PUPIL: International Journal of Teaching, Education and Learning

GENDER MAINSTREAMING PLAN FOR GENDER-RESPONSIVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

2022-01-21T10:27:40+00:00

This study sought to develop a gender mainstreaming plan for gender-responsive public schools. Specifically, the extent of gender mainstreaming practices among public schools and their hindering factors were assessed in this research. A descriptive method of research was employed to investigate the posed objectives in this study. Purposive and random sampling techniques were utilized in the selection of the respondents. Guided by the said sampling procedures, 282 school heads participated in the study. Data were collected through survey-questionnaire and computed using the weighted arithmetic mean (WAM). Results indicated that gender perspectives are relatively mainstreamed in the organizational processes of public schools. Specifically, gender perspectives are less mainstreamed into the policies and PPAs but relatively integrated into their support mechanisms and highly evident among people. However, lack of gender analysis and gender mainstreaming plan, as well as insufficient knowledge and training of internal and external clients are highly hindering factors among public schools to implement gender mainstreaming. Based on the results of this study, a gender mainstreaming plan was developed to serve as a framework among public schools in mainstreaming gender perspectives on their policies, PPAs, and enabling mechanisms.

IMPORTANCE OF ASSISTIVE MOBILE APPLICATIONS FOR DYSLEXIC STUDENTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

2021-12-08T10:53:36+00:00

Worldwide, Education systems have been affected by Covid-19; therefore, mobile learning (M-learning) has become more important in supporting flexibility and availability, leading to a clear trend in the learning process for this significant and valuable society sector. Much research has been conducted to measure the benefits of using Mobile Applications for students in general and specifically for students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. Although a significant amount of research has discussed M-learning with dyslexic students in multiple languages, it is considered in its initial stages in many other languages; especially in Arabic countries. Thus, it is worthy of investigating the gaps related to such matters. This paper focuses on developing a mobile application that aims to enhance Arabic dyslexic students' reading skills. This study includes dyslexic students in Saudi Arabia who are eight to ten years old. The preliminary results showed promising prospects in such contexts for mobile learning, especially for dyslexic students. Furthermore, students showed very positive attitudes towards the proposed mobile application, leading to better engagement with learning Arabic.

DAVID BURNS’ TEAM CBT THERAPY AS A TOOL FOR EDUCATIONAL COUNSELORS

2021-12-08T10:58:21+00:00

In this short article, the authors present their views on the effectiveness of Dr. David Burns’ TEAM therapy as an effective tool for educational counsellors in school settings. The authors are Yehuda Bar Shalom, who is both an academic who works in training counsellors and an educational counsellor in the field, draws from his experience as a TEAM therapist and trainer, and Amy Specter, who is a licensed marriage and family therapist who works at a high school for at-risk youth and also has a private practice working with teens and adults online in California. This paper should be seen as a practice-oriented account of two reflective practitioners.

INTERACTION, THE PIVOT AROUND WHICH QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SHOULD REVOLVE

2021-12-08T11:03:20+00:00

This position paper advocates that the extent to which children are involved in the teaching and learning process and their environment determines how much knowledge they can create for themselves. The nature of children’s involvement in teaching and learning is largely couched in interaction. Where meaningful involvement in teaching and learning is achieved, it symbolizes quality teaching and learning. Thus, the most important ingredient in Quality Early Childhood Education (QECE) provision is interaction, referring to the contact between two or more people or a person and an object over a common interest. Interaction being argued to be the means by which an early childhood centre functions on a daily basis, the quality of interaction and instruction young children receive at the ECE centres can make or unmake their later lives. Thus, with interaction in the school, learners can have contact with their peers, manipulate TLMs, participate actively during lesson delivery, and take an active part in every activity. Quality interaction, therefore, shows the extent to which learners can be involved in the content of what they are learning both indoor and outdoor within their environment. Consequently, rich interactive experiences at ECE centre play a key role in children’s optimal development.

MENTAL RESILIENCE IN EDUCATION: THE CASE OF GREEK HIGH SCHOOLS TEACHERS

2021-12-17T02:57:43+00:00

The term “mental resilience” defines the ability of the individual to overcome any adversity and to continue to develop. It is part of the set of personality traits, as well as genetic traits with which a person is either born or acquired in infancy and/or childhood. Teachers play an important role in promoting students' mental health in creating a suitable and supportive environment for them, since with their support students can acquire skills that will enhance their self-image and self-confidence, thus helping them in their evolution and progress. This paper aims to investigate the mental resilience of high school teachers and how it correlates with gender, age, and years of service. The survey involved 29 teachers (18 men (62.1%) and 11 women (37.9%)) who served in high schools in the prefecture of Attica in Greece. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) was used to measure mental resilience. This questionnaire consists of 25 self-rated items with a 5-point scale from 0 (‘not true at all’) to 4 (‘true nearly all the time’) which correspond to five factors. The analysis of the results showed that the participants had high resilience, gender is correlated with “trust in one’s instincts” factor positively and statistically significant, years of service correlated with “control” factor positively and statistically significant, and with “personal tolerance” factor negatively and statistically significant. Age was found to be positive and statistically significantly correlated with the “control” factor. In conclusion, in the era of continuous development and change, mental resilience is important for the field of education as teachers play an important role in the lives of children facing difficulties while contributing to the promotion of collaborative school culture.

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF DESIGN-BASED INTERACTIVE LEARNING TOOLS IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

2021-12-17T22:07:23+00:00

In this 21^st century, the development of technology has brought changes in many aspects of our life, especially brought huge impact in education sector. Research has shown that constructivist-based learning environment provide students with more active, engaging and problem-solving learning experiences. Interactive learning tools such as blog and Kahoot are able to provide more interactive, real time feedback, enhance communication and collaboration between teacher and students. This study investigates students’ perception of using interactive learning tools in a constructivist-based learning environment. Qualitative research approach was adopted to gauge the students’ attitudes and perceptions towards the use of blog and Kahoot in their learning process. The results of the study have shown that students have become active learners by actively participated in class activities. Apart from that, it has been found that students improve continuously, became independent learners, actively giving and receiving feedback from lecturer and classmates. The results of this study will bring benefits to lecturers and higher education institutions where they will understand the advantages of integrating interactive learning tools in the constructivist-based learning environment. Lecturers will need to design and impart skills and competences that employers need the most so that they can integrated in the curriculum.

THE USAGE OF MS WORD AND JAVASCRIPT IN E-LEARNING COURSEWARE DEVELOPMENT

2022-01-06T23:49:50+00:00

This paper introduces a new approach that enables a simplified and automated development of interesting and attractive e-learning courseware by using a Java template. This new approach enables the development of better-quality e-learning courseware in less time and at less cost, and without pre-requisite knowledge of complicated software such as Macromedia, FrontPage, and etc. In the development process, Microsoft Word, HTML coding, and JavaScript are used. In this e-learning courseware development, Microsoft Word software is used for content editing and saved as a .html file. The saved .html file will be encoded using JavaScript for the files to be viewed on web browsers such as Internet Explorer or Chrome. Developing, editing and updating are made simple as the developers only need to amend the.doc file through Microsoft Word and save it as a .html file. The JavaScript will automatically generate the link between the .doc and .html files. This approach has been tested by selected polytechnic lecturers and received positive feedback. The developed e-learning courseware was somehow limited to the functions and features provided by MS Word Software. Therefore, for future study, developers may apply other applications such as Kahoot, Quizizz, etc to make the learning process more engaging and interesting. Overall, this is a user-friendly tool for people or subject matter experts who would like to develop rapid and simple e-learning courseware.

CREATING BLOGS TO LEARN: CASE OF BRAZILIAN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION SCHOOL

2022-01-15T08:51:11+00:00

This research aims to analyze how students of the seventh grade of elementary education in Brazil studying at a private school utilize digital media to create a Blog. Research reveals that students in this age group, between eleven and thirteen, have difficulties developing Blogs due to a lack of digital literacy that allows them to manipulate information and media using this type of resource. This qualitative exploratory research uses as a unit of analysis 23 students, subdivided into seven groups for the development of the Blogs. Data collection was performed to raise students’ prior knowledgeby applying a survey questionnaire and observation reports generated from the development of students’ Blogs. The data analysis was performed in an interpretative way using the procedures proposed by the Discursive Textual Analysis in five phases: unitarization, categorization, description, interpretation, and argumentation. It was identified that students used social media as a basis for the development of Blogs. However, they presented difficulties in operating the interface and understanding its dynamics, and understanding metaphors such as the concept of digital address. It is intended to continue the investigation, expanding the scope of students of this age group in the creation and development of Blogs.

BIOLOGY ESSAY QUESTIONS: COGNITIVE LEVEL AS REVEALED BY BLOOM’S TAXONOMY

2022-01-18T07:25:17+00:00

Examination questions indicate the cognitive level anticipated from students. Although essays have the potential to test higher cognitive skills, the extent of their effectiveness in assessing these is not clear. The objective of this study was to estimate how well Biology essay questions measure higher-order cognitive skills in a public post-secondary institution in Malta. The essay questions were classified into cognitive levels based on Bloom's Revised Taxonomy and categorized as those demanding lower-order thinking skills (LOTS) and higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). No essays from the Applying and Creating objectives were recorded. Except for one year, questions from at least three cognitive objectives were present in each examination paper. Results showed that questions from the Remembering cognitive objective predominated. Some topics comprised 100% LOTS but others were from three objectives. These results indicate that paper setters attempt to design essay titles that belong to various cognitive objectives, but more attention should be dedicated to diversifying. The value of this study is that examiners have a database to choose a mixture of LOTS and HOTS in future examinations, rendering them more effective. The findings highlight the importance for examiners to use Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy when constructing questions.

CHALLENGES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY MODEL BASED ON THE BRAIN NATURAL LEARNING SYSTEMS FOR INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM

2022-01-20T05:21:02+00:00

One of the problems teachers often face in inclusive classrooms is the difficulty of designing effective and flexible instruction that can meet the needs of all students. This study explores general teacher (GT) opinions on the challenges in implementing instructional strategies based on the natural brain learning systems for inclusive classrooms in elementary schools. Data were collected through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with seven GTs who have implemented instructional strategies based on the natural brain learning system in an inclusive classroom. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The research has four main themes: modification of teaching materials, modification of instructional methods, modification of instructional media, and time. The challenge in implementing instructional strategies based on the natural learning system of the brain lies in the readiness of GTs in facing all changes in the instructional process that GTs has implemented. This challenge will expect to be the experience of GTs in designing more effective learning that must fully support all parties to provide meaningful learning for all students.

uctured interviews with seven GTs who have implemented instructional strategies based on the natural brain learning system in an inclusive classroom. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The research has four main themes: modification of teaching materials, modification of instructional methods, modification of instructional media, and time. The challenge in implementing instructional strategies based on the natural learning system of the brain lies in the readiness of GTs in facing all changes in the instructional process that GTs has implemented. This challenge will expect to be the experience of GTs in designing more effective learning that must fully support all parties to provide meaningful learning for all students.

INCLUSIVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS UNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT: INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PRACTICES IN INDONESIA

2022-01-20T05:49:03+00:00

The involvement of universities in inclusive education in inclusive elementary schools is still not maximal, and the real impact can be felt for improving the quality of inclusive primary schools. This study aims to explore the opinion of general teachers (GT) on the expectations of university involvement in inclusive education practices in Indonesia. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews of forty GTs in two provinces in Indonesia. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The research resulted in three main themes: inclusive school mentoring, majors relevant to inclusive education in universities, and students' understanding in an inclusive classroom. Universities must meet the needs of elementary school graduates who will teach inclusive classrooms based on the problems faced by GTs so far, including academic and non-academic aspects. The results of this research are significant for universities to design courses that are relevant and in line with the needs of inclusive elementary schools. For this reason, all decision-makers at the university must be able to make and establish rules following the analysis of the needs of inclusive education practices.