No abstract

Contemporary educational systems in Western societies are being redefined within the context of technological and scientific evolution in relation to socio-economic globalisation. Therefore, it is important for educational authorities to design staff development programmes with a view to helping professionals adjust their ideology and practice effectively in order to contribute to the implementation of a learning culture and the formation of the “knowledge-based society”. The aim of the present paper is to review the field of teaching professionals’ professional growth, identifying weaknesses, highlighting trends and practices, and providing suggestions, most important for professionals and educational authorities in Greece where staff development programmes fail to reach standards met by other European countries. It focuses on staff development models that enable facilitation of teachers' efficacy, cognitive development, and career development, as well as teacher collegiality and the improvement of school culture, reconceptualising schools as “learning organisations”.

PurposeThe aim of the present study is to investigate why teachers participate in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) programmes, what their sociological approaches are, and where they focus their attention in order to achieve the objectives of their training in these new technologies.Design/methodology/approachThe sample group of this research consists of 162 teachers who work in primary schools in Northern Greece. There were 70 (43.2 percent) men and 92 (56.8 percent) women. For the fulfilment of the general research an improvised questionnaire was designed concerning the training of teachers in ICT. In total, it comprises 80 questions.FindingsThe findings of the research study show that one of the main reasons for primary school teachers' participation in ICT programmes is their interest in exploiting ICT, in both their teaching and in their personal lives. They consider lifelong education as necessary to the practice of teaching and useful in settling educational inequalities, while at the same time they think that in‐service education should be in accordance with the requirements of the modern social‐cultural environment.Originality/valueThis is an interesting research on ICT training of teachers in Greece, developing a critical thinking approach towards ICT in‐service training. The article stresses that the in‐service training interact and are affected by the social and political orientations that prevail in social and educational policy.

The Information and Communication Technologies exercise a great impact on the ways people work, communicate and interact, and contribute considerably to the development of learners’ skills. However, the use of Information and Communication Technologies cannot lead to the development of high-order skills and of critical thinking, if not combined with the appropriate teaching methods.

In the light of the above, the aim of the present research is to identify and record Primary School teachers’ beliefs about the impact of Information and Communication Technologies on the enhancement of critical thinking. An analysis of the skills taught within the Greek educational context and considered to be necessary for the development of critical thinking, is also provided. The data elicitation tool is a questionnaire devised for the needs of the specific research and the sample is comprised by 118 Primary School teachers working on the Greek island of Lesvos.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the phenomenon of shadow education in Greece during the second decade of the 21 st century, focusing on the differences between formal and shadow education, the characteristics (of shadow education) and the reasons of its existence. The results showed that the liberalization of education during the recent decades was accurately implemented in the institution of shadow education. Knowledge is becoming a commercialized product and the choice for private education is made through private-financial criteria. Restrictive and maladaptive educational policies and decisions about the educational needs of Greek students exacerbate the purposes of shadow education development.

Nowadays, the expansion of the Internet is, undoubtedly, widespread and has developed a new socio-economic environment, where information, innovation and knowledge play a primary role. Through its multiplicity the Internet constitutes probably the best way for accessing entertainment, learning and information, as well as for establishing socialization processes and communication among people. This paper examines issues related to the learning process, the learning environments developed by the new virtual reality and the relationship between learning and the Internet, with a particular focus on the impact of the Internet on informal learning processes. The survey mainly aims at investigating university students' beliefs about the impact of the Internet on the learning process. The sample is comprised by 390 students from various Greek university departments, 160 (41%) males and 230 (59%) females.The majority of the students believe that the Internet can significantly contribute into the learning process. More specifically, they state that the Internet use can improve learners' academic performance, promote research skills and critical thinking, encourage independent or collaborative learning, enhance motivation, strengthen self-confidence and improve the teaching methods. It facilitates the access to information that the educational system fails to provide, and offers knowledge, frequently more useful than that provided by the courses, complementing, thus, "formal" learning. The research findings also show a differentiation in Internet use, which is associated with the educational level of students' parents.

School bullying has been a perennial phenomenon and in recent years several studies have been conducted to investigate its consequences on those involved. School bullying is defined as a form of aggressive behavior in which one or more students engage in physical or psychological violence against a student repeatedly and for a long time, consciously, to cause physical or mental pain. The purpose of our research is to investigate the interpretations of Primary education teachers in the island of Lesvos. We use symbolic interaction to interpret the meanings that are produced, exchanged, and intertwined in the social context of school. In the present study, the qualitative method was used, its main feature being the interpretive and naturalistic approach to social reality. Teachers, as actors subject to a structurally defined environment of school bullying interpretations, have incomplete knowledge of its conceptualization, but 'established' criteria for discriminating and delimiting 'divergent' behavior, which can, however, raise problems in terms of categorization.

Purpose: This paper aimed to investigate Greek secondary education teachers' views on people with intellectual disabilities, their inclusion in the typical educational system, and the dimensions of social and educational exclusion that may be associated with it. Method:The qualitative research design involved semi-structured interviews with 18 Greek secondary school teachers.Results: It was revealed that people with intellectual disabilities face educational exclusion for two reasons. The first is because the structure of the education system itself cannot meet their increased needs, and the second is due to the fact that a percentage of secondary education teachers feel negative about their inclusion in the typical education system. Conclusion and Implications:The implemented policy for the co-education of people with intellectual disabilities in Greece is not effective due to endogenous difficulties. It is necessary to orient the educational policy towards an education for all without "filters" of social exclusions.