The current paper primarily aims to investigate pre-service science and mathematics teachers' personal growth initiative levels. The second aim of the study is to examine whether participants' initiative levels differ in relation to their gender, grade, department, perceived academic achievement, and willingness to attend graduate education after…

The article points to new competencies required from basic school teachers, reinforced by the reform processes in the educational system in Latvia, the quality assurance of educational process, and modernisation and critical re-evaluation of educational materials and standards. The authors view sustainability as an integral part of reform…

This study examines NNESTs' professional identities as classroom teachers by analyzing NNESTS' perceptions of their strengths and challenges. The study contributes to NNESTs forming their professional identity by recognizing, developing, and contesting authoritative discourse. A basic qualitative research design is employed to analyze the…

The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) conceptual framework, since its introduction in 2006, has provided researchers and teacher educators a theoretical means by which to understand the knowledge required to teach effectively with technology. However, a clear picture of what TPACK looks like in practice is still in its infancy.…

Preparing pre-service teachers to effectively integrate technology in the classroom requires rich experiences that deepen their knowledge of technology, pedagogy, and content and the intersection of these aspects. This study examined elementary education pre-service teachers' development of skills and knowledge in a technology integration course…

The paper reports an investigation into how a group of elementary and middle school teachers collectively attempted to solve and understand a fraction division problem using an area model. Solving the word problem required that teachers determine how many two-thirds fit into three-fourths. The teachers struggled to conceptualise fraction division,…

Given recent increased attention to teacher evaluation, it is imperative to understand the expertise teachers need to educate students with severe disabilities. In this grounded theory study, the authors interviewed nine special education faculty who specialize in severe disabilities about the job-related skills and qualities exhibited by expert…

This study offers a theoretical construct for better understanding how experiential learning enables student teachers to acquire social and cultural variation skills, develop cultural empathy in the K-12 classroom, and the transference of these skills to new educational situations. An Australian and United States research team used a…

Recruitment of highly qualified science and mathematics graduates has become a widespread strategy to enhance the quality of education in the field of STEM. However, attrition rates are very high suggesting preservice education programs are not preparing them well for the career change. We analyse the experiences of professionals who are…

The aim is to investigate the links between job satisfaction of Finnish early childhood professionals (ECPs) and the appreciation they receive for their work, and how these are associated with their competence to work with children with diverse needs and backgrounds. Data was collected via nationwide online survey for practitioners (n = 885)…

The U.S. Department of Education has renewed its focus on ensuring that all students--especially those in under-resourced communities--have access to excellent educators. By June of 2015, all states must engage education stakeholders on locally-developed solutions to ensure every student has effective educators. This discussion starter is designed…

With an increase in the number of children being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder comes an increase in students with autism being integrated into regular education classrooms. While general education teachers strongly support inclusion, they do not feel prepared to implement inclusion practices in their classrooms. This dissertation was…

"An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia" is a comprehensive five-year summative evaluation report for Phase Two of an initiative to evaluate the District of Columbia's public schools. Consistent with the recommendations in the 2011 report "A Plan for Evaluating the District of Columbia's Public…

How does the K-12 special education system prepare children with ADHD for the rigors and independent learning of higher education? This article examines the K-12 experiences, including special education, of three college students diagnosed with ADHD during their early elementary years. In their own words, they provide insight into what benefited…

In this paper, we have developed the concept of dialogic space to elaborate our view of the importance of creating future academic practice together in relationship with others in a higher education context. We see scope and potential for the dialogic space as a forum for "interthinking" to engage the voices of stakeholders in…