/library/oar/handle/123456789/49960 2025-12-26T02:15:07Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/50198 Title: Year 7 students learning mathematics in different teaching scenarios : a comparative study Abstract: This qualitative case study drew on action research methodology and used constructivism as a theoretical framework. It involved the design of a mathematics programme for a Numeracy class which entailed one extra mathematics lesson a week for a group of low-achieving,Year 7 students attending a Church school in Malta. The programme drew upon the principles of inquiry-based learning (IBL) and aimed at improving the participation, motivation, engagement and learning of mathematics during Numeracy lessons. The Numeracy class lessons required students to work collaboratively and to take on an active role in the learning process. Whole class discussions also featured in every lesson. This research took a comparative stance, as students’ perceptions and behaviours with regard to mathematics were observed in regular classrooms and in the Numeracy class. Although the participants of this study were the ten female students in the Numeracy class, important insights were also obtained from interactions with the two regular mathematics teachers and the Learning Support Educators (LSEs), and from reflections by the researcher, who was also the Numeracy class teacher. The study was carried out during the 2018 – 2019 scholastic year, with data being collected between the months of January and April over a thirteen-week period. The main data sources, which came from both the regular mathematics classes and the Numeracy class, included classroom observations, a reflective journal, a student questionnaire, semi-structured student interviews, informal conversations with the regular mathematics teachers and LSEs, student feedback sheets, the Numeracy class programme and students’ work. The research findings indicate that by drawing upon the principles of inquiry, students engaged in a collaborative learning environment through which they developed deeper reasoning processes and more autonomy in the learning of mathematics. This was particularly evident in lessons which drew more strongly on IBL approaches. Description: M.A.COMP.EURO MED.ED.STUD. 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/50196 Title: How do hopeful teachers try to ensure an inclusive quality education for all? : a comparative case study of teachers in state, church, and independent secondary schools in Malta Abstract: Paulo Freire is the hopeful educator that inspired this study which focuses on the phenomenon of hopeful teachers. There is an increasing understanding that educators are enabled to address the challenges of heterogeneous classrooms when they sustain hope for their students’ future. This comparative study is an attempt to describe the nature of hope in teachers and how it influences their provision of an inclusive and quality education. So the study adopts a relativist and constructionist approach in the collection and analysis of data through interviews and classroom observations of eighteen secondary school teachers in state, church, and independent schools in Malta. The qualitative thematic analysis identified three main themes: teacher hopefulness varies in level and source, hopeful teachers have complex personas and views, and a practical student-centred approach is adopted to the teaching and learning process. This insight is valuable for further research and the development of teacher-training courses. Description: M.A.COMP.EURO MED.ED.STUD. 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/50195 Title: Leadership and teacher efficacy : a comparative study of leadership practices in two primary schools Abstract: A number of studies have shown that leadership plays a key role in establishing the efficacy of teachers. As a result, a number of leadership styles have been discussed over the years with the intention of improving teacher efficacy. A thorough literature review recognised the importance of two significant styles that have dominated research on this issue in the last decade, namely transformational and instructional leadership. In this case, the research used an inductive approach to determine if leaders used these leadership styles. The approach was based on a pragmatist and critical realist epistemology through the use of a mixed-methods comparative case study of two primary schools in Malta. Following a Mixed-Methods Sequential Explanatory Design questionnaires were distributed to heads and teachers. This was followed by a qualitative phase comprising interviews with heads of school and a focus group with teachers from each school. Eventually comparative analysis was conducted between heads and teachers in the same school and between schools. This analysis was conducted in the light of official documents such as the National Curriculum Framework (MEDE, 2012), the Malta Education Strategy 2014-2024 (MEDE, 2014) and the Post of Head of School (MEDE, 2017) to identify the links that exist between the results and the content of these documents. During and following data collection, thematic analysis was conducted. This analysis yielded a number of themes, which in light of the insights gained in the literature review were categorized under transformational, transactional, passive-avoidant and instructional leadership. The results indicated that the school with the highest teacher efficacy is the one led by a head of school, who used an integrated approach to leadership, that is, using traits found in both instructional and transformational leadership. This mixed leadership style is promoted internationally by Marks and Printy (2003), Day & Sammons (2013) and locally by (Bezzina, 2008) the NCF (MEDE, 2012) and the Post of Head of School (MEDE, 2017). Furthermore, the research also concluded that leaders should also take into consideration the context of the school, conceptualised under the Situational Leadership Theory, according to which the leader uses a combination of leadership styles depending on the situation at hand in order to achieve the best results (Blase & Blase, 1999). Description: M.A.COMP.EURO MED.ED.STUD. 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z