Time: Tuesday, 27/Aug/2024: 17:15 - 18:45 |
Location: Room 107 in ΧΩΔ 01 (Common Teaching Facilities [CTF01]) [Floor 1] Cap: 36 |
Paper
Teachers´ Social-Emotional Competencies and Diversity Awareness in the Spotlight. Austrian Results and Contextualisation of the HAND:ET Project
1University of Graz, Austria; 2Educational Research Institute: Ljubljana
Presenting Author:In the present contribution, two studies are introduced: (1) a longitudinal study on the effects of a training programme for teachers and other school staff, aimed at promoting their social-emotional competencies and diversity awareness (abbreviated as SEDA competencies henceforth), and (2) a policy study that examines the importance of teachers´ SEDA competencies in the Austrian pre- and in-service teacher education.
Nowadays, teachers across Europe are confronted with pressures and, at times, new challenges that require them to respond spontaneously, flexibly, and professionally. The increasing diversity in school classrooms is one example (Nishina et al., 2019). European teachers are exposed to several risks and stressors that often cause early drop-outs of the teaching profession and those who stay are exposed to an increased risk of experiencing burnout (Brouwers & Tomic, 2000). In Austria, teachers encounter challenges when entering the profession and various give up the teaching profession shortly thereafter due to a lack of support and excessive demands (Parlamentsdirektion der Republik Österreich, 2023).
The European Commission acknowledges the manifold challenges teachers face in their daily work and emphasises the importance of training programmes that consider a constantly changing and diverse setting, are conducive to the promotion of social-emotional competencies, foster collaboration among teachers, and particularly focus on the well-being of teachers to ensure support in their career planning, preventing burnout and premature departure from the profession (European Commission, 2021).
In the Erasmus+ project "HAND: Empowering Teachers" (03/2021 to 02/2024), an onsite training programme for teachers and other school staff was developed in response to the above-mentioned issues. The programme aimed to promote and enhance teachers´ SEDA competencies, employing a mindfulness-based approach. With this approach, the participants’ self-care and well-being were also intended to be positively influenced (Ellerbrock et al., 2016; Emerson et al., 2017; Zarate et al., 2019). Implemented as the "HAND:ET system" with accompanying online support, the programme was carried out in the schoolyear 2022/2023 in Austria, Croatia, Portugal, Slovenia, and Sweden. A longitudinal study was conducted to examine pre-and post-effects.
Since the historical, political and educational backgrounds differ between the participating countries, we wanted to dig deeper and frame the results considering the country specific characteristics to interpretate them embedded in a broader view to better understand the complex influencing factors that affect respective national outcomes and elucidate differences that become visible in international comparison. Therefore, within the framework of the HAND:ET project, policy research was conducted through document analyses to determine the extent to which the promotion of SEDA competencies is addressed in several countries of the European Union. Based on this document analysis and a review of all current Austrian curricula for pre-service teacher education and catalogues for in-service teacher education on the primary and lower secondary level, we report on (1) the support of SEDA competencies of Austrian teachers in pre- and in-service education as well as through other policy measures, (2) the assessment of teachers’ SEDA competencies, (3) other initiatives or projects addressing these, and (4) current political debates or reforms in this field.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used
We used a mixed-methods design in both studies.
In Study 1, participants (N = 119) answered two online surveys, one before (t1) and one after (t2) the HAND:ET system was implemented. The intervention group (IG, n = 50) comprised teachers (n = 42), school leaders (n = 7), and one school counsellor. The control group (CG, n = 69) also consisted of teachers (n = 55), school leaders (n = 10), and school counsellors (n = 4).
In addition to sociodemographic variables, the surveys included questions on participants' mindfulness, their well-being, their burnout risk, their self-management, their self-efficacy, their empathy, their attitudes toward and handling of diversity and multiculturalism, their perceived level of stress linked to their work, their interactions with students and colleagues, as well as their relational competence. Standardised questionnaires were used to assess each of these areas, some of which were adapted. Examples of the utilised questionnaires include the "Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills" (Baer et al., 2004), the "WHO-5 Well-Being Index" (Topp et al., 2015), and the "Teacher Cultural Beliefs Scale" (Hachfeld et al., 2011).
Furthermore, we realised five focus groups with a total of 17 participants of the intervention group to learn more about challenges and benefits associated with the HAND:ET system. The interview guideline included questions on what the participants particularly liked about the training sessions, what they found challenging, and if they had any suggestions for improvement. Additionally, they reported on what they had learned through the HAND:ET training, whether they had applied techniques and exercises that were part of the training in their personal or professional contexts, and if they had observed any changes at their school as a result of the training.
In Study 2, to answer the research questions regarding the significance of SEDA competencies of Austrian teachers in pre-service and in-service teacher education, we reviewed all current curricula for bachelor's and master's programmes leading to teaching qualifications for the ISCED 1 and ISCED 2 general education levels as well as all current catalogues on professional development offers of Austrian University Colleges for Teacher. In these documents, searches for (1) “sozial.“ (“social.”), (2) “emotional.”, (3) “divers.”, (4) “interkult.” (“intercult.”), and (5) “heterogen.” were carried out. The relevant text passages were then qualitatively analysed to determine if and to what extent they referred to teachers´ SEDA competencies. In total, 54 documents were analysed.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings
In terms of the effects of the HAND:ET system, we revealed positive effects on participants’ mindfulness skills, empathy, relational competence, cooperation amongst colleagues, and openness to diversity. The focus groups showed that the participants experienced the HAND:ET system as enriching for both their professional and private life. They particularly mentioned an increase of self-awareness and self-management as well as relationship skills. Challenges were experienced in terms of the extent of the training (six full days and five online sessions), which made participation in all sessions challenging, especially during stressful periods when the teachers already perceived their profession as highly demanding. Some participants initially struggled to engage with the mindfulness concept and found the frequent repetition of individual exercises to be exhausting.
The results of the document analyses showed that SEDA competencies play a role in pre-service teacher education, but the emphasis is more on fostering these skills in future students and to develop teaching methodologies and classroom management techniques. In-service teacher education especially acknowledges the importance of teachers' mental and emotional well-being in their profession. However, most offers (this applies to other initiatives and projects as well) do not focus on the fundamental development or promotion of teachers’ SEDA competencies. Overall, a systematic framework and an overarching concept are lacking that recognise the importance of SEDA competencies and provide possibilities for how and for what purpose they can be specifically and explicitly promoted. Although teachers’ health in general has been assessed, Austrian data focusing on teachers´ SEDA competencies was lacking. Ongoing policy debates in the field are influenced by teacher shortage and focus on lateral entries.
References
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T. & Allen, K. B. (2004). Assessment of mindfulness by self-report: the Kentucky inventory of mindfulness skills. Assessment, 11(3), 191–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191104268029
Brouwers, A. & Tomic, W. (2000). A longitudinal study of teacher burnout and perceived self-efficacy in classroom management. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16(2), 239–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(99)00057-8
Hachfeld, A., Hahn, A., Schroeder, S., Anders, Y., Stanat, P. & Kunter, M. (2011). Assessing teachers’ multicultural and egalitarian beliefs: The Teacher Cultural Beliefs Scale. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(6), 986–996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2011.04.006
Ellerbrock, C. R., Cruz, B.C., Vásquez, A., & Howes, E. V. (2016). Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers: Effective Practices in Teacher Education. Action in Teacher Education, 38(3), 226-339. https://doi.org/10.1080/01626620.2016.1194780
Emerson, L. M., Leyland, A., Hudson, K., Rowse, G., Hanley, P., & Hugh-Jones, S. (2017). Teaching Mindfulness to Teachers: a Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis. Mindfulness, 8(5), 1136-1149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0691-4
European Commission (2021). Teachers in Europe: careers, development and well-being. Eurydice Report. Publications Office.
Nishina, A., Lewis, J. A., Bellmore, A., & Witkow, M. R. (2019). Ethnic Diversity and Inclusive School Environments. Educational Psychologist, 54(4), 306-321. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2019.1633923
Parlamentsdirektion der Republik Österreich (2023). Politik am Ring: Lehrkraft - Traumjob oder Albtraum? Parlamentsfraktionen diskutieren Strategien zur Beseitigung des Lehrkräftemangels. https://www.parlament.gv.at/aktuelles/pk/jahr_2023/pk0421
Topp, C. W., Østergaard, S. D., Søndergaard, S. & Bech, P. (2015). The WHO-5 Well-Being Index: a systematic review of the literature. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 84(3), 167–176. https://doi.org/10.1159/000376585
Zarate, K., Maggin, D. M., & Passmore, A. (2019). Meta-analysis of mindfulness training on teacher well-being. Psychology in the Schools, 56, 1700-1715. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22308
Paper
Well-Being of Immigrant Students in Five European Countries
Educational Research Centre, Ireland
Presenting Author:Immigration continues to be a key, and divisive issue in Europe. With increased levels of migration, the provision of an inclusive education to children with a migrant background will increasingly be a key policy issue in many European countries, with potentially significant implications for those children and society.
While there is evidence of higher achievement and well-being among native students in Spain (Rodriguez et al., 2020), recent PISA results show that when students’ socio-economic status and language spoken at home is accounted for, overall achievement does not differ significantly between students with a migrant background and native students, and has not changed significantly since 2018 (OECD, 2023b).
While schools play a crucial role in student achievement, they also play a significant role in students’ overall well-being. In this context, it is important that the well-being of students with a migrant background is examined to determine how these students fare in relation to their peers, as well-being is significant in its own right, but also can influence a student’s academic achievement. There is evidence of lower levels of life satisfaction, a key aspect of well-being, among immigrant students (Liebkind & JasinskajaLahti, 2000; Neto, 2001), so there is a need for further research into the well-being of immigrant students, particularly in relation to other aspects of well-being.
As well as assessing student achievement in mathematics and science (and reading in the case of PISA), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) both gather a range of background information from students, including data in relation to perceived well-being, which presents an opportunity to examine changes in the well-being of immigrant students during a time of increasing migration. Sense of belonging to school is one of the key elements of student well-being as conceptualised by PISA (OECD, 2023a), and is evaluated by both studies. Another important aspect of well-being that is common to both studies is feeling safe (Mullis & Martin, 2017; OECD, 2023a).
Using the PISA definition of immigrant student status as first-generation (student and parents(s) born outside study country); second-generation (student born in study country and parents(s) born outside study country); and non-immigrant (at least one parent born in the study country), this study will use measures of sense of belonging and feeling safe to compare the well-being of immigrant students relative to their peers in five European countries at two different time points during a period of relatively high migration.
The theoretical framework underpinning this study is Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2007). While the model originally focussed on the role of their environment in a child’s development, the revised model posits “proximal processes” as drivers of development and is made up of four main elements, process, person, context, and time, which are interlinked and interact with each other, and influence a child’s development to varying degrees. The framework recognises the role of institutions and structures in enabling or limiting a child’s development and opportunities.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used
This study consists of analysis of TIMSS 2019 (Grade 8) and PISA 2022 data. PISA and TIMSS student questionnaires gather a range of contextual information in relation to students’ lives, including family background and well-being data. This includes data as to whether students and their parent(s) were born in the study country, which in the case of PISA is combined an index on immigrant background identifying students as first-generation, second-generation and non-immigrant. It is proposed to create an equivalent index using TIMSS 2019 data to allow comparisons of the well-being of students of different immigrant backgrounds across TIMSS 2019 and PISA 2022.
Both studies ask students to what extent they agree with statements about belonging in school (TIMSS: I feel like I belong at this school; PISA: I feel like I belong at school). In addition, both studies gather data on the extent to which students feel safe in school. TIMSS asks students to what extent they agree with the statement I feel safe when I am at school. In the case of PISA, students are asked to what extent they agree with the statements I feel safe in my classrooms at school and I feel safe in other places at school (e.g. corridors, toilets, schoolyard, sports field, etc.). It is proposed to combine PISA data on these items to create an index of feeling at safe school for comparison with TIMSS.
The study will compare students in five countries: Finland, France, Ireland, Norway and Portugal. The criteria for country selection was European countries that participated in TIMSS 2019 (Grade 8) and PISA 2022, which had the highest levels of increases in the proportion of immigrant students between PISA 2018 and PISA 2022. The proportion of immigrant students in Ireland showed a decrease of half a percentage point between these cycles of PISA, but was included as it is of national interest to the study team. The study will examine differences in well-being, in particular sense of belonging and feeling safe at school, between first-generation, second-generation and non-immigrant students over time in the five study countries.
In addition, the relationship between immigrant status and sense of belonging and feeling safe will be analysed, as will the relationship between immigrant well-being and achievement before and after other factors such as socio-economic status, language spoken in the home and length of time in the study country are controlled for.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings
Initial analysis comparing students born outside the respective study countries with those born in the study countries indicate that there appears to be a change in aspects of student well-being and differences between immigrant and non-immigrant students. For example, while there was a large difference between non-immigrant and immigrant students in Ireland in TIMSS 2019 in agreeing that they felt they belong, in PISA 2022 there was little difference in their reports of feeling they belong at school (81% vs 71% in 2019 compared to 71% vs 71% native and immigrant respectively). Another aspect of well-being where there are indications of changing perceptions is in relation to how safe students feel at school. In TIMSS 2019 students were asked if they 'felt safe at school' and two similar questions in PISA 2022 were ‘I feel safe in my classrooms at school’ and ‘I feel safe in other places at school’. In Portugal in 2019, 86% of students born in the country reported that they felt safe at school compared to 76% of immigrant students who reported that they felt safe at school, a difference of nearly 10%. However, in 2022, 97% of native students and 92% of immigrant students agreed that they felt safe in the classroom (a four percentage point difference), with a four percentage point difference in those agreeing that they ‘feel safe in other places at school’ (96% non-immigrant students compared to 92% immigrant students). By comparing students across the two studies according to the PISA definition of immigrant status this paper will further explore the changes in student perceptions of aspects of their well-being across the countries selected, and whether differences between different groups are changing, which could have significant policy implications in relation to the provision of inclusive education to immigrant students.
References
Bronfenbrenner, U. and Morris, P.A. (2007). The Bioecological Model of Human Development. In Damon, W., and Lerner, R.M. (Eds.), The Handbook of Child Psychology, Sixth Edition. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470147658.chpsy0114
Liebkind, K., & Jasinskaja-Lahti, I. (2000). Acculturation and psychological well-being among immigrant adolescents in Finland: A comparative study of adolescents from different cultural backgrounds. Journal of Adolescent, 15(4), 446–469. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558400154002.
Mullis, I.V.S., Martin, M.O. (2017). TIMSS 2019 Assessment Frameworks. Boston: TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center. https://timss2019.org/wp-content/uploads/frameworks/T19-Assessment-Frameworks.pdf.
Neto, F. (2001). Satisfaction with life among adolescents from immigrant families in Portugal. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30(1), 53–67. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005272805052.
OECD. (2023a). PISA 2022 Assessment and Analytical Framework. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/dfe0bf9c-en.
OECD. (2023b). PISA Results 2022. Volume I: The state of learning and equity in education. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/53f23881-en.
Rodríguez, S., Valle, A., Martins Gironelli, L., Guerrero, E., Regueiro, B., Estévez, I. (2020). Performance and well-being of native and immigrant students. Comparative analysis based on PISA 2018. Journal of Adolescence, 85 (2020) 96–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.10.001.