Teacher Attitudes Toward Game-based Learning in History Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 27-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Mozelius ◽  
Wilfredo Hernandez ◽  
Johan Sällström ◽  
Andreas Hellerstedt
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
History Education ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
First Choice

AbstractGame-based learning (GBL) is an emerging field reaching new contexts. Research has reported about students’ rich use of digital games and the learning potential of GBL in traditional school subjects. Digital games have been tested as educational tools in various subjects in Swedish schools during the last decade, in areas such as teaching and learning of history and foreign languages. However, there is a lack of detailed research on attitudes toward the use of GBL in history education.Main aim of the study was to examine and discuss attitudes toward an increased use of digital games in formal history education. Earlier studies have analysed students’ opinions and preferences, but this study has a focus on the teacher perspective and on which design factors are important if digital games should be an alternative for self-learning in history education. The research approach has been qualitative cross-sectional study where secondary school teachers have answered questionnaires with open-ended questions on their view of didactics and the use of GBL in formal education. All selected respondents are registered as professional secondary school history teachers. Furthermore, teachers have described their own gaming habits and their game design preferences.Findings show that a majority of the informants have good knowledge about digital games with historical setting and also a positive attitude toward an increased use of GBL. Secondary school teachers also have a tradition of using various media in their teaching and learning activities and there are neither any regulations against an increased use of digital games. An important aspect of history education, where digital games might not the first choice, is in the description of the main changes and influence of a historical époque. Authors’ recommendation is to use games that can enable tangential learning where the gaming sessions could be seen as appetisers for further and deeper learning.

Prevalence of Depression and Associated factors among Secondary School Teachers in Al-Madinah City, KSA (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faisal Alqahtani Sr
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Minor Depression ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Care Clinics ◽  
Post Natal Depression ◽  
Sample Technique ◽  
History Of

BACKGROUND Depression is the most common psychiatric condition seen in primary health care clinics. On the other hand, teaching is one of the most stressful jobs. The aim was to determine prevalence and correlates of depression among secondary school teachers in Al-Madinah city. OBJECTIVE This study was aimed to explore the extent of depression as a health problem among secondary school teachers in Al-Madinah city. METHODS A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted on a representative sample of secondary school teachers of both genders in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah city. A Multistage cluster sample technique was implemented to recruit the participants. The data were collected using a self-administered PHQ-9 depression questionnaire. RESULTS The study included 297 teachers. More than half of them (54.2%) were males and the vast majority (97.6%) were Saudis. Major depression, based on PHQ-9 depression questionnaire was reported among 8.4% of the participants whereas minor depression was reported among 14.1% of them. Among the studied habitual factors, the smoking of Shisha and non-practicing of physical exercise were significantly associated with depression among teachers. Regarding obstetric and gynecological factors, female teachers with history of post-natal depression were more likely to have major and minor depression features than those without such history, p=0.017. CONCLUSIONS Depression is a common health problem among secondary school teachers in Al-Madinah city affecting almost one quarter of them. Familial instability, shisha smoking, physical inactivity, heavy teaching load and deficiency of educational competencies are strongly correlated with depression. Further studies are needed to explore the extent of the problem among teachers at different levels of teaching and in other regions of the country.

“Green” Teaching and Learning in Schools

2015 ◽  
pp. 183-193
Author(s):  
Jack Blendinger ◽  
Leigh Ann Hailey ◽  
Donna Shea
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Learning Culture ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
School Teachers

This chapter addresses the importance of shaping the school's teaching and learning culture to exert a powerful influence on students in regard to environmental conservation. The chapter presents 19 successful and practical examples of “teaching green” in action contributed by practicing elementary and secondary school teachers. How to contact the contributors is also provided in the chapter.

scholarly journals Will the benefit equal the effort? An investigation into the personal significance of the changes signalled in a mandated curriculum to New Zealand secondary school teachers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Brenda Mary Service
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Educational Criticism ◽  
Personal Significance ◽  
New Curriculum ◽  
Beliefs About Teaching ◽  
The Impact

<p>A new school curriculum was implemented in all New Zealand schools during 2008 and 2009 and was mandated at the beginning of 2010. The changes signalled in the new curriculum required teachers to incorporate key competencies into their teaching and to move to student-centred practice which involves students in the decisions about their learning. It was possible that this social constructivist approach represented a change in teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning and to their practice.  Much of the literature on educational change appears to overlook the transformational nature of the learning needed to bring about changes in beliefs and practice and teachers’ personal motivation to engage with it. Unless change is of personal significance to individuals they are unlikely to be motivated to engage with it. Using Eisner’s (1998) method of educational criticism, this case study is an investigation into the personal significance of the new curriculum to the teachers’ reality. In the spirit of educational criticism, the lens of an educational connoisseur was used to first develop an understanding of the teachers’ reality followed by that of an educational critic to evaluate what occurred.  Over a two-year period the study involved semi-structured interviews with twelve secondary school teachers in three schools, observations of the classroom practice, and analysis of school documentation and societal messages. While all the participating teachers’ espoused beliefs that were congruent with the philosophy of the new curriculum, constructivist practices were observed in the practice of only two teachers. What prevented the other teachers’ wholehearted engagement in the implementation of the new curriculum was not their beliefs about teaching and learning but rather, the extent to which external pressures determined their priorities. These pressures included the misalignment of the school goals and cultural norms, the impact of NCEA assessment regime, time constraints, leadership issues, lack of conceptual understanding and the absence of professional learning to support transformative learning.</p>

scholarly journals Difficulties detaching psychologically from work among German teachers: prevalence, risk factors and health outcomes within a cross-sectional and national representative employee survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasemin Z. Varol ◽  
Gerald M. Weiher ◽  
Johannes Wendsche ◽  
Andrea Lohmann-Haislah
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Impairment ◽  
Psychological Detachment ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

Abstract Background Teachers often face high job demands that might elicit strong stress responses. This can increase risks of adverse strain outcomes such as mental and physical health impairment. Psychological detachment has been suggested as a recovery experience that counteracts the stressor-strain relationship. However, psychological detachment is often difficult when job demands are high. The aims of this study were, first, to gain information on the prevalence of difficulties detaching from work among German teachers, second, to identify potential person-related/individual (i.e., age, sex), occupational (e.g., tenure, leadership position), and work-related (e.g., overload, cognitive, emotional, and physical demands) risk factors and, third, to examine relationships with mental and physical health impairment and sickness absence. Methods A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from a national and representative survey of German employees was conducted (BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey 2018). For the analyses data from two groups of teachers (primary/secondary school teachers: n = 901, other teachers: n = 641) were used and compared with prevalence estimates of employees from other occupations (n = 16,266). Results Primary/secondary school teachers (41.5%) and other teachers (30.3%) reported more difficulties detaching from work than employees from other occupations (21.3%). Emotional demands and deadline/performance pressure were the most severe risk factors in both groups of teachers. In the group of primary/secondary school teachers multitasking demands were further risk factors for difficulties to detach from work whereas support from colleagues reduced risks. In both groups of teachers detachment difficulties can be linked to an increase in psychosomatic and musculoskeletal complaints and, additionally, to a higher risk of sickness absence among primary/secondary school teachers. Conclusions Difficulties detaching from work are highly prevalent among German teachers. In order to protect them from related risks of health impairment, interventions are needed which aim at optimizing job demands and contextual resources (i.e., work-directed approaches) or at improving coping strategies (i.e., person-directed approaches).

Digital libraries in the classroom: Secondary school teachers’ conception

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 224-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Abrizah ◽  
AN Zainab
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
History Curriculum ◽  
Use Of The Internet

This paper presents findings from a case study investigating secondary school teachers’ understanding of the term digital libraries and their relationship with learning. The study addresses two research questions: (1) How do teachers conceptualize digital libraries, their relevance and issues relating to their integration into the curriculum? and (2) What are the teachers’ perceptions of the initiative to develop a collaborative digital library for school projects? A series of interviews were carried out on six History subject teachers which provide a detailed and succinct information on their understanding of digital libraries, their knowledge and use of the Internet and digital resources, their perception of the possible impact of digital resources on teaching and learning, the benefits teachers seen in digital resources and the problems they have in using them. It also offers important insights on History subject teachers’ perceptions of the initiative to develop a collaborative digital library for History projects, perception of its potential use, pointing out the conditions that facilitate its use in the classrooms. The paper also points out the relevance of digital libraries to the History curriculum which will make readers understand that using the technology is relevant to the teaching of all subjects.

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