Role of In-service teacher training as a tool for the student’s performance in selected public secondary schools in Kisoro District

In-service training is very important in the life of a learner and general performance of the school. Student achievement is linked to numerous factors, but quality teachers are one of the most important components of student success. If school teachers do not have the tools they need to teach students effectively, their students will not get quality education. The major purpose of the study was to assess the role of teacher In-service training as a tool for the student’s performance in selected public schools in Kisoro district. The study applied a mixed methods research design which involved both quantitative and qualitative methods to collect and analyze data. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaire while qualitative data, in-depth interviews. Study sample included the district inspector of schools and District Education Officer and 238 teachers in Kisoro district. It also positively contributes to teacher’s performance. Importantly also, in-service teacher training according to the findings motivates teachers for better results. To teach effectively, teachers need access to ongoing teacher professional development. This professional development enables teachers to improve their own education through seminars, workshops, and classes among others. The study therefore recommends that teachers should frequently be afforded study leaves or time off to do training. During this period, the school can hire part-time teachers so that normal learning is not disrupted. It’s important to appreciate that continual professional development gives teacher’s time to learn and implement new strategies.

Unsung voices of technology in school education-findings using the constructivist grounded theory approach

Technology adoption for school education further gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the challenges and strategies of children belonging to the less privileged (we use ‘privileged’ in the article to identify those enjoying a standard of living or rights as majority of people in the society) families are different from those of the children who come from socio-economically better-off (privileged) backgrounds. The purpose of this research is to explore the experiences of children with school education and using technology for learning. Past studies have highlighted the use of internet and communication technologies as a promising solution to provide quality school education in the remotest parts of the country. Previous research has also ascertained that the socio-economic status divide has no significant impact on the students’ ability to learn using technology. Children can use technology to learn irrespective of their socio-economic status and background. We conducted this exploratory qualitative study from a constructivist grounded theory perspective. A purposive sample of 14 students (9 from underprivileged and 5 from privileged family backgrounds) in the age group of 6–14 years, was used and unstructured interviews were conducted. We analysed the data using constructivist grounded theory methodology. We found that the experiences of privileged and underprivileged children differed with respect to access to internet, affordability of ICT device, quality teachers, parental support, and financial sponsorship. However, the experiences and perspectives of the children were found to be similar with respect to personal ownership of mobile phone device for unlimited time at own disposal, self-directed learning and having a trusted study advisor. The findings may be useful to policy makers and EdTech firms to build strategies and solutions for effective implementation of universal school education in the country.

Managing teacher turnover in regional schools

Employee resourcing comprising employment activities such as human resource planning, employee recruitment, selection, and adaptation, or retention planning and managing employee turnover seems to be a critical function of school management. It enables school managers to ensure the school has quality teachers and other employees it needs to achieve the expected objectives of the school. The biggest challenges of school managers in employee resourcing involve retaining teachers and dealing with teacher turnover. Based on the example of Czech regional schools, the article aims to discuss the current challenges of school managers in employee resourcing in regional schools and define possible ways to deal with the issue of retaining teachers and teacher turnover. The article applies findings of the authors' questionnaire survey on the practice of employee resourcing in Czech regional schools with the focus on the teachers' adaptation as a critical tool for retaining teachers. The authors' questionnaire survey was carried out in the second half of the school year 2018/2019 and in the first half of the school year 2019/2020. The respondents included managers of Czech preschools, elementary schools, and high schools. The answers were obtained from 19% of schools (116 out of 600 addressed schools). The findings show that surveyed regional schools can successfully deal with the challenges in employee resourcing, however, they should apply a more systematic approach, especially to the teachers' adaptation that could help them to deal with the challenge in retaining teachers and reducing the teacher turnover.

Strengthening the university competitiveness in the Czech Republic

The number of students at Czech universities had been growing continuously until 2010. In 2010, almost 400,000 students studied there. Since then, this number has declined every year. Pressure on present-day universities has been accruing due to the competitive environment. The only way to strengthen competitiveness is to improve constantly the quality and image. The objective of this paper is to verify what factors are important for students regarding their satisfaction and what factors could be key for supporting the competitiveness of the Czech universities. To assess student satisfaction, the authors conducted a questionnaire survey where students were asked to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the faculty. The survey was carried out within the Faculty of Business and Economics of Mendel University in Brno (FBE MENDELU) and a selected private university in Brno in 2019. Relative frequencies were used in data processing and statistical hypotheses were tested. In addition to the basic classification according to one feature, a combination classification was also processed, and the independence was tested for different combinations of questions. Of the total number (1,020) of identified strengths at FBE MENDELU, 57.7% of students stated, “quality teachers”, 32.4% “faculty image” and 31.8% “modern environment” as strengths. Regarding the identified weaknesses, the most frequently mentioned were “study difficulty (42.4%),” weaker image of the university with the public “(31.5%) and not enough practical training (23.2%). At the private college, 47.8% of respondents cited “quality teachers”, “interesting lectures and teaching methods” (40.8%) and “study materials for subjects” (29.4%) as the school’s strengths. Received: 16 April 2021Accepted: 23 October 2021

A deeper look at predicting outcomes for future educators

Because educator licensure is gained by passing licensure examinations in most states, scores on high stakes tests are determining factors as to who will be teaching in America’s classrooms. Due to a focus on program graduation rates, state funding cuts, and production of quality teachers, it is vital that teacher preparation programs produce the quality and quantity of teachers needed to fill the educator deficit. The purpose of the study was to analyze various performance variables of pre-service teachers enrolled in a teacher preparation to identify predictors of performance on required licensure examinations. Findings of the study revealed there is a relationship between Praxis I: Reading scores and Praxis II scores, Praxis I: Writing scores and Praxis II scores, Praxis I: Mathematics scores and Praxis II scores, GPA and Praxis II scores, and CBASE scores and Praxis II scores. The strongest relationships that exist between variables and Praxis II scores are initial Praxis I: Reading scores and overall CBASE scores.

Love, Hate, and Controversy in a School District: A Teacher Couple’s Messy Divorce

Teachers who are married to other teachers within a school district often experience their personal life events in full view of the school community. How should a principal respond when a math teacher wants to leave due to her divorce, knowing that math teachers are hard to find? Challenges in this case for campus principals and human resource administrators include (a) hiring high-quality teachers in a tight labor pool, (b) providing new teacher induction, and (c) evaluating and responding to performance issues of teachers during times of high emotional stress.

Promoting pre-service English teachers’ technological awareness in ELT: narratives from a border area of Indonesia

The need for preparing quality teachers with all essential technological competencies is considered crucial. The present study aims to analyze and reveal how a design activity could raise the technology awareness of pre-service English teachers for language teaching. Taking a case in a border area of Indonesia, this study was qualitatively conducted as a narrative inquiry research model. Data were collected through participatory observation, in-depth interview, and written narrative from a lecturer’s journal. Fifteen pre-service English teachers of a university located in East Nusa Tenggara Indonesia were involved in the study. However, only six participants were interviewed to elicit detailed stories about how the activities in ELT media class could promote their technological awareness. Furthermore, thematic analysis with multiple case studies was applied to analyze the data. The results reveal that the pre-service English teachers develop their awareness of the prominence of technology by experiencing the use of technology provided by their lecturer. Furthermore, peer collaboration is essential during the process of developing technological awareness. The findings provide insights for educators and researchers focusing on the technology integration for teaching and learning in remote areas. Further researches highlighting the evaluation of technology integration is needed regarding remote areas.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK STRESS AND TEACHER WORK PERFORMANCE

The role of teachers is arguably the most important in professional groups for our country in the future. So it becomes very important to identify the factors that influence the performance of teachers due to the increasing importance of the role of performing and quality teachers today. Therefore, this study aims to identify the relationship between work stress and teacher work performance. The population for this study consists of National Secondary School (SMK) teachers in the education sector in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. states of Kedah and Perlis. This study uses a quantitative approach with a questionnaire method to obtain data. Based on the survey method, followed by cluster sampling method and simple randomization, a total of 500 questionnaires were distributed to randomly selected respondents. Of the 500 questionnaires that were distributed, a total of 421 questionnaires were returned representing a response rate of 84.2 percent. However, only 406 identified questionnaires can be used. While the process to analyze the data is using Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) Version 24. The results of the analysis found that work stress has a significant positive relationship with teacher work performance. The findings of the study are beneficial to theoretical and practical implications. An understanding of the findings of the study enables the Ministry of Education Malaysia to design and implement more effective self-development programs for teachers. Some suggestions for further study are also presented.

Early childhood care and education trainees’ perspectives of their career path

Education, either formal or informal, plays an important role to help the masses. As such, educators, especially trainees, are entrusted to teach young generations all important elements, principles, or concepts in a wide range of disciplines. Surely, such an undertaking, especially for early childhood care and education, requires quality teachers. In this regard, existing early childhood care and education modules or curricula should be periodically reviewed and revamped (if necessary) to help produce competent teachers who are excellent in all aspects encompassing content, pedagogical, and technological knowledge. This paper discusses the professional growth and development of trainees in early childhood care and education (ECCE) in terms of short- and long-term goals, missions, and career path-planning. The paper also elaborates on the relevant training workshops, courses, modules, and curricula that can be implemented to help improve their practical skills. The discussion also highlights the importance of incentives, such as attractive salaries, bonuses, acknowledgments, and awards, from employers that can not only motivate trainees but also advance their professional growth and development. Certainty, strong development knowledge, practical skills, and experiences can help such trainees to be become highly competent, which can significantly contribute to nation-building efforts in Malaysia.