A paper by Research Associate Daria Khanolainen appeared in Quality Assurance in Education.
“The objective was to find out how ready the teachers are to implement the expected changes. That is, do they understand what is required of them, are they motivated to implement the federal educational standard, do they have the necessary resources, etc.,” explains the author.
The research took place in Tatarstan, Russia, and comprised two stages. At the first stage, 123 teachers (62 from secondary schools and 61 from primary schools) responded to a questionnaire, and then 10 of them were invited to semi-structured interviews (transcripts of questions are available at https://figshare.com/s/1c10d8ab8194457fb422).
87% of respondents were women, with 81% having over 12 years of teaching experience and 93% having obtained a graduate degree.
The results showed that teachers are only partially ready to work under a new system – 13% answered that they are completely confident to do so, while 80% approve of the new standards in general. 34% reported not receiving any support from school superiors or public administrators. 64% confessed that they lack motivation to adapt to the new regulations.
“This is in contradiction to the positive attitude towards the new standards that the teachers express in the same interview, and this can undermine the reform. Positive attitudes can be reinforced through program reevaluation, offering practical courses, school renovations, etc.,” says Khanolainen.
