Quality of Promoting of New Generation Learning at School: Challenge for Teacher Education?

Author(s):

Irina MasloAndra FernateDaiga Kalnina

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

11. Educational Effectiveness and Quality Assurance

Format:

Paper

Session Information

11 SES 08, Higher Education to Improve Teaching Quality

Paper Session

Time:

2008-09-12

08:30-10:00

Room:

B1 133

Chair:

Guenter L. Huber

Contribution

Several comprehensive comparative education studies (OECD, CivEd and CivEd Old, PIRLS, etc) have been conducted in Latvia in the field of teenagers’ learning success (Geske, 2000; Kangro&Geske, 2001; Johansone, 2003) that are oriented towards assessment of teenagers’ learning success. There has been obtained significant information about the results of the quality of education but at present there are no studies in Latvia if this is exactly teacher’s pedagogical activity at school that promotes students’ learning success. The quality of pedagogical process at classroom and at school has not been studied. Thus there is a topical need to conduct in-depth study of the quality of pedagogical process. The authors of the paper offer for scientific discussion the results of the study conducted in 2007. The aim of the study was to determine correlations between the new generation teenagers’ learning and the quality of pedagogical process. The research question is as follows: which pedagogical activities carried out by the school, teachers and students themselves promote the success of students’ learning at elementary school and which ones prevent it. Theoretical basis of the study is formed by the conception of constructive learning, which stresses an individual’s active role in information processing and knowledge development (Sālbergs, 2003a). Constructive learning always is situated learning (Lamberigts, Dīpenbroks, 2004). Students learn taking into account their own interests broadening their possibilities for activity and thus improving their life quality (Helds, 2004; Tiļļa, 2005). The dimensions of the study are justified by the argument that pedagogical process is a permanent multi dimensional process, which is the process of promoting learning from the perspective of mutual interaction (student –study content - teacher), but from the perspective of collaboration it is a social cultural process. The individual dimension of the study: expressed the view-point of students, parents, teachers, and administrative staff about the activities that promote or prevent students’ learning in the 9th form; micro-system-dimension – individuals’ interaction in the context of classroom learning activities; mezo-system-dimension – the activities of the school and macro-system-dimension - a social and cultural context (Bronfenbrenners 1998), which has a direct or indirect impact on the micro-system in which an individual is involved. The dimensions of the study are united by the research question – which activities promote and which ones prevent the learning of the students of the 9th form.

Method

In order to solve the research question consecutive explorative research has been conducted in minority schools and schools, in which the language of instruction is the official language, in Latvian regions. The mixed methods of the research (Tashakkori, Teddlie, 2003) were used for the following stages of the research: 1) a structured interview for qualitative data collection (statements); 2) primary and secondary qualitative and quantitative data processing; 3) data analysis and interpretation. Applying the structured interview instrument, there were obtained statements of 6181 students, their parents, teachers and administrative staff about the activities carried out by the school, teachers, and students, which favored the students’ success at elementary school and which ones prevented it. The statements were coded according to the structural components of pedagogical process (Maslo, 1995), broadening them taking into account tendencies of the new generation learning. Quantitative data processing was done implementing SPSS 15.0 data processing software. Qualitative data processing – coding of notes, metacoding, and interpretation was done implementing AQUAD 6 software. Primary data analysis was done implementing descriptive statistics (analysis of frequencies, central tendency, variability, crosstabs, skewness and kurtosis indicators). Secondary data processing was done implementing the methods used for test reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha test). Taking into account the exact sample, non-parametric statistical methods were used (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, X² Test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z test), etc.

Expected Outcomes

The results of the study reveal correlations between new generation teenagers’ learning and the quality of pedagogical process; describe the school, teachers, and students’ activities that promote and prevent students’ learning; as well as set forward the following necessary changes in teacher education for scientific discussion: • The administrative staff of the school and the students are aware of the necessity to pass from teaching to learning: the data shows that there is a correlation between the students’ learning motivation, organization of the learning processes and students’ participation in them; as well as between the promotion of the knowledge construction, the use of different teaching-learning methods and the intercultural learning of the students and the teacher. • However teachers are not aware of this necessity: there is a correlation between the fact that the teachers’ are unprepared for proficient professional activity in ever changing situations and the fact that the teachers are not ready to promote students’ learning. Conclusions: • The school oriented to success leads to the teacher that gains success, which in its turn, consequently leads to students that gain success. • The school oriented to problems leads to the teacher that does not gain success, which results in students that do not gain success. In order to improve the situation it is necessary to pay attention in teacher education to: • the possibility to enlarge students’ motion in classroom-activities; • the introduction of the methods that active learning (projects, training forms, etc, alongside with traditional lessons, which do not have to prevail); • the possibility for students to use ICT in the classroom and outside it; • wider students’ participation in subject competitions and exchange programmes in order to promote students’ active participation and co-responsibility; • promotion of experience exchange by welcoming guest-lecturers, popular persons whom the students find interesting, trussing to an open school.

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Author Information

Irina Maslo

University of Latvia

Institute of pedagogical&educational Research of Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology

Riga

128

Andra Fernate

University of Latvia

Institute of Pedagogical Science

Riga

128

Daiga Kalnina

University of Latvia, Latvia

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