Peter R Whipp PhD

Transitioning into secondary school from the primary school setting is, for many young people, a big change. Not only are students moving into a new physical environment, they are also adapting to changes in their peer networks, academic workload, behavioural expectations and increased demands on their self-management skills in the context of biological adolescent changes. Whilst the gamut of changes in the learning setting is excitedly anticipated by some students, others feel anxious and are daunted by it, with a wide variety of shifting emotions occurring at different times for many students. What is it, then, that can help or hinder students during this important time in their lives? This study explores how a student’s wellbeing and personal disposition potentially impact upon their experiences and perceptions of the primary to secondary school transition, through the use of focus group interviews and a short survey. This is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the first study to analyse primary to secondary school transition through the lens of wellbeing theory using the PERMA framework (Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment). Noteworthy, all five of these elements were discussed by students and found to have an impact on their primary to secondary school transition experience.

Primary to secondary school transition is an important time for young children as it marks the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. For some, there is "too much stuff for my brain to handle" (Participant 3) with many changes happening concurrently as students enter their new learning environment, in a context of adolescent changes. This study, one of the few to be conducted in a continuous Kindergarten to Year 12 school, focused on using student voice through focus group interviews to better understand this significant period from their perspective. Several factors were found to be important, including the connections that students had with their peers and significant others, the workload and pressure of assessment, changes in expectations and the time that it took to adjust to them, and the effect that students' personal characteristics had on their experience of transition. For most students, it was "very hard at the beginning" (Participant 8). However, maintaining an open and positive approach to transition was found to be important because "it's really not that bad and so long as you're prepared, you're ready to go" (Participant 6).

Early career teacher retention and progression are complex issues which inform discourse about and review of pre-service teacher preparation. Debate about how to best connect pre-service teachers’ theoretical learning about teaching to practical application and reflection within the classroom (praxis) is ever-present within this dialogue. Extended teaching internship is identified as effective for connecting these elements of learning to teach, through sustained placement activity situated within supportive school environments. These extended experiences are located within communities of practice and facilitate ongoing reflection on transitions from pre-service to early career teaching. The mixed methods research reported here focused on participants’ retrospective views of an extended internship and highlighted key elements that connected practice with developing understandings of what it means to be a teacher. Participants’ perspectives emphasised how their experiences established vital connections between them and the profession. Analysis of these data underpinned the development of a conceptual framework (Teacher Development and Progression Framework) that illustrates the complex nature of learning to teach and how interdependent factors support momentum and traction into and beyond the early career phase.

Australian universities are mandated to implement non-academic on-entry evaluations for all initial teacher education candidates. Universities have introduced interviews, written applications, psychometric tests, and more recently, simulation. This research sought to determine if simulation as an evaluation tool had utility as a measure of teaching dispositions and its utility in measuring candidates’ pre-existing dispositions such as self-confidence, resilience, and conscientiousness during and after a classroom simulation evaluation session. The mixed method design explored students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the simulation tool and evaluation of their own on-entry performance. The findings showed that the utility, fairness and validity of on-entry assessments of this entry requirement were justified and candidates’ self-confidence as a distal measure of classroom preparedness was affirmed. The implications of these data and findings include the refinement of processes and tools for assessing non-academic teaching dispositions and an expanded evidence base for assessing the suitability of candidates for initial teacher education.

The rising use of technology in classrooms has also brought with it a concomitant wave of computer-based assessments. The argument for computer-based testing is often framed in terms of efficiency and data management: computer-based tests facilitate more efficient processing of test data and the rate at which feedback can be leveraged for student learning rather than being framed in terms of the direct effects that students experience from engaging with novel learning tools. Whilst potentially beneficial, for some students the outcomes of computer-based tests may be counter-productive. This review considers the cognitive, and often implicit, consequences of testing mode upon students with reference to testing performance and subjective measures of cognitive load. Considerations for teachers, test writers and future research are presented with a view to raising the significance of learners’ subjective experiences as a guiding perspective in educational policy making.

The aim of the present study is to reconcile previous findings (a) that testing mode has no effect on test outcomes or cognitive load (Comput Hum Behav 77:1–10, 2017) and (b) that younger learners’ working memory processes are more sensitive to computer-based test formats (J Psychoeduc Assess 37(3):382–394, 2019). We addressed key methodological limitations in past cognitive load research by employing a repeated measures design with 263, year 9 (aged 13–14) science students in Western Australia. Question difficulty (intrinsic cognitive load) and test mode (extraneous cognitive load) were manipulated to measure changes in test performance, cognitive load and scratch paper use on equivalent paper and computer-based versions of an Ohm’s Law revision quiz. Hierarchical linear modelling indicated significantly higher paper-based test performance on difficult questions in addition to greater cognitive load and scratch paper use for all paper questions. Testing mode effects on test score, as well as both measures of cognitive load, were not significant when controlling for working memory capacity, although the testing mode*question difficulty interaction remained significant. Together, these results contradict previous findings that computer-based testing can be implemented without consequence for all learners. With the increased use of computer-based testing in national and international-level assessments, these findings warrant further research into the effect of different testing modes on school-aged students.

Teachers’ intrinsic motivation for their work supports a host of adaptive outcomes for teachers and students. In this study, we examined novel predictive pathways linking teachers’ emotional intelligence, psychological need satisfaction within their workplace relationships (i.e., with students, colleagues, and principal), and their intrinsic motivation for their work. Australian high school physical education teachers (N = 110) reported their emotional intelligence, need satisfaction within their relationships with students, colleagues, and their principal, and their intrinsic motivation for teaching. Multiple mediation analyses revealed that emotional intelligence directly and positively predicted all relationship need satisfaction variables, and indirectly predicted greater intrinsic motivation via student-focused relationship need satisfaction. These findings contribute to our knowledge about emotional intelligence among high school teachers, and may provide practical insight into potential strategies—grounded in emotional intelligence frameworks—for supporting teachers’ relationship-specific need satisfaction and motivation at work.

Despite the temperate climate, surrounded by pristine oceans, children in the Maldives do not meet the minimum daily physical activity (PA) requirements. Maldives is a resource inhibited country within the Indian rim. Generalist teachers are required to deliver primary physical education (PE). There is a paucity of information about Maldivian PE, and comprehensive studies of children's engagement in PA levels in this, and similar contexts are limited. Therefore, this study examined PA levels of fifth-grade students (N = 30 classes) during PE lessons from four schools in the capital city of Male’. The Health Optimising PE model conceptually framed the work. Teachers’ (N = 20) perceptions of implementation barriers were reported during semi-structured interviews. Students’ PA levels, lesson context and PA promotion were assessed during PE lessons with the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time. The students averaged 31.05% (7.95 min) of PE time in moderate to vigorous PA. During 26.56% of lesson time teachers focused on skill and knowledge development, while for 10.31% of PE lesson time children were encouraged to be active during and outside of class. Programme implementation, according to the teachers, was impacted by a lack of teacher knowledge and confidence, teacher attire and perceived lack of infrastructure, resources and equipment. Recommendations to improve PE outcomes include interventions and continuous professional development aimed at enhancing teachers’ knowledge and confidence towards PE, in conjunction with promotion of effective teaching strategies. Maldivian PE programmes and student health-related outcomes could be improved by addressing these barriers.

In Maldives’ primary schools, physical education (PE) is mainly taught by generalist classroom teachers who often lack knowledge and confidence to teach PE. Also, PE programs in primary schools are affected by a perceived lack of infrastructure, resources and equipment. Children in primary schools are allocated one 35 minute period of PE per week. Researchers have previously investigated interventions implemented by specialist PE teachers to enhance the motivation of secondary school students in PE classes. However, limited research has been conducted with generalist teachers’ implementing PE intervention with primary school children. In this study we applied self-determination theory to investigate the effects of a professional learning program and an associated resource support package, that was then delivered by the Maldives generalist teachers’ delivering PE. The participants were 30 primary school teachers (control group, n = 15; intervention group, n = 15), and their 725 primary school students aged 9–12 years (mean age of 10.5 years). The teachers in the group undertook eight hours of professional learning that focused on strategies and behaviours to support student satisfaction for the three main elements of self-determination theory: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. A repeated measure ANCOVA was carried out for each of the dependent variables. Overall results when compared to pre-intervention measures, the students of teachers in the intervention group significantly increased their post-intervention perceptions for autonomy, competence, and relatedness; and, increased their psychological need satisfaction. Moreover, intervention-students in the post-intervention phase reported reduced need frustration for autonomy, competence, and relatedness; and, experienced higher levels of self-efficacy, enjoyment and engagement. We contend that these results accentuate the usefulness of professional learning programs for generalist teachers delivering PE to promote students’ psychological need satisfaction, whilst reducing thwarting behaviours to enhance students’ self-determined motivation toward PE classes. The intervention program significantly enhanced the students’ perceived need support, and autonomous motivation, it also reduced teachers’ need frustrating behaviours within PE classes. Facilitating teachers to provide more moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and psychological need support could reduce the rate of non-communicable diseases that are currently prevalent in the Maldives.