Personel:
Leonidas Kyriakides, Professor
Maria Eliophotou, Professor
Charalambos Charalambous, Assistant Professor
Panayiotis Antoniou, Lecturer
Educational Management:
Programme Coordinator: Maria Eliophotou
Research in this area has focused on several aspects of educational administration and policy, including educational leadership and teacher job satisfaction. Moreover, issues relating to student choice in higher education have been investigated, mainly in the framework of the economics of education. Specifically, previous work has explored variables linked to school leadership and teacher job satisfaction through both quantitative and qualitative techniques. In relation to the economics of education, research has focused on the investigation of student decision making processes in relation to education and career choice. Moreover, research has been conducted on the link between education and the labour market in Cyprus, with emphasis on problems of graduate unemployment and employability. Currently, research is being conducted in order to provide evidence on the perceived impact of a contemporary leadership model (transformational leadership) on school variables and outcomes.
Title: Lesson Study as a vehicle for improving achievement in mathematics (LESSAM)
Website: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/lessam
Funding: European Commission, under the Erasmus+ Key Action 2 programme
Duration: 2020-2023
Project Coordinator: Leonidas Kyriakides
Description: The “Lesson Study as a vehicle for improving achievement in mathematics (LESSAM)” project is a new three-year research project (2020-2023) which aims to investigate the impact of a collaborative teacher professional development model, called Lesson Study, on teacher learning and subsequently on student learning outcomes. Using an experimental design, mathematics teachers in participating secondary schools will form small Lesson Study groups in order to: a) plan lessons, b) teach/observe those lessons; and c) reflect on lessons. The effects of providing support to teachers through an advisory and research team during Lesson Study meetings will be investigated as well. The impact of the Lesson Study process will be examined through teacher dialogues during these meetings, as well as through their students’ performance on mathematical reasoning tests (pre- and post-tests); a central mathematical competence involving exploring, conjecturing and justifying. The findings are expected to contribute to our understanding of how Lesson Study supports teacher learning and, subsequently, student learning. The study will also consider possibilities to expand the use of the dynamic approach to teacher improvement and will take place in four partner countries, namely Cyprus, Greece, Belgium and the Netherlands. Our team at the University of Cyprus leads the project. Our partners are teams at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the University of Antwerp, the Eindhoven University of Technology and the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute.
Title: Outcomes and Causal Inference in International Comparative Assessments (OCCAM)
Website: https://etn-occam.eu/
Funding: European Commission’s Horizon 2020 framework, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (MSCA ITN), European Training Network (ETN)
Duration: 2018-2022
Project Coordinator: Rolf Strietholt, TU Dortmund University, Germany
Country Coordinator: Leonidas Kyriakides
Despription: This program has a duration of 4 years (01/02/2018 – 31/01/2022) and aims to develop and utilize appropriate methods of secondary analysis of international research data that will be able to identify the ways in which specific educational policies affect learning outcomes. One of the most important findings of international research in the field of education is the fact that a large percentage of discrepancies in student performance are observed between the countries participating in such studies and an equally large percentage is found among schools in the same country. The differences observed seem to correspond to what a typical student acquires by attending school for two school years. The causes and consequences of such disputes, however, are not well understood at this stage. A new generation of international comparative studies has begun since the beginning of the new millennium. Studies such as PISA and TIMSS are repeated at regular intervals and therefore have a system-wide time component that can be used to identify the effects of changes in education policies on the effectiveness of education systems. It is important to emphasize that this research program examines both dimensions of measuring educational effectiveness: quality and equality. For this reason, the methods of data analysis of the comparative research that will be proposed will significantly affect the research on educational effectiveness, both at the methodological level and at the level of development and expansion of its theoretical schemes and tools, since the research did not provide so far due importance in both dimensions of efficiency.
Title: Learning Outcomes and Quality of Teaching: Searching for Short- and Long- Term Effects (LOUTEF)
Funding: The Research Promotion Foundation Programmes for Research, Technological Development and Innovation “Restart 2016 – 2020” – Complementary
Duration: 2018-2020
Project Coordinator: Leonidas Kyriakides
Description: As a complementary project to the OCCAM project (“Outcomes and Causal Inference in International Comparative Assessments”), LOUTEF (“Learning Outcomes and Quality of Teaching: Searching for Short- and Long- Term Effects”) aims to investigate the potential added value of observational data, as follow-up data to international comparative studies. In particular, it examines the effect of generic factors of teaching behaviour that emerge from the Dynamic Model of Educational Effectiveness and frameworks of educational dialogue. The study followed 139 Grade 11 students in Cyprus, who participated in the PISA 2018 study (at the end of Grade 10). As the PISA 2018 study focused on students’ reading skills, our follow-up study collected observational data on teaching factors during the teaching of Modern Greek, experienced by these students. At the end of the school year, students completed a literacy test, developed as part of the current project, which was based on the curriculum of Grade 11. An innovative method, which involved creating a code based on students’ background information, was used in order to match these students’ performance in PISA 2018 to their performance in our literacy test at the end of the school year. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that most teaching factors were associated with student achievement in literacy, after controlling for the pre-measure. The results reveal the value of using data of international large-scale studies to conduct panel studies in order to explore the reasons behind a potential progress of students’ achievement. This additional information can lead to better usage of the results of international comparative studies in terms of the development of policies that concern teaching quality and teacher professional development.
Title: Promoting Formative Assessment: From Theory to Policy and Practice (FORMAS)
Website: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/formas/en/
Funding: European Commission, Erasmus+ Programme – Key Action 3 (Support for Policy Reform Forward Looking Cooperation Projects)
Duration:2018-2021
Project Coordinator: Leonidas Kyriakides
Description: The European project FORMAS aims to contribute in improving professional standards of secondary teachers by supporting them to conduct assessment for formative reasons and become more effective in terms of promoting student learning outcomes (cognitive and meta-cognitive). In this project, eight organizations from four European countries were involved: Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, and the Netherlands. Τhe project aimed to develop a comprehensive framework for measuring teachers’ assessment skills and use this framework to define professional standards in formative assessment. The project also aimed to establish valid instruments to measure teachers’ professional needs and use these instruments to develop a Teacher Professional Development (TPD) course on assessment based on the main assumptions of the Dynamic Approach (DA). Another aim was to evaluate the impact of this DA course on improving teachers’ assessment skills and on promoting student learning outcomes in mathematics (cognitive and meta-cognitive). In addition, differential effects of this DA course in terms of student background factors (prior-achievement and socioeconomic status [SES]) have been examined and the possibilities of using this intervention for promoting both quality and equity have been also explored. Finally, this project aimed to generate policy guidelines for promoting formative assessment (including policy on TPD) and encouraging policymakers not only to reform their assessment policies but also to establish mechanisms to support teachers in their attempt to conduct assessment for formative reasons.
Title: Promoting Quality and Equity: a dynamic approach to school improvement (PROMQE)
Website: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/promqe/en/
Funding: European Commission, Erasmus+ Key Action 2
Duration:2014-2017
Project Coordinator: Leonidas Kyriakides
Description: The project aimed to measure the impact of the dynamic approach to promoting quality and equity in the participating schools. For this reason, a value-added approach was used by collecting data both at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. Moreover, schools were randomly allocated to two groups and two different types of intervention (the dynamic and the holistic approach) were implemented. By following this design, we were in a position to conduct summative evaluation of the dynamic approach and to seek its impact on: a) Student achievement gains in mathematics; b) Reducing the gaps in learning outcomes in mathematics among students with differences in their background characteristics, such as SES, gender, and ethnicity; c) Improving the school learning environment (SLE); d) Improving the school policy on teaching. Specifically, the data were analysed by using multilevel modelling techniques and the impact of each type of intervention on each of these four indicators was examined. Both cross- and within-country analyses were conducted. In this way, we were able to examine whether DASI could be used equally effectively in the participating countries (Cyprus, Greece, England, and Ireland). Moreover, we used multilevel structural equation modelling techniques to find out whether the intervention had an impact on student learning outcomes as a result of improving the school factors (i.e., school policy on teaching and SLE). In this way, not only the impact of DASI, but also its main assumptions, were examined.
Title: Promoting Quality and Equity in Education: Development, Implementation and Evaluation of Intervention Program Aiming at the Provision of Equal Educational Opportunities for All Students
Website: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/equality/en/
Funding: Research and Innovation Foundation (previously known as: Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation)
Duration: 2011-2014
Project Coordinator: Leonidas Kyriakides
Description: The development of educational systems that maximize students’ learning progress (quality) and also provide equal educational opportunities for all students (equity) is a constant demand in the area of education and educational policy internationally. Despite the great importance of providing equal educational opportunities, there seem to be no studies identifying factors determining educational effectiveness in relation to the equity dimension. This project was intended to fill this gap. Sponsored by the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation and involving three European countries (Cyprus, the Netherlands, and England), this three-year project aimed to produce new knowledge on the improvement of school effectiveness in relation to providing equal educational opportunities. It also focused to developing an evidence-based and theory-driven approach to the development of the educational policy in Cyprus. Developing a systematic policy on issues related to equal educational opportunities can help tackle school failure, which, in turn, can contribute to improving the educational attainment of all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background. An additional, equally important, objective of this project was to clarify the two dimensions of educational effectiveness (i.e., quality and quantity) and identify factors that explain variations in the effectiveness of teachers and schools in relation to these two dimensions. This would enhance the theoretical framework of educational effectiveness and contribute to the scientific progress in understanding, interpreting, and modeling effectiveness.
Title: Establishing a knowledge base for quality in education: Testing a dynamic theory of educational effectiveness
Website: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/esf/en/
Funding: Research and Innovation Foundation (previously known as: Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation)
Duration: 2009-2012
Project Coordinator: Leonidas Kyriakides
Description: Although European policies promote the development of a knowledge-base society, international comparative studies reveal that still countries of competing economic zones such as Pacific Rim Countries outperform educationally. Also, between European countries large differences exist in average achievement level and in offering equal opportunities to diverse student populations. Identifying effective factors at school and system level may help develop ways to improve effectiveness in education across Europe. In this context, this international study, was conducted in six European countries (Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Slovenia), in each of which a sample of at least 50 primary schools was drawn. Tests in mathematics and science were administered to the student sample at the beginning at the end of grade 4. This study had four main aims. First, to investigate and explain differences between European countries and schools within countries in the average and differential added value of primary education for different outcomes of schooling, taking into account diversity of student intake. Second, to inform national and European policy makers about effective practices at system (country), school and classroom level contributing to the improvement of educational quality in terms of higher average achievement and better educational opportunities for disadvantaged students. Third, to develop further and test the validity of the dynamic model of educational effectiveness, especially in relation to diversity of student intake, processes, and prospective outcomes in order to improve the effectiveness of education based on scientific validated model(s). Fourth, to elaborate on the system level factors of the dynamic model, explore their relationships with educational outcomes and with the school and classroom level factors, and draw implications for educational policy and research. Collection of data about quality of teaching, policies on teaching and on the school learning environment, and evaluation of policies and actions taken for improvement established variation in the functioning of factors of the dynamic model and allowed us to measure their impact on quality in education. Based on this information, we identified generic and differential factors and came up with recommendations for improving education in each participating country by taking into account diversity.
Title: Designing evidence-based strategies and actions to face bullying by considering socio-ethnic diversities in school populations and evaluating their effects
Website: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/jls/en/
Funding: European Commission’s Daphne III Programme
Duration: 2008-2011
Project Coordinator: Leonidas Kyriakides
Description: The main aim of this research project was to help schools in the five participating countries (Cyprus, Greece, Netherlands, Belgium, UK) use an evidence-based approach to face bullying among students of diverse socio-ethnic backgrounds. This project encouraged each partner and each school unit to develop different actions and strategies to face and reduce bullying in terms of their own experience, their context, their culture and the specific problems/challenges they are facing. The essential characteristic of this research programme, was that instead of addressing bullying independently from providing learning opportunities to students, we treated it as a challenge not only for establishing a productive and safe learning environment in the school but also for introducing and achieving cognitive and affective aims like social cognition, understanding of social values, emotional recognition and positive attitudes towards peers. Τhe project provides data supporting the importance of this approach through a cross-sectional study (first phase of the project: January 2009 – September 2009) conducted in 200 schools of five different countries (Cyprus, Greece, Netherlands, Belgium, UK). During the second phase of the study (October 2009 – June 2010), it was found out that schools which made use of the dynamic integrated approach in the participating countries managed to reduce bullying and improve the quality of their school life at a significantly higher level than the schools of the control group. Implications of findings for theory, policy and practice are drawn and suggestions for further research are provided.
Title: Enhancing Differentiated Instruction and Cognitive Activation in Mathematics Lessons by Supporting Teacher Learning (EDUCATE)
Website: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/educate/en/
Funding: European Commission, Erasmus+ KA2
Duration: 2017-2020
Project Coordinator: Charalambos Y. Charalambous
Project Collaborators at the University of Cyprus: Stavroula Philippou, Demetra Pitta-Pantazi, Constantinos Constantinou, Mary Koutselini
Description: The transnational program EDUCATE aimed to link cognitive activation and differentiation and to promote both aspects in teaching Mathematics. In doing so, the program sought to promote both quality and equity in teaching—a dual goal and challenge for many educational systems worldwide. The program involved four European countries (Cyprus, Greece, Ireland and Portugal) and unfolded in four phases from October 2017 to March 2020. During these phases, the needs and challenges faced by teachers when trying to engage all their students in cognitively activating work were first identified through observations and interviews. Based on teachers’ needs and challenges, educational materials were developed to train teachers to engage all their students in cognitively demanding work, on the one hand, and to support teacher educators to guide teachers to achieve this goal, on the other hand. The developed materials were used with prospective and practicing teachers in video-clubs settings during which teachers analyzed and reflected on their own practice and that of their fellow-teachers. The effectiveness of the developed materials and the video-club approach followed was examined by investigating changes in teachers’ practice and perceptions through analyzing their video-taped lessons and reflective interviews. All the materials developed have been uploaded on an online educational platform for teachers and teacher educators (http://educate-platform.com/greek/).
Title: Integrating Generic and Domain-Specific Factors in Exploring the Association between the Quality of Instruction and Student Learning
Website: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/integratingpractices/en/
Funding: Internal Funding from A. Leventis Foundation
Duration: 2013-2015
Project Coordinator: Charalambos Y. Charalambous
Project Collaborators: Leonidas Kyriakides & Niki Tsangaridou
Description: This program examined whether and under what conditions teaching contributes to student learning by concurrently attending to content-generic and content-specific teaching practices, with the former cutting across the teaching of different subject matters and the latter being more pertinent to teaching particular subject matters. Focusing on teaching mathematics and physical education, the program examined the practice of teachers who teach both subject matters in elementary-school grades. A gamut of data was used toward this end, including students’ initial and final achievement in mathematics, initial and final performance in physical education, assessment of student affective learning in both subject matters, student ratings of the quality of teaching they experienced in mathematics and physical education, teachers’ self-assessments of the quality of their work in both subject matters, and classroom observations, three in mathematics and three in physical education per teacher. The analysis of these data revealed the importance of both types of teaching practices in student learning; the contribution of specific practices for teaching each subject matter was also highlighted.
Title: Developing Infrastructure for Exploring the Association among Teacher Knowledge, Teaching, and Student Learning, While Also Cultivating a Culture of Learning from the Work of Teaching
Funding: Start-up Funding from the University of Cyprus
Duration: 2012-2014
Project Coordinator: Charalambos Y. Charalambous
Description: This program aimed to develop the necessary infrastructure for exploring the association among teachers’ knowledge, the quality of their teaching, and student learning in the Cypriot educational context; it also aimed to create a culture of reflecting upon and learning from analyzing teaching practice itself. Specifically, the program aimed to adapt to the Cypriot context and validate a tool for measuring teachers’ knowledge of teaching mathematics (Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching, MKT) as well as a classroom observation tool for studying teaching quality in mathematics (Mathematical Quality of Instruction, MQI). In addition, it sought to develop teaching simulations to study the decisions and actions of prospective and practicing teachers while teaching mathematics in environments that approximate real classroom settings. Finally, the program aimed to develop the infrastructure needed for a pedagogical laboratory that would allow prospective and practicing teachers to watch and analyze their videotaped lessons, with the aim of learning from their own practice and improving their teaching.
