University of Cumbria Open Access Journals
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An investigation into whether there is a link between primary school children’s physical activity levels and the time spent on screen based activity on a typical school day
Get PDFThis study examines the relationship between children’s physical activity levels and time spent on screen based activity during a typical school day. This study involved 273 pupils at Key Stage 2 in six different primary schools in Northern Ireland. Results for physical activity were obtained by attaching a pedometer at the waist of each member of the cohort at the beginning of the school day. The pedometer was then removed at the end of the school day and the number of steps taken was recorded. Time spent on screen based activity was measured in the form of a questionnaire. Each subject was asked how long in minutes they spent on the following screen based activities; watching television, playing I-pad, using a mobile phone, using a personal computer (PC), playing a console e.g. X-Box, PlayStation. Results from the pedometers indicated that children at Key Stage 2 take an average of 3680 steps on a typical school day, with a slight variation between genders. Results from the screen time questionnaires suggest that children aged 8-11 spend an average 4.5 hours on screen based activity on a typical school day. The majority of this time spent on screen based activity was spent playing an I-pad or android with an average time of 63 minutes. Statistical analysis, in the form of a spearman rank test found that there was a negative correlation between time spent on physical activity and time spent on screen based activity. Further research into the links between children’s physical activity levels and time spent on screen based activity is needed
How does a school promote effective differentiation for its learners?
Get PDFThis paper takes an investigative approach to explore the pedagogy of differentiation. It is based around an ethnographic case study of a secondary school and uses discourse analysis of literature, observation and interviews to identify and reveal one school’s search for effective differentiation. An heuristic is thus devised through four enquiries to aid schools and teachers in negotiating their own approaches to differentiation. The macro level explores a binary of didactic and democratic differentiation, while teachers are invited to negotiate through three key variables of social inclusion, shared practice and teacher attitude
Social competence in more able students: a professional enquiry
Get PDFSocial competence is extremely important for the welfare and development of school children and is sometimes low in more able children, whose needs are as important as those of students with any other special educational need or disability. Low social competence in more able students can stem from – amongst other causes – bullying or a congenital condition such as autism or Asperger’s Syndrome. This study used a triangulation of qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (analysis of existing progress and behavioural data) methodologies to assess the impact of low social competence as a barrier to learning in more able students. Detailed interviews with students, tutors and teachers revealed extremely complex relationships between social competence, ability, progress and attainment. In conclusion, the need for teachers to get to know individual students personally was stressed. Factors such as confidence, teacher communication and parental involvement and support (stemming from a stable, happy home life) were all found to both affect social competence and have impacts on other aspects of school life for students
Primary Teachers’ Confidence in Religious and Moral Education in Scottish Non-Denominational Schools
Get PDFThis paper reports on the findings of a small qualitative study that investigated Scottish primary teachers’ confidence in Religious and Moral Education (RME) within the new curriculum known as ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ (CfE). The study was carried through face to face interviews with five primary teachers based in two Scottish local authorities. The study has identified that while teachers are confident with their pedagogical knowledge of the subject, they are less confident regarding the level of subject knowledge they have in the subject and about their professional engagement with CfE particularly citing the vagueness of the curriculum and difficulties they face in drawing out learning outcomes and expectations in their teaching of RME
English teaching and learning: A multi-theoretical approach?
Get PDFThis paper critically explores theories of learning in relation to my initial teaching experience of English. Both cognitivism and constructivism are critically evaluated as approaches to learning, with reference to my own teaching and observations during the initial phase of my training. Meaning-making, memory, and preparedness to learn are discussed within the context of the two theories, with a particular emphasis on the effectiveness of dialogic teaching and learning and group work. This paper concludes that a multi-theoretical approach is to be recommended for the teaching of English; social constructivism clearly fits well with the subject but there must be elements of behaviourist and cognitivist teaching and learning in order to facilitate dialogic interaction, and in order that pupils have a secure cognitive framework. It is suggested that for learning to be facilitated effectively, it is important that preparedness of the learner is also taken into account
How students make sense of criticality skills in higher education
Get PDFCritical thinking skills in students, employees and citizens are endorsed for a wide range of positive reasons. What seems less well-known and the aim of this research was to investigate how students make sense of these skills. A semi-structured interview was loosely designed, using questions to ascertain criticality skills before, during and at the present time with 7 students in their final year of a BSc Complementary Therapy degree. All participants thought the word ‘criticality’ was misleading to students unfamiliar with the term. All students used analogies and metaphors when providing their own definitions of what criticality skills are, often using linguistic binary opposed terms to define what criticality is as opposed to what it is not. Using the linguistic binary opposed terms, the author created a pedagogical tool ‘The Criticality Wheel’ that could be used by lecturers as stimulus for their students to make sense of criticality.
Institutional habitus and educational outcomes of Looked After Children: Lessons for teachers
Get PDFEducational outcomes of Looked After Children in England are lower compared to their non-Looked After peers, contributing to the reproduction of social inequality. The dominant research and policy discourse locates responsibility for this within the care system, including the attitudes and behaviour of staff. The Bourdieusian concepts of capital, field and institutional habitus provide a relevant theoretical framework for deepening understanding of mechanisms behind social reproduction. This paper explores the extent to which educational outcomes might be better understood using these theoretical lenses. Simultaneously, the study reflects upon the concept of a homogeneous institutional habitus. Twenty-eight education and social care professionals and two young people who had been in care took part in interviews. The findings indicate that a complex set of factors help explain educational outcomes of Looked After Children. The data also suggest that the concept of a uniform institutional habitus fails to fully reflect the reality of the social relations within the research sites. Instead, it is more accurate to speak of institutional nexus, characterised by a combination of consensus and contrast between the imperatives of the organisation and the disposition of individuals. Lessons for teachers of the findings are discussed
An exploratory investigation: Using the case study approach to facilitate progression
Get PDFEnsuring progression is a prevalent issue and one that is constantly at the forefront of education. Academics, researchers and educators worldwide have led a significant number of studies involving methods of maximising progress. One such debated method is the use of case studies throughout a range of disciplines, but also specifically within the study of Business Studies. This paper will critically review that research and seek to verify the validity and transferability of these authors’ claims and their existing research findings. Further, this paper and its research will also seek to further differentiate between and explore the effectiveness of differing case study approaches, including those concerning non-fictional, fictional, local, national and international scenarios. Additionally, case studies are regularly used within the teaching of the Business discipline in an attempt to bridge the gap between theory and real-world business and, as such, it is of particular benefit to understand whether such an approach is effective in terms of facilitating progression and supporting learning
Student perceptions of an assessed, online, collaborative activity
Get PDFIn this online collaborative activity, adapted from a face-to-face tutorial activity, students each provided data and suggestions about its interpretation, by contributing to a series of wiki pages. They undertook an assessment question based on interpretation and implications of their findings. The activity involved probing questions inviting students to add comments about the interpretation and long-term implications of their results. It enabled weaker and less confident students, who reported finding the topic challenging, to build on comments from others and add their own valuable contributions. Nine participating students were asked in telephone interviews about their perceptions of the activity, and their comments were categorised. Categories included the visual, practical/authentic and collaborative nature of the activity, feeling of responsibility to the group, and deeper understanding of the topic. The relative importance of the aspects of the activity represented by these categories for more and less able students was explored using an optional online questionnaire. The activity is being adapted for use in other contexts in which a complex question, posed on a wiki, enables students to build on each other\u27s responses to gain a deeper understanding, and therefore helps weaker or less confident students to understand particularly challenging concepts