training programs.

Details

Information and Learning Sciences, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-5348

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 18 July 2024

Kelemu Zelalem Berhanu

Although building professional capital improves student learning and the effectiveness of schools in educating students, it needs to be explored in the area of primary schools in…

Abstract

Purpose

Although building professional capital improves student learning and the effectiveness of schools in educating students, it needs to be explored in the area of primary schools in Ethiopia. Thus, this study was conducted to explore the practices of primary school principals to develop the professional capital of teachers and the associated challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study was used to collect data from nine teachers and five principals of Ethiopian primary schools using a maximum variation sampling. Data obtained from interviews and two focus groups were subjected to thematic analysis.

Findings

Principals and teachers reported that to develop the human capital of teachers, principals provided teachers with opportunities to attend training, encouraged informal collaboration for professional improvement and encouraged the practice of continuous professional development programs. For the development of social capital among teachers, the principals also formed various social groups, encouraged frequent interactions between school stakeholders and created a caring school culture to strengthen the interactions between school stakeholders. For building the decision-making capital of teachers, principals promoted an environment in which teachers' professional judgment and wisdom are respected and so forth. The challenges to develop professional capital were related to teachers and principals, schools and education bureaus.

Originality/value

Building teachers' professional capital increases school effectiveness, although primary schools still need to investigate this further. Therefore, by improving knowledge and information on approaches to building professional capital in teachers, this study is important to administrators and other relevant school stakeholders. This also helps principals transform their leadership behavior to be more pedagogical in leading teaching and learning and enhance teachers' ability to build and exercise effective social and professional behaviors towards their students in their daily practices.

Details

Journal of Professional Capital and Community, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-9548

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 September 2024

Raven Cromwell, Koral Fleming, Kaitlyn Forshey and Tim Fleming

In the Fall of 2019, Marietta College and Marietta City Schools, in Marietta, Ohio, piloted a program to improve literacy knowledge and pedagogy through completing LETRS training…

Abstract

Purpose

In the Fall of 2019, Marietta College and Marietta City Schools, in Marietta, Ohio, piloted a program to improve literacy knowledge and pedagogy through completing LETRS training, a two-year literacy professional development based on the science of reading, as peers.

Design/methodology/approach

This project was aligned to effective professional development research that states better trainings are content-specific, allow support and collaboration and are ongoing throughout the school year (Blank and de las Alas, 2009; Darling-Hammond, Hyler, and Gardener, 2017) and respect participants work/life schedules (Bigsby and Firestone, 2017).

Findings

Some benefits of this collaboration were that teachers, college faculty and teacher candidates were able to communicate more effectively about literacy because we all had shared background knowledge and spoke the same language when it came to literacy. We were also able to make more meaningful clinical experiences for our teacher candidates because we created a stronger connection between the knowledge and pedagogy taught in students’ literacy courses and the practices they saw in real classrooms. Inservice teachers saw the college faculty and teacher candidates as strong partners, which greatly strengthened our clinical preparation.

Practical implications

The paper includes implications for the development of stronger partnerships between teacher preparation program faculty and school partnership faculty and more authentic and meaningful clinical experiences for teacher candidates.

Originality/value

This project shows how meaningful partnerships and clinical experiences can be created when partnership faculty are seen as peers.

Details

PDS Partners: Bridging Research to Practice, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2833-2040

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 August 2024

Halil Ibrahim Cinarbas and Aysegul Daloglu

This case study aims to enrich research on language teacher identity and cognition by detailing the experiences of English language teachers instructing students with visual…

Abstract

Purpose

This case study aims to enrich research on language teacher identity and cognition by detailing the experiences of English language teachers instructing students with visual impairments in Türkiye, exploring the (re)formation of their identity and cognition within this context.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a qualitative approach, combining interviews, observations, field notes and legal document analysis. Hiver and Al-Hoorie's (2016) Complexity Theory guides data collection and analysis, supported by MAXQDA software.

Findings

The findings highlight the influences of personal, social, cultural and educational factors on language teacher identity and cognition, with a focus on interactions in preservice education, institutional requirements and instructional methods at the School for the Blind.

Originality/value

This case study provides practical and theoretical insights into language teacher identity and cognition within special education schools, contributing to the broader discourse on diversity in this field.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 32 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 30 July 2024

Kaisa Tsupari, Altti Lagstedt and Raine Kauppinen

This study explores the consequences of digitalization in the field of education, particularly in relation to teachers’ course processes in higher education institutions. It…

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores the consequences of digitalization in the field of education, particularly in relation to teachers’ course processes in higher education institutions. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how information systems (IS) support not only individual tasks but also processes as a whole. The results reveal that process practices have not been considered comprehensively and even core processes may be unseen.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the extent to which teachers’ processes are discussed in the literature. A qualitative case study was then conducted at a Finnish higher education institution to identify course processes and their relationships to IS.

Findings

Teachers’ processes have scarcely been discussed in the literature, and the process support provided by ISs is remarkably limited. It seems that course processes, which are core to education, are a blind spot in education digitalization. To support evaluating the level of support by IS, novel course process indicators were introduced.

Practical implications

Developing core processes, teachers’ course processes and thesis processes in education field, supports improving service quality. In all industries, organizations should consider whether processes are properly recognized and whether IS support not only individual tasks but also processes as a whole. We recommend recognizing and applying business process management practices to better support teachers’ work and to improve overall efficiency in education.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first education sector study that attends to teacher’s work as a comprehensive process.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 30 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 May 2024

İbrahim Çolak

This research sought to document the volume, development trend and geographical distribution of the research on teacher autonomy, identify high-impact journals, authors and…

129

Abstract

Purpose

This research sought to document the volume, development trend and geographical distribution of the research on teacher autonomy, identify high-impact journals, authors and documents and reveal the intellectual structure of the field.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyzed the articles published on the related subject in the Web of Science (WoS) and/or Scopus. Based on certain exclusion criteria, analyses were conducted on a total of 259 articles. The data were then subjected to descriptive analyses and bibliometric analyses.

Findings

The review found that the teacher autonomy knowledge base has grown dramatically since 2004. In the co-citation analysis, it was determined that four clusters focused on the themes of professionalism and professional development, leadership and self-efficacy, autonomy in language teaching and learning and self-determination theory. According to the co-word analysis in this review, the most co-occurring keywords were revealed to be “teacher autonomy,” “autonomy,” “teachers,” “teacher professionalism” and “professional development.”

Originality/value

Despite increasing numbers of systematic reviews focusing on educational administration and leadership, this paper represents the first bibliometric review conducted to reveal the development of research on teacher autonomy using both the WoS and Scopus databases. Teacher autonomy can be regarded as an emerging field of study backed up by a theoretical background. Although there are some distinct prominent scholars in the research area, autonomy research still needs more scholars to specialize in the field.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 38 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 20 August 2024

Kelemu Zelalem Berhanu

Pedagogical leadership (PL) has been regarded as the best leadership style in the education sector. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop and validate a pedagogical…

Abstract

Purpose

Pedagogical leadership (PL) has been regarded as the best leadership style in the education sector. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop and validate a pedagogical leadership scale (PLS).

Design/methodology/approach

Two distinct approaches (inductive and deductive) were utilized. First, a review of the literature was conducted, and then qualitative data were collected through interviews, and their responses were categorized into 40 items. These items were thematized using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) by involving 300 participants. To examine the fitness of the scale, the researchers conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with 470 participants.

Findings

EFA discovered a total variance of 64.766% for four factors. In CFA, RMSEA, NFI, RFI, NNFI, CFI, GFI and AGFI values were accepted. The highest correlation was found among constructs of PL. Path analysis revealed PL affected social, professional, intellectual and academic capitals. The correlations between the PLS and psychological empowerment demonstrated the theoretically predicted relationships with these variables. Thus, with the initial evidence of a valid and reliable PLS, a pool of 32 items under 4 factors (social, academic, professional and intellectual capital) were developed.

Originality/value

Despite the management of childhood education requiring the practice of PL, it is underexplored in childhood schools, particularly to our knowledge, no studies have been conducted to develop and confirm the PLS in Ethiopia.

Details

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

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 September 2024

Daryl Allan Michel

The purpose of this qualitative study was to bring together teachers from different academic disciplines to engage them in lesson study (LS) cycles with a focus on literacy.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this qualitative study was to bring together teachers from different academic disciplines to engage them in lesson study (LS) cycles with a focus on literacy.

Design/methodology/approach

This research employed a qualitative case study and occurred in one secondary school along the Texas (USA) and Mexico border. Ten teachers representing six academic disciplines participated in eight LS cycles to reflect on their knowledge of literacy, including when, if at all, they integrated literacy when planning and teaching lessons. About 20 students shared their impressions, feelings and thoughts about the lessons.

Findings

Teachers learned that literacy standards exist in each academic discipline and that integrating reading and writing during lessons allowed for more increased dialogue between/among teachers and students. The principal learned that teachers from all academic disciplines need differentiated, sustained professional learning opportunities on how to teach literacy skills.

Originality/value

Teachers often work alone or within their respective academic departments, whereas this project focused on secondary teachers from six academic disciplines taking part in LS cycles with a common focus on literacy. Sustained opportunities for teachers to study their standards and curriculum materials, plan and teach lessons and share perspectives from classroom observations resulted in new knowledge about ways to include literacy in any academic discipline. A schoolwide professional learning community focused on literacy could act as a catalyst for instructional change.

Details

International Journal for Lesson & Learning Studies, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-8253

Keywords

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