Valences and sense of personal autonomy with regard to professional development in Dutch primary teachers: Do decision contexts and age make a difference?

In this study on motivations concerning professional development (PD) we interviewed 95 primary school teachers in the Netherlands. We coded these data using the Unified Model of Task-specific Motivation (de Brabander & Martens, 2014) in different decision contexts concerning who decides about teacher participation in PD: school board, teacher teams, or individual teachers. We analysed the valences that teachers associated with PD activities, their experiences of autonomy, and whether and how these variables were affected by decision context and teacher age. Results show that decision contexts relate differently to valences and autonomy experiences. Positive autonomy and positive valences increased going from schoolboard to team to individual decision contexts. Whereas the literature on effective teacher PD stresses the importance of PD design features, our study is the first to empirically demonstrate the crucial influence of decision contexts. Among older teachers, teaching experience informed the selection of PD content to transfer to their classrooms. Younger teachers tended to first explore whether PD worked in their classrooms before deciding about adoption. Direct applicability emerged as a dominant criterion for evaluating PD. Decision context and autonomy regarding PD programmes play important roles in ensuring applicability. Our research revealed that the dominance of the direct applicability criterion was not motivated by student benefits alone. It was also based in an attitude of efficiency among primary teachers, reflecting growing work pressures and a general prioritisation of classroom teaching above all other tasks, including PD.

Consequences of COVID-19 Confinement for Teachers: Family-Work Interactions, Technostress, and Perceived Organizational Support

The confinement experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a rethink of the teaching-learning process to which teachers have responded without planning and instead using their resources. This study aims to analyze the relationships between work-family interactions, technostress, and perceived organizational support in teachers during the confinement period in Spain that began in March 2020. An online survey was administered to 640 pre-school, primary, and secondary school teachers. Positive reciprocal work-family interactions and their relationship with organizational support were found, with differences according to gender, with women showing a more negative perception of the impact on the family. There were no marked levels of technostress in the overall sample, although higher levels of perceived ineffectiveness and skepticism were found in teachers aged 46 years or older. Teachers in private and subsidized schools showed a higher level of perceived support than those in public schools. There is a need to continue this work to verify the values of these dimensions in other contexts and to apply institutional measures and public policies to improve these indicators in this group.

Relationship Between Teacher’s Burnout, Occupational Stress, Coping, Gender and Age

Teachers make a great contribution to the academic formation, social and emotional development of children. However, teaching ranks among the most stressful professions. High levels of teacher stress and burnout cause serious damage to both students' academic achievement and development, as well as damage to relationships between teachers, students and parents. The main goal of this research was exploring the relationships between burnout, occupational stress, and coping strategies. This survey involved 721 primary education teachers (187 men and 534 women) who teach in public schools in different areas in Albania. To measure the levels of occupational stress, professional burnout as well as investigate how teachers cope with stress several known scales that have been translated in Albanian and adapted to this research were used. Results indicated that female teachers experience the lack of support from the administrators more than men. Men experienced depersonalization more than women. Older teachers reported a higher level of exhaustion and occupational stress than other groups, but they indicated higher personal accomplishment. Received: 18 March 2021 / Accepted: 26 May 2021 / Published: 8 July 2021

The Higher Education Sustainability before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Spanish and Ecuadorian Case

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are key to create sustainable higher education institutions (HEIs). Most researchers focused on the students’ perspective, especially during the online teaching caused by COVID-19; however, university teachers are often forgotten, having their opinion missing. This study’s objective was to determine the factors that contribute to the inclusion of ICTs. The research based on a comparative study through an online qualitative survey focused on the inclusion and use of ICTs in two HEIs and two different moments (pre-and post-lockdowns). There were differences regarding country and working experience (p < 0.001), being linked to the ICTs use, evaluation of obstacles, and the role given to ICTs (p < 0.05). The COVID-19 caused modifications of the teachers’ perspectives, including an improvement of the opinion of older teachers regarding the essentialness of ICTs in the teaching process (p < 0.001) and worsening their perception about their ICTs skill (p < 0.05). Additionally, an initial model focused only on the university teachers and their use of ICTs has been proposed. In conclusion, the less experienced university teachers used more ICTs, identified more greatly the problematic factors, and considered more important the ICTs, with the perception of all teachers modified by COVID-19.

EMERGING IN THE PROCESS OF DIGITALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

This article provides an overview of the risks that arise in the process of digitalization of higher education. Despite all the achievements and positive aspects of the process of digitalization of society as a whole and, in particular, in higher education, a large number of different risks arise. These include the emergence of psychological problems, pedagogical-the possible loss of pedagogical ideas that do not obey the processes of digitalization, methodological – when changing various platforms and teaching methods, technical and technological – there are problems of copyright protection and information security, difficulties in mastering technology, especially for older teachers, which can lead to discrimination against teachers and other undesirable changes in the economy and society, including in the higher education system. The article shows the possibilities of digital technologies, their impact on the emergence of risks in the economy and disappointing changes in the education system.

Teachers’ Perceived Barriers to Implementation of Physical Education

This study investigated the perception of Physical Education (PE) teachers on barriers to implementation of PE pro[1]gramme in terms of the administration of PE programme, and the provision of non-human resources. A total of 248 PE[1]major teachers were surveyed using questionnaires which were mailed to schools. The sample consisted of almost 63% male teachers and the majority was under 40 years of age. A 12-item questionnaire was used to assess the administration of the PE programme, and the provision of non-human resources. Results showed that a majority of administrators did not assume PE important; they did not seek consensus in assigning teaching duty, did not discuss teaching and learning factors, and did not organize staff training programme (STP). Older teachers and teachers with 15 years of teaching ex[1]perience or more agreed that administrators discuss their teaching assignment, observe them, and organize STP. Respon[1]dents also perceived inadequacy of facilities, equipment, financial allocation, and reference books in the school PE pro[1]gramme. Male teachers, younger teachers and teachers with less teaching experience concurred the inadequacy of human resources. It is recommended that further research on solving PE human resource problems and PE administration be undertaken. Specifically, greater attention should be given to the needs of younger and junior PE teachers.

Profesionalno sagorijevanje u nastavničkoj profesiji

Research in the world, as well as in our region, consistently indicates that teachers at all levels of educational work are exposed to various stressors that are related to the characteristics of their work. One of the outcomes of long-term chronic stress at work that has not been successfully resolved is the development of burnout syndrome. The aim of this research was to examine burnout in educators and teachers at all levels of education in Sarajevo, taking into account burnout indicators - emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, sense of personal accomplishment, according to the theoretical and empirical assumptions of the author Christine Maslach. The instrument for testing burnout - Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson 1986) was applied on a convenient sample of 517 professionals directly involved in the educational process in 13 institutions in Sarajevo Canton at different levels of education – from kindergarten to college. The results indicate high emotional exhaustion in all participants, regardless of age, gender, type of institution and job position. The experience of the phenomenon of depersonalization in the examined sample is not emphasized on average, which means that the teaching staff is still not alienated from their students to the extent that would indicate the development of burnout syndrome. Sense of personal accomplishment is perceived by participants on average as low, even when they achieve the highest academic titles. According to the results of this research, it seems that support in overcoming emotional exhaustion and depersonalization is especially important to provide to older teachers and to male teachers. In addition, it is desirable to provide support to older male and female teachers, who work with older and adult students, in gaining a sense of personal accomplishment. Furthermore, the results suggest that teachers, secondary school teachers and senior university assistants should first be covered by prevention activities and programs, as they are at greatest risk of burnout.

High Order Thinking Skills Teaching Innovation: An Analysis onEnglish Teachers’ Understanding and Practices

<p>The aim of the research was to investigate English teachers’ understanding and its practices in teaching HOTS. This research was conducted from October to November 2019 involved 20 English teachers from state and private school in Majenang and its surroundings. Data about teachers’ understanding was obtained by interviewing the teachers. Meanwhile, the data about its practices was obtained from observation and supervision document from the school principal and supervisor. The result showed that most of English teachers that participated in this research was not clear enough about HOTS and its implementation in teaching and learning process. There were also misunderstanding about designing lesson plan which covered the implementation of teaching HOTS in the classroom. The conclusion indicated that most of older teachers were not clear enough about HOTS and its practices as they are lack of training and information about it. In contrast, most younger participated teachers understood about HOST but they have misconception related to its practices.</p>

WORKING ABILITY OF ELDERLY UNIVERSITY TEACHERS UNDER THE COMBINED INFLUENCE OF BREATHING EXERCISES AND PEPTIDE BIOREGULATOR «CORTEXIN»

Двухнедельное применение специальных дыхательных упражнений (СДУ) в сочетании с пептидным биорегулятором «Кортексин» оптимизирует функциональное состояние организма и повышает профессиональную работоспособность преподавателей пожилого возраста более эффективно по сравнению с монотерапией фармакологическими препаратами. Максимальный эффект был отмечен сразу после окончания курсового использования СДУ и пептидного биорегулятора и сохранялся на протяжении 2 мес. Полученные результаты позволяют обосновать перспективность использования дыхательной гимнастики для усиления и пролонгирования антистрессорных и геропротекторных эффектов ноотропных препаратов и антигипоксантов. The two-week use of special breathing exercises in combination with the Cortexin peptide bioregulator optimizes the functional state and increases the professional performance of older teachers more effectively compared to the single use of a pharmacological preparation. The maximum effect is noted immediately after the end of the course use of special breathing exercises and the peptide bioregulator and lasts for two months. The results obtained open up prospects for the use of breathing exercises to enhance and prolong the nootropic drugs and antihypoxants antistress and geroprotective effects.

El conocimiento y la intencionalidad didáctica en el uso de TIC del profesorado de educación física (Physical education teachers’ knowledge and educational intentionality in the use of ICT)

La formación digital tecnocéntrica del profesorado y el uso tradicional de las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación (TIC), muestran la debilidad del discurso pedagógico frente al tecnológico, confirmando la limitada intencionalidad didáctica de los docentes al usar dichas tecnologías. En educación física se carece de instrumentos específicos para estudiar esa realidad. El objetivo del trabajo fue validar, por el método Delphi, un cuestionario para medir el nivel de conocimiento y la intencionalidad didáctica del profesorado de educación física al usar las TIC, atendiendo a la edad y al género. Posteriormente se aplicó el cuestionario a una muestra representativa de 155 docentes de educación física de enseñanza primaria de Valencia y área metropolitana. Los resultados indican que el cuestionario posee fiabilidad y validez adecuadas para estudiar dichas variables, confirmando elevados conocimientos y mayor intencionalidad didáctica al usar tecnología entre los maestros respecto a las maestras y entre el profesorado joven en relación al de mayor edad. Los hallazgos revelan que los conocimientos predicen positivamente la intencionalidad pedagógica al usar las TIC y que la edad se relaciona negativamente con los conocimientos; también aconsejan alentar políticas de formación del profesorado que mejoren el paradigma técnico imperante, incorporen la perspectiva de género como eje transversal y apoyen modelos de hibridación tecnopedagógica en las aulas.Abstract. The technocentric and traditional training of teachers in the use of the information and communication technologies (ICT) show the weakness of the pedagogical discourse versus the technological discourse, confirming the limited educational intentionality of teachers when using these technologies. Moreover, in subjects such as physical education, there is a lack of specific instruments that allow studying this issue. The objective of the study was to develop and validate, by the Delphi method, a questionnaire to measure the level of knowledge and the educational intentionality of physical education teachers when using ICT, considering age and gender factors. Subsequently, the questionnaire was applied to a representative sample of 155 primary school teachers from the city of Valencia and metropolitan area. The results indicated that the questionnaire had a good reliability and validity. The findings also indicated the existence of a high level of knowledge among teachers. In addition, a greater educational intentionality was found among male teachers compared with female teachers, as well as among younger teachers compared with older teachers. Moreover, the results showed that level of knowledge was a positive correlate of educational intentionality, as well as teachers’ age was negatively related to level of knowledge. Considering the present findings, it would be relevant to develop teacher training policies that improve the prevailing technical paradigm and support alternative models that show the educational value of the ICT. This digital immersion could reduce gender and generational barriers to the use of ICT.