European Journals of Education Studies
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DEFEATING LANGUAGE BARRIER: EXPLORING ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Get PDFThis phenomenological study aimed to determine the strategies used by teachers to improve the communication skills of children and how they can help students who are English language learners successfully speak English. This study aimed to identify the challenges faced by elementary teachers with the language barriers of the students, the strategies to improve communication skills, and the insights they have on their experiences when improving their learners' communication. The study utilized a qualitative design using a descriptive Qualitative method approach, with fourteen elementary teachers selected through focus group discussion and in-depth interviews. The researchers used a qualitative interview method as a data analysis tool. The results revealed that the challenges of elementary teachers when teaching their non-English speaking students are associated with themes: Language Acquisition Difficulties and Emotional Behavioral Hindrances in Learning. Moreover, the study revealed the strategies they used when attempting to improve their learners with themes: Comprehensive and Adaptive Teaching Approaches for Language Learning, Positive Classroom Climate, and Cultural Adaptation. Furthermore, the elementary teachers' insights showed the themes: Personalized Guidance and Support in Education, Intrinsic Rewards of Teaching, and Continuous Growth and Excellence in Teaching Practice. The analyzed findings of this study unveil the various challenges and experiences that elementary teachers face. Thus, this study contributes significant knowledge to improve and examine how to approach non-English students in the future. Sustainable Development Goal No. 4: Quality Education Article visualizations
MULTIDIMENSIONAL BARRIERS TO ENGLISH COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE AMONG NON-ENGLISH MAJOR UNDERGRADUATES AT NAM CAN THO UNIVERSITY: A MIXED METHODS STUDY
Get PDFDespite the growing emphasis on English proficiency in higher education, non-English major undergraduates continue to face complex challenges that hinder their communicative competence, particularly in the Vietnamese context. This study looks at the challenges that 240 non-English major students at Nam Can Tho University encounter in improving their English communication skills. Conducted through quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews with 30 participants, it identified four main aspects: language skills, psychological barriers, learning environment, and motivation. These explain 66.1% of the communication difficulties. Quantitative analysis reveals that oral communication challenges, especially in listening comprehension at native speaker speed (M=4.05, SD=0.79), and psychological factors such as anxiety and fear of negative evaluation (M=4.10, SD=0.83), are the most significant challenges. Interviews show that students struggle with limited vocabulary, few chances to practice real-life English, and changing motivation levels. A new part of this study looks at how students use artificial intelligence (AI) tools, showing how technology creates a relaxed, personalized way to learn that reduces anxiety. Comparative analysis with international research confirms common linguistic and affective challenges while emphasizing culturally specific influences in the Vietnamese context. The study's integrated findings emphasize the necessity of pedagogical strategies that improve oral skills and communication strategies, curriculum designs that incorporate authentic and intercultural tasks, and educational policies that fortify resources, teacher training, and student support systems. This comprehensive approach provides valuable insights for enhancing English communication education in similar EFL contexts, addressing both traditional and emergent challenges in language learning
ENHANCING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE AND ORAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION: A TWO-PHASE IPA FRAMEWORK USING FILM-BASED CRITICAL INCIDENTS AND THEME-BASED ACTIVITIES
Get PDFThis paper presents a method that combines the Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) framework with critical incidents from films to enhance intercultural communicative competence (ICC) and language proficiency in oral cultural expression, addressing challenges in culture and language learning in EFL contexts. IPA's three communicative modes—interpretive, presentational, and interpersonal—integrate assessment, instruction, and learning. Films serve as a rich source of cultural examples, which are then analyzed using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to explore cultural conflicts and resolution strategies. IPA thematic units based on the critical incidents discussed were designed to further reinforce and assess students’ communication skills throughout the process. The participants include 24 non-English majors who enrolled in the course Discussion of Cultural Issues. Quantitative data, including ICS scale scores and IPA rubric scores, analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and qualitative data from reflective reports, film presentation content, and interviews, analyzed through thematic analysis, demonstrate significant improvements in ICC and oral proficiency in conveying cultural ideas. These findings effectively address the challenges in culture and language teaching. Qualitative feedback further supports the approach, and the paper concludes with recommendations for integrating it into language teaching practices. Article visualizations
EFFECTS OF MILD VISUAL IMPAIRMENT ON LEARNERS’ PARTICIPATION IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES IN SPECIAL SCHOOLS IN JINJA DISTRICT, UGANDA
Get PDFAlthough learners with mild visual impairment have a level of functional vision, they are still significantly hampered in their desire to actively participate in physical activities in inclusive schools in sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly in Uganda. This study sought to investigate the effects of mild visual impairments on learners’ participation in physical activities in Special schools in Jinja District of Uganda. Adopting a descriptive survey research design with a mixed methods approach, combining questionnaires, interviews and observations, data was collected from a sample of 110 participants from a population of 122 individuals, including head teachers, special needs teachers, and learners with mild visual impairments. Analysis of the data collected revealed that 25% of parents believed that mild visual impairments could limit their children’s participation in physical activities. However, 57.1% of learners agreed that they are impacted by their physical condition, while 42.9% reported participation without any significant adjustments. Respondents also revealed the major barriers to their active participation, including reduced sensory awareness, visual discrimination, and social exclusion. It was recommended that schools should ramp up efforts in providing low-vision aids, improve teacher training, and promote peer interaction to improve peer-to-peer support within their school settings. Article visualizations
DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF AN INNOVATIVE ART EDUCATION PROGRAM BY PRE-SERVICE KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE ARTFUL THINKING TECHNIQUE
Get PDFArts play a vital role in the development of children in preschool education. Artistic expression within the kindergarten setting offers children opportunities to explore the world around them, enhance their imagination, strengthen their self-confidence and creativity, express their ideas through various media, enrich their emotional world, and cultivate their cultural awareness. Today, engagement with the creation of art serves as an effective means of creative representation and communication of ideas and emotions for preschool children. Findings from numerous studies highlight the impact and significance of integrating arts into early childhood education, linking them to the development of lifelong learning skills. The international academic community recognizes the importance of building children's capacity to respond effectively to situations that require critical thinking, reflection, autonomy, creativity, and decision-making. Incorporating artful thinking (A.T.) and thinking routines (T.R.) into kindergarten classrooms has been shown to support both artistic reasoning and the development of children’s critical thinking skills. But how artful thinking, thinking routines, and the arts are connected in early childhood education? Can thinking routines, in the context of art, become effective and meaningful in developing children’s critical thinking skills? The purpose of the present study is to implement and evaluate a program for introducing works of art by pre-service kindergarten teachers (P.K.T.) to preschool children through the technique of artful thinking. Specifically, this research aims to investigate whether an innovative education program based on global artworks—conducted during the teaching practice of pre-service kindergarten teachers—can enhance preschool children's thinking skills through artful thinking routines. The study sample consists of 40 third-year pre-service kindergarten teachers from the Department of Preschool Education at the University of Crete, who are teaching in five public kindergartens in the prefecture of Rethymno during the 2024–2025 academic year. Data will be collected and analyzed through the examination of pre-service kindergarten teachers’ individual portfolios, classroom observation of their instructional interventions, and an evaluation questionnaire on the art program. The findings indicate a notable enhancement in young children's critical thinking skills as a result of the systematic implementation of thinking routines and the artful thinking approach within art-integrated instructional interventions. These pedagogical practices appear to support both the process of active knowledge discovery and the cultivation of aesthetic literacy, while also strengthening children’s reflective and interpretive abilities. Moreover, the majority of pre-service kindergarten teachers expressed a positive attitude toward the art program based on artful thinking, acknowledging its contribution to children’s cognitive development and creative expression. Article visualizations
COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF PEER-LED, INQUIRY-BASED AND LECTURE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES ON BASIC SCIENCE STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT AND RETENTION IN DELTA CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT
Get PDFThis study examined the effects of peer-led, inquiry-based, and lecture instructional strategies on students’ achievement and retention in basic science in Delta Central Senatorial District. 5 research questions and 5 hypotheses guide the study. The pretest-posttest delayed-posttest planned variation quasi-experimental design was employed for the study. The population of the study consisted of 82,712 JSII basic science students in the 183 public secondary schools. The sample size is 292 basic science students selected from 6 public mixed junior secondary schools. The instrument for data collection, which was duly face and content validated, was the Basic Science Achievement Test (BSAT). The instrument, with a reliability coefficient of 0.79, was established using the Kuder-Richardson Formula – 21 (K-R-21). All research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation, while the hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance with t-test, and ANCOVA. The study found that; there is a significant difference in the mean achievement scores among students taught basic science using peer-led, inquiry-based and lecture instructional strategies, there is a significant difference in the mean retention scores among students taught basic science using peer-led, inquiry-based and lecture instructional strategies, there is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught basic science using peer-led, inquiry-based and lecture instructional strategies, there is no significant interaction effect of method and gender on basic science students’ achievement, and there is a significant interaction effect of method and gender on basic science students’ retention. the study, therefore, concluded that the peer-led instructional strategy and the inquiry-based instructional strategy are more effective in enhancing basic science students’ achievement and retention than the lecture method. The study also, amongst others, recommends that basic science teachers should adopt the use of peer-led instructional strategy in teaching basic science in junior and senior secondary schools. Article visualizations
CHALLENGES FOR IMPLEMENTING PARTICIPATORY AND ACTIVE PEDAGOGY IN TEFL: PERSPECTIVES OF TEACHERS FROM THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Get PDFThe present paper investigates the challenges related to the implementation of the participatory and active pedagogy (PAP) in the teaching and learning of English in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The study focuses on understanding the applicability and obstacles of Participatory and active pedagogy within the Congolese educational system. The results show that teachers applying PAP generally encounter the problem of time, as the process requires two consecutive hours for a teacher to use this method. The big challenge is that this method empowers skilled pupils while the non-skilled go on decreasing their level instead of increasing it, and this would bring those pupils to develop anxiety, trauma, lack of motivation and/or interest in the language to the extent that they tend to use other languages during group work. That is the reason why this method is recommended for a class where pupils already have some command of the language. Article visualizations
INVISIBLE INEQUALITIES IN ADULT SKILLS: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURAL CAPITAL AND SKILLS IN PIAAC DATA
Get PDFThis study examines the relationship between individuals' cultural capital accumulation (number of books at home) and their cognitive skill levels in adulthood (literacy, numeracy, and problem solving) using PIAAC (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) data from the Turkish sample, within the framework of Pierre Bourdieu's theory of capital. It should be noted that this calculated index captures only a specific and important aspect of the concept of cultural capital and does not represent other forms, such as integrated or institutionalized capital. Assuming that skill inequalities stem from social reproduction mechanisms rather than individual failures, the study aims to discuss the deep inequalities in Turkey's socio-economic structure. The study's sample was taken from PIAAC data for Turkey (N=5,110, N=2,885). IDB Analyser and SPSS programs were used in the study's analysis. In the analyses, the cultural capital index was correlated with skill scores using Pearson correlation. The findings of the study revealed moderate to high positive correlations between the cultural capital index and the three skill domains. The correlations found in the study are consistent with Bourdieu's (1986) theoretical framework. Indeed, forms of cultural capital shape an individual's cognitive development in the long term, supporting the acquisition of skills such as literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving. Based on the results obtained from the study, future research could analyze longitudinal data (such as national cohort data) to examine individuals' skill development. Furthermore, future studies could examine the impact of cultural capital on subgroups by including variables such as gender, age, and migration status, thereby expanding Bourdieu's theory and integrating economic and social capital dimensions into research. Article visualizations
ENGAGEMENT ENTREPRENEURIAL DES JEUNES TOGOLAIS : RESILIENCE COMME BASE DE L’ENGAGEMENT
Get PDFCes dernières années, face aux défis que constituent le chômage des jeunes dans les pays d’Afrique subsaharienne en général, et au Togo en particulier, les politiques publiques d’emploi se tournent de plus en plus vers l’entrepreneuriat comme approche de solution. Ce travail explore les défis de l’engagement entrepreneurial des jeunes dans le contexte togolais et met en évidence le rôle déterminant de la résilience. Dans un environnement marqué par l’incertitude, et les défis de diverses natures, la résilience apparaît comme un facteur déterminent pour persister, s’adapter et innover. En mobilisant plusieurs cadres théoriques, tels que la théorie sociale cognitive, la théorie de motivation autodéterminée, ou encore celle de besoin d’accomplissement, et les approches liées à l’apprentissage et aux traits de personnalité comme le modèle de Bige Five, l’analyse montre que la résilience constitue un processus dynamique et multidimensionnel, indispensable à la réussite entrepreneuriale des jeunes. Youth unemployment has become one of the most pressing challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Togo, where public employment policies increasingly view entrepreneurship as a strategic solution. This paper examines the challenges of youth entrepreneurial engagement within this context, emphasizing the critical role of resilience. In uncertain and resource constrained environments, resilience emerges as a key factor enabling persistence, adaptation, and innovation. Drawing on theoretical frameworks such as social cognitive theory, self-determination theory, the need for achievement, and approaches linked to learning and personality traits like the Big Five model, the analysis demonstrates that resilience is a dynamic and multidimensional process. It is thus an indispensable resource for ensuring the entrepreneurial success and sustainable engagement of young people in Togo. Article visualizations
APPROCHE QUALITATIVE ET INTERPRETATIVE DES CONSIGNES RELATIVES AU DEVELOPPEMENT DE L’ESPRIT CRITIQUE DANS LES MANUELS SCOLAIRES DE L’ENSEIGNEMENT SECONDAIRE COLLEGIAL MAROCAIN : CAS DES SVTi / APPROCHE QUALITATIVE ET INTERPRETATIVE DES CONSIGNES RELATIVES AU DEVELOPPEMENT DE L’ESPRIT CRITIQUE DANS LES MANUELS SCOLAIRES DE L’ENSEIGNEMENT SECONDAIRE COLLEGIAL MAROCAIN : CAS DES SVT
No full textL'approche d'investigation en sciences contribue à développer la métacognition des élèves et à encourager leur aptitude à penser de manière critique. L'utilisation de diverses méthodes documentaires permet aux apprenants de développer un esprit critique vis-à-vis des informations et d'acquérir les compétences méthodologiques nécessaires pour une approche scientifique. En effet, l’enseignement des sciences est sollicité pour participer au développement de l’esprit critique et plusieurs défis sont soulevés à ce sujet, notamment l'objectif de préparer des scientifiques conscients de leurs responsabilités et des citoyens aptes à s'impliquer intelligemment dans les débats sociétaux liés aux sciences et technologies. Cette visée se retrouve également dans les textes cadrant les finalités générales de notre système éducatif Marocain. En effet, les directives pédagogiques en matière des sciences de la vie et de la terre du secondaire visent à favoriser le développement de l'esprit critique. Notre recherche s’inscrit dans ce contexte, et vise à déterminer, via une approche qualitative et interprétative, si les consignes retenues dans les manuels scolaires des Sciences de la vie et de la Terre, favorisent l’éveil de l’esprit critique chez les élèves du collège. La méthodologie adoptée dans cette étude consiste à effectuer une analyse des cosignes utilisés dans les contenus des différentes activités relatifs aux différents chapitres des trois niveaux du manuel scolaire SVT du cycle collégial afin de décrire dans quelle mesure elles partagent des orientations efficaces pour favoriser le développement des compétences indispensable à l’esprit critique chez les collégiens et sa mise en œuvre dans l’enseignement. Malgré que les manuels scolaires analysés présentent des insuffisances en termes d’actions cognitives qui permettent de soutenir le développement de l’esprit critique notamment la problématisation, la formulation d’hypothèses et la métacognition, les résultats de cette étude nous a permis de révéler que les manuels scolaires accordent une grande importance à des consignes qui demandent, aux apprenants d’établir un plan d’action, permettant ainsi de travailler chez eux cette habileté de façon efficace.The investigative approach in science contributes to developing students' metacognition and encouraging their ability to think critically. The use of various documentary methods allows learners to develop a critical mind towards information and acquire the methodological skills necessary for a scientific approach. Indeed, science education is solicited to participate in the development of critical thinking and several challenges are raised on this subject, in particular the objective of preparing scientists aware of their responsibilities and citizens capable of getting intelligently involved in societal debates related to science and technology. This aim is also found in the texts framing the general objectives of our Moroccan educational system. Indeed, the pedagogical guidelines in secondary life sciences and earth sciences aim to promote the development of critical thinking. Our research is part of this context, and aims to determine, through a qualitative and interpretative approach, if the instructions retained in the textbooks of Life and Earth Sciences, promote the awakening of critical thinking among college students. The methodology adopted in this study consists of conducting an analysis of the co-signs used in the contents of the different activities related to the different chapters of the three levels of the SVT textbook of the college cycle in order to describe to what extent they share effective guidelines to promote the development of skills essential for critical thinking in middle school students and its implementation in teaching. Despite the fact that the analyzed school textbooks present shortcomings in terms of cognitive actions that support the development of critical thinking, particularly problematization, hypothesis formulation, and metacognition, the results of this study allowed us to reveal that textbooks give great importance to instructions that ask learners to establish an action plan, thus allowing them to work with this skill effectively. Article visualizations