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

Quality of Promoting of New Generation Learning at School: Challenge for Teacher Education? Dr.habil.paed. Irina Maslo, irinam@lanet.lv Dr.paed. Andra Fernate, fernate@lanet.lv Dra. Daiga Kalnina, daiga.kalnina@inbox.lv Dra. Linda Daniela, linda.daniela@riga.lv University of Latvia Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, University of Goteborg, 10-12 September 2008 Abstract The paper summarizes and analyzes the results of the research project "Methodology of promoting of new generation learning quality" started in spring of 2007 at the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology (PPF) at the University of Latvia (LU). The project deals with the understanding of students! learning achievements. The research part of quantitative-qualitative explorative study whose results are offered for the present discussion was conducted in order to solve the research question! 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. The society was introduced with the results of the study during a panel discussionseminar "What did the school teach?" organized by the Consultancy Board in Minority Issues of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia on December 14, 2007, as well as during the plenary session of the 66 th conference of the University of Latvia on February 8, 2008. Introduction Several comprehensive comparative education studies (OECD, CivEd and CivEd Old, PIRLS, etc.) have been conducted in Latvia in the field of adolescents! learning success (Geske, 2000; Geske, Grīnfelds, Kangro, 2001; Geske, Grīnfelds, Kangro et.al., 2004; Geske, Ozola, 2007; Johansone, 2003) that are oriented towards assessment of adolescents! learning success. Significant information about the results of the quality of education has been obtained but at 1 of 14 1/22/15 9:11 AM

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 results of the study conducted in the year 2007 are offered for scientific discussion. The goal of the study was to determine correlations between the new generation adolescents! 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. 1. Theoretical framework Theoretical basis of the study is formed by the conception of constructive learning (Holzkampf, 1983, 1995; Hofmeister, 1998), which stresses an individual!s active role in information processing and knowledge development (Sālbergs, 2003a, 2003b). Constructive learning always is situative learning (Lamberigts, Dīpenbroks, 2004). Students learn taking into account their own interests broadening their possibilities for activity (Vygotsky, 1978; Wells, 1993, 1994, 1999) and thus improving their life quality (Helds, 2004; Tiļļa, 2003, 2005). The dimensions of the study are justified by the argument that teaching-learning process is a permanent multi-level process, which is the process of promoting learning from the perspective of interaction between the teacher, the subject and the student (Arnold, 1995; Gento, 2002), but from the perspective of interaction among the subjects it is a social process (ibid. Maslo, 1995, 15). The dimensions of the study: individual! points of view expressed by the students, parents, teachers, and administrative staff about the factors that promote and prevent students! learning in the 9 th form; micro-system! individuals! interaction in the context of classroom learning activities; mezo-system! the activities of the school and macro-system as a social and cultural context (Bronfenbrenners, 1979, 1998; Burdjē, 2004), which has a direct or indirect impact on the microsystem in which an individual is involved. The dimensions of the study are united by the research question! which factors promote and which ones prevent the learning of the students of the 9 th form. 2. Research methodology In order to solve the research question sequential explorative research (Tashakkori, Teddlie, 2003) was conducted in Latvian regions in minority schools and schools, in which the language of instruction is the official (Latvian) language. Qualitative-quantitative research was conducted (Tashakkori, Teddlie, 2003; Mayring, Huber, Gurtler, 2007) that included the following stages: 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 method (Medina, 2006a, 2006b), there were obtained 6181 statements expressed by the students, their parents, teachers and administrative staff about the activities carried out by the school, teachers, and students, which favoured 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 2 of 14 1/22/15 9:11 AM

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, X! Test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z test), etc. 3. Findings of the research 3.1. Respondents! opinion about the quality of learning promotion in the 9th form of an elementary school The findings of the study do not show a significant difference in the respondents! opinion about the fact if the school promotes the students! learning success, as well as about the quality of promoting definite components of learning success at school (see Table 1). However, the average range of the minority elementary curriculum students! answers is higher than that one of the elementary curriculum which proves a greater stress laid on this issue. The qualitative data analysis shows that in minority schools more stress is laid upon the growth of the knowledge level, personal development, and the improvement in learning activity and interest in it (see Table 2). Table 1 Respondents! opinion concerning the factors that promote students! learning Elementary curriculum (n=36); the average range at p<0.05 Minority elementary curriculum (n=14); the average range at p<0.05 The school favours the learning success 21.78 35.07 The school favours the curriculum acquisition 22.54 31.14 The school improves students! learning activity and interest in it 21.88 34.82 3 of 14 1/22/15 9:11 AM

The students! learning success become their motivation 23.07 31.75 Students from minority schools, their parents and teachers regard that learning success motivates students, initiates new tasks and creates a wish to carry them out. In its turn, in the elementary schools, in which the language of instruction is the official language, successful acquisition of a curriculum is stressed. Table 2 Respondents! statements concerning the promotion of students! learning motivation and interesting presentation of the learning content Statements concerning promotion of students! learning motivation Statements concerning interesting presentation of the learning content Students: involvement in the learning process, a duty to teach, to provide knowledge to the students. Teachers: organizing of a lesson, creative approach in the lessons, motivation to learn. Parents: a wish to work with students, promotion of motivation, interestingly organized lessons, interest in the studies. Students: an interesting and attractive way of presentation, interesting learning content, art to present content in an interesting way, rousing the interest about the studies, explanation so that the students could understand the material, interesting and exciting information about the theme of the lesson. Teachers: rousing students! interest, interesting and exciting presentation of the material, organizing of merry moments. Parents: can explain the subject, preparation of the lessons, interesting lessons, interest, interestingly presented lessons. 3.2. The positive experience of promotion of learning quality 3.2.1. The activities of the school that favour students! learning success The school activities favour the learning success if the school arranges subject competitions and special weeks devoted to a certain subject! this opinion is expressed by the majority of the respondents (r s =0.49, p<0.05). A similar opinion is expressed about extracurricular activities (r s =0.67, p<0.01): it is necessary to integrate different experiences into the learning process, change the habitual learning environment and let the elements of informal education aspects be integrated into the pedagogical process of the school. The respondents consider that learning is stimulated by the following extracurricular activities: excursions, hiking, sports days, sports 4 of 14 1/22/15 9:11 AM

events, dancing, different hobby groups and mutual co-operation among the schools. The previously mentioned activities are followed by ensuring of environment, promotion of motivation to learn (r s =0.67, p<0.01), physical activities: everything that provides joy about the studies but which the schools still lack. They are specified by the frequently mentioned forms of learning, promotion of interest education, co-operation among the parents. The respondents find that an adequate system of knowledge assessment, the use of different teaching-learning methods, awarding of the most successful students, teamwork, the rating system, the creation of a curriculum according to the students! interests, connection of computer literacy and theory with the observations and practice promote learning motivation. School activities further students! learning success if teacher and students! exchange projects are carried out, teachers! qualification improvement is promoted, differentiated and individual programmes are offered and an appropriate technical equipment is provided (r s =0.81, p<0.01), i.e., modern technologies are used. When speaking about the teachers and students! exchange programmes, the respondents regard that it is necessary to attract visiting lecturers, organize students and teachers! exchange interest groups. Thus priorities are visible: open and to co-operation oriented school culture in which co-operation among teachers, students and parents take part, the school in which parents are welcome, interest education and informal activities are naturally integrated into the learning process, favour the students! joy and motivation to learn and gain success. 3.2.2. Teachers! activities that favour the students! learning success Teachers! activities favour students! learning success if they motivate students, initiate new tasks and rouse a wish to participate in them (r s =0.31, p<0.05). The students consider that they get motivated if a teacher involves them in the learning process, if a teacher stimulates the development of their knowledge. The teachers find that the students are motivated by the lessons, implementing a creative approach and motivating for the studies. In its turn, the parents tell that the students are motivated by the teacher!s wish to work with the students, promotion of motivation, if a teacher organizes lessons in an interesting way and if the students find interest in the studies. An interesting presentation of the learning content (r s =0.58, p<0.05) is one of the most essential teacher!s activities that favours students! learning. The students associate an interesting learning content with an interesting and attractive way of its presentation, with interesting learning content, the educator!s skill to present it in an interesting way, rousing of interest in the studies, explanations so that the students could understand the content, as well as with interesting and exciting information about the theme of a definite lesson. The teachers regard that an interesting presentation of the learning content is characterized by the teacher!s interest and skill to explain the subject, prepare and organize interesting lessons. The respondents guess that students! learning will be favoured if they are not overloaded with home tasks (r s =0.73, p<0.05). The parents think that the teacher has to ask the students do creative home tasks, not overload them. All the groups of respondents point out that the use of up-to-date information in the learning process is an essential teacher!s activity that stimulates students! learning (r s =0.97, p<0.05). 5 of 14 1/22/15 9:11 AM

The students associate the use of up-to-date information in the learning process with movies, technical equipment, e.g., the use of computers in the lessons and providing of the latest information in the subject but the teachers mention the use of the latest pedagogical techniques, methods and implementation of technologies. In its turn, the parents consider that the use of up-to-date information in the learning process means a contact with children through internet, implementation of ITS knowledge in practice, the use of internet and IT technologies in the learning process. The majority of the respondents have marked the use of different teaching-learning methods that implicitly points to the elements of individualization of pedagogical process, as well as to the extent how important they would be for the students to gain social experience alongside with the knowledge. The stress is laid upon a dialogue among the teacher and the students, which is considered as an important factor by approximately half of the respondents. Teachers! continuous education is also important (r s =0.60, p<0.05), as well as its result! an exciting learning process in which a teacher tells the learning content in an interesting way, demonstrating his/her personal attitude. It is essential how a teacher promotes students! motivation when organizing the learning process. Interaction, dialogue, promotion of students! interest, and individualization of the learning process are the main conditions that describe the teacher!s activity as a result of which the students gain learning success. 3.2.3. Students! activities that favour their learning success The respondents find that the following students! activities favour their learning success: regular class attendance (r s =0.89, p<0.05), rational use of their leisure time (e.g., to improve their health) (r s =0.76, p<0.05), supporting other students, mutual help (r s =0.65, p<0.01) and the use of ICT in the learning process (the use of computers, etc.) (r s =0.64, p<0.01). The respondents consider that the students! sense of humour (r s =0.99 p<0.01) furthers the students! learning success. The students! motivation to learn and attend school is influenced by everyday active interaction with the social environment of the school. Versatile open interactive communication provides the necessary information and experience to the students. Compatriots! positive attitude towards life and other people, mutual help, support and striving for ideals are especially important factors. One of the most essential factors that promote learning success is support for other students and mutual help. When speaking about support of other students and mutual help, the students mention promotion of communication among the students stressing the role of teamwork and group work. The teachers find the exposure of this factor in positive interaction with peers, in pair work and group work that are promoted by the development of communicative skills, co-operation skills and friendly environment. Administrative staff also considers that the support for other students and mutual help are exposed among the students in teamwork in friendly, sincere environment and they will be favoured by respect to the teacher, students and definite skills of social behaviour. Students! active participation in the learning process is considered to be an important aspect (r s =0.68, p<0.01)! it is not possible in a traditional knowledge transfer model but only using interactive learning, co-operation and interpersonal communication in the learning process. The 6 of 14 1/22/15 9:11 AM

students associate active participation in the learning process with active participation in discussions, conversations and discussions with others. An exchange of opinions, dialogues, the use of theory into practice, active and creative studies, regular class attendance and doing of home tasks, diligent learning, making of cribs, extra work in the subjects, work in the school board, involvement in other school activities, as well as attitude are important factors. The students are not afraid of the teachers and they appreciate good relationship with them. The teachers! answers about active participation in the learning process as a factor that stimulates the learning are more connected with teaching methods. The teachers find that students! collaboration in setting the learning goals, expressing interest in the learning process, natural cognitive interest, students and teacher!s dialogue, collaboration with a teacher, making the notes concerning information the teacher is providing, following the lessons, regular performance of home tasks, independent and systematic work, exploratory work, analysis of their own learning strategies and their implementation, as well as students! council point to the students! active involvement in the learning process. The parents regard that students! active involvement in the learning process is exposed in voluntary participation of different lessons. In its turn, the representatives of the school administrative staff ascertain that it will be active interest in the subjects, involvement in class activities, discussions, problem solving, attitude towards studies, regularly performed home tasks, demonstration of initiative, tight contact between the student and the teacher, not to postpone the questions unclear but solve them immediately. It could be useful for the students to put themselves in the teacher!s place. Good attitude towards teachers and collaboration with social educators are important as well. It is important for the students to use self-expression possibilities (r s =0.62, p<0.01) offered by the learning content and the teacher!s initiative. This opinion is widely represented. The students see the possibilities of self-expression at school in creative studies, subject contests, competitions, consulting lessons, students! board, participating in arranging of the events. The teachers also find that the possibilities for self-expression lie in participation in the subject competitions, performance, drawing, modelling, competitions among different classes, schools and self-initiative in participating in students! board. The parents regard that the only possibilities for the students to express themselves are different competitions. The administrative staff of the school stress competitions, involvement in projects, active behaviour in the lessons, involvement in class work, a possibility to participate in different subject competitions and school board. It will be possible if the students have interest in studies. The students! participation in class work and extracurricular activities (sports events, dance groups, choirs, drawing circles and different interest groups) (r s =0.58, p<0.01) is a condition that heightens their interest. The students! self-expression is revealed in these ways mentioned by the respondents and it happens alongside with gaining of information and learning. All the factors mentioned by the students form a holistic perspective! a space for the students! self-expression and they show that exactly the students! activity, interest and motivation are the key to success, not passive involvement in the teacher-led process. 3.2.4. Correlation between the problems to be solved and the activities The findings of the research (see Table 3) show a weak correlation between the problems that the school has to solve and the school activities that favour students! learning success (r s =0.21, 7 of 14 1/22/15 9:11 AM

p<0.01): students! motivation, initiation of new tasks and rise of the wish to participate in their performance (r s =0.23, p<0.05). The problems that the teacher has to solve has a low impact only on students! motivation, initiation of new tasks and rise of the wish to participate in their performance (r s =0.21, p<0.05). The problems that prevent students! learning success are connected with the correspondence of the learning activities to the school profile and the students! learning tasks (r s =0.21, p<0.05). Statistically significant correlations among other components were not determined. Table 3 Correlations among the problems to be solved for the school, teachers, students and the components that favour students! learning success Indicators Activities that favour students! learning success Corresponds to the school profile and learning tasks Increases students! knowledge, pro-motes Motivates students, initiates new tasks and personal growth rouses a wish and im-proves to participate learning activity in their and interest in it performance The problems that prevent.21**.12.15.23* students! learning success and which have to be solved by the school The problems that prevent students! learning success and which have to be solved by the teacher.07.11 -.01.21* The problems that prevent.21* students! learning success and which have to be solved.17.15.15 by the students ** p<0,01; * p<0,05 Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) The problems the school has to solve prevent the organization of such activities of the school (r s =0.37, p<0.01), teachers (r s =0.22, p<0.05) and students (r s =0.35, p<0.01) which would favour 8 of 14 1/22/15 9:11 AM

the students! learning success, correlation is low (see Table 4). In its turn, the problems the teacher has to solve significantly correlate with the activities of the school (r s =0.45, p<0.01) and the students (r s =0.47, p<0.01) but insignificantly correlate with the teacher!s activities (r s =0.31, p<0.01), that influence adolescents! learning success. Table 4 Correlations among the problems and components that favour and prevent students! learning success and which have to be solved by the school, teachers and students Indicators Activities of the school that favour students! learning success Teacher!s activities that favour students! learning success Students! activities that favour their learning success The problems that prevent students! learning success and The problems that prevent students! learning which have to success and be solved by which have the school to be solved by the teacher The problems that prevent students! learning success and which the school has to solve.37(**).22(*).35(**) The problems that prevent students! learning success and which the teacher has to solve.45(**).31(**).47(**).59(**) The problems that prevent students! learning success and which the students have to solve.31(**).24(**).33(**).43(**).50(**) The problems, which prevent the students! learning, and which the teacher has to solve are 9 of 14 1/22/15 9:11 AM

medium closely connected with the problems the school has to solve (r s =0.59, p<0.01). The problems, which prevent the students! learning success, and which the students have to solve insignificantly influence the organization of such activities of the school, teachers and students, which would promote the students! learning success, but they have average correlation with the problems to be solved for the school (r s =0.43, p<0.01) and the teacher (r s =0.50, p<0.01). Conclusions The students! opinion unequivocally reveals a person!s understanding of learning. Learning "in the first person" ("I") is stressed. In the centre is a person who learns intentionally and the learning activity is analyzed from the point of view of this person. The school and the teacher are analyzed from the student!s perspective. The students find "learning as an important driving force of the development;! learning as a key for subjective life quality; it is one!s interest in life" (Holzkamp, 1995; Helds 2006). The parents and the teachers! opinions reveal a discrepancy between the new generation understanding of subject meaning in theory and the existing school practice. The school practice still finds learning as a direct teaching result. "Teaching-learning fuse" may be vividly observed (Holzkamp, 1993:39; Helds 2006), which contrasts with the subjective scientific understanding of the notion. To generalize, it is possible to conclude that the following regularities are true (see Figure1). Namely, the school environment influences and determines the students! success or failure. Thus it is necessary to study the positive experience of such a school which provides learning success of all students. The problem of inclusion of all students in elementary education is evident in Latvia in the context of new generation learning and it justifies longitudinal researches of the quality of school pedagogical process. 10 of 14 1/22/15 9:11 AM

Figure 1. Learning success and regularities of promoting and preventing factors of qualitative elementary education Discussion: suggestions for teacher education The administrative staff of the school and the students are aware of the necessity to pass from teaching to learning: the data show that there is a correlation between the students! learning motivation, organization of an open learning process and students! involvement in it; as well as between the promotion of the study content, the use of different teaching-learning activities that promote the motional learning and experience exchange in dialogical participative relationships between the students and the teachers in the school environment that is open to society. There is a stress on higher students! responsibility and opportunities to use the knowledge in participation of extracurricular activities in their own school, and the opportunities to learn from the persons who are important to the whole society, to learn from experience of the leaders of society. However teachers are not aware that 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 new generation students! learning. In order to improve the situation in teacher education attention should be paid to: the understanding of new generation learning, to the changing needs and the role of creation of opportunities to increase students! shift to learning activities in open school 11 of 14 1/22/15 9:11 AM

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