Teachers Perceptions of Effects of a Student's Death: A Phenomenological Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Hart ◽  
Yvonne Garza
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Grief And Loss ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
School Professionals ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Academic Time

When a student dies in a school setting many school professionals step in and offer grief services to the students affected. In the classrooms, teachers are expected to step in and help the students grieve; however, equivalent support for teachers seems to be lacking. This study explored the lived experiences of teachers who experienced the unanticipated death of a student. From the analysis, the following themes emerged: (a) releasing feelings, (b) resources (c) lost academic time and redirection, and (d) honoring the memory. The results of this study reinforce the need for training for school teachers to help them better cope with the death of a student. Particularly, school professionals are called on to be proactive in creating a model to have in place to actively support teachers dealing with the grief and loss of a student.

scholarly journals Directions of improving the quality of in-service teacher training in Serbia: the perspective of primary school teachers

2013 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-107
Author(s):  
Dejan Stankovic ◽  
Ivana Djeric ◽  
Vladeta Milin
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Training ◽  
Education System ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Training System ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Service Training

This paper presents one part of the findings of a research that deals with teachers? perceptions of educational reforms in Serbia. More specifically, the paper focuses on the segment of the research that was aimed at exploring teachers? views on the ways of improving the system and practice of in-service teacher training. Pursuing this topic is very important since the findings of recent studies have shown that this aspect of education system needs considerable improvement, while the authors who deal with educational change point to the importance of consulting the teachers in the development of the new system solutions. The questionnaire was used to collect the data from 326 teachers from 125 Serbian primary schools. The teachers provided answers to open-ended questions on what needs to be done in order to improve the quality of their in-service training. Content analysis was used to process the data - response categories were created inductively on the basis of teachers? answers, and then their frequency was established. The results indicate that, according to teachers, in-service teacher training has to be improved, primarily through increased funding, higher quality of programmes/seminars, diversification of types of training, as well as through creating a more encouraging system and school setting for in-service teacher training. These results are significant from the aspect of the in-service training system since they point to developmental priorities, as well as to the necessity of a more complex and comprehensive approach to the reform of this segment of education system.

Pre-school teachers’ perceptions of challenging behaviours of students with autism spectrum disorder within inclusive settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-214
Author(s):  
Yong-Hwee Nah
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Inclusive Settings ◽  
Students With Autism ◽  
Challenging Behaviours

Purpose Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have challenging behaviours that can create significant teaching challenges in group settings such as in mainstream pre-school inclusive settings. This study aims to identify and understand, from the perspectives of mainstream pre-school teachers in Singapore, the type of common challenging behaviours observed in pre-schoolers (mean age = 4.5 years, SD = 1.1, range = 3-6) with ASD. Design/methodology/approach Participants consisted of 62 teachers (mean age = 35.8 years; SD = 10.8) teaching in mainstream pre-school centres located in Singapore completed an open-ended survey. Twelve codes were generated and served as guidelines for coding the qualitative data. Codes with similar themes were then grouped to form four construct categories: social communication, restricted and repetitive behaviours, attention and learning and others. Findings Results indicated that difficulty with change/transition and social/peer interaction were the most concerning issues across all settings, whereas “lesson time” and “circle time” were the two most common activities/settings in which the concerns were reported by teachers. Originality/value Findings from this paper may add to the limited research looking at the challenging behaviours exhibited by children with ASD in mainstream pre-school settings in Singapore. Understanding the type of challenging behaviours presented in pre-schoolers with ASD and the activities/settings in which these behaviours occur may help the teachers to link the difficulties to specific interventions to further support their inclusion in a mainstream pre-school setting.

scholarly journals Perception is Reality: Teachers' Perceptions of the Presence of Servant Leadership Characteristics in Public School Principals and its Influence on Teachers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Johnnie Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Public School ◽  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Leadership Characteristics ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Public School Principals ◽  
Teachers Perceptions

This phenomenological study explored teachers’ perceptions of the presence of servant leadership characteristics in their school principals and how the principals’ use of servant leadership characteristics influenced teachers. The primary phenomenon was the teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ use of servant leadership characteristics based on their direct personal experiences with the principals and the intrinsic and extrinsic influence on their behavior. A nonrandom sample of 16 public school teachers from Grades 1 through 12 from three similar districts in a southern California county was recruited. The elementary, middle, and high school teachers participated in one-on-one semi structured interviews. The data from the 16 oral interviews indicated that principals’ use of servant leadership characteristics, as perceived by the teachers, intrinsically and extrinsically influenced the teachers. The interviews generated seven themes regarding perceptions held by the teachers regarding their principals’ use of servant leadership characteristics. When principals in public schools exhibit servant leadership characteristics, teacher satisfaction and retention are impacted. Therefore, consideration must be made for use of servant leadership as a framework and model for teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ use of servant leadership and how those perceptions influence teachers.

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