https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/1768 2026-04-14T23:16:21Z 2026-04-14T23:16:21Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/123254 2024-06-10T08:04:48Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Working collaboratively together : including pupils with individual educational needs : a case study of one government primary school Abstract: This project examined collaborative teamwork between the various stakeholders in supporting the inclusive education of pupils with Individual Educational Needs (IEN) in a mainstream primary school. The study sought to investigate the nature of the collaboration taking place between the various members and what helped or hindered the members from working collaboratively together. One case study In one primary school undertaken Involved puplls with ILN, their parents, class teachers and Learning Support Assistants (LSAs), a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) and Lile Inclusive Coordinator (INCO) or the school together with a number of support professionals. Interviews were held with the assistant head In charge of Inclusion, the INCO, three class teachers, three LSAs, one counsellor, one Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and one Teacher of the Deaf (TOD); focus groups were held with four pupils with a statement of educational needs and another with six parents/carers of no relation to the pupils participating in the other focus group but they had their own children with IEN; while a number of observations of collaborative meetings were held by the researcher. The main findings of this study suggest that the majority of the participants agreed to being an integral part of the team which improved their individual and collective performance towards the inclusion of the pupil. In their view, this leads to a more holistic education of the pupil. In spite of these findings, this project strongly highlights the need for the school's staff and support professionals to be better trained with respect to inclusion and teamwork. As regards the more mature pupils, they should be encouraged to voice their opinions and participate in decision-making. A number of recommendations have been made to help address the key issues which emerged in this study and which wlll help to facilitate more effective teamwork and consequently better social and academic outcomes for pupils with IEN in inclusive sellings. Description: M.INC.&IND.NEEDS

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/122998 2024-05-31T07:18:31Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: A relevant science education in the 21st century Abstract: This research was carried out to investigate what makes a relevant science education for Maltese students living in a contemporary 21st century society. The study focused on the attitudes students have towards the school science they received and the science content they wish to learn about. A mixed methodology approach was used to collect data. First, a questionnaire, adapted from the ROSE (Relevance of Science Education) (Schreiner & Sj0berg, 2004) project master questionnaire was filled in by a representative sample of 15-year old students. This was then followed by focus group discussions. Through analysis of the responses, it was clearly evident that although students appreciate the importance of school science for their everyday life and their future, they find school science difficult and disenchanting. This is especially true for students who attend Area Secondary schools, who are not only less science-oriented but are also of lower academic ability and usually have problems to communicate in the English language. School science is still too abstract and built on canonical content and this lack of contextualisation makes it irrelevant for the students. The focus on canonical concepts renders it too exam-led and less discussion-focused. Additionally, school science, is regarded as a subject fit only for those who aspire to become scientists and not as a means of self-realisation which is the ultimate goal of late modem youth culture. Consequently, other subjects such as the languages are preferred to science. Regarding gender differences, girls have been found to be more interested in the humane aspect of science than boys who tend to have a more blind-fold belief in the scientific method. Content and context categories that students are interested to learn about were also identified in this study with areas related to the self at the top of the list. This is also characteristic of the me-centred youth culture. This study also provides a number of recommendations to curriculum developers to make science education more relevant in Malta. Nonetheless, it was concluded that such changes in the curriculum are futile if they are not accompanied by parallel changes in pedagogy and assessment. Description: M.ED.

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/101158 2022-08-31T07:53:05Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The needs of Maltese first-time parents during their transition to parenthood : implications for the development of an educational programme Abstract: The process for identifying potential challenges of first-time parents’ transition to parenthood in programme conception is considered as critical in an educational encounter. The study used a mixed-method longitudinal design, to explore the experiences and perceptions of first-time parents between pregnancy and the first six months postnatal period and to examine if these issues could be addressed in an adult education programme. Four-hundred and forty-two randomly selected parents (221 couples) returned the survey's questionnaire-booklet during the antenatal period; 232 parents completed the study questionnaire booklet at all the data collection points (three time-frames). Twenty-six parents (13 couples) participated in the qualitative perspective of the study. The questionnaire- booklets were analysed using descriptive, profile analysis (MANOVA) and content analysis. The interviews were analysed using an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Ethical considerations were prioritised. Overall results show a statistically significant difference in marital adjustment across the transition to parenthood for both women and men; women were statistically significantly more emotionally distressed at six weeks postnatal; women and men registered a statistically significant decrease in social support between six weeks and six months postnatal. With reference to family responsibilities, women assumed more responsibilities for household tasks over time. The work-life plan of the woman makes a difference in first-time parents’ psychosocial profiles during the transition to parenthood. From an IPA perspective five main analytic themes were identified. The transition to parenthood is a new journey that the parents have to live through to conceptualize their vulnerability, “their unpreparedness’. The discontinuity in health care support over the transition to parenthood could be a factor leading to the increase in emotional distress of parents, which was at its climax at six weeks postnatal. Maltese parents called for practical knowledge to help them face the transition. The interaction between the social support system and the professionals’ services available to new parents warrants more attention. Description: PH.D.EDUCATION

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/100850 2022-08-25T07:46:22Z 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The physics curriculum at the basic education level in Libya : an evaluation Abstract: This evaluation study was conducted to identify the merit, worth and shortcomings of the physics curriculum in the Basic Education Level in Libya. A broad focus of the three stages of the physics curriculum; the intended, implemented, and achieved, was adopted using Stufflebeam's CIPP evaluation model. The study sample consisted of twenty-four Basic Education Level (BEL) schools, randomly selected, to represent all education offices in Tripoli area. An intact class, one from each grade of the Basic Education Level (Grades 7, 8, and 9), was randomly selected from each school. Thus the students of these classes, a total of 1951 students, the teachers, a total of 56, and thirteen physics supervisors represented the students', the teachers' and the supervisors' sample in Tripoli area. The instruments used included content analysis of the curriculum materials, students', teachers', and supervisors' closed-ended questionnaires, achievement tests, an attitude scale, a nature of science test (NOST), check lists, and a textbook rating scale. Open-ended questionnaires were administered to three members of the physics curriculum "Technical Committee" and a sample of physics teachers and supervisors. The main findings of the study were that the traditional view of many concepts and processes concerning curriculum design, development, implementation, and evaluation are dominating the education scene in Libya. This is reflected in the different dimensions of mismatch between the three stages of the physics curriculum and the conception and conducting of many aspects of the teaching-learning process. More specifically, the major findings of the study were: • Lack of laboratories and shortage of needed materials, equipment and resources is the most serious obstacle to the proper implementation of the physics curriculum and to adequate teaching of physics. On average, 73.7% of the practical activities and experiments prescribed in the textbooks were not carried out at all. • Physics teachers lack adequate perception of the nature of science, which is a result of both inadequate initial training and lack of in-service training. • The physics textbooks are not of good quality in aspects related especially to the content, organization, laboratory activities, and questions. • Lecturing, teacher-student discussion, and questions and answers were the most frequently used methods in physics teaching. • Students' performance in the achievement tests constructed for the present study was low in the whole test and all sub-tests in all three grades. However, students' performance in the 9th grade SOE physics examination was quite satisfactory. Male students performed better than female students in the beginning of the BEL, grade seven, but by the end of this level, grade nine, the female students, significantly, out performed the male students in both the achievement test and the SOE examination. • Students showed positive attitudes toward physics, as measured by the Physics Related Attitude Scale (PRAS). They start to develop their positive attitudes in grade seven, increases in grade eight, then decreases toward the final year of the BEL, but remain positive and stronger than the first year of this level. Female students showed more positive attitudes toward physics than male students in the whole attitude scale and all four sub-scales. Description: PH.D.EDUCATION

2004-01-01T00:00:00Z