Teaching in multi-grade classes in primary schools is demanding due to the special preparations required for lessons, the deliberate use of teaching methods and forms, and the different organization of work in the classroom and school. Teachers of multi-grade classes collaborate in teams with other professionals, involving team planning, occasionally team teaching, and team evaluation. Teachers who teach in multi-grade classes are additionally burdened by various factors that significantly affect their planning, teaching, and evaluation of their work due to the specific pedagogical challenges of multi-grade teaching. The research aimed to investigate how teachers of multi-grade primary school classes engage in teamwork in terms of motivation for teamwork, the obstacles and problems they perceive regarding the teamwork, how they assess the development of their teamwork skills, how they evaluate effectiveness of their teamwork, and their job satisfaction. The sample included 113 teachers of multi-grade primary school classes. Data were collected through a questionnaire as part of two projects, held at the Faculty of Education at the University of Ljubljana, Interdisciplinary Teamwork in Education and Psychological Dimensions of Teamwork and Their Contribution to Team Effectiveness in Education. Teachers of multi-grade primary school classes are most frequently engaged in all three didactical phases of teamwork (team planning, team teaching, and team evaluation) with other primary school teachers and least frequently with subject teachers. The length of teaching experiences does not significantly affect the frequency of engaging in the different didactical phases of teamwork, although more experienced teachers in comparison to less experienced ones, tend to be engaged in more team planning, team teaching, and team evaluation. Teachers most commonly identify intrinsic sources of their motivation for teamwork. Among external motivators, colleagues and professional development play a significant role, while school leadership and professional literature are not so motivating. On average, teachers rate their teamwork skills as good. The length of teaching experiences does not significantly impact their self-assessment of teamwork skills, even though more experienced teachers generally have better-developed teamwork skills. The majority of teachers believe their teamwork is effective or very effective. There is a statistically significant positive correlation between motivation for teamwork and perceived effectiveness of their teamwork. On average, teachers are satisfied with their teamwork. Those who are more motivated for teamwork and have better-developed teamwork skills demonstrate significantly higher job satisfaction. Teachers frequently identify time constraints, personality factors, and organizational aspects as barriers to effective teamwork. Other perceived obstacles are motivation for teamwork, demands of school principals, and tools and resource inadequacy.
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