Teaching Principals in Small Rural Schools: “My Cup Overfloweth”

This paper presents the results of interviews with 12 Manitoba and Alberta rural teaching principals regarding their leadership practices in small schools. The overwhelming theme mentioned by these teaching principals was the joy and sense of purpose they found in the relationships they cultivated with children, staff, and community members because of the ‘advantages’ they had working in small schools. The paper details the small schools context within which teaching principals are working in these two provinces and outlines the role of reciprocal relationality that is central to their leadership efforts in small rural schools.Cet article présente les résultats d’entrevues auprès de douze directeurs-enseignants d’écoles rurales au Manitoba et en Alberta portant sur les pratiques de leadership dans les petites écoles. Le thème dominant qui en est ressorti est celui de la joie et le sentiment d’un but à atteindre qu’ils retiraient des rapports entretenus avec les enfants, le personnel et les membres de la communauté et qu’ils associaient aux « bienfaits » de travailler dans une petite école. L’article décrit en détail le contexte scolaire dans lequel travaillent les directeurs-enseignants dans ces deux provinces, et dresse un portrait du rôle de la relationnalité réciproque qui est au centre de leurs efforts comme dirigeants de petites écoles en milieu rural.

Education Reform: The Effects of School Consolidation on Teachers and Teaching

At least as early as the nineteenth century, the two most related approaches to societal improvement have been restructuring and systemic reform. For education, that has meant school closures as well as consolidation of schools and school districts. Although there exists a substantive literature on educational reform there appears to be little discussion on the impact such actions have on schools. This paper briefly describes research on current issues in rural education with a focus on consolidation. The methodology emphasizes teachers’ knowledge of practice and is followed by the findings, which highlight the impact these reforms have on practicing teachers. The argument is made that government reforms have adopted consolidation of schools and districts as a primary strategy for fiscal accountability. This focus singles out economics, while excluding the cultural and social context embedded within schools and central to the communities in which the schools are situated. In this paper, the argument put forth is that consolidation as a single-minded strategy of education reform is an inadequate framework that places teachers’ work and student learning at risk. The accounts of practicing educators speak for using consolidation only where absolutely necessary and maintaining as many small schools as possible.Depuis au moins le 19e siècle, les deux approches visant l’amélioration de la société les plus liées sont la restructuration et la réforme systémique. Dans le domaine dans l’éducation, cela s’est traduit par la fermeture d’écoles et la consolidation d’écoles et de districts scolaires. Malgré la documentation significative portant sur la réforme éducationnelle, peu de discussion semble exister sur l’impact de telles actions sur les écoles. Cet article décrit brièvement la recherche sur les enjeux actuels en éducation rurale et porte une attention particulière à la consolidation. La méthodologie met l’accent sur les connaissances qu’ont les enseignants de la pratique. Les résultats soulignent l’impact de ces réformes sur les enseignants en exercice. On affirme que les réformes gouvernementales ont adopté la consolidation des écoles et des districts comme stratégie principale pour des raisons de responsabilité financière. Cette concentration sur l’économie exclut le contexte culturel et social qu’on retrouve au sein des écoles et qui est intégré aux communautés dans lesquelles se trouvent ces écoles. Cet article maintient que la consolidation comme stratégie résolue en réforme de l’éducation constitue un cadre inadéquat qui met à risque le travail des enseignants et l’apprentissage par les élèves. Les témoignages des enseignants en exercice militent en faveur de maintenir ouvertes autant de petites écoles que possible et de recourir à la consolidation uniquement lorsque cela est absolument nécessaire.

An Examination of Perceived Self-Efficacy Regarding Academic Success and Social-Emotional Preparedness of Rural, First-Generation College Students Who Completed An Asynchronous Credit Recovery Program

As the number of rural, first-generation college students continue to rise, there was a gap in the literature regarding post-secondary enrollment and the self‑efficacy of these students who participated in asynchronous credit recovery in high school to complete a high school diploma. In this qualitative, narrative study, I examined how completion of an asynchronous online credit recovery program influenced the perception of self-efficacy or rural, first-generation college students regarding academic success and social-emotional preparedness. Nine participants from rural towns in South Georgia provided insight related to their perceptions of their experiences in credit recovery. All nine participants perceived positive influences on their self-efficacy regarding academic success such as the improvement of individual work habits. These students also perceived the experience helped increase their awareness of the benefits of academic success, as well as environmental factors that contributed to academic success. Participants perceived credit recovery had no effect on their interaction with their peers or participation in campus activities or campus involvement. Participants did perceive self-advocacy as a direct result of having participated in credit recovery and had a positive perception of their self-efficacy regarding social-emotional preparedness. Factors that affect the retention of rural, first-generation college students’ academic success and social-emotional preparedness and understanding the students\u27 perceptions of their self-efficacy may lead stakeholders to have a better understanding of the needs of these students

A Phenomenological Study of Early Childhood Teachers’ Lived Experiences and Perceptions of Their Training in Recognizing Dysgraphia in Young Children

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of early childhood teachers who are seeking to recognize the warning signs of dysgraphia in young children. The learning disorder known as dysgraphia affects written expression and can affect a student’s academic development, achievements, and self-efficacy. The study was conducted via Zoom at two Oklahoma public schools and one Texas public school. The 12 participants were active early childhood teachers who individually expressed their knowledge and perceptions on the recognition of dysgraphia through a written letter, an interview, and a focus group. One central research question guided the study: What are the lived experiences and perceptions of early childhood teachers of their training in recognizing dysgraphia in young children? The research focused on students with dysgraphia, the knowledge of dysgraphia warning signs, and the students’ and teachers’ self-efficacy concerning the recognition process of dysgraphia in their natural setting. The theoretical framework that guided this research came from Bandura’s social learning theory and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Hermeneutic, phenomenological data studied the lived experiences, revealed important themes within the phenomenon, and assessed the researched content by reflecting the parts and the whole for a holistic understanding of the data. Four major themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) dysgraphia definition, (b) warning signs, (c) accommodations and modifications, and (d) college preparation. The interpretation of the study’s findings, the limitations of the study, and future research recommendations were examined

Challenges of being a teacher in multigrade classrooms

Bu araştırmada birleştirilmiş sınıflarda öğretmen olmanın zorluklarını açığa çıkartmak amaçlanmıştır. Çalışma grubunda, 2021-2022 eğitim-öğretim yılında Anadolu’da bir ilçede bulunan birleştirilmiş sınıflı okullarda görev yapmakta olan sekiz müdür yetkili öğretmen yer almıştır. Nitel araştırma türünde tasarlanan bu çalışmada fenomenolojik desen kullanılmıştır. Veri toplama tekniği olarak yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme uygulanmıştır. Elde edilen verilerin çözümlenmesi sonucunda katılımcıların birleştirilmiş sınıfta öğretmenlik yapmaya ilişkin yeterli deneyimlerinin olmaması ve çoklu rolleri dolayısıyla zorlandıkları ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu öğretmenler öğretim programını planlama ve uygulama, zamanı yönetme, materyale erişme ve kullanma, ölçme-değerlendirme konularında çeşitli problemler yaşadıklarını belirtmişlerdir. Katılımcılar, resmi makamlardan gelen yazılı isteklere cevap vermek ile ilgili sıkıntılar yaşadıklarını, okul binalarının yapısal sorunlarını çözmek amacıyla kaynak ve destek bulmak için çabaladıklarını, iş yükü nedeniyle baş ağrısı ve ses yorgunluğu gibi fiziksel sorunların yanı sıra çaresizlik, karamsarlık, mahcubiyet gibi olumsuz duygular hissettiklerini bu yüzden motivasyon düşüşü, meslekten uzaklaşma, kendilerini yetersiz hissetme gibi sorunlar yaşadıklarını belirtmişlerdir. Uzaktan eğitim sürecinde öğretmenler, velilerin teknoloji kullanımında yetersiz kaldıklarını ve çocuğu ev ortamında eğitim-öğretime hazır hale getiremediklerini belirtmişlerdir. Ayrıca öğretmenlerin, öğrenci grupları ile ayrı ayrı ders yapmak zorunda kalması onlarla etkileşim sürelerini sınırlandırmıştır. Bu bağlamda, aday öğretmenler için birleştirilmiş sınıflara özgü sınıf yönetimi, zaman kullanımı, materyal geliştirme, ölçme-değerlendirme, yönetim gibi görev ve sorumluluklar açısından zengin deneyimler kazandırılması; birleştirilmiş sınıfta görev yapan öğretmenler için ortak sorunlar ve bilgi paylaşımına olanak sağlayacak iletişim ağlarının oluşturulması şeklinde öneriler sunulmuştur.This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to investigate the difficulties of being a teacher in multigrade classrooms. In the study group, there were 8 teachers working as an authorized principal in schools with multigrade classrooms in a district of Anatolia in the 2021-2022 academic year. In this study, semistructured interviews were used to collect data. Findings showed that the participants did not have sufficient experience of teaching in the multigrade classroom and had difficulties due to their multiple roles. These teachers stated that they had various problems in planning and implementing the curriculum, managing time, accessing and using materials, measuring and evaluating. The participants stated that they had difficulties in responding to written requests from official authorities, they struggled to find resources and support to solve the structural problems of school buildings, they felt negative emotions such as helplessness, pessimism, and embarrassment, as well as physical problems such as headaches and vocal fatigue due to workloads. Therefore, participants stated that they experienced problems such as decreased motivation, alienation from the profession, and feeling inadequate. In the distance education process, the teachers stated that the parents were insufficient in the use of technology and that they could not make the child ready for education in the home. In addition, the fact that teachers had to teach separately with student groups limited their interaction time with them. In this context, it has been suggested that teacher candidates should be provided with rich experiences in terms of tasks and responsibilities such as classroom management, time use, material development, measurement-evaluation, management specific to multigrade classrooms, and that communication networks should be created for teachers working in multigrade classrooms that will allow sharing of common problems and information