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number: /2023
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 878
This study aimed to calibrate items aiming at measuring English reading comprehension ability in students who learn English as a second language. A total of 571 multiple-choice items were administered to 466 participants from 14 schools via a computer-adaptive test. These participants were mainly secondary school students. Data were analyzed using the Rasch model for dichotomous items. Results indicated that the instrument was sufficiently unidimensional and was quite well targeted at the students. It was able to measure the English abilities of secondary school L2 students. Item measures were also compared to the expert’s levelling of item difficulty levels. Based on the Pearson Correlation coefficient of 0.77, the items demonstrate a moderate shared variance, indicating a reasonably positive correlation with the expert’s levelling.
number: /2023
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 758
This paper contrasts accountability focussed Rasch based assessment systems with those that are aimed at supporting student learning, by drawing at distinctions between assessment of learning and assessment for learning. It includes a modest proposal for implementing a Rasch based assessment system in developing countries. After highlighting problems with current educational testing regimes, it describes two exemplary assessment systems which provide good models for developing testing in developing countries. In particular, it canvasses specific recommendations which move away from testing of learning to testing for learning. "If I had to reduce all of educational psychology to just one principle, I would say this. The most important single factor affecting learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly" (Ausubel, 1968).
number: /2023
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 721
It is important for teachers to be experts in the content that they teach, and it will be helpful for professional development programmes to design suitable and fair assessments for teachers. The purpose of this study was to use Rasch analysis to improve the functioning of the items in an instrument designed to assess the trigonometry knowledge of mathematics teachers. The participants in the study were 168 high school mathematics teachers who were enrolled in an in-service programme. Fourteen items were rescored to resolve the disordered thresholds that they exhibited. The rescoring resulted in an improved fit of the instrument. Furthermore, this cohort of teachers struggled with higher-level trigonometry questions, especially those which required shifts between different registers of representations. It suggests that the Department of Education needs to provide support to teachers by offering workshops which focus on building up their knowledge in trigonometry by also developing their representational fluency in trigonometry.
number: /2023
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 708
Our 18th PROMS meeting took place in Hanoi near the end of 2022. Now, I am delighted to report that, less than 12 months later, we are able to disseminate several key papers from that meeting to a wider audience in this special PROMS edition of the Vietnam Journal of Educational Sciences. I initiated the Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium in 2005 with the express purpose of mentoring the growth of Rasch measurement in developing countries on the western Pacific rim. The focus has been to encourage the adoption of equitable scientific measurement into university communities and to those responsible for educational and other testing in the region.
number: /2023
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 1,110
The advancement of technology and the increasing demand to enhance students’ mathematics achievement necessitates an innovative learning approach. One such approach is flipped learning, which enables students to actively participate in the learning process and work independently with the assistance of technology. The study assessed how the flipped classroom learning model enhances students’ mathematical comprehension. The flipped classroom approach involves students engaging with pre-class video assignments and learning materials, followed by in-class discussions to reinforce the acquired knowledge. This research employed a mixed method with a sequential explanatory approach. The target population was Year 11 students enrolled in a senior high school in Simpang Kanan, Aceh Singkil, Indonesia. A sample size of 22 students was selected for the study. Data collection encompassed administering pre-test and post-test assessments, using a mathematical understanding test as the research instrument, and interviews. The data analysis involved the application of paired t-tests and N-Gain tests. The research findings demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in students’ mathematical comprehension following implementing the flipped classroom model (p<0.005). The average N-gain value was calculated to be 0.45, indicating a moderate gain in understanding. This study suggests that the flipped classroom could be an alternative method to enhance students’ mathematics learning.
number: /2023
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 715
Cooperative learning has been widely applied in teaching English. The research concerns the use of cooperative learning techniques to improve the English-speaking skills of first-year students at a university in Hanoi. 31 English-major freshmen from this university were the study's participants. The design of the study was action research which lasted eight weeks. Three cooperative learning techniques, namely Think-Pair-Share, Read-Pair-Share, and Write-Pair-Share, were employed when teaching students two speaking task types which were answering questions of familiar topics and making decisions in daily situations. The study collected quantitative data from a pretest and a post-test and qualitative data from interviews. The findings revealed that the use of cooperative learning techniques helped improve students' speaking performance in both part one and part three of the Cambridge B1 Preliminary Speaking Examination, but the extent of performance differed in terms of students' levels and speaking skills components. It was also discovered that most participants had a positive attitude towards this intervention. It is suggested that cooperative learning techniques should be employed in teaching and learning English speaking.
number: /2023
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 889
This study aims to explore the information needs and informationseeking patterns of secondary school geography teachers in Bhutan. The study discussed availability, accessibility, sufficiency of information, and barriers to teachers’ information-seeking as the core themes of the study. This study was carried out by means of a survey collected from a total of 191 geography teachers in the whole country and two focus group discussions consisting of 5 members each. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS, while the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic method analysis. The results of the study indicated that the information needs of teachers are mostly related to teaching content, teaching resources, technology, and student’s learning needs. The investigation of the information resources available/accessible to fulfill the indicated information needs revealed that teachers are heavily reliant on online information sources. One of the major findings indicated in the study was a lack of research community in schools and a lack of information literacy among teachers. In the twenty-first century, education has to fulfill the demands of transmitting a growing amount of knowledge in an appropriate way and to be lifelong learners, continually aspiring to learn and teach. Therefore, it is apparent that educators must be aware of the changing demands in teaching and learning. The results of this research may be useful for the educational authorities to develop appropriate policies that promote teachers’ professional development competency and redevelop strategies to replace the inadequacy of information to fulfill curriculum demands.
number: /2023
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 1,159
This mixed-method study aimed to explore the perceptions and practices of 115 English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) lecturers regarding research at different universities in Vietnam. Data were collected through online surveys distributed via Google Forms, and 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted among the participants. Results provided evidence that EFL lecturers were fully informed of the benefits of research and the close relationship between research and teaching. The study revealed important findings: generally poor research experience among lecturers with master and bachelor degrees, unsupportive conditions for research practices at higher institutions, and struggles over the cited conditions in conducting research. The study provided certain valuable suggestions at varying levels. At the micro level, EFL lecturers need to strengthen their motivation in conducting research by attending online research courses, forming the habit of reading scholarly articles, and intrinsically building a passion for conducting research. At the meso level, the faculty should aim to establish research groups with experienced researchers to help young lecturers participate in research activities. At the macro level, universities are advised to ensure the correct identification of research objectives and subjects in accordance with the content of the training program. Finally, universities should increase funding for research., especially by allocating more sources for social science programs.
number: /2023
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 874
In reality, reading plays an important role in the academic and career development of learners. Learners need to work through a large number of foreign language books for their general and specialist subjects at school. Therefore, reading skills have been the subject of many investigations in the field of English language teaching and learning so far. Most researchers have been trying to find effective ways to improve learners’ reading skills. With a new perspective, this study aimed to discover the use of reading strategies among non-English majors at NLU. The methods of the research used both a quantitative and qualitative approach based on the theory of the case study. A total of one hundred and fifty university freshmen took part in answering the questionnaire, and five students responded to the semi-structured interview questions. The results revealed that students at NLU frequently used reading strategies when they had reading lessons. Among reading strategies, cognitive strategies were used more frequently than metacognitive and socioaffective strategies. Based on the findings, several implications were made to contribute to teaching and learning reading skills.
number: /2023
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 990
This study examined the state of multicultural teaching and teachers’ perception of their preparedness for it in secondary schools in Benin City, Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The one hundred and twenty-nine (129) English Language teachers in Benin City constituted the population of the study. A sample of 98 English Language teachers selected through multi-stage sampling participated in the study. Data for the study were obtained using the ‘Questionnaire on English Language Teachers’ Awareness and Perception of Integrating Cultural Contents in ELT’ (r = .78). Data collected were analysed using Mean, Standard Deviation, t-test and ANOVA. Results revealed that teachers integrated culture in ELT. Additionally, although teachers felt adequately prepared to integrate culture in ELT, they indicated a need for further training in multicultural education. Teachers were not found to significantly differ in terms of their perceptions of preparedness for multicultural teaching based on sex and qualification. Based on the findings, it was recommended that teacher education programs be reviewed to accommodate multicultural education in ELT while in-service training should be provided for employed teachers.