Qualitative Research in Education

The Construction of the Pedagogical Space from the Narratives of the Early Childhood Education Teachers

Antonio Giner-Gomis — 2024-06-28

Environments or learning spaces in school classrooms contribute to the improvement of educational processes. Specifically, in the Early Childhood Education, teachers can design learning spaces, which fosters an environment of safety and autonomy for the students of the Early Childhood Education. This study explores the teachers' narratives concerning the meanings they assign to the school space, the criteria by which they design and transform it, and its connection to model of educational. We have collected 34 stories of pre-primary education teachers through a semi-structured interview in which they had to reflect on this pedagogical design. As most relevant result we identify a model sustained under constructivist or cognitive criteria, rather than a dialogical one. We conclude that this epistemological perspective of the construction of the school environment should be oriented towards a more participatory and co-constructed model of the educational space.

Perspectives of Open Education High Students on the Open Learning Mode

Mesut Demirbilek — 2024-06-28

Open education is an education and instruction network that is widely used to overcome physical and temporal limitations. In the current study, an evaluation was made by taking the opinions of students on the application areas of the open education system in Turkey. In this context, the reasons for students attending open education high schools to switch to open education high schools were examined and a general perspective on open education applications was presented in line with their goals and expectations. To this end, phenomenology, one of the qualitative research methods, was used and students’ opinions and experiences about open education were elicited. The sample of the current study is comprised of 500 open education high school students registered through public education centres. An online questionnaire form consisting of semi-structured open-ended questions was used to collect data in the study. When the findings were examined, it was seen that the reasons for the participants’ enrolment in open education differed. In the analysis performed, it was seen that the reasons for enrolling in open education were grouped under six sub-headings: individual-emotional reasons, familial reasons, economic reasons, health-related reasons, reasons arising from school education processes and environmental-stimulating reasons.

Job Satisfaction of Child and Youth Residential Care Professionals: A European Overview

Alison Cantos-Egea — 2024-06-28

This systematic review examines job satisfaction among staff working in childcare settings, with the aim of understanding the factors that influence their well-being and its impact on the quality of care provided to children. To this end, an exhaustive database search of European studies on the subject published from 2016 to 2023 was carried out. The study includes a total of 21 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The findings show that job satisfaction in childcare centers is a multidimensional and complex aspect. The results show, on the one hand, evidence based on deficits such as job stress, depersonalization, lack of institutional support, secondary traumatic stress or compassion fatigue that may be risk factors for the occurrence of job discomfort. On the other hand, the existence of protective resources such as self-care, sense of coherence, team supervision and achievement promotion enhance job well-being. It is concluded that job satisfaction in childcare centers has an impact on the well-being of employees and on the development and emotional well-being of the children in their care. Therefore, it is recommended that institutions implement support and training strategies for staff to foster a positive work environment and strengthen the quality of care provided to children.

Exploring Writing Anxiety during Writing Process: An Analysis of Perceptions in Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners

Jing Sun — 2024-06-28

Writing anxiety has been identified as a significant obstacle for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in China, with previous studies indicating that it can negatively affect writing performance. Despite this, most research on writing anxiety in the Chinese EFL context has focused on the relationship between writing anxiety and writing performance, with limited attention paid to exploring writing anxiety during the writing process and its sources in depth. This study applied a qualitative method to explore Chinese EFL learners’ writing anxiety in the writing process. Thematic analysis was used for analyzing data collected through semi-structured interviews with 18 Chinese EFL learners. The results revealed seven primary themes, including lack of knowledge about the writing topic, inexperience with the genre, challenges with brainstorming or coming up with ideas, trouble with structuring or arranging information, difficulty with integrating sources, linguistic difficulty, and negative or no feedback from instructors. The findings indicated that writing anxiety accompanies throughout the writing process. EFL learners need strategies to alleviate writing anxiety, including clear instructions on how to approach writing tasks, provision of appropriate resources, individualized feedback, and a supportive learning environment.