Journal of Learning for Development - JL4D
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392 research outputs found
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Investigation of Pre-service Teachers’ Readiness Levels for Online Learning and Engagement Levels in the Online Environment
No full textThe aim of this study was to examine pre-service teachers’ readiness levels for online learning and engagement levels in the online environment in terms of various variables and to determine the relationship between readiness levels for online learning and engagement levels in the online environment. The design of the research is the correlational survey model, one of the quantitative research designs. The study group of the research consisted of pre-service teachers who were studying in the faculty of education at a state university in Turkey. In the study, a personal information form, the “Online Learning Readiness Scale” and the “Student Engagement Scale” were used as measurement tools. Within the framework of quantitative data analysis, descriptive statistical techniques, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test and Pearson correlation technique were used. When the research findings were examined, it was seen that the pre-service teachers’ readiness for online learning was high in all dimensions; when it comes to engagement in the online environment, it was observed that they obtained high mean scores in the total scale, and the behavioral engagement and cognitive engagement dimensions, while they obtained a moderate mean score in the affective engagement dimension. In addition, it is one of the important results of the study that there was a medium-level, positive and significant relationship between pre-service teachers’ readiness levels for online learning and engagement levels in the online environment
Mothers as Teachers: The New Role of Mothers in the New Normal
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic brought havoc to everyone but much more to child-rearing mothers. This qualitative study explored the new roles of mothers in the new normal specifically as being teachers to their children. Six mothers, who had public and private elementary grade children were purposely chosen. Information was gathered through a researcher-made validated interview questionnaire. Collection of information was done online through Facebook messenger and emails. Data analysis produced six themes, namely, complication in becoming mother-teachers, benefits in teaching one’s own children, supervision of children’s studies, impression of children of the modular schooling, considerations on children’s learning and reflection on mothers’ learning. Each theme was discussed thoroughly. To address the situation of these mothers, the Department of Education might consider giving support through home-visit tutorials. Teachers could introduce strategies to mothers on how to manage the studies with their children. Moreover, the Local Government Unit (LGU) may initiate alternative solutions led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to unburden the mothers of their situations
Mobile Pedagogical Technologies and Teachers’ Professional Ethics in Tanzania: An Inquiry into the Use and Abuse of Mobile Phones by Teachers in Secondary Schools
No full textEmerging mobile technologies have significant educational benefits and raise several ethical concerns. This study examined the use and abuse of mobile phones by teachers in secondary schools in Tanzania. It employed a qualitative phenomenological research design that involved three secondary schools and 44 participants, including teachers, school heads, Teachers' Service Commission officers, Education officers, and students in Kinondoni District in the Dar es Salaam region. Data were sought through semi-structured interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and documentary reviews and were subjected to thematic data analysis procedures. The findings indicated that teachers do not fully utilise their mobile phones for academic purposes in schools. Also, abuse of mobile phones by teachers is commonplace in schools. The study recommends the need for a framework to guide teachers on the ethical use of the devices and for the curricula at all educational levels to incorporate content related to ICT use ethics
Assessment of Tutors’ Level of ICT Competencies in Teaching in Teacher Education in Tanzania
No full textThis study assessed tutors’ level of ICT competencies and factors that influenced application of ICT-pedagogical competencies in teaching in two Teachers’ Colleges. It adopted the level of ICT competencies from the UNESCO ICT-Competence Framework for Teachers. A self-rating questionnaire was used to collect numeric data involving 70 tutors. Two Focus group Interviews involving eight (8) participants in each college among the 70 respondents were used to collect qualitative data. Mean scores and independent sample t-test were used to compare respondents’ level of ICT competencies. Standard multiple regression was used to evaluate the contribution of factors in predicting ICT-pedagogical competencies. The findings revealed that knowledge acquisition was high, which signifies confidence in basic ICT skills. Knowledge deepening was low, which signifies low application of ICT-pedagogical competencies in teaching across subjects. Regression results revealed that practice had a positive unique influence in predicting tutors’ competencies in knowledge deepening. These findings suggest that tutors need more hands-on training in applying ICT-pedagogical competencies in their classroom practice
Decrypting the Learners’ Retention Factors in Massive Open Online Courses
No full textMassive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have recently become attractive at most universities, and the number of MOOCs has risen significantly, particularly in India. Despite their popularity, previous research has revealed a low course completion rate and a scarcity of research on the factors that influences learners’ retention in MOOCs. Therefore, it is a good idea to investigate previous research to understand the factors behind the learners’ retention so that an ideal learning model can be created. This study used Structural Equation Modelling to find out the unexplored learner retention factors in MOOCs and create a model, which may extend the satisfaction. MOOC data sets were collected from different Indian universities in Uttarakhand state. This study has explored the majority of influencing factors correlated with learners’ satisfaction. The findings show that MOOC usage intention is influenced by a willingness to credit mobility, the allure of the latest trendy course, content localisation and perceived effectiveness
Process Improvement Approach to Transform Online Business Education in the Post-COVID World
No full textIn early 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global emergency. This pandemic has affected higher education, especially the world of business education and professional programmes, beyond imagination. This study/project examines an innovative teaching and learning approach, Lean methodology, and its application to business education. Although Lean Thinking originated in the automobile industry several years ago, research on its application and sustainability at academic institutions, especially in the teaching and learning process, has been extremely limited. Recent research demonstrates that this approach has been successfully implemented in healthcare and health sciences education. This project takes a step forward and identifies how a similar approach can be applied to business education in post-pandemic education. The project concludes with practical tips that higher education institutions can use as planning for post-pandemic begins
Exploring the Use of Tweets and Word Clouds as Strategies in Educational Research
No full textThis paper presents personal insights and discussions on the exploration of specific strategies which relate to data collection and analysis used to support the focus group discussion data collection and preliminary analysis of a doctoral research entitled Undergraduate students’ experiences of learning with digital multimodal texts. The main objective of the doctoral research was to understand the different ways undergraduate students experienced learning with digital multimodal texts (DMTs) within the context of a history module included in their first-year programme of studies both as readers (consumers) and authors (producers). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, written reflection accounts, a focus group discussion and consideration given to the DMT (a video) produced by the participants. The focus group discussion event included a hands-on task whereby participants were requested to write their views in response to a given prompt question in the form of tweets. Also, the written tweets were visualised as word clouds for the purpose of initial analysis. The findings reported in this paper, which are based on observation notes and investigation of the word clouds, suggest that the tweet-related, hands-on task acted as a good ice breaker, making the participants feel at ease and more relaxed about sharing their views amongst each other while eliciting discussions and fostering deeper thinking. Also, the word clouds were revealed to be an effective data visualisation tool allowing emerging and salient themes to stand out from the participants’ written tweets and reflections
Virtual Community Mentoring Models for Middle School Underachievers Psychosocial Development and Well-Being During COVID-19
No full textRecent studies highlight the outcomes of COVID-19 on the psychosocial skills of early adolescents. It shows the unavailability of virtual community mentoring models for teenagers' individual and interpersonal growth in the virtual scenario. Hence, there emerges a need to explore and apply the available virtual communication resources by facilitators, families, and other community professionals for teenagers’ self-development. This article reports the application of virtual resources like WhatsApp, graphic design platforms (CANVA and Adobe), graphic interchange formats (GIPHY App), all-in-one visual content editing forums (InShot App), and memes (Meme Generator App) in engaging and supporting community mentoring capacities leading to psychosocial development and well-being for teenagers during COVID-19. Through this article, contemporary virtual models are explored and executed with community guidance to integrate the personal developmental skills of middle school underachievers. There is also a need to work with community interventions by using virtual mentoring skillsets for positive youth development
