Search Results (1,324)

The purpose of this research is to investigate the misconceptions related to geological concepts among Secondary Education students in the region of Achaia, Greece. The study focuses on both Lower Secondary Education (Gymnasium, grades 7–9) and Upper Secondary Education, including General and Vocational Education (grades 10–12). Previous research has shown that students entering Lower Secondary Education or High School often possess several misconceptions about geological concepts. These misconceptions result in a fragmented or incorrect understanding, which may arise from intuitive perceptions of how the natural world evolves that are incorrect, or from stereotypes and assumptions acquired from the family environment or inadequacies in the school curriculum. Despite teachers’ efforts to clarify these concepts, a significant percentage of students continue to hold misconceptions, mainly related to minerals and rocks. A total of 1065 secondary students completed an online closed-ended questionnaire that was designed and validated based on previous research findings to highlight their misconceptions. This study results showed a clear differentiation between students from urban and rural areas, while demographic characteristics (such as gender, age, parents’ occupation, and parents’ marital status) did not appear to play a significant role. In addition, the responses to specific sets of questions varied depending on the student’s grade level. Identifying students’ misconceptions can support the development of appropriate educational tools and/or inform targeted interventions that aim to clarify these concepts and correct any incorrect assumptions. Full article

This paper introduces ‘ChatGPT essentials’, a pedagogically driven training course for pre-service English as a Foreign language (EFL) teachers at the College of Basic Education (CBE) in Kuwait. It responds to current ethical and academic integrity issues by empowering students to use ChatGPT both effectively and ethically. Prior to ChatGPT essentials training sessions, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five male undergraduate students in a Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) course to assess their familiarity with ChatGPT for language learning, followed by pedagogical and practical training sessions and a subsequent evaluation. The quantitative analysis indicates that the students generally valued the training on four levels (i.e., reaction, learning, behaviors, and results). Their perceptions and experiences have changed positively, indicating general positive attitudes towards using ChatGPT as a tool to develop their language skills. Qualitative data from post-training interviews and students’ reflective journals revealed that students valued the practical guidance on ethical usage and critical evaluation of ChatGPT practices, which enhanced their digital literacy skills and fostered responsible ChatGPT use. Such findings point to the benefits of implementing pedagogical training to enhance students’ ChatGPT usage. Full article

Significant time, money, and energy are invested in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) across Further Education (FE) colleges in England, with the aim of enhancing teaching strategies, sharing “best” practices, and improving educational quality. Despite these intentions, practitioner perceptions of CPD’s value remain mixed, highlighting concerns about the effectiveness of current approaches. CPD managers often face competing financial and operational demands, alongside pressure to comply with external requirements, resulting in CPD that is frequently instrumental, mandatory, and delivered through one-off events. These practices reflect a data-driven, prescriptive management culture that prioritizes measurable outcomes over meaningful educational experiences. Consequently, teachers are compelled to demonstrate compliance within a system where accountability is unevenly distributed. This medium-scale, multi-method practitioner research study investigates how such compliance-driven CPD practices divert attention and resources from genuine educational improvement. This study explores an alternative model of CPD rooted in teacher agency and enriched through engagement with the arts and aesthetic experiences. Drawing on surveys, semi-structured interviews, critical incidents, and narrative accounts, the findings suggest that this approach fosters more democratic, creative, and impactful professional development. In promoting teacher agency and challenging dominant power structures, this study offers a vision of CPD that supports meaningful educational transformation, with practical examples and recommendations for broader implementation. Full article

Background: As the social-emotional well-being of children as a whole and specifically during the transition to kindergarten is of paramount importance, it is important to continuously research this topic using a multi-informant approach. Moreover, a further contribution of this study lies in addressing the substantial gap in the existing literature within this important field. Objectives: Starting from the Ecological-Dynamic Transition Model and the Positive Development and Resilience in Kindergarten (PERIK) Model, the main aim of this research was to analyze parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of children’s social-emotional well-being during the transition and adjustment, and the quality of transition and adjustment. Methods: The study was conducted on a sample of parents (N = 154; 147 mothers) and teachers from 4 kindergartens (N = 12, all female) as raters of children’s (N = 202; 82 girls) social-emotional well-being, using PERIK scale and four questions on the quality of transition. Results: All PERIK-dimensions were rated as elevated based on parents’ ratings and moderate based on teachers’ ratings. Ratings of difficulties during transition decreased, and satisfaction with transition and adjustment and cooperation between parents and caregivers during transition increased (teachers’ ratings were lower than parents’ ratings). The average duration of adjustment in kindergarten was three weeks. Correlation analyses showed the expected significant correlations between the PERIK dimensions and the quality of transitions and adjustment of children. Inter-rater agreement analyses showed the effect sizes were predominantly large and poor to medium agreement between parent and teacher ratings was determined. Conclusions: Although the study found that there are significant differences in perceptions of the relationship between PERIK-dimensions and satisfaction with children’s transition between teachers and parents, which was expected due to the assessment of children in different contexts, it is important to consider them both in future research. Full article

Background/Objectives: Leadership in physical education plays a critical role in the holistic development of students, influencing variables such as satisfaction, group cohesion, and performance. Despite the abundance of cross-sectional studies, there is a paucity of longitudinal evidence exploring the temporal stability of these perceptions in adolescent populations, which limits the current understanding of leadership development in educational settings. This longitudinal study investigates how secondary and high school students perceive and prefer different leadership styles in PE and how these relate to gender, academic level, and sport participation, grounded in the multidimensional leadership model. The analysis is further contextualized by recent research emphasizing adaptive, evidence-based pedagogical approaches in physical education, the influence of competitive environments on leadership expectations, and the role of emotional support in training contexts. Methods: Using validated questionnaires (LSS-1 and LSS-2), five dimensions were assessed: Training and Instruction, democratic behavior, autocratic behavior, Social Support, and positive feedback, considering variables such as gender, academic level, and extracurricular sport participation. Data were collected at two time points over a 12-month interval, enabling the identification of temporal patterns in students’ perceptions and preferences. Sampling procedures were clearly defined to enhance transparency and potential replicability, and the choice of a convenience sample from two private schools was justified by accessibility and continuity in longitudinal tracking. Although no a priori power analysis was conducted, the sample size (n = 370) was deemed adequate for the non-parametric analyses employed, with an estimated statistical power ≥ 0.80 for medium effect sizes (Cohen’s d = 0.3–0.5). Results: The results revealed a marked preference for leadership styles emphasizing social support and positive feedback, particularly among students engaged in sports. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were identified based on gender and academic maturity, with female students favoring democratic behavior and students in the fourth year of compulsory secondary education showing a stronger inclination toward styles prioritizing emotional support. Trends toward statistical significance (p < 0.10) were also reported, following precedents in the sport psychology and sport sciences literature, as they provide potentially relevant indications for future research directions. The congruence between perceived and preferred leadership emerged as a key factor in student satisfaction, confirming that adaptive leadership enhances students’ learning experiences and overall well-being. However, this satisfaction was inferred from congruence measures, rather than directly assessed, representing a key methodological limitation. Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of physical education teachers tailoring their leadership styles to the individual and group characteristics of their students. The findings align with methodological approaches used in preference hierarchy analyses in sport contexts and support calls for individualized pedagogical strategies observed in sports medicine and training research. By providing longitudinal evidence on leadership perception stability and integrating recent cross-disciplinary findings, the study makes an original contribution to bridging the gap between educational theory and practice. The results address a gap in the literature concerning the temporal stability of leadership perceptions among adolescents, offering a theoretically grounded basis for future research and the design of pedagogical innovations in PE. Full article

Physical activity (PA) integration in special education has gained recognition as a neuroeducational intervention supporting emotional and social development in students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), yet teacher perceptions remain underexplored. This cross-sectional study examined how Israeli special education teachers perceive physical activity’s benefits and how teaching experience and educational setting influence these perceptions. A structured questionnaire was administered to 45 female special education teachers from northern Israel. The instrument assessed perceptions of physical activity’s emotional benefits, social outcomes, and implementation practices using Likert-type scales. Teachers strongly endorsed PA as a means to foster emotional resilience and coping, with most preferring group-based activities. Mixed activities were the most preferred approach, followed by movement games. Experienced teachers reported significantly stronger perceptions of emotional benefits compared to less experienced colleagues. Secondary teachers demonstrated higher extracurricular promotion and perceived greater social benefits than elementary teachers. Despite positive attitudes, implementation barriers, including infrastructure limitations and training gaps, were evident. These findings highlight physical activity’s potential as a neuroeducational tool for fostering regulation and inclusion while revealing the need for differentiated professional development, infrastructure investment, and policy integration. Full article

Inclusive education continues to face significant challenges nowadays due to a lack of resources, specialized support, and teacher training. In the context of primary education in Europe, families of students with functional diversity express their concern about the lack of adequate responses to their needs. However, there are merely a few studies that delve into the reality of inclusion from the family perspective. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the perceptions of families of students with functional diversity in Extremadura (Spain), regarding the quality of the educational response offered by schools. For this purpose, the study sample consisted of 70 family members of students with functional diversity in this region. For data collection and analysis, a semi-structured interview was used, applying thematic analysis and chi-square statistical tests in order to explore significant differences in the perceptions gathered. The interviews were transcribed and the answers gathered were categorized. The results show that almost half of the families consider the information received about the disability and the progress of their relatives to be insufficient. Likewise, there is a low level of satisfaction with the support and resources provided by both associations and the public administration. Consequently, the need to strengthen effective communication between schools and families is highlighted as a fundamental pillar to advance toward true educational inclusion. Full article

Initial teacher education programs are the primary means through which student teachers gain teaching apprenticeship, amass core teaching knowledge, and build skills that prepare them to become effective teachers who are ready to combat the realities and challenges of the classroom. The current study examines the level of content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and the self-efficacy of language and foundational literacy instruction among the language teacher educators at teacher training colleges (TTCs) in Malawi. This research further explored the teacher educators’ perceptions of CK and PCK, and how their understanding of the Initial Primary Teacher Education curriculum shapes their teaching practices in foundational learning and language. Lastly, we explore the associations between CK, PCK, self-efficacy, and teacher educators’ characteristics. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, we analyzed data from 60 language teacher educators from 10 TTCs in Malawi. The findings revealed that the teacher educators’ level of CK and PCK was low, but they had high self-efficacy in their ability to teach the component skills of literacy to the student teachers. Of the teacher educators’ characteristics, only continuous professional development was positively correlated with their self-efficacy. The teacher educators’ CK and PCK are shaped by the TTC curriculum, their primary school teaching experiences, and the national education policies and guidelines they implement. Gaps in the curriculum and external constraints hinder them from effectively training student teachers in foundational literacy pedagogies. The findings provide pedagogical and policy directions for stakeholders to improve the quality of preservice education in low–middle-income contexts. Full article

Emotional education is essential in teacher training processes, but historically it has been neglected in the training system. The purpose of this study was to design and psychometrically validate the EEITT Scale, an instrument that assesses the perception of knowledge acquired about emotional education in student teachers and practicing teachers. A quantitative, descriptive and comparative approach was used with 548 participants, applying confirmatory factor analysis and invariance analysis to evaluate the model. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the model fit well and had high reliability scores, which backs up the validity and internal consistency of the EEITT for measuring perceptions about emotional education training. Statistically significant differences were identified between groups, with students reporting greater social-emotional learning in the four factors evaluated. Likewise, a negative and significant effect of age on the perception of emotional education training was observed. These findings highlight the importance of emotional education in teacher training and point to the need for educational policies that integrate holistic and continuous approaches throughout the teaching career. Despite its limitations, this instrument provides relevant tools for future research and for guiding the design and improvement of teacher training practices. Full article

We live in a globalised, knowledge-hungry society in which the immediacy of information is increasingly a necessity that has become a reality even in the most remote places. This article aims to reflect on the importance of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education, emphasising the need for skills and literacies in a globalised society. The school must provide tools that enable the acquisition of these competences, but the lack of continuous teacher training and adequate resources limits the effective use of these technologies in the classroom. The main research question concerns teachers’ perceptions of ICT, the most widely adopted technologies, and their impact on their daily lives. To answer the research question, we defined the main objectives as understanding teachers’ perceptions of ICT and identifying the technologies most used in teaching, highlighting how they can transform the learning process and improve the results of students, especially those with the most difficulties. The aim of this work is to find out how teachers perceive the use of ICT and, at the same time, to demonstrate that its use in the classroom enhances the teaching–learning process, making it more relevant, effective, and in line with the demands of the contemporary world. Full article

Despite the increased research on violence toward teachers and public policies aimed at protecting teachers from violence, knowledge of the factors contributing to teachers’ sense of safety at school remains limited. Drawing from socioecological theory, we examined the contributions of both teachers’, parents’, students’, and schools’ characteristics to teachers’ sense of feeling unsafe in school. Specifically, we examined teachers’ individual and work characteristics (sex, age, years of experience, and working in the regular classroom or not), their perceptions of school violence, and their relationships with students and their peers. At the school level, we examined the school size, poverty level, and school-level reports of parents’, students’, and teachers’ perception of the school climate and school violence. The sample consisted of 9625 teachers (73% female), 126,301 students, and 56,196 parents from 2116 schools with a low socioeconomic status in Chile. Descriptive statistics showed that most teachers do not feel afraid (72.9%) nor thought that their job was dangerous (74.6%). A hierarchical multivariate regression analysis and multilevel analyses showed that teachers with higher perceptions of feeling unsafe were females or reported being “other sex”, had fewer years of experience, worked mainly in the classroom, perceived a higher level of school violence, and had worse perceptions of peer relationships and teacher–student relationships. These teachers were mostly in schools with higher poverty levels, larger enrollment, and higher student-reported and parent-reported school violence compared to the rest of the sample of low-SES Chilean schools. We discuss the implications of these findings for preventive school interventions and programs regarding school violence and teacher turnover. Full article

Burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, is increasingly recognized as a significant mental health concern with psychiatric implications. This cross-sectional study explored variables associated with current burnout levels among 2004 teachers in 19 Latin American countries and Spain, drawing on retrospective perceptions of COVID-19 pandemic-related changes in work conditions and student behavior. Using a comprehensive survey, researchers gathered demographic information, work-related characteristics, and burnout levels measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Participants were recruited through social media platforms and teacher groups. Participants reported high emotional exhaustion, with 45.9% exceeding the clinical threshold. Moderate depersonalization levels were observed, with 30.2% scoring above the clinical cutoff. Hierarchical regressions indicated that emotional exhaustion was significantly predicted by individual (e.g., gender, age, socioeconomic status, pre-existing mental and chronic illnesses), school (e.g., school level, sector, and workload), and student factors (e.g., behavior and social adjustment problems), accounting for 17.4% of the variance. Depersonalization was similarly associated with individual (e.g., gender, age, education, and pre-existing mental illness), school (e.g., workload and school level), and student characteristics (e.g., educational, behavioral, and family adjustment problems), explaining 6.5% of the variance. These findings contribute to psychiatric and psychological research by identifying specific risk profiles for chronic stress syndromes in educators—an occupational group facing long-term psychological impacts from the COVID-19 crisis. This study underscores the need for interdisciplinary psychiatric approaches to diagnose and prevent burnout and promote teacher well-being through clinical and policy-level interventions. Full article

This study sought to investigate the perceptions of teachers from the Porto Metropolitan Area regarding the use of augmented reality (AR) in primary and secondary education. Drawing on a quantitative, descriptive, and correlational research design, data were collected through a validated questionnaire adapted to the Portuguese context and administered to 116 teachers across different curricular subjects of primary and secondary education. The findings reveal overall positive perceptions of AR’s educational potential, particularly in its capacity to enhance teaching strategies and student engagement. Teachers with prior AR training and more frequent use of AR reported significantly higher levels of perceived benefit across dimensions such as teaching, learning, and inclusive practices. Notably, teachers’ perceptions of their own technological competence were lower, suggesting a gap between pedagogical appreciation and technical readiness. No significant differences were observed with respect to gender, age, or academic qualifications. This study highlights the importance of continuous training and professional development focused on both technical and pedagogical aspects to support the effective integration of AR into classrooms. These findings underscore the need for educational policies that promote equitable access to training, resources, and opportunities to experiment with AR, thereby fostering more inclusive and innovative learning environments. Full article

This study analyses how early childhood teachers experience their local curricula-updating process provoked by the national policy changes. This is a relevant problem related to teachers’ agency, which is critical in supporting and developing curriculum policies or opposing them. The hermeneutic phenomenological approach (van Manen) was used to uncover the pre-reflective lived experiences of teachers through phenomenological interviews with 16 teachers. The lived experiences of local curriculum updates triggered by the national preschool curriculum guideline were a dualistic phenomenon manifesting as open and hidden voices of teachers. The open voices metaphor revealed the pre-reflective experiences increasing the openness of teachers to changes, while the hidden voices represented a pre-reflective experience of threat to established concepts and practices resulting in defensive reactions. These dualistic experiences appeared in five emergent categories: resonating body: vitality vs. freezing (Corporeality); teamwork during a critical moment: safe sustainability vs. uncertainty (Relationality); competing spatial perspectives: new possibilities vs. conflicting visions (Spatiality); altered perception of time: third wave vs. lost time (Temporality); and awakened existential questions: intentional self-reflection vs. conflict of roles (Existentiality). This paper highlights tensions between the national policies and the professional authenticity of teachers and the importance of teachers’ agency in the change context. Full article

The global emphasis on interdisciplinary teaching continues to shape educational discourse, promoting meaningful and valuable learning experiences. This study examines the interdisciplinary curricular process led by a group of second-career teacher trainees and explores its role in shaping their emerging professional identities. The research focuses on eight high-achieving individuals transitioning to teaching as a second career through a STEM-focused (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) teacher preparation program. Employing a qualitative case study methodology, the study reveals a curricular process characterized by confusion and conflict as second-career teacher trainees navigate interdisciplinary integration. The findings highlight a planning process driven by conceptual and epistemic deliberations at both inter- and intra-disciplinary levels, with a predominant focus on disciplinary considerations over pedagogical aspects. The study further identifies key tensions that challenged participants’ perceptions, emotional responses, and instructional practices, offering a nuanced perspective on the complexities of interdisciplinary teaching. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of professional identity formation among second-career teachers in STEM education. Full article