Vol. 17 no. 1 / June 2023

This study explores teachers’ perceptions of the leadership role of assistant heads in primary schools in Malta. It draws on teachers’ voice to shed light on the intentional role that assistant heads have in supporting staff and cultivating co-learning relationships. Carried out during a period of ongoing reform in Malta, this research adopts a qualitative design within a constructivist epistemology. A web-based survey taken up by 130 teachers was then followed by three one-to-one in-depth interviews. Data analysis included manual coding following a thematic analysis approach. Findings suggest that teachers recognise the assistant head: (1) as an instructional leader providing educational and emotional support and (2) as a critical friend that engages in dialogue, listens and cares. We conclude that the contemporary assistant head may act as catalyst to support and inspire teachers towards self and school improvement by undertaking deliberate steps that include intentional self-development, leading visibly, reverent listening, purposeful dialogue, care for the wellbeing of those who experience their leadership, and supporting a collaborative work culture.

There is no single definition of critical thinking, but there seems to be concurrence that it requires effective cognitive strategies to evaluate information and to draw conclusions based on reason. This article considers critical thinking as an inherent ability to engage in reasoned and reflective thinking on the contents of knowledge associated with educational psychology. The development of critical thinking abilities in preservice teachers who are either immigrants, or first-generation Americans raised in immigrant communities, is explored to gain an understanding of the effect of cultural influences on critical thinking in immigrant populations. Epistemic philosophical frameworks are identified to encompass McPeck’s critical thinking constructs and facilitate its infusion into pedagogical practices for educating immigrant preservice teachers. Further, the article examines the relationship between critical thinking abilities and cultural influences that shape ways of knowing, and discusses how immigrant or immigrant community preservice teachers might use cultural frameworks to critically analyse the tacit assumptions, beliefs, and practices embedded in the mainstream teacher education curriculum in countries such as the United States. To accomplish this connection, the authors recommend pedagogies (or androgogies for adult learners) that educators can infuse in the curriculum to foster critical thinking in the educational psychology discipline.

For decades technology has strived to provide an alternative virtual representation of heritage, and in recent years technology has become so powerful and accessible that is has supported an increasing trend in the creation and consumption of virtual heritage. Google Arts and Culture has contributed to this digitisisation drive. The trend, though evident before the Covid-19 pandemic, registered an acceleration as heritage institutions could only provide online and virtual heritage experiences during the mandatory lockdowns. This paper presents the results of applied research on Google Arts and Culture Wonders of Malta and a cinematic VR production of a World War II air-raid shelter in Malta. Students at the Institute of Tourism Studies, Malta, participated and contributed to the analysis of the educational potential of this virtual heritage. Results show that the VR experience of Google Arts and Culture Wonders of Malta is rather limited in terms of presence and engagement, while the air-raid shelter cinematic VR successfully addressed some of these issues. However, the phygital experience, i.e. a visit to the physical site and the virtual reality experience of the same site, is the preferred combination for students.

This study aimed at exploring the impact of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC) on Palestinian women educators and their teaching practices in Palestine during Covid-19. An explanatory mixed-method research approach was employed in the design of the study using a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The purpose was to explore and document the participants’ teaching strategies used to cope with online teaching and learning. The sample consisted of 53 Palestinian women educators teaching in the private and public sectors of schools and higher educational institutions. Snowballing sampling was chosen for the quantitative part of this study to ensure the reliability of the data. The main findings of the research demonstrated that many Palestinian women educators were unaware of Kolb’s ELC or its abstract concepts. That in turn reveals that lack of awareness is the main reason for the minimal impact of ELC on their online teaching practices.

This paper explores the role philosophy has in pedagogy when practised in a community of inquiry. Apart from alluding to contemporary research on the philosophy of education, this paper presents a philosophy-based project named EPIX (Exploring Pupils’ Inquires on eXistential themes) that was launched in two Maltese secondary schools. This project introduced five existential themes to secondary school students, creating a community of inquiry through its pedagogical use of philosophy. After discussing the EPIX project, this paper highlights what the community of inquiry entails, and philosophy’s function in such a community. Next, this paper discusses how philosophy can encourage the community’s imagination, examining imagination’s importance in fostering social critique. Lastly, we investigate the educational role of philosophy in the Ethics Education community, a subject being taught in Maltese primary and secondary schools. Together, these parts underline the pedagogical role that philosophy has in the community of inquiry, to be nurtured pedagogically by current and prospective educators.

Research indicates that teachers form appraisals of their pupils based on their perceptions of pupils’ characteristics. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the process of the formation of such appraisals. Data were collected through interviews carried out with seven educators: three class teachers, two Learning Support Educators (LSEs), and two Nurture Group (NG) teachers. The participants, who were working with Year 1 pupils, were recruited from the same primary state school. The findings from this study highlight how appraisals tend to be formed at the beginning of the scholastic year. During this process, perceived differences in pupil attributes have been found to exert a decisive influence. Important differences regarding the nature of the appraisals made were noted amongst the participants. Lastly, the data revealed that educators draw on their appraisals to change their pedagogy and practice. Recommendations are made for future research.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) requires teachers that are dual professionals, with vocational and pedagogical expertise. Their professional development differs from that of other teachers. Several factors affect the VET teachers’ professional development, and while they are the drivers of their own growth, other actors, such as managers of education institutions shape such growth.

This paper focuses on the role of managers in the professional development of VET teachers in a state-funded post-compulsory education institution in Malta. A qualitative research approach, based on Grounded Theory, uncovers the extent of managerial involvement and influence. Primary data are collected from four interviews with experienced managers in VET.

The paper reveals that while acknowledging that they can do more, managers are contributing to professional growth by supporting, empowering, and motivating teachers, and by facilitating engagement with professional development.

The goal of the study was to delve into the self- and community perceptions of the Learning Support Educators (LSEs) and their role in promoting inclusion. A qualitative study was carried out, in which ten participants, five males and five females, were selected to share their experience as LSEs. The participants had different levels of experience and training, and had diverse school backgrounds. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used in this research. In-depth semi-structured interviews were utilized to collect data. The analysis yielded twelve themes: the experience of the participants’ first year in their role; the circumstances that led them to choosing the role; the complex duty roles LSEs take on which differ greatly from the job description outlined in policy documents; segregation, powerlessness and gender stereotyping that come with the role; the dynamics of the school community and the role that LSEs have within this community, as well as their relationship with other staff members, namely teachers, SMT and the school INCO; the issue of disconnectedness from, as well as belongingness to the school; the perception of the Maltese community of LSEs; their own relationship to the role; barriers to inclusion, along with the factors that make a school inclusive; and good practice in the field. The last-mentioned theme was developed to recommend the way forward. A number of recommendations were suggested, namely: the implementation of a structured training programme; the opportunity to specialise in specific areas of disability; the granting of a warrant; the opportunity to work in close collaboration with teachers and the possibility of being trained together to improve practice for both parties; and regular training opportunities and reviewing to ensure a high level of professional practice. In the final analysis, this study uncovers the lack of respect and esteem that LSEs encounter, while exposing LSEs as an underutilised resource, whose efforts often go unrecognised.

There is no abstract for this commentary.