scholarly journals Use and Utility of Teacher Guides for Primary School Teachers in Punjab

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-10
Author(s):  
Fayyaz Ahmad Ranjha ◽  
Muhammad Khalid Mahmood ◽  
Intzar Hussain Butt
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
High Workload ◽  
Teacher Guide ◽  
Teacher Guides

This study is aimed at soliciting pubic primary school teachers’ viewpoints on use and utility of teacher guides, an initiative of government of the Punjab. Data were collected through focus group discussions of male and female teachers from District Sargodha. Teachers were asked to discuss need, importance and use of teacher guide and to suggest ways to improve. Focus group discussions were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed for extracting themes. It was found that teachers acknowledged the need and importance of teacher guide for better teaching. It was noted from their discussion that teachers used Guides for lesson planning and activities but use of teacher guide was not optimal. Some of the teachers were using it in best possible way, while majority were using it occasionally. They highlighted difficulties and challenges like high workload, language of teacher guides and lack of learning material required for suggested activities. The y suggested revising guides for language, removing inconsistencies with respect to schedule of guide and academic calendar. They also suggested lower workload of teachers by recruiting new teachers, providing teachers with training to use guides and making monitoring and supervision more rigorous.

The usability of medicine education assignments for seven to nine year‐old children

2009 ◽  
Vol 109 (6) ◽  
pp. 491-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katri Hämeen‐Anttila ◽  
Leena Honkanen ◽  
Kirsti Vainio
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Junior Secondary Schools ◽  
Junior Secondary ◽  
Medicine Education

PurposeA medicine education web site was developed during a research project in 2002–2004 to help teachers in primary and junior secondary schools to teach children the proper use of medicines. However, there was a need to develop further the assignments for the youngest schoolchildren. The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of three medicine education assignments created for seven to nine year‐old children, and to describe how children experienced them.Design/methodology/approachTriangulation of two methods was used: ten observed lessons and eight focus group discussions (FGD) with children (n=46). Two researchers observed medicine education lessons given by four primary school teachers. After these lessons, the children were interviewed in focus group discussions.FindingsTeachers used the assignments in various ways. It became clear in the observations that the children enjoyed the assignments and that they did not feel embarrassed about the topics discussed. During the FGDs, they discussed topics related to learning objectives generally in a good and extensive way. Moreover, the children remembered the main messages to be learnt.Originality/valueThe medicine education assignments developed for seven to nine year‐old children are useful and feasible, and furthermore, they are flexible and can be used in different situations with different groups of children.

scholarly journals Epistemological Base of African Traditional Herbal Medicine Among Primary School Teachers in Uganda

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-51
Author(s):  
Disan Kuteesa
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Karl Popper ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Traditional Herbal Medicine ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Orthodox Medicine ◽  
Primary School Teachers

There is a noticeable usage of African Traditional herbal medicine in the treatment of physical and metaphysical diseases. This is largely due to the perceived high costs of orthodox medicine and the feeling that traditional herbs are more dependable. This research established the epistemological underpinnings of African traditional herbal medicine among primary school teachers in the Central Region of Uganda. The researcher used interviews, document analysis and focus group discussions to collect data from different schools. A total of eighteen (18) teachers were sampled, teachers claimed that African traditional herbal medicine is based on testimonial seeming, perceptual seeming, and memorial seeming. The study, therefore, found that the epistemological theory which can appropriately explain the basis of African Traditional herbal medicine in schools is the Bucket Theory of mind as advocated for by Karl Popper. The study recommends Poppers’ falsification theory in the operations of primary school teachers as a measure to do away with falsity content in the usage of traditional herbal medicine in schools

scholarly journals UNDERSTANDING LOW UPTAKE OF MASS TREATMENT FOR INTESTINAL SCHISTOSOMIASIS AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN JINJA DISTRICT, UGANDA

2014 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
SIMON MUHUMUZA ◽  
ANNETTE OLSEN ◽  
FRED NUWAHA ◽  
ANNE KATAHOIRE
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
School Children ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
School Feeding ◽  
Intestinal Schistosomiasis ◽  
Key Informant

SummaryDespite attempts to control intestinal schistosomiasis through school-based mass drug administration (MDA) with praziquantel using school teachers in Uganda, less than 30% of the school children take the treatment in some areas. The aim of the study was to understand why the uptake of praziquantel among school children is low and to suggest strategies for improved uptake. This was a cross-sectional qualitative study in which 24 focus group discussions and 15 key informant interviews were conducted 2 months after MDA. The focus group discussions were held with school children in twelve primary schools and the key informant interviews were held with school teachers, sub-county health assistants and the District Vector Control Officer. The study shows that the low uptake of praziquantel among school children is a result of a complex interplay between individual, interpersonal, institutional, community and public policy factors. The individual and interpersonal factors underpinning the low uptake include inadequate information about schistosomiasis prevention, beliefs and attitudes in the community about treatment of schistosomiasis and shared concerns among children and teachers about the side-effects of praziquantel, especially when the drug is taken on an empty stomach. The institutional, policy and community factors include inadequate preparation and facilitation of teachers and the school feeding policy, which requires parents to take responsibility for providing their children with food while at school, yet many parents cannot meet the cost of a daily meal due to the prevailing poverty in the area. It is concluded that strategies to improve uptake of praziquantel among school children need to be multi-pronged addressing not only the preparation and motivation of teachers and health education for children, but also the economic and political aspects of drug distribution, including the school feeding policy.

Latvian primary school teachers’ views: Contemporary learner and future society

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 95-103
Author(s):  
Elga Drelinga ◽  
Dzintra Ilisko ◽  
Sandra Zariņa
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Global Network ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
The Future ◽  
Future Society ◽  
The One ◽  
Watching Tv

The paper presents a study of focus groups conducted in schools of Latvia involving teachers of grades 1 – 6 (n=76). The first stage of research presents the analyses of teachers’ discussion what a contemporary learner is like, while at the second stage of the study focuses on finding of what the future society will be like when the present-day primary school learners have left the school, what teachers must change in their work  in  the process of learning to meet the needs of the future.The data and outcomes of  this study are based on the outcomes of focus group discussions and the analysis of the experience in other papers. According to the acquired outcomes of the study, contemporary learners on the one hand are braver, ready for an active action, they use various opportunities, they are aware of their worth, on the other hand, they accept diversity, spend much time watching TV, using the global network, that does not facilitate social communication. Conclusion: For the process of learning to meet the needs of the future, learners must be given an opportunity to construct such knowledge, skills, and attitudes that make it possible to view processes holistically, grasping the mutual interaction of different aspects. 

Analysis of Expert Readers in Three Disciplines

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Shanahan ◽  
Timothy Shanahan ◽  
Cynthia Misischia
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
High School Teachers ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Think Aloud ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Reading Behaviors ◽  
Think Aloud Protocols

The purpose of this study is to describe educationally relevant differences in literacy use among three subject-matter disciplines—history, chemistry, and mathematics. These analyses were drawn from an investigation of the teaching of disciplinary literacy in high schools. The purpose of the overall project was to improve the literacy-teaching preparation in a secondary preservice teacher education program, but this study sought to identify specific features of literacy and literacy use only in the three disciplines. It is the first expert-reader study to consider the reading of mathematicians and chemists (though other kinds of scientists have been studied in this way). To conduct this investigation, three teams were assembled, one for each discipline, including two disciplinary experts (historians, chemists, and mathematicians), two teacher educators who prepare high school teachers to teach those disciplines, and two high school teachers from each discipline. Using think-aloud protocols, transcripts from focus group discussions, a recursive process of member checking, and a cross-disciplinary consideration of reading approaches identified in each discipline, the study identified important differences in the reading behaviors of the six disciplinary experts. Although much of the work was based on think-aloud protocols and interviews with the disciplinary experts, the teachers and teacher educators participated with the disciplinary experts in focus-group discussions of the protocols, and their reactions and insights helped the disciplinary experts to articulate their approaches and to determine implications of the reading behaviors that were observed. Differences were evident in sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, close reading and rereading, critical response to text, and use of text structure or arrangement and graphics.

scholarly journals Selektiva traditioner i grundskolans tidigare år: Lärares betoningar av kvalitéer i naturvetenskapsundervisningen

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie-Maj Johansson ◽  
Per-Olof Wickman
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Inquiry Based Learning ◽  
Selective Traditions

The aim of this study was to elucidate the selective traditions of Swedish primary school teachers in using inquiry-based learning.  Material from thirteen interviews where teachers described their own inquiry practice was used to study the selective traditions along with the qualities these traditions emphasized. Four different selective traditions were identified: the fact oriented, the activity oriented, the collaboration oriented and the community oriented traditions. Different qualities were emphasized in the different traditions, for instance regarding whether teaching and inquiry should be difficult, correct, free or fun.

scholarly journals Developing Secondary School Teachers’ Positive Attitude towards Reflective Teaching: A Collaborative Action Research Study

sjesr ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-53
Author(s):  
Faran Ahmed ◽  
Yaar Muhammad ◽  
Faisal Anis
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Reflective Teaching ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Collaborative Action ◽  
Analytical Skills

The purpose of this collaborative action research study was to develop reflective teaching practice through focus group discussions as a form of reflection conversations with nine chosen secondary school teachers in a private school. For data collection, two self-constructed open-ended questionnaires were used in this study: one before the focus group discussions and the second after the focus group discussions. Focus group discussions were held with teachers teaching English language, Urdu language, Science, Social Studies, Pakistan Studies. Focus group discussions were audiotaped and then transcribed for coding and thematic analysis. Based on that analysis, certain inferences were finalized. Professional development experience was found to be useful as participants accepted this new concept of reflective teaching with alacrity both for their development and the development of their students as well. Most of the participants described reflective teaching as beneficial to analytical skills as due this they could analyze performance and determine to be better in the future. In addition, they were of the view that it could also help develop the analytical skills of students. It is hoped that the participants’ detailed descriptions in this study will guide the selected school towards enhancing the performance of teachers in the form of better learning goals and students’ grooming so that they could be well prepared for a higher level of education and then professional education in the long run.

scholarly journals Effects of Preparatory Classes on the Social Life of Primary School Pupils in Masaka Municipality, Uganda

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-52
Author(s):  
MT Namatovu ◽  
LD Akello
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Social Life ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Primary School Pupils

This study examined the effects of preparatory studies on the social life of primary school pupils in Masaka Municipality, Central Uganda. Data were collected from pupils, teachers and school administrators using interviews, focus group discussions and observation. The findings indicated that to a large extent, preparatory classes negatively affected the social life of the pupils. Therefore, it is recommended that schools adhere to the timetable stipulated by the Ministry of Education and Sports.Keywords · Preparatory classes · Child development · Primary education

scholarly journals Assessment Conceptions and Practices: Perspectives of Primary School Teachers and Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Monteiro ◽  
Lourdes Mata ◽  
Natalie Nóbrega Santos
Keyword(s):  
Assessment Practices ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Conceptions Of Assessment ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Case Design

Students’ and teachers’ conceptions of assessment are important because they guide how teachers’ assessments are implemented in the classroom and determine how students study. This multiple-case design study examined 1) how teachers and students view assessment, 2) how teachers assess their students’ learning, and 3) the similarities and disparities that occur when students’ and teachers’ conceptions and teachers’ practices of assessment are compared. Data were obtained from five third grade classes, involving a total of five teachers and 82 students. Data were gathered through individual interviews with teachers and focus group discussions with students. Classroom observations and documents produced by the students (worksheets and tests) during maths lessons were also analyzed. The results of the content analysis of the data indicate that teachers mostly conceive assessment as being for improvement, while their assessment practices and students’ conceptions focus on school and student accountability. The results obtained lead us to suggest that students’ conceptions of assessment are constructed from their classroom assessment experiences. The study also suggests that teachers adopt conceptions of assessment inconsistent with their practices, that allow them to work within social and contextual constraints.

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