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number: /2023 CIT number: 0 Number of views: 1,349
Implementing a policy to enhance continuous training for professionals in the Cuban educational system has prompted a diagnostic assessment of the university model and, more specifically, the English language education program. One of the proposed solutions to graduate competent professionals in this language is to improve the English training process in higher education. A management study was conducted to accomplish this goal. This study focuses on the Language Centre of Pinar del Rio University. It aims to present the key aspects of the English training process management that have led to its improvement. The research employed theoretical methods such as historical-logical, analysis-synthesis, modelling, and empirical methods such as document analysis, observation, and group interviews. The study involved 135 students starting the policy, 21 English teachers from the language centre, and 20 from non-English subjects. The findings highlight the essential aspects of management that have contributed to improving English language education at the university.
number: /2023 CIT number: 0 Number of views: 1,442
This study aimed to assess the level of understanding of critical literacy learning among 4th-grade teachers in Madiun City. The research was conducted at the Madiun City Education Office between March and July 2022, using a quantitative survey method. The study population comprised all 4thgrade teachers in elementary schools within the city, with a sample size of 108 teachers selected through simple random sampling using Slovin’s formula. Data was collected using questionnaires and analyzed through descriptive statistical techniques, including data editing, tabulation, analysis, and conclusion. Results indicated that the overall understanding of critical literacy learning among 4th-grade teachers in Madiun City was good, with the highest level of understanding found in the classification aspect and the lowest level of understanding found in the explaining aspect, categorized as very good and fair, respectively. To enhance the critical literacy understanding of 4th-grade teachers in Madiun City, collaboration among teachers, school principals, and the Madiun City Education Office is necessary.
number: /2023 CIT number: 0 Number of views: 1,908
The research was conducted to study the effects of Self-Instructional Materials (SIM) Volume I and II on student learning at Dagapela Middle Secondary School in line with the mandates of the Ministry of Education amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Students ranging from pre-primary to class 10 participated in the study, and data was collected using survey questionnaires and interviews (N=53, with items rated at σ=0.7). The study followed a mixed method approach (Parallel Convergent Mixed Method) combining quantitative and qualitative data. The findings were integrated from both data analyses. The results indicate that secondary grade students were comfortable using SIM for their learning, while lower primary grade students experienced more challenges than opportunities due to the lack of guidance from teachers and support from parents. The study concludes that independent learning materials should be developed for secondary and upper-primary students, aligned with their learning abilities and resource materials. However, similar materials for lower primary students may be ineffective.
number: /2023 CIT number: 0 Number of views: 1,691
In Vietnam, the state budget is the main source of funding for the operation of public higher education institutions. With a limited state budget that is divided among many equally important spending purposes, the portion of the state budget devoted to higher education needed to be more modest. This makes it even more important to manage this scarce resource effectively. This paper addresses the performance-based allocation of state budgets for higher education. It employs a non-parametric method of evaluating relative efficiency using the two-stage data envelopment analysis CCR model under constant returns to scale to evaluate universities’ performance. The estimation results on a sample of 29 universities under the Ministry of Education and Training management for the academic year 2019-2020 show that the effective universities belonged to all single-disciplinary ones. Management was an important factor leading to the difference in efficiency scores between universities under study.
number: /2023 CIT number: 0 Number of views: 2,175
Inclusive education for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) relies on the active involvement of parents. However, in Vietnam, research on the difficulties and needs of parents in accessing reference materials remains limited. This study aimed to examine the challenges and requirements of parents in obtaining guidelines for children with ASD in inclusive schools. An online survey was conducted with 109 parents of elementary school students with ASD to investigate this issue. The findings indicate that, in the existing guidelines, much of the information on autism symptoms, signs, and causes are primarily obtained from social media sites and unreliable sources. In contrast, parents expressed a desire to access materials developed by autism experts in a video format that is easy to comprehend and implement.
number: /2023 CIT number: 0 Number of views: 2,823
Despite Zimbabwe being a signatory to various international gender equality treaties and protocols, rural female students’ progression in education at one secondary school remains a mirage. In this context, this study sought to explore factors influencing rural female students to either progress or not in secondary school education. Data generation, analysis, and discussion were grounded in an emancipatory paradigm and qualitative approach. Against this background, the researchers used document analysis, interviews, and focus group discussion in sourcing information. As sources of data, thirty rural female students and five class teachers from one secondary school were purposively selected to form the sample for the study. Generated data were analyzed and discussed according to themes derived from the research questions. In this context, results from the analyzed and discussed data revealed numerous gender-related policy guidelines that advocate for rural female students’ progression in secondary school education. It was also noted that socialization was the protagonist in influencing rural female students on whether to progress or not to progress in secondary school education. In addition, the findings revealed that female students encounter multi-faceted obstacles in their progression in secondary school education. Therefore, from these results, the researchers concluded that multiple obstacles make rural female students’ progression in secondary school education a mirage. In this context, researchers recommended that parents or guardians transform their mindsets toward the rural female students’ progression in secondary school education and beyond.
number: /2022 CIT number: 0 Number of views: 2,678
This study sought to explore implementation of the continuous assessment learner activities (CALA) in marginalized secondary schools. Transformative paradigm, and qualitative approach formed the methodological framework that guided the data sourcing, analysis and discussion of the findings. In this context records were identified from grey literature, duplicate sources were removed before screening, thereafter screening was done with some being excluded based on either their abstracts or content. The articles, which met the inclusion criteria were interrogated through content analysis. Findings indicate that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education through policy circulars has conventional efforts to reorient marginalized secondary schools’ CALA. Though the decision to introduce CALA in marginalized secondary schools was noble, it was negatively affected by ineffective planning, and preparation. These in one way or the other have contributed negatively to the implementation of CALA in marginalized secondary schools. In light of these findings, the study recommends that alternative CALA implementation strategies that are inclusive and further staff development activities that address misconceptions on this new approach to assessment.
number: /2022 CIT number: 0 Number of views: 5,746
Writing is a vital skill in the formation of language. The present study explored the factors that affect students’ writing skills by employing a convergent mixed-methods research design guided by a pragmatic paradigm. A survey and an interview were used to collect data. Simple descriptive and statistical analysis for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data analysis were employed. The finding showed that writing develops communication, critical thinking, creativity, and imagination in students. The finding also identified intrapersonal, interpersonal, and institutional factors as affecting students’ writing skills. It is recommended that relevant stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education, teachers, and parents work collaboratively to enhance the writing skills of the students
number: /2022 CIT number: 0 Number of views: 1,960
Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is regarded as one of the most efficient methods for great exposure to the target language through meaningful tasks. However, very few studies have been undertaken on the application of TBLT in secondary education in the Vietnamese EFL context. This paper aims to investigate secondary school students’ attitudes towards the implementation of TBLT in an English reading class. The participants included 73 eighth graders at a Ho Chi Minh City-based secondary school. They were divided into two groups: control group and experimental group. Thirty-three students were assigned to the experimental group and they took a 17-week course with the intervention of TBLT while the others in the control group received traditional methods. The pretest and post-test were employed to collect the quantitative data. The results revealed that the students in the experimental group achieved better results in the reading comprehension post-test than those in the control group. It is, therefore, suggested that EFL teachers should consider implementing TBLT to aid students in improving their reading comprehension.
number: /2022 CIT number: 0 Number of views: 2,368
A large number of studies emphasize social-emotional competence (SEC) as crucial for children not only in their school readiness and academic achievement but also in both their concurrent and later mental and physical health, success and happiness. In the efforts of Vietnam to approach “happy school”, social and emotional education (SEE) has come to the fore as a promising school-wide intervention to promote a positive relational and inclusive school culture. Aiming to offer a foundational theory for this movement, this paper presents an overview of how SEC has been conceptualized in the literature. It analyzes and draws conclusions about the shifts in social and emotional competence conceptualization from separate abilities to multi-faceted constructs. It further describes the divergent approaches in developing SEC in schools in which SEE plays an ultimate school-wide approach broadened from social and emotional learning.