Educational Reforms and Implications on Teachers' World of Work: Perspectives of Fijian Primary Teachers

Educational Reforms and Implications on Teachers' World of Work: Perspectives of Fijian Primary Teachers

Lingam, Govinda; Lingam, Narsamma; Sharma, Lalesh

Australian Journal of Teacher Education, v42 n1 Article 2 p19-35 Jan 2017

This preliminary study reports on educational changes and its impact on primary teachers' world of work in Fiji. Data were gathered from 38 primary teachers, using a questionnaire of Likert scale items and open-ended questions aiming to identify the intensity of the changes that have occurred in their work. The data analysis reveals the educational reforms as having intensified the work of teachers. In this regard, the principal stakeholder needs to be mindful of cumulative ongoing changes, to avoid any serious ramifications for teachers' workload and in turn children's learning outcomes. Teachers themselves highlighted the need for future changes to include more opportunities for continuous professional development to enable them to cope well with new demands of work. Implications of the study's findings are also pertinent to other developing contexts such as those in the Pacific region and beyond because of ongoing transformations occurring in education systems worldwide.

Descriptors: Educational Change, Elementary School Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Foreign Countries, Likert Scales, Questionnaires, Faculty Workload, Questioning Techniques, Faculty Development, Mixed Methods Research

Edith Cowan University. Bradford Street, Mount Lawley, West Australia 6050, Australia. Web site: http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/

Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research

Education Level: Elementary Education

Audience: N/A

Language: English

Sponsor: N/A

Authoring Institution: N/A

Identifiers - Location: Fiji

Educational Leaders and the Prospective Responsiveness to the Vast Drastic Educational Changes in the Abu Dhabi Emirate

Educational Leaders and the Prospective Responsiveness to the Vast Drastic Educational Changes in the Abu Dhabi Emirate

Al-Zyoud, Mohammad Sayel

International Education Studies, v8 n2 p1-7 2015

This study examines the prospective responsiveness of school leaders to the drastic educational changes currently being instituted in Abu Dhabi. The study utilizes a qualitative research approach by using a focused group interview with twenty-five teachers selected by purposive sampling from Abu Dhabi Emirate schools. The study revealed that schools are witnessing critical and continuous changes in all areas related to school leadership, teachers, pupils, curricula, teaching methods, school culture, resources, facilities, services, and infrastructures. Many of these critical changes affect the practice of educational leaders, including policy and decision making, technology use, innovative teaching, teacher training, principal preparation, quality of school facilities and services, and parental engagement. The prospective school leader's response to these changes, from the perspective of school leaders, is to make critical decisions to introduce and implement new technologies in schools, enhancing the quality of school curricula, teaching and learning, and educational resources and services. Furthermore, a school leader's prospective response to the drastic changes varies and depends on the availability of highly qualified leaders, financial resources, and support from educational authorities.

Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Educational Change, Instructional Leadership, Instructional Effectiveness, Teacher Administrator Relationship, Teacher Attitudes, Focus Groups, Interviews, Curriculum Development, Administrator Attitudes

Canadian Center of Science and Education. 1120 Finch Avenue West Suite 701-309, Toronto, ON M3J 3H7, Canada. Tel: 416-642-2606 Ext 206; Fax: 416-642-2608; e-mail: ies@ccsenet.org; Web site: http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/es

Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research

Education Level: N/A

Audience: N/A

Language: English

Sponsor: N/A

Authoring Institution: N/A

Identifiers - Location: United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi)

The Teacher as an Agent of Meaningful Educational Change

The Teacher as an Agent of Meaningful Educational Change

Vandeyar, Saloshna

Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, v17 n2 p373-393 Apr 2017

This paper peers through the window to look at how a teacher brings about meaningful educational change in a diverse classroom. Utilizing three sets of arguments from the field of educational change, I traced educational change within a teacher during the course of an academic year. Data capture comprised a mix of semi-structured interviews and observations. Findings were multi-fold: First, the teacher's professed beliefs cohered well with her practices and played a significant role in how she responded to diversity in the classroom. Second, if change attempts are to be successful, individuals must find meaning concerning what should change as well as how to go about it. In the South African context there is much literature on what should change, but there is very little on what strategies and programmes can be implemented to effect change in teachers' beliefs about diversity. The educational literature underscores the centrality of the personal domain of the teacher in sustaining educational change. This paper illustrates that the concept of identity is a social, historical, and generational construct that is fluid and susceptible to change. It shows how change can be sustained in the personal domain of the teacher and illustrates that teaching is ultimately a class act of human compassion.

Descriptors: Educational Change, Change Agents, Teacher Role, Semi Structured Interviews, Observation, Teacher Attitudes, Beliefs, Educational Practices, Student Diversity, Foreign Countries, Elementary School Teachers

Educational Consultancy, Ltd (EDAM). Kisikli Mh. Alemdag Cd. Yan Yol Sk., SBK Is Merkezi No:5 Kat:1, Uskudar-Istanbul, 34692 Turkey. Tel: +90-216-481-30-23; Fax: +90-216-481-31-36; e-mail: editor@edam.com.tr; Web site: http://www.estp.com.tr/

Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research

Education Level: Elementary Education

Audience: N/A

Language: English

Sponsor: N/A

Authoring Institution: N/A

Identifiers - Location: South Africa

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