EFL Education-oriented reading and speaking skills through critical thinking: a theoretical basis for the degrees in education

The development of skills in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is a necessary requirement for communication, but equally for L2 enhancement. Thus, the aim of this paper is to propose a system of activities for the Degrees in Education. This system integrates two skills, that is, reading and speaking, in addition to enhancing the development of critical thinking skills. All these aspects will be intimately linked to the importance of the education-related context for future school teachers.

Effects of COVID-19-Related School Closures on Student Achievement-A Systematic Review

The COVID-19 pandemic led to numerous governments deciding to close schools for several weeks in spring 2020. Empirical evidence on the impact of COVID-19-related school closures on academic achievement is only just emerging. The present work aimed to provide a first systematic overview of evidence-based studies on general and differential effects of COVID-19-related school closures in spring 2020 on student achievement in primary and secondary education. Results indicate a negative effect of school closures on student achievement, specifically in younger students and students from families with low socioeconomic status. Moreover, certain measures can be identified that might mitigate these negative effects. The findings are discussed in the context of their possible consequences for national educational policies when facing future school closures.

Are Future School Teachers Qualified to Teach Flood Risk? An Approach from the Geography Discipline in the Context of Climate Change

The aims of this research, based on a case study (trainee teachers of Primary degree and Secondary Education–MAES of the University of Valencia, Spain), are to analyse the students’ memories and perceptions of their training about floods; to examine the interest in teaching these contents in Social Science and/or Geography classes; and to analyse their proposals to improve teacher training. Methodologically, a questionnaire was distributed among 204 future teachers. The results indicate that the majority, in both groups, (degree and MAES) consider themselves to have a medium level of preparedness to teach these contents to schoolchildren (value of 3): 47.0% of the degree students and 47.4% of the MAES students. In both groups, the majority (89.2% degree; 57.9% MAES) indicate that they had not received training in the university or if they had, it had been insufficient. The study reveals that both those who have received training and those who have not believe themselves to have a similar level of preparedness. As the results of this study show, there is still a lot of ground to be covered in the field of education so that it may become an essential tool to generate a society that is more resilient to climate change.

Job Satisfaction as a Mediator between Leadership Styles and Organisational Commitment of Teachers in Malaysia

To better understand the organisational commitment of teachers, the current study examined job satisfaction as a mediator between organisational commitment and the three dimensions of leadership, namely transformational, transactional and passive-avoidant. The study involved 381 school teachers in Malaysia, and the multiple-model analysis used showed partial mediation on the negative association of passive-avoidant leadership style with teachers’ commitment to their organisation. The study found a relationship between transformational leadership and organisational commitment through job satisfaction. As expected, job satisfaction also fully mediated between transactional leadership and organisational commitment among teachers, and that teachers who are highly satisfied with their jobs attributed their commitment towards their school to transactional leadership. This study extends the knowledge on the effects of teachers’ leadership styles on their organisational commitments through a mediating factor. Higher education can play an important role in changing pre-service teachers' and future school principals’ mindsets to exhibit transformational and transactional leadership competencies. Therefore, leadership development and training of future school administrators during their tertiary education are important in order to enhance teachers' job satisfaction and commitment. Keywords: Teachers, Job satisfaction, Leadership styles, Organizational commitment, Malaysia

Effects of COVID-19-Related School Closures on Student Achievement—A Systematic Review

The COVID-19 pandemic led to numerous governments deciding to close schools for several weeks in spring 2020. Empirical evidence on the impact of COVID-19-related school closures on academic achievement is only just emerging in the literature. The present work aimed to provide a first systematic overview of evidence-based studies on general and differential effects of COVID-19-related school closures in spring 2020 on student achievement in K–12. The findings indicate a considerably negative effect of school closures on student achievement specifically in younger students and students from families with low socioeconomic status. At the same time, certain measures can be identified that might mitigate these negative effects. The findings are discussed in the context of their possible consequences for future national educational policies when facing future school closures.