Articles written by

Lara Said

Volume 9-Issue 2: December 2015

The Influence of Teacher Behaviours on Pupils’ Mathematical Attainment at Age 6

Teachers’ instructional behaviours are proximal to pupil learning but not isolated from the broader setting of education. The overall aim of this paper is to explore the influence of teaching on pupil attainment. Utilising a large national sample of pupils’ standardised outcomes, this paper revisits and reanalyses data from a 2005 study called ‘Mathematics in Maltese Primary Schools’ (MIMPS). The study employed random stratified sampling methods to sample pupils (n = 1,628), in Year 2 classrooms (n = 89) in primary schools (n = 41). Pupils were administered Maths 6 (NFER). Results from multilevel analyses reveal, that after adjusting for the contribution of pupil, classroom and school level factors, pupil ability, curriculum coverage, teacher behaviour and head teacher age were elicited as significant and influential predictors of pupil attainment at age 6. The findings highlight the importance of quality teaching and instruction for pupil attainment. The author concludes by recommending the implementation of a system to monitor pupils’ baseline and later attainment outcomes in tandem with the contexts and processes associated with classrooms and schools.
44 min read
Volume 14-Issue 2: December 2020

Tracking the Birth and Growth of an Online Collaborative Research Team during COVID-19: A Narrative Inquiry of Eight Female Academics in Malta

The world is currently experiencing the unimaginable impact of a pandemic. From one day to the other, academics at the University of Malta were forced to shift to working remotely as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Maltese islands. This paper uncovers the lived shared experiences of eight female academics (authors of this paper) who, despite the perceived challenges, considered it also as an opportunity to explore how to conduct research together through online collaboration. This paper thus presents a qualitative study grounded in a narrative inquiry of this collective experience. The collaborative work is informed by: social learning theories influenced by Vygostky; elements from feminist thinking; and literature on collaborative research, online collaboration and academic identity. Our recorded views, as participant-researchers and part of the narrative inquiry, focus on the birth and growth of what we now refer to as the ‘Early Childhood and Primary Education (ECPE) research team’. A thematic analysis of the accounts on our experiences have led to the development of a six-tier framework, the ‘SKRIPT’ framework, for collaborative work in academia. The progressive six concepts identified refer to trust, philosophy, identity, relationships, knowledge and skills. They underpin the inception and course of our online collaborative research experience. The shared stories from which the framework emerged, aim to inspire and encourage other academics to be part of research teams and share their ‘SKRIPT’ of collaborative experiences within online spaces and beyond. Implications for future research are discussed.