Influence of Context in Teachers' Perception of Graphing Calculator Use in Mathematics Instruction

Author(s):  
Francis M. Nzuki

This study focuses on the influence of socio-contextual factors in the interrelations between teachers' perceptions of the role of graphing calculators, as mediating tools, to help facilitate mathematics instruction of students from two different SES backgrounds. The main source of data are in-depth semi-structured interviews with four teachers, two from each SES school. To better understand the role of SES socio-context, this study suggests a framework, consisting of teacher, student, subject matter, and graphing calculator use, for graphing calculator integration in the classroom. The components of the framework were taken to be continuously in interaction with one another implying that a change or perturbation in one of the components affected all the other components. As such, addressing equity issues in connection to the successful integration of graphing calculator in the classroom requires continually creating, maintaining, and re-establishing a dynamic equilibrium among all components of the framework.

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-45
Author(s):  
Francis Nzuki

By taking into consideration the significance of the socio-economic contexts, this research investigates teachers' perceptions of the role of graphing calculators, as mediating tools, to help facilitate mathematics instruction of students from two different SES backgrounds. The main source of data are in-depth semi-structured interviews with four teachers, two from each SES school. In general, the participants' perceptions of the role of the graphing calculator were dependent on the context within which it was used. Also, the participants played a crucial role in determining the nature of graphing calculator use with the low-SES school's participants appearing not to involve their students in lessons that capitalized on the powerful characteristics of graphing calculators. To tease out the role of the situation context, a four-component framework was conceptualized consisting of teacher, student, subject matter, and graphing calculator use. The components of the framework were taken to be continuously in interaction with one another implying that a change or perturbation in one of the components affected all the other components. The continuous interactions of the components of this framework suggest that equity issues in connection to the nature of graphing calculator use should be an ongoing process that is continuously locating strategies that will afford all students appropriate access and use of graphing calculators.


2018 ◽  
pp. 341-358
Author(s):  
Francis Nzuki

By taking into consideration the significance of the socio-economic contexts, this research investigates teachers' perceptions of the role of graphing calculators, as mediating tools, to help facilitate mathematics instruction of students from two different SES backgrounds. The main source of data are in-depth semi-structured interviews with four teachers, two from each SES school. In general, the participants' perceptions of the role of the graphing calculator were dependent on the context within which it was used. Also, the participants played a crucial role in determining the nature of graphing calculator use with the low-SES school's participants appearing not to involve their students in lessons that capitalized on the powerful characteristics of graphing calculators. To tease out the role of the situation context, a four-component framework was conceptualized consisting of teacher, student, subject matter, and graphing calculator use. The components of the framework were taken to be continuously in interaction with one another implying that a change or perturbation in one of the components affected all the other components. The continuous interactions of the components of this framework suggest that equity issues in connection to the nature of graphing calculator use should be an ongoing process that is continuously locating strategies that will afford all students appropriate access and use of graphing calculators.


Author(s):  
Ali Huwaishel Al-Shuaili

This study aims at investigating the perceptions of science teachers in Omani Basic Education schools regarding the difficulties they face in using creative teaching methods in the classrooms. The sample comprised 130 science teachers of basic education schools in the governorates of Muscat and the Interior. For the purpose of the study a 42-item questionnaire covering five domains – teacher, student, subject, school administration and other difficulties – was developed and administered by the researcher. The validity of the questionnaire was checked by a panel of experts and practitioners in science: Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient was found to be 0.923. Results revealed that the main difficulties that teachers encounter when using creative teaching methods are: exclusion of topics that may promote creativity from textbook content, inadequate pre- and in-service training, discouraging teachers thinking creatively, teachers’ weak intrinsic motivation, their heavy workload, and the absence of a free academic atmosphere. The results also show no significant differences between teacher’s perceptions of the difficulties in using creative teaching methods with respect to gender or the school district. A few recommendations have been proposed based on the findings. 


Author(s):  
Inaya Jaafar ◽  
Aubrey Statti ◽  
Kelly M. Torres

Using an interpretative phenomenological analysis, this research explored how technology affects the teacher-student relationship in the middle school classroom, and in addition, investigated the middle school teachers' perceptions of the teacher-student relationship when the technology was integrated. This chapter reports on data collected from 16 middle school teachers in Grades 6, 7, and 8 within one school district in northern New Jersey. The data sources included one-to-one semi-structured interviews and a focus group consisting of 10 out of the 16 middle school teachers from the various core subjects (English language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science). The data were analyzed by coding and generating themes in a qualitative approach as recommended in an interpretative phenomenological analysis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Do Lan Phuong

As one of the main purposes of using English today is for international communication and globalisation, English has been mainly used among bilingual speakers of English who come from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds (McKay, 2006; Sharifian, 2014). In such multinational and multicultural contexts, today English learners have to deal with not only linguistic barrier, but also cultural barrier. Therefore, it is crucially important that they are provided with multicultural knowledge and cross-cultural awareness. However, so far, there has been little research into the perceptions of English teachers towards culture used in ELT materials in EFL contexts. Therefore, the research aims to identify how seven Vietnamese teachers of English in two universities in Hanoi, Vietnam perceived culture and the role of culture in language teaching. This paper also seeks to explore how their perceptions influenced the way they taught culture in their English class and the way they adapted and developed ELT materials for their students with the hope that it will provide useful and practical suggestions for developing appropriate ELT materials for EFL teaching contexts. The research is based on a qualitative research which applies mostly in-depth, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The data of this research reveals that most participants recognized the close and interrelated relationship between language and culture and the crucial role of culture in language teaching. They also identified the important role of English as an international language and cultural differences in ELT materials. Realizing a cultural gap in most of the materials they taught, they tried to adapt the materials based on their students’ needs. 


2021 ◽  
Vol VI (III) ◽  
pp. 38-48
Author(s):  
Gouhar Pirzada ◽  
Yaar Muhammad ◽  
Saba Zaka

This interview study aimed to explore the perceptions and practices of the university teachers regarding student engagement in History & Pakistan Studies classrooms. Data were collected from four PhD professors from a public sector university. A qualitative research design was used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was done to extract findings from the qualitative data. The finding is arranged into three themes, i.e., student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. The finding suggested that teachers use different strategies and practices to improve student engagement. Moreover, teachers used different practices to make their classes interesting. It is reported that having a cordial teacher-student relationship is beneficial for enhancing student engagement level and overall performance at the postgraduate level of education. Effective classroom management plays a significant role in creating a positive learning environment for engaging instruction.


Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi Yen Phuong ◽  
Nguyen Huynh Trang

This descriptive study aims to investigate EFL teachers’ perceptions toward the use of pictures in pre-reading stage as well as the role and the possible difficulties of using picture in pre-reading stage that they may gain. The current study adopted both quantitative and qualitative methods to collect the data via questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with the participation of 30 teachers in different high schools in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam and six out of the teachers were invited to participate in the interviews. There are some main following findings. First, EFL teachers highly appreciated about the role of pictures in pre-reading stage. Second, the participants revealed there were some possible difficulties that prevent English teachers from using pictures in pre-reading stage.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-154
Author(s):  
Leonardo Veliz ◽  
Scott Smith

This paper reports on a qualitative study that examined the perceptions of English teachers towards the ‘teachability’ of metaphorical language in Chilean EFL classrooms. The study aimed at gaining a better understanding of teachers’ perceptions of the role of metaphor in the English language classroom. A group of six in-service English teachers participated in this qualitative study. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, which addressed three broad dimensions: (i) the views and definitions of metaphor; (ii) the teachability of metaphorically used language; and (iii) preparedness to teach metaphor. The data were thoroughly coded and analyzed thematically. The results revealed that, despite an apparently heightened awareness of the presence and role of metaphor in culture, this did not permeate the participants’ teaching practices, thus calling for more explicit preparation in teacher education programs and radical changes to the ‘educational culture’ that is still imbued with dominant neoliberal ways of doing and thinking.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Marcos Vinicius Francisco ◽  
Camélia Santina Murgo

 Desenvolveu-se esta pesquisa em uma escola de Ensino Fundamental e Médio de uma cidade do interior do estado de São Paulo. Assumiu-se como objetivo analisar o papel da educação escolar na vida de um adolescente autor de ato infracional que cumpriu medida socioeducativa de internação. Neste estudo de caso, assumiu-se como referencial a Teoria Histórico-Cultural que tem como base epistemológica o Materialismo Histórico-Dialético. Realizaram-se entrevistas semiestruturadas com o adolescente, análise de seu desempenho escolar e grupos focais com seus professores e a coordenadora da escola. No que tange à inserção escolar do adolescente, constatou-se um movimento de ambivalência com relação às instituições por onde ele passou. Nesse processo, reconhece-se a importância da escola atual, que ao recebê-lo, após o período de internação adotou uma postura de acolhida, assumindo a dimensão afetiva como central na relação professor-aluno. A dinâmica institucional foi positiva ao fazer com que o adolescente se sentisse confiante e percebesse a necessidade de terminar os estudos, almejando obter futura inserção profissional e o ingresso na universidade.Palavras-chave: Ato infracional. Educação escolar. Adolescente.THE EDUCATION ROLE IN THE LIFE OF A TEENAGER WHO IS AUTHOR OF AN INFRACTIONAL ACT: a case studyAbstract: This research was developed in an elementary and high education school in a country town of São Paulo State. It is assumed as objective to analyze the role of school education in the life of a teenager who has committed an infractional act and has fulfilled the socio-educational measure of internment. In this case study, it was assumed as reference the Historical-Cultural Theory whose epistemological basis is the Historical-Dialectical Materialism. Were carried out semi-structured interviews with the teen, analysis of his school performance and focus groups with his teachers and the school coordinator. Regarding the school insertion of the adolescent, it was found an ambivalence movement in relation to the institutions where he went. In this process, it is recognized the importance of the current school, which when received him after the internment period, adopted an attitude of welcome, assuming the affective dimension as central in the teacher-student relationship. The institutional dynamic was positive by making the teen feel confident and realize the need to finish school, aiming to obtain future occupational integration and entry into the university.Keywords: Infractional Act. Scholar education. Teenager. EL PAPEL DE LA EDUCACIÓN EN LA VIDA DE UN ADOLESCENTE QUE COMETE UNA INFRACCIÓN: un estudio de casoResumen: Esta investigación se desarrolló en una escuela de primaria y secundaria en una ciudad en el estado de Sao Paulo. Se asume como objetivo analizar el papel de la educación en la vida de un adolescente que cometió un acto de infracción y que ha cumplido medida socioeducativa de internamiento. En este estudio de caso, se asumió como referencia la Teoría Histórico-Cultural cuya base epistemológico es el Materialismo Histórico y Dialéctico. Hubo entrevistas semiestructuradas con el adolescente, el análisis del rendimiento escolar y grupos de discusión con sus profesores y el coordinador de la escuela. Com respecto a la inserción escolar de lo adolescente, se observó un movimiento de ambivalencia con relación a las instituciones donde estudió. En el proceso, se reconoce la importancia de la escuela actual, en recibirlo después del período de internamiento; la escuela adoptó una actitud de bienvenida, teniendo la dimensión afectiva como elemento central de la relación profesor-alumno. La dinámica institucional fue positiva, el adolescente ha sentido confianza a darse cuenta de la necesidad de terminar la escuela, con el objetivo de obtener una futura integración profesional además de la entrada en la universidad.Palabras clave: Ley infracional. Educación escolar. Adolescente.     


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-339
Author(s):  
Rasmitadila . ◽  
Megan Asri Humaira ◽  
Reza Rachmadtullah

The key problem with implementing inclusive education in inclusive elementary schools in Indonesia is that the role of all stakeholders in creating mentoring programs must be continuous and sustainable. The purpose of this study is to explore the opinions of general teachers (GTs) regarding the role of universities in mentoring programs for inclusive elementary schools. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with 32 GTs in inclusive elementary schools. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis of qualitative data. The results show two main themes, namely university involvement, and inclusive education resource centers. The roles of universities in mentoring programs for inclusive elementary schools are the development of effective instruction systems and the provision of human resources who are competent at implementing inclusive education in inclusive elementary schools. This research is expected to be the basis for policymakers, especially in universities, to design appropriate and relevant mentoring programs for the problems faced by inclusive elementary schools.


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