Journal of Learning for Development - JL4D
Not a member yet
392 research outputs found
Sort by
Is Blended Learning Better than Online Learning for B.Ed Students?
No full textBlended learning is a newly emerging area of research and practice in educational institutions. It is defined as a useful and reasonable combination of online and face-to-face learning and is acclaimed as a successful mode of teaching. The recent growth of online education, which is without classroom interaction, in a developing country like India therefore presents a reason to verify the relative effectiveness of these teaching modes. This study was an experimental study spread over two years, to compare the effectiveness of the blended learning mode and the online learning modes (including their specific teaching-learning strategies) for a B.Ed curriculum. A randomly selected sample of students with a comparable level of intelligence quotient (IQ) was subjected to both controlled (face-to-face) and experimental treatments (online and blended learning). The participants were the students of a predominantly face-to-face mode of a B.Ed Course. The researcher found that the average achievement scores of the blended learning mode were higher than the online learning mode. It appears that the interaction of the instructor and the learners was a critical factor for the better performance of blended learning. This research also suggests that blended learning resulted in better learning attainment and motivation. Blended learning has potential to support learner-centric teaching-learning endeavours. It is an important finding for the emerging trend towards online learning in India. It is also relevant in the context of the conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put constraints on the face-to-face mode of teaching
Notes from the Field: 'Nurses International' Uses OER to Support Nurse Educators
No full textEducating nurses in developing countries is challenging due to limited resources. Nurses International advances nursing education through the use of Open Educational Resources which provides a unique model to teach and mentor nurse educators globally. Using current resources and materials that are free online and teacher-facing, an innovative program has been established that can be employed to scale up education of the healthcare workforce through teaching the teachers and enhancing the education of nurses
Data for Development: Shifting Research Methodologies for Covid-19
No full textSuccessful and appropriate informal digital learning can help individuals and communities build sustainable and meaningful livelihoods, strengthen social cohesion and resilience, preserve and enhance cultural traditions and engage constructively and robustly with the wider world. Building digital learning that embodies participative and collaborative development and community ownership and control rests on the work of educators who understand these individuals and communities and their cultures, which may be very distant and different from global norms and the mainstream of their countries. These educators may, however, be reliant on research tools and techniques that are inappropriate or inadequate in these different settings and situations. This paper sets out a brief critique of these established tools and techniques as the prelude to reviewing a range of more innovative and eclectic ones drawn from a variety of disciplines. This is timely because COVID-19 has increased the barriers that separate educators from would-be learners whilst also increasing the education that these people and communities need
Culturally Inclusive Online Learning for Capacity Development Projects in International Contexts
No full textThis paper explores cultural inclusivity in online learning design by discussing two international capacity development projects; an online tutor mentor development program in Sri Lanka and a hybrid physician assistant training program in Ghana. Inclusivity involves establishing partnerships and conducting needs assessments to maximize the capacity that already exists within a given context, and addressing cultural factors that impact online learning: developing a learning community, negotiating identity, power, and authority, generating social presence, supporting collaboration, engaging in authentic inquiry-based learning, navigating interactions in a second language, and developing co-mentoring relationships to support learning. The paper provides a framework, WisCom (Wisdom Communities) to guide the design of culturally inclusive online learning incorporating lessons learned from international projects. By emphasising divergent thinking, consensus building, and the exploration of multiple solutions to complex, real-world problems, WisCom maximizes opportunities for participants’ diverse backgrounds and experiences to be valued
Re-writing Stories of Child Early and Forced Marriages through Vocational and Entrepreneurship Skills: Experience from the “Girls Inspire Project” in Tanzania
No full textThis paper highlights experiences of young mothers, victims of child, early and forced marriages (CEFM) as pertaining to their basic rights, social wellbeing and sustainable livelihood four years after their participation in the Girls Inspire project. CEFM is still a critical issue in Tanzania and one of the obstacles toward girls’ and women’s empowerment. Data was collected from six districts in the regions of Dodoma, Rukwa and Lindi between 2016-2018 through the use of questionnaires for a random sample of 367 as well as in-depth interviews with 34 young mothers between 13 to 19 years old who were purposively selected. Other data was generated from the use of focus group discussions for a non-random sample of 137 young mothers. The findings show how the provision of alternative learning through ODL, coupled with skills development in areas of vocation and entrepreneurship can help vulnerable girls and young women be involved in shaping decisions that affect their lives as well as enhance their well-being, employability and sustainable livelihoods.
Keywords: Child marriages, teenage pregnancies, gender equality and sustainable livelihood
Improving Education Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Outcomes-Based Contracting and Early Grade Literacy
No full textFifty-three percent of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning in low- and middle-income countries despite an investment of between 33-49% of education expenditure on primary education. Teaching children to read in the early grades is fundamental to building resilient education systems, as the ability to read early in life is a great predictor for education success, and will minimise learning loss during education emergencies similar to COVID-19 school closures, for children who can read for meaning can carry on learning outside of school buildings. Further, the predicted financing gaps in the next few years, as a result of COVID-19, will require governments to utilise limited financial resources effectively and efficiently by implementing literacy programmes proven to be impactful, using financial instruments like outcomes-based contracting that can mobilise and coordinate non-traditional educational finance and incentivise service providers to improve results by paying for achievement of agreed outcomes
A Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Parental Involvement on Students’ Academic Achievement
No full textThis study aims to examine the effect of parental involvement on students’ academic achievement at pre-school, elementary and secondary levels by using the meta-analysis method with respect to home-based and school-based parental involvement strategies. Data consisted of 55 independent research studies in English published between 2010 and 2019, and accessed through ERIC, Academic Search Complete, Science Direct, Wiley Online Library, and PsycNet databases. Findings revealed that the effect of parental involvement on academic achievement was positive but small. Parental expectations had the biggest effect on academic achievement and parental control had a negative and small effect. The mean effect of parental involvement on students’ academic achievement does not differ significantly according to moderator variables of education level, measurement type or measurement area but differs by developmental level of the country. The results are discussed using available related meta-analysis studies in the literature
Participatory Management, Professional Development, and Teachers’ Job Performance in Public Secondary Schools
No full textThis correlational survey study examined professional development, participatory management, and teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in Ogun State, Nigeria. The sample size comprised 504 participants selected through a multi-stage sampling technique from 12,745 teachers in 217 public secondary schools. The study was guided by two null hypotheses, tested at 0.05 level of significance. Two researcher-designed instruments namely. Participatory Management and Professional Development Questionnaire (PM/PDQ) and Teachers’ Job Performance Scale (TJPS), were used to collect data. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation statistical tool was used for data analysis. Results showed that teachers’ job performance was significantly and positively related to both professional development and participatory management respectively. The study concluded that teachers’ job performance could be enhanced through these two management intervention strategies. It was therefore, recommended among other things, that concerned authorities should improve on existing teachers’ professional development programmes and encourage participatory management among the teachers.
Keywords: management intervention strategies, professional development, participatory management, teachers’ job performance
