{"title":"Exploring staff and student experiences of learning management system transition","authors":"E. Pechenkina, Elizabeth Branigan","doi":"10.1080/00131881.2022.2147854","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2147854","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background In higher education (HE) settings, staff and students are often end-users of a variety of educational technologies, tools and platforms, including Learning Management Systems (LMSs). As technological evolution is constant, transitioning to a new system may be a familiar occurrence. For technology to support educational purpose more fully, further insight needs to be gained into how staff and students actually experience the process of transition. This article focuses on this area in the context of institution-wide transition to a new LMS. Purpose The study’s aim was to explore how academic teaching staff and students experienced a university-wide technological change process: namely, a process of changing to a new LMS. Method Data were collected through a series of interviews with staff who were involved in the first stage of the change process. In addition, students enrolled in the first tranche of subjects undergoing transition participated in surveys. Data were analysed using a qualitative, comparative analysis approach; student and staff perspectives were compared, and the points of intersections and divergences between the viewpoints were located. Finding Detailed analysis helped identify factors that contributed to a smooth transition, while also showing how staff expectations of student behaviours and needs were not always aligned with students’ own approaches to technology-assisted teaching and learning, which tended to be predominantly pragmatic. Conclusions Feedback gleaned from investigating stakeholders’ transition experiences can contribute in a valuable way to informing change processes and support empowering change. The findings highlight how positioning LMS transition as a student-centred and education-led process, rather than as a large-scale technology project, has potential to support staff and students to have a positive and relatively seamless transition experience.","PeriodicalId":47607,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2022-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43148352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gender, teaching style, classroom composition and alienation from learning: an exploratory study","authors":"Andreas Hadjar, Susanne Backes","doi":"10.1080/00131881.2022.2143388","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2143388","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background Whilst much interest is focused on gender, and classroom-level influences such as and classroom composition and teaching style on achievement, attitudinal outcomes have not received the same attention. This paper focuses on alienation from learning as one sub-dimension of school alienation. School alienation is a relevant issue for all those engaged in supporting students to thrive and have positive outcomes, as it is related to learning and social behaviour, and eventually achievement. Purpose This explorative study considered how classroom gender composition and perceived teaching style affected the development of alienation from learning in primary and secondary schools. Methods A multi-level analysis, based on quantitative longitudinal data gathered in Luxembourg, was undertaken. The database included information gathered during three consecutive waves (2016–2018) from 338 primary school students and 376 secondary school students. Findings Our results indicate that the gender gap in alienation from learning was more pronounced in primary school. A student-centred supportive teaching style (classroom level) decreased alienation from learning in primary school for boys – closing the gender gap; that is to say, it did change the difference in alienation between girls and boys. In secondary school, only individual-level perceived teaching style was associated with alienation if teaching style was simultaneously considered on both individual and classroom level. A high proportion of male students in the classroom seemed to go along with a higher alienation among all students in secondary school. Conclusion This exploratory study indicates that teaching style may be a crucial factor for the attitudes towards school of all students, suggesting that employing student-centred and supportive styles could help to prevent school alienation.","PeriodicalId":47607,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2022-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42595521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Parejo, B. A. Lomotey, Miquel Reynés-Ramon, M. Cortón-Heras
{"title":"Professional development perspectives on Global Citizenship Education in Ghana","authors":"J. Parejo, B. A. Lomotey, Miquel Reynés-Ramon, M. Cortón-Heras","doi":"10.1080/00131881.2022.2135120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2135120","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background Increasingly incorporated into curricula worldwide, Global Citizenship Education (GCE) is a complex and evolving area of education. As the significance of GCE in the classroom grows, so does the need for insight into professional development for GCE educators. Given that many approaches to GCE have typically stemmed from ‘global North’ contexts, it is particularly important to research this area from ‘global South’ perspectives. This paper contributes by reporting on a study conducted in an initial teacher education setting in Ghana. Purpose The study aimed to investigate prospective teachers’ viewpoints on GCE. It sought to explore aspects including how pre-service teachers understood the orientation, meaning and relevance of GCE teaching and their views on the debates surrounding GCE’s underlying approaches and values. Methods Participants were 16 pre-service teachers who had taken GCE courses during their degree programmes at a university in Ghana. Data were collected through three focus group discussions and analysed qualitatively. Findings In-depth analysis of the rich data suggested that participants had generally positive perceptions about GCE, whilst observing challenges and tension in the relationships between local, national and global issues. Whereas some were of the opinion that GCE had a neocolonial orientation, focusing on Western elements over other cultures, others expressed the view that GCE content could be reoriented to address local issues as well. Although participants felt that greater practical experience could strengthen their learning, they believed they had obtained adequate skills in terms of content and theory for the teaching of GCE. Conclusion The study draws attention to the need for educators to be supported from an early stage and throughout their career journeys with professional development in GCE that invites exploration, critical thinking and challenge.","PeriodicalId":47607,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48957468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"University–school collaboration as an arena for community-building in teacher education","authors":"Rachel Jakhelln, May Britt Postholm","doi":"10.1080/00131881.2022.2071750","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2071750","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background In many settings internationally, initial teacher education (ITE) relies on cooperation between schools and universities. When these institutions collaborate on teacher education, the shared work can form a basis for community building. This article focuses on experiences in Norwegian ITE of the Change Laboratory (CL), a form of participatory data analysis workshop, as an arena for such work, and hence community building, in teacher education. Purpose Contextualised within the framework of cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), the research aimed to understand participants’ experiences of collaboration in CLs, and how the CLs functioned as an arena for community building. We asked: in what way was the work in CLs during the first year of an intervention research project in teacher education experienced as community building? Method The research was conducted within a four-year teacher education research and development project involving two ITE institutions. We carried out focus group interviews with three groups engaged together in shared work: teacher educators in university (n = 10), teacher educators in school (n = 5), and student teachers (n = 20). Data were analysed qualitatively. Findings During the project, all participants gradually felt that they had a voice and were listened to. Their mutual engagement on the project work, and the use of CHAT also brought them together. Overall, the findings were encouraging and suggested that a focus on community building in CLs in the start-up phase of a project can lay the foundation for collaboration between teacher education and schools, contributing to the co-construction of knowledge, and to learning and development. However, the challenge of disseminating the work to colleagues in universities and schools was perceived as a hindrance. Conclusions The development and sustaining of collaboration in teacher education is an important goal, ultimately benefitting the entire learning community. Crossing boundaries can lead to joint learning, as in this project, and to further development and learning in teacher education.","PeriodicalId":47607,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44765666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Urszula Bartnikowska, Katarzyna Ćwirynkało, P. Fronek
{"title":"What do foster parents think about their foster children’s education?","authors":"Urszula Bartnikowska, Katarzyna Ćwirynkało, P. Fronek","doi":"10.1080/00131881.2022.2136099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2136099","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background It is widely understood that children who enter foster care are likely to have had previous traumatic experiences which can affect many aspects of their lives, including their ability to thrive at school. In order to better support the educational needs of children who are fostered, deeper insight needs to be gained into the relationships between children in foster care, foster parents, and schools. As a contribution to this under-researched area, this study focuses attention on the viewpoints of foster parents in relation to their foster children’s school experiences, in a Polish context. Purpose This research sought to explore the perceptions of foster parents on the education of their foster children and investigate how they understood these experiences. Methods A qualitative, interpretive phenomenological study was undertaken to analyse foster parents’ lived experiences of their foster children’s education. A purposive sample of 62 foster parents participated across seven focus groups. An in-depth, interpretive analysis was conducted. Findings Overall, analysis of the rich data set identified four main themes, which crossed all focus groups: Experiences of discrimination; Advocating for the child, Feelings of futility, and Connecting positively. Conclusions The study highlights more widely how foster parents can feel routinely excluded from their foster children’s education and suggests that feelings of discrimination may be common experiences. It also draws attention to the opportunities for meaningful connectivity between school professionals, foster parents and children. Implications for practice, which may be of use in other settings internationally, are offered.","PeriodicalId":47607,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46405314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tutoring project for children from a refugee community: tutor perspectives","authors":"Deborah Holt, Alice Y. Taylor","doi":"10.1080/00131881.2022.2135121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2135121","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background The question of how best to support children who are refugees to resettle and thrive in a new country is important and complex. One of the many challenges experienced by such children is disrupted education. It is widely recognised that a sense of belonging and integration within a new school and community are key to enhancing children’s chances of achieving their potential. Tutoring programmes, where tutors work one-to-one with tutees, can offer a form of support in this regard. Purpose Set within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study sought to explore experiences of tutors involved in a pilot project in Scotland for primary schoolchildren from a refugee community. The home-based, online tutoring project focused on building confidence and a sense of belonging in order to support achievement in school. Methods Participants were 18 tutors who had taken part in the pilot project. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to gather rich data about the tutors’ experiences of working with the children from the refugee community. Data were analysed qualitatively, using a reflexive thematic analytical approach. Findings Tutors believed that relationships between tutor and child were essential to success. Personalisation appeared key to building confidence and helping children progress. Tutors spent time getting to know their tutee and took care to let their tutee get to know them as a person, as a way of bringing down barriers and helping the child connect. Tutors reported that they needed knowledge of the local curriculum, liaison with class teachers and understanding of the refugee community. They described the peer support network as invaluable for sharing knowledge. Although each worked with a different child, tutors learned from and assisted each other through their support network, sharing resources and ideas. Conclusion The study highlights the value of a professional learning community, particularly when tutors are working in isolation. It also draws attention to the importance of training for tutors taking on such roles, including support with the pastoral aspects of working with a child, such as the personalisation and relationship-building that was of such significance in this study.","PeriodicalId":47607,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47647028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"When educator-learner perceptions of instruction diverge: teachers’ perspectives","authors":"Julia Holzer, Elena Sessig, Marko Lüftenegger","doi":"10.1080/00131881.2022.2116348","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2116348","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background Research suggests that students and teachers often tend to diverge in their perceptions of instructional practices that are part of their everyday classroom experience. This might include differing views about assessment and feedback, or the effectiveness of task design. Accordingly, there is a need to understand as much as possible about the reasons for such differences. Purpose Whilst it is important to investigate students’ and teachers’ views on the reasons for these differences, the present study aimed to contribute to the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind student-teacher divergence in perception by specifically focusing on teachers’ perspectives. Method A total of 398 Austrian secondary school teachers responded to an open response question in an online survey. They were invited to reflect on the possible reasons for student–teacher divergence in terms of perceptions of instruction. The teachers’ statements written in response to the question were analysed, in detail, using qualitative content analysis. Data were grouped according to micro, meso and marcrolevel factors. Findings Analysis gave rise to a detailed categorisation of the reasons given by teachers, from their viewpoints, for student-teacher divergence in perception. The resultant categories and sub-categories revealed a wide range of explanations, including socio-demographic, motivational and emotional factors, and consideration of classroom features, and environmental factors. Conclusions As the themes that emerged were largely consistent with factors discussed in previous literature, the findings offer further in-depth insight into the possible underlying mechanisms, as well as highlighting some newly identified explanations, from teachers’ viewpoints, for student-teacher divergence in perception. The study generates some new ways to think about why teachers and students may have different perceptions of everyday instructional practices in the classroom, and draws attention to the significance of this complex area for all concerned with strengthening the quality of teaching and learning.","PeriodicalId":47607,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46563688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Connie Cirkony, M. Rickinson, Lucas Walsh, J. Gleeson, M. Salisbury, Blake Cutler
{"title":"Reflections on conducting rapid reviews of educational research","authors":"Connie Cirkony, M. Rickinson, Lucas Walsh, J. Gleeson, M. Salisbury, Blake Cutler","doi":"10.1080/00131881.2022.2120514","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2120514","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background Rapid reviews involve a streamlined approach to knowledge synthesis. They are used to identify high-quality evidence for the purpose of informing decisions and initiatives, completed over relatively short timeframes, and have been found to reach conclusions that do not differ extensively from full systematic reviews. Although common in the health sector, rapid reviews are not as widespread in education. Purpose This paper reflects on the experiences of conducting a rapid review that applied review guidance from the health sector to a topic situated within education: effective Professional Learning (PL) for school-based educators. Our purpose is not to share the rapid review’s findings: rather, our interest lies in exploring the process of undertaking the review. We sought to investigate the methodological decisions we made for the education context as we carried out the review. Methods As part of a large-scale investigation focusing on practitioner use of research evidence in education, we undertook a rapid review to understand what is known about effective PL. Drawing on methodological literature from the health and education sectors, we documented the procedure involved in conducting our rapid review in education. At each step, we reflected on methodological issues encountered, decisions taken and the procedural adjustments we made to align the process to the education context. Findings Our reflections identify the key adaptations we made to ensure that review guidance was carefully attuned to the context of the education field and the wider purpose of the review: in our case, to inform an initiative in education. Considerations highlighted by our procedure also included the role of reviewer judgement in quality appraisal and attending to collaborative review team processes. These reflections support the notion that the use of research to inform decisions in education needs to be a dynamic, contextualised, and collaborative process. Conclusion Rapid reviews have a crucial part to play in efforts to strengthen evidence-informed practice in the education sector. Our methodological exploration offers insights for those conducting, using, and commissioning rapid reviews to provide systematic and transparent evidence-based guidance for initiatives in education.","PeriodicalId":47607,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44549960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Journeys in STEM learning: first-time experiences of science teaching","authors":"Karthigeyan Subramaniam","doi":"10.1080/00131881.2022.2112922","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2112922","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background As prospective teachers traverse the early stages of their careers, their first experiences of teaching (both in-course and in-classroom), and the transitions between them, need to support the growth of their professional learning. In the context of STEM education, more needs to be understood about pre-service teachers’ lived experiences of these initial sessions, and the transitions between them, so that teacher educators can better prepare and support pre-service teachers to learn from these experiences and advance along their professional pathways. Purpose This study sought to explore primary teachers’ lived experiences of teaching science for the first time, firstly within a science teaching methods course, and then within a practicum. Methods Participants were 24 pre-service primary teachers attending a primary school teacher preparation programme in the USA. A phenomenological approach was adopted to describe the essence of the pre-service teachers’ lived experiences in teaching science for the first time, initially in a science teaching methods course and then in a practicum. They were interviewed at two points in time: once after their micro-teaching on the methods course, and then again after they had taught science at least once in their practicum. Data were analysed qualitatively. Findings The analysis suggested that the essence of pre-service primary teachers’ first-time science teaching experiences appeared to be about constructing ‘operating systems’ for teaching science (in the methods course), and then, once they had transitioned to the practicum, reconfiguring their operating systems, in part to align with the mentor teachers’ conceptualisation of what constituted science instruction and learning. Conclusion These findings highlight how the notion of ‘experience as teacher’ could assist science teacher educators in helping pre-service primary teachers to adjust their expectations and support their learning as they transition through the early stages of their STEM teaching journeys.","PeriodicalId":47607,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49623171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Experiential learning through a peer learning assistant model in STEM","authors":"Hee Jung Gong, Jihye Kwon, Megan P Brock","doi":"10.1080/00131881.2022.2096092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2096092","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background Over recent years in colleges and universities, a peer-learning assistant (PLA) model has been introduced into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) classes. Despite the significance of this alternative pedagogical approach in undergraduate education, studies of PLAs’ lived experiences of the approach, and hence a deep understanding of the model and its application in higher education, are limited. Purpose The study sought to gain insight into the learning and teaching experiences of PLAs in an undergraduate STEM class. The PLAs were required to take a pedagogical class as mentors, in addition to having previously undertaken the STEM class themselves. Method A phenomenological methodology underpinned the study design, supporting the in-depth analysis of rich interview data. Interviews were conducted with five PLAs in STEM majors in a public university in the United States. Interviews were focused on identifying the PLAs’ perceptions of their shared experiences, and the knowledge and skills they gained while mentoring peer STEM students and taking a peer-learning pedagogy class. Data were analysed qualitatively, using Kolb’s experiential learning as an analytical framework. Findings The analysis identified how the PLAs experienced the cycle of experiential learning by a) engaging in a STEM class as a student teacher; b) interacting with other PLAs in a pedagogical course; c) developing skills and learning from a pedagogy class; and d) readapting developed peer-teaching abilities and attitudes to a STEM class. Conclusions Our study contributes to an understanding of PLAs’ experiences of the PLA model. The elements we found offer a view into how the PLA students shaped their peer-learning and peer-teaching skills, through their reflections on experiences in both the STEM and pedagogical classes. Through the four elements, students were able to engage in a process that suggested transformative learning. Practical suggestions and scholarly implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.","PeriodicalId":47607,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45368417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}