Search results for "Mathematics EDucation"

Factors affecting Nigerian teacher educators’ technology integration : Considering characteristics, knowledge constructs, ICT practices and beliefs

2020

To provide a diverse comprehension of teachers' TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge) and how TPACK is reflected in practice, this study examined teacher educators' (TEs') conceptions of technology integration. Specifically, the main objective of the study was to investigate the factors influencing Nigerian teacher educators' technology integration using a self-completion survey administered to Nigerian teacher educators from three schools in the southern region of Nigeria. We utilized the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach for the data analysis. Two frameworks—TPACK and Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES)— guided t…

Validating the early childhood classroom observation measure in first and third grade classrooms

2016

The present study reports on the psychometric properties of the Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure (ECCOM) in Finnish and Estonian first and third grade classrooms. The observation data were collected from 91 first grade teachers and 70 third grade teachers. Teachers' curriculum goals, teaching experience and the classroom size were measured also. The results of confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence of the three-factor model (management, climate, and instruction) for each dimension—child-centred, teacher-directed, and child-dominated—in both grades. The reliability of the dimensions and sub-scales was good, and some evidence was also found for criterion validity. The fin…

2021

Abstract Understanding the factors related to teacher burnout helps in creating schools which foster teachers’ job satisfaction and the delivery of high-quality education. We studied teacher burnout and its three subdomains across several teacher-, student-, and organisation-level variables, including teacher category, class size, number of students with support needs, attitudes towards inclusive education, and availability of support. The participants were 4567 Finnish primary school teachers consisting of 2080 classroom teachers, 1744 subject teachers, 438 special-class and 305 resource room teachers. Several associations between teacher burnout and the background variables were observed …

Classroom Management and Loss of Time at the Lesson Start: A Preliminary Study

2013

<p style="text-align:justify">Lesson starts are transitional events which may cause management problems for teachers. In this study 131 lesson starts of equally many teachers were observed in primary and secondary schools in Finland. The results indicated that, in general, the problems were minimal. However, for various reasons lesson starts were delayed by an average of about six minutes. Calculated on this basis, the total loss of instructional time in the whole school year was about five weeks of schooling. No statistically significant relationships were observed between disturbances in the classroom and any background variable studied including grade level, classroom type,(special…

Flexible Grouping as a Means for Classroom Management in a Heterogeneous Classroom

2011

This article concerns issues of classroom management in heterogeneous classrooms. Although research in the field of learning styles has yielded mixed results, there is a call for information about how they could be used to individualize instruction, especially in primary schools. This article is part of an ethnographic study aiming to examine teacher collaboration in a primary school and it draws strongly on field notes and on interviews with teachers. The intention was to discover how the two teachers in the classroom studied categorized pupils according to the learning styles model they had invented, and how the resulting groups were used for the purposes of classroom management. The stu…

Classroom management practices and their associations with children’s mathematics skills in two cultural groups

2014

The aim of the study was to examine the extent to which contextual factors predict children’s mathematics skills in different cognitive domains. The sample consisted of 1734 students from 26 Estonian- and 17 Russian-language schools in Estonia. Mathematics and non-verbal reasoning tests were carried out at the beginning of the third grade. In addition, teachers were asked about their classroom management practices. The results of multilevel modelling showed that applying supportive practices in the classroom contributes to higher achievement in mathematics. Teachers from Estonian- and Russian-language schools were also found to differ with regard to their management practices, and these pra…

What happens at the lesson start?

2016

AbstractTransitional periods, such as lesson starts, are necessary steps from one activity to another, but they also compete with time for actual learning. The aim of the present study was to replicate a previous pilot study on lesson starts and explore possible disturbances. In total, 130 lesson starts in Finnish basic education in grades 1–9 were studied using systematic observation performed by 79 preservice teachers. The results corresponded with a previous pilot study indicating that lesson starts were generally orderly and teachers used effective means to manage events. However, lessons started 5 min late on average. Male teachers were evaluated to have better classroom order than fem…

Learning Motivation and Activity Contexts

1994

Abstract Learning motivation has a special explanatory status in educational psychology and educational practice. Motivation and learning often are studied separately. In the achievement motivation tradition, achievement situation is the connecting link between learning process and achievement need. The explanatory power of this link has limitations. The activity concept is proposed as a unit which is able to offer a broader basis for a unified concept of learning motivation.

Obstacles modelling reality: Two exploratory studies on physics defined and undefined problems

2014

For some researchers, and perhaps for many teachers, problem-solving is strongly related to thinking (Mayer, 1983). Several reports highlight the importance of developing suitable skills to solve complex, ill-defined and boundless real-life problems in educated people (NSF Standards, U.S. Department of Labour, ABET engineering accreditation organization, and American Institute of Physics, mentioned in Etkina & Van Heuvelen, 2007; Bureau of Labour Statistics, U.S. Department of Labour, 2014; Competency Model Clearinghouse, 2012). Problem-solving is virtually the core of the professional activity of a physicist (Etkina, Van Heuvelen, White-Brahmia, Brookes, Gentile, Murthy, Rosengrant & Warre…

Understanding and Integrating Multiple Science Texts: Summary Tasks are Sometimes Better Than Argument Tasks

2010

One of the major challenges of a knowledge society is that students as well as other citizens must learn to understand and integrate information from multiple textual sources. Still, task and reader characteristics that may facilitate or constrain such intertextual processes are not well understood by researchers. In this study, we compare the effects of summary and argument essay tasks when undergraduates read seven different texts on a particular scientific topic, finding that an instruction to write summaries may lead to better understanding and integration than an instruction to write argument essays. We discuss several possible explanations for this result. We also found that beliefs a…