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The study outlines the construction and validation process of the Teacher’s Conceptions of Assessment scale (CoVI), designed to evaluate primary and secondary school teachers’ perceptions of student learning assessment purposes. The validation sample comprises 1,545 serving teachers nationwide. The CoVI scale, subjected to both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, demonstrates robust psychometric properties and encompasses the following dimensions: assessment as accountability (Acc), verification of learning outcomes (AoL), teaching and learning improvement (AfL), and self-regulation and sustainability of learning (AaL). The scale addresses a gap in available instruments in the field by focusing on the specificities of different assessment approaches, including AfL and sustainable assessment, which have been less empirically explored.

This study examined secondary school science teachers' conceptions of the nature of scientific knowledge (NOSK). The participants were convenient samples consisting of 48 (M = 38, F = 10) teachers from three secondary schools. An open-ended questionnaire was administered to collect data. Qualitative analysis involved comparing teachers' responses to experts' views on NOSK. Frequency counts and percentages were also used to describe the NOSK conceptions of participants. Based on the findings, the teachers held informed conceptions on two NOSK tenets and naïve conceptions on four of them. The participants generally held a naïve conception of NOSK, as evidenced by the fact that their conception aligned with informed conception only on two of the seven assessed NOSK aspects. Future research should use large samples, employing a quantitative approach to reveal secondary school teachers' NOSK conceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the challenges in Brazilian education has been to develop pedagogical practices that contextualize teaching and to foster dialogue between different types of knowledge in the classroom. In this article we aimed to identify the Biology teachers' conceptions regarding botany, and to answer the following questions: a) How is teaching practice conducted in high school botany classes? b) What are the challenges of teaching botany? c) What is the importance of practical classes for botany education according to the teachers' perspective? d) How do teachers understand and utilize students' local knowledge in botany classes?. The methodological approach used was qualitative. The research was conducted in four public schools within the State education system of Nazaré da Mata (PE), and the subjects were teachers who teach biology in the 2nd year of high school. We conducted semi-structured interviews, observations of botany classes, and meetings with teachers to discuss the study's theme and collect our data. We observed that the teaching practice regarding botany content was based on traditional teaching with a one-sided bias. According to the teachers, the main challenges for teaching these classes are the limited available time, the prioritization of content focused on external assessments, and the lack of school infrastructure. The teachers report difficulties in delivering the content and attribute these difficulties to their own training. Additionally, we observed a lack of dialogue between different types of knowledge in the classes, as most teachers were unaware of various forms of knowledge and how to approach them in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary science teaching pedagogy in Namibia places a strong emphasis on fostering inquiry-based instruction and practical work in secondary school science education. In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the need to move beyond traditional, rote-based methods towards more learnercentred approaches that encourage active inquiry and critical thinking. Teachers are encouraged to design lessons that promote inquiry, where learners actively investigate scientific phenomena, ask questions, and develop solutions through hands-on experimentation. Science practical work, which involves conducting experiments and investigations, is considered a cornerstone of this approach as it provides learners with opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge, develop laboratory skills, and gain a profounder understanding of scientific concepts. This sequential explanatory mixed methods study explored Namibian secondary school teachers' conceptions of teaching science practical work through inquirybased instruction to provide a comprehensive understanding of teachers' perspectives and practices. Findings from this study revealed that many teachers held traditional views of science practical work, emphasizing cookbook-style experiments and memorisation. These teachers often faced challenges in implementing inquiry-based instruction due to a lack of training and resources to facilitate science practical work. However, a subset of teachers who embraced inquiry-based methods reported increased learner engagement, critical thinking, and in-depth understanding of scientific concepts. Additionally, the findings underscored the importance of aligning teacher conceptions with contemporary pedagogical approaches for effective secondary science education in Namibia. The study thus, highlighted the need for professional development and support to help more teachers transition to inquiry-based instruction and improve science education in Namibian secondary schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractTeachers’ conceptions of geography play a key role in teacher identity. They also impact students’ learning. This paper aims to describe teacher students’ conceptions of geography and their sources.Our data comes from two online questionnaires. Participants came from Switzerland (nQ1 = 20, nQ3 = 98). In contrast to previous research, participants in our studies could not be assigned to only one conception. Eight of 11 statements about what geography is and five of eight statements about the main purpose of geography education were endorsed by 90% or more of participants in both studies. This includes those about understanding sustainability and the system earth. Some items showed significant differences by migration background and by the grade level the students want to teach.While the results are mostly positive, teacher educators need to find ways to reach those students who do not yet have a current view of geography, e.g. regarding the role of sustainability.Participants saw diverse sources as shaping their conceptions. Most participants saw specialist literature as an influential and often-used source. Yet, many knew few empirical studies about teaching/learning the subject.Teacher educators and researchers thus need to find ways to make research literature more memorable for teacher students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica is the property of Universita di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Educazione and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the evolving landscape of secondary school science education in Namibia, there is a growing shift from traditional rote-learning methodologies toward inquiry-based instruction and practical work to foster deeper learner engagement and critical thinking skills. This study, utilizing a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, investigates the perceptions and practices of Namibian secondary school teachers regarding the implementation of inquiry-based science education. Despite the national curriculum's strong endorsement of learner-centered approaches, findings indicate a discrepancy between policy aspirations and classroom realities. Many teachers continue to rely on traditional methods due to persistent challenges such as inadequate resources, insufficient professional development, and entrenched instructional habits. However, those teachers who have adopted inquiry-based strategies report enhanced student engagement and a more profound understanding of scientific concepts among learners. This paper underscores the necessity for targeted professional development and resource allocation to bridge the gap between educational policy and practice, ultimately aiming to enrich science education through effective inquiry-based learning environments.

This study explores the conceptual understanding of electromagnetism among physics professors at the Aeronautical University in Querétaro, Mexico. While student misconceptions in electromagnetism have been extensively studied, research on professors' understanding and its potential impact remains limited. This research aims to address this gap by focusing on the core concepts of electrostatic force, electric field, and electric potential. Eight professors participated in the study. Their academic background, electromagnetism course history, and teaching experience were documented. A three-tier diagnostic test, based on Vergnaud's theory of conceptual fields, was then used to assess their conceptualisation of these concepts and their interrelationships. The analysis revealed that only one professor consistently demonstrated correct understanding across all three concepts. Interestingly, this professor was also the one with the most extensive teaching experience in the subject. The results suggest a potential connection between teaching experience and a deeper conceptual understanding of electromagnetism. Further research is needed to explore this connection and its implications for mitigating student misconceptions through effective teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined secondary school science teachers’ conceptions of the nature of scientific knowledge (NOSK). The participants were convenient samples consisting of 48 (M = 38, F = 10) teachers from three secondary schools. An open-ended questionnaire was administered to collect data. Qualitative analysis involved comparing teachers’ responses to experts’ views on NOSK. Frequency counts and percentages were also used to describe the NOSK conceptions of participants. Based on the findings, the teachers held informed conceptions on two NOSK tenets and naïve conceptions on four of them. The participants generally held a naïve conception of NOSK, as evidenced by the fact that their conception aligned with informed conception only on two of the seven assessed NOSK aspects. Future research should use large samples, employing a quantitative approach to reveal secondary school teachers’ NOSK conceptions.

Copyright of Revista Internacional de Cooperación y Desarrollo is the property of Universidad de San Buenaventura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The central theme of this article is the curriculum for babies in the collective space of the daycare center, focusing on the teachers' conceptions about babies, daycare, curriculum and babies' teacher. It results from a broader qualitative research, with characteristics of a case study, which analyzed the curriculum under development in nursery classes, under the responsibility of two teachers, in a municipal public institution. Its main data generation tools were observations and interviews. Its fundamental theoretical contributions were the studies of researchers who: explain and differentiate the concepts of child, childhood and babies, especially from the Developmental Psychology and Sociology of Childhood; consider the curriculum as an instrument that contemplates the wholeness of the child; respects and emphasizes it; and includes everyday social practices (BARBOSA, 2010; GOBBATO; BARBOSA, 2017; RICHTER, 2009). Their results showed teaching practices marked by very sedimented conceptions, probably originated from personal experiences and common sense. Thus, these are pedagogical practices based on the understanding of babies as little competent and without agency; of daycare as an exclusive place of "guardianship"; of curriculum as an unnecessary instrument for nursery classes; and of the teacher who works in these groups as someone who needs to like children and have "natural" knowledge of motherhood. Considering the relationship between teacher training and the quality of learning and development opportunities created for and with children in daycare centers, there is a need for specific initial and continuing education for pedagogues who intend to teach with babies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent decades, a great amount of attention has been globally directed to school achievement evidenced by large-scale assessment programmes. Additionally, there has been an increase in expectations regarding teachers' use of data. Against this backdrop, there arose a clear demand for assessment-literate teachers, mapping out the changes that teachers need in practice in order to ensure sound instructional decision-making and enable better learning for students. Despite the current educational policy and trends in research, teachers in Italy tend to avoid using large-scale assessment results and continue to perceive this assessment as inappropriate and ineffective. To shed light on the reasons for teachers' negative conceptions of the national large-scale assessment programme, a qualitative study was conducted drawing data from semi-structured interviews with 70 teachers. The discussion on limitations of and issues encountered in large-scale assessments addresses policy implications for teachers' assessment literacy, as well as for their professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching English as a foreign language is given a vital concern in the Algerian field of education due to the major role English plays in the modern world. Many research papers have been devoted to find ways to make the process of teaching/ learning English successful and evidently found that the educational beliefs or the conceptions teachers hold about teaching and learning have a direct influence on shaping teachers’ classroom practices and figuring their students’ learning experience. Many research papers have been devoted to find ways to make the process of teaching/ learning English successful and evidently found that the educational beliefs or the conceptions teachers hold about teaching and learning have a direct influence on shaping teachers’ classroom practices and figuring their students’ learning experience. This study is an attempt to investigate Algerian teachers’ conceptions of teaching and learning and the potential relationship existing between these conceptions and the teaching approaches. To reach this aim, ten (10) teachers of English have participated in the study. The data were collected through classroom observation, the Conceptions of Teaching and Learning Questionnaire (CTLQ) and the Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI). The results revealed teachers’ dominant conceptions and prevailing beliefs about teaching and learning and showed the salient impact these conceptions have on their teaching approaches. The study concludes with some pedagogical implications addressed to provide policymakers with insightful information about the current educational practices and the EFL contemporary learning setting aiming to inform and enhance pre-service teachers’ education program as well as in-service teachers’ professional training and development.

Upholding justice in classrooms is a major concern for teachers and students, leading to a growing body of literature over the last 50 years. By contributing to this growing body of literature, this study aimed to examine high school teachers' conceptions of classroom justice through the lens of social psychology theory. Purposeful sampling was used to select 27 high school teachers for semi-structured interviews on the issues pertinent to classroom justice. Findings indicate that teachers conceived of classroom justice based on a constant dialogue between two overarching themes: their individuality and the social context. Teachers' individuality included subthemes such as teacher philosophy of justice, teacher philosophy of education, teacher caring, teacher background life experiences as student, teacher education, and teaching experience. The social context included the social, cultural, and economic structures of the society and the educational structures. The results suggest that social psychology theory needs to be expanded to account for drivers of teachers' conceptions of classroom justice. The findings have implications for teacher education and policy-making to promote justice in classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research describes the teachers' conceptions about the competences in mathematics as regulators in the quality of education in the different Educational Institutions in Caquetá. That is why the purpose of this document is the characterization of the conceptions of math competences in teachers from the municipality of Florencia focused on the curricular contents, didactic and learning assessment to identify if there are significant differences between the emerging categories in relation to their function, capacity and performance of their applicability by the teachers. Due to the mixed nature of the inquiry, a scope is chosen where teacher's situations, customs and attitudes are described in face of the dependent and independent variables of the sample. The data was collected through the implementation of structured surveys to 73 mathematics teachers which were analyzed by the ANOVA variance index from the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences program; finding multifactoriality in the conceptions when identifying and describing 16 emerging categories related to mathematical thinking, classroom work and content assessment instruments, resulting in the Significant Sociocultural Learning the most prevalence. Due to the above, the research is a strategic description for the reality of teaching knowledge about the implementation of educational components (competencies) described by the Ministry of National Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Educacao e Pesquisa is the property of Faculdade de Educacao da Universidade de Sao Paulo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Enabling learners to communicate both in an inter-personal level and with people of other nations is greatly emphasized in language learning programs. The present study seeks to analyze the conceptions of Iranian teachers after they implemented the new communicative language teaching (CLT) curriculum. To do so, two teachers were asked to record one session of their classes and subsequently participate in semi-structured interviews to elaborate on their rationale of what they did in the classroom. One of the teachers was a male with over 20 years of teaching experience, and the other was a female with almost the same years of teaching experience as the male. The analysis of the data showed wide discrepancies between teachers’ actual activities and the curriculum recommendations. The teachers highlighted their previous schooling as a student as well as contextual realities as factors influencing their teaching. The study highlighted the point that if teachers’ beliefs and the contextual realities are not in tune, teachers filter the curriculum in their own preferred ways leading to divergences from the proposed curriculum. Therefore, the study has clear implications for curriculum developers to consider contextual realities when proposing any innovations. It can also be of use for teachers to be aware of the need to be more cautious when implementing a new curriculum.

Copyright of Revista Góndola, Enseñanza y Aprendizaje de las Ciencias is the property of Gondola, Ensenanza y Aprendizaje de las Ciencias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many countries worldwide consider the demand for lowering the qualification level of teachers as a possible solution to the long-term lack of qualified teachers, aging teaching staff, and high teacher drop-out rate. In Czechia, geography is increasingly being taught by non-specialist teachers; therefore, we compared specialized and non-specialized geography teachers' teaching conceptions. Drawing on previous robust qualitative research, we developed a questionnaire measuring teachers' conceptions of geography teaching and surveyed Czech lower secondary in-service geography teachers (n = 530). Path analysis revealed that specialized geography teachers report longer and stronger relationships between the conceptions that may represent a wider range of geographies available to students. Non-specialized teachers demonstrated only a narrow and limited epistemological awareness of the subject. Our research serves as evidence supporting the inevitability of teachers' specialization in the discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-formal science education provides an ever-growing network of different educational opportunities that makes it a valuable instrument to increase scientific education quality and to promote scientific literacy among students. This study analysed teachers' conceptions about the goals they set prior to participating in a crystal-growing competition named Concurso de Cristalización en la Escuela. A qualitative-interpretative approach was adopted to analyse educators' answers and a quantitative evaluation of the influence of two main variables (previous participation in the contest and years of teaching experience) was included to complement and deepen the analysis. Descriptive analysis reveals seven main categories that are not mutually exclusive in which teacher's objectives can be classified. Several different themes can be identified within the majority of the categories which may be labelled as mainly cognitive or mainly affective. This provides a new insight into educators' conceptions concerning non-formal education. Quantitative evaluation of the responses showed no noticeable influence of the years of experience in the type of objectives declared by teachers, which may indicate that the settled goals are more dependent of personal and contextual variables. In the light of these findings, it can be concluded that educators value the competition not just as an entertaining experience but as in instrument that addressed the didactic need to put the usual processes of science into practice as a basis for the construction of scientific knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent US science standards conceptualize science as a set of shared multidisciplinary ideas and practices in common with engineering and computer science (CS). At the core, this portrayal requires an understanding of CS as a viable career path and set of discrete knowledge and skills, including those related to computer programming. However, research repeatedly shows inservice and preservice teachers to be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with reform-based instruction and CS-related careers. This exploratory study uses a Draw-a-Programmer Test (DAPT) instrument (adapted from the Draw-a-Scientist [DAST], Engineering [DAET], and Computer Scientist [DACST]) to investigate how preservice teachers understand and visualize computer programming. Here, we detail the development and testing of this tool across two preservice elementary science and technology courses. Participants in this study included 52 preservice teachers in the last semester of their teacher preparation program enrolled in these courses. Data were collected using the DAPT instrument and were analyzed using open coding of respondents' depictions and written descriptions of computer programming. Findings revealed that participants held somewhat stereotypical, yet distinct conceptions of CS and computer programming (i.e., separate from science and engineering) which may provide concrete entry points into fostering computational thinking skills. Implications are discussed as they relate to elementary teacher education and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although video games are increasing their presence in teens/children's private entertainment and there is ample evidence to support their educational possibilities, they are seldom introduced in classrooms. One of the least studied factors relative to the insertion of video games in curricula is teachers' conceptions on their effectiveness to foster learning. In this study, we investigate how teachers conceive of the educational usage of video games, considering their reported value and which video game dimensions are reflected to be of importance, as well as personal traits linked to them (gender, educational level, area of knowledge, teaching experience, behavioral intention ...). We designed a Likert questionnaire with three main dimensions: pragmatic play, epistemic play, and learning outcomes (verbal information, skills, and attitudes). 595 Spanish teachers answered the questionnaire online. We applied ANOVA and multiple regression techniques, which revealed a broad acceptance of video games as educational media. The most relevant analyzed factors turned out to be the intention to use video games in classrooms, and the private use of video games. Teachers believe that video games promote more learning when played with an epistemic goal, mediated by scaffolding and especially under the teacher's guidance, compared to pragmatic play related to completion and success in the game. They also consider video games to mainly promote verbal information learning, procedural learning, and finally attitude learning, with the latter being less probable. We suggest the need to strengthen not only teacher training programs in the educational use of video games but also research on relationships between teachers' beliefs and practices in order to convert these favorable beliefs into actual real practices.

This study employed a quantitative research design to investigate Chinese teachers' conceptions of classroom assessment and perceived skills. A total of 746 teachers were recruited through professional teaching groups. Results showed that a higher percentage of Chinese teachers selected contemporary assessment approaches to classroom assessment (e.g., assessment for learning) than more traditional approaches (e.g., assessment of learning). Chinese teachers also reported high levels of confidence in items that addressed aspects of assessment theory. Significant differences in approaches to classroom assessment were found across (a) age groups, (b) educational qualifications, and (c) between full-time classroom teachers and classroom teachers that held additional positions (e.g., school administrator, leader, head). Implications for educational policy-makers and practitioners in light of enhancing teacher assessment literacy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Roteiro is the property of Roteiro and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Health is coconsidered as goodness; therefore, schools should be places where healthy habits, along with evidence-based medical knowledge and practices, are taught and practiced. The key persons in education are teachers, so their opinions and worldviews should not be neglected. The objective of this work was to identify opinions about health education among Slovenian teachers. We investigated the worldviews of and differences between pre-service and in-service Biology teachers about health education. The questionnaires were delivered to 163 Sloveian participants. Most differences in opinion occurred in the nutrition field between younger and older participants. The majority of participants (85%) agree that “Providing knowledge or developing behavior that is respectful of one´s own health” is the main goal of health education.

This paper aims to identify the conceptions of five Brazilian high school teachers about the presence and need of Science-Technology-Society (cts in Portuguese) interactions in high school Chemistry textbooks adopted by the National High School Textbook Program (pnldem). In order to achieve that, a semi structured interview was used, which was then analyzed following Bardin's content analysis. In the content analysis of the interviews, it was noticed that the teachers identify the importance of the concepts in question for the education of the students, and their role in situations that occur in the students' day-to-day lives. It was also noticed that most of the teachers express concern of preparing the students for the National High School Exam (enem), through which the students can access higher education. Another important point noticed was that only one of the five teachers interviewed identified the importance of the Science-Technology-Society interactions in high school Chemistry textbooks and their relevance to the formation of the student. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Espacios is the property of Talleres de Impresos Oma and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study examines what creativity means to a group of Taiwanese music teachers and how it relates to their classroom experiences and teaching practices. The research followed a qualitative, interpretative approach. Interviews were used to gather data and were analysed according to phenomenographic principles. Analysis of the interviews indicated that two main approaches were taken by teachers regarding their experiences of creativity: a product-focused and a process-focused approach. In the product-focused approach, creativity was defined from the outside according to externally imposed factors, frames of reference and motivating forces. In the process-focused approach, creativity was defined from the inside, from the point of view of the individual involved, and in which personal agency, inclusion and collaboration were valued. The approach taken by teachers towards creativity also showed a relationship to how music education was perceived. Teachers who had a product-focused approach to creativity saw music education in terms of content, whereas those who were process focused had a meaning-oriented view of music education that valued the experience of students over the content that was taught. Similarly, a correspondence was found between how creativity was perceived and the nature of classroom interactions that varied between teacher centred and learner centred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human Rights Education (HRE) is a fundamental instrument for building a democratic culture. Based on this premise, this research aimed to understand how HRE permeates the pedagogical practices of a public elementary school in the Federal District. Observations of pedagogical activities and interviews with six teachers about the subject were conducted. Content analysis of observations and interviews shows a lack of intentional, systematized, and conscious planning of HRE. It is necessary an initial and continuous formation of the educators that allows the discussion and reflection on the legislations and programmatic actions of the HRE in a significant way, contemplating their knowledge and experiences, as well as its practice and the specificities of the school contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Praxis, Educación & Pedagogía is the property of Universidad del Valle and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Learner autonomy (henceforth LA) has become a buzz word in education in general and language education, in particular, for more than a decade now. Focusing on investigating Iranian EFL teachers’ conceptions of LA, the current study, taking a mixed method approach, attempted to illustrate how Iranian EFL teachers’ conceptions of leaner autonomy mapped out. To that end, 7 teachers, purposefully cluster sampled, were interviewed. After data saturation, the result of the interviews and the data gleaned from the literature were fed into the development of a questionnaire. The questionnaire, having being validated through a pilot study, was administered to 585 EFL teachers snowball-sampled, 2 of whom were, later on through negative case analysis, interviewed, and were required to provide the researchers with a narrative. Running a number of factor analyses, the researchers modeled the participants’ mindsets toward LA, which can be quite significant as it can have some theoretical and pedagogical implications, including, inter alia, situating LA promotion into the pedagogy of TEFL in Iran by running LA promotion workshops as well as developing a pool of LA promotion activities and software programs available to the stakeholders, especially the teachers.

In this advanced world, our younger generation has been exposed to science and technology since they were born. Hence, there is an obvious need to prepare our younger generation for a better future. Malaysian and German classroom have similar physical appearance and students in both nations perceive science as a difficult and boring subject. Nonetheless, Germany scored higher than Malaysia in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for science in 2012. Since Malaysia is looking forward to improving our science education, sharing and exchanging views between Malaysia and Germany are great ideas for a better science education. This case study is aimed to compare Malaysian and German secondary school science teachers' conceptions in teaching science. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with four Malaysian science teachers and four German science teachers in their respective secondary schools. As the result of this study, there showed some improvements in Malaysia science teachers' conceptions of teaching science where they prefer to practise student-centred conceptions of teaching during the practical session and apply teacher-centred conceptions of teaching during theory lesson. On the other hand, most of the German science teachers prefer student-centred conceptions of teaching. This has added a useful and different perspective of Malaysian science teachers' conceptions in teaching science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational literature indicates that solving open mathematical tasks (OTs) is a powerful creativity-directed activity. However, the use of these tasks with school students on an everyday basis is extremely limited. To promote implementation of OTs in middle school, we manage a large-scale R&D project, Math-Key, which makes open mathematical tasks available to teachers. Additionally, we encourage teachers to pose OTs by transforming textbook mathematical problems. In this paper, we analyze teachers' skills and affective conceptions related to posing OTs and using them in teaching. Forty-four teachers with different teaching experience (years of experience—YoE) and different levels of expertise participated in a 4-h workshop that introduced them to OTs and their categorization. They were also given a homework assignment: pose OTs and solve them to demonstrate their openness. This assignment was accompanied by a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire that examined teachers' affective conceptions about engaging and teaching with OTs. We drew distinctions between different types of OTs (TOTs) posed by the teachers and the problem posing strategies they used. We found that the types of tasks and strategies that teachers use are a function of teachers' experience in terms of both the level of mathematics taught and years of teaching. In the affective dimension, we found interesting connections between conceptions regarding the difficulty of posing OTs, conceptions regarding the suitability of OTs for teaching and learning, teachers' readiness to implement OTs in their classes, and their predictions regarding teachers' and students' problem-solving behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, educational research points how teaching-learning quality is interwoven with teachers' conceptions of teaching, learning, curriculum, and assessment. Given this assumption, the present papers reports a study aimed to analyse teacher trainees' conceptions of assessment. On the backdrop of review of main international studies on teachers' assessment conceptions, this paper focuses on the Italian teacher trainees' conceptions of assessment. Data from 409 teacher trainees on Conceptions Of Assessment (COA) inventory were analysed in a MANOVA design. Differences and similarities between the current results and the COA model are highlighted: even though the Italian teacher trainees generally agreed with the assessment as a lever to improve teaching and learning, it is evident that they conceive assessment as misaligned from the accountability system. The implications of results for assessment education and training are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Elementary Education / Revija za Elementarno Izobraževanje is the property of University of Maribor, Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With the growing adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards across the United States, elementary teachers are being called upon to incorporate engineering into their science instruction, creating a need for ways to help elementary teachers better understand what engineering is and how to accurately communicate it to students. The present study examines the effects of a teacher education and professional development project in which elementary student teachers and their cooperating teachers were teamed with engineering graduate students to incorporate engineering into grades 3–5 classrooms. By working alongside experts in engineering for a 16-week semester, the project aimed to help participating elementary teachers better understand what engineering is and what engineers do. To assess teachers' conceptions of engineering, we administered the Draw-An-Engineer Test as pretest and posttest. An important contribution of the present study is our development of a novel approach to analyzing responses from that instrument that is appropriate for adult populations and that also addresses multiple known shortcomings of drawing tasks. We found that from pretest to posttest, teachers' responses became clearer with respect to the processes that engineers use in their work, and they became more likely to represent flowchart models of "the engineering design process." The teachers' focus on process, however, was not shared by the engineers, indicating that the engineers were not simply conveying their own understanding of engineering to the teachers. Rather, the teachers constructed their own understanding of engineering work that deviated in certain ways from the views of the engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A systematic review of conceptions of assessment among secondary school teachers was conducted. • Teachers and students play the main roles that affect assessment in the classroom. • Teachers believe that assessments are intended to improve teaching and learning. • Assessments are to measure student's achievements. • Student achievement outcomes come from teacher's responsibility and student's effort. The need to study teachers' conceptions of assessment is imperative since it is their beliefs or views on the matter that will heavily affect the practises in the classroom. In the same regard, the issue of teachers' conceptions of assessment has been widely discussed by scholars through past studies. Nonetheless, it is evident that there is still a lack of studies in the form of systematic literature highlighting the teachers' conceptions at the school level towards assessment. This study will systematically highlight secondary school teachers' conceptions of assessment. In order to answer the research questions, the guidelines from PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) were used to systematically highlight the extracted 16 out of 424 articles, ranging from 2019 to 2023, and accessed through three databases, namely Scopus, WoS, and ERIC, with exclusion and inclusion criteria taken into account. Based on the theme analysis, three main themes have emerged: (1) measuring mastery; (2) improving teaching and learning; (3) student achievement outcomes. Thus, this study suggests that the implementers, or the teachers in the school, will continue to be exposed to the integrated assessment through a two-way teacher-student conceptual framework in order to create accountability that can impact the teachers' ability to assess and at the same time be able to provide meaningful guidance to the learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning about the conceptions used by primary school teachers towards the use of robotics in class is essential as the first step towards its application in the classroom. Therefore, with the purpose of describing the understanding applied when teaching and learning mathematics use educational robots, research was conducted by means of mixed methods using a descriptive design by survey. Such research consisted of closed questions (Likert-type scale from 1 to 5) and open questions, given to 83 primary school teachers who currently teach students in the first years of school (First to Fourth grade) in two Chilean districts. The results showed that in general, there is a positive predisposition towards the addition of robots in the learning and teaching of mathematic processes during the first years of school, even though teachers claim there is a struggle to incorporate robots in their lessons due to the high number of students and the reduced space in their classrooms.

This study examined the impacts of augmented reality (AR) activities that were integrated into a Master's-level education course for mainly in-service teachers pursuing higher-level certification, generally in the specialization area of Instructional Technology--of the fifteen participants, twelve were active in-service teachers, and three were informal educators preparing to transition into a formal teaching role. The study investigated the participants' understanding and design of AR visualizations that were intended to supplement content lessons that they had also developed for use in their own classrooms. Data analysis yielded several key findings: The first finding was that all of the participating teachers were able to create AR concepts to supplement their lesson plans. The second finding was that, of the 21 AR concepts designed by the participants, seven AR concepts were literacy-themed, seven were mathematics-themed, five were science-themed, and two were history themed. A third finding was that only some of the participants' AR concepts actually took advantage of the unique affordances that AR technology provides, whereas other concepts did not actually require AR technologies to implement. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for future research and practice focused on the pedagogical potential of AR in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years the debate on the aims, approaches, and impacts of formative assessment has never stopped to grow. Parallel to this growth is the awareness that it is crucial to understand what conceptions teachers have of assessment in order to guarantee more effective teacher education. This paper tries to connect these two fields of research: formative assessment and teacher education through an analysis of teachers' conceptions: What do teachers think about assessment? What aims do they pursue through it? Do teachers really distinguish between formative and summative assessment? On the backdrop of the formative assessment literature, the article reports on an exploratory research study. Limitations and issues are analysed in order to shed light on teacher education implication and on future educational research paths in the educational assessment field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of our research has been to analyse the conceptions of citizenship held by history teachers in secondary schools in Spain and Chile, while at the same time relating these to their perceptions of the socio-political and socio-economic contexts of their countries. The study compares the conceptions of teachers from these two countries which share a similar recent history and have both experienced strong movements of popular protest and political detachment. The methodology was qualitative and made use of semi-structured interviews. The study analysed dialogues from 70 teachers, 35 in each country. The initial results indicate a predominance of moral and participatory conceptions of citizenship, to the detriment of legal or identity-based conceptions. The controversial political, social and economic context of both countries within which the interviews were conducted is a key factor to understanding the teachers' perspectives on their conceptions and the meaning of these. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]